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Spectra - Beyond Belief (Oxygen Records)
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clown
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
97
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1777
Posted : Dec 5, 2005 04:27
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Artist : Spectra
Album : Beyond Belief
Label : Oxygen Records
Cover : http://ip23.dyn181.pacific.net.hk/showCover.asp?titleID=5295
Tracklisting :
1. Intro
2. Audio 59
3. Into The Monkey Planet
4. Set The Drive
5. Headshot
6. Ganzales
7. One Self (With Zero Sequence)
8. Discoshit
9. Beyond Belief
Review :
Spectra - Beyond Belief
Oxygen Records is back again, this time with their first album release. Dj TV has placed his trust in two young brothers from Portugal. Paulo and Francisco Oliveira are the brains behind this fresh new Full-on act. They deliver an 8-track album with an extra intro. Lets get into a little more detail of each track..
The intro starts things off with a breakbeat feel, and IMO is a great opener for this album.
Audio 59 jumps right into things with a strong bassline and kick after just half a second into the track. This track is driven by the insane bassline used to create this track. There isn’t too much melody in this track, however, those that are used fit very well with the rest of the track. This track is in constant buildup, and keeps exploding on the way down. It makes me think of Silicon Sound on Steroids. This track is defiantly dancefloor material at its best that I can be sure to hear a lot of in the near future.
Into the Monkey Planet also doesn’t waste any time getting things pounding as this track starts off very heavy and a little more twisted than the previous track. You can almost feel the electricity omitted from the sonar frequencies of this track, as it progresses into something more melodic near the end as the bassline grooves a little more as well. It’s a very nice track from beginning to end.
Set the Drive keeps things kicking and surely sets the drive on any dancefloor it will appear on. This one takes about 2 seconds longer than the previous one’s before it kicks things off, before these guys serve us another great bassline driven track. Its quiet similar to Audio 59 when we refer to the bassline (but then again, I don’t think I can ever get tired of this type of bassline), only it’s a little less melodic and sounds more “South African” in the style of Pads used.
Headshot brings us to a deserted island, finally giving us honor to an intro before the killing begins.. but wait, whats this, something new?? A much smoother track than what we have just witnessed, also slowing down the pace a little to change up the vibe. So far, it’s the most psycadelic of all the tracks, with interesting delay effects creating the depth of the song. This would be a great track to open up there LIVE act in the near future.. It’s a very interesting track and I must admit it caught me by surprise and touched me in a very positive way.
Ganzales speeds up the pace a little, starting a little more progressive than the first 3 tracks, to build up into something very strong. It almost feels as if the pitch changes during the buildup of this track. Here we have another smasher without any sign of melodies until the last part of the track, yet the melodies aren’t cheesy nor do they take too much room in this track. I really like the way everything flows so well together and progresses slowly as the track moves forward.
One Self features Zero Sequence, as these four guys team up to put together something cool. With the Spectra trademark of this album, this track gets right into the action with a buildup at the very beginning of this tune. You can feel the melodies in this track and the bassline now transposes a couple of times to offer even more variety to this great album. This track sounds like some Astrix at his best, with a very Isrealie sound. It’s probably the best track of this album up to now.
Discoshit features a very dark bassline with some very interesting twists and turns. In this track, Spectra delivers something with a little bit more of a morning flavour, with softer pads and a more standard morning sound. All the sounds are very harmonical and very soothing, yet this track still has what it takes to be played out during the peak times at a party. I really like the breakbeat breakdowns used in this one. Its so relaxing when you have been dancing for hours non-stop.
Last but not least, these guys finish up their debut album with Beyond Belief, another morning inclined track. Lots of melodies are found in this one along with a very interesting bassline, that almost sounds like Wizzy Noise’s style, yet they don’t seem to go exactly in that same direction. It’s a great track to end off this album, with a very soft ending to relax the soul and make you wounder what just went through your mind for the last hour listening to this great album..
In Conclusion, this album as a whole is one of the best albums I’ve heard in a long time. All the tracks are dancefloor designed, and I couldn’t even mention which track I find better than the other, since they are all pretty much top class. This is by FAR Oxygen’s best release, offering nothing less than top notch music. The Mastering is just phenomenal as well, and I’d like to congratulate Audiolize for his hard work.
Regardless, here are my fav’s : 2, 3, 4 ,5, 7, 9
A must by for every DJ and psytrance collector and this should get up there with this years best album releases. Great work TV and crew..
  "VA - REWIRED" OUT NOW !! (techtrance invasion) ---> http://forum.isratrance.com/viewtopic.php/topic/86303/forum/9
http://psy.techno.fm <------- Jester Records's Internet Radio channel
www.jesterrecords.ca |
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spectra
Spectra
Started Topics :
1
Posts :
32
Posted : Dec 5, 2005 15:28
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Mate u´r review sounds like ................ i dont know what. but it´s GREAT hehehehe. thk for the review mate. Booom
kinho(spectra) |
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pr0fane
Multiphase
Started Topics :
418
Posts :
3816
Posted : Dec 7, 2005 18:09
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Artist: Spectra
Title: Beyong Belief
Label: Oxygen Records
Format: CD (Jewelcase with standard 4-page inlay)
Released: November, 2005
Cover: http://clients.comandeer.com/spectra/cover1-4.jpg
Review:
With the 2 compilations "Satellite" and "Parsec", Czech-based Oxygen Records have really established themselves as one of the most promising new labels launched in 2005. A returning act on both compilations was the Portuguese duo Spectra, and their debut album "Beyond Relief", released on Oxygen Records, is the focus in this review. With appearances on Hadra, Ketuh and Spectral (as well as Oxygen Records of course), they are one of many new acts on the already flooded full on market - will they stand out in the crowd?
01. Intro
The album starts with a short intro. Kind of a 2½ minute long industrial breaks-track - not really my kind of sound, but interesting as it's a bit different from the usual uninspired album-intros.
02. Audio 59 [145 BPM]
After the intro, "Audio 59" goes straight to the point - 145 BPM banging full on partymusic. It has a very electric sound, energetic and with some nice, bubbly reverbed synth-stabs - pretty good full on tune, even though I perhaps found it too heavy on Eskimo-like breaks and tricks towards the end.
03. Into The Monkey Planet [145 BPM]
"Into The Monkey Planet" is even more intense, starting in the darker territory with a loud, screaming synth (which luckily almost disappears after the first 27 seconds) and slowly getting more and more melodic, peaking with a quite standard Astrix-like breakdown. Very intense and very dancefloor-oriented morning track - pretty nice.
04. Set The Drive [145 BPM]
Up next is "Set The Drive", which continues the intense style, but with a slightly groovier approach on the bassline than in the first 2 dance floor tunes. Very catchy, and at first this was one of my favourite tracks on the CD, but after several listens, it did pale a bit. One of the weaker tracks.
05. Headshot [135 BPM]
"Headshot" is a break from the pumping full on mayhem, being a quite fine laidback progressive tune, running at 135 BPM. The sounds are quite standard full on'ish, but slowing it down to 135 BPM result in a quite interesting but also strange tune, never really taking off. Not strong enough for me to personally use in a progressive set (although maybe as one of the opening tracks), but generally a fine track, that does supply some variation on the album.
06. Ganzales [145 BPM]
After the break, "Ganzales" take us back on to the main floor, and basically the formula is the same as on the previous dance floor movers - fast full on basslines, energetic leads and crowd-pleasing breaks. Apart from the quite appealing melodic breakdown after 6 minutes, this is, to me, the least interesting track on the album though.
07. One Self (with Zero Sequence) [145 BPM]
Next up is "One Self" - a collaboration with Zero Sequence, a relatively unknown Portuguese Duo, who appeared on Spectral records' compilation "The Door Of Wisdom". The result is among the best on the CD - not as aggressive as the tracks on the first half of the CD, but more on the epic side, with mellow melodies and delicious female choir-pads. Very enjoyable.
08. Discoshit [145 BPM]
To me, "Discoshit" seems to have GMS written all over it, from the bassline to the melodies and trendy chord-stabs - hell, even the title could maybe be an ironic statement concerning the current state of the scientists music. Despite a lot of the elements being quite similar to the standard cookie-cutter GMS tune, it does a noticeably better job though, especially due to the lack of vocals, and keeping the cheesy hands-in-the-air melodies to a minimum. Pretty good track.
09. Beyond Belief [145 BPM]
Finishing the show is the title-track "Beyond Belief" which, in my opinion, also is the strongest track on the entire CD. Quite laidback despite the standard 145 BPM, with soothing synths and some very delicate grooves - in attitude it's sometimes even more progressive than full on, and as a final thought, I could only wish they would have explored this even more on the album. Amazing morning track.
Bottom line:
"Beyond Belief" is a very worthy debut. The sound is super positive and energetic, and despite the fact that the formulas, for most part, sounds like something we've heard many times before, it just works. The "Intro" and "Headshot" stand out as the most musically diverse tracks on the album, while most of the remaining tracks shine as top-notch partymusic - uplifting and easily digestible, but still with more depth than most of the naively melodic standard stuff from Israel.
Don't expect anything truly groundbreaking, but if you're a DJ looking for some enjoyable partymusic, "Beyond Belief" is certainly among the better full on artist-albums this year.
Favourites:
2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9 (!!)
Verdict:
7/10
Link:
Oxygen Records: http://www.oxygenrecords.com
DJ pr0fane (Iboga Records) | Multiphase
www.sunrisesupplies.com | www.iboga.dk | www.soundcloud.com/pr0fane |
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Voice of All
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
48
Posts :
762
Posted : Dec 8, 2005 01:17
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heard their track at hadra's compilation with suria. it was one of the best there (the whole compi was great actually). and also they have track with menog at his album (no need to say - outstanding work). so waiting realy high-class tracks from these guys. and surely two great reviews (thanks clown and profane) cant be wrong. in my order list for sure!
Spiritual guides are to practice and serve in ways that cultivate awareness, empathy, and wisdom. |
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Greennun
Started Topics :
6
Posts :
151
Posted : Dec 20, 2005 11:51
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Truly a masterpiece, very very cosmic and sure shot dance floor killers.
A must have morning blaster.
My best 2005 morning album.
Boom.
All the best to the bothers.
Thank you for the killer listening experience.
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etnarama
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
96
Posts :
510
Posted : Dec 23, 2005 21:17
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morning full on is not my cup of tea but i must say, these portuguese are very good producers... sim senhor!!!!
Very well produced and rocking morning tunes... |
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Voice of All
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
48
Posts :
762
Posted : Dec 28, 2005 12:41
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finally i've got this... what can i say? it is exactly what i was expecting: dynamic, melodic, fast and very danceable. thanx guys! great work!
Spiritual guides are to practice and serve in ways that cultivate awareness, empathy, and wisdom. |
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nem@oxygen
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
17
Posts :
85
Posted : Dec 31, 2005 02:22
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system nipel
System Nipel
Started Topics :
11
Posts :
280
Posted : Jan 5, 2006 17:22
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just whnt say hello to spectra guys , we are lisend to this one good album and we are very enjoy whit this elemnts soundss very good, we are sure this one go rock the world , thenks for you guys 
Rubi & Antuan |
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DeathPosture
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
142
Posts :
547
Posted : Jan 8, 2006 23:22
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Spectra – Beyond Belief
Cover: http://tinyurl.com/c5fe5 (front) + http://tinyurl.com/82h3l (back)
Artist: Spectra (Portugal)
Title: Beyond Belief
Format: CD (jewel case)
Label: Oxygen Records (Czech Republic)
Cat. #: OXYCD003
Distribution: Arabesque
Date: 5 December 2005
Track listing:
01. 02’39” Intro
02. 07’33” Audio 59
03. 07’32” Into The Monkey Planet
04. 08’38” Set The Drive
05. 09’54” Headshot
06. 09’26” Ganzales
07. 09’06” One Self (With Zero Sequence)
08. 09’57” Discoshit
09. 08’49” Beyond Belief
.m3u-playlist: http://tinyurl.com/cc2j6 (all tracks!)
Review:
Good morning Portugal!
As the 3rd release from Czech morning trance label Oxygen Records, we get the debut album from Portuguese psytrance duo Spectra… The tracks I’ve heard from Paulo & Francisco Oliveira have had varied impact on me… Some of the stuff released on Ketuh has been really nice, whereas I wasn’t too thrilled with the cheesy track on the Parsec compilation… But hey, I know these guys can pull off some proper stuff, so let’s dig deeper into their first full album…
Let me take you thru the tracks…
#01: Intro [145 BPM]
The intro track is pretty sweet… Distorted, tweaked synth-twirls – kept within a crisp, morning trance framework… Promising for the rest of the album… I wouldn’t have minded a full track in this style… Anyway, a very nice intro…
#02: Audio 59 [145 BPM]
We already had an intro track, so this track only runs for 14 seconds before the bass and kick are unleashed… It’s full-power, banging morning trance… The distinction from the endless pool of boring full-on, are the nice, frequent breaks and the twirling melodies... Also the syncopation effect, works surprisingly well in this track… I mean, it’s all been done before, but it actually works pretty well in this track… I like it!
#03: Into The Monkey Planet [145 BPM]
Again the Spectra guys doesn’t use much time on boring, pretentious intros… No time is wasted, and before you know it, this track is in full FX… It’s still uplifting full-on, but this time with a slightly more night time feeling to it… Also, the attempts into acid-stabs are pretty successful, and I like the edgy sound here which again distances the track from the most obvious full-on pitfalls… Oh, and that final build-up is simply impressive and ultimately rewarding… Best track so far!
#04: Set The Drive [145 BPM]
On this track, we’re approaching more standard full-on – and the bassline seem a little blunter now... That’s a shame, but luckily the melodic twirls are much more in focus, and the sound spectre seems more refined… Kind of old-school in a sense, but obviously with very fresh production techniques… Reminds me of Mr. Peculiar or Silicon Sound… A pretty nice track, but somehow it lacks a little bite…
#05: Headshot [135 BPM]
Besides from the intro track, this is the only track that ventures away from the 145 bpm range… So, half way thru, we take it down a notch – and that’s a welcomed change! This track cruises at a comfortable speed, offering a break from the dancefloor tunes… This could easily work on the dancefloor too, but more as an opening or transition track – or as a cross-over track between progressive and trance… A nice track, but it’s maybe a little too anonymous – and also a little too long…
#06: Ganzales [145 BPM]
And now we’re straight back to energetic full-on with the speedy Ganzales track [pun intended!]…The syncopated stabs from earlier are back, and this is pretty straight-forward full-on… What I like about this track though, is that it’s focussed… It keeps building straight towards that inevitable climax towards the end… It doesn’t waste time on boring excursions… It’s just plain, driving full-on – and in that sense it’s ultimately rewarding… An honest track, so to speak – and for that reason I like it!
#07: One Self [145 BPM]
On this track the guys are joined by fellow countrymen Pedro & Nando… I’m not familiar with any of their previous work, but who cares!? Again, this is pretty standard full-on – and there’s not much innovation in this track I’m afraid… Sure, it’s uplifting, and its dancefloor friendly… But the bassline is way too uninspired, the melodies are predictable and generally I feel the guys are starting to copy themselves… Would fit right in on one of the endless Israeli neo full-on compilations… *Yawn*
#08: Discoshit [145 BPM]
Well, we’re still in uplifting, morning full-on territory here – but at least this track has a little edge and more variation that the previous one… And again, this has certain elements of 2000-2003 full-on in it… The little breaks offer a welcome break for the dancers, and I’m sure the club-folk will also take well to the floating, uplifting melodies and the climactic nature of the track… I’m not the biggest fan, but I do like the energetic rhythm section… Not a bad track per se, but it’s too long and there are several parts where I loose interest…
#09: Beyond Belief [145 BPM]
The sun has set, and it’s time for the last track… The title track is maybe the most uplifting here, and different parts of it, reminds me of both Silicon Sound, Mr. Peculiar and especially Protoculture… Well-polished, multilayered, energetic morning trance that’s both epic and dancefloor friendly with a few surprises thrown in… The climaxes are just right, and overall this is among the best tracks here… Nicey nice!
Truth be told, I usually stay clear of blatant full-on albums… But there was a certain appeal to this album that was too good to miss – there is indeed a handful of nice, energetic tracks… And as much as I’m sure, they’ll work wonders on the dance floors, they also did pretty damn well in my living room… Sadly, there are also too many tracks with too many boring parts… Not boring as in event-less, but boring in the sense that they lack individuality… That being said, I must also stress that Spectra certainly has unique moments... Indeed! I just wish the entire album was like that! The good tracks are indeed good – and they distance themselves from the vast pool, of copy/paste full-on from Israel… The cover art is lovely – as always with Oxygen Records. Nice work!
To conclude, this is an album for fans of uplifting, melodic morning trance – with a little bite… Not among the best melodic albums of 2005, but certainly not among the worst either… Enjoy!
Favourites: 2, 3(!), 6, 9(!)
DeathPosture
External links:
Oxygen Records: http://www.oxygenrecords.com
Discogs: http://www.discogs.com/release/576035
Saiko Sounds: http://tinyurl.com/8sykq
TranceShop: http://tinyurl.com/7vsop
Wirikuta: http://tinyurl.com/bywrc
Psyshop: http://tinyurl.com/92bbz
Chaos: http://tinyurl.com/865fh
Juno: http://tinyurl.com/b99z4
On really romantic evenings of self, I go salsa dancing with my confusion... |
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Atomic_Future
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
15
Posts :
67
Posted : Jan 18, 2006 03:01
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Man!!! What a remarkable work by these two brothers.
Great algum with exceptional moments like "Into The Monkey Planet" witch is my favourite track. This track is so well done that i cant describe it in words... Really!
Other favourites are "Set The Drive", "Headshot", and "Beyond Belief".
If you're looking for a good full-on album, then buy this one because i can asure you that you will be very pleased with this
Keep up the good work guys.
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nem@oxygen
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
17
Posts :
85
Posted : Jan 26, 2006 20:05
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Review by dj Cymoon (Inpsyde media)
Spectra - Beyond belief
(Oxygen records 2005)
1. Intro
2. Audio 59
3. Into the monkey planet
4. Set the drive
5. Headshot
6. Ganzales
7. One Self (with Zero Sequence)
8. Discoshit
9. Beyond belief
After the two compilations Satellite and Parsec, Oxygen records has released the full lenght album of portuguese duo Paulo a Francisco Oliveira aka Spectra. We had a chance to hear some of their tracks at both previous compilations and other labels releases, where they brought nice morning tunes in. So how is their debut album?
A short intro is getting to be a standard at most of the artists album these days and Beyond Belief is no exception with its short breaks intro thing and right after it Spectra goes on in full power hi-energetic psytrance style in Audio 59, Into the monkey planet and Set the drive. All of these tracks have huge impact on your legs, move you body with fat almost-straight basslines and whirl the air with juicy melodic synthlines, sometimes darker, sometimes lighter and for sure after breakdowns extatic peaks are not missing.
The flow of the album is suddenly calmed down with sound of their Hadshot track, which is the sound we used to hear from Spectra. A mixture of progressive and full-on wrapped up to fluffy melancholic tunes. And this is the Hadshot, great track areated with screams of seagulls giving the track a nice calm coastal feeling. Beautiful atmospheric track.
In the second part Spectra takes the direction into more full-on side of psytrance in Ganzales, One Self and Discoshit tracks, uses wilder basslines, sreaming synths, everything spiced by melodic lines. All are powerfull dancefloor tracks and the guys are quite succesfull and not fall into the real average of this style.
They finnish the album with Beyond Belief and they are getting back to their mix of groovy progressive full-on sound and they are going great. Strong track.
So what to say in the end? I was expecting a bit more from Spectra in the meaning of their more melancholic or experimental style just like Hadshot or Beyond Belief, both of them are great tunes for me. The rest of the album goes a bit more to the average side, but it is still a very nice release for a debut album and I like some tracks especially from the first part, it is enough varied for your listening pleasure with enough sorts of mood and atmosphere and is dedicated to everyone who dig for hi-energetic, kicking, melodic psytrance. Nice album!
www.oxygenrecords.com
www.myspace.com/djanenem
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Djane-Nem/71788999222 |
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spectra
Spectra
Started Topics :
1
Posts :
32
Posted : Mar 6, 2006 18:39
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thank to all of u guy´s!! just keep beleiving!
kinho |
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