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Behind Blue Eyes - Behind Blue Eyes (Iboga, November 2005)
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pr0fane
Multiphase
Started Topics :
418
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3816
Posted : Nov 5, 2005 01:26
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Artist: Behind Blue Eyes
Title: Behind Blue Eyes
Label: Iboga
Format: CD
Released: November, 2005
Review:
Straight from the Iboga lab in Denmark, undoubtly THE progressive psytrance label at the moment, comes a fresh album from the new and fairly unknown duo Behind Blue Eyes. The involved people are no newcomers to the scene though, one being Rene from the project Beat Bizarre, which is one of the most important acts in the Iboga roster, and the other being Banel - internationally acclaimed DJ, one of the co-founders and owners of Iboga Records, and also previously a part of Fabel.
The duos first and only release under the Behind Blue Eyes project before this album, was the track "Goose Bump" on Ibogas "Playground" compilation, and quite frankly I found it a bit of a letdown - let's see if the full length album can provide something more interesting.
01. Excerpts From Dreams [135 BPM]
Kicking of the album is "Excerpts From Dreams", starting with a short intro before the somewhat hollow bassline kicks in after around 30 seconds. The track is quite minimal with only a small hint of a melody, and with a groove that’s a bit too basic and static for my liking. As an opening track, I frankly didn't find it engaging enough.
02. Remember This [133 BPM]
"Remember This" is slightly darker than the opener, with a hard and slightly tribal, static groove. A simple melody starts after 2 minutes and 30 seconds, and unfortunately seems a bit distracting to me, being to harsh and dominant. Some almost oldschool pads enter around halfway through the track, and work quite well, but overall the track doesn't stand out among the best.
03. Shadow Environment [133 BPM]
Now, this is where the album really starts in my opinion. "Shadow Environment" feels much more complete than the two previous tracks, and the sound seems richer and with more depth. It reminds me of Beat Bizarres "Milk Tooth", but in a slower, groovier version, and with some really nice percussion. Definitely a mighty fine track.
04. Sunshine [133 BPM]
Well, the title of this track says it all really. "Sunshine" is uplifting from the first second with loads of bright sounds and naïve melodies, giving it a really cheerful daytime atmosphere. It isn't until the breakdown around halfway through it really starts to shine though, with the appearance of some very delightful pads. Yet another fine track.
05. Brumbasse [133 BPM]
"Brumbasse" (Danish for "Bumblebee") continue with the daytime/morning sound, taking it one step further with an even more trancy touch. There's less focus on the bassline than in the first 4 tracks, and the atmosphere is stellar, with stunning heavily reverbed synth stabs, beautiful pads and an utterly sweet piano-melody. A really awesome tune with an emotional, almost epic touch - definitely my favourite tune on the album.
06. As Sugar Dissolves [133 BPM]
A laidback groove keeps "As Sugar Dissolves" rolling nicely, and some sweet pads are present for most part of the track, but they really kick in, in full effect with around 3 minutes left of the track. Doesn't quite live up to the predecessor "Brumbasse", but is a nice track though - at times reminiscent of some of the material from Phony Orphants "Symphony" album.
07. The Epitome [128 BPM]
After some 4 good tracks, "The Epitome" slows things down, going into the slightly housier realm, yet maintaining the Behind Blue Eyes sound. It starts very deep and somewhat gloomy with a drone sound, and slowly develops and gets less and less dark. It never gets really appealing though, and to me it's one of the least interesting tracks here.
08. Rumble In The Jungle [135 BPM]
"Rumble In The Jungle" picks up the pace quite a bit, and is one of the most intense tracks on the album, with a fast, rolling tribal groove. The attitude is quite serious, leaning towards the dark and gloomy, and "Rumble In The Jungle" is a very appropriate title for this track - I can imagine it would go down quite well in a storming progressive forest set. Solid dance floor track.
09. Brumbasse (Emok Remix) [133 BPM]
To finish the album Banels partner in Iboga Records, Emok, member of Phony Orphants, take on the task of remixing "Brumbasse". Emok didn't change much on the remix though; it's more or less the same despite some polishing here and there, and generally giving it a slightly housier, groovier and less trancy touch - but it suits the track well, and is a great bonus to the album.
Bottom line:
With the album "Behind Blue Eyes", the new duo will certainly establish themselves as a progressive psytrance act to look out for. The sound is very distinct, and has a raw and somewhat dirty, unique touch compared to a lot of progressive on the market - naturally it's fairly close to Beat Bizarre, but definitely brighter, more daytime-oriented and with some tribal elements. As an album it does have its flaws though, the biggest being the slow start with the two first, quite disappointing tracks.
All in all "Behind Blue Eyes" is a pretty good album though. It doesn't sound nearly as formulated as a lot of releases on the market at the moment, and contains a good amount of stand-out tunes. Certainly worth checking out.
Favourites:
3, 4, 5 (!!), 6, 8, 9
Verdict:
7,5/10
Link:
Iboga Records: http://www.iboga.dk
  DJ pr0fane (Iboga Records) | Multiphase
www.sunrisesupplies.com | www.iboga.dk | www.soundcloud.com/pr0fane |
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duyoush
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
164
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2510
Posted : Nov 6, 2005 04:24
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sound good 
good luck Rene and banel with this one
and iboga ..plz keep it coming!!
cheers
"The external world became changed as in a dream and colors became more glowing.When the eyes were closed,colored pictures flashed past in a quickly changing kaleidoscope.what had caused this condition?"
Albert Hofmann Laboratory Notes (1943) |
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kristyandmoe
Started Topics :
4
Posts :
224
Posted : Nov 6, 2005 23:43
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Hard to keep up with all the Iboga releases of late, there has been heaps and not a weak one amongst them. |
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Glen.C (Iboga Rec)
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
52
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686
Posted : Nov 8, 2005 18:29
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Mr.Hanky
Ace Ventura
Started Topics :
21
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1088
Posted : Nov 8, 2005 19:49
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Just finished my first listen to the album and boy it went well!!!
i acutally liked all of the tracks,was approaching the first two tunes with caution because of Profane's warnings(i gotta say the guy writes good reviews and is usually spot-on)-But i liked them alot and see them as quite worthy openers for this fine album.
For some reason i dig this much more than the beat bizzare album,u can feel and hear their style in here but somehow it sits better for my ears.
The whole mood of the album is quite laid back and easy going,in a good way of course,i would play this as an opener of a party or in the late morning hours,but for home listening this is just perfect !
Good job boyz,another fine addition to the iboga catalogue  |
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Nachummm
Started Topics :
7
Posts :
186
Posted : Nov 14, 2005 18:18
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DJAmanita
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
31
Posts :
236
Posted : Nov 15, 2005 23:35
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Very lush trance with this one guys. Much like the Iboga of the past. I love #9!!!!! |
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PKS
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
75
Posts :
490
Posted : Nov 25, 2005 10:56
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Iboga Records in Denmark has put themselves on the progressive map long time ago, releasing mostly quite good quality progressive trance. Here they are out with another artist album, this time by a duo called Behind Blue Eyes. A pretty new name, with only a couple of tracks released on compilations. But, these guys are for sure not new to the scene. This is actually a collaboration between Rene Nielsen (one half of Beat Bizarre) and Michael Banel who runs Iboga Records. Here they deliver their debut album together, with a nice sunny cover art.
Behind Blue Eyes "Behind Blue Eyes" Iboga Records 2005 (IBOGACD35)
1. Excerpts From Dreams
2. Remember This
3. Shadow Enviroment
4. Sunshine
5. Brumbasse
6. As Sugar Dissolves
7. The Epitome
8. Rumble In The Jungle
9. Brumbasse (Emok Remix)
This album has a very pumping drift in most of the tracks. The bassline might sound a bit flat and monotonous on a fast listen, but when you listen through these tracks, you will here that quite a lot of interesting ideas are going on. Tiny, floating melodies sneaks in carefully in several of the tracks. We get quite dark vibes, almost a bit melancholic, in most of the tracks. Track 2 is one of the most interesting tracks for me, introducing some vibes that gives me a bit of old school feelings, mixed with a modern drift of progressive trance. Another familiar name in the Iboga family, DJ Emok has remixed the Brumbasse (funny name by the way…) at the end here, giving us some electro influenced vibes, which seems to be very popular among the progressive trance artists these days. In my ears, there is a little bit too little variation between the tracks here. Most of them goes the same direction, so a little bit more ideas would be nice. But, we get some nice progressive floor stumpers here anyway, such as the pumping Epitome track, which as some really nice bubbling sounds.
This interesting collaboration has come out with some very stumpy, heavy beats in their tracks. I missed a little bit more variation, both in and between the tracks, but we get some nice progressive tracks here anyway. So, watch out for this duo, who has several releases on their schedule in the near future.
PKS
More reviews at:
http://www.trance.net
CHILL TRIBE
CTRCD01 QUALITY RELAXATION
CTRCD02 RELAXED JOURNEYS
CTRCD03 EAR PLEASURE
CTRCD04 WOMBATMUSIC - Shameful Silence
CTRCD05 POLYPLOID - Grow Your Own
CTRCD06 IAN ION - Gringo Locomotion
CTRCD07 SUNKINGS - Before We Die |
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Ron Lyner
Ron Lyner
Started Topics :
21
Posts :
685
Posted : Nov 25, 2005 17:02
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this album rocks
listening now
i love the BASS
http://www.o-zen.com/art/ranal
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You wanna dance?!...I know a tune...it´s called stick and CUT!!
V.L |
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Mahamudra (Sagiv)
Mahamudra
Started Topics :
5
Posts :
173
Posted : Nov 25, 2005 20:08
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heared alot about this album... alltho im not into this style of music.
i heared like 4 tracks from it and i must say the mix of the kick bass is unreal , the sound is amazing and thats a very good reason for me to buy this album and give it a listen.
not much for a review but i'll be back after i'll get my hands on that album ^^
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www.myspace.com/mahamudraaa
www.betarecords.com/mahamudra
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Acidhive
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
76
Posts :
2014
Posted : Nov 26, 2005 02:33
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Heard some samples and this sounds interesting. I've always had a thing for Beat Bizarre and I like Emok's music too, so it seems I can't go wrong with this  Way to go Iboga. Just what I needed after the (to me) somewhat dissapointing Phony Orphants album.
"Subconscious unravels at the point of death, and all time it has known erupts into a moment. As death extinguishes us, so we become it."
[Esoteric: Subconscious Dissolution Into The Continuum] |
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Ben P
Started Topics :
5
Posts :
259
Posted : Nov 27, 2005 17:53
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this album is original a thing that is hard to find this days
for me the album is just great i find it one of the best releases of 2005(with sensient, jaia) and the best release from Iboga label for 2005 which i real hard! because iboga released so many good release this year .
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DeathPosture
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
142
Posts :
547
Posted : Dec 2, 2005 16:39
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Behind Blue Eyes – Behind Blue Eyes
Cover: http://tinyurl.com/ccg58
Artist: Behind Blue Eyes (Denmark)
Title: Behind Blue Eyes
Format: CD (jewel case)
Label: Iboga Records (Denmark)
Cat. #: IBOGACD35
Distribution: twohandsdistribution.com
Date: 23 November 2005
Track listing:
01. 08’04” Excerpts From Dreams
02. 08’09” Remember This
03. 08’17” Shadow Environment
04. 08’53” Sunshine
05. 09’07” Brumbasse
06. 07’11” As Brown Sugar Dissolves
07. 08’32” The Epitome
08. 09’11” Rumble In The Jungle
09. 07’42” Brumbasse (Emok Remix)
Review:
Sunglasses at night…
This debut album from BBE marks the 35th CD release from Danish label Iboga Records – and this time, the artist is Iboga label boss Banel (Michael Abel-Larsen) in cahoots with Rene Nielsen of Beat Bizarre fame… They’ve teamed up under the Behind Blue Eyes moniker, under which they’ve already released one track on last year’s Playground compilation… I haven’t heard that one, so I have no idea what to expect… Let’s find out…
Let me take you thru the tracks…
#01: Excerpts From Dreams [135 BPM]
The opening track is blunt, though playful… Minimal, yet groovy… Simple, yet multi-layered… WTF? Yeah, this is a puzzling track in all its complexity… I really like the laid-back progressive groove here… This is car music – for cruising around in an urban environment at night – wearing sunglasses! A nice track that took me A LOT of listens to become comfortable with – but now I totally dig it!
#02: Remember This [133 BPM]
“You’re my hiding place, my faithful escape…” As the title suggests, we’re digging deep in the retro-bag… And we’re getting a real dominant female vocal here… I’m usually not the biggest fan of singing in trance, but this vocal is pretty damn nice – and fits the track perfectly… The music is also something out of the ordinary – with a sharp contrast between the deep-as-fuck reverb and the light-as-a-feather naïve melodies introduced halfway through the track… Three very dominant elements in this track, but they complete each other very nicely… A very ripe, mature track – which I’m sure, will appeal to the cross-over crowd too…
#03: Shadow Environment [133 BPM]
This track is like a mix of the two previous tracks… The contrasts mixed with the multi-layered complexity… Actually it starts out pretty boring – and continues to be kinda dull throughout most of the track… It gets better towards the ending, but still there is nothing here we haven’t heard on a gazillion Ibiza-compilation before… I dunno, maybe it’s because of its Balearic decent I don’t really get anything from it? A decent track…
#04: Sunshine [133 BPM]
As the title suggests, we’re still in fluff-territory here… Only this track appeals to me in a much greater sense than the previous one… That’s right, I’m a sucker for a well-constructed rhythm-section, and that’s exactly what we get here… It all starts out tribal Etnoscope-style, but soon more layers are added – including some floating, uplifting melodious background pads… Oh yeah, this might be commercial too, but I actually like it… Sexy beach-house trance… Nothing ground-breaking, but nice nevertheless…
#05: Brumbasse [133 BPM]
We’re still rubbing shoulders with the most commercial tracks on this compilation, but this track is a definite step in the right direction… Devout of the most obvious cheese-pitfalls, this track is real sweet… Big syncopated reverbs + nifty little melodic pads + subtle percussion + the sweetest summer groove this side of the Atlantic… Oh yes, this is what I’m talking about… Progressive trance when it’s best! Brilliant track!
#06: As Brown Sugar Dissolves [133 BPM]
Right – I take, it this is not a reference to heroin or subsequently The Rolling Stones… Whatever it is, this is a pretty harmless, laid-back track… Cruising at a comfortable 133 beats per minute, and generally sounding pretty nice… Nothing that gets me too excited though!
#07: The Epitome [128 BPM]
But wow – now we’re getting somewhere… This is definitely the most hard-hitting track of the album – despite the lowest BPM… Oh, the irony! Anyway, this is one bleak panzerfaust of a track… Minimal in structure at first, but slowly develops into something that bears closer resemblance to the previous tracks… I really don’t like the vocals here, but they don’t last too long so I’m gonna pretend I didn’t hear ‘em… Generally speaking, this is on hell of a track – experimental and edgy… And I’m all about edge! Sweet track!
#08: Rumble In The Jungle [135 BPM]
‘The Rumble in The Jungle’ was a historic boxing event that took place on October 30, 1974, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It pitted then world Heavyweight champion George Foreman against former world champion and that time challenger Muhammad Ali. Ali won! Enough sidetracking now – let’s talk about this track… The intro is maybe a little too long for my taste, but when things finally happen they happen with a blast… Yeah, this is also pretty rough around the edges, but with enough uplifting elements to ensure a safe passage… I like the huge pads that surface once in a while maxing out the entire sound-spectre… Well done! A majestic tune!
#09: Brumbasse (Emok Remix) [133 BPM]
Emok (Mikael Dahlgaard) from Phony Orphants ends the album with a remix to Brumbasse…He re-arranges the track into a slightly more electro-ridden house-tune… The melodic lead here doesn’t do much for me… It’s not bad at all, but frankly I prefer the original…
Right, so I actually have pretty mixed feeling about this album…There are no bad tracks here – not at all… It’s just that some passages are a little too dull for my tastes… But hey, I do not despair, as there’s a handful of track here which are really good… Three of them are even VERY good… And I’m happy to say, that the good tracks easily outweigh the less-good tracks… ;o)
The best tracks are the edgy ones… The ones taking chances and playing around mixing up opposite elements… I like that, and in that sense this album is brilliant… If only it wasn’t for the few close-to-generic tracks here… Anyway, it’s still a pretty damn nice debut album. So, to clear up the confusion: Generally I like this album, but it’s not among the best I’ve heard this year… It’s still Iboga though, which guarantees a high level of quality! Progressive fans will definitely take well to this, and I’m sure certain tracks will cross successfully over into more commercial scenes too… Enjoy!
Favourites: 1(!), 2, 5(!), 7(!), 8
DeathPosture
External links:
Iboga Records: http://www.iboga.dk
Discogs: http://www.discogs.com/release/559736
Saiko Sounds: http://tinyurl.com/br8bs
TranceShop: http://tinyurl.com/aggya
Beatspace: http://tinyurl.com/9v87u
Psyshop: http://tinyurl.com/cyz2k
Chaos: http://tinyurl.com/bclub
On really romantic evenings of self, I go salsa dancing with my confusion... |
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Glen.C (Iboga Rec)
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
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Posts :
686
Posted : Dec 2, 2005 23:41
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Nathan
IsraTrance Senior Member
Started Topics :
301
Posts :
3605
Posted : Dec 3, 2005 08:40
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Gr8 cover; nice production.:
But Sorry. I don't like the flow of this album. It is like a frozen rever; l can get nowhere with the sound. Not very creative and to slow.
Boring album.
-=The Meaning Of Life Is To Give Life A Meaning= |
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