X-Dream - Radio

[Guest x-dream[at]heaven[dot]org]

where are melodies? 6/10

[Guest trancer24[at]hotmail[dot]com]

[[[[[[ THIS ALBUM CHANGED EVERYTHING ]]]]]]

 

10/10

[Guest Tchankov I.V.]

That's incredible! Words are beyond their power to express what this album DOES

to your entity, your soul, whatever! Also this album is a landmark in the

devastating chaos, when GOA was on decline and the future ways of the

psychedelic music were not defined yet...Kudos to X-Dream, the saviour! As to

the sound - it was said enough already: A MUST HAVE! Personal faves are

2,4,6,8, but they may shift by "-1" from time to time, depending of my mood.

) 9,5/10 from Tchankov I.V.

[Guest NFalke666[at]aol[dot]com]

I've had this CD for almost half a year, and Psychomachine is still one of my

all time fav songs

[Guest George]

Can people stop saying this is minimalist! It isn't!

Over all, this is a very good album, but, to be honest, it does sound a little

bit dated now. It's still a great listen, but it isn't as fresh as a lot of

psy-trance these days. Some of the vocal samples are pretty annoying as well

(that american bird has got such a rubbish voice!) apart from the last one:

"It flips out of your control...Or what you think is your control...". I like

this because of its ambiguity. She could mean, what you generally think is

your control, in fact, isn't and that some other greater force is in control

of your trip. Or she could mean that, in fact, you are still in control of

what's happening and that's the scary thing. That all of the trippy madness

is, in fact, being controlled by you and it has all just been buried deep in

your subconcious somewhere. Scary shit...

[khogg]

Another good album by X-dream. Their sound changed with Radio. It's deeper,

darker, and more powerful. Less goa and more psytrance, I think. Not really

minimal though. Favorite tracks: Freak, Electromagnetic, Telegram, Oscillator,

and Out of Control. Get it for sure.

[Guest G]

oy dude before me - you left out "The Frog". Fucking mad track. This one always

gets things rolling......

[psychotronic]

PSYCHOMACHINE!!!!!!!!!!!! WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!this is AMAZING.

[Guest martin_m[at]marihuana[dot]com]

dynamic bass kickin by the 2 germans.i a great piece of

work...................................E X E L E N T !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

10/10

[Guest thyran[at]hotmail[dot]com]

my opinion is that its great! im not used to this genre of music but im really

falling in love with it! what-ever style it is (goa or psytrance whatever) its

suberb!!

[Guest [Anonymous]]

Psychomachine is one of the best tracks i've ever heard, freak and the frog are

awsome too.

[Guest yourpast[at]earthlink[dot]net]

Excellent! My favorite are Freak, Radio. Very nice.

[Guest [Anonymous]]

IN one word: "Frog". 10/10

[Guest amorphia*GR]

MASTERPIECE...CLASSIC...WHAT THE HELL R U WAITING FOR?G-E-T I-T!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

X Dream Rules!!!! One of the best albums ever made for sure...

[Guest [Anonymous]]

Psychomachine is the most amazing song i have ever heard in my life!!!!!!!10/10

[Guest faltsan]

fanily got my hand on it from tower records web site, and from first lisening i

can tell that its reall good, stil have to explore it but this is atop trance

music 10/10

[Mike D]

After wating many a year to get my copy of this album, I must admit I am sorely

let down. Yes, this has great prduction and also for ti's time great iodea's,

but so much more has been done since then. I think that when compared to

Irritant, Radio sounds like most other full onstyle around. I think that this

album may have been thebe all and end all of it's era, '98 circa, but vompared

to other high standar music since then, it falls short by a long argin.

Personally, I think that their first 2 albums and irritant levae radio far

behind. Frog alon is the only memorable track for me as it was a great use

and display of sampling natural effects.

[seraph]

VERY GOOD album...It is very dark and progressive psychedelic madness. The

style is rather changed then their prebious albums but they are still using

their unique sounds. It is even funny at the times but in general it is pretty

serious album that will leave no one cold, or it may make someone cold. The

best songs are : RADIO, FREAK, TELEGRAM, FROG, PSYCHOMACHINE, OSCILLATOR...9/10

[SkeletonMan]

I've been somewhat hesitant to comment this album. How do you comment THE essential album by a trance duo that has been in the business since day one? From the spooky radio sample (1:30) in opening track Radio to the frog sounds in The Frog, this is X-Dream presenting the ephihany of late nineties dark, deep, down, and dirty psytrance! And überly psychedelic with so much going on this album will guarantee countless trips to outer space trippin' on the dance floors around the world. Or at home with a pair of high quality headphones and the volume at a steady 6 o'clock.

 

All tracks here have their own personality, but my favourite is Psychomachine. Starting with a monster of a bass from the low (!) frequencies, with some creepy FX setting in at 0:55, all hail the dj podium from 1:58 and start moving in sync. Cause you wanna trip with good people around you to get the full effect of what X-Dream are fording you to deal with here! Monster sounds, loads of different sections each with the X-Dream trademark insisting evil, all packed in flawless production, you somehow cannot help but to just obey this track.

 

Like the sample in Telegram (7:05) so explicitely puts it: Things are moving so fast in my head that I'm starting to edit ... like a telegram. An absolute essential in any trance collection. Correction. In ANY music collection.

 

And 15 years along these guys still make interesting music ... Rough & Rush, take a bow!

[Jon Cocco]

X-DREAM - RADIO

1998

BLUEROOM RECORDS

 

 

 

 

Track list:

 

01. 09'52" Radio

02. 09'27" Freak

03. 08'33" Electromagnetic

04. 09'25" Telegram

05. 07'59" The Frog

06. 08'00" Psychomachine

07. 10'08" Oscillator

08. 07'58" Out Of Your Control

 

 

Ladies and Gentlemen, X-Dreams Radio is an awesome album.

 

Nine plus years later this is one of the coolest Goa/Psy-Trance albums ever made. Some people argued that this isn't Goa. To me it sounds like an excellent Psy-Trance album with Goa influence throughout. Naturally we're talking about X-Dream here who contributed to making some of the first and best Goa-Tracks ever assuming The 5th Dimension on their Trip to Trancelyvania album was really made in 1993.

 

What makes Radio some awesome? For starters the level of excellence in virtually every track, the super songs(!), the super style. This is a provocative, stylish, groovy album and I love it.

 

I was never in love with X-Dreams side projects such as The Delta or Children of Paradise. I own both of them and have listened to them attentively. Both side projects have several excellent songs on them I find, but they fail to capture me throughout. They have few songs that really utilize the style and sound to craft an excellent or superb song. Repetition is not a rare thiing and super songs are fewer and further between. Nonetheless The Delta's debut album and Children of Paradise were and still are cool in their own right. Nevertheless I highly recommend Radio over side projects The Delta and Children of Paradise. And overall I find the dark style here fun!

 

 

01. Radio is an excellent opening song. The mysterious, grainy radio introduction to the song is brooding, and s [spooky] as SkeletonMan put it. The pulsating beat at 1:40 is great, played continuously to a skipping female voice. The sounds and elements are played to excellent effect. It's the sounds X-Dream chooses, where they place them, and how they're used which makes this song so superb. This is an excellent ignition track with substance, style, and wonderful chemistry throughout. Listen to the Goa melody around 4:28 as it swims into the mix. I think this is an awesome song. A-

 

02. Freak is an excellent, energetic driving song filled with deep, pushing melodies and aggression. It's an extremely well mixed song too as is quite common on this album. I love the skipping melody in the beginning as it's soon removed in the first minute in place of too many things. A Goa melody sprouts at 3:08 which will be the first real leading melody on the album to me. This also fronts the energy of the song which has now developed more stamina and endurance. More melodies are intoduced on top and around this main melody. The melodies are removed and the song drives along to many interesting, bubbling landscapes. A very cool melody quietly enters the mix at around 6:20 and rises into focus. Everything lowers into transition without beat or the newly born meody. Suddenly there's a wonderful return at 7:30 like a quick/thick rush! This song is dipped in enough sweet psy-sounds to near wet my panties. Fortunately I'm not overwhelmed as a listener and X-Dream actually has some wonderful melodies to lead the crisp path. This is a song Derango may want to take note of in my opinion. As with the opening song before it, Freak seems to move in one direction throughout however its direction is great, excellent. A-

 

03. Electromagnetic begins most dark and intriguing since the opening self-titled track Radio. Again the X-Dream crew have chosen some sweet sound effects and altered, distorted, and echoed the living cells out of them. They've created melodies out of some of the most unexpected, inanimate objects (so to speak as sounds) and brought them to life. The track ignites at 2:03 and begins its development during drive from there. One of the most interesting moments takes place from around 2:57 to 3:08 as nothing but a pulsating machine sound echoes. Suddenly a catchy leading melody arrives and the sound from 3:26 forward is great. Through sound effects of rushing wind arrive new tricks and treats to the rhythm. Sounds of buzzing, zipping, stirring, popping, and twisting seldom sounded so damn good. I really enjoy the leading melody around 7:28, returning from its birth at 3:10. The work invested in this song is generally very well done. Nonetheless this is the least infectious and memorable song to me so far in relationship to the first two. B+ / A-

 

04. Telegram begins with another eerie, suspenseful introduction. If these songs weren't so much fun to listen to I'd think their intro' were a preview to the next Stephen King movie. Crap I'm going to have nightmares tonight. As with Freak before, this is another raging, driving psy-beast loaded with poweful punches and kicks of sound forming rhythm. The break into silence and voice sample at 7:05 is excellent and builds relative character to the song titled track. I love how the artist involved what seems to be a beeping sound on the type writer as a melody before removing it simoutaneously with a more complex rhythm. A-

 

05. The Frog is almost funny in the concept of how the artists mixed in the frog blurp into the melody. I love the consistently chomping beat as it switches up, the emotive choir notes, general melodies, the skidding car, and the sounds of the frogs. What they did with the frog voices are not only innovative, it's fun, creative, and extremely catchy when mixed to everything else going on. Initially I found it Frog a bit too monotonous compared to the previous tracks. Some people may argue that this is or isn't a killer song. However it's successful in its own simplicity because it creates so much with less. It's a song basically built on the foundation of a frog. For years to come many artists would be attempting to recreate the successful creativity here with basic sounds to the concept. Few would be better or as original. Either way I suggest people who had mixed feelings about it back then play this again loud. It's a very well done song for not being a super dancefloor song. A-

 

06. Psychomachine is a super song. Frog was generally less driving and powerful although powerful and quite effective in its own way and right. This one has a surging, pushing rhythm coupled with some excellent melodies, sounds, special effects, and change ups in rhythm. Naturally these ingredients wouldn't be so pleasent if they weren't crafted to near perfection. The song cuts out for a cool voice bit at 5:50. It's ironic in a sense and the music returns in a rage to the sound of a smashing door. However I find this voice sample less effective, the way it fronts the returning burst of powerful music is excellent. More melodies enter the second half and braid together to the monster rhythm. If I had a gripe with any of these powerful tracks it's that they seem to be brilliant songs to get your adrenaline pumping as opposed to tell a deep story. Nonetheless for what this is it's excellent. A-

 

07. Oscillator I didn't care for the first time I heard this album. It's a very good song however, maybe great. It simply isn't as powerful as the previous tiger which is acceptable. This is a different type of song. Some of the melody work here is interesting around the less driving tunes that occasionally appear throughout the song like puddles during a rain storm. This song seems to take a handful of elements in addition to several new songs on the album and create a solid track with them. I actually enjoy the more quiet parts from 6:28 - 7:15 for instance and how they spill into the new groove created. The more quiet parts create a nice excursion to the often charging bull of Radio. B+

 

08. Out Of Your Control seems to be less popular amongst people in talking about. It begins with an interesting, atmospheric, and dark current of sounds to a slow, thumping, echoed beat. The first 2:28 minutes are basically the introduction extended until a short female voice sample at 2:31 takes place. The beat is gone a slow, catchy, gritty melody and a supporting sound of static plays to rising ambient. This becomes more engaging once a sustained melody at around 3:40. The song stays it's slow, plodding, dark ambient course until around 4:40 where the beat is removed again. At around 5:00 the beat returns with some old and newly introduced sounds. I listen patiently, attentive, and in anticipation as the drum goes into combinations around 5:50. The drum taps are catchy as is the overall song throughout the sixth minute for what this is. Nonetheless I feel like I'm waiting for something to happen that never comes. This is downbeat, downtempo, psy/ambient track. It slightly reminds me of the downtempo/ambient closing track on Battle of the Future Buddhas debut called Marsmellow (Miditation Mix). I love that song and find it more visual, motive, engaging, story telling, and deep than I ever found this one to be. Overall I find this the least enjoyable and catchy track on the album. It's somewhat interesting and different and I wish there was more development and payoff along with the suspense and buildup generated throughout. B

 

 

In conclusion, this is the strongest album X-Dream has ever released next to the wonderful We Created Our Own Happiness in my opinion. The tracks generally follow one direction but the overall fusion of sounds and energy is excellent. They build as some of the tastiest burgers on the planet. Many dark Psy albums are repetitive, noisy nightmares to me. This is one of the very few dark albums I'd say is close to the pinnicle of Dark Psy. Each track is a concoction of awesome sounds, rhythm, momentom, creativity, style, and energy with exception to the last one. The songs more or less have character, power, and some of the most suspense induced introductions I've heard in memory. They pull the listener into the world of the track without needing to make the entire album continuous to keep things going. Each and every song has and stands on its own. I have difficulty distinguishing masterpiece songs here because the entire album has so many excellent tracks. I feel that each and every song is more or less excellent for what it is with exception to the last which is good too. A track that most impressed was Frog because of the wide variety of feelings I experience when listening to it. For once in an X-Dream side project, I feel like these artists have utilized their dark style to make awesome song after excellent song. In that very same sense and regard, this album is superb.

 

 

 

Favorite songs: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6.

 

 

A-

[Oopie]

Jon, I usually like your reviews but giving electromagnetic just b+ is blasphemy. that track has everything you could hope for in a psy track. it's relentless, crushing, bombing track that distorts every concept you could have had about psy before listening to it. It builds builds and builds and in the end the vibe is so lunatic you have hard time keeping yourself sitting in the chair.

[rino]

The timeless opener Radio and the wicked and intense Freak, which still stands on solid grounds as my all time favorite X-Dream track, are honestly the only two numbers that still to this day succeed in fully captivating my attention.

 

On those extremely rare occasions when I feel like knocking the world off its axis I put on Psychomachine...

 

The rest is not necessarily bad or dated, but it's light years from being to my liking. "Radio" has IMHO lost its freshness with time, I much more prefer their 1997 "We created our happiness" release or their side project's, Children Of Paradise, "Urban alien" album, for when I'm in the mood for some technoish trance...

[Mindphilux]

in reply to the discussion on Electromagnetic:

 

i love the way that high pitched sound gets twisted and warped throughout the song... at one point it even sounds like a woman's voice.

 

every track on this CD is perfect..

[GodOfEmptiness]

Bump for this classic relase! Such interesting sound distributions and inventiveness for 1998! Try giving this one another listen if you have it lying around.

 

Radio, Psychomachine, Electromagnetic !

[simorq]

So, emusic has this album but is missing the tracks "Freak" and "Oscillator"....I have "Freak" on another album but should I get this without "Oscillator" ?