Sign In
Register
Help
Puff Dragon
Sazanami
Dakini Records
Tracklist
Sazanami 9:29
Qi Gong 9:11
Chinese Radio (Beijing Taxi Version) 7:43
Marine Drive 7:35
Spacefunk 8:23
Skin as Soft (Soft as Silk remix) 8:16
Lava 6:17
Shimmer (Liquid Lounge Version) 8:10
I bought this mainly because I like the cover, the track names and because it was next to the Makyo album that I wanted to buy. I was REALLY impressed though I love this floaty, dreamy, occasionally funky album.
1. Sazanami
Starts of with soft strings, not sure but it sounds like a plucked harp accompanied by the electric violin and acoustic guitar. Soft beat lies nicely behind it all. after about 2 and a half minutes The beat moves itself into the front and the violin gets more involved. It's a nice dreamy opener to the album. It has the same sounds all the way through but it progresses nicely and if worth the full 9 and a half minutes.
2. Qi Gong
This one seems to come out of the mist. Plucked strings again and a dreamy background texture. Floating out of all this is a beautiful voice (by Keiku if anyone cares to know). A fat baseline perfectly compliments this voice which floats in an out. No words that I can tell just the voice as a proper instrument. It really works well with the beat, bass and strings. This is my Favourite track on the album and one of my top tracks of 2005. I only wish it was longer than nine minutes and 11 seconds. It's the kind of track I could put on repeat and listen to over and over.
3. Chinese Radio (Beijing Taxi Version)
The start of this one kinds of breaks the mood just set by Qi Gong with static and a very prominent if laid back semi melody which continues through the track. Its a little quicker than the other two but after the slightly disturbing start it settles into a nice laid back track. Nice bassline and use of strings again, this one really does fell like being on the streets of Beijing. A nice Chinese flute is used but it's nice and subtle and not over used. Slightly out of place is an English sample repeating "reality, perception" but it's probably there to represent the amount of English you will find around asia. Nice track non the less but I'd take out that sample if I could.
4 Marine Drive
This track is more technical sounding but still with a mystic air. Some backwards beats and drawn out computer like sounds, remind that the music is electronic but there are a lot of more natural sounds hidden in the background if you care to listen. There is another English sample "let it flow in slowly.... and out slowly" which sounds more at home in this one than the last. This is a nice track but the progression isn't as good as the previous 3 and it's maybe a minute too long for my taste.
5 Spacefunk
Starts kind of tribal like with the beat but the other sounds used are more space aged. As the name suggests it's more funky than the previous tracks and it's busier too. I nice relaxed bassline leads into a more sporadic but deeper one. The beats get more complicated and all the dreaminess of the first few tracks is stepped into a more lucid dream. It's still quite floaty and nice but seems more intense and closer to the mind rather that the soul. Very nice subtle guitar hides behind it all towards the end. It's tribal, it's spacey. Space Tribe should have made music like this to live up to his name.
6. Skin as Soft (Soft as Silk Remix)
Original track is on Makyo's album Swara Mandala but this remix fits in better with this album than the original would have, it's a little more colourful. The beat and the bass are a little faster like the last one but there are some nice vocals by Nona Kalra. They seem both prominent and background at the same time which gives them a mystical kind of quality. Once again the progression on this track is really nice. It's very patient. It doesn't try to do too much at once but waits for the right time to introduce each new element. By the end of the track it's sounding wonderful, could have been longer IMO.
7. Lava
An even funkier bass line than Spacefunk. This track is instantly enjoyable. In the background in the beginning there is a sound like children playing. Cool beats underlie the bassline and although it's funky it's dreamy too. Some beautiful subtle melodies are played alongside the baseline and once again the progression of the track keeps it fresh throughout.
8 Shimmer (Liquid Lounge Version)
Starts off shimmering, slow shimmering synths and soft drawn out beats a repetitive baseline and some bubbly sounds make way for clearer beats, the baseline recedes somewhat and a computerised voice floats in and out. I think it just says a long drawn out "I-----" This leads into more shimmering synths and strings and some cool watery beats. This is a very well named song and a great end to what I think is a great album.
So to sum up, this is a really nice release. It's floaty and dreamy. The beats are really good throughout and each song's progression is patient. It never tries to do too much and so does so much more than some albums that try too hard. If you are a Dakini fan you will love this. If your not you might still love it.
Because each song has a slow patient progression you might not like it from just hearing samples but I would recommend taking a risk if you like floating dream chill out music.
My Favourites 1, 2!, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8
MultiQuote
