[frozen dream]

Finally! Bluetech's third album arrived today! Evan Bluetech from Oregon, USA makes the nicest downtempo/ambient/space-hop/idm/psy-chill flowers can suggest and money can buy. Taking a break from it with his other side-projects on his own sub-label Somnia Records for the past five years, well not really, as last year's Phoenix Rising was a mighty àpppreciated àpppetizer for things to come, and his live acts and touring must've only doubled since the huge succes of his first two albums, he's now back with the long awaited Bluetech full album! Let's hope it delivers...

01 Finding the Future by Looking Backwards 7:19
Totally sweet tune in the way it's supposed to be! More idm-ish stuff going on towards the end but all very subtle. Nice drift. Love the hats that sound like beetles skipping across water. This track could've been easily called 'pond life' as it totally makes me feel like i'm some beetle or waterskipper amidst the reed. This track gets a standing ovation from me. It's beautiful, blissful, magically enchanting and wondrously moving (at least the first part) and the use of all of these terms is not exaggerated!

02 Lost in an Imagined Labyrinth 6:39
Hiphop-ish tune. Nice melody in the middle. Has a good "camel-rider" for which Bluetech is renowned for.

03 Probability Tree 6:05
Very nice track, nice melodies evolve all over, good dream. Forestbient. A real emotional piece of spacehop. Along with the first track, these are the two outstanding pieces of Bluetech mindart in this album.

04 Rite of the Dragonfly 7:28
Again class A Bluetech track. So gentle, so good... and I'm a real sucker for vocal synths and there's a very nice melody with them.

05 Swimming in a Feverdream 6:05
Again a very unique Bluetech composition, complex, colourful, buzzes with life all over. Citybient. Another good camel-rider in the end!

06 Holding Space 6:04
Some off-key kicks seem weird, I think it's very innovative, I don't listen that much idm though, almost none actually, it gives it some avant-gardish thing or something lol! After that bit there's a very nice distorted synth melody with the off-key kick again, it's a very chilly as in cold track. Very nice storytelling and atmosphere again.

07 Honey in the Heart 6:56
Aah yeah this is nice ! Hiphop power steeldrum flowerbient! Very nice track with again a nice disto melody near the end. I think it misses another climax in the end though.

08 Ace Ventura & Lish - The Light (Bluetech's Dancing In The Shadow Remix) 8:09
This very awesome track was already released on the Ace Ventura - Re:Boot cd back in november last year, it also seems to sound more clear and louder than the other songs in production/mastering? Maybe they just took the Iboga studio version. A very groovy and full track with lots of nice stuff going on, awesome groove and synthwork. A big yes.

09 Even the Stones Sing 7:30
Another nice eclectic groovy piece from Evan, synths sing around in a moaning way, it takes you on a nice relaxed trip. Nothing really special actually, but in overall surely very nice!

10 Living Time (& Mirror System) 7:18
This track is versus System 7 from the Spacebird song, nice stuff going on but a bit repetitive towards the end. All in all a very full sounding track though.

11 A Golden Ratio Sings (& Eitan Reiter) 7:54
This is something special, another very complex composition again it seems, nice drumwork, seems live, groovy cellobass and all, sounds very different from the previous songs. All in all no that much going on in evolving synthwork but it has a nice weird vibe.


Digital mastering by Yaniv Shulman @ Aleph Zero


Considering how much I liked the previous releases I wouldn't say this is as good as Elementary Particles/Prima Materia, but it's a very nice cd for sure Bluetech takes again a new form in his music, more to the hiphop/breakbeat side and in overall there are many nice eclectic idm sounds. A small flaw to this new direction seems to be the missing of decent outros to his tracks, many of the newer works simply lack a decent rollout in the story of the track and rather end abrubtly whilst just letting die out a few key riffs. This album took a short while to grow on me but most of the tracks are very well built-up with simple, beautiful and clever melodies and these are underscored with fat hiphop or dubby grooves. I don't think this will be a big letdown for the Bluetech fans but it could of course been a tiny bit better.

some unmissable tracks for me! 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11

8/10

nice big desktop pictures behind these links! laptop resolution 1650x1050

http://img301.images...luetechedit.jpg
http://img301.images...echbackdrop.jpg

[psytones]

that was quick! nice and easy review man I like.
I've listened through the album 6 + times now and feel it has a mix-vibe between the first and second release (never heard Pheonix Rising).
So far I'm in love and think the album gets better for each track as the album evolves. So far I agree with your score, maybe tilting it up to a 8. We'll see.

And thanks for the desktop background! I put it on my sisters computer as a suprise, she likes Bluetech a lot


peace

[mystical dragon]

Not heard this yet but what a beautiful artcover simply amazing 100/10 for the artcover alone will get this sooon probably goona order it today....

[frozen dream]

only the synthwork here and there reminds me of elementary particles & prima materia, since phoenix rising there was definitely less dub to the bluetech formula and more hiphop-ish grooves, which are continued in this album.

[RAH]

I actually liked it a lot more than his previous stuff, which i only heard sparsely, but never really clicked... dunno why this one did, but good stuff...

[Trance2MoveU]

I would agree with the above rating. Great sounds and atmosphere, although some of the tracks just didn't seem to have any direction.

Mdk

[murphythecat]

still an amazing release!!!!!!!!!!!! if we omit mentionning the others album, this a 10 out of 10! bluetech sound with some new and eciting moments!!!but considering his earlier masterpiece, its a 9/10, but its an incredible ride, if you like bluetech, you will love this album!

[frisbee]

no passion, no inspiration, no tension. it's music like an air freshener, i notice it but it doesn't touch me at all. very, very disappointing.

[buzzman]

frisbee, on Apr 30 2009, 01:16 PM, said:

no passion, no inspiration, no tension. it's music like an air freshener, i notice it but it doesn't touch me at all. very, very disappointing.

That was my initial thought... But give it some time man, I've heard it 3 times so far, and it's getting deeper and deeper every time.. There's something beneath the surface, see if you can find it

[frozen dream]

Trance2MoveU, on Apr 29 2009, 06:07 PM, said:

I would agree with the above rating. Great sounds and atmosphere, although some of the tracks just didn't seem to have any direction.

Mdk

the last three definitely sound like that, not that they're bad tracks. more like some loose end fillers.

[MattMan]

Quote

no passion, no inspiration, no tension. it's music like an air freshener, i notice it but it doesn't touch me at all. very, very disappointing.

I agree. I can't tell where this album is going, and besides that, there's nothing else than the "plink, ploink" sounds bluetech's always had. It was never appealing to me, so unless he starts a completely new project, I can't get into it.

[murphythecat]

MattMan, on Apr 30 2009, 01:54 PM, said:

I agree. I can't tell where this album is going, and besides that, there's nothing else than the "plink, ploink" sounds bluetech's always had. It was never appealing to me, so unless he starts a completely new project, I can't get into it.

it was never appealing to you????????
and he did different project: evan marc and evan bartholomew!
but ive been listening to it a lot now, and fuck, its not that wasome finally, compared to the first albums, its really not as innovative
im totally disspointed, completely dissapointed, no direction and its true, its going nowhere, its like completely amazing, but without a objectiv, its only amazing, without bein fun to listen to. fuck fuck fuck

[frozen dream]

maybe you need to call an ambulance

[murphythecat]

Swimming in a Feverdream is one of the best song ive heard from bluetech

[healium]

Hehe, well make up your mind man, is it shite or not?

I havent heard this one but am not excited by the direction Bluetech took after Elementary Particles... I loved that album and Prima Materia though - some of my favorite downtempo ever...

[murphythecat]

healium, on May 7 2009, 12:02 AM, said:

Hehe, well make up your mind man, is it shite or not?

I havent heard this one but am not excited by the direction Bluetech took after Elementary Particles... I loved that album and Prima Materia though - some of my favorite downtempo ever...

well finally, after maybe 20 listen, i must say this stuff is complex, the more complex work so far by bluetech, the song Swimming in a Feverdream is amazing, one of the best of bluetech's work, the debut of this songs is one of the best sonf ive heard of my life, its seriously that good! tthe problem of this album, is that some songs are seriously ther best ive heard for a long time, but thers some song that are completely mind blowing! only for 3-4 songs, this albums is the best of 2009!! no doubt, come on, with songs like Swimming in a Feverdream, Finding the Future by Looking Backwards those two songs are seriously for now, the more complex, the more idm, its so complex, there layers ans layers of sound, WOW, but thers some song pretty i dont know, everyone say lack of direction, and its true, but for 3-4 songs, its stil the best release this year!

[psytones]

murphythecat, on May 7 2009, 08:12 PM, said:

after maybe 20 listen, i must say this stuff is complex

congratulations

its a whole ,,world" inside that stuff. the music is only the bonus

[murphythecat]

psytones, on May 7 2009, 04:20 PM, said:

congratulations

its a whole ,,world" inside that stuff. the music is only the bonus

lol, Swimming in a Feverdream my god its awsome, i cant believe it, in my top 20 best sonmg ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i cant belive it, no wonder why it tooks 3 years to release the album, but in the same time, i release 2 evan bartholomew and 1 evan marce between sines and singularity and dive invasion, but yes Swimming in a Feverdream is enough to buy this album

[murphythecat]

and yes, my favorite artist are like
1- posford
2- kettel
3-FSOL
4-Bluetech
5- fuck, i dont know, maybe scorb, ore IM, or enheogenic
but yes, bluetech as always been one of my favorite, but at first, i wasnt sure with this album, but now, wow, its awsoome, but not all the songs hein

[psytones]