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TESTSPINZ 014
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  REVIEWS Testspinz: Albums + Singles Send vinyl 12"/CD for review consideration to:
Somewhere between harmonic drum melody breakbeat and drum & bass lies Alien's The Pleasure of Leisure, brought to you by Blue Room's Alastair Johnson. The feeling begins to come across by "Slow Fader" with a saxophone riff that should be familiar. The breaks are every type from standard high hat snare bass to the Electro funky kind. The transitions are well done with nothing too abrupt allowing for easy absorption. Personal bias towards harder and darker aside, this is nice mix of hard penetrating drum sounds at the beginning leading to the softer melodies of the rhythmic keyboard lines. This is a disc to put on when you know that your mood will change according to the music. AWT
Dutch duo, Cwithe's latest release, Illegal, is Psy-trance at its best. Apparently designed for a constantly changing environment or fluctuations in thought patterns, or in other words, for people like me who have a short term attention span. This CD has longevity and depth. "Memory foam" teases us by hinting at post-industrial trance sounds that places melody upon melody, with a driving bass line for a backbone. "Who Are You Now?" starts with a slow edge, but builds up, overlaps rhythm, and leaves you happy and content. "Injections" subtly uses spooky space vibe, (and yes, does it well too!) to accent beat, while "Down to Earth" perfectly utilizes a standard beep to its fullest effect. Overall, Cwithe keeps it solid, and consistent with another ridiculously wonderful Psy-Trance installment. Andrei
DJ Craze, 3-time DMC champion, releases Bully Breaks. It is a definite signature piece for the often mad-faced battle master. The first break is a hard base line with medium paced cutting snares that come to be a repeating theme through out the album. The second break has a Cannabus battle verse into a faster than the first track with a harder tech-step jungle-sounding bass line. This side also has a two scratch sections with the battle sounds that craze has become famous for, funny and insulting. The final break on this side is slower and not as powerful with a rising four note rolling base line. The flip side is my preference and it just so happens that both sides of this warp a little up giving easier pull back. The first break may be my favorite, it's a slow dubbed out break that has a lot of staccato snares followed by a deep bass that punches through. The next beat is an Electro fast break that is fun to test your scratching speeds. The third break on this side is a slower beat with a high-hat directly followed by a low piano key strike that is a dream to juggle. Finally on this side are some locking drum & bass tones. Craze is a battle champion if you see him perform or a nightmare if he's your competition. i>
Belgian label Quatermass smacks us one from out left. Beginning with what sounds like an opera 45 on 33, Elixir (the trio of Steve Jones, Richard Pushong and Martin Stovey) rips through a beautiful and haunting tone and sample barrage of breaks. There are subtle layers to pick up on these songs such as the horns that come straight from old west movies from the 50s and funky electro breaks on songs like "Electro Cowboy." The breaks don't decrease in quality as we progress through the disc, songs like "Swiss Breakdown" and "Terror in Bogata" (sic) offer the more macabre side of Elixir, with darker sounds forming shadows in the mind's eye. The changes in tempo and layer are a nice three-to-five in number, offering a mix that will keep your attention focused and head nodding. AWT
Since the experience of trance music can often be likened to a religious experience, it is apt of Moshe Keinan--a.k.a. DJ Xerox, of Xerox and Freeman fame--to name his latest release Emuna, the Hebrew word for belief. For belief is exactly what the album's 9 tracks are all about. The album incorporates light, i.e. more openly-spaced, and easier to listen to, synth riffs and samples. All this could remind someone of very well-made house music, however Xerox remains true to his creed by giving us a bit of emuna with his fresh and slightly altered, yet fully psychedelic, deep trance sound. If you are looking for one of the exciting new sounds of trance, having Emuna will point you in the right direction. 4.5 BOOM SHIVAS! Shua
Drifting along subtle melody and deep, resonant, sub-frequencies, I find myself smiling at another beautiful creation that has crossed my path. Reminiscent of the early nineties' "Artificial Intelligence" days of song creation, I can't help but feel nostalgic and grateful for the existence of such artists as Scandinavia's Lackluster. Each track speaks volumes, both individually, as well as combined as a whole, with the series of 14 tracks on the album to create one long musical journey into sound. The more I listen to this album, the more I get out of it, from memories of parties and people past to new friends and feelings of happiness for a bright and bold future. Wunjo
Denver McCarthy brings to the listener a musical journey for the future. Each track from 1 through 11 progresses, elevates, and keeps the listener involved, like a ride on a blissful rollercoaster of techno, tech-house, ambient, trip hop and drum & bass beats. Even these categories do not hold water as descriptive genres to describe the beautiful creations that McCarthy has created. Do not expect an album of monotonous, driving, boring beats, but one of intelligence, depth and creative magic. At times I felt as though I was drifting off into peaceful meditation only to be brought back down to reality by a groovy bass line, funky rhythms and melodic harmonies. If you are looking for something new, fresh and original, then Rise And Shine is definitely the album for your collection. Wunjo
Ubiquity Unleashes Another Stunning Fusionary Electrojazz Concept
I love music, but still I don't dance much. In fact my friends tell me I "shuffle." Dragonfly's new release, Order Odonata, Vol.5, (which, by the way, is the sexy scientific name for Dragonflies) might as well be called, "How the beat can sneak back in your feet." Dragonfly places another on the list with this melodic Psy-Trance compilation, worthy of any collection, or long drive. 12 Moons opens subtly, then instinctively moves through a sensational colored environment that's never to far from the boom, boom. Then it drops back down, levels for a bit... and one could get lost in the multitude of what's actually happening in the track...absolutely amazing--and that's just the beginning. Neptune's sticks-in-your-memory-for-days-after style is again seen in "96K," a quick tidal rhythm that isn't heard much these days. Dragon's track, "Liar," actually makes me want to put those spandex psychedelic pants on--I can't believe it. This CD is truly enjoyable. Andrei
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