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V/A - Sanctuary
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Morpheus Music
IsraTrance Full Member
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Posted : Dec 6, 2005 00:01
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Morpheus Music Review
Compilation: Sanctuary
Label: Interchill
1 ADHAM SHAIKH - EMERGENCE
2 SUNS OF ARQA - CRADLE PART III
3 MERE MORTALS - ETCETERA
4 ISHQ - YU
5 SHAKATURA - MIDHEAVEN
6 KAYA PROJECT - SLIDE
7 GAUDI - TRIBALOVE
8 MYSTICAL SUN - RIVER GODDESS
9 ALUCIDNATION - SKYGAZER (3002 REMIX)
10 EKKO - CALL OF THE DELTA
STYLE
With abundant flutes and plenty of eastern instrumentation - Sanctuary sets out to be a "meditative and tranquil journey into the uncharted territory of the imagination". Opening with a blend of synthetic and Indian acoustic stringed drones - we're introduced to an ambient beatless space where chanting voices waft in and out. Building on this exotic opening, tracks flow one into another with voices and water effects acting as links - the ubiquitous Indian and oriental sounds are joined by tropical birds, finger cymbals and subtle electronics. Beats are generally gentle or absent, often a fusion of indigenous hand drumming and light programming. Much of the ethnic material was recorded on location - talking drum, kalabash, Pygmy flute, marimbas and oriental strings being among the varied sound sources present.
MOOD
The mood is consistently one of meditative ethno-chill, heavily steeped in Asian influences and so carrying the associated mystery and cultural colour of that continent. Exotic and reflective, the tribal aspects of beat and melody are low key and trance inducing. Frequent water effects add to the calming nature of Sanctuary - beds of dreamy, mystical sound giving way briefly to Gaudi's global dub and Kaya Projects rhythmical Slide - named after the slide guitars on the piece.
ARTWORK
A blue-tinted temple building flanked by feathery trees floats on an azure pool below the suspended title. Inside, a three-panel booklet presents a bamboo motif in soft greens where the relevant artist information can be found - each piece is listed alongside credits and the original album from which the piece was taken. Track lists are on the rear jewel case and within.
OVERALL
Sanctuary comes to us from Interchill, compiled by DJ/multimedia presenter and Native State Record label manager Naasko. Subtitled "a shanti mix from the Interchill garden" (shanti meaning peace) this is a sort of 'best of Interchill records’ compilation from the last 8 years featuring well known downtempo artists from the Interchill catalogue. Familiar names include Ishq, Gaudi, Kaya Project, Adham Shaikh and Shakatura among others - the vibe is consistent, the vision a shared one, the quality high.
WHO WILL LIKE THIS ALBUM
Sanctuary will suit chill-out fans that enjoy a deep floating mix and a dense ethnic atmosphere. With a similar flavour to Karunesh's Way of The Mystic and Steve Roach's Mantram - this CD brings organic East-West fusion to the downtempo and ambient audience.
Original review is here:
http://www.morpheusmusic.co.uk/html/reviews23.htm#sanctuary
Cheers
Paul
  MORPHEUS MUSIC
www.morpheusmusic.co.uk
ELECTRONIC MUSIC MALL
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PKS
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
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Posts :
490
Posted : Dec 7, 2005 17:53
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Interchill Records based in Canada comes here with another chill out compilation, this time trying out a new concept. This is a mixed CD with totally relaxed ambient, which is supposed to be suitable for yoga and meditation. When you hear about this concept, you might think it’s just another boring new age kind of easy listening thing, but when you see the track list, you will see that this compilation goes a bit deeper than the usual yoga CD you will find in your local incense shop... It is compiled and mixed by Naasko.
Sanctuary (Interchill Records) 2005 (ICHILLCD022)
1. Adham Shaikh – Emergence
2. Suns Of Arqa – Cradle Part III
3. Mere Mortals – Etcetera
4. Ishq – Yu
5. Shakatura – Midheaven
6. Kaya Project – Slide
7. Gaudi – Tribalove
8. Mystical Sun – River Goddess
9. Alucidnation – Skygazer (3002 Rmx)
10. Ekko – Call Of The Delta
This compilation has a very nice list of artists involved, and several of them are among my favourite artists. Such as Adham Shaikh, who kicks off the compilation with a beautiful, floating ambient track. Deep and meditating for sure. Track 2 is by Suns Of Arqa who has been releasing music for many, many years within tribal chill and world music, always bringing many musicians into their music. The downside of this group is that they release too much music in my opinion, instead of picking out the best ones... Anyway, here we get one of their most beautiful organic ambient tracks, with flute, running water etc. Nice one. Mere Mortals delivers track 3. A name you should be familiar with if you have followed the Interchill label. Here we get Indian vibes with sitar etc. Totally relaxed, even though here we get a few relaxed beats too. Ishq is another one of my absolute favourite ambient artists out there. The track he deliveres here is one of my favourite tracks on this compilation. Totally deep and melancholic ambient. Shakatura is one of a few ambient artists in the US who has made some really beautiful tracks through the years. The track we get here is one of his best tracks in my opinion. A track many of you will for sure recognise... Kaya Project releases a lot of music on Interchill, here we get a taste of their Walking Through album. We get more beats in this one for a change. A bit dubby, with organic vibes above. Beautiful as always from Seb. Gaudi is an artist who has been around for a while, but has become more known the last couple of years, with releases on Interchill and em:t. Rumours says he will make music with Pete Namlook too, which is a quality mark... Here we get one of the most chilled tracks on his album on Interchill. Chilled, eastern vibes. Mystical Sun gives us a track I can imagine would suit well for watching the night turn into day. Dreamy ambient music perfect for sunrise. Alucidnation is mostly known for releases on Big Chill. A track with some underwater, mystic vibes. I’m sure those who practise yoga might find this one perfect for it. The last track we get in this mix is made by Ekko, which is an ambient side project by Adham Shaikh. Deep and beautiful as always from Adham.
As a dj, I prefer the compilations not to be mixed, but it is done in a really nice way. It can hardly become more relaxed than this. Good tracks all the way, but most of these tracks are allready released on other Interchill albums and compilations, which is a downside for me. But, if you haven’t got these tracks elsewhere and you want a totally relaxed mix for you relaxation at home or for your meditation, this is probably something you should check out. With other words, this compilation is not a necessary buy if you allready are a collector of Interchill releases. But, a positive thing is that this one might hit another audience than the usual psychill customer.
PKS
More reviews at:
http://www.trance.net
CHILL TRIBE
CTRCD01 QUALITY RELAXATION
CTRCD02 RELAXED JOURNEYS
CTRCD03 EAR PLEASURE
CTRCD04 WOMBATMUSIC - Shameful Silence
CTRCD05 POLYPLOID - Grow Your Own
CTRCD06 IAN ION - Gringo Locomotion
CTRCD07 SUNKINGS - Before We Die |
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-Abatwa-
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
42
Posts :
1087
Posted : Dec 8, 2005 04:35
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well said pks, I also found it a lil disappointing that the tracks were released on previous albums. Its definetly not fresh but a very nice selection of tunes. One of my bedtime favorites these days.
`Bottomless wonders spring from simple rules, which are repeated without end` Mandelbrot |
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