Le Lotus Bleu
IsraTrance Full Member
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Posted : Jul 23, 2007 23:25
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Life Extension - Side Effects (Avigmatic) 2007
Tracklist:
1.Shiva 8"12
2.Breaking The Cage 7"25
3.Elektronik 7"32
4.Same Way 7"56
5.Hurricane 7"38
6.Unknown remix 8"27
7.Spiritual Communion 8"39
8.Connexion 8"07
9.Something Like That 9"17
All Tracks by Dj Stenman & Dj Olive
Except:
Track 6 original by Talamasca vs Life Extension/Life Extension rmx
Track 8 feat Dj Toltek
Mastering by Johannes Reigner @Silicon Sound Studio
Artwork by Nico@PsyArtStudio
Life Extension is composed of 2 French dj's : Olive & Stenman (Olivier Mirat & Laurent Lhullier), who are well known in France for their ancient involvement in the psytrance scene. Their passage from Dj'ing to the production is more recent ( although already 3-4 years), but some of their songs have already been released on famous labels such as Mind Control, Utopia, Shiva Space Technology or Transient.
Life Extension is performing a melodic & energizing Full On sound which isn't a real surprise regarding Avigmatic records discography & trademarks.
Generally, it's quite hard, in this register, to encounter acts with some sounding specifities. Because it's used to say the 3/4 of Full on producers are closed in the same formulas & using nearly the same bank of sounds. However Life Extension belongs to this rare category which tries to possess their own soundscape & structures.
Shiva, contrarily to its name, evoke for me, a solitary spaceship with few members inside in a futuristic & spatial environment. I would say the spaceship crew have been rejected from their natal planet & been catapulted by their government's leader, far away in the cosmos in order to never seen them back. Obviously the ship isn't brand new in order to add more spice to their afterlife's luck confronted to an obstacle race with asteroïds...
Breaking The Cage probably expresses the most Clubby Trance side of Life Extension, indeed through the album there's sometimes one ClubTrance or Hardtrance lead by tune which are just punctuations. I must admit that at small dozes, i don't have worry with it. In this tune, it's getting more difficult for me to listen to those squeaking & nasal trumpetta leads all along.
The work is more on the atmosphere at first than on the vitality. Apart some quick 303 loops, Elektronik also integrates some Hardtrance tones, but there's a better Night Full On alchemy than in previous track. The tune really gains its full potential from 4"30, the tempo gets higher & the bewitching "Pizzicati" melody clearly finishes to awake you.
Same Way starts well with a nice long dark flavoured intro (upto 2"00). Then Life Extension uses this Hardtrance Trumpetta. They seem to particularly enjoy it, unfortunately i don't share this taste, furthermore when it's associates with a puffing repetitive series of arpeggios  .
Hurricane posesses a strong muflled atmosphere in grey coloration during its beginning with a quite Funky bassline & some gloomy japanese samples. We are indeed like deaf, facing the imminent natural disaster. The starter takes soundform under a carillon coppled with a cycling up melody. The Hurricane really manifests his power around 5"00, at this period it gets into an heavy & boisterous production in a Pigs In Space (old darkgoa project from Oforia) alike style.
Come back to Groovy-Funky bassline with Unknown, the participation of Talamasca impacts somehow on the melodic leads & the flow of the tune. The atmosphere is more aggresive with metallic riffs, shrill tones & 303 lines. Around 3"45 there's a break with calmer part where the melody is delivered by a sort of xylophone, it confers a short exotic feeling. Indeed, it still lacks something for this song to have a real strong potential despite it's already a remix...
Spiritual Communion has a fresh oceanic feeling which clearly differs from the others tracks by a lighter production. I receive a big impress of Nature while listening to this tune, a nice place still protected from crazy human destructive ideas for the environment. It will range easily in Dj's choices for their morning set, for its interesting combination of energy & mental evasion.
There's just one expression to sum-up Connexion, it's HardTrance production. So, you like the style or not ... For me, it's the worst tune of the album.
Something Like That, permits to get back to more Full On aspects but for a last track i would have expected something easier to listen. I find out the harmony to be heterogeneous upto limit indigest, it's heavy & confused.
Actually this last track shows perfectly the limits of Life Extension & that's a bit sad coz when we compared their good tunes to their weakest ones, you hardly believe you're listening to the same band.
Globally i'm embarassed with this album, tracks 1,3,5,7 demonstrates the best face of Life Extension (from a Full On production view) but the others tracks (except T6) are really a step below in quality & production.
I think this album can gain extra recognition within the ClubTrance sphere than just the strict limited Psytrance scene & that might be an initial target of the band indeed... |
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