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MFG - Project Genesis


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On 6/26/2007 at 5:49 PM, Jon Cocco said:

MFG - PROJECT GENESIS
1998
PHONOKOL RECORDS


http://www.psynews.org/media/covers/projectg.jpg


Track listing:

01. 00'41" Intro
02. 07'30" Intelligent Machine
03. 07'34" Project Genesis
04. 08'08" Open Mind
05. 08'12" Why?
06. 08'27" Voices
07. 07'41" Sunshine
08. 08'02" On Mars
09. 07'42" The Creation
10. 09'29" Metamorphosis

PROJECT GENESIS is my favorite MFG album, though I find New Kind of World and The Message strong too, though NKoW is more classic. Initially I was drawn to the darker style here. This was one of the first dark Goa-Trance albums I heard. It's also a rare and a different (dark, edgy) approach from MFG's previous album. For those who forget what addictive melodies sound like, I highly recommend going back to some of these older Goa-Trance albums by Astral Projection, MFG, Hallucinogen, Pleiadians, Cosmosis, Transwave, etc. MFG is smart like Astral Projection in that they put the super songs in the middle of the album. They build up to them. Yet somewhere close by, there's always a weaker track, e.g., Voices on this album. I recommend listening to this album at night with ear buds when doing something, exercising, driving, maybe laying down visualizing. I find this album so nostalgia, fused with the excellent driving melodies, rhythms, and super songs, it's one of my GO TO Goa albums. I always come back to this one. It's one of my all time favorite albums in the genre. And yet there's albums I enjoy less that I'd give higher scores to!

01. Intro is too short to score. It involves little more than slow psy ambient notes that connect to..

02. Intelligent Machine is the opening song after all. It's driving and has some cool melodies. The aggressive drum combo around 3:38 fronts a nice melody and rhythm. The sample is dark, the way it sounds and what's said. As it ends a strong leading melody begins at around 5:12 and I won't hint the rest. This is good and begins the more uncompromising tone of the album well. A-

03. Project Genesis is another strong track with a leading melody wave that takes place on and off throughout. At 6:30 is a return to the leading wave. It's great and overall I think this is a good song. It's solid and Project Genesis is moving closer to excellence. A-

04. Open Mind is more melodic and colorful, and less dark and edgy than the previous two [also great] vehicles. I really like the melody work, the synth early on, and the song's development. It's very well done, thanks to some great melody/sound work. A-

05. Why? is very interesting. I'll never forget the first time I heard this song. It was night. I wasn't paying close attention the the music. My eyes were shut. The first several minutes were pretty good but nothing exceptional...like a roller coaster in the dark, continuing to climb in anticipation. It levels out before climbing again. Will the ride be worth it? 4/5 listeners seem to think so. For me the sign of a payoff was at 5:00. There are maybe three acts, including extended buildup into a sleek, stunning climax. The end with the guys voice (something about the way the word is said, alterated, and echoed) plays excellent to the music. This is an adrenaline beast of rhythm, a super dancefloor song and my favorite track on the album and by MFG of all time if I had to choose one. The ending is leaves such an impression that it's difficult to wish the beginning came close because the entire concept is making a big impression on the listener when they least expect it, by building this tower of allure. I love how this song goes from decent or fairly good IMO to great, and then to superb. A

06. Voices begins hard and energetic. There are some nice melodies as expected from MFG's style. Simply put, the synths are unique and solid, but not as memorable nor as enjoyable as on previous tracks. Lots of energy takes place nonetheless. But the melodic ingredients at times feel less infectious because they are (to me). So yes, the song could have been more tasty and engaging but it's far from bad. There's even some catchier variety via synths in the final act. B-

07. Sunshine opens with a bang. The song has skipping voice samples that are VERY CATCHY and enhance the song... SUUN SSHHH -- SUUNN SHHIII.. The track is fairly dark and rhythmic too, rough, and sleek. The first 1-2 minutes are excellent, though repetition sets in by 3:40, until its awesome SUNSHINE chorus saves it. The second act is strong, similar to the opening two minutes with a few extra layers. MFG could have added a super synth or something more to really elevate the final third, but we get is a thick, storming rhythmic rush of sounds that are, well, quite homogenous to the first two acts without really raising the bar. The song is solid throughout with a great hook that elevates it. A-

08. On Mars is better than Voices, but fairly uneventful in the first half, save its strong power and momentum. Synths in the second half grow catchier. It has a main current/synth throughout, but that power surge is also the slight drawback. Fortunately, some blazing synths enter in the third act as well. Cool track, but unlikely to wet your panties. B+

09. The Creation is borderline uptempo. It has a nice, thick rhythm throughout and many psy scapes, but no stand out, memorable melodies, though lots of nice synth work. It's pretty good and one of the less appreciated tracks here that took me until 2016 to appreciate and enjoy. This is more IDM via Goa-Trance. It develops nicely too. It's pretty interesting/good overall, but nothing spectacular. B

10. Metamorphosis is the slowest song on the album, and also possibly the most innovative and interesting song as well. Rich, unique, gripping, and ever-changing. The song gets catchier as it progresses. The sound fusions throughout are where cyber/dark meet colorful Goa in this beautiful concoction of ingenuity, evolution, and elegance. Excellent closing track. A

Project Genesis is a super follow-up to New Kind of World. I loved this music back then and still do today in 2018. Project Genesis will surprise you in its concentrated moments and tracks. Its darker, more powerful and Cybernetic / Sci-Fi influenced approach at times makes for a tour de force in Psy/Goa-Trance. That said, the album's not for everyone. This has a very distinct UNCONVENTIONAL sound, and is one of my favorite Goa albums. The only track I find fairly weak or less strong is Voices. After their less layered [comparatively speaking] but still VERY GOOD follow up album to this third one via The Message (2001), they returned with Message From God (2006), a Full On release that was just not Goa anymore despite some MFG influences. The Message (2001) is there last Goa-influenced album showcasing some very good/great work. But Project Genesis was crafted in a time when they were dishing out such phenomenal work, like a prodigy teenager full of energy, excitement, rage, and creativity. I'd still recommend The Message if you're a fan of this music. It's good and showcases some great work. Still as overall main albums go, there was a love and a kinetic energy that was last heard to this most fierce PURE GOA degrees from them on THIS ALBUM. MFG peeked with New Kind of World + Project Genesis in terms of PURE GOA. 

MFG -- THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS GREAT RELEASE THAT SOME PEOPLE COMPLETELY MISSED OR DIDN'T GRASP  BACK IT IN 1998. 

Favorite songs: 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10
A-

 

Amazing review Jon! It takes me back in time reading it. And the music still stands like a behemoth. Unexplained, open for various interpretations. :)

Bottomline is this is smart music, you can really tell they put all their imagination in there. What always surprised me when I listen to this album and some of the other classics, is where on earth(or elsewhere) did they find the inspiration? Because there wasn’t anything that sounded like this before. It was something new and unique, and still is. It’s an extraordinary achievement! 

I like that you have come back and made additions to your review over the years Jon, as appreciation for details and music can change over time. :) Certainly as one gets older and hopefully wiser. :D 

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  • 3 weeks later...

i come back to this album a few times here and there, and always struck by the very high sound quality. alot of it reminds me of what filteria is doing on daze. but the 90s version ^^ referring only to the sound itself.

and the music is just all types of different journeys into the depths of the brain/cosmos. really one of the better albums there are of that time.

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  • 1 year later...
On 7/9/2012 at 12:14 AM, exotic said:

If there's one thing I love about MFG, it's that just when you think the track can't get any better, it does. Really kickass music!!! 10/10

Yes!!!

I've been replaying MFG's first four album's recently and enjoying them so much. I also really like their 4th album (The Message, 2001) and appreciate the psytrance with Goa influences approach being that it's thankfully NOT like their fifth album (Message From God, 2006) that sounded too formulaic and routine via Full On structure, bass line, beat, and also lacked layers (stems/waves), atmosphere, visionary ambition, detail, and imagination-- though some of the accents and melodies were catchy/good/classic MFG associations, the overall 2006 album paled in comparison to their first four.

WHY? s still my favourite MFG track 20+ years later. It's amazing how just one word can be so powerful and influential. But their are numerous MFG tracks I enjoy listening to more frequently if that makes sense, songs I find more fun and easily accessible, and yet that song is something special.

Literally asking God WHY? ... Just-- Why?

There is so much meaning in this track that can be interpreted and related to differently, personally, by so many people in so many ways. A song with intent and meaning if I ever heard one, WHY? IMO is outstanding, not just on a technical, visceral level, but on an existential, philosophical one as well. 

Despite some constructive criticisms, e.g., Voices is still the weakest song IMO, and the first half of On Mars and The Creation respectively could have been more eventful and interesting/satisfying, Project Genesis is a cybernetic fan's wet dream and one of the best Goa albums ever produced. 

This deserves a re-mastering to clear up those muddled stems/waves from old mastering (I presume) which would bring this album to a whole new level greatness.

PS:  Not sure what happened to Phonokol anymore. I ordered so many albums from them in the 90's and guessing they don't exist anymore, as their web address appears invalid. Oh well. What's meant to be will be. It's a super album regardless.

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  • 1 month later...

If any album deservers a remaster it's this one. A lot of the tracks are, like you said, quite muddy. Just about anything from this era of MFG has bad mixing, which is a total shame. You can EQ the tracks for sure, but it only masks the problem a little bit.

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