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V.A. - Pure Bliss (Tatsu Recordings 2004)
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pr0fane
Multiphase
Started Topics :
418
Posts :
3816
Posted : Apr 27, 2004 03:48
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Artist: Various Artists
Title: Pure Bliss
Label: Tatsu Recordings
Format: CD
Released: April 2004
Cover: http://217.160.164.51/pic/tat1cd031_b.jpg
Review:
Over time the German label Tatsu has built up a solid reputation as a label to look out for. I am personally a big fan of their compilations, in particular the “Dragon Tales” series, so when I first read about a new compilation from them, I was positive that something good was coming – and looking at the track list my expectations almost went through the roof. I finally received the CD yesterday, and the package was in a pretty average jewelcase – more or less as expected. The cover design itself is good, a bit minimalistic but nothing mind-blowing, and luckily with none of those overused psychedelic fractals or random 3d-crystals. Oh well, moving on to the music:
1. Space Safari – Sweet Little
Starting the compilation is a warm and friendly morning groover from Space Safari, and we get a feeling why the compilation is titled “Pure Bliss”. The beautiful pads and smooth grooves are setting a magical atmosphere, and it has an excellent sample from a poem by Edgar Allen Poe. It’s been a while since I last heard something new from Space Safari, and this tune certainly has me impatiently craving for more summer tunes like this.
2. Prisoners Of The Sun – Aspirin + Cola
Next up is the German duo Prisoners Of The Sun (or POTS in short), and with “Aspririn Und Cola” they made a more dance floor oriented track than Space Safari, even though the title indicates a track for nursing your Sunday afternoon hangovers. The track starts out deep and groovy with some rolling drums, but gets more and more uplifting, with a sweet guitar and some nice pads and melodies that reminds me of Vernon’s classic “Wonderer”.
3. 4 Wind Circle - Remember
As far as I know, “Remember” is the debut release from 4 Wind Circle, and it certainly is a nice appetizer for more. Not as deep as the previous track, but has a nice groove, and some well made sounds fly around, doing a great job keeping your attention for most of the track. The beginning is the most interesting part though, and for me it does get a tad boring in the end, but for a debut release it’s very impressive.
4. NASA – Log On
Mikkel NASA is also present here. He earned a pretty big reputation in Denmark and abroad with Gnome Effect and his solo project NASA, and “Log On” is a fine progressive stomper – almost a bit minimal, and something different from the full on I’ve heard he’s making these days. In my opinion it sounds a bit like the earlier stuff from Frogacult, and that’s definitely not a bad thing.
5. Antix – I wanna Be (Emok Remix)
We stay in Denmark, this time with Emok, owner and label-DJ from Iboga and member of projects like Spy Vs. Spy and Phony Orphants. This is the first solo-release I’ve heard from him though, and it has Phony Orphants written all over it; from the very powerful groove, to the wonderful little teasing melody in the last half of the track. If you liked the album “Symphony” this is 11 minutes not to miss.
6. Lunaspice – Step by Step
Things get a little deeper and darker with Lunaspices “Step By Step”, a pumping progressive stomper for the night time. Only heard a few tracks from this French duo before, and this is the first track that I really like from them. Not as minimal as their earlier releases, but still with a great dark groove and with some really nice voice-samples.
7. 12 Moons – Shapeshifter (Psycho Tone Remix)
I have a soft spot for the uplifting music coming from 12 Moons, but he also has a darker side. Back in 2000 he released a track called Shape Shifter on Transient under the name Tinnitus, and here we find a new remix for it, made by himself. Back then it was a techy stomper, and this time it’s also meant for the darker hours, though with a more up-to-date groove. I wasn’t a big fan of the original though, and I also found this to be one of the weaker tracks here.
8. Expect – Sex + Champagner
Ending the compilation is Expect, a project with DJ Sterntaler and Achim Lüthje from POTS. As with the POTS-track we get a pretty weird trackname, probably showcasing one of the popular combinations at German parties. After the 2 previous tracks, it’s nice with a morning tune to end the compilation, and this one even goes on for over 11 minutes. It’s hard not to get a smile on your face listening to this one, with the sounds of champagne-bottles opening and a happy theme repeating through the entire track.
Bottom line:
Overall this is a pretty nice release. You get 8 fine progressive trance tracks, starting and ending with sweet morning tunes, and with a few darker tunes in between. Don’t go out and expect totally innovative progressive trance though – just some good, quality music for the summer season, with tracks for both the couch and the dance floor. And that’s not so bad, now is it? Good job D-Nox and the rest of the Tatsu-crew.
Favourites:
1(!!!), 2(!), 3, 6, 8(!)
Verdict:
8/10 – A good buy for the progressive lovers.
Link:
Tatsu Recordings: http://www.tatsu.de/  DJ pr0fane (Iboga Records) | Multiphase
www.sunrisesupplies.com | www.iboga.dk | www.soundcloud.com/pr0fane |
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Nocturnum
Sensum
Started Topics :
0
Posts :
89
Posted : Apr 27, 2004 12:17
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good review my friend 
wasnt aware that expect is one of the lads from pots - good stuff.
wanna be rmx should be a nice one indeed
must obtain a copy i say
stay fresh. |
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riade
Started Topics :
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2
Posted : Apr 27, 2004 18:45
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I like this compilation a lot.
My favorite : 3 - 6 |
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Zombi
IsraTrance Senior Member
Started Topics :
375
Posts :
5032
Posted : Apr 28, 2004 10:22
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nice compi, some great tunes for late morning! d-nox and tobias did a great work again!
Believe your soul ! |
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Glen.C (Iboga Rec)
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
52
Posts :
686
Posted : Apr 28, 2004 19:44
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Space safari is 'pure bliss' =)
My fave track.
pots and emok also do a good job
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russ
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
35
Posts :
275
Posted : Apr 28, 2004 20:38
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How perfect is the Space Safari track? 100%. Expect to hear that at many outdoor parties this summer in the afternoon. Buy the comp for this track alone. It's brilliant!
The POTS track is also very good. #3 and # 4 are also decent. The Emok Antix rmx is good enough to play out in many a dj set. Very driving on a big system. the last three tracks are not as good. especially the final track. that one is so cheesy my girlfriend asked me to please turn it off! oh well, no comp is perfect;)
Overall, I highly recommend this cd for one brilliant track (Space Safari) and two good tracks (Emok and POTS). Very nice work! |
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yossi
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
72
Posts :
1641
Posted : May 1, 2004 10:48
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finaly gave it few good listenings
this is pure bliss indeed.
found few morning grooves, and found some GREAT minimal tunes to play in a kul outdoor parties during night, all packed into a superb collection of trax that simply flow, move, vibrates and keep a smile on your face
WTG Tatsu!
if you want to be rich, u`ve got to be a bitch! |
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Basilisk
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
168
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2984
Posted : Sep 3, 2004 18:41
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Pure Bliss is a progressive album from Tatsu records out of Germany, released in 2003... Shamrock cove art greets you with a clean design, and you'll find the contents of the compilation flow together quite nicely without being homogenous.
Space Safari open it up with one of the highlights - pure effortless summer grooves with a perfectly fitting sample, catchy and mature production that should not be missed. Prisoners of the Sun present Aspirin + Cola, a track I initially had a very lukewarm reaction to, but this one grew on me after repeated listenings. Heavy bottom-end and coruscating pads with some acoustic guitar layered on top, really quite good. 4 Wind Circle - Remember is a little less evolved than the previous two, but it has its moments. The sound here isn't deep enough for me (I think the loud repetative bass throws me off), though it is a good effort. NASA - Logon is more deep progressive, from Denmark I believe. Clean production and a slightly sparser arrangement that relies on small sounds, sure to appeal to listeners on the minimal side, though it isn't quite my thing. Next we have the highlight of the album, Emok's remix of I Wanna Be by Antix. It sounds quite a lot like Phony Orphants, naturally - which is a good thing. But here we get a lighter sound well-suited for this compilation of light progressive sounds. The song is lush with atmosphere and slow carefully-crafted builds, beautiful euphoric atmospheres that tease and taunt before unleashing pure bliss. These are the guys really making true progressive trance - elements grow and expand over time, hypnotizing you into stereo rapture. Lunaspice recently released their full-length debut which caught my attention and converted me into a fan, but Step by Step comes from the time before I thought their production had evolved and matured to a good level. Nonetheless it's actually a rather good track that I simply overlooked at the time. Progressive of course, with a darker feel to it and several strange noises I can't quite come up with a good adjective for. The drive and flow of the song is accompanied by this somewhat scratchy synthwork which, in context, is used as a percussive element. Their actual production has improved over this but it's still a worthwhile song. Next up is the Psycho Tone Mix of Shapeshifter, by 12 Moons. This was originally released on Transient in the early days of scandosounds, and here it receives a sinister face list, replete with his unique style of production. Harmonic dark psychedelic trance is what you get here, and I'm a big fan of 12 Moons so of course I find it to be fantastic. It doesn't quite fit with the flow of this compilation at all, but a little diversity never hurt anyone. Lastly we have Expect - Sex + Champagner, a project related to Prisoners of the Sun. It is the longest track on the album, over 11 minutes of lush progressive morning sounds with a sensuous and happy vibe. About five minutes in the champagne bottle pops and the sound is played with moving forward and in reverse to provide a new percussive characteristic to the song... you hear some glasses clink and a few light moans, and the track picks up again with big atmosphere and bottles popping left and right. Thankfully the subject matter is handled tastefully, so the end result is a distinct conceptual progressive track that stands out from the rest and would be very nice for a morning-time set or just relaxing around the house.
Pure Bliss is an above average CD compilation I somehow managed to overlook when it was originally released, but with it being on sale at Saikosounds now it's not one to miss for prog lovers. Two gems: Space Safari's Sweet Little and Emok's remix to I Wanna Be, and three or four great tracks in different moods and styles give this album a very well-rounded feel. The flow of the album is superb and the quality levels remain high throughout nearly every song, with only one major criticism. Recommended.
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Chaka Laka
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
13
Posts :
471
Posted : Sep 7, 2004 07:21
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no. 7 is the shit
basilisk and a pr0fane, u did a great job ! and so did Saiko Pod of course
Dance is my Trance |
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Dance N Dust
Dance N Dust
Started Topics :
83
Posts :
419
Posted : Sep 7, 2004 10:00
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goooood cd |
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TiagoMerivah
Started Topics :
1
Posts :
2
Posted : Sep 8, 2004 23:58
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Certainly tis compilation is a bliss from tatsu! Most of its tracks have a kind of soft/light progressive texture, which makes it increadibly easy to listen to, even for those who don't dig proggy stuff. Only good tracks in here, definitly a must for all progressive fans. Favourites here are emok rmx and space safari.
By the way, nice overviews you've done in here, pr0fane and basilisk!
Cheers from Brazil |
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Basilisk
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
168
Posts :
2984
Posted : Sep 9, 2004 01:59
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Seems like I got the year wrong somehow.. hmm, whoops! Well anyway, thanks
great disc!
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