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VATOS LOCOS / Attack and release (Dragonfly)
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Basilisk
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
168
Posts :
2984
Posted : Mar 28, 2005 21:32
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I dug up the review I wrote and never posted, perhaps it will be of some use... I also liked this one.
Vatos Locos - Attack and Release [Dragonfly 2004] CD
The collaborative project of Nick Barber, Celli, and Xavier Fux is back with a second album, this time receiving a wide release with Dragonfly Records, a favourite of many. Here they offer a global sound from far-scattered climes and locales.
The title track Attack and Release opens the album with a stylistic manifesto: groovy psychedelic trance with liquid leads and a hint of acidic activity. The mood is light and easy, bass lines bobbing without getting out of line. The song drifts and surges, and is soon over - a nice beginning.
Burning Illusion sweeps in with a more pensive mood to open up, darker bass lines giving space to noises swirling around in the background. The first series of hi-hat hits and the effects start to weave through the groove. The track slowly builds and soon a pleasant vocal enters, polished and chopped into a nice euphoric backing for the growing psychedelic activity here. Another easygoing tune with nice composition and arrangement, never obnoxious or aggressive.
Tripmonx begins with more shades of the GMS flavour that Celli must have picked up over the years. The bass line rolls out with greater prominence, wrapped in atmospheric choir sounds. The track remains melodic and psychedelic for the duration but remains close, in style, to the conventional full-on that is so overused these days... fits with the flow of the album but not a highlight due to my tastes...
Innovato starts with a sample: "we're not alone in the universe" then gets down to some groovy business with cooperation between the midrange and bass. The atmosphere starts to open up, cosmic sounds in air that calmly sway over the beat. A few smooth fades and ethereal breaks interspersed throughout the song keep it sublime. Later on the airy sweeps are chopped into individual notes and become a delicate melody, the groove still pulsing beneath. Very nice piece of musicianship here.
Gates of Dawn quickly became the song of the album for me. The combination of a few basic elements is magnificent: sexy bass lines, housey percussion, emotional floating melodies, and epic atmospheres. These rather simple pieces are arranged to fade out and back smoothly with with brilliant timing to create a beautiful euphoric high.
Highway 420 returns with the bleeps and blops, all layered over a chunky groove with some rather dazed & confused samples interspersed as the track title would lead you to expect. Percussion here features some filtered toms and snappier hats, backed by acidic dabbling and a few background harmonies. Decent song though not much happens - just an easygoing stoned groover.
Acid Maria picks up the pace somewhat, a more active beat with a static bass pulse ripping through with shimmering atmospheres and laced with psychedelic effects. The beat grows stronger and some tribal tapping gives way to the hi-hats and some deep mid-range tones that accentuate the bass pulse, soon morphing into a real shaking bass-line. Electric effects whiz to and fro until the six minute mark, when a sneaky acidic melody makes its way in during a big tension build. Another minute or so of energy and the elements start to depart one-by-one... energetic song but with a progressive arrangement here, not bad.
Maya Deva kicks off with a groovy bass line and layers of bubbling synths that ride and coalesce into more distinct melodies, following the leaps in the bass-line as that develops. The song returns to the more full-on mood of the first part of the album, with the addition of a slightly old school feel given the swirling and bubbling melodies and use of layers. Nice track to finish off the more dance-friendly portion of the album.
Generation Gap is the chilled-out finale for this album, a low-bpm groover with a soft housey beat. Techniques used here are similar to the overall album intent - elements fade in with luxurious timeliness, bassy groove is a key, light airy melodies sprinkled all over, a touch of tribal percussion. No large surprise, just an easy comedown for this easygoing album.
Celli, Nick, and Xavier have collaborated to create a very soothing trance album that takes influence from a few current styles and trends and mixes them all together to create a subliminally effective album that fits in many different contexts. To call this a mish-mash of full-on and progressive styles would not be doing it any service - this is more of a groovy manifesto with the psytrance methodology. Some tracks may fit with a progressive set, others will provide depth for full-on explorations. For the home listener this is quite a treat, as it won't cause aneurysms nor put you in a coma. Dragonfly has captured a trio of trance rebels making some sweetly polished psychedelic grooves on this fine album.
Faves: 2, 4, 5(!), 8
7/10
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cubensis
Started Topics :
5
Posts :
94
Posted : Jun 21, 2005 01:04
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http://www.discogs.com/release/304441
Look, I suck at writing reviews (nor do I have the time to write one). I just wanted to give the above album a mention. I think this releases really stands out from the last few years' crap, though. The tracks are thoughtful, upbeat, enough progression to avoid becoming boring, excellent (!!) production, very detailed, great melodies and layering, and some of the tracks have great energy. Nick Barber's touch is obvious in several of the tracks. This is not the same ol' fullon shite.
Most importantly this is really standing up to repeat listenings for me. That is quite rare these days. Took me a few listens to get into it, but that is often the case with good music for me.
Give it a chance if you haven't. |
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