pr0fane Posted February 25, 2006 Share Posted February 25, 2006 Artist: Various Title: Floating Point 3 - compiled by Michael Banel Label: Sofa Beats/Iboga Format: CD (Jewelcase with standard 4-page inlay) Released: February, 2006 Review: After establishing themselves as one of the most important labels on the progressive psytrance scene, Iboga Records last year launched a new chillout/ambient sidelabel called Sofa Beats. Over the years, Iboga had already released a number of chilled releases, like the infamous "New Entry", and the first two chapters in the "Floating Point" series - but where Iboga was mainly focusing on the trancier side of the scene the new sidelabel is strictly downbeat. The 2nd release from Sofa Beats (the catalogue-number says it's the 3rd, but number 2, the Oliver Jones album, hasn't been released yet) is the 3rd chapter in the "Floating Point" saga. Let's give it a spin. 01. Bluetech - Wilderness First track is from North Americas Bluetech, who recently released his new album "Sines and Singularities". The overall atmosphere in "Wilderness" is quite cold, the track is well-produced, and I really like some of the rather weird twists and effects. That being said, I don't consider it among Bluetechs strongest releases. 02. Koan - Sirens Koan is the chillout-sideproject of the Russian duo Vacuum Stalkers, and an act whose underground releases I've been following quite closely lately. Their recent "When Invisible Becomes Visible" MP3-EP was of really high quality, and "Sirens" is pretty good as well. The atmosphere is pretty close to the cold breeze in the first track by Bluetech, but with stronger melodies, really lush pads and waves and more distinct asian influences. Really nice. 03. Crowd Control - Little Haiti "Little Haiti" is a somewhat Reggae-influenced dubby tune with somewhat strange female vocals and deep male voice-samples. It's made by Crowd Control from Denmark, and just like their appearance on second "Floating Point" compilation, I consider this the weakest track on the compilation. It's not downright bad, but to me it does sound rather messy - like they had to put too many ideas into the pot. 04. Aural Planet - Sunfruits Avenue (Sundial Remix) Sundial is a new act by Alex Kochman from Poland, and he's up next with a remix of "Sunfruits Avenue", that appeared on Ultimaes "Fahrenheit Project Part Five" compilation - originally made by himself as part of Aural Planet. I haven't heard the original, but this version is right down my alley - with silky smooth, larger-than-life trancy pads, gentle breaks and subtle teasing melodies. Very enjoyable. 05. Alex Scheffer - Under Your Mind French Alex Scheffer, perhaps better known as Cell, is up next with "Under Your Mind", and in mood it continue down the same road as the "Sunfruits Avenue" remix, although maybe a bit deeper, reminiscent of an underwater journey. The atmosphere is quite laidback, with only a few 4/4 kicks and simple, yet stunningly effective melodies pushing the track forward. Definitely one of the best tracks I've ever heard by Alex Scheffer/Cell. 06. Shen - Cloud Theory Shen is the chilled sideproject by the widely acclaimed Canadian techno-producer Noah Pred, and "Cloud Theory" is the first downbeat release I've heard from him. While it perhaps isn't the most catchy of the tracks here, it certainly doesn't fail either - without an abundance of pads, he still manages to make a very mysterious and gloomy atmosphere, and I consider it one of the most interesting tunes here, although not among the very best. 07. Seahorse Transform - Paradime Warp Seahorse Transform is, to me, a completely unknown act - behind the project is Danish Simon Jagd, and he's already signed for an album on Sofa Beats later this year. With "Paradime Warp" he leads the compilation in a direction more towards ethnic chillout, and it's generally an ok track, with a cosy oriental market-atmosphere. 08. Sundial - Azure Aquarings "Azure Aquarings" is the compilations 2nd offering from Polish Alex Kochmans new Sundial project, and although it doesn't quite match the first one, it's a very good tune. While the melodies perhaps aren't as strong as in the first one, the mood is quite optimistic, and it is surely another very enjoyable track. 09. Alex Scheffer - Sparkley Area Alex Scheffer aka Cell is up next with his 2nd track on the compilation, the nicely sounding "Sparkley Area". Like "Under Your Mind", it is also built on steady, yet never forceful 4/4 beats, and the atmosphere is deep and dreamy in a not-too bright way. A very good track, although not as aesthetic as "Under Your Mind", and my expectations are now pretty high for the upcoming Cell and Alex Scheffer albums. 10. True To Nature - Ghetto The Danish house-duo True To Nature, consisting of some of the Danish scenes, most well-known DJ's, Jokke Ilsøe and Tom Von Rosen, provide a somewhat surprising dancefloor-oriented track, "Ghetto". I was expecting something a bit more chilled, but I can't deny that this is a deep, emotional and utterly beautiful progressive house track - it runs at 125 BPM, and is both dancefriendly, as well as loaded with magnificent soundscapes for the chillout. Just delicious. 11. True To Nature Feat. Tusnelda - Subside True To Nature carry on with housey beats in the last track as well, this time teaming up with Tusnelda, who some might remember for her brilliant collaboration with Rumpistol on "Floating Point 2". "Subside" also runs at approximately 125, and is even deeper than the previous track, with a deeper groove, huge melancholic pads and some amazing vocals by Tusnelda - what a voice! Some might consider the vocals cheesy, but I find them very suitable for the overall atmosphere of track, and made in good taste. Great track, although I could have wished it was a bit longer than 5½ minutes. Bottom line: Wow. I liked the first two chapters in the "Floating Point" series, but the 3rd chapter is by far the best chapter yet. The standard throughout the compilation is really high, with only one track, Crowd Controls "Little Haiti" not fitting to my liking, and there are some really outstanding gems to be found here. The compilation is quite varied, and the flow is pretty consistent and well-thought, starting with the two deep and rather cold tunes by Bluetech and Koan, moving over more traditional chillout and a hint of ethnic flavours before finishing with the master stroke - the two delicious groovers by True To Nature. Like I said earlier, "Floating Point 3" is my favourite chapter in the series, and in my opinion also the best chillout release by Sofa Beats and Iboga Records so far. Great job. Favourites: 2, 4 (!!), 5 (!!), 6, 8, 9, 10 (!!!), 11 (!) Verdict: 9/10 Link: Iboga Records: http://www.iboga.dk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d_vision Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 continue the great succes compilations floating point!! verry good release this one too,!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traveller Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 techouse 448886[/snapback] This release? hAHA riight ..not that I would mind if it was anyways this is some very good shit.. I'll buy it for sure edit. oh and little haiti is my fav Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schmo Posted February 28, 2006 Share Posted February 28, 2006 Koan - Sirens is sooo beautiful Sends shives down my spine everytime I hear it Its so calm, yet got this remarkable flow that makes me wanna move along with it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Towelie Posted March 1, 2006 Share Posted March 1, 2006 the aural planet track is awsesome (as aural planet usually is) .. other than that mediocore or lower Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klaxer Posted March 1, 2006 Share Posted March 1, 2006 Koan - Sirens is sooo beautiful Sends shives down my spine everytime I hear it Its so calm, yet got this remarkable flow that makes me wanna move along with it 451565[/snapback] Thanks man! It was inspired by deep scandinavian forests and rivers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snapinho Posted March 4, 2006 Share Posted March 4, 2006 I was kinda surprised by the note at the end of the review. To me, following your description, none of the tracks sounded that special. And then you give it a 9/10! Maybe I should listen this again... I've got both Floating Point 1 & 2 and I expect nothing but the best chilled-out hammockstyle listening from Iboga... I'm curious! By the way, I really don't think Crowd Control had the weakest track on FP2; its just the vocals that made it really cheesy. Without those, the track is pretty sweet and emotional... imho of courso! On another note, I've heard a preview of Oliver Jones' album (some llink GSH gave for a freq-track) and it sounded horrible. His song on FP2 (Club Velour, which is a horrible name for a great track with a thumping beat) was really good, but the other songs just sounded like cheap ripoffs...But then the quality really sucked and this is going more offtopic. I'll post more when I've heard the entire Floating Point 3 in good quality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeathPosture Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 V/A – Floating Point 3 Hi-res cover: front + back Artist: Various Title: Floating Point 3 – Compiled by Michael Banel Format: CD (jewel case) Label: Sofa Beats (Denmark) Cat. #: SOFA BEATS CD 03 Distribution: twohandsdistribution.com Date: February 2006 Track listing: 01. 07’13” Bluetech - Wilderness 02. 05’43” Koan - Sirens 03. 07’10” Crowd Control – Little Haiti 04. 05’57” Aural Planet – Sunfruits Avenue (Sundial Remix) 05. 07’35” Alex Scheffer – Under Your Mind 06. 07’41” Shen – Cloud Theory 07. 09’36” Seahorse Transform – Paradime Warp 08. 06’50” Sundial – Azure Aquarings 09. 06’50” Alex Scheffer – Sparkley Area 10. 08’21” True To Nature – Ghetto 11. 05’19” True To Nature feat. Tusnelda - Subside .m3u-playlist: http://tinyurl.com/qoaqe (all tracks!) Review: Chilled Iboga with a twist… Danish power label Iboga Records is the leading exponent for progressive trance, and in the past they’ve also brushed on subtle chill-out with their two Floating Point compilations released in 2003 and 2004… With the establishment of the sub-label Sofa Beats, Iboga Records has a new platform for chilled releases, and Sofa Beats is also the label releasing this third opus in the Floating Point series… As the first two, these tracks are compiled by label boss Michael Banel – let’s see what he dug up for us… Let me take you thru the tracks… #01: Bluetech – Wilderness First up is a track my American chill-wizard Evan Bluetech… Aleph Zero released his third album Sines And Singularities in late 2005, and this track is very much like the style on that album (and the two previous albums)… Harmonic, atmospheric, melancholy downbeat – and as always Evan’s music is as inimitable as it is unparalleled… A very nice starter! #02: Koan – Sirens This is my first encounter with Koan’s music… This Russian duo (Daniel Roeth & Vladimir Sedov) is also know as Vacuum Stalkers and has released a couple of tracks on Horns And Hoofs + a bunch of mp3 releases that I haven’t heard… This track is lush downtempo with a strong emphasis on melodic pads and naturally there is singing sirens – which is a very nice touch… All in all, this is a very harmonic, peaceful piece of music… If only it was longer and the watery outro was a bit more refined… #03: Crowd Control – Little Haiti ”I wanna be where you are…” CC is a Danish trio consisting of Jesper Banner, Thomas Banner & Jan Stewart Sørensen… They also had tracks on the first two Floating Point compilations – and with this track they take chances… This is pretty edgy downbeat – a mix of epic, clubby elements with sharp IDM + dub elements... Like a big melting put of different styles… A big hectic maybe, but generally I like it… #04: Aural Planet – Sunfruits Avenue (Sundial Remix) Sunfruits Avenue was originally released on Ultimae’s Fahrenheit Project Part Five, and despite its head-bop friendly chill qualities, it wasn’t a stand-out track… Now it’s being remixed by the Polish act Sundial (Radosław Kochman & Daniel Lulkowski) whom possibly also helped making it in the first place… Anyway, this is indeed a very Ultimae sounding track with a rich array of both percussion and trance-synths… Up-tempo without crossing completely over into chill – kinda like Aes Dana, Cell or Solar Fields… Nicey nice! #05: Alex Scheffer – Under Your Mind Talking about Cell, here’s a track by the productive Frenchman… The last output I heard from him was his brilliant tune on the Chill Tribe compilation Quality Relaxation… This track is indisputable Cell-like with its rich, floating melodies and heavily well-refined percussion… Extremely well-produced ear-candy as always with Cell… Sweet! #06: Shen – Cloud Theory Noah Pred from Canada also produces music under the F.S.P. and Primordial Nature monikers and has an impressive roster of releases. This is my first encounter with his music though… This aptly named track has a sharp digital-sounding ambience to it and it kinda reminds me of a pitched-up version of Bluetech… A hifi space-ambient version of a lofi techno tune… Argh, that doesn’t make any sense! A nice track, but somehow I can’t really connect to it… It’s a little too introvert… #07: Seahorse Transform – Paradime Warp Behind this project is a Danish producer called Simon Jagd – and AFAIK this is his debut release. After a high-pitched, noisy intro the track eventually settles on lush, ethno-inspired world music not unlike Kaya Project… Very nice and atmospheric… I’m looking forward to the debut album coming soon on Sofa Beats… #08: Sundial – Azure Aquarings Kochman from Poland is back with another track… And just like the previous one, this is up-tempo chilled stuff… Huge, floating melodic pads of epic proportions are mixed with a well-defined, though kinda commercial rhythm section… Would mix well with an Antix or Gaudium track… It’s nice and well-produced, but there’s nothing here I haven’t heard a billion times before… #09: Alex Scheffer – Sparkley Area Another Cell-track following a Sundial track… I see a pattern forming! This track is similar to the first one – though with a slightly more murky appearance… But it’s still smile-inducing, Cell-like, lush downbeat… Lovely! #10: True To Nature – Ghetto Tom Von Rosen & Jokke Ilsøe from Copenhagen, Denmark have released a number of progressive/house tracks + three 12” singles – and sure enough, this is progressive house disguised as downbeat… Rich, tribal, groovy and totally danceable is not something you’d expect to find on a chill-out compilation, but it works really here… Would work very well as a transition track in a set going from downtempo to upbeat… Yummy! #11: True To Nature feat. Tusnelda – Subside On the final track the guys are joined by Tusnelda on vocals… We stay in housy, progressive territory here and this is also a dancefloor-slash-upbeat tune… The bass is downright evil here and the groovy is unparalleled… Totally banging and totally lush! Awesome way to finish the compilation! Well, the two final upbeat tracks were definitely the biggest surprise here – usually it’s chilled stuff from start to finish on these kinds of compilations… But with a surprise this pleasant, I’m not complaining at all… In fact, I think mixing styles like this is a brave move and once again it shows Iboga/Sofa Beats as one of the leading labels within our scene… Hats off… Again! So yeah, this is a brilliant compilation with on a couple of minor glitches… The artwork rules and everything reeks quality! Recommended to fans of eclectic, diverse, cross-over downbeat… You’ll not be disappointed! … Enjoy! Favourites: 1, 3, 4(!), 5, 7, 9, 10(!), 11(!!) DeathPosture External links: Iboga Records: http://www.iboga.dk Discogs: http://www.discogs.com/release/624620 Saiko Sounds: http://tinyurl.com/rp24a TranceShop: http://tinyurl.com/mxddk Amboworld: http://tinyurl.com/mtj9l Psyshop: http://tinyurl.com/l9n2d Wakyo: http://tinyurl.com/n2yrf Juno: http://tinyurl.com/put6a Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snapinho Posted April 13, 2007 Share Posted April 13, 2007 I've tried several times, but I can't help being not too impressed by this one. Not one song really stands out for me, and overall it sounds just a little too samey samey for me. I really dug the first two chapters, but this one just lacks that _extra_ touch for me. Couldn't find one track on there (ok, maybe one) that I would play in a chillout set and that's usually a good sign for me that it's not all that. I agree very much that Shen's Cloud Theory sounds like bluetech. Each time that song plays I think it's Bluetech's. It's a good song though. True to Nature's Ghetto is quite alright too... nice upbeat chillout. And well, what about Crowd Control? They have it in them to make good songs, really nice chillout tracks, but for me they just ruin it with those goddamn cheesy vocals. Seriously makes me want to remix their song, just to edit out the vocals. I had the same problem with Ivory Town which was on FP2. Too bad. Anyhow, as I said, this one is somewhat of a disappointment to me. Not as good as the previous two ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaFeel Posted May 29, 2007 Share Posted May 29, 2007 The 3rd part of the success full series floating point continue the great vibes such as the 1st and 2nd parts!!!Here you can find beautiful relaxed rythms, with nice groovy beats and nice vibe!!!i recommend to hear this compilation with good company and close to the sea, in the afternoon when the sun is ready is ready to be hidden!!!You will feel wonderfull!!! Best track is the Sirens from the russian duo (Daniel Roeth & Vladimir Sedov)!!! My rating 9/10! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaFeel Posted May 29, 2007 Share Posted May 29, 2007 Amazing cover too!!!You can understand what sounds you will hear in this disc... Great work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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