Spectral - Celtic Alchemy

[Guest chu42f[at]bangor[dot]ac[dot]uk]

Spectral - Celtic Alchemy

 

Artist: Spectral

Title: Celtic Alchemy

Label: Blue Room

Date: 1996

 

Track listing:

 

01. 07'07" Celtic Alchemy (Nothing Is True Mix)

02. 07'36" Kundalini

03. 07'16" Moonstone

04. 06'25" Celtic Alchemy (Magical Circles Mix)

 

Review:

 

very early goa trance,exellently produced. Moonstone is the first "goa" track

I came across and from then on there was no looking back. Also a good few

tracks to convert the non initiated as spectral are quite accessible. Is

available on vinyl to however moonstone& kundalini are on a separate

12" 10/10

[Guest [Anonymous]]

one of the best tracks i have heard in any form of

music---brilliant!!!

[Guest Ehsanur]

Ingenious music...

10/10

 

Eshanti brahman

[Guest [Anonymous]]

Masterpiece.

[Guest [Anonymous]]

Absolutely fantastic. Light years ahead of its time, the entire LP is a work of

art. Every good DJ should have a copy...

[Guest [Anonymous]]

Just got a copy on CD! Must be one of the few EP's available that way. I love

it. Soooo beautiful. It has already been said: "excellently produced" & "ahead

of its time." So true. I'm listening to it right now and can only say this: so

nice, so very very nice, and smooth, groovy, with ear pleasing sounds.

[Trance2MoveU]

Artist: Spectral
Title: Celtic Alchemy
Label: Blue Room Released
Date: July, 1996

1. Celtic Alchemy (Nothing Is True Mix) (7:07)
2. Kundalini (7:37)
3. Moonstone (7:17)
4. Celtic Alchemy (Magical Circles Mix) (6:25)


I thought I would tackle an old school release as I came across this Ep. I have searched the net and haven't found a negative remark about it. People here called it ahead of their time with great production. Spectral is Jean-Loup Kehrig & Thierry Gotti and they have been doing their thing since 1994. They released several Ep's and an album that went in a different direction called Diffuse in 2000. Blue Room Released is one of the seminal labels for goa trance back in the day releasing many of the gold standards such as Mystical Experiences by Infinity Project, Alien Protein by Etnica and Beyond the Infinite by Juno Rector. As I have mentioned before I missed out on this wonderful era, so I spend a lot of my time hunting down these rare and hard to find releases so I can get a glimpse of what the masters had done. This is from 1996...14 years ago. Think about that..We fell in love with Jerry Maguire, Los Del Rio spent 14 weeks at number one with the Macarena, and this is a cell phone from that era:

 

That was actually my cell phone until a year ago. It would still be mine if I hadn't dropped it off a mountain.

Would be pretty difficult to watch Avatar on that.

Times and technology have most assuredly changed and mostly for the better. I can only imagine what these guys could've created if they had software to make their tracks. Or maybe, that was why they were so good because they spent the time and meticulously composed each note rather than cut and paste.

Celtic Alchemy (Nothing is True mix)- "To be given a potion which casts them into a deep sleep."

With a soft melody the track begins to float onward, with various ethnic sounds and chopped up chants. The melodies that come in do so gently, there is no aggression here. The pads are atmospheric and this could very well be the "kindest" goa trance I have ever heard.

Kundalini- This is the track most are familiar with as it has been on a couple of compilations. GMS remixed it (results...well...)so you know it's a classic. It has more bounce in its step than the previous track as synths echo amidst light pads. When that melody comes in at around two and a half minutes, a warm familiar feeling begins to grow. Not elaborate; just simple and well done to entrance. The break that isn't still kicks with atmosphere proving that less can be more. Pretty good track even for today.

Moonstone- I love the soft attack rates on the strings that create the mysterious atmosphere. Hell there are even the sounds of seagulls in this one. More gentle synth manipulation like a butterfly's kiss. After the chants a familiar melody fits like a well worn shoe. The ethnic percussion is also a nice touch when the melody returns.

Celtic Alchemy (Magic Circles mix)- This one begins with more dreamy pads and a soft kick/bass. Twinkling synths dance in the clouds with a lead that is in lockstep with the bass. The percussive break has a wailing, falling pad to keep the feel alive. Not a whole lot happening, but what is going on is soft and smooth. Just like your girlfriends butt.


Well that was a nice trip. I don't know if it is because the technology was inferior at the time or not, but like I previously mentioned this is the softest goa trance ever. The leads are not piled on top of each other dueling for supremacy, but are distinctive in their own right. It sounds wonderful very old school (wow, really?), so hat's off to the person who did the mastering because it is crystal clear. There was no sound competition, no business of "the leads or the kick or the bass is too loud." Just smooth, gliding and mellow trance with ethnic sensibilities added to gentle, emotional goa melodies. What a good listen and lesson on how the greatest technology is not necessarily superior to an artist skilled with his instruments.

Mdk