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V.A. "Set 10 CPH-IBZ" (Iboga rec. july 09)
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aden
IsraTrance Full Member
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Posted : Jul 6, 2009 01:55:58
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Artist : Various
Title : Set 10 CPH-IBZ
Label : Iboga rec.
Format : Double CD
Release : July 09
1. Riktam & Bansi : Bass Master Zorro
2. Ace Ventura : Judo Chop
3. Ace Ventura : The Spark (Ritmo Remix)
4. Lish & Michelle Adamson : Concrete Jungle
5. Phony Orphants : Sweep Mama
6. Flowjob : Return of Jessica Lee
7. Jean Borelli : My Devil Inside
8. SunControlSpecies & Behind Blue Eyes : Portrait
9. Atmos : Twin Reaction
10. Eitan Reiter : Ups & Downs (Perfect Stranger reedit)
11. Antix : Box Of Birds
12. Lenny Ibizarre : Out To Lunch
13. Christian Smith & John Selway : Move! (Dimitri, Riktam & Gabe Remix)
14. Decoy : Tom Thumb (Sun Control Species Remix)
15. Maelstrom : Bitch (RPO Remix)
16. Riktam & Bansi : Bass Master Zorro (Jerome Isma Ae Remix)
17. Perfect Stranger : Stardust (Felguk Remix)
Soberly titled Set 10, the lastest chapter of the Set series at Iboga arrives in lieu of the successful “Summer collection”. As the subtitled initials suggest, the selection has been carried out by Emok, one of the founders and heads of the venerable Danish record label, and his Ibiza-based partner in music writing, Lenny Ibizarre. This very generous package comes as a double album, with a few reeditions on CD and some previously unreleased material.
1. Riktam & Bansi: Bassmaster Zorro (original mix)
No doubt the alumini of Tri-Ball university have developed an expertise for galloping bass line and pumping rhythms, and your expectations in that department will be entirely satisfied. Having said that, the main interest of the track lies in both breaks, almost identical, which offer a classic yet very efficient build-up and crowd-pleasing climaxes that will meet the demand of hands-in-the-air frenzy. A furtive shimmering melodic pad later chimes in to add a whimsical open air feel. One of the best tracks released recently by the GMS.
2. Ace Ventura: Judo Chop
This new release by Yoni Oshrat appears as a slower and deeper demonstration of his craft, hence the importance of a soaring and delayed voice sample throughout the track. The break introduces nice drifting melodic pads and opens onto an anthemic finale, escorted by plenty of fx, and is destined to thrive in open air venues this summer. An asset in this compilation.
3. Ace Ventura: The Spark (Ritmo)
Following an album at Iono last year and a few releases on Blue Tunes or Plusquam, Israeli producer Dubi Dagan, known for his project Ritmo, hereby enters the Iboga roster with a forceful, high octane rmx of Ace Ventura. The track supplies the demand for psy-prog, and its arrangements and switching, speeded up bass line in the last sequence (a recurring device in his production) reeks of full-on. This rendition attempts to outbid the original’s velocity, but was that really necessary? In the genre, it’s nothing new under the sun, but it is well done and crowd pleasing.
4. Lish vs Michele Adamson: Real Jungle
Legendary Israeli duo Lish enters the Iboga catalogue with this collaboration with Michele Adamson, the muse of full-on artists such as Sub 6 or Astrix. The track is a classic psy-prog groover, with tasty orchestration and catchy pads and hooks, layered with the UK singer’s sensuous voice singing a kinky line all through the track, and getting filter and delay fx. Vocal-inclined dance floors will love it.
5. Phony Orphants: Sweep Mama
With a much-anticipated album in the pipeline, this is a foretaste of Phony Ophants’ return. The piece starts true to its trancey roots, with multilayered echoing pads conversing, with the gritty transposed lead unfolding atop. But the mood of the track whimsically changes after the break, which introduces a tormented spooky theme that gets all kinds of twisted fx to create a truly lysergic atmosphere. A nice teaser for the forthcoming album, as well as a good dance floor track.
6. Flowjob: Return of Jessica Lee
The cool CPH outfit delivers an entrancing version of their sound, with reverb laden rhythmic combo and synth work, a flurry of cool leads, electric riffs and a dollop of female voice sample (a bit overused IMHO) to top it off. The light ethnic overtone of the track is finally offset by touches of retro synth, and there you have it, another trance sundae for the hot summer afternoons.
7. Jean Borelli
Danish full-on legend and veteran producer Jean Borelli, who already has 4 artist albums under the belt under his well-known Orion moniker, returns to Iboga 7 years after his debut with the label! This time we see a much more progressive side of our man, already heralded by an EP at Loopfreaks in February, which featured no less than Björk for the vocals. In this release, he delivers a prog house stomper, true to his psy-ish roots, and with a big load of the synth work drawn from atmospheric trance. Destined to rock any floor!
8. SunControlSpecies and Behind Blue Eyes: Portrait
The blue-eyed Iboga head honcho and the antipodean from Melbourne draw here a hypnotic trance stormer with massive dark surging atmosphere, highlighted in the break featuring a hovering and looming bell chime. In that context, the little synth theme in the first half and in the closing bars seems, IMHO a bit clumsy or little out of place, and make me regret the lacerated theme of Diamond in the rough. This minor qualification aside, the piece shows that this collab has a future.
9. Atmos: Twin Reaction
Progressive trance pioneer & veteran Atmos delivers one of his most melodic pieces to date. He lays down his signature soaring breezy pads, backed by ethnic voice sample, which both intertwine with a deep, sinuous, and immersive bass line until the two breaks which usher in a huge reverb-laden keyboard melody. It is fully developed at the end, yielding quasi pop accents à la Moby while the rhythmic combo seems in comparison almost muffled. It’s very difficult for such a melodic piece to avoid becoming cheesy, but the experienced master carries it off, delivering an utterly emotional piece that will beautifully close a mid-afternoon set.
  http://myspace.com/adenbeatersweet
http://www.flow-records.com |
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aden
IsraTrance Full Member
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Posted : Jul 6, 2009 01:56
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10. Eitan Reiter : Ups & Downs (Perfect Stranger reedit)
Eitan Reiter of Loud and Unoccupied fame (his electronica side project) has already been on rmx duty for a Perfect Stranger track in the recent past, and this new reverse collaboration comes as little surprise, except that the kind of tune delivered by the Stranger this time is quite atypical, exploring a much deeper techno register, and yet his trademark emotional touch is clearly present. The throbbing bass line gives a nice soft pulse, while the recurring shimmering arpeggiated theme is backed by beautiful progressive harmonic pads. Don’t expect a dance floor bomb, but a sweet tune with an after-hours feel.
11. Antix: Box of birds
Antix returns carrying a truly wonderful parcel. Seagulls cry in the foggy and dreamy opening while the energy builds up subtly but surely, securing a moody, melodic, slightly pop-infused groover. The sound texture and orchestration is incredibly lush, sometimes trippy, but always surprising as sounds are never recycled, as is exemplified by the tight meandering staccato banjo lead, which on its own showcases Antix’s sense of organic development: astringent at the beginning, bulging with a minor-keyed melodic charge in the last sequence. The break is masterfully conducted, as it accumulates tension and launches the melancholic finish. Hats off! Once again, the Kiwis have strongly impressed me, this time back in their Antix overalls. It makes the forthcoming 4th album a much anticipated one!
12. Lenny Ibizarre: Out to Lunch
The Ibiza-based ambient producer, movie soundtrack composer and musician Lenny Ibizarre has recently entered the Iboga catalogue as co-writer of a few tracks on Maestrom’s recent artist album. It is a cool, techy, softly echoing pulsating piece, quickly establishing a deep groove that relies on shuffled hi hat, and a light glitchy percussive theme, with plenty of airy pads. Those familiar with Smith & Selway classics will be at ease with this one.
13. Smith & Selway: Move! (Dimitri Nakov, Gabe and Ritkam rmx)
It is quite interesting to see that Iboga is releasing “Move”, a Techno classic signed by Christian Smith & John Selway, supported in the past by big-time DJs from across the spectrum, from Jeff Mills to Danny Tenaglia to Sasha. The track already has quite a long history, being featured on Smith’s own label Tronic 10 years ago, then recently remastered, remixed and re-released under the care of the avatar we’re dealing with. Co-signed by the full-on glorious threesome Dimitri Nakov, Gabe and Ritkam (although I mostly hear Gabe’s signature in here) this rmx ventures deep to deliver a throbbing, groove-led version. Utilising a minimal theme underpinned by brief whip-hit synth, they create a cool and trendy progressive techno hybrid.
14. Decoy: Tom Thumb (SunControlSpecies rmx)
Next is an Aussie-Aussie affair with Drew Davison of SCS fame reworking the Melbourne act Decoy. Although the track is quite long to kick off, your patience will be rewarded by a nice pulsating bass line and some pads derived from the classic prog trance combo. But it is soon followed by a rather minimal reworking of the theme, all the while blending in some electro house synth stabs. Altogether this is a sweet but galloping genre-blending and blurring piece, with a clubbier approach.
15. Maelstrom: Bitch (RPO rmx)
Rick Pier O’Neil returns to Iboga for another rmx, this time of a Maelstrom piece featured on Emok’s latest artist album. His rendition accentuates the stylistic overtones of the seminal piece, namely by mixing a prog-house beat pattern with classic techy arrangements, notably the deep humming bass line and some tested and approved rolls and rattles. He takes a softer, clubbier approach, with lazy, sleazy pads reminiscent of the original, while retaining its dance floor focus, as you might expect from the Barcelona-based producer.
16. Riktam & Bansi: Bassmaster Zorro (Jerome Isma-ae rmx)
The internationally acclaimed DJ and much in-demand Munich-based Progressive-House producer Jerome Isma-ae has now clocked up less original releases than remixed tracks, signed at cream of the crop of progressive labels. This should give an idea of the demand for his rmx craftwork. He is now almost a regular at Iboga, having signed two very good remixes of Freq and Liquid Soul. This new remix is very close in spirit to the hit he signed for the Danish imprint last autumn, and also remains faithful to the Riktam & Bansi blueprint. It departs only in its accentuation of the kick/bass combo with rolls and tight clicky beats sprinkled over a brief riff, and he tempers the rhythmic assault with a zest of airy pad. Don’t expect a renewed sound palette, as it’s another rmx sample from the Isma-ae sound factory, but the product is a perfectly engineered dance floor tool, and the Beatport charts are currently confirming this.
17. Stardust (Felguk Remix)
With the duo Felguk, rising Brazilian talents in the Electro scene, we leave the underground territory of the original to broach clubbier music realms and are treated with the most dance-floor minded tune of this package. They keep quite substantial parts of the original rhythmic combo almost unchanged, but they slice and mix them with large, gritty transposed melodic slabs that receive effective fx treatment. The outcome is a rather surprising blend, definitely alluring and driving as it rocks big time.
Bottom line
What a generous slab of progressive tunes! The value for money makes this quality-laden package a highly recommended instalment of the Set series, as it covers the full spectrum of today’s progressive music scene, with an emphasis on genre-crossing pieces. All tastes should be satisfied, and every DJ should be able to harvest what he needs for the summer although prog-trance lovers have been particularly pampered. I have already praised a lot of these digital releases in these columns. Among the new ones, the Antix (!!!), and Atmos (!) are my instant favourites, and to a lesser extent, the Smith & Selway (although not exactly new) RPO, the Lish, the Borelli, the Phony Orphants, and the Perfect Stranger & Ace pieces would certainly have their moment in a set. Miss it at your own risk!
Aden
Related links:
http://www.iboga.dk
http://www.myspace.com/ibogarecords
http://myspace.com/adenbeatersweet
http://www.flow-records.com |
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Yuli
Retired
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Posted : Jul 13, 2009 07:00
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Great review as usual Aden, you prove yourself to be the master of transforming sounds and musical progressions into words and sentences.
One correction tho.. Track number 10, is original Eitan Reiter track.
My remix will be out with the original on a single sometime this summer, as a digital release.
Bye All!!
A man with a "master plan" is often a woman |
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J
IsraTrance Full Member
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Posted : Jul 13, 2009 14:31
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Indeed a great review to an awesome CD.
Iboga always releasing perfect tunes.
Nice one.
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aje
IsraTrance Full Member
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Posted : Jul 13, 2009 21:11
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Excellent compilation!
Its very hard to pick favorites, but my choice is the Phony Orphants track, I love the rough and raw sound design and of course that crunchy lead. Its kinda like Retro Nights, the only great track from the Maelstrom album, if the rest of the PO album is in that style, it will be spectacular. Its like they took the sound of Symphony but made it thicker, rougher and more in your face, without getting all electro-housey or trendy. Perfect!
Next would be Antix, finally someone taking Trance down to 122 bpm (more, please!!!), deep, trippy and emotional, my only quarrel is that it loses itself somewhat in Pseudo-Holden territory after the break, but its still a wonderful track. As above, if this is an indicator of the album to come, it will be a winner 
Atmos certainly delivers the surprise track of the compilation, it sounds like he is channeling is inner Moby or something  Atmos always made "beautiful" music, but usually using subtle and "sophisticated" means. Here he hits us over the head with a sledgehammer made 100% pure cheddar cheese, and I don`t necessarily know if I like it . Its very well done and Im sure when I hear it on the dance floor in the right state of mind it will produce instant goosebumps, but still...
Talking about stinky stuff, Flowjob seems to have discovered the sonic button causing me instant loss of all sphincter control capabilities. This track is so bad i wanna shit myself. I have no other words to describe it. I really dont. 
Anyways, a very cool compilation worth buying, a few really great tracks, many very good ones, and one giant turd sandwich. Check out my album: http://www.ektoplazm.com/free-music/gay-satanic-hippie-tiefenrausch |
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Glen.C (Iboga Rec)
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Posted : Jul 15, 2009 00:41
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Ah-sid
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Posted : Jul 15, 2009 10:08
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fine cd....but absolutely nothing new for a 9yr long fan of progressive.the production got much better but not the progression. . . . . . . . |
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Jahful
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Posted : Aug 7, 2009 22:41
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This review is excellently written! |
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