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Total Eclipse - Violent Relaxation


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Guest Diepeveen

This cd is very oldschool, and i must say that i really enjoy this! Best track

is for sure The Furnace... What incredible power!!!!!!! 9/10

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  • 5 months later...
Guest Davidtolsn

one word describes this cd: insanity. what kind of twisted mind creates such

soundscapes? this is from the time when goa wasn't formulaic. this is the type

of cd you have to be in the mood to listen to, though. it's completely full-on

and engrossing. best on a healthy dose of acid or mushrooms. another thing,

this is one of those cds that grows on you.. as it has a different sound than

any other cd (other than delta aquarids, perhaps). but sometimes, when the

time is right, and after you've opened your mind... it can be a phenomenal

experience. highly recommended. 9/10

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  • 2 months later...

STUNNING album ! Old School Goa Trance and pretty insane at the times...I

don't like 2 tracks out of both discs but other are great ! I especially like

VIRTUAL TERMINAL ENERGISED, AREA 51 , THE FURNACE ( ! ), ABSOLUTE ZERO, PULSAR

GLITCH, SPACE CLINIC form the first one and BLACK BODY RADIATION, DIAMOND RING

EFFECT, TIME DROPS ( ! ), 51 PEGASUS ( ! ), GRAVITY MIRAGE...The only one that

i really don't like is ESPANOLIZER...9/10

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  • 3 years later...

One of the best Goa albums ever made.

The dance tracks are all great especially Virtual Terminla Energized, The Furnace, Chaotic Circus and Space Clinic.

The ambinet are great again especially The Pendulum, Gravity Mirage and Espanolizer.

 

10/10

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  • 1 year later...

Space Clinic is one of the best goa choons ever when it comes to melodies. And do not forget the floor-ripping Chaotic Circus, a track that surely lives up to its name. Wish there were more of those tracks where it's one climax from A to Z.

 

The ambient disc doesn't come second. These guys must've had some good weed back then....

 

verdict: go get! :)

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I gotta say this is one of the rare albums I'm digging from the kick off down to the very last note!

I mean, mon dieu, these garcons francaises were on some other shit back then- just check that first CD out- top drawer goa trance material teaching the rest how it is to be done! The harmony is there non stop, the psychedelic rock guitar riffs which were notable on their debut are toned down in favor of some of the most blissfull and emotional old school melodies. Dance to classics like The Furnace, Chaotic Circus, Pulsar Glitch or Area 51 until you drop dead or trip to each and any of these gargantuan tunes while chilling on your sofa, the effect and rawness of these numbers should be felt either way :)

And if you by any chance feel like you haven't been given your money's worth with the disc #1, the second CD provides some mid tempo goa trance tracks in the same vein as Tandu's classic New Aura. You know, not the slow, crawling ambient, yet not the pumping, fist-in-the-air climax packed type of music, but that smooth, hypnotic stuff, drifting like whales in the darkness :)

I'm no big fan of downtempo/ambientesque stuff, but what the second part of "Violent Relaxation" has in store for the listeners is some of the sweetest and touching goan soundscapes ever created.

 

The melodies are powerful, memorable, pick any which one you want and it's bound to get stuck in your head like... forever! Pick any kick, bass line, sound effect or mood these tracks portray and astonishment is guaranteed!

Hearing a Total Eclipse live circa '95-'97 must have been an out of this world experience.

Whereas "Delta Aquarids" may sound dated, it still is, and quite probably always will be, like a big, but unpolished diamond in the rough, but "Violent Relaxation" is the french trio polishing, cutting 'n' sharpening that diamond to guarantee and secure its timeless value and eternal status as a prime example others will forever be measured against.

10/10, for each CD on its own, and a 20/10 for the album as a whole. A true masterpiece.

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  • 3 months later...

It's just ridiculous how this shit rips apart other Goa albums, at least in terms of power and creativity. It's such a clean, minimal sound with intense melodies, characteristic sound effects and heavy bass.

 

Violence is fun.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 4 months later...

Wow....... absolutely stunning album The Furnace is such a powerful song but if i have to pic a fav it has to be space clinic without any doubt........

what a catchy melody..... STUNNING :drama: :wub:

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  • 1 year later...

Total Eclipse - Violent Relaxation

1996 (Re-Released in 2003)

 

 

Posted Image

 

 

 

CD 1

 

01. 07'19" Virtual Terminal Energised

02. 07'36" Area 51

03. 09'01" The Furnace

04. 08'14" Tecknophobia

05. 07'46" Chaotic Circus

06. 07'43" Absolute Zero

07. 07'41" Pulsar Glitch

08. 07'27" Space Clinic

09. 08'19" Blue Galaxie

 

CD 2

 

01. 09'22" Espanolizer

02. 09'33" The Pendulum

03. 08'21" Black Body Radiation

04. 10'01" Diamond Ring Effect

05. 07'31" Time Drops

06. 08'12" 51 Pegasus

07. 09'40" Gravity Mirage

 

 

I'm surprised that I never wrote anything about this release earlier. The double album was re-released in 2003 which is when I bought and first heard it.

 

Each time I listen to this, I'm enamored by how gripping, deliciously textured, fluid, and psychedelic it is. The Furnace is one of the best tracks I've ever heard, and it's surrounded by great, excellent numbers, a handful of which are extremely characteristic more memorable than some of the others, still great. I don't know what more to say that hasn't been said.

 

Sometimes I hear an album and have a moment of clarity, then a sense of frustration, because more people should hear this album. It's so underrated and strong. This is what I consider a classic in electronica, not just Goa. It's a wonderful double album.

 

 

A-

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Re-release can have changes like different artwork, remastering and sometimes bonus tracks etc. It all depends on the label + artist I guess.

 

The Avatar re-release is, as I far as I know, similar to the original. Just a misprint for The Furnace (and not The Furance)

 

 

 

To stay on-topic, I'd add that this album is fantastic. I would like to make a longer review, but for now I'd just say my favourites are:

 

The Furnace (totally insane)

Chaotic Circus

Absolute Zero

Space Clinic

Espanolizer

Diamond Ring Effect

Time Drops (one of the best TE tracks ever IMO)

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  • 11 months later...

Posted Image

Artist: Total Eclipse

Title: Violent Relaxation

Label: Blue Room Released, Substance, Phonokol, Avatar

Released: 24 June 1996

Style: Goa Trance, Goambient

 

Tracklist

 

1.1 Virtual Terminal Energised 7:19

1.2 Area 51 7:36

1.3 The Furnace 9:01

1.4 Teknophobia 8:14

1.5 Chaotic Circus 7:46

1.6 Absolute Zero 7:43

1.7 Pulsar Glitch 7:41

1.8 Space Clinic 7:27

1.9 Blue Galaxie 8:19

2.1 Espanolizer 9:22

2.2 The Pendulum 9:33

2.3 Black Body Radiation 8:21

2.4 Diamond Ring Effect 10:01

2.5 Time Drops 7:31

2.6 51 Pegasus 8:12

2.7 Gravity Mirage 9:40

 

Total Eclipse used to be good, damn good in fact before he took the route that so many others took and diluted his music into something no longer worth buying. But back in 1996 when Goa was at it's peak (music wise) and Total Eclipse was still in ascendance he released this 2 disc masterpiece. Titled Violent Relaxation as the the first CD is trance whereas the second CD is more chilled. In this the last track of the first CD, Blue Galaxie, could be on the second disc as it is also a very chilled track but I guess Total Eclipse was going with the trend of finishing a Goa album that was fullon (not the genre) all the way through with a chilled number in order to bring the listener down.

 

The first CD contains some classic tracks like Area 51, Absolute Zero and Space Clinic but all tracks ooze class, drip psychedlica and are driven by hypnotic rhythms and entrancing beats. Basically it is everything that epitomizes the era of Goa trance but doesn't have any gimmick that stands out, very few samples and all tracks are extremely consistent. In this way I can always pick up this album and play it and have it stay fresh. If you miss the old sound at the same time as having listened to your old albums too much then this disc is something you should definitely have a go at listening to.

 

The second CD is what I usually listen to nowadays though, it is goa trance slowed down to comedown levels. I always liked the last track of many of the goa albums around this time and I remember wishing that more artists would release a full album in this style. I have played sets in chillout rooms that are purely based on the final tracks of these albums. CD2 is pure class, it has all the sounds that made Goa great but with much more gentle caressing beats to sooth the mind rather than rip it apart. My favourites here are the Pendulum for the first chillout track I heard with such great acidic but soft synths, Black Body Radiation for its lush bassline and Diamond Ring Effect for its intense melodies but like the first CD, all tracks are great and it's a wonderful album to listen to.

 

For best results listen to both discs back to back. Have the first CD rip your head apart and then allow the second to massage it back to health. This album is a pure synergic album as the music sounds a hell of a lot better when you listen to it as a whole than if you skip through tracks. It is still very much available to buy, even the Blue Room version is not so expensive but the re-releases on Substance and Avatar are very reasonable. Get it not just for a piece of history but also for a great piece of music.

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  • 1 year later...

This album has been reviewed very good so I do think there is much to add beside my own experience,

Indeed it's an unique album. Very energetic morning goatrance that is lovely to follow

with your brain. Check this one, if you haven't!

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