DeathPosture Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 Son Kite – Live in Tokyo Hi-res: cover Artist: Son Kite (Sweden) Title: Live In Tokyo Format: 2xDVD Label: Digital Structures (Sweden) Cat. #: DIGDVD01 Distribution: Cosmophilia Date: November 2004 Review: Step three in a four-stage rocket! Right, so this is the much anticipated and heavily delayed Son Kite DVD. This was scheduled to be released back in May 2004, but due to some technical problems it got pushed back to ultimo November. But it was definitely worth the wait – once you’ve experienced this, you’ll know why… Let me take you thru the… ehh… DVDs! DVD #1: (5.1 surround/2.0 Dolby Digital, bitrate 3.40Mbps, aspect ratio 4:3, coding: NTSC) 91 minutes. Chapters: 01. Son Kite - Intro 02. Son Kite - Other Side 03. Son Kite - Poolop 04. Son Kite - Receive 05. Son Kite - Colours 06. Son Kite - Airplay 07. Son Kite - Receive Pt. II 08. Son Kite - Jukebox 09. Vibrasphere - Newport (Son Kite Rmx) 10. Son Kite - Massive 11. Son Kite - The Stars Within Us 12. Son Kite - Live Loop 13. Son Kite - On Air 14. Cosma - Out Of Range (Son Kite Rmx) 15. Vernon - Wonderer (Son Kite Rmx) First and foremost – these DVDs are NTSC encoded, but will play on most region free players. However, the output is still NTSC, so it will not work on PAL-only displays. But most modern equipment accepts both nowadays… Secondly - have you ever used the “angle button” on you DVD-remote for anything else than porn? Well, here’s your chance to put is to some good use, ‘cause this entire first DVD disc has linear duel footage you can switch between whist watching. The live performance and graphics on angle one, and trippy VJ visuals on angle two. The soundtrack is the same – you decide on the visuals! ;o) This is the Son Kite live performance on Halloween night 2003 @ the Venusfort venue in Tokyo Japan. The venue is beautiful in its majestic appearance; most of the crowd is dressed up in imaginative costumes and Son Kite has teamed up with highly professional video jockeys to ensure the Japanese will get a breathtaking experience for all senses. And thanks to modern technology we can now get almost the same experiences at home in our living rooms. First part of show is mainly footage of the guys twisting knobs and people dancing their asses off. Towards the latter part, the producers start incorporating more stock footage into the mix + all kinds of filters and twisted effects – increasing the visual bombardment for maximum enjoyment… It’s a visual tour de force as much as it is a rendition of Son Kite’s greatest dancefloor bombshells. In this live performance we go beyond the Colours album – some of our fav’e tracks and remixes from the back-catalogue are delivered in smashing live-versions. Furthermore it’s also a welcomed opportunity to get up-close and personal with these sound wizards as they twist and turn their knobs. A cornucopia of close-up knob adjustment – beautifully carried out by Seb & Marcus with immediate response from the audience… It’s almost like being there yourself… Almost! My personal highlights are definitely On Air, Other Side and The Stars Within Us. But as the Colours album, this DVD should really be enjoyed as a journey… I’m sure it was meant this way…91 minutes of pure joy! DVD #2: (Dolby digital 2.0. bitrate 448 kbps, aspect ratio 4:3, coding: NTSC) 60 minutes Documentaries: ‘Backstage Tokyo’ (17 minutes) Join gorgeous Japanese hostess Junko Niwa as she interviews Son Kite setting up their equipment before the show. We really get an in-depth, close-up feeling on how the guys are mentally preparing and goofing around in the nerve wrecking hours before going on stage. We also get interviews with Masa the organizer, Emok from Iboga Records and Tuff Little Unit (the visual designers). After the live performance, we met the guys again backstage where they are chilling out and drinking champagne. ‘A day at work – a return ticket to New York’ (12 minutes) Another interesting documentary, where we follow Seb wake up early in the morning, leave his flat and ride his bicycle to High Hat Studios in Malmö where he hooks up with Marcus. They get on a train to Copenhagen airport, and then fly to New York for a live performance. After the live performance they do it all in reverse… All shot by the guys themselves… ‘On the road – dropping down on a few continents’ (11 minutes) Titbits from Son Kite gigs in Finland, Japan, Germany, Mexico and Greece. The crowd at the Samothraki Dance Festival is going absolutely ballistic at the sound of On Air… Damn, looking at that footage sends shivers down my spine… Why oh why, wasn’t I there? Music videos: The Stars Within Us (5 minutes) Very classy video by Jim Studt. It’s a mixture of urban architecture/graffiti footage and trippy fractal visuals and computer graphics. Jukebox (4 minutes) Another classy video – this time by Jonas Gustavsson. It’s pretty simplistic, although it’s riddled with visual trickery. Naïve, yet rich… Kinda art deco really! And we see Son Kite flying kites… Cool! On Air (4 minutes) Impressive video put together by David Nord. This whole vid is compiled old stock footage from carnivals, parades, rodeos, rollercoasters, etc. What’s so special about this video is how Nord manages to synchronize audio and visuals – even with the slightest of details done just right… It’s a feast for the eyes watching and listening how everything falls into place… There is not even a hint of computer graphics here – it’s all editing. Very original! Conclusion: Phew! These two DVDs are nothing less than brilliant… We get a smashing live performance with stunning visuals and amazing sound + loads of extra goodies… Make sure to check out the different angles on the concert DVD for added value trippy visuals… As always with Son Kite, this whole package reeks quality. From the nice booklet + sticker to the 5.1 surround sound audio-track… I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Seb & Marcus after a fantastic live-gig in Denmark, and they were super nice down-to-earth guys. Respect! I loved the Colours album, and I absolutely love this DVD too… As I’ve said before they continue to distance themselves from the vast majority of trance labels – both production-wise and concept-wise! And you need this DVD in your collection – it gets my highest recommendations! Enjoy! DeathPosture External links: Son Kite: http://www.sonkite.com Digital Structures: http://www.mpdqx.com/digitalstructures Psyshop: http://www.psyshop.com/shop/DVDs/dig/dig1dv001.html Juno Records : http://www.juno.co.uk/products/163499-01.htm Chaos Unlimited: http://www.chaosunlimited.co.uk/cgi-bin/pr...asp?LR=DIGDVD01 Saiko Sounds: http://www.saikosounds.com/english/display...ase.asp?id=3974 Discobole: http://www.discobole.gr/en/product.asp?pid=76973 Beatspace: http://www.beatspace.com/dettagli/dettaglio.asp?id=1760 More goodies: Clip from gig: http://downloads.mpdqx.com/movie/son_kite-live_clip.mov Screen captures (thumbnails): http://tinyurl.com/5ym7b (Thx to Jikkenteki for hosting the thread that holds these) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest djnemo Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 DP, you know you know what you are doing, right!? Excellent review, I could not have done it better myself. You capture exactly what I saw in the DVD as well. I like it a lot. I will recommend anyone that likes those specials, to get this DVD, as it is very very very fine both music and visual wise Great Job Son Kaijt+Crew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazooko Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 i found the "live in tokyo" party video a bit disappointing. dont get me wrong, they played a great set but there was ZERO decoration which is quite important for a good video imho... those guys play all around the world but they record an indoor party with no deco??? i dont have a remote for my dvd player, so i havent checked out the visuals yet. is there a way to skip angles in mediaplayer? the rest is nice and i like the whole "colours" concept Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Templar Posted February 16, 2005 Share Posted February 16, 2005 I've had some problems with my DVD-player. Better late than never... "On Air Remixes" single, "Colours" album, "Colours Remixes" single and the biggest part of the "Colours" concept relese - a DVD. High anticipations indeed... Well, what can I say, I'm satisfied. If I were to go into details about this release, I would have to stop at the beginning and bow down to Deathposture, who described Son Kite's DVD in such a way, that I have almost nothing else to add. Always a pleasure to read You DP. Anyhow I must say that, to a certain point, it is a unique release (I reserve the word "brilliant" for the first album of Hallucinogen), because I don't think there has ever been such a thing comming from a musical project in the entire history of trance scene, besides the DVD's released by the likes of Vision Quest for instance. Will other projects have the courage to release such a thing? Time will tell... Than again I doubt it, as it takes a lot of effort and courage to release such a thing. It's intelligent, it's fresh, it's good stuff and good production. By all means it isn't "killllaaah", as I reserve this word for dull releases and for retards who lack the knowledge of everyday life expressions and a dictionary. As far as I am concerned it is good to see, hear and experience (!!!) such goodies as live performances at your own home, really, makes one a part of it all. A must both for Son Kite fans and for those who seek something original. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k1mm0 Posted April 1, 2005 Share Posted April 1, 2005 i like this dvd a lot. the gig is awesome and so is venusfort - with or without decorations. the visuals i found quite boring. well, except the old movie clips at the end the music videos are quite useless too imo. but the documents and interviews rock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sangg Posted June 16, 2005 Share Posted June 16, 2005 Just got this yesterday and I thought it was very good. I especially liked the visuals in songs such as On Air and my favourite, Newport. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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