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Kick Bong - A cup of tea? (ULtra Vista)


Guest Le Lotus Bleu

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Guest Le Lotus Bleu

Tracklist

 

1Voice of resurrection

2Progress in happiness

3Little fairy

4Darkeion

5Cosmic flute

6Heavy machine

7Magical sense

8Trace

9Strange voices

10A fresh air in my

 

I would like trying to draw your attention on 'A cup of tea?' the debut album of Kick Bong (Franck Jousselin), a french artist that you may remember due to some tracks released on chill Out Spirit Zone compilations like tracks Vaporum or Chill's.

 

Kick Bong isn't very much known, but he has particularly improved his production since these tracks on Spirit Zone, even if it was already smelling good to me.

 

What impress me the most is the sound & mastering quality in this album, i never experienced such a realistic live musical feeling before. The musical direction is quite electic, i would refer to what's written on the cover for describing the sound as it's quite true:

psychedelic downbeats.

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Franck 'Kick Bong' Jousselin has always been more or less close to the Music.. Drummer since the age of 12, he met the electronic culture in 1995 and quickly dived into it. He will be involved in many projets, bands or associations with deejays (Serious Bass, Tarace Boulba, Yvan Hio, Yop Soma, Marabunta and since 2003 with the Secret Side collective and LDB System, famous ambient-trance crews). Franck started composing in 1996 and five years later seven of his creations were released.. Spirit Zone initialy (eh yeah.. on various chilled compilations), then Candyflip (VA - Mountain High) and Sub Machine' sublabel Clima (VA - Green Instant)..

 

And now, we can enjoy a full length album that has been released by the french label Ultra Vista, much appreciated for its Electr'Oriental Delight serie, and promised to a brighter future if they keep their dynamic.

 

The artwork is made with warm colours and is a montage based on a clock picture. It's looking good, and the font used is hehehe the same as in my website..

 

Now let's listen to it..

 

 

The album opens on a much filtered SfX spoken words sample which leads out onto a nice rise before a 4:4 rhythmics comes. This is already an indication on what we can expect from this album : mid-tempo vibrations, or call it ambient-trance if you prefer.. The musical background is quite complex as usual, combining many elements, but in a clever way. "Progress In Happiness" (T2) starts with a rise on some phat dubbed broken beats.. After a while strikes quite suddenly a steady kick which is rolling a little bit. Later, Franck plays a fantastic loop, that I thought to have heard already in an old Techno tune.. But no, everything is 100% home-made in this album. This track is just stunning. "Little Fairy" (T4) opens on a filtered baby voice and very floating atmosphere. Then come some subtle and soft rythmics accompanied with a kind of xylophone sound..Later I think Franck plays his little string bass on some looped chords raising the hypnotic touch of the song. The next track "Darkeion" starts directly with a bizarre kick + snare combination.. I like the way the sounds are "designed", and the title of the track becomes obvious. The atmosphere goes even a little bit scary, and a fantastic bassline provides a good groove. Later he adds some percussions, ending to make me just love that track.. The "Cosmic Flute" (T6) is now coming.. I've read about it here and there and it looks like many chillers dig this one in particular a lot.. Well they are right.. The way it opens is just great. And Franck leads us to something slightly more celestial with a constant slow progression.. The build-up is as usual very smart, and the track goes up and down to end up in a contrasting darker way.. That introduces "Heavy Machine" (T6) which sounds once again quite dark. In the booklet I don't really understand if the guy called Loic plays bass on all the tracks, but if he is in this one, well I say good job, guy. It's just great and holds up perfectly the complex build-up of the track. Music for some bonged heads.. "Trace" (T7) starts with some piano, used in a minimalist way while the background rises slowly.. Again, smart complexity is the point. Some sounds here remind me the Twilight Zone (don't ask me why..). The flow is quite deep and slow, and the way the ryhtmics are set up in the third minute just mind-blowing. Then, "Strange Voices" (T9) begins with a great introduction and delivers once again the 4:4 structure, here in an exciting way again.. The combination with the sonic elements is quite effective, psychedelic details in the way I love it. Franck adds some percussions (including darbooka here) in the second half of the track. Really good work again. The closing track (T10) is also very exciting.. Unsual sounds with easy easy percussions, and again a great bassline.. The bluid-up is slow.. making the track even more hypnotic

 

 

That's it.. I was very excited for several reasons when I first read that Franck 'Kick Bong' was about to release an album. One of them was the previous tracks released on compilations that are all worth a listen, definitaly.. An other was that the album would be released by Ultra Vista. A label that is doing some great work. I wish the guys the best for the future, and don't worry, if they keep doing it like that.

 

In my playlist are tracks 2, 4, 9 and 10, but there's not a track i don't like in particular..

 

 

http://www.psyshop.com/shop/CDs/ult/ult1cd009.html

http://www.saikosounds.com/english/display...ase.asp?id=4623

 

Thanks for reading !

Enjoy it with sweets, cakes and of course... A cup of tea ! :D

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I like this!!

Very organic and groovy at places, slightly psychedelic elsewhere, but nicely blend to chilled out positive vibe stuff with enough life and music going on to keep it enjoyable all the way thorugh. Some parts are just hypnotic, almost beautiflul. IMHO the album has a very nice flow and fluent, mature production. Multiple styles all over it success to keep diversity, so needed (at least for me) in ambient/chill.

 

I found it great to listen to while sleeping, while working as background, or just on its own. The sound and beats are just good.

 

I would definitely appreciate more melodies here though...

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