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Beat Bizarre - Pandoras Groove Box


Guest Rain

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1. Flagpole Safari

2. Eavesdrop Pop

3. Corrosive Juices

4. Booger launcher

5. Urban Disturbances

6. Pests for Pets

7. Caugama

 

released : march 2004

 

This follow up album from beat bizarre is nohting like their debut album 'lewd'... Lewd is about pumping progressive bass lines going faster and harder by the minute... Non stop full power and a proof how direct and dominant a progressive bassline can be... A loved their first album because of the strenght...

Nothing of this you will find in their next release Pandoras Groove Box... It's all the other way around... Comparing to 'lewd' who hadn't almost any psycedelic sounds only rising up a bit at the end, the release Pandoras Groove Box is full of psychedelic pots & pans, trance sounds and psychedelic ticks from the beginnning of each track until the end... The bass line is very soft and I would even call the bass line 'concept goatrance' The typical double kick at every 8 steps brings back good old memories... I think no release had such a light and smooth bass line in the year 2004 then beat bizarre - Pandoras Groove Box... Sometimes the treble sounds get so high you don't even hear the bass line anymore (And I did put my equilazer at maximum)...

 

The first two tracks are just like I said, very slow and light bassline - only pots & pans but more present to the end of the track... no climax but still continue psychedelic...

The third track start with a harder bassline comparing to the first two songs and in this track beat bizarre uses for the first time trance sounds what we are not used to hear from them...

The firth track is ambient and forgetable... it's not a bad track but it's safe at the end of the cd not as the fourth... :rolleyes:

The rest have also a harder beat and still keep that motivating progressive sounds from the beginning until the end...

The last track is the best for me imho cause it's almost goatrance... No real climax but a little wave appearing and it sounds goa... don't expect to much it's no masterpiece...

 

Conclusion... this is minimal, can we still call it progressive?... the bass line is definitiley not the most important in this release what should be the main mark of progressive...

 

I rate it 6/10... It's not bad, good for homelistening but can't be used at parties ihmo... I get's a little bit boring at the end allthough they do their best but they just don't reach it...

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Contrary to what you said Rain, the ambient track "04 Booger launcher" is an excellent idea. Generally I don't like when minimal/progressive artists make an ambient track for the end of their album, but this one is good for a break, and I kinda like it. In this way, you don't get tired of a "bunch" of 140 bpm tracks at a stretch, which is sometimes the problem in some progressive or minimal albums.

 

For the rest, I found this album quite unique, you feel like calling it minimal for its repetitiveness, but there is a lot of sounds in the tracks, and there is a kinda progression in each track also. 07 Caugama is the weakest here (sounds too old and simple). 03 Corrosive juices is one of my favourites. You can find some tracks monotonous but I tend to like them after a few minutes. Bad point: a lil lack of power, of energy. On the whole, unique sound, listen to it before a possible purchase :)

 

I give it a 7/10.

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  • 10 months later...

Progressive MONSTER label Iboga Records from Denmark on the loose again this time with Danish act Beat Bizarre. What's Iboga got in their stash bag for us this time?

 

Progressive minimal trance kept to the core is what! Whow, Martin Zimmermann and René Nielsen keeps things simple on Pandoras Groove Box. Don't expect crazy psychedelic mayheem! These guys are taking you on long journeys and the keyword here is patience (!) to enjoy the minimal style climaxes PGB offers. Like track 2 Eavesdrop Pop. A journey of sound not really containing any melodies. Just beat, bass and FX setting a transcendental mood and then when you may wonder if this track is actually a little boring the bass changes (6:33) and all your patience is rewarded. But boy, it's not a lot that they change!

 

My favourite here is track 3 Corrosive Juices. This is when BB works best, a long journey with one nice, groovy bass. You gotta relax and fall completely in mood and sync with the music to enjoy it, though. But if you do? The tranquility ...

 

On a last note I might add that even if this clearly falls into the progressive trance genre, one may argue that the music here is also rather psychedelic. It is the FX that keeps this music working and even if simplistic it's these you remember when you think back of this record. I would say fans of progressive may enjoy this record for its bass, while fans of psychedelic may find a nice entrance to the world of progressive trance here.

 

But it's still not the best release from Iboga ;o) !

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  • 10 years later...

What a great CD! It clearly follows the minimal, techno-ish, sci-fi roots of their debut "Lewd", but adds even more groove and melodic elements into the mix. As a result it retains the original drive and gets hypnotic at points, while feeling uplifting and brighter than previous album. As SkeletonMan above hinted at - man, I miss his reviews here! - they really get the sense of journey or storytelling in their music just right, slowly building the tension, adding small elements and tweaking what's already in there. I also like that the overall sound picture is soft and subdued, with barely any aggressive or sharp sounds, which definitely adds to the experience providing for an interesting contrast: dark(ish) music vs. bright sounds.

 

Solid 4/5  :wub:

 

It's a real pitty that Iboga went recently into more mainstream sounds and Beat Bizarre's latest album was a digital-only release :(

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Contrary to what you said Rain, the ambient track (4) is an excellent idea. Generally I don't like when minimal/progressive artists make an ambient track for the end of their album, but this one is good for a break, and I kinda like it. In this way, you don't get tired of a bunch of 140 bpm tracks at a stretch, which is sometimes the problem in some progressive or minimal albums.

 

For the rest, I found this album quite unique, you feel like calling it minimal for its repetitiveness, but there is a lot of sounds in the tracks, and there is a kinda progression in each track also. 07 Caugama is the weakest here (sounds too old and simple). 03 Corrosive juices is one of my favourites. You can find some tracks monotonous but I tend to like them after a few minutes. Bad point: a lil lack of power, of energy. On the whole, unique sound, listen to it before a possible purchase.

 

I give it a 7/10.

My brother's review, 10 years ago when we were still living in the same bedroom :)

Still agree with it, last time I listened to this album was about 6 months and I still find it very catchy, aged well no doubt.

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