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Beat Bizarre - Pandoras Groove Box (Iboga Rec)
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Glen.C (Iboga Rec)
IsraTrance Full Member
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Posted : Apr 2, 2004 18:24
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Beat Bizarre - Pandoras Groove Box (Iboga Rec)
1. Flagpole Safari
2. Eavesdrop Pop
3. Corrosive Juices
4. Booger launcher
5. Urban Disturbances
6. Pests for Pets
7. Caugama
OK, first then… big up to the Iboga guys, Banel, Jeppe and Mikael.
And of course, thanks to the sonic wizards, Martin and Rene!
I’ll start at the beginning, that’s normally a good place to…
TK1/ This starts of with a wicked saw sound that is panned very nicely and has some good reverb, this sound starts the track alone. Then comes the kick and wickedly funky bass line that we would expect from Beat Bizarre. The opening sound then forms part of the groove as it pans around and fits so nicely with the bass and kick and you realise why it was a good way to start the track. Some simple percussion lines help move the groove along with some warped stabs and a nicely placed vocal comes in very other bar or so to add another line. Around two minutes in and we get some very cool sound that squiggles away some place strange in the mix around the right side. Then the track introduces many a nice sound one by one to build up the energy. Unfortunately for me the funk and groove of the bass is lost when too many sounds take up the focus of the mix, but this funky bass line recovers it’s groove around the four minute mark when the sounds are stripped away. Now we are left with that infectious groove and some nice choppy percussion swirling around why a twisted and warped atmospheric with strange pitch sliding takes grip and the track turns to a more sinister place. Around the 5.30 mark we get the first brake down… it goes in to a nice modulating pulsing and the original panning sound of the intro. The kick, bass and swirling percussion come back with a weird alien talking noise panning between left and right, some sweeping noise brings back the vocal and warped stabs. From here to the end the sounds are all layered back again peaking with the twisted atmospherics cutting back through the mix. Overall a pretty good track. It starts very favourably but I feel a couple of the sounds are a little out of place and change the feel of that cool bass line. Also I’m can’t make my mind up about the weird atmospheric lead….?? Well a good track anyway, but not outstanding.
TK2/ Big modulating elevating intro, it builds to the peak and then POP! Kick, bass and percussion all in together… what an intro! The intro sound then warps away as a background sound and there are some water drops and splashes of sound here and there. Good bass line again by the way, typical BB. Next a atmospheric sweep and a sprinkle of melody and we build down, the track now takes a more moody approach and the melody sparks here and there bubbling out of the background. Around 3.30 we get some nice crunchy percussion that picks the groove up again and some metallic loops build on energy and fit the groovy bass line really nice. Another sweep and the atmosphere builds with some nice sounds swirling around the background and foreground, more sounds added and the energy peaks. 5.30 and a brake down… the best part of the track for me. Nice reversed melody and a strange one note bass work wonders, add some atmospherics and bring back a bass groove and the track is moving in a great direction. Then comes the intro over the top and elevates the tune through the roof! Some cool 80s style pitch changing on the bass and wooooh! Here we go, groove baby groove! The track pretty much goes on from here and adds the odd sound, but this is all I need, it’s built to a great groove and keeps that for the last part. This is one of the highlights, great work with subtle melody sprinkles and good bass workout. This is one of those tracks that merges the lines between progressive and psychedelic so well, and just the kind of track I want to shake my ass to in the morning sun.
TK3/ Right then, what do we have here… Rolling intro, sounds like a didge going through some tasty effects. A high pitched bass line modulates, sounding a bit 96’ actually, then with a nice metallic stab the kick drops in. Then some cool sweeps and the stab repeats very 16. Some more pops and a crackle here and we’ve got a good groove going, some simple percussion and old school melody is sprinkled around like fairy dust. This first melody reminds of the good old days, but I’m not sure it fits with todays ideas and progressive workings within the dance scene. But then it goes and we are back with the groove… only for another melody to cut through the mix, this is a much more atmospheric one though and I’m thinking that the track is turning in the right direction of a sweet morning track. But no! That damn old school melody comes back…and then the rest of the track is pretty much a few melodies over the top of a groovy track. Nice old school morning spaced out choon, if you like the old school sound. I did! But now… not really to my tastes. I can’t see this track getting spun much, well not by me anyway.
TK4/ Right this is a downbeat track… I’m not a fan of one downbeat track being placed on what you would think to be a dance floor album. I haven’t heard it much so can’t review fairly. But from what I remember, it was quite good. Next!
TK5/ Watery type intro, all sounds liquid. Some nice percussion through good effects and a two note bass rumbles till it comes to a stop of almost silence, then a big drop and boom, into the track, bass line, kick, percussion, and it’s all groovy. Yes, a very nice start. Sounds like a continuation from their last album. The groove maintains itself nicely and I’m really loving the two note bass. Some cool percussion picks it up a level with some cool metallic sounds. Another dropping stab strips the track down around 3.15 mark and here a clockwork style percussion sound takes hold really sweet with some metallic percussion coming in the mix a few bars later. Some crunches and sweeps move around and the track has a really infectious groove. Come on! Around 5.20 and we get a wicked lead line that picks up the energy and is seriously funked up. Reminds me of other stuff coming from the Iboga stable and the way Fable layers bass and low sounds to pick up the groove at the perfect moment in the tracks. So here we go, 5.50 and a another lead comes in to the mix and the layers are getting thick. 6.15 and yet another, a higher pitched bass is brought in and the track is peaking, a monster! 7.15 and strip down time only for the layers and percussion to start coming into the mix again and bringing us to a good final chapter of this gorgeous track. Big highlight! Is it psychedelic, is it progressive… I don’t care, I just love the track and good music is good music!
TK6/ BIG kick and fairly nice bass line get things started, some little snippets and notes dropped in and some good use of effect, sounds like enigma to me. This is also another funky track that is moving n grooving, not typical BB for me though. The track loops for a while which is just fine because my ass is doing its thing until around 3.00 and we turn a corner. Some kind of chopped vocal is bouncing and has been sequenced wonderfully to add to the groove, this is another gem. The track loops with additional sounds coming in until around 4.25 when…. Ooh, strip down, new bass flying along with the kick and give the effect of them merging so there is a continuous pulse, the nice vocal sound is reintroduced and sounds really cool here. Atmospherics add to the feeling and the track is set into it’s pattern, which is a good one! Not much more to say about this. It’s a solid track and I quite like it.
TK7/ Right we are near the end of the CD and a wicked intro with nice bass and some cracks and buzzing start the final offer. The kick is introduced and again we have a solid groove, but the track takes a turn for the worst early on when an odd school lead that reminds me of the goa leads comes in and a pulsing line is added making the whole effect choppy and jumpy. I’m not liking what I’m hearing and it continues to go this way right through to the end. There is a cool sample in there somewhere though and a bass note loop is added that improves the track a bit. But overall I’m not liking it, not to my tastes at all. Not much I can add to this I’m afraid. I don’t like to listen to it so I can’t really review it properly. Shame, it’s not a good way to end an album, but hey, some people may really like it.
Overall this is a good CD, tracks 2, 5 and 6 are highlights for me. But it’s not really up to the high standard set last year with Iboga releasing some great artist albums, Phoney Orphans and Antix were masterpieces. Then we have the amazing Puzzled comp also. I’ll give it a 7.5, maybe an 8 when I get to hear it on a booming PA. Pretty good I reckon. For those of you who want to know, is it psy, is it prog? I don’t know, I guess more psy but with proggy influences. It’s certainly not full-on (thank god). I don’t like to pigeon hole stuff, so I’ll say it’s just a good artist album with plenty of groove and some interesting tracks. Well done again Martin and Rene, and thanks again to Iboga for merging the lines between psychedelic and progressive with your tip top releases.
Over and out!
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Te_nTe
IsraTrance Junior Member
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Posted : Apr 3, 2004 11:15
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great review Glen.
got the album - nice one ,like the 5,6 tracks also very agree about the iboga latest standarts in comparison to this album.
its kinda psy progressive music - when there is a little of everything in it.
liked this review |
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Kaz
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Posted : Apr 3, 2004 11:29
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Banel
Behind Blue Eyes
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Posted : Apr 3, 2004 21:20
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Thank you for the words Glen, nice to read a review like this..
One small correction, Iboga is Banel And Emok..Jeppe is 1/3 of nanobeat records, phony orphants together with Emok...which are working from the iboga studio, which are Jeppe , Emok n´Banel..He he
 www.myspace.com/michaelbanel |
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aje
IsraTrance Full Member
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Posted : Apr 4, 2004 00:21
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Lewd is one of my alltime favorite CDs, , so my anticipation was very high when I first listened to these songs. I have to admit I was kinda disppointed at first, the songs all seemed too fast for my taste and cause im listening to a lot of prog. house these days, i thought i had grown out of this style. i think i expected BB to develop along with me, like other artists, for example antix and atmos, did.
But they didn't, they actually went the other way, instead of getting housier and slower they went faster and more psychedelic. however, dont get me wrong, this is NOT full on.
after the initial disappointment, i took it to the car and put it on, and while i was driving around, all of a sudden it hit me. i was sucked into a vortex of smooth grooves, inticate sounds, subtle layers, and everything started to make sense. The music just wrapped around me and i felt very calm and relaxed, I entered some kind of meditational state where i wasnt listening to the music and i wasnt driving consciously, everything just happened. (i just wanna mention there were no drugs involved here, just aural stimulation)
The genious of beat bizarre is that all this happened while listening to this cd not very loud, just on a good clear system that brought out all the delicate work these boys have put into making this CD. The song that first pulled me into the vortex was no. 5 Urban Disturbances, but im not gonna describe it because I couldnt do it any better then Glen. After listening to that song, all the others started making sense as well and this CD has been my constant companion ever since.
Now that im thinking about it, it took some time to get used to Lewd as well, and you definitely have to sit down and really listen to this masterpiece . This is not Easy listening, but once you are into the Vortex, everything will feel easy and you'll float along like a piece of driftwood on a stream. This is the kind of music you put on and after 15 minutes you sudddenly realize that you have been staring at the wall all the time.
Now alittle bit about the individual songs. Unlike Lewd, there are no real standout hits on this one like Monochrome or Funk Fluid were. All tracks are good, no.5 Urban Disturbances probably being the best but I also really like no. 3 Corrosive Juices that Glen didnt like as much.
No. 6 Pest for Pets has one SICK groove that kicks in at around 4:20 that worth mentioning, but im not gonna go into detail, check glen above.no. 7 Caugama stands out because its the only one that doesnt give me that vortex feeling, but it has a different electro-retro charme, and thats why its good that it is the last song so it doesnt break the flow of the others. The chill-out track no. 4 Booger Launcher, is the only one that Glen didnt describe in detail and thats a shame, because its one deep, twisting tune with choir voices and a great atmosphere. definitely one of the best chill songs of late.
another thing i have to mention is that i first downloaded this Album because i couldnt wait , but only when i bought the CD was i able to feel the real impact. There is so much intricate soundwork here, do yourself a favor and buy it, this is the one album where CD makes a real difference over mp3.
The only complaint i have is that i would pitch every song down somewhat. Maybe it cause im listening to so much house, but i think slower bpms would mean more time to listen to the carfully crafted sounds and more time for the music to do its magic. I think especially no.2 would gain a lot from slower bpms.
Well, to sum it up, this album is an amazing journey, but you have to give it some time!!!
Its like those 3D pictures, you look at it long enough and all of a sudden an amazing picture becomes visible from the layers below. and then you cant stop looking.
Iboga is putting out one gem after another (except oryx, but we'll kindly forget about that). I would think this record is as good as Phony Orphants and Antix (my two fav. albums last year) but in its own way. PO is definitely more dancefloor friendly and antix is more musical, but no other artists better for staring at the wall for 80 minutes than Beat Bizarre!!!
Check out my album: http://www.ektoplazm.com/free-music/gay-satanic-hippie-tiefenrausch |
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Glen.C (Iboga Rec)
IsraTrance Full Member
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Posted : Apr 5, 2004 17:43
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Good words aje.
The more I listen to the CD, the more I warm to it as an overall listening journey. The downbeat track I have had more chance to listen to over the weekend and it is really a nice track. Not in the style I like my breaks but a groovy 'tunnel' type of a track that is dark and uplifting all at the same time.
And yeah, sorry about the mistake Banel, I always forget about Jeppe... it's just him and Mikael have been here togther a few times and I always think of Jeppe - Iboga... Even though I know very well that he's dealing with Nanobeat. Anyway then, thanks Jeppe for all your great tracks. 
Beat Bizzare rating has changed from a 7.5 to 8.5 |
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aje
IsraTrance Full Member
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Posted : Apr 6, 2004 23:11
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youre right, glen,the more you listen to it, the better it gets. i have listened to this contnuously for a week, and everytime i discover something new. it just goes deeper and deeper down the tunnel. and i was wrong, there is a standout track, urban disturbances is the best, it is one sick twisting journey.
Check out my album: http://www.ektoplazm.com/free-music/gay-satanic-hippie-tiefenrausch |
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Glen.C (Iboga Rec)
IsraTrance Full Member
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Posted : Apr 7, 2004 18:58
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Yeah I think you are right aje, 'urban disturbances' is the stand out track for me also. Great track, maybe a little fast for my taste, but thats no trouble with some pitch adjustment. Think in may be in my top ten for a while!
Big up Iboga!!!!!!!!!! |
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Tralala
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Posted : Apr 8, 2004 10:13
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I liked their cd but this downbeat track being placed right in the middle of the album just doesnt fit... |
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Jingabé
IsraTrance Junior Member
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Posted : Apr 9, 2004 23:11
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Well, for me it was love at first listen... at least for tracks 2,3,5 and 6. Don't want to describe the mentioned tracks because that is already done. Just want to say that this is a fantastic album and that, imho, in no way it trails behind Antix e Phony Orphants albums.
I think there's a tie between Corrosive Juices e Pests for Pets for the title of best track.
Well done.. |
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René(BB)
Beat Bizzare
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Posted : Apr 16, 2004 03:18
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Thank you for al the nice Reviews..And glen@resonoise you´ll get a 10 for the art of reviewing....Cheers René |
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Glen.C (Iboga Rec)
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Posted : Apr 16, 2004 14:39
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Hey thanks Rene for the kind words... your pleased to know I shall review much more in the future, here and on another website I shall name soon enough. Cheers |
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René(BB)
Beat Bizzare
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Posted : Apr 17, 2004 14:50
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I looking forward to read your reviews in the future.... and i´ll look out for the other weEeEeEBsite....hahah cheers ((Glen@resonoise))
René/Beat Bizarre/Iboga Rec.http://www.psyshop.com/shop/CDs/ibo/ibo1cd020.html |
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René(BB)
Beat Bizzare
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Posted : Apr 20, 2004 22:01
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Heyyy !! AJE I never thank you for the mail and for the review and thank you for the mail....
And a Big tribute to Iboga Records..
René/Beat Bizarre/Iboga Rec.http://www.psyshop.com/shop/CDs/ibo/ibo1cd020.html |
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thinman242
Started Topics :
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Posted : Apr 21, 2004 17:54
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Sorry to beat bizzare guys but this is a very dissapointing album. Ididn' t like it at all. Only track 5 or 6 (can't remembber is descent).When i first listened to it i think,they make a snatch. There is no style no fantasy at the tracks, only a good crystal clear production.So.......Be carefull to your next move.The first album was really good.But this time unfortunately they didn't hit the spot. |
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