johnb820 Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Second Phaze probably sounds different thanks to Christer's influence as I hear a strong parallel between this album and To Sirius. But hey, I don't pretend to know how they made this album and who had the most input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penzoline Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 Second Phaze probably sounds different thanks to Christer's influence as I hear a strong parallel between this album and To Sirius. But hey, I don't pretend to know how they made this album and who had the most input. I was going to post about this exact thing but you had already done it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HolyLight Posted September 18, 2020 Share Posted September 18, 2020 Yeah the similarities between this album and the Ra albums is undeniable. And in all the best ways. And it's no surprise then that one of the members of the Ra project contributed to this album. To me this is a combination of the colder, and slightly scaled back nordic Goa sound, and the hyper-psychedelic Goa approach characteristic of the other albums in the Dimension 5 catalogue. This album to my ears atleast, has touch points with Miranda's Northern Lights and Asynja albums. And of course shares features with the two Ra albums To Sirius and 9th. It becomes immediatelly obvious, if you play Second Phaze and the abovementioned Ra albums in successive order. It is by all accounts also a cosmic themed album, just like the other Dimension 5 albums. It's just another interpretation of this theme and to me atleast represents a refinement of some elements. From a technical standpoint I find this album to be very satisfying, as it has a clean-cut, balanced sound image which I find welcoming after listening to lots of more layer-dense 90's goa. It's by no means minimal, but the layers feel less like they are competing for your attention, and form a cohesive whole where you can select where to put your focus, while not being overwhelmed by the layers. And this also a trademark of the Ra - To Sirius album. At times this album feels more dreamy and nostalgic than the other Dimension 5 albums. Perhaps hypnotic would be an apt description, some tracks on this album display a cold soothing quality as well. Which I think stems from the nordic input on this album. However, instead of a Northern Lights phenomena in the earth's sky, like on the Miranda album, this album greets you with a color display far out in space. Where the galaxies dance around in caleidoscopic delight, shimmering with charged particles and glowing celestial wonders set within a five-dimensional space. One aspect that this album features, that I'm missing a bit on the Ra - 9th album, are the TB-303 patterns. This album makes good use of those acidic flavours so characteristic for the little silverbox. This album isn't as oriental in nature as the Ra albums either, that however doesn't mean that it is completely absent here. There is for example a very nice eastern inspired flute melody in one track. So for me the similarites between Second Phaze and the Ra albums can be subtle, but when you start to compare the albums you'll be rewarded with small hints here and there. So if you haven't heard this album yet and is a fan of the Ra albums. I definitely think you should check this album out. Don't go into this album expecting a Transdimensional 2.0, that way you'll only set yourself up for disappointment. Rather approach this as yet another style and theme, alongside the Transdimensional and Ra themes. Now I'm only waiting for a remaster of this gem. That would be a spectacle worth perpetual celebration not just on planet earth, but elsewhere in our universe as well, where this album resonates strongly with its habitants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HolyLight Posted September 18, 2020 Share Posted September 18, 2020 And btw does anyone know why Dimension 5 hasn't made a comeback? I would love to hear what they could come up with today. In the same way that Ra joined the goa resurrection in the mid 2000's. If they ever decide to make another Dimension 5 album, I would love to hear what direction they could take the Second Phaze and Transdimensional styles. With todays technology, preferably in tandem with some old analogue and virtual analogue synthesizers as well. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astralprojection Posted September 19, 2020 Share Posted September 19, 2020 man.. a new dimension album would be nearly or identical as exciting as a new AP album. maybe they just got old 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HolyLight Posted September 19, 2020 Share Posted September 19, 2020 3 hours ago, astralprojection said: man.. a new dimension album would be nearly or identical as exciting as a new AP album. maybe they just got old Yeah but atleast Christer Borge-Lunde is still active so I mean if he can still make kick-ass goa after all these years l don't see why it couldn't happen. That beeing said the odds aren't exactly the best since so many years have passed. But hey who knows perhaps some of the ex D5 members might've been doing goa at home and just not felt for releasing it? Or the magic that came from them working together as a team, never really was there anymore if they split up? I think an important factor, is that Christer Borge-Lunde never really quit. So he maintained his goa skills. But I imagine one never really forgets the craft, but perhaps they're not interested in the genre in the same way anymore? The original inspiration/vision they had as a team to make this music might not be there anymore. I still think it's a bit sad in one way, because there are still veterans who make some good music. But then there's of course the possibility that if they continued making music that the direction could've shifted entirely, perhaps towards full-on, psy, prog or something. And in that case I think the untarnished legacy they left behind was the best possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Padmapani Posted September 19, 2020 Share Posted September 19, 2020 5 hours ago, AstralSphinx said: Yeah but atleast Christer Borge-Lunde is still active so I mean if he can still make kick-ass goa after all these years l don't see why it couldn't happen. iirc the people from suntrip said that earthcall was the last uptempo release by ra? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HolyLight Posted September 19, 2020 Share Posted September 19, 2020 1 hour ago, Padmapani said: iirc the people from suntrip said that earthcall was the last uptempo release by ra? I don't doubt that. But does that mean that he somehow lost his ability to produce goa, if he should like to do so again? And I didn't know that they stopped with uptempo. I would've formulated myself differently if I knew. Anyways too bad! Hope they make some uptempo goa again. What I meant was that Ra managed to produce goa after the golden age. So if the D5 crew hypothetically would assemble again, could they create some nice goa again? I don't know but I wanna keep the dream alive. Third Phaze BELIEVE! I always wonder how they did produce albums with so many members of the group. Like who did what? So fascinating, who contributed the most to the overall sound? Were they all equally good with the synthesizers, or did one perhaps specialize in the mixing part for example? It must've been very handy back then for sure to have several people doing filter sweeps and manual mixing desk fader automation etc during recording. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Padmapani Posted September 19, 2020 Share Posted September 19, 2020 3 hours ago, AstralSphinx said: Hope they make some uptempo goa again. I don't know but I wanna keep the dream alive. Third Phaze BELIEVE! I always wonder how they did produce albums with so many members of the group. Like who did what? So fascinating, who contributed the most to the overall sound? Were they all equally good with the synthesizers, or did one perhaps specialize in the mixing part for example? It must've been very handy back then for sure to have several people doing filter sweeps and manual mixing desk fader automation etc during recording. me too. i want to believe no idea here. same with the original etnica lineup. i guess the most efficient way for differentiation of labour, where everyone specialises in one aspect, would be synthesis, writing the parts, sequencing, mixing. but then they wouldn't be working together as much as one after the other. some sort of "you're our 303 player, while i play the 101 and the third guy mans the drum machine" would also be a little strange… 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HolyLight Posted September 19, 2020 Share Posted September 19, 2020 22 minutes ago, Padmapani said: me too. i want to believe no idea here. same with the original etnica lineup. i guess the most efficient way for differentiation of labour, where everyone specialises in one aspect, would be synthesis, writing the parts, sequencing, mixing. but then they wouldn't be working together as much as one after the other. some sort of "you're our 303 player, while i play the 101 and the third guy mans the drum machine" would also be a little strange… Yeah that's exactly what I'm thinking and it doesn't make sense like a rock band setup. "Maaan you should hear Max! He's a wicked 303 bass player!" "Ooh great! He should totally meet this TR-909 drummer I know, he programs some killer 4/4 beats. With some mean snare rolls to boot!" But then again who knows, considering many of the goa acts of the first gen were previously in synth, metal, punk bands etc. This makes me think of the sleeve notes on UX - Ultimate Experince regarding their live setup at the time, which I think is somewhat similar these days perhaps? "All tracks written, produced & aurally sculptured at the U.X particle accelerator. UX live are: Kris Kylven: electronic drums RX Heaven: keyboards & midi guitar Pete Martin: keyboards & samplers [editor's note: these are not the credits for the album, this live line-up has varied throughout the years]" *copy pasted from discogs 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HolyLight Posted September 21, 2020 Share Posted September 21, 2020 So what's the opinion here on the two different cover artworks that were available for this album? Do you prefer the Blue Moon Productions version? Or the Velvet Inc./GTN (Global Trance Network) version? I think both are cool, but the Blue Moon Productions one is far superior. It just feels more psychedelic and inspired. And also fits better with the artwork of the previous album Transdimensional, in terms of having a graphic identity which is instantly recognizeable. And besides that I also think it reflects the colors of the music more accurately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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