abasio

Western Rebel Alliance Western Rebel Alliance Backroom Beat Recordings 2006 Tracklist 1. Feeling Blue (4:34) 2. So Strange (4:54) 3. Waiting for the Day (5:02) 4. Falling (5:40) 5. Medititty (6:05) 6. Crazy (6:31) 7. Spaniard (6:24) 8. Fly (6.31) 9. Outerspace (6:48) I've been waiting a long for a western rebel alliance album. After hearing their tracks on some of the old flying rhino comps, I could never understand why they didn't bring out an album. Well here it is. At last!! So How is it? 1. Feeling Blue A nice atmospheric start to the track with a lovely soft beat and nice trippy sounds. It's more of a trip hop track though with the singing it's a proper song. The singer has a nice voice but it was far from what I was expecting. I would have probably preferred it if this had no singing as the song distracts from the really quality music behind it. 2. So Strange This is not a new track. It's just Duke It! from flying rhino's freestyle sofa compilation with vocals put over the top. I loved Duke it! It was my favourite on that comp and the vocals do make it a lot different. Again I prefer the instrumental original. The vocals distract me from the AMAZING tune in the back ground. Beautiful chiming sounds, long soft synths and a very trippy beat is of high high quality. 3. Waiting for the Day A strummed guitar a what sounds like a monster in pain start this track slowly. Then the song and the beat kicks in. It sounds again, very trip hop in style (zero 7 or the like) but the sound is quite different from the previous two tracks. It is faster for a start, with more prominent beats. The vocals go better because the music behind them is more in the trip hop feel too. 4. Falling This track definately has the best vocals on the album for me. It starts off very ambient for a minute and a half. Then chords and slow soft drawn out synths create a more complex soundscape. Bird noises and acoustic guitar lead into softer, more melancholy vocals than before. At first it just "keep from Falling down" repeated over and over before it breaks into quite a sad song. I think this is my favourite on the album. It's a very nice ambient tune with (for me) excellent vocals. 5. Medititty This was on another flying rhino comp, Wabi. That was a very soft beatless ambient album and this is the same as that version. Bird song floats through the chilled sound scape at the start. Vocals (not singing ) are soft and subtle. Lots of strange background sounds give this a very eerie atmosphere, added to by the out of place but perfectly placed electronic sounds. Nice piece of ambient. 6. Crazy Jazzy. This is very jazzy. Very jazz style beats and singing. Some flute and sax in it. It's quite a difference from the lovely soundscape painted before. As far as jazzy tracks go it's quite good but I don't like jazz so it's crap. 7. Spaniard Spanish guitar opens this and it's just about all you get for about too minutes but when the rest of the tune kicks in, the beat, flute and English/Spanish spoken word. This track does exactly what is says on the tin. It just sounds very, Spanish! The spanish guitar continues through the whole track and sounds really nice but the Spaniard speaking is annoying. Annoying saxaphone makes it even worse near the end. 8. Fly This track was released on CD1 of flying rhino's re:evolution II. It's pure class. If you don't have it I would recommend buying this album just for this track. Quite a prominent beat to start, fantastic atmospheric noises lead into a nice melody over great classy trippy beats. Subtle vocals and acoustic guitar make this a track one of the best I've heard. 9. Outerspace A nice track to end the album. Again this track is well named, it has a spacey feel. Even the vocal sample is science fiction. Some of the better beats on the album and lots of floaty sci fi sounds around it. Sounds like a track that could have been longer and progressed well, but it just stops. Overall I think this album is OK. I'm a little disappointed, I knew it was never going to live up to what I wanted, but I just feel like if they had put more effort into this and made a few decisions differently that this could have been fantastic and a contender for album of the year. It just seems a bit lazy, 2 previously released tracks and 1 which is basically a previously track, shortened and vocalised. The 6 new tracks (at least new to me) are all very varied and apart from the too jazzy 'crazy' I do like them all in there way. Although they are varied they still flow together quite well. Not amazingly but better than random thoughts just thrown together. Another disappointment was the length. The tracks get progressively longer throughout the album but the last and longest track is still under 7 minutes and being only 9 tracks the album is just 52 minutes in length. Having put 3 old tracks on the album I wish they put Slewake on it too as that is my favourite Western Rebel Alliance track ever and one of my favourite all time tracks too. This could have been a lot better. If they didn't ruin tracks vocals, didn't used old tracks too much & got rid of the Spanish guy jabbering away it would have been great. As it stands it's just okay Favourite Tracks are #4 Falling and #8 Fly.

Order Odonata 1?

Yeah it's pretty good. Very relaxed, varying styles from ambient to psy chill to almost trip hop. I was waiting for a western rebel alliance album ever since I heard slewake on the white rhino comp in 1997 so I kind of built this one up in my mind, then I thought it would be so dissapointing because I built it up in my mind too much. So then I built it down and so I was impressed. I've just given it the 1 listen so far but I get the feeling it'll hold up quite well. As for the release, it was released today (24th) in Japan on Solstice records Japan often gets music released earlier Maybe to make up for the fact that movies are released here up to 6 months late

Yes Japanese Sorry. There is some English information on the site but not enough to be helpful.

Solstice Website Western Rebel Alliance CD Released today.

I got the new western rebel alliance Album

The New Western Rebel Alliance Album. Thank you solstice records for releasing this album before it's even available from the twisted website.

I have all the swm albums. Each one is really cool. Different from most other stuff around. My favourite is the 1st album. quality stuff.

Banco de Gaia - Last Train to Lhasa (the album)

I live in Japan and the auctions always end for me either while Im at work or in bed. So I put in a high maximum bid and hope that nobody beats me while Im sleeping. The last CD I won was bumped upto 50 pound (my exact maximum bid) in the last second of the auction. I didn't see it happen and I could quite as easily have been beaten.

Miranda - Phenomena

Project II Trance - Dragonfly Comp (1993) 01. 08'55" Gumbo : The Quickening 02. 05'48" Genetic : Trancemission 03. 06'27" Genetic : Oracle 04. 04'43" Total Eclipse : Total Eclipse 05. 07'08" Black Sun : Godstar (Sirrius Mix) 06. 06'20" The Infinity Project : Feeling Weird 07. 06'00" Mandra Gora : Gypsy Trance 08. 08'05" Black Sun : The More You Look The More You See 09. 06'51" 1000 Micro Dats : The Centre 10. 05'17" Mandra Gora : Wicked Warp 11. 05'23" Deezal Electric : Moth 12. 05'18" 1000 Micro Dats : Underworld It's the sign of quality music when you still listen to it over 10 years later. It has been 13 years since I first heard this and I still listen to it quite regularly. Definately one of the best compilations of all time. Every track is great. I also liked Technical use of sound in Magic but that had one weak track. All these are great and really reflect well upon the era. It's the 1st CD of psy trance that I listened to and the 1st one I bought and I'm so glad 1 Gumbo : The Quickening Nice chiming sounds. Ethereal vocals and quality old school synths make up the best part of this. It's around 9 minutes long but it doesn't get boring ever. Very nice opener. 2 Genetic : Trancemission This track has still got to be in my favourite 5 tracks ever. I just wish that it was longer. All the sounds in this are perfect, the beat is great, the vocal are kinda trippy. It was this track that really made my ears prick up that fateful evening. And for me this has aged like a fine wine. I actually think it's better now than when I first heard it and there are not many tracks I could say that about. 4 minutes in the synths lead into the most beautiful melody I've heard and I always want to rewind it and play it again. MASTERPIECE!! 3 Genetic : Oracle Nice monotonous but leading track. It's all pretty similar to itself but the key changes slowly build the track into a nice trippy piece. Great for altered states as I remember. 4 Total Eclipse : Total Eclipse Fast beat but a really floaty background. An amazing early Total Eclipse track. It's short but it doesn't dissapoint, it's old and that's good. This really sounds like it's from the early 90's (especially the vocal "Total Eclipse" sample) and it's a great memory. 5 Black Sun : Godstar (Sirrius Mix) Very Synthy track. Not my favourite on the compilation but it fits in very well. It's quite repetitive in that 'lasts forever when your out of it' kind of way. It has nice subtle sounds in the background that you don't notice until you realsie they've been there all along. Good stuff. 6 The Infinity Project : Feeling Weird Yes, I am feeling very weird. Another track that is impressive enough to stand out on a stand out album. A very spacey, trippy oh my head's going to implode sort of track. Nothing short of brilliance. 7 Mandra Gora : Gypsy Trance This is an interesting more industrial sounding track with an air of empty space. It moves nicley and never loses it's energy. Stops and picks up well in places. Solid chilling or moving about track. 8 Black Sun : The More You Look The More You See Sample's the I have a dream speech at the start and slowly builds up to....a kick as track that you couldn't even remember kicking in. Great. Quality use of a xylophone (I think) sound in quite a crazy Im just hitting it kind of way and the sound of an electric guitar. This track seems to have everything crushed into and loads of semi hidden background sounds to. Trully with this track the more you look (or listen) the more you see (well hear). 9 1000 Micro Dats : The Centre This one sounds very bleepy. Nice beats and subtle synths and a very bleepy melody. A few sounds that sound eat static-esque bring this one alive. 10 Mandra Gora : Wicked Warp Another classic here. I loved the unfinshed, unrefined feel of this track. Cool breakdown sounds and wicked entrancing sounds. Quite acid and very trippy this one. The pace keeps changing and doesn't let your head sit still. Another stand out. 11 Deezal Electric : Moth Opens up with tough heavy beats. This track really doesn't feel like it's going anywhere but it like it might. It has that monotonous and repetitiveness to eat where it always feels like when it can be bothered it will. So you're listening to it in anticipation. Just before 4 minutes it changes into the exact same thing. Different sounds but just the same feeling. Strangely good. 12 1000 Micro Dats : Underworld Quite a short closing track, but it fits a lot into it. Unfortunately my CD skips a little bit in the middle of this track which to be honest annoys the fuck out of me. Quite atmospheric in places, it's a godd close to a great compilation. So this compilation isn't just for collectors who want one of the 1st Goa comps, it's also a quality piece of music. I still enjoy it so many years after I was lucky enough to hear it and it has a very special place in my heart. If you see it I recommend you buy it as it is a quality trip down memory lane. If you were on the scene when it started you'll love this. If not you mind think it sounds dated but who cares. It might be old but it's all good - great - fanfuckintastic.

Eat Static - Implant

I guess you choose mp3. Isn't this about whether you first listened to a pirate copy of a trance album or a legitimate one?

Well not intentionally. My brother likes it as do some of my friends so when I go to there house's I listen to a bit of it. Just like any type of music some of it is pretty good and some of it Awwwwwwwwwwwful!

I've got this and I dont think it's aged that badly. Sure it sounds old but the music is still good. This is one I like.

It's now on Man with no name - Sly-ed, definately one of his better works.

I quite like rap (not any of the new pop stuff thats about these days) but when I've been to rap clubs the attitude of the people there is just nasty. Too many want to be gangstaz and they just project a lot of negative vibes. I don't like rap clubs.

Order Odonata on Dragonfly now 1000 planets - Arcturus I still love this album

Just don't get anything from the revival album that was just awful. AAWWFUL! But Bamboo Forest - Bamboo Forest was good and everything they released on flying rhino was decent too.

This is definately a great album. I cant say which are my favourite tracks because it just all flows together perfectly. I really enjoyed this and have listened to it a lot over the last week or 2. All the sounds I think are sublime and the mastering on the album is tip top. It also has the feeling that it's only going to get better under repeated listens (listened to it 4 times now and it has got better with each listen) so by the time it comes to the best of 2006 you might just see this up there. Other artists prove me wrong please. Try and make better music than this and 2006 will be a fantastic year for music. I highly recommend this album. PS Great review, one of the few I've properly read all the way through.

Hallucinogen - Twisted It's been a while but it's pretty good shit.

I saw a bit of the Skazi DVD while in HMV a while back. My god what a TWAT! Not only was he playing dodgy euro cheese and playing the guitar and trying to act like a wanna be rockstar but he was playing to the crowd like he was all that. He looked like a dodgy happy hardcore MC (give me an OI OI) The guy doesn't just make crap psytrance, he makes crap! I've gone to the toilet and made better sounds. Skazi Sucks Big Donkey Dick IMO

Western Rebel Alliance - Fly Can't wait for the new album, hope it's not a let down. Twisted hinted that it's quite commercial

In the record shop a cool cover catches your eye (but I suppose so does a shit cover) I often buy music riskily ie not knowing the style or quality of the music. sometimes Im disappointed but often Im pleasantly surprised. I usually pick albums this way based on track names and number of tracks. If there are cool names and few tracks I'll usually buy it. I try not to buy anything I dont know with more than 10 tracks. For example an album with 25 tracks called things like baby love or killaaarrggh music isn't going to be right for me.