| Author
|
V/A - Stereo Neferia compiled by Zion Linguist (MMD Records 2009)
|
squirm
IsraTrance Senior Member
Started Topics :
254
Posts :
2638
Posted : Aug 5, 2009 11:21:20
|
taken from my review on the main isra website
VA - Stereo Neferia compiled by Zion Linguist
1. Rubix Qube- Grind 147bpm 6:41
2. Broken Toy: Super Evil- We Want your Soul 144bpm 8:27
3. Ignition- Electromagnetic (Khopat rmx) 147bpm 6:25
4. Lost & Found- Insider 145bpm 7:04
5. Zion Linguist- Stereo Nefaria 148bpm 7:04
6. Hiyarant- No Break 148bpm 6:46
7. Damage- No Mercy 146bpm 6:20
8. Zion Linguist vs. B 55- Insane Asia 148bpm 6:49
9. Deliriant- Phase Me 145bpm 8:09
Stereo Neferia compiled by MMD Records co-owner and popular South African act Zion Linguist marks the return of the MMD sound, presenting established acts like Lost & Found, Khopat, Hiyarant and Damage, along with rising stars B-55 and Rubix Qube to name a few.
The CD starts with Rubix Qube's Grind, which can only be described as a phat, phat groover @ 147bpm. An instant favourite, listening to the track more and more it reminds me distinctly of Broken Toy's fat sound, especially that groove laden bass line. Speaking of Broken Toy, he presents to us his new side project Super Evil with We Want your Soul (T2). Super Evil consists of Broken Toy and guitarist Arno Rodrigues. after having heard phenomanal reviews of their live set, the expectations were very high for Super Evil, and unfortunately it did not meet this reviewer's expectations. Khopat's remix to Ignition's Electromagnetic (T3) is a hard hitting adrenaline filled ride. I have not heard the original, but Khopat gets better with every track he releases, and this one is no different- expect some high octane breakdowns and more fun than a roller coaster ride. Definitely music for the dancefloor. Lost & Found comes next with Insider (T4). This is another blaster from the Gerhard Olivier's labs and unlike some of his more recent releases, this one has a harsher darker feel to it- "picture how it feels to be inside the mind of the possessed!". Well produced music with lots of laser/acid sounds, just the way we like it. The title track Stereo Nefaria (T5) is by Zion Linguist himself. Straight to the point bass line which is pretty cut and dry, and with a very clear aim in mind- destroy the dancefloor! Expect some squeals, squeaks, bleeps and tweaks, all with an ever present feeling of urgency, like it's the last party of the century. Overall though, a pretty cool tune. Following up is Hiyarant who delivers the goods, with No Break (T6) that lives up to what one can expect from him. Very raw, harsh sounds, topped with melodies and enough adrenaline to keep things interesting. Although I am getting a bit tired of this sound, this one will work well on the dancefloors with leads that literally scream at you. I was pretty disappointed with Damage's last album Bad Creationz, and so was not sure what to expect from No Mercy (T7). This tune continues in the same vein, lots of one off samples, and an overall very funky breakbeat feel. Now that I think about it, this actually reminds me a fair bit of the Doof sound, especially Zebra-N. I don't really dig the constant stop go percussions, and bell like leads. But once the trademark Damage sounds are unleashed, this tune puts a smile on my face. On the whole though, this one is not my cup of tea. The Zion Linguist vs. B 55 tune, Insane Asia (T8), on the other hand is an interesting collaboration and delivers a fine piece of in-your-face music. The percussions are a lot crisper than on the other Zion Linguist tune. It actually sounds a lot like the S.W.O.R.N. project that Zigganaut, Zion Linguist and Frozen Ghost used to do together. Both acts compliment each other very well and it shows. Nice track. The CD finishes on a high note with a track from Deliriant who is the newest addition to the Nexus Media crew along with Ctrl Alt Del. Phase me (T9) delivers epic melodies, and giant rips to give this CD a fitting end. Imagine the old Shift sound submerged in layers of creepy evil moods and you may be able to imagine the skill that has gone into this ripper of a track.
Recomendation: Even though this CD has the right ingredients, there is something missing. Super Evil and Damage disappoint, especially with their over usage of voice samples. The whole CD at times lacks continuity or flow that was present on older releases like Erratic Distortion and Cold Conclusion- Tales of the Freeze Delirium. What is most noticeable for me is the missing presence of Frozen Ghost, whose work has been a regular feature of MMD's releases since 2006. Not that it affects the overall quality of this CD, but I was just looking forward to hearing some of his crazy sounds too. Yet, it is awesome to see more international acts on the track list this time around, namely Khopat, Ignition and B-55. All in all, a fair CD that lives up to what one expects from the now established MMD records. Fans of the harsher South African sound will definitely like this.
Favorite tracks:1, 3, 4, 8, 9.
  www.soundcloud.com/ishikawa
www.mechanikrecords.com
www.phonix-records.com
www.mixcloud.com/ishikawa/ |
|
|
|
Glacial
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
24
Posts :
187
Posted : Aug 5, 2009 15:41
|
I thought this was a really solid release. I'd gone off Hiyarant recently but No Break is a slamming track, really dig the bass pattern. The Deliriant track was a stunner too, really nails that Nexus sound. His album should be one of the discs of the year if this release is anything to go by. Super Evil was cheesy but a really good dancefloor track I thought, and the B55 & ZL track was great. As you said they mesh really well together.
Khopat and Lost & Found were good as well, whilst Rubix Qube had its moments. Damage wasn't bad but was probably the weakest track along with the solo Linguist effort. |
|
|
|
stu|ART
Started Topics :
2
Posts :
89
Posted : Aug 5, 2009 17:49
|
Best comp from MMD since Erratic Distortion (IMO).
Every track has an appealing quality... my current fav tracks are the Khopat track, Rubix track and Super Evil track.
Awesome comp - Thanks to Lawrence and MMD. Looking forward to the next one already 
stuart |
|
|
|
Glacial
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
24
Posts :
187
Posted : Aug 13, 2009 12:35
|
|
The Zion Linguist track has been growing on me in the last week, there really isn't a bad track on here. MMD is back. |
|
|
|
|
