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EVP - Harmonic Module


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EVP – Harmonic Module

 

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Artist: EVP (UK)

Title: Harmonic Module

Format: CD (jewel case)

Label: Wild Things Records (UK)

Cat. #: WILD CD 002

Distribution: Arabesque

Date: 28 November 2005

 

Track listing:

 

01. 07’54” Rain Call (Full Power Remix)

02. 06’36” Incoming Signals

03. 06’29” Halloweeny (Wild Dog Mix)

04. 07’06” The Birdy Song

05. 06’33” Salviador

06. 07’26” Psylocin

07. 06’35” Harmonic Module

08. 06’34” The Great Machine

09. 08’09” Tryptamines

10. 08’23” Rain Call

 

Review:

 

Electronic… Virtual… Psychedelia!

 

Following the very nice debut-compilation Wild Rumpus UK-based underground label Wild Things Records is now releasing the long-awaited debut album by EVP… Alex Diplock was involved in five tracks on that compilation… Two tracks as one half of the Reality Grid duo, and three tracks by his solo project EVP… I was really taken by his highly psychedelic take on underground night-trance – and I’ve been looking forward to this album ever since it was announced… Now it’s finally here, so let’s find out if it was worth the wait…

 

Let me take you thru the tracks…

 

#01: Rain Call (Full Power Remix) [144 BPM]

The opening track is an aptly named full power remix to the last, chilled track… It starts out very chilled – just like the original, but something is lurking under the surface… Tension building – and then BAM, shortly after the one minute mark, the bassline is unleashed… The first couple of minutes are not really interesting – it’s not until after the middle break all hell brakes loose… But when it does, it does it proper… The last half of the track is pure syncopated 303 goa bliss… Psychedelia is coming out the woodwork here! And so the standards have been set for the album… Yummy yummy in my tummy!

 

#02: Incoming Signals [145 BPM]

The second incoming signal doesn’t waste much time before getting down to the nitty gritty… Energetic, underground night-trance – absolutely soaked in acid-lines and trippy little FX… Reminds me of some of the tracks off the first Rinkadink album – though with the trip-meter cranked up… If you hopped into a pimped-up Delorean and took a trip back to 1997, you’d be rocking out to this tune on the car stereo… Ripe!

 

#03: Halloweeny (Wild Dog Mix) [144 BPM]

The bells tolls for thee! …‘tis the season to be… scared shitless! Yeah – this is EVP’s take on gloomy, spooky Halloween-trance… And how refreshing it is, to actually have some melodies and real psychedelia thrown into the vast pool of alleged ‘darkpsy’… Eat your heart out Xenomorph – you might be the dark lord of horror-trance, but this here isn’t exactly Sunday School Trance either… This is eerie, haunting night-trance – with more than a pinch of acid thrown in… I like that balance – and I like this track too!

 

#04: The Birdy Song [147 BPM]

Now this might sound like a pretty harmless track judging by the track-title – but ornithophobiacs be aware! This could be the tranced-up soundtrack to a Hitchcock movie… Rest assured, those birds *will* mess with your head! … Anyway, this is fast-paced underground night-trance – as always the 303’s are tweaked to the max, and we’re left with some seriously high-pitched tunage… We get melodies too in this climactic bouncer of a psytrance tune… Quacktastic!

 

#05: Salviador [147 BPM]

Survival of the trippest! And now for the diviner's mint … This track seems more focussed, more trance-induced and keener to assist you in trance dance-slash-trip… Very similar to the sound of the recent Derango album though with a more analogue sound… Yeah, this is fast-paced, hypnotic, psychedelic full-on night-trance… Relentless and absolutely smashing… Best track so far!

 

#06: Psylocin [147 BPM]

Psilocin and psilocybin are the main psychoactive compounds in magic mushrooms, so you can all guess where this track is going… That’s right; this is shroom-friendly psytrance… Über-weird at times, but instantly trip-friendly… Again, we’re somewhere in between Derango and psychedelic Parvati Records – add some ancient Hux Flux, stir well, and you’ve pretty much got the idea… Yeah, this is definitely one of the trippiest tracks on the album – perfect for a late night forest session…

 

#07: Harmonic Module [147 BPM]

The title track shifts the focus from mind expansion towards dancefloor antics… Yeah, this is full-power, inexorable trance-floor fodder… Packed to the rim with all kinds of psychedelic FX: Twists, turns, digital farts + analogue burps – and enough acid-lines to appeal to the old-school crowd… In which I belong! The last run-down seems maybe a little uninspired, but I’m not complaining… This is a nice track!

 

#08: The Great Machine [146 BPM]

“Oh great machine we beseech thee. What if life were more like a video game?” And the analogue mayhem continues… From the deepest recesses of the underground, comes this acid-soaked track… I’m not too sure how much I like that demented melody-lead in the beginning though… And that’s a shame really coz otherwise, this track is brand spanking sweet! Syncopated acid-lines comprise twirling melodies – and everything is fine and dandy… Though I feel like maybe the novelty is starting to wear off…

 

#09: Tryptamines [146 BPM]

But wait – there is more! It’s a monoamine compound - and it’s something for the feet AND mind… Oh yes, just when I was getting a little fed up, EVP manages to complete sweep me off my feet again with this flaring acid-bombshell… Powerful as a steam-engine and trippy enough to satisfy even the weekend Hindus… Equally melodic and dark – the perfect underground hybrid… Great track!

 

#10: Rain Call [72 BPM]

As legend prescribes, the last track is a chilled downtempo tune… We heard the full-on version of it in the first track, and now here’s the original in all its glory! This is deep, dark, ritual ambient… Not very pleasant at all – in the good sense! Tribal drums, haunting breezes and melancholy flutes… Illbient? Whatever it is, it’s pretty cool… And ties up the album nicely!

 

Great debut album here with an influx of trippy, magical, acid-ridden tracks… There are no bad tracks here, and my only gripe would be that a few of the tracks sound a little too similar… But, when it’s as good as this, I really don’t have any major complaints… I was entertained throughout the album, and I really like the unique, old-school feeling this album possesses… A nice mix of trippy and danceable night-time tracks… There’s no fluffy full-on here – and it’s bereft of the most obvious darkpsy pitfalls… A mature, yet easily accessible album – of high quality!

 

Alex Diplock is one of the last hippies standing – and with stuff this good I hope he’ll be standing for many years to come… He designed the cover-art to this himself, and I like it! It has that distinct old-school feel to it that I liked so much back then… The abstract text in the booklet is also a good read and the included DJ slip will come in handy to the Case Logic disciples… Well done EVP and Wild Things Records! A label on the rise that I’ll certainly monitor in the future…

 

If you haven’t guessed it by now, lemme just recap and tell you that this is a sweet album… Among the best “melodic” artist albums of the year… Recommended to all acid-heads and old-school connoisseurs… Underground hyper-trance when it’s best! Enjoy!

 

Favourites: 2, 3, 4, 5(!), 6, 9(!)

 

DeathPosture

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External links:

Electronic Virtual Psychedelia: http://www.evp.resourcez.com

Wild Things Records: http://www.wildthingsrecords.co.uk

Discogs: http://www.discogs.com/release/573323

Saiko Sounds: http://tinyurl.com/aln5q

TranceShop: http://tinyurl.com/a73o9

Beatspace: http://tinyurl.com/bp5pj

Psyshop: http://tinyurl.com/e3mex

Chaos: http://tinyurl.com/bhtyr

Cisco: http://tinyurl.com/da7qt

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I've only been listening to it a couple of times, but I can already say something about it.

 

Firstly, I'm gonna say what I don't like - the tracks all sound too similar. They use the same bass and drum sounds, most of the leads are repeated in every tune. Tracks are too short and EVP rarely know how to finish it. Some tracks sound very random, without any sense of direction. Also, I don't like the fonts used on the back of the cover - they're unreadable :)

 

Now for the pluses - the music is very energetic, full-on in a good way. The production is very clear, transaprent and dynamic. Those "few" sounds he uses he mastered to the perfection and really knows how to tweak them for the maximum effect. He's a master of a mid-section, which is very clearly demonstrated in The Bidry Song, Harmonic Module and Rain Call (Full Power edit) where the mid-section acidlines give a flowing feeling to the tracks - more stuff like this please! These are also the tracks where he sidetracks a bit off his trademark sound - maybe that's the right direction, to explore some other sounds / synths, more "melodic" layers instead of usual burps & farts? Another plus is that Alex has his own distinct sound, which can't be mistaken with others - the bouncy, acidic and very electronic yet somehow tribal sound. That's the sign of talent in my book (look at Simon P, Cosmosis or VoC - they've their own sound too).

 

To sum it up - the EVP's debut was, after the awesome tracks on Wild Rumpus, the contender for the title of "album of the year", however it turned out that it's a little below MY expectations. Do not get me wrong - it's great piece of music and worth every euro I spent on it. I'm sure it's going to have a lot of rotation here, although the level of VoC or Jaia has not been reached here. Not just yet

 

8/10

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:blink: well... i heard this cd all the day so i will give my opinion.

 

first of all i i think this is very very very old school, all the tracks are similar i mean the bass its almost the same in all tracks.

 

but its not that bad..this cd need a chance}

 

track 2 4 5 9 the bests for me

 

but track 5 its awesome... this is a pretty nice full on track, very deep in my opinion.

 

i really dont have much to say about this album, nothing new for me

 

but well maybe if u are a fan of old school u will like it.

 

 

!!!enojoy!!!

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