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V/A - Goodfellas [Materia 2005] CD
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Basilisk
IsraTrance Full Member
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2984
Posted : Aug 27, 2005 01:12
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V/A - Goodfellas [Materia 2005] CD
Kali - Dream
Delusion - The Sacred Tree
Mekkanikka - Abre Los Ojos
Project33 vs DJ Fred
Inner Action - Movements
Painkiller vs DJ Anahata - Goodfellas
CPU - Dark Matter
Painkiller - Every Single Sound
Sum Sindhu - Digital Therapy
Here's one of those shining examples of why it is beneficial to pay attention to the grapevine. Had I not stumbled upon a recommendation on an online forum, I would have passed this release over as just another full-on clone. The fact is, there are so many compilations coming out with just this assortment of names familiar and unknown that do little to excite the imagination. It gets to be very difficult to keep track of what is worth a shot and what can safely be packed away after a quick skim. Goodfellas is compiled by DJ Anahata and features psychedelic trance overwhelmingly from Spain. Barcelona is the source for seven of the tracks here, though one project hails from Madrid. While the cover art is rather sloppy, the tracks rock. Let's run through them all...
Kali opens the album with Dream, showing a powerful and melodic style of full-on that is the main theme of this release. There are a few of those commonplace electrical effects whizzing around, and near-constant melodic activity over one of those rolling bass lines that are so popular these days. It's a decent enough opening, strong and solid for dancefloors, but not supremely noteworthy. You've heard this before.
Delusion's The Sacred Three is produced with a less beefy style that would ordinarily relegate this one to the filler department. Luckily the producers stray far enough from the standard full-on formula to make quibbling issues of production standards mostly irrelevant. See, this is a rare track that really manages to capture some of the old school flavour in the lead melodies, effects, and use of layering. With the style set, the artist exposes a high-energy dancefloor-oriented approach that is sure to get a crowd kicking up dust. The drops are in all the right places, the break is suitably thrilling, and in essence - this is another solid tune to rock the floor.
Mekkanikka occasionally delights with a decent release here and there, and Abre Los Ojos is, in some ways, one of his better recent releases. The sound is quite familiar, as the artist's trademark whipping electrical sounds are heard sprucing up the whole track. The squarehead bass tricks which first came to my attention in their single Heavy Healing drop in for an appearance after the half-way point, and the technique works wonders as a way of changing things up. More electrical zapping sounds clutter things up in lieu of any real melodies after this, and then the beats double up incessantly and the track goes into a crazy build-up! Honestly, this is the kind of psytrance I negatively compare to hard house, since there doesn't seem to be anything remotely deep about it... but the sheer amount of energy contained in this track will raise eyebrows. It would be far better if there were more depth to this sound, but taken as is it could be useful in certain sets. At times it will just sound like noise however.
Project 33 vs DJ Fred from Brazil are up next, with a track entitled The 60's are Over. This is another high-energy full-on track, with a bass line that has some bite to it. The style is not particularly original, but the synths are nicely psychedelic, and there is an appreciable use of layering to keep it interesting. I respect the percussion on this one - it's all very crisp and nicely textured, with a few cool tricks thrown in at key moments. The arrangement is also above average for this sort of psytrance, and the arrangement flows nicely, never letting the sound get too dry. It might not be the most distinct tune out there, but it sure is well-constructed with enough of a twist to it. Another solid track for the DJs.
Each track laid out thus far has incrementally increased the energy levels, but Inner Action (a project of Delusion and Painkiller) really takes the cake. The first 13 seconds of Movements are a massive build-up! That must win an award or something, as I've never heard a track get that intense so quickly. Everything is on hyperdrive as more rough and grimy bass licks churn beneath the deep pounding kicks. Ripping atmospheres take very little time to build up, leading to some excellent layering of sounds and a dense sonic canvas of tweaked out synthwork. The drops and rushing builds come fast and heavy as the track cycles through several hair-raising sequences. Many of the drops are strong and epic, showing this to be full-on that doesn't hold back. The builds frequently deliver, throwing wild synthetic sounds all over the stereo field as new melodies layer nicely. Killer dancefloor material!
Painkiller teams up with DJ Anahata for the title track Goodfellas. Nothing new in terms of sound here - it's all the sort of full-on that thankfully retains some hardness to the kicks and a strong bass line. Samples from the movie can be heard all over the joint, including a sequence peppered with machine gun fire. There is one huge tension-building moment as the track moves into the last third that totally kicks ass. The melodies begin to really flourish only it sounds as if the bass was cut. Slowly it drops out and returns very quickly, stronger than before. Little tricks like that should work wonders on the dancefloor!
CPU is an artist that has simply never appealed to me. I tend to find their productions uninspired and redundant... so it was with great surprise that I found myself captivated by this single - Dark Matter. There's no question this is a gimmicky sort of track, primarily made distinct by an unusual use of a vocoded sample. I googled for it and was led to the University of Cambridge web site, where the words are written out exactly, but I have no idea where the artist would have sourced this as a spoken sample. Either way, it is highly technical as opposed to being some nonsensical Star Trek babble, so it appeals to my interest in astrophysics. However, it's not just a sample... CPU manipulates the voice to such an extent that the words gain a sort of sing-song quality that is hard to describe and utterly catchy. I suppose the track itself is fairly standard fare for this group, as it is the sort of high-energy scratchy full-on with one of those dippy bass lines that any listener should recognize from his work on 3D Vision. Nonetheless the addition of the vocoded sample really makes it a favourite for me.
Painkiller's solo effort Every Single Sound isn't going to provide much in the way of surprises after all that has come before it. This is another edgy full-on dancefloor explosion full of layered melodies and sounds. There's this sort of rising noise that reminds me of the circus or a video game for some reason, and indeed this track feels something like the work of Triskell. The build-ups are solid once again but this track still doesn't stand out. Nonetheless it's decent, playable, and well-suited to the compilation.
Sum Sindhu closes the story with Digital Therapy, the first moment at which the energy levels are dropped somewhat. The full-on structure remains with rolling bass in the mid-range and the usual assortment of percussive sounds. It seems as if this is a bit more of an amateur effort than some of the others here, as the production doesn't sound very rich, and the arrangement is not as dynamic as would benefit the basic building blocks of the song. It's more melodic and morning-friendly than the rest but lacking power, this track doesn't fare as well as the rest.
What a work-out! I am not much of a fan of psytrance designed specifically for dancefloors, as I am mainly listening to trance at home, but every once in a while I am craving something that shimmers and vibrates with ecstatic energy. This is just such a release, showing off the worthwhile side of the full-on movement. What sets this apart from all the rest? Several pitfalls are studiously avoided. That whole neo-full-on movement always bothered me by sounding so wishy-washy, as if it were the caffeine-free diet cola version of psytrance. Many artists and labels have also been seeking a hybridization of the full-on and progressive movements, taking cues from both without excelling at either. Other producers, in the misguided attempt to innovate the psytrance sound, have turned to using vocalists and other more commercial techniques alongside the full-on sound. Thankfully, none of these approaches will be found here - this is a pure underground sound that is unmistakably psychedelic trance. Layers and melodies are widely used, which is arguably what makes this music psychedelic. Now while I'm singing praises of this compilation, I wouldn't say it's perfect. I won't ever rate a dancefloor-only album all that highly, because I believe trance should be versatile enough to listen to in many different contexts. However, given the strength of the material and just how applicable it is for it's intended purpose, I've got to give DJ Anahata and Materia records respect for this unexpected release. CPU's offering is a sinister surprise, and I quite enjoyed Inner Action's crazy dancefloor hit Movement. Some of the others are good, and most of the rest are quite decent. For DJs looking to spice up their sets with underground full-on sounds this is a good compilation to hunt down!
Faves: 2, 4, 5(!), 7(!)
Rating: 7/10
(no one had posted anything on this so I whipped up a quick review. I will probably revisit in six months to see if I feel the same, but it sounds good to me right now anyway!)
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gandharva
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
22
Posts :
338
Posted : Aug 27, 2005 05:29
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man ???!!!!!for me this was one of the best releases this year
 dont worry be hippie |
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DiMiTry
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
70
Posts :
2299
Posted : Aug 27, 2005 08:48
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same here.. this is blasting outdoor psytrance, best suited for the beach or desert or forest - the best morning music there is these days. one of the best this year in this department. 
yeah, i've played this one a LOT since i stumbled on it a few months ago. ..it's just another party.. |
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djanahata
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
40
Posts :
449
Posted : Sep 10, 2005 17:50
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thank's to all
that given pleasure of seeing that our efforts are rewarded...!!
in little time I will leave a post to inform and present you
V/A "ULTIMATE ENERGY" - Materia records
--mekkanikka, puzzle, kali, bio genesis, cpu, painkiller---
release november
www.myspace.com/djanahata
www.materiarecords.com
Out Now! va PROFESSIONAL MATCD12 - Compiled by Dj Anahata |
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Trance2MoveU
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
50
Posts :
129
Posted : Mar 4, 2006 01:40
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I just reviewed the "ultimate Energy" comp from Materia, and I thought I would revisit this one. Still solid and just like Ultimate, no fillers. A few outstanding tracks and the rest are solid movers.
Yeah, they rock.  |
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Pangea
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
72
Posts :
279
Posted : Mar 24, 2006 21:47
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this cd still rocks the house. i have to say too that i like this one a good bit more than "ultimate energy", this cd has so much more power and originality, i still enjoy 'ultimate energy' but this has to be the best full on cd i have ever bought.
Kali.... we need more tracks like 'dream' please man!!
this cd slams materia!!
pureperceptionrecords.org
pangeaproductions.org
myspace.com/pureperceptionrecords |
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gandharva
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
22
Posts :
338
Posted : Mar 26, 2006 04:54
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still a fresh one
dont worry be hippie |
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Meta-Morphosis
IsraTrance Senior Member
Started Topics :
216
Posts :
4980
Posted : Jul 20, 2008 12:22
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This is what Materia records is all about...
Madddd music. Kali, painkiller and inner action have murdered this CD, breathtaking layering in their tracks every single sound allright.
Full on at its besttt.
Gem
“What we need is the development of the Inner Spiritual man, the unique individual, whose treasure is hidden in the symbols of our mythological tradition and in man’s unconscious psych.” - CJ Jung |
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Bloodclot
Bloodclot
Started Topics :
93
Posts :
2190
Posted : Aug 11, 2008 21:29
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Oh yeah, fresh for sure. Got to hear 2 tracks out of this compilation recently and they were great in the morning. 
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djanahata
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
40
Posts :
449
Posted : Sep 12, 2008 12:04
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Thank you again
I was surprise to read that GOODFELLAS is not forget...
Iam today proud to present our new babe MATCD08 v/a BOUNCE (Compiled by Dj Varun)
We think that will be the best Compilation from Materia Records..
You can ear the 10 tracks demo in the player
www.myspace.com/materiarecords
Regards from Barcelona
Dj Anahata
www.myspace.com/djanahata
www.materiarecords.com
Out Now! va PROFESSIONAL MATCD12 - Compiled by Dj Anahata |
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Zman
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
14
Posts :
3784
Posted : Sep 19, 2008 02:11
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Kali - Dream
Kali - Vision Thing
Kali - Analog Fantasy
I want to hear more music like this.
Have my eyes / ears peeled for Varun's CD. All the best brother hommie Hope to hear it blasting this side soon!
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great!
Started Topics :
3
Posts :
59
Posted : Sep 19, 2008 02:38
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bougth my goodfellas cd long time ago and since then enjoying the fantastic work of Materia!
great! |
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