I know this has been covered, but if you've not found this record
let it be known that the 'Emotion' side (tracks 6-9 on the CD) may well be
the ultimate headphuq suite for 1995.
Starting out with 'Indigo' -- flip the channel changer and a voice says
"I just smoke the best bud I can find." Then you're in dub territory
with Mission Control. I know everyone uses NASA samples, but this
works. "Tranquility ... Tranquility ... Tranquility ... we're breathing again."
In perfect rhythm.
Then comes a very woozy jungle number with wild pitchbend bass that builds
up to Bugs Bunny dropping some human beat box. (God bless Mel Blanc). This
is deep trip territory -- this piece captures perfectly the
tweaked out helium feeling of peaking on acid.
Then comes 'turqoise' with deep fretless bass, subtle metallic percussion
and the sound of the bong bubbling. Pure bliss again. 'Amber'
follows with roiling clouds of filtered noises and renegade snares.
The CD has a nice, almost Orbish bonus track, but they played some
cute mastering tricks with it. If you skip to track ten you get the track
(starts with singing birds) but if you let the CD play off the end of
track 9 you get 8 minutes of silence followed by some wanking around with
a vocal sample "bu... out of butter" and various digital noises, for
10 minutes.
Now I don't do drugs any more, and I don't recommend them to anyone -- they
have nasty side effects, they're expensive, and you meet too many shady
characters trying to acquire them. But what this disk does is perfectly
capture an altered state of mind, and has no hangover or nasty aftertaste.
Put the headphones on late at night and listen with your eyes closed ...
Kent Williams kent@inav.net
(319) 338 6053 (home)
(319) 626 6700 x 219 (work)
(319) 626 3489 (fax)