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Tristan - Substance (Twisted, December 2002)
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Kaz
IsraTrance Full Member
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Posted : Dec 19, 2002 14:02
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Well, after a long wait, finally, one of the pioneers of groove releases his second album (his first album is one of the two I bought on vinyl, since Audiodrome just doesn't sound right on CD)... And guess what, it was worth the wait. Twisted Records shine once again with another spectacular release of great music and top notch sound work.
1. Let Go - 7:22
2. Fantasy Eyeland - 7:54
3. Festival Fever - 8:19
4. Dirty Lick - 7:19
5. Up Syndrome - 8:35
6. Contact - 7:36
7. Brazilica Psychedelica - 4:52
8. Fuckrock - 7:13
9. Sapphire Eyes - 6:04
Let Go opens the album with a slow and uplifting groove, developing slowly but surely the entire track in one of the better combinations of house grooves with trance energies and liquid melodies that are just pure ear-candy. Subtle and smooth is the name of the game.
The second track, Fantasy Eyeland kicks in on a totally different note, no long opening or waiting here. Psychedelic work all around here, and for all of you familiar with Tristan's taste as a DJ, this is exactly what you'd expect to hear from him. High energy, powerful and emotional, scratchy sounds but not random. Just great 
Going harder, darker and raising the BPM some more, Festival Fever. Much more minimal than the last track, and with simpler melodic work. Clear progression, not overcluttering the sound during the entire track. Quality from every element, but not as dramatic as it could have been - this track feels like it's beside the point most of the time.
Dirty Lick goes back to the low bpms with a moving housey groove, but this time with a deeper sound and progression than Let Go. An open, funky and psychedelic sound give this track put this track as one of my favorites in the house/trance hybrids, much more organically done than you usually hear.
Showing that house doesn't have to be more dominant than the trance side in order for the grooves to really shine, Up Syndrome continues with the groovey attitude from the last track, but this time clear cut trance, with fat and uplifting sounds setting the groove and much less in the percussion, with a strong flow, developing in a very psychedelic way with complex acidic sounds creeping all over the place. Great progressive work all over.
Blasting away with a more full-on attitude, Contact starts to combine ideas from earlier parts of this album. If anyone remembers ManMadeMan - Desire (Bumbling Loons Remix), this is the same idea on steroids. The percussion keeps the energy levels high, the sound work keeps it uplifting and psychedelic, and the progression gives this track a powerful dancefloor appeal.
And then to something totally different. Brazilica Psychedelia uses some nonconventional ideas that you'd expect to find in a Kiwa track, done very intelligently and smoothly. At least one of the leaders of the trance world knows not to take himself too seriously. Complex groove work, shifting from one to another in a gradual way, very well done. Not as crazy as the average Finn, but does what he does in a more complete fassion than most. Not everyone will like this one, but I like it a lot. And yes, he sampled Koxbox here.
And on the other hand, we have Funkrock. Going back to a more standardized approach, with a strong funky bassline and very liquid effect work (something which is one of the album's strong points). A strong drive with a very fat sound enters but after a while of letting you get used to it, it changes into a powerful lead, again turning into that drive again with the break, and (finally) starting to twist around with the cutoff till the end. Too minimal for all the people who were expecting it to be goatrance, this track falls short of what could have been done here.
Ending the album on a relaxed note, Sapphire Eyes brings you a nice piece of new age music, with a few dub and trip hop touches to it, as well as some creative ideas in sound. Very well done, relaxing, intelligent and funky.
To sum it up, this album isn't exactly full-on, not classically progressive but some hybrid of a lot of ideas from all over the place. There's a wide range of music here, and no two tracks sound alike. Brilliant soundwork, flowing effects and nothing random or out of place. One of the best albums of the year, giving a refreshing style in a scene that so desperately needs something new.
Favorites: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
I'll narrow it down a bit: 2, 5, 6(!), 9(!)
  http://www.myspace.com/Hooloovoo222 |
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tom anteater
IsraTrance Full Member
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Posted : Dec 19, 2002 14:28
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Quote:
| If anyone remembers ManMadeMan - Desire (Bumbling Loons Remix), this is the same idea on steroids. The percussion keeps the energy levels high, the sound work keeps it uplifting and psychedelic, and the progression gives this track a powerful dancefloor appeal. |
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now.. i like the sound of that a LOT!! shall be checking this as soon as possible.
btw which koxbox track did he sample in the brazilica etc track?
and nice review mate
>>love will tear us apart...<< |
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yossi
IsraTrance Full Member
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Posted : Dec 19, 2002 15:12
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i didnt liked the last twisted releases...
but this one sure worth the money.
amazing album (imho)
if you want to be rich, u`ve got to be a bitch! |
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unno
IsraTrance Junior Member
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Posted : Dec 19, 2002 21:46
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kaz, an amazing review there, I am tristanised!
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Trip-
IsraTrance Team
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Posted : Dec 20, 2002 00:12
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housey touches again ?
when will they all stop!? (never) heh
well I could expect from tristan something out of the blue - gonna check this out for sure - and not because of those housey touches. I hope not to fins any shuffled beats!
kaz - cheers for the review
Philip
Crackling universes dive into their own neverending crackle...
AgalactiA |
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Mxs
IsraTrance Junior Member
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Posted : Dec 22, 2002 07:19
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I've been listening to this cd quite alot since i recieved it. I am not of fan of this particular style of psy but Tristan always does it so well it is impossible not to like.
The album is a perfect blend of nice floaty cruisy morning tunes and night time thumpers. The album is generally in the style of his more recent tracks. Really thick grooves highly detailed psychedelica that's really fun to explore like double dragon as it is never thrown in your face. It just creeps up slowly until you are completey lost in the emotion and space of the album.
There are no dud tracks on this albums although that stupid melody in 7 gets very repeatitive. Tracks 3 + 4 for me are strongest for the dancefloor although everything on here works really well. Festival Fever(3) for it's old style Tristan keyboard, and dirty licker(4) when pitched up get's everyones feet moving.
Overall anyone who likes deep funky psytrance and Tristan will get some out of this album.
(The Saikopod sample on (7) is that monkey wail from magnetic force)
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The Green Channel
IsraTrance Junior Member
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Posted : Dec 22, 2002 11:39
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Very psychedelic some of tracks, and that i love. Very nice all in all. I would great it 8.5/10 imho. Very good album.
"Love is a way of life"
(Gaia, Love, Nature, Shamanism (.2A.y.0a.hu.1a.sc.2a.), Terence McKenna) |
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psydark_light
IsraTrance Junior Member
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Posted : Dec 26, 2002 02:42
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first, great review man....
second
I didn't like the album
the creation didn't provide what I have been looking from tristan
but its still nice album with good quality
and it works fine with crowd in parties
what if everyone of us will think positive about peace ?
DJs can fly! |
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Candy
IsraTrance Full Member
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Posted : Apr 11, 2003 08:43
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I know I'm a bit late, but I bought this c.d only yesterday.
I don't really know what to think about it. The album is very diversed. In one hand you've got the "in between full on & progressive" style that I like so much, and on the other hand you've got very clubby tracks.
Majority is never right!
"Without music, life is meaningless."
-Friedrich Nietzsche |
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DETOX
IsraTrance Senior Member
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Posted : Apr 11, 2003 15:29
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This is not psy trance at all in my opinion but it is quality stuff
I like it.
Toodaloo Motherfuckers!!!!! |
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russ
IsraTrance Junior Member
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Posted : Apr 11, 2003 15:44
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Don't like this at all! What happened to the dark forest music he used to? This is too simple, too predictable, and too cheesy. Big disappointment. The housey tracks are by far the worst. (And I am a big progressive house fan.) Psytrance producers should avoid house because they don't know what they are doing, with the exception of Minilogue. |
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Psy2k
IsraTrance Junior Member
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Posted : Apr 13, 2003 12:17
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Nice album by tristan... High quality production and very good tunes here. Its not so "psychedelic" but it works. My favs here are: 1, 8 
In This World Have Your Own Bpm... |
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Jason (LyTe)
IsraTrance Junior Member
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Posted : Apr 13, 2003 12:23
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excellent album, one of the best i heard recently.
"We Do Not Allways See Things As They Are. We See Things As We Are" -Ancient Chinese Proverb
LyTe Email:TechnoLyte@gmail.com |
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Zombi
IsraTrance Senior Member
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Posted : Apr 15, 2003 13:14
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one more dude look on UK club scene..
not so sucesful still..
some trax will work well on da floor, in global nice cd but far from upgrated progressive sounds he try to reach..
Believe your soul ! |
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Panzer
Started Topics :
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188
Posted : Apr 23, 2003 16:38
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After the superb 'Fortean Times' and 'Dark City' trax I was looking forward to the new Tristan album. 'Let go' is a fantastic track but after that its downhill all the way. Play-it-safe club beats and uninteresting trax. Nowhere a reminder of the biting and dark sound of earlier Tristan.
Sorry mate, u sold out to the dancefloor. I can't listen to this cheap housy effort. Next. |
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