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Phyx - Kiss The Blade (Timecode Records 2006) CD
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DeathPosture
IsraTrance Full Member
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Posted : Oct 11, 2006 23:36
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Phyx – Kiss The Blade
Cover: http://tinyurl.com/hngzl + http://tinyurl.com/kcy6o
Artist: Phyx (South Africa)
Title: Kiss The Blade
Format: CD (jewel case)
Label: Timecode Records (South Africa)
Cat. #: TCCD017
Distribution: Arabesque
Date: 6 October 2006
Track listing:
01. 08’25” The Initiation
02. 07’12” Conundrum
03. 06’39” Serotonine
04. 07’07” The Wall
05. 07’08” 7th Sword
06. 08’25” Soul Keeper
07. 07’57” Electromagnetic
08. 07’36” Rumours Of War
09. 07’35” Tribe
Stream: http://tinyurl.com/qfz3y (all tracks!)
Review:
Phyxed acid…
Ian Summs aka. Mr. Phyx himself has been a personal hero of mine ever since I stumbled across his work 3-4 years ago… His impressive back-catalogue of tracks always stood out on whichever compilation they were featured on… Ian knows his way around a studio and his consistently high quality level has made the Phyx moniker synonymous with stand-out tracks on many a compilation… His release frequency slowed down under the Phyx alias in recent years though, but his output continued in the elusive constellations Breathen (with his brother Joseph) and Twisted System (with Chris Hoy & Craig Hudson). All of which has been good, wholesome South African psytrance. Now the time has come to finally release the Phyx album and I’ve been excited ever since it was released. Let’s dig in.
Let me take you thru the tracks…
#01: The Initiation
Starting out with a basic, heavily filtered kick this might seem like a simple tune at first… But after the initial kick & stomp intro, the track soon evolves into something more rewarding… The punch is dark, gritty and almost industrial-like, but as always with Phyx there’s more to it than just punch for the sake of punch… The marching rhythms have been carefully programmed to ensure maximum velocity and this dancefloor stomper will certainly work wonders on the dance floors. Especially the first half which is very heavy on the drums and bass, whilst the latter half has more of the traditional Phyx acid undertones…It doesn’t work as well for sofa trancing, but sometimes you just wanna get up and shake your ass right? This track is for those occasions… Lovely track!
#02: Conundrum
This one focuses less on the actual kick, but more on twirling, morphing melodies… There is always something lurking under the surface, slowing evolving before eventually revealing its true nature… I think I actually get the underlying hypnotizing nature of this track, but I’m somewhat turned off by some of the high-pitched, demented melodies during the middle and second parts of this track… Never been a big fan of those I’m afraid…
#03: Serotonine
“Pulse, perspiration” The next track changes direction again, and this is one is really a clash of styles with both feather-light uplifting melodies and irregular breakz & beats and a very regular bassline… The reverb FX give the track a sort of hardstyle edge, but I’m not sure how well it works here… Several passages seem a little too simple for my liking… Luckily we’re still dealing with Phyx here, so his frequent changes in pace and direction makes this track bearable… Still not a personal fav’e of mine though…
#04: The Wall
“I’m gonna have to go outside the wall… I know! First I have to do this.” But things are really picking up on the next track which is easily the best thus far… This alleged tribute to Pink Floyd is a staggering journey thru the finest in South African full-on psytrance… A carefully musical balance of driving, uplifting melodies and max-power acid-ridden dancefloor napalm… Not overly original, but yet oh so rewarding… I really dig the huuuuge reverb-soaked trance-pads which really fill out the entire sound spectre…. Wall-to-wall audio bliss! This track *works*!
#05: 7th Sword
And if the last track had huge acid-ridden passages, just wait until this one hits you… At first it’s pretty standard with the odd twirling melody here and a blunt kick there… But give it some time, and the real nature of the track will reveal itself… It changes from ‘almost boring’ into ‘almost amazing’… The progression in the track is unsurpassed on the album and after some hardcore morphing this track turns into an overwhelming acid-fest of gargantuan dimensions… Reminds me a little of some of Xatrik’s earlier work… Kissing this blade was an awesome experience! Brilliant!
#06: Soul Keeper
The rapid pace continues on the next stormer which is more closely rooted in the underground… It’s a bombardment of all kinds of electro-twirling melodies and sonic synth explorations. The acid is flowing freely again - just as Phyx did it back in the old days, and we’re now slowly exploring the more psychedelic aspects of his production talent… Yeah, this is another fine piece of Phyxed psytrance.
#07: Electromagnetic
“What's behind that wall, Kelvin? Huh? What was the incident? Electromagnetism - geologically unique. There was a leak. So now the charge builds up, and every time we push the button, it discharges it!” After some initial mutterings from Lost, this next track opens up a bag of neo full-on tricks… The first batch of rolling synth cords are somewhat predictable, but luckily Phyx has seasoned them with a heavy dose of psychedelic twists, turns and musical side-tracking… So it never gets dull, but on the other hand it’s not as impressive as the previous three tracks were…
#08: Rumours Of War
And here it is. What will undoubtedly be dubbed the ‘notorious distorted guitar track’. And yes, you’ve guessed it. I don’t like it! Not because it has those guitars which reminds me of The Chemical Crew, but because it has this pseudo industrial-slash-rock full-on sound which I’ve always had a hard time appreciating. It’s does nothing but annoy me. Fans of later Infected Mushroom albums will have a field day though. Suffice to say, I’m not one of those fans.
#09: Tribe
The final track also has some of the same element, though they are not nearly as predominant as the previous track… It’s a weird hybrid of fluffy full-on and heavily distorted basslines and marching kick rhythms… And sure enough, it’s experimental and doesn’t sound like anything else here, but it’s still way too unstructured and hectic for my tastes. Maybe I don’t get it?
Well, after waiting for this album for almost 5 years I can’t help but feel somewhat disappointed by the limited number of really excellent tracks here… There are only 4 really great tracks here and in that regard Phyx’ debut album didn’t live up to my expectations. Maybe they were too high or maybe I just didn’t get some of the musical directions this album took… But it’s not all bad. Far from it actually. Those four stand-out tracks certainly are great and they underline just what a talented producer Phyx was and still is. Too bad I didn’t really dig on all his new ventures.
To break it down, it goes like this: The first three tracks are so-so, the middle three tracks ROCK and the two tracks I don’t really like… The cover art is subtle and minimal and will not turn too many heads.
So, all in all this was an average album with less awesome tracks than I’d hoped for. Timecode fans and fans of South African psytrance in general will not be disappointed though. Enjoy.
Favourites: 1, 4(!), 5(!), 6
DeathPosture
External links:
Timecode Records: http://www.timecode.co.za
Discogs: http://www.discogs.com/release/800972
Saiko Sounds: http://tinyurl.com/lavbm
Beatspace: http://tinyurl.com/poror
Discobole: http://tinyurl.com/r2k2c
Wirikuta: http://tinyurl.com/qsabk
Psyshop: http://tinyurl.com/nyfuq
Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/r9tq4
Psybuy: http://tinyurl.com/ng2ca
Juno: http://tinyurl.com/lcphk
Play: http://tinyurl.com/o4vhj
  On really romantic evenings of self, I go salsa dancing with my confusion... |
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andonis
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
28
Posts :
901
Posted : Oct 12, 2006 00:26
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'7th Sword' was released also in the 'Cryptographic' compilation, wasn't it? Shame it is not that good. When I hear it for myself I'll come back with more feedback.
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splinter
Splinter / Kode Six
Started Topics :
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578
Posted : Oct 12, 2006 04:27
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pounding basslines...
there are some tracks i find ok and some tracks i find sick..
all in all pretty sick album.
nice name hehe. |
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MorNinG MaGiC
Started Topics :
0
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1815
Posted : Oct 12, 2006 16:06
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[/quote]
Well, after waiting for this album for almost 5 years I can’t help but feel somewhat disappointed by the limited number of really excellent tracks here… There are only 4 really great tracks here and in that regard Phyx’ debut album didn’t live up to my expectations. Maybe they were too high or maybe I just didn’t get some of the musical directions this album took… But it’s not all bad. Far from it actually. Those four stand-out tracks certainly are great and they underline just what a talented producer Phyx was and still is. Too bad I didn’t really dig on all his new ventures.
To break it down, it goes like this: The first three tracks are so-so, the middle three tracks ROCK and the two tracks I don’t really like… The cover art is subtle and minimal and will not turn too many heads.
So, all in all this was an average album with less awesome tracks than I’d hoped for. Timecode fans and fans of South African psytrance in general will not be disappointed though. Enjoy.
Favourites: 1, 4(!), 5(!), 6
DeathPosture
[/quote]
im wid DP here totally killer review i must say its not a bad album but it didnt keep up2 my xpectations  ..! he cud have done better knwing n hearin his past work gimmes such a feelin ..! 
but nevatheless ppl who like SA twilite will dig 2 - 3 traxs frm here..!.
LUV N LITE
BOoOoM..!
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Acidhive
IsraTrance Full Member
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Posted : Oct 12, 2006 17:32
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Quote:
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On 2006-10-12 16:06, MorNinG MaGiC wrote:
im wid DP here totally killer review i must say its not a bad album but it didnt keep up2 my xpectations ..! he cud have done better knwing n hearin his past work gimmes such a feelin ..!
but nevatheless ppl who like SA twilite will dig 2 - 3 traxs frm here..!.
LUV N LITE
BOoOoM..!
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My my, aren't you Mr. Trendy... Nice abbreviations man. Anyway, the album at hand isn't all that bad really. Especially since we're having steaming loads of crap being released into the full-on world at the moment, this makes for a nice diversion. Agreed, after the many excellent Phyx tracks on compilations one might have expected better, but well... here it is and it isn't that bad. Fans of the genre will eat it up and thank god he didn't go for the stupid vocals.
"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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!Ce M@n
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
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857
Posted : Oct 13, 2006 23:11
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yeah... Altogether its a good album by "phyx"....
I like his style and I find this album worth wat I have paid....
may be not up to some ppls expectation...
we always want more from Phyx... well I shuld say the expectation was 2 high...
And I say this album is pretty good..
ANd yes iTs not bad 2 have high expectations from a killa artist like "Phyx" 
0x00000PSy |
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Ormion
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
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Posted : Oct 18, 2006 23:57
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Finally is here.
For one more time I like completelly different tracks from D.P.
Ok, here we go:
First of all this can not be bad! We're talking for South Africa here and Phyx!
Second of all it's not the ultra masterpiece.
All the tracks are great and some of them are superb.
For example Electromagnetic is what Phyx is all about. Powerful, fast, squezzy and with these liquid melodies. Conundrum has a great leading melody (very Goa-ish by the way), The Wall has a twisted system flavor and The Initiation has an awesome climax melody but it's more downtempo than the others.
But like I said it's not a masterpiece like other South African albums. Why?
Well like DP said we were waiting for this album for four years so we expected even better tracks. I certainly believe that Ian could make even better tracks for his album. For example none of the tracks is such amazing like Hounds Of Hell, Ruby Blaze or Contraband.
If no one knew Phyx we will be like ''awesome release, amazing debut'' etc. But because we know Phyx very well we're not that excited.
BTW Phyx never changed his style, all the tracks here are 100% Phyx style.
Overall: No, it's not a 10/10 album, no, it's not the best SA album (TS still win that), but it's a great album, real full on and 100% Phyx style. We just want more!
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!Ce M@n
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
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857
Posted : Oct 20, 2006 08:23
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Quote:
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On 2006-10-18 23:57, Ormion wrote:
Finally is here.
But like I said it's not a masterpiece like other South African albums. Why?
Well like DP said we were waiting for this album for four years so we expected even better tracks. I certainly believe that Ian could make even better tracks for his album. For example none of the tracks is such amazing like Hounds Of Hell, Ruby Blaze or Contraband.
If no one knew Phyx we will be like ''awesome release, amazing debut'' etc. But because we know Phyx very well we're not that excited.
BTW Phyx never changed his style, all the tracks here are 100% Phyx style.
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Agree wid u bro ..
0x00000PSy |
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andonis
IsraTrance Junior Member
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901
Posted : Oct 20, 2006 10:51
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As said it is not bad nor a masterpiece either.
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LigaLize
IsraTrance Full Member
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1380
Posted : Oct 20, 2006 14:32
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track Serotonine is the best in this album for sure
Dance is - As a matter of fact, socially admissible public analogue of the sexual act :)
http://www.myspace.com/djligalize |
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Perma Fry
IsraTrance Full Member
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Posted : Oct 24, 2006 12:49
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awesome review my friend 
my favs are 3,5,6,7 and 8
IMHO you cannot get more psychedelic in the morning
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goaren
IsraTrance Full Member
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Posted : Oct 24, 2006 13:53
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aahhhh
this is why i love south african trance
first track is just an amazing opener for a night set |
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^yeti^
Started Topics :
1
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60
Posted : Oct 27, 2006 22:14
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hav been a fan of phyx .
BUT ..
this album cud hav been better ..much better.
lack of energy in parts ., similar sounding tracks . |
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HanBaal
Started Topics :
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Posted : Nov 26, 2006 16:11
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i agree the expectations were very VERY high but still, this album is tha freakin bomb!!!
I had the luck of having Phyx performing live here in Portugal (alongside Menog - also presenting his new great album -, his bro Tickets and as the brothers-duo Brethren... soundwise probably my best one-day party ever ) a couple of months ago so i got the chance to listen it with a good sound system before geting the album. And i have to say that to fully enjoy this massive kikin ass album u NEED at least good subwoofers and crystal clear speakers for the awesome twilight melodies!
REVIEW
track number 1 is an awesome (slight) downtempo song. really digging this intro strategy as Phatmatix did in his also first album (awesome album). really makes me feel cool and big while preparing oneself for the mayhem that follows! And the mayhem starts within this song already ... at 5.55 i simply turn the volume up to never come down again
Track nr2 has the best freakin start i can remember. Simple and so freakin massive! That small melodic sample that comes at 0.40 and later on gives me shivers through my spine everytime
Track 3 starts with a spookier twilight melody and i love it. Really like the variations and melodies in this track, though the bassline puts me off at some points (that repeatitive 'pah, pah pah' annoys me after some time lol).
Track 4 comes back with another MEGA HYPER bassline, not to mention the delightful melodies. To me this is the best of SouthAfrican fullon. So caracteristic of Shift (i mean live act, last album was a bit 'calm'), Phyx, many others and the surprising young Tickets too (his live was really destructive and see him dancing is so cool eheh .. expect a powerful upcoming album from him ). One of my fav tracks no doubt, probably my fav till this point. A real mover for the body and trippy for the brain.
Track 5 was seen in a recent compilation as said. Nice bassline and a great melody comes at 3.20. A bit depressing at times if you're not in the mood but a cool track nevertheless.
Track 6 has a somewhat 'cool' slower bassline, kinda funky. Dig this one for the originality though only the last 2.30 minutes take me to that Phyx's world.
Track 7 is another of my favs. A real mover from start to end. Full of energy and creativity. At 5.42 my head starts shaking sideways as if it was 'electromagnetified'
Track 8 is the last of my favs. Sad beatiful melody starting. A pounding bassline follows short after. Awesome variations and melodies throughout the whole track. Phyx's creativity at its best. Alongside nr 4 my fav track of the album.
Track 9 is another downtempo track, even more than the first i think. Very good bass changes and melodies throughout the track. Very cool ending for this masterpiece from a true psymaster
Favs: 1(!!!), 2 (!!!), 3(!!), 4(!!!!), 5(!!!), 6(!), 7(!!!!), 8(!!!!), 9(!!!)
Looking very much forward for a 2nd release. All the best for you Ian. |
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exotic
IsraTrance Full Member
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Posted : Mar 9, 2007 14:05
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the wall is the bomb .. the vocals really work for me !!
missing plug-in |
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