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Setherian - Multiverse (Glowing Flame 2004) CD
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DeathPosture
IsraTrance Full Member
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Posted : Aug 18, 2004 16:41
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Setherian - Multiverse
Cover: http://www.wirikuta.at/media/gfrcd02g.jpg
Artist: Setherian (Brazil)
Title: Multiverse
Format: CD (digipack)
Label: Glowing Flame Records (Macedonia)
Cat. #: GFRCD-02
Distribution: Wirikuta
Date: July 2004
Track listing:
01. 08’10” Vectra In Bedrock
02. 08’46” Hard Drives
03. 09’33” Runner Blade
04. 08’43” Evil Drug
05. 08’10” Multiverse
06. 07’12” From Time To Time
07. 08’15” Ribbon Crying
08. 08’49” Trust Me
09. 08’10” Retro Sequence
Review:
Setherian is DJ Seth aka Christian Zahn from Sao Paulo, Brazil… Though he’s in his early twenties, he’s been in the business for several years as both a DJ and producer. He describes his style as “a mix between progressive, clubby elements and energetic full-on”, and under his Setherian moniker he has already had releases on labels such as YSE, Com.pact and Ajuca Productions… Glowing Flame Records from Macedonia (previously located in the U.K.) released his debut album in July, and why don’t we have a closer listen to it…
Let me take you thru the tracks…
#01: [138 BPM] We kick off with a slowish tune… Spacey intro – organic, floating pads… All very harmonic… Soon we are greeted by a very nice, FREq-like synth melody – oh, I’m a sucker for those proggy tunes with twisted analogue synths… Also, Seth makes an effort here to use stereo-effects and he does it pretty good… Not as good as FREq, but nice try… This is a full-on track with rich, progressive elements… Nice track, very promising for the rest of the album!
#02: [140 BPM] As this CD is mixed, we seamlessly float into track 2… Another organic intro, soon interrupted by a pretty hollow, banging bass… Later on a tribal percussion arrangement kicks in, but that doesn’t do more than lift this track a tad above average standard… Decent track!
#03: [141 BPM] Electro sounds and a phat bassline… Yummy! This is pretty straight-forward melodic full-on without many surprises… Sure it’s well-polished; it’s just not very original… Dare I say copy/paste? …I did! Well, that’s true for the middle part of the track at least – it picks up for the last couple of minutes… Ok track!
#04: [143 BPM] Let’s try some evil drugs!... As the title suggest, this is darker, more evil than the first 3 tracks… But not evil as in Parvati-evil… It’s just less fluffy… Seth does his best to spook us with horror samples, darkish bassline, industrial-sounding effects and an overall gloomy atmosphere… This is night-time trance, and actually it’s not bad… I could have wished for even more darkness, but for what it is, it’s pretty good… Sweet track!
#05: [143 BPM] Time for the title track Multiverse… This is a pretty hectic track with all kinds of stuff going on… Acid-riffs, phazers, fast-paced bassline, tribal-like percussion, ethno voice samples and an overall spacey, metallic groove… It’s like a big mix-up of stuff you don’t normally find in the same track – I like that idea! Fairly good track!
#06: [143 BPM] What is that – a sample from a Yello-track? A weird, but nice mixture of tribal percussion, electronic birds and light-hearted acid-riffs… Unusual combo, but it works! Later on we get some nice floating Twin-Peaks-theme-like part, with the Yello-sample and something that sounds like the old Chi-chi-chi-chi-Chiquita banana whispering… Well, it’s a nice and melodic, floating, drifting, fluffy morning tune… And only the original elements mentioned, lifts it above average standard… Nice track!
#07: [144 BPM] Fastest track on the album…Starts with a Son Kite “On Air” like take-off sample… Though faster, and toned down so it’s not plagiarism… Standard full-on bassline, floating atmospheric pads, hi-hats, oil-drums and cheesy Nord Lead synth… Oh, and that On Air-like take-off is used again a couple of time later on in the track for climax purposes… Nice, but Son Kite does it better… All in all, this is a pretty nice track!
#08: [143 BPM] “Trust no-one!” Another track with many different styles in one… Organic, yet spacey at times… Voice samples, both normal and pitched up… I like the bassline here, it’s tweaked somehow – or run thru a filter or something – it has a nice kick to it, and it’s kinda funky! This is melodic full-on with bits and pieces thrown in… Not bad at all…
#09: [138 BPM] Time to chill out for the last track… Well, it’s not chilling per se, it’s just a little slower and time for some experimentation… Though still very well-polished, this is a little more off-key, with the odd irregular key… But overall, this is another melodic piece of music with a bunch of psychedelic bits sprinkled around… Nice ending!
This is one of those albums that are really hard to grade… So I won’t! It’s like this: It’s all very well-produced, well-polished and have many great moments… But on the other hand, nothing really sticks out… There are not obvious “killers” on this album. I mean, it’s all pretty good, but nothing is fantastic either… Hope you catch my drift here?
When interviewed by PsyMag.com, Seth said that “Multiverse means the "space" where many Universes are located including ours (one of the top theories amongst physicians and cosmologists) ... and it makes a lot of sense to call my debut album that name because this album is like a compendium of ideas and styles, it has many faces in one.” Well, that’s true – we get both morning and night trance here – and full-on and progressive… And that’s a concept I like – that way it doesn’t get too boring too quickly… Oh, and the cover-art is pretty nice too!
Overall, this album isn’t essential – however, if you’re looking for a well-produced, well-polished album by an artist somewhere in between full-on and progressive – and in between night and morning trance, you should give this a try…
Favourites: 1, 4, 6, 7, 8
DeathPosture
External links:
Glowing Flame Records: http://www.glowingflame.com/
Wirikuta: http://www.wirikuta.at/web66/product_detail.jsp?showDetail=50971
Psyshop: http://www.psyshop.com/shop/CDs/gfr/gfr1cd002.html (Audio samples available!)
Saiko Sounds: http://www.saikosounds.com/english/display_release.asp?id=4206
Chaos Unlimited: http://www.chaosunlimited.co.uk/cgi-bin/product.asp?LR=GFRCD02
  On really romantic evenings of self, I go salsa dancing with my confusion... |
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V.O.R
2HI
Started Topics :
49
Posts :
553
Posted : Aug 19, 2004 01:33
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nice review man! I think seth's music is pretty unique, as you said, hard to judge... very harmonic melodies, beautiful pads, very nice production... it's something new and fresh on the scene... those stuck on formula trax should run away from this album.... those with the mind open for avant gard psychedelia should pay extra attention to this one!!!
get into setherian's multiverse...
boooooom
vor2hi@hotmail.com
http://www.neurobiotic.com |
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Pelinpala
Haltya
Started Topics :
45
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111
Posted : Aug 20, 2004 16:01
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Go Seth!
I have to hear this one. |
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Phanatic
Phanatic
Started Topics :
58
Posts :
648
Posted : Aug 20, 2004 17:56
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im sure this album will kil them all
Show them whos the master Seth
Hugs
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Dj Zen
Started Topics :
5
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20
Posted : Aug 25, 2004 20:44
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Setherian!!
Great album man!!!!!
For me it's perfect music to be played just before and during a sunrise in our nice Canadian forests!!
Except last morning trax, all are quite unique as V.O.R told us!!
Excellent! 10/10
Keep the good work up mate =)))
http://www.digitalystudios.com |
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BISHOP
Miracle
Started Topics :
115
Posts :
808
Posted : Sep 1, 2004 21:57
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Quality !!!
Its us Sethinho kekekeke  |
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kameleonpangea36
IsraTrance Full Member
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77
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537
Posted : Sep 2, 2004 07:01
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this is a great cd, good for songs between more prog. stuff and harder full on sounds, very hypnotic and trancey (something a lot of new stuff is lacking), lots of tribal elements as well and unique vocals,
great job seth, and great job glowing flame,
lots of good things from all you guys. |
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Basilisk
IsraTrance Full Member
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Posted : Sep 3, 2004 21:17
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Only having known Setherian through the track Misanthrope Matters, released on V/A Arise, I was pleased to find out how much I enjoyed his debut album. Here he fuses elements from all angles of the psychedelic scene and gives everything huge space and fat production value to kick it all throughout night or day.
The opening track is a fine intro to what you will find on the album... slower and deeper, with great work on the atmosphere and sneaky little melodies that creep and crawl between the percussive lines. Psychedelic effects lace the soundscape with audio squid static and the ideal placement of drums and elements following the breakdown show a deep way to bring up tension and energy without resorting to any obnoxious full-on patterns. Hard Drives continues the deep explorations with hypnotic atmospheres and a small touch of tribal percussion. Spacious and layered, the track grows persistantly in a subtle and refined way - even incorporating a rising acid line integrated without spoiling the serene mood and atmosphere. Runner Blade is the song that first caught my ear off this CD and I've played it out a few times to great effect. This is one powerful song, deep building full-on with hypnotic melodies, sharp effects, and huge energy-raising breaks. An instant favourite. Track 4 is Evil Drug, though I don't see how the title applies to the contents... I find this pretty light and easy-going, with that throbbing bass and nice melodies layered on top. Not sure about the sample but it's not that disruptive. The title track is once again lush and full, this time featuring some sensual chords and light atmospheres with crunchy psychedelic background effects. Subtle, again, so it hasn't yet leapt out at me. From Time to Time is the song that takes samples from Yello, a real recipe for disaster but Setherian manages to accomplish it with good taste. The chikka-chikkah sounds become percussive elements sparsely populated around the tribal groove, the beat is full and deep once again, and the track rumbles along with light flying atmospheres... some breaks and builds, and you're soaring on an ethereal sort of groove with these retro noises emerging once in a while - not exactly a combination I've heard before. Overall, it's all right. Ribbon Crying continues on the ethereal theme, and I hear some hint of Cosma in the lush chord strikes that populate this song. Decent, and sure to grow. Trust Me is another favourite with its slinky melodies and chunky groove... good atmosphere created by samples "hypnotic", "information", and an emphatic "trust no one!" The funky bottom-end, driving perussive forces, and sinuous melodies unfolding up top alongside deep chord strikes keep this one shaking straight through to the end. Retro Activity rounds out the album with a halcyon sort of tune with wistful melodies .. there are, however, a few strikes here and there that sound a little misplaced... for these, I wouldn't play the track out, but it isn't too bothersome in other conditions. Still, a nice finale to a great debut!
Since listening I couldn't help but draw comparisons to some wildly different acts such as M.O.S., Cosma, and the new Matenda, but Setherian has got his own subtle interpretation of psychedelic trance blossoming here. There are a few mediocre songs snuggled up in amongst the gems, but the album flows well (and knowing how subtle music works I may come back to this in some time and find myself enjoying songs I was initially ho-hum about). Additional bonus points awarded for passing the multiple environment test: it's good at home, in the car, or on the dancefloor! This is what I would call the first significant artist release from South America... welcome to the global stage, Seth!
P.S. the cover rocks, love the font and everything!
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Setherian
Setherian
Started Topics :
41
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254
Posted : Sep 8, 2004 19:04
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thank u all guys for the reviews ... i respect all of them a lot!
I believe this is a a pretty good debut for me in the scene, i dont think every single track is a massive hit ..but I like them all a lot. And honestly..I invite u all to listen again Retro Sequence wich is by far my favourite track and it roxxx on teh dancefloor! =))
CHEERS!!
>Seth
http://www.aeon-rec.com
The Devil Is In Detail! |
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uvego
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
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432
Posted : Sep 17, 2004 01:36
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"From time to time" am puting this cd in my cdplayer just becouse i love this track and next one "Ribbon Crying" which i think is very strong and best on this album. Ohh and yeah..i like to keep in my hends this great artwork cover design.
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Pt.
IsraTrance Senior Member
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236
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6106
Posted : Sep 29, 2006 12:32
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This is a beautiful "modern Goa" album with all the notions of cosmic energy and that which follows. Psychedelic and smooth. Recommended!! Go go Glowing Flame (And Seth), your work keeps on impressing me
8.5/10
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Setherian
Setherian
Started Topics :
41
Posts :
254
Posted : Oct 1, 2006 00:57
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octover/november i release my new album ..be awared guys!
The Devil Is In Detail! |
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KINO OKO
Bigwigs
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345
Posted : Oct 1, 2006 15:06
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