Trance Forum | Stats | Register | Search | Parties | Advertise | Login

There are 0 trance users currently browsing this page
Trance Forum  Forum  Music Reviews - Hydro Generator Lucid Dream (ELF Music 2005) CD
Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on StumbleUpon
Author

Hydro Generator Lucid Dream (ELF Music 2005) CD

DeathPosture
IsraTrance Full Member

Started Topics :  142
Posts :  547
Posted : Apr 11, 2005 16:10
Hydro Generator Lucid Dream

Cover: http://tinyurl.com/4nm86

Artist: Hydro Generator (Japan)
Title: Lucid Dream
Format: CD (jewel case)
Label: ELF Music (Japan)
Cat. #: ELFCD 008
Distribution: QQS/Wirikuta
Date: 20 April 2005

Track listing:

01. 0554 Psychological Depiction
02. 0800 Philosophy
03. 0738 Evolution
04. 0724 Future Scape
05. 0834 Lucid Dream
06. 0833 Dream Provider
07. 0801 Karma (Circulation of the Orbit)
08. 0811 Dawn 2005
09. 0816 Cosmo (New Edit Rmx)

Review:

When a dreamer becomes aware, or wakes up inside a dream, they are said to be 'lucid dreaming'

Hydro Generator is DJ Toru (Toru Furuyama) from Nagoya, Japan Hes been a DJ for seven years and has been a producer for three years and has gained quite a rep on the Japanese scene He has released tracks on USTA, Alkaloid and had a track on the brilliant ELF Music compilation After Ten Years Of Japanese Trance released in 2004 I really liked that track and generally Ive been impressed with what ELF has released so my hopes for this, Torus debut album, are high

Let me take you thru the tracks

#01: Psychological Depiction [100-120 BPM]
The intro-track is kinda weird It starts out as shamanistic downbeat but soon evolves into more experimental, dubby territory... Later on its electro-chill, breakz and even some deranged noise-arrangement and shpongle beat-box To be honest, I dont really understand this track and tend to skip it

#02: Philosophy [142 BPM]
Then was it really worth it? Was what worth it? Was massacring all those people worth being separated from your love for the rest of your life? You mean, was an instant of purity worth a lifetime lie? Please explain to me, where's the "purity" that you couldn't live without in 52 people who are no longer on this planet because they met you and Mallory? What's so fucking pure about that? How do you do it? First the intro will trick you, thinking its another weird experimental tune But only after a couple of seconds, the much anticipated bassline is revealed Toru then starts adding stuff into the psy-pot First a subtle melody, then another one and soon the track is in full effect Flaring, catchy synth melodies and spacy FX Dark pounding night-trance with uplifting morning element too The Natural Born Killers quote is well-fitting and the build-up/climax part is fucking awesome Sweet track!

#03: Evolution [145 BPM]
Evolution. It has enabled us to evolve from a single-celled organism into the dominant species on the planet. This process is slow Ultra-sharp R2D2esque robotic noises try to shred your ear-drums in the intro to this track And if they dont succeed the bassline that is introduced straight after takes a stab at it too This is more fast-moving, deeply psychedelic, highly melodic psytrance Again were treated to rapid changed in pace constant evolution (ahem!) The X-Men 2 sample is kinda overused, but besides from that this track is brilliant

#04: Future Scape [145 BPM]
Future Scape where melodies rule! Pounding bassline, percussion with breakz and synth galore Again a sweet take-off, though it would have prolonged my pleasure if it was even longer But screw it, there are so many of them here youll never run out Sweet little twirling synth-lines jump around playfully whilst Toru keeps applying filters Oh man, the last couple of minutes are pure old-school goa bliss Genki-tastic!

#05: Lucid Dream [147 BPM]
The title track starts off brutally A very noisy guitar and gritty industrial FX Yikes! Im not a lucid dreamer, but if its anything like this I want in! This is hectic, multilayered, deeply psychedelic, darkish psy-trance It reminds me a lot of the Rinkadink style and I fucking love Rinkadink! This is nothing short of excellent!

#06: Dream Provider [145 BPM]
Never again wake up! More dreaming here Were still in the faster end of the BPM-scale and its still very much night The bassline is harder than ever and Toru pulls out a bunch of J.M.Jarre-like melodies and chanting monks to kick the track in the right direction Im not sure it works completely for the first half of the track though I like the three previous tracks better this is still good, but its not until the last couple of minutes that all hell brakes loose and the melodies run free When they do it sounds awesome, but it took too damn long to get there Ok track!

#07: Karma (Circulation of the Orbit) [147 BPM]
Beautiful orchestral intro with something that sounds like pan-pipes and before you know it the track is in full throttle full-on country This is more on the morning side of things very fast, and very melodic For a while its a pretty generic track - and thats a shame really Well, its very uplifting and for what its worth its Well, full-on! Its good, but not wasabi-good Ok track!

#08: Dawn 2005 [143 BPM]
And now its dawn time Time to pay homage to the rising sun And what better way to do that, than with a nice uplifting morning tune The base of the track is made up by tribal percussion, floating melodic pads and a subtle bassline The bass disappears for a while, but once its back it has regained strength and sounds pretty damn good blasting away alongside the tribal drums This sounds like an old-school ethno-ambient track only with bass and drums And thats pretty cool! Tasty!

#09: Cosmo (New Edit Rmx) [145 BPM]
And we remain in morning territory for the last track, though this has a more pounding nature Long floating organic pads with joyous melodies Come to think of it, this is pretty cheesy but its morning what can you do?

As you can tell, I enjoyed the first part of this album the most The rest isnt bad; its just not as good as the first part IMO Its all about taste, and Im sure fans of melodic morning-trance will appreciate the second half of the album immensely Its a journey really going from darker night-trance to lighter, more uplifting morning trance In general this album is packed to the rim with build-ups/breaks and climaxes are everywhere Ive kinda missed that in modern psy-trance, and not since the Filteria album Sky Input have I enjoyed so many climaxes So hats off to DJ Toru for bringing that back into the scene great production indeed!

This is my third ELF Music release and theyve all been above average standard pretty good statistics! To conclude, this album is good and I especially like the first half which more than justifies a purchase Fans of high-quality Japanese psytrance will definitely like this album I did! Enjoy!

Favourites: 2, 3(!), 4(!), 5(!), 8

DeathPosture


External links:
Hydro Generator: http://www.hydrogenerator.net/
ELF Music: http://www.elf-music.net
Wirikuta: http://tinyurl.com/5r4rw

And more online shops soon           On really romantic evenings of self, I go salsa dancing with my confusion...
DeathPosture
IsraTrance Full Member

Started Topics :  142
Posts :  547
Posted : Apr 22, 2005 13:46
It's been released now:

Psyshop: http://www.psyshop.com/shop/CDs/elf/elf1cd008.html
Saiko Sounds: http://www.saikosounds.com/english/display_release.asp?id=4790
Beatspace: http://www.beatspace.com/dettagli/dettaglio.asp?id=2001

Check it out - it's well worth it! =D

DP           On really romantic evenings of self, I go salsa dancing with my confusion...
PKS
IsraTrance Full Member

Started Topics :  75
Posts :  490
Posted : Apr 29, 2005 09:01
Hydro Generator is Toru Furuyama from Japan. He has previously released tracks on labels such as Alkaloid, USTA and Elf Music. He is now out with his debut album on the Japanese psytrance label Elf Music, who celebrates ten years of Japanese trance these days.

Hydro Generator "Lucid Dream" Elf Music 2005 (ELFCD008)

1. Psychological Depiction
2. Philosophy
3. Evolution
4. Future Scape
5. Lucid Dream
6. Dream Provider
7. Karma Circulation Of The Orbit
8. Dawn 2005
9. Cosmo Rmx

First out is a chilled track, with some weird almost industrial sounds. Pretty weird, but interesting start on the album. We also get some tribal influences here. Then we jump over in a night time mood in track two. Here we get a rolling, hard bass line, with mostly dark sounds jumping in and out of the track. We also get a voice sample and some scary floating vibes in there. Something for the night. Track 3 is a pumping track. This one goes the dark direction too. Quite massive track. This one is a little bit lighter, but still it is quite dark. Something for the stumpers. The melody we get here is a little bit simple in my opinion. It reminds me a little bit of the Chemical Crew style. Track 4 is a bit more floating. Quite trippy and melodic, which should fit better in the morning. The melody reminds me a little bit of old school goa trance.

Track 5 starts with a crazy guitar sound, before we get thrown into a massive night time drift again, with some voice samples and quite industrial sounds above. A rolling track for those who likes it dark. Not among my favourites, mainly because I find it a bit nagging. Track 6 is a stumping, quite melodic track. Again, I find the melody a bit simple, but this one is better. It sounds quite clubby, but might be something for the morning. Track 7 is among the fastest tracks on this album (147bpm). This track is pretty good. A massive, rolling track with some beautiful floating vibes. A full on trippy track, perfect for sunrise. Track 8 is my favourite track on this album. This one goes slower, with a groovy, stumping bass line. Almost like progressive trance, but a bit more full on. Nice one. The last track on this album isnt bad either. Quite melodic, groovy morning vibes, with some mystic, floating sounds in between.

In my opinion, the second half of this album is definately the best. This album doesnt sound like all other darkpsy out there, but tries out more melodies, which is nice. The cover art is also pretty good. So if you are curious about some new Japanese trance, this might be worth checking out.
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
Jikkenteki
Jikkenteki

Started Topics :  20
Posts :  356
Posted : May 23, 2005 15:01
Hydro Generator - Lucid Dream
ELF Music ELFCD 008 2005

01 - Psychological Depiction
02 - Philosophy
03 - Evolution
04 - Future Scape
05 - Lucid Dream
06 - Dream Provider
07 - Karma - Circulation of the Orbit
08 - Dawn 2005
09 - Cosmo Rmx

Japan's Elf Music returns with yet another release from the up and coming crop of Japanese artists, this time featuring Hydro Generator. While I actually received this CD several weeks ago, I waited on writing this review because on first listen I suspected this is one of those albums that change for the listener with time. Simply put, I suspected that in a week I would either be completely bored of or totally be in love with it. In hind site my suspicion was correct. My first impression was that of a solid, modern full-on-ish album. Over time however, this album has slowly been revealing added layers of depth and sophistication. Lets take a quick tour.

Psychological Depiction starts us off wonderfully. This is a freestyle-ish slow brooding, breaky, heavily compressed bass monster that reminds me of the old days when labels like Matsuri, Blueroom, and company where willing to give us something outside of the standard four to the floor. Hell, it is even DJ unfriendly with its changing BPMs and shifting moods as. Me likely, gimme more.... Philosophy is up next and is a classic example of the type of current psy-trance I like, that being the soaring slowly while still pounding aggressively down in the lower regions variety. Lots of synth lines swirl in and out while fly-by sounds are given lots of breathing room with long reverbs and delays.

Evolution follows and while many of the samples here have been used before, it doesn't really bother me. The bass and kick give us a typical, but not too in-your-face style full on base upon with more lovely synth lines float in and out. Hydro Generator knows how to balance dirty leads with clear glassy clean ones well and at times here I am even reminded of some Astral Projections better moments in days of yore. Moving on, we have Future Scape. Hydro Generator's style is pretty well established by now. Solid full on bass and kick with an ever evolving soundscape of dirty leads, clean bits and long fly bys sound effects. As with previous tracks, Future Scape isn't afraid to let a lead soar long and slowly rather than drop straight into the typical 16th note craziness so common now (although there is plenty of that too), nor is he afraid to let a part evolve slowly. Balance seems to be the name of the game here, and Hydro Generator is doing it well.

Lucid Dream drops in pretty hard after a few reverbed bangs and crashes. Even better, the bass line changes up rather than simply chugging along in the same pattern all the time. This one has a little less melodic content than the previous tracks, in fact it is a hair mono-tone at times, but it storms along fairly well regardless. I suspect this tracks is probably better on the dance floor than it is for the home listener. It's not bad, but it's just not quiet as sonic-ly deep as the previous tracks. Dream Provider is our next stop and we are back on track. Hard kick, bouncing bass and spread out, evolving melodic content. Lots of calm trailing echoes dripping off quiet understated leads here. Good stuff.

The beginning of Karma makes me realize that while some aspects of Hydro Generator's sounds are solidly planted in "modern full on" (namely the kick and bass use), much of his choice of synth sounds and leads is actually refreshing old (if that makes any sense). Itfs also not always crystal clear simply because it doesn't need to be. Some of the synth sounds and percussion samples here are, when listened to in isolation, rather noisy and perhaps a bit cluttered, yet taken as a whole with the flute samples and track development, the track is anything but noisy or cluttered. In fact it is wonderfully spacious and somehow "breaths" even in its most busy sections. Further proof that good musical ideas will always win out over "good" production. Dawn 2005 starts off continuing Karma's vaguely ethnic vibe, with time with some nice percussion work. The bass line slides in and slowly builds up to a frenzy rather than just storming in straight out of the gate. More flute work slides around in this track providing the early "melodic" content in a very eerie and harmonically ambiguous sort of way. Again, the development isn't rushed and some nice understated synth lines finally work their way in just at the right moment. On paper this track should probably be rather boring, but it just seems to work.

Last up we have Cosmo RMX which brings the vibe of the whole album up to full boil for the climax. Basically take all the elements I talked about before and bring them to their full potential for this track which I can only describe as a relaxed, full on stormer that makes the feet stomp wildly, but the head soar freely and slowly. If Hydro Generator keeps making tracks like this, he has a very bright future ahead of him.

All and all Hydro Generator has given us an excellent album here. It is by no means perfect, but its much more to my liking than a lot of the music out there now-a-days. While some people have called this album a little dark, I somehow can't see the "darkness" they speak off. I find this album to be deceptively calm at first, but at the same time equal parts refreshingly raw, aggressive, beautifully calm, and soaring. Elf Music has been on a roll with their last three releases and while I have loved everything they have released since Phi's pumping modern hard goa work out debut, Hydro Generator is the CD I find myself reaching for the most when I simply want to listen to some good music. Highly recommended 8/10
          New Album: Jikkenteki - Flights Of Infinity
Available for free at http://www.ektoplazm.com/free-music/jikkenteki-flights-of-infinity/
PAR-2 Productions http://www.par-2.com
Pypedream
IsraTrance Junior Member

Started Topics :  45
Posts :  245
Posted : May 27, 2005 06:45
I very much like this release - it is different from anything else i have in my case and that's 150 full length albums over 8 years! I think that I will find a time and place to play at least 2 or 3 tracks on the album in a set and I am mostly calling it minimal psychedelic with flashes of darkness and melody. But I like the variety presented here and I definetely recommend!

Good luck and thanks Toru and elf music.           ELECTRON EYES / MARK-EVAN (NOR. CAL)
WWW.SOUNDCLOUD.COM/MARK-EVAN
ELF music
Elf Music

Started Topics :  24
Posts :  142
Posted : Aug 7, 2005 20:15
The Web site address of HYDRO GENERATOR changed.

New URL is here.
http://www.hydro-generator.com

URL in the back of the album is not being used now. Please acknowledge it.            Far East Technology
www.elf-music.net
Trance Forum  Forum  Music Reviews - Hydro Generator Lucid Dream (ELF Music 2005) CD
 
Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on StumbleUpon


Copyright © 1997-2024 IsraTrance