pr0fane Posted October 29, 2005 Share Posted October 29, 2005 Artist: Insane Creation Title: Connected Label: DOMO Format: CD (Digipack) Released: November, 2005 Review: One of Switzerlands most well-known progressive artists is Dave Walitza, better known as Insane Creation. Over the years his tracks has been released by labels like Plusquam, Traktor Schallabor, Interzone and Starsound, but DOMO has really been the most important label in promoting his sound, featuring him on all their compilations released so far. On that account, it wasn't surprising when DOMO announced the release of his debut album earlier this year - and now it has finally been released. 01. Distorted Dreams [136 BPM] "Distorted Dreams" kicks off the album, but doesn't leave a big impression. The 30-second intro is ok, but too short and simple, and doesn't really build up energy for the entry of the kick and bassline. The track itself rolls along nicely with a plain, mellow groove embellished by more or less subtle effects and reverbed percussion, but overall it seems to lack "something" - it's just too empty for my liking. 02. Restlessness [136 BPM (mistakenly written as 135 BPM on the cover)] Things improve a bit with "Restlessness", relying on a more pumping kick and bassline combination, giving the track some more punch than the opener. The sound-theme is a bit more polished, and in some ways reminds me of older stuff by Buzz/Buzzmonx. The subtle melodies also work quite well, and overall make this track feel much more complete than the opener. 03. Filestyle [135 BPM (mistakenly written as 136 BPM on the cover)] "Filestyle" starts deeper than the previous tracks, with some delicious, heavily reverbed synth stabs setting the atmosphere. The groove is laidback and very hypnotic, some male voice-samples occasionally pop up, and a sweet, simple melody-line gives the track a slightly uplifting touch. Nice, smooth morning tune. 04. Sweet Random [134 BPM] Things get a bit more energetic with "Sweet Random". It's more pumping track than the predecessor, with a slightly harsher and more technish sound and a groove for the daytime at the outdoor. The melodies does seem a bit too screamy for my taste though, and overall the track doesn't seem to really progress. 05. Snüül [134 BPM] "I could say, that by using psychedelic drugs, I became tuned in on the network of neurological signals and cellular wisdoms that radiate at hundreds of millions per second within my body" - sounds familiar? The opening sample gives associations to "Mi-Loony-Um!", but "Snüül" is nowhere near Hallucinogens famous Y2K-tune. "Snüül" is still great though - relying on a laidback, house-like groove, embellished by a deep and quite gloomy atmosphere, this is a delicous and mellow tune - definitely one of my favourites. 06. Cafane [133 BPM] On "Cafane" Insane Creation teams up with Christian Gafner, better known as Cafu, and the result stands out as one of the few distinct tunes on the album. Laidback, yet with a very rolling and dance friendly groove, some extremely tight percussion and some sweet, sexy sounds giving it a delicious and uplifting, yet slightly melancholic feel. Certainly among my favourites on the CD. 07. Freakuencer [138 BPM] The tempo is raised with "Freakuencer", possibly the tune on the album most true to the older, more minimal Insane Creation sound. Not quite as dark as some of the older stuff though, with light-hearted stabs and tribal percussion giving the track a morning-oriented sound, but with a phat and attractive bassline below. Pretty nice, but pales in comparison with the previous tracks. 08. Shoobidoo [138 BPM] Closing the album is "Shoobidoo", and it continues with the faster tempo from "Freakuence", but feels a bit more interesting. It has a funkier touch, a slightly gloomy melody popping up every once in a while, and generally some of the elements doesn't feel as straightforward and ordinary as the rest of the tracks. That being said, I didn't really connect to the track, and wouldn't rate it among the best here. Bottom line: After being in the game for some years, "Connected" proves to be a fine debut album for Insane Creation. The sound can best be described as a mix of the polished house-influenced progressive trance of today, and the rawer psychedelic minimal of yesterday. You won't find any easy digestible trancy melodies or riffs here though, and while the subtleness for most part is a strong point about the album, I must say I miss some material that really stands out. "Connected" of course has its moments, but even though it's a good, tightly produced album with a very enjoyable sound, it never really reaches the same quality of some of the biggest progressive albums from 2005 like Jaïa or Antix. … Still, you could do a lot worse than buying this release. I can surely recommend it, but won't classify it as an essential buy. Favourites: 2, 3, 5 (!), 6 Verdict: 7/10 Link: DOMO Records: http://www.domorecords.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeathPosture Posted November 28, 2005 Share Posted November 28, 2005 Insane Creation - Connected Hi-res cover: front + back Artist: Insane Creation (Switzerland) Title: Connected Format: CD (digipack) Label: Domo Records (Israel) Cat. #: DOMO CD 007 Distribution: Psyshop.net + File Distribution (Japan) Date: 1 November 2005 Track listing: 01. 09’35” Distorted Dreams 02. 08’42” Restlessness 03. 08’40” Filestyle 04. 08’22” Sweet Random 05. 07’18” Snüül 06. 09’25” Cafane 07. 08’52” Freakuencer 08. 09’51” Shoobidoo .m3u-playlist: http://tinyurl.com/copeq (all tracks!) Review: Progressive Milka trance… Insane Creation is Czech-born, Swiss-based producer Dave Walitza. He’s releasing his debut album on Israeli proggy label Domo Records, following the very sweet compilation Posse on which Dave also had a track – and a fine track too! Despite Dave’s fair share of released 12-inches and compilation tracks, the aforementioned track is actually the only I’ve heard from him… But that’s about to change with this debut album… Let’s dig deeper! Let me take you thru the tracks… #01: Distorted Dreams [136 BPM] The opening track is a breezy, uplifting progressive stomper… Rich in reverb and instantly funky! It’s all very nice and well-polished, but maybe also a little too androgynous… Despite maybe lacking some ‘bite’, this is still a nice track – and will serve DJs well when they need a quality transition track… #02: Restlessness [135 BPM] Restlessness can be a bitch – but this track isn’t bitchy at all… On the contrary, this is a sweet, sweet track… Definitely deeper than the first track – but still absolutely soaked in reverb… Oh yes, this is sexy beach house trance – designed to keep you warm in these cold winter times… Reminds me of sleek Plusquam or Groove Zone stuff… Funky, but again maybe a little too un-climactic for my taste… That’s true for the first half of this track at least, it picks up towards the second half with those sweet melodic leads… Nicey nice! #03: Filestyle [136 BPM] “I have taken a voyage. Out of my mind. Into my head. Into myself!” And we dwell even deeper in this track, which also crosses over into more psy-like morning trance… That gives the track some edge, and I’m all about edge – so for me, this is the best track so far… The percussion seem tighter now, and the melodies are arranged differently… The phat reverbs are still in focus, and they are all so nicely done… Would mix perfectly with older FREq tunes… Nice track! #04: Sweet Random [134 BPM] More edge enhancement here – as this track drifts away from the most well-polished, lush antics of the first two tracks, and takes on a more tech-trancy coat… Also there are evident links to early 1990ies German techno… Mix that with some smooth progressive trance and a few melodies and you’ve pretty much got this track – which has a sweet, hypnotic sound which I like… Reminds me somewhat of Atmos on his latest album! Not a ground-breaking track, but still pretty tasty! #05: Snüül [134 BPM] “I could say that by using psychedelic drugs, I became tuned in on a network of neurological signals and cellular wisdoms that radiate hundreds of millions per second – within my body!” This track stars with something as rare, as a Timothy Leary quote… Well, that’s not rare in psy – but it is in progressive trance… And sure enough, this is one of Dave’s most trancy tunes… Deep progressive morning trance – crossing well over into psy-territory! Those high-pitched stabs half-way through are so cool… Sweet, sweet stuff! #06: Cafane [133 BPM] This track was written with fellow Swiss producer Cafu – and together the guys have created a very rigid, percussion-driven tune… Instantly head-bounce friendly, this is among the funkiest tunes here… Simple at first, but eventually more complexity is gained… The digitally created moaning sound horny enough to keep me interested – and despite the somewhat clubby feel, I’m entertained throughout the track… Nice! #07: Freakuencer [138 BPM] The pace has quickened, and after the initial minimal intro, this track evolves into a fast-paced morning tune… I like the cut-up voice samples and held-back, tight rhythm-section here… The bassline is also among the best on the album, and the tribal Etnoscope-like drum arrangement in the last half is simply sweet! Another quality track! #08: Shoobidoo [138 BPM] On the final track, we get more progressive morning trance packed with rhythm-section experimentation… All kinds of filtered synths, tribal drums and an impressive array of percussion are present in this track – which is among the most edgy on this CD… That being said there’s still something missing here I think… I can’t really put my finger on it, but it seems maybe a little too hollow? Also I’m not too fond of the weird, high-pitched metallic sounds towards the last third of this track… Not a bad track at all, it’s just not as good as some of the previous ones… Yeah, this is definitely a quality CD – and a fine debut by Insane Creation… This guy spans over a wide array of styles within progressive trance, and he definitely knows his way around a production studio… There are no bad tracks here – but on the other hand, there are no mega-hits either... So, in that sense it’s kinda hard for me to judge this album… It’s all pretty good – without being outstanding! Kinda like the Gaudium album really… With a bit more edge, this album would have been up to par with some of the biggest releases this year… This will however, appeal to fans of tightly-knit, well-produced progressive trance which crosses over into morning trance… And in that field, this is a winner! Enjoy! Favourites: 2, 3(!), 4, 5(!), 6, 7 DeathPosture External links: Insane Creation: http://www.insanecreation.ch Domo Records: http://www.domorecords.com Discogs: http://www.discogs.com/release/552267 Saiko Sounds: http://tinyurl.com/bex48 Wirikuta: http://tinyurl.com/7k5ne Psyshop: http://tinyurl.com/bsjzp Chaos: http://tinyurl.com/e2hpb Ajuca: http://tinyurl.com/an9qy Cisco: http://tinyurl.com/8yp4v Juno: http://tinyurl.com/8pfg5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pedro Posted December 27, 2005 Share Posted December 27, 2005 I think this is a solid debut CD from Insane Creation. While it might not have any 'bombs', the tracks are consistently good quality. I am obviously more fond of this release than the two previous posters. I would rate this higher than Antix or Jaia's latest efforts and about in line with Gaudium (although I find myself listening to 'Connected' more often). Fav tracks: 2, 3 ,4, 5, and 6. Pedro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubble Wrap Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 I find this CD pretty relaxing actually especially the first track Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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