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V/A - Fahrenheit Project Part 6 (Ultimae Records, 2006)

Star|Child


Started Topics :  1
Posts :  2
Posted : Oct 27, 2006 21:48
Hi everyone. I recently picked up this compilation, and it's been stuck in my CD player every since, so I decided to write a review on it. Bear in mind that it's my first review, so please be gentle. Also, I hope some of the other reviewers don't mind if I borrowed a bit of the layout from them.

V/A - Fahrenheit Project Part 6

Artist: Various
Title: Fahrenheit Project Part 6
Label: Ultimae Records
Format: CD
Release Date: October 2006
Cover: http://tinyurl.com/y3b9hn

Discogs Link: http://www.discogs.com/release/794145

Track List:

1. Scann-Tec – ASD (6:27)
2. Irukandji – Whales Street (7:23)
3. Cell – Erasing Pluto (8:22)
4. H.U.V.A. Network - Orientations (8:57)
5. Sync24 – Dot (8:13)
6. Solar Fields – Levitate (10:47)
7. Sundial – Together, We Are… (Scann-Tec Remix) (7:41)
8. Aes Dana – Bam (Overlit Edit) (7:07)
9. Hol Baumann – Radio Bombay (6:08)

Review:

Ultimae Records, as I'm sure many of you know, is famous for their deep, involved ambient releases, and here they present us with the sixth chapter in the Fahrenheit Project series. Most of the artists involved will be familiar to fans of previous Ultimae releases, but there are several new faces present. This compilation takes a more up-tempo approach to downbeat music than some other Ultimae output, although all of the tracks still retain the trademark Ultimae ambient touch.

1. Scann-Tec - ASD
The compilation opens up with an artist that I'm not too familiar with: Scann-Tec. According to Discogs, Scann-Tec is Vladislav Isaev from Russia, and his previous releases have mainly been on net-labels. This track starts off with some soothing atmospheric melodies, before a beat and some dreamy female vocal whispers kick in. The sounds are joyous and uplifting, the main melody flows in and out of existence, and the track culminates with the introduction of a danceable-yet-chilled 4/4 kick at around the four-minute mark. This is a very lovely track, and I'm going to keep an eye out for more Scann-Tec material in the future.

2. Irukandji - Whales Street
Irukandji, another name I'm not familiar with, gives us Whales Street, and as you can probably guess, the soothing sounds of (what I assume to be) whales are present. The first half of the track is beatless – high pitched noises and the aforementioned whale sounds guide you through the song. Like the previous track, this one picks up a beat, although it is a lot more chilled and possesses a dreamy quality that makes it feel like one really is walking down "Whales Street".

3. Cell - Erasing Pluto
Cell is Alex Scheffer from France, and has been releasing music for a while now. I've really enjoyed a lot of his recent output, and this is his fifth appearance on a Fahrenheit Project compilation. The track he gives us here is built around a vocoded voice sample, and I suppose your enjoyment of this track depends on your tolerance for that sort of thing. I for one love it – I find it quirky, refreshing, and deep. The track really builds up and flows along nicely, and, like most of the compilation, it escalates into a danceable last half.

4. H.U.V.A. Network - Orientations
I think most people know about H.U.V.A. Network, which is pretty much an Ultimae super-duo. H.U.V.A. Network consists of Solar Fields and Aes Dana, and Orientations is one of my favourite tracks from them so far. This song takes a break from the more up-tempo nature of the rest of the album, opting instead to provide us with something that feels incredibly deep, introspective, and isolated. The sounds, such as the percussion and ambient noises, are very gentle and delicate at first, becoming more insistent as the track progresses, while the repetitive bassline allows the other sounds to hang together nicely. I was very impressed with the quality of this track – although it really took me a couple of listens to appreciate it fully.

5. Sync24 - Dot
Sync24 is Daniel Ringstrφm from Sweden, and is one half of Carbon Based Lifeforms, who are due to release their next album soon. I've always found Sync24's tracks to be of exceptional quality, ranging from the quirky to the dreamy, and Dot is no exception. This track begins as beatless ambient, with some hypnotic sounds and a cute little melody in the background. When the beat kicks in, at around the three-minute mark, the track really comes into its own. Some deliciously acidified melodies wind their way into the track, and it progresses steadily for another five minutes.

6. Solar Fields - Levitate
Solar Fields, otherwise known as Magnus Birgersson, should need no introduction. The albums he released last year (Leaving Home and Extended) were in line with the Ultimae style of dreamy, beautiful ambient. The track appearing here, Levitate, maintains a faster pace than the tracks appearing on those albums, but retains the joyous and life-affirming feel present in most of his works (it could be compared with his track appearing on the previous Fahrenheit Project compilation, Water Silence). Levitate begins with a slightly breaksy first few minutes, with random sounds, little bleeps and twirls, and an electro-tinged underbelly. It then builds up into what sounds like progressive, Ultimae style. The track weighs in at a fairly hefty ten minutes and forty-seven seconds (the longest track on the compilation), and when those retro-sounding melodies kick in, it's absolute bliss.

7. Sundial - Together, We Are... (Scann-Tec Remix)
Sundial is a Polish group made up of four people, one of whom is a member of Aural Planet. They apparently released an album this year on Flow Records, titled Metabasis – Chilling Cuts Part 2, but I haven't had the pleasure of listening to it yet. Together, We Are... was released on that album, and here it is remixed by Scann-Tec. This track opens up where the last track left off – silken melodies and some light percussion abound. It's not long before the beat kicks in, which then makes way for some lovely melodies that really fit in with that ethereal Ultimae style.

8. Aes Dana - Bam (Overlit Edit)
Aes Dana, or Vincent Villuis, is no stranger to Ultimae fans. On this CD is an 'edit' of one of my favourite tracks from last year's Mountain High 2 compilation: Bam. The version present here retains the same structure and mood as the original, but refines and polishes it. This track is slightly more chilled than the previous few – it still develops a bit of a danceable kick, but the melodies and atmosphere take center stage, and allow this track to really shine (in a melancholic, introspective sort of way).

9. Hol Baumann - Radio Bombay
The last track on this compilation is by Hol Baumann, AKA Olivier Orand, who is a regular on the Ultimae roster. I must admit that I'm a huge fan of his music, and my expectations for this track were sky high. He often infuses his tracks with a slightly industrial, acoustic, and sometimes almost IDMish feel. This track opens up with some gentle piano and calm beats, before an incredibly delicate ethnic vocal kicks in. The beat gets heavier and more urgent, and some acoustic guitar is played. Overall this track is an absolute beauty, and I'm pleased to say that Olivier exceeded my expectations with it. The style is different from the rest of the compilation, but the mood and atmosphere it creates are in keeping with the other tracks.

Conclusion:

Overall I'm impressed with the quality of this compilation. Most of the tracks here venture into 4/4 semi-danceable-but-still-chilled territory, and they do it admirably. Even though the general tempo has been upped a notch from previous Ultimae releases, Fahrenheit Project Part 6 retains the ultra-chilled quality that this label is known for, and you can really get lost in the tracks here. As you can no doubt tell, I enjoyed all of the tracks on the compilation, and I'd be hard-pressed to pick out favourites.

For those who like the melancholic, introspective, and beautiful vibe that is present in most Ultimae releases, but aren't quite ready for the sometimes totally beatless ambient that can go with it (as with Oxycanta), this compilation will make a great transition. In fact, this CD will make a great addition to any music-lover's collection, whether you're a stalwart Ultimae Records fan or just a lover of deep, intelligent downbeat music.

Links:

Ultimae Records: http://tinyurl.com/y9ordm

Juno: http://tinyurl.com/uquhp
Psyshop: http://tinyurl.com/yjuchh
Saikosounds: http://tinyurl.com/u8moc
Wirikuta: http://tinyurl.com/ydkgxe
Aes Dana
Aes Dana

Started Topics :  31
Posts :  99
Posted : Nov 12, 2006 15:38
Hi Star Child!

Thank you very much for taking the time to write those warm words about our last release.

for info, we released some Fahrenheit Project 6 wallpapers :
http://www.ultimae.com/en/news/174.html

you can find the phone versions on our WAP section if you write the following URL in your mobile interface : HTTP://WAP.INGROOVES.COM

With all my respect from Lyon

Vincent Villuis,
Aes Dana
Huva Network
sure_smoke_alot
IsraTrance Junior Member

Started Topics :  45
Posts :  6874
Posted : Nov 12, 2006 19:39
defenitely 1 of the best things i have bought this year

Ultimae u guys rock
m eagarly waitin for my pre order of cbl           the problem with valuing art is, till u dont understand it, it's worthless but wen u do understand it, it's priceless!!
Morpheus Music
IsraTrance Full Member

Started Topics :  94
Posts :  165
Posted : Dec 1, 2006 13:54
STYLE
Downtempo trance with strong atmospheres and frequent ambient expanses. The latest in the Fahrenheit series sees the sound bound more tightly to the measured rhythms of low bpm trance than on previous outings. We have the usual vibrant layering of electronic colour and scintillating arpeggios - here enhanced with misted female voices, vocoder effects, ethnic singing, shakers, exotic ambiguous bird/whale cries. The beats tend to develop incrementally, build into thudding regularity or helicopter clarity and then fragment or disperse into echoing emptiness, often to recur with increased power for the next climax. Sundial create a strong aquatic space on the track 'Together, we are... (Scann-Tec rmx)' where faint female utterances ghost the air before the beat steps up and some scintillating sequences take centre stage.

MOOD
The mood here is more beat-driven and regular than Oxycanta and Albedo, yet still shot through with that trade mark Ultimae chill. The mood is one of clean technological fluidity that ranges on the one hand into brooding hypnotic shadow and then into simmering heat haze, with bubbling cycles as vivid and saturated as the luminous orange of the front cover graphic.

ARTWORK
Ultimae quality gloss and saturation - an orange palette ranging from the weight of black through to the palest shade just short of white. Underwater on the front, in the clouds on the reverse - tangerine, gold and rust hues with a droplet/bubble mass crossing the juncture - black horizontal borders ever-present. Within, the same hues bathe the inner panels in the same warm light, not bright, night lights, very very deep colour. The track list is found on the reverse and in expanded form inside alongside credits and recording details. A tasteful, beautiful object - you want Ultimae CDs in your collection to look at as much as to listen to.

OVERALL
Billed as The One Before the Last... Fahrenheit Project Part 6 is said to be the penultimate release of the series. Promotional wording explains that this album is "more upbeat than the previous chapters, Fahrenheit Project 6 is the absolute soundtrack for your after parties, morning celebration or "sofatimes". Highlights on the album for me include the combined talents of Magnus Birgersson and Vincent Villuis in H.U.V.A. Network's 'Orientations' - an 8 minute 57 second piece that opens up a spacious reverberating zone with a dramatic apocalyptic tone overrun by a constant bass pulse and gutsy digital beat. Also Hol Baumann's - Radio Bombay at the end of the album where gentle chimes and acoustic guitar introduce a lonely Indian voice that cycles around against an ominous deep bass and deceptively simple beat. Other artists presenting their audio delights for us are Scann-Tec, Irukandji, Cell, Sync24, Solar Fields, Sundial and Aes Dana.

WHO WILL LIKE THIS ALBUM
Ultimae followers will know what to expect, this being another quality release, this time steering away a little from the ambient side of things. If you don't know Ultimae music - this is an album that will delight chill fans that like deep, deep musical hues and imaginative trance for that after hours, late night feel.
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www.morpheusmusic.co.uk
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