Chi-ad - Virtual Spirit

[Anoebis]

Chi-ad - Virtual Spirit

 

 

Artist: Chi-ad

Title: Virtual Spirit

Label: Ganesha

Date: 1997

 

Track listing:

 

01. 10'11" Healing Magic

02. 07'31" The Ocean Also Dreams

03. 09'26" Astral Warrior

04. 07'50" State Of Mind

05. 09'14" Serpent's Fire

06. 08'30" Inner Energy

07. 07'24" Paranormal Activity (Spooky)

08. 07'52" Organic Forms

09. 08'57" Sacred Vision

 

Review:

 

It's Not a bad CD but I'm sure Chi-ad. can do better!!! The songs from Chi-ad.

who are on compilations (like celestial, Eye Am The I, Exit Eternity, Astral

Warrior Rmx) and not on his own CD's are better than the stuff on this CD!!

Ok, most of those songs are pretty good but there are no killers on it!! Best

songs are: 1,3,5,6,7

Specially song 1 is ok... It has ancient Indian Sounds in it and he used it

very well in that song!!! It's also a pitty that there's not the Remix of

Astral Warrior on the CD because that song is much better like the original!!

Bom Shankar

[Guest ChrisdeeACiD]

Astral Warrior is just perfect. The remix is even better! Other good tracks

here are "Paranormal Activity" and "Organic Forms". Pretty good album.

[Guest "sitting-buddha"]

average album, not astounding at all, but something different to pass the time

by.

[Jon Cocco]

After really digging into this album, it's deeper than I thought.

Healing Magic is great! love the tribal/Native American influence, structure, development, and direction. Wonderful synth work with deeper undertones, spiritual aspects that I love! 

The Ocean Also Dreams is really positive, uplifting. Not as Goa-esque, varied like the opening and the samples can arguably feel a bit overused, so I understand if some like it more than others. 

Astral Warrior (orginal) is cool, grows repetitive, pretty solid overall. The remix is a lot more refined, smooth, fluid, and improved. I feel like the remix could have easily replaced this one, but maybe the remix wasn't made yet?

State of Mind is decent / good, though some parts feel less catchy than the first, more interesting set-up act.

Serpent's Fire again starts interesting but impresses me less like the previous track. Decent / good, less captivating as a whole.

Inner Energy is possibly the song I enjoy least here. It has a nice opening, but never grabs and pulls me in deeper and engages. I find it too repetitive with ideas, structure, and direction.

Paranormal Activity is more tribally. Love the flute accent and the way it's used throughout. Like a chirping bird, super catchy! Very danceable track. Here's a return to more catchy, fun approach that the album lacks to some degree.

Organic Forms (like track 2) is also chiller, deeper, melodic. Slower and pleasant combining ambient and trance. This could have been the closing track. I'd good, though no one act stands that much taller than the others. Still good!

Sacred Vision is beautiful, spiritual, tribally and a very fitting of closing the debut. The pure Goa part feels a bit too intense in contrast to the first act. I adore the slower approach and would have loved an entire down/mid-tempo version instead. Some wonderful work, but the pure Goa part surprisingly feels a bit too much here compared to the superb first 3-4 or so minutes.

Conclusion - Creative, original album in so many ways full of tribal, spiritual and organic/nature influence. Some may consider this debut a hit & miss and the middle act of the album (for me) is the least strong. Also some of the samples are arguably overused at times, here and there, and that's not every song, just a couple! That said, when it hits, it hits hard and has some really amazing work on it. Healing Magic is still one of my favourite Goa songs of all time. I don't mind the use of samples speaking personally and LOVE that song so much! Overall this flawed rare gem in numerous ways I feel has enough fire, heart, and spirit to warrant its purchase for lovers of Goa Trance. And the artist improved substantially with future releases! You can hear the passion that went into this album even if you're not a fan of every song or aspect of every track. It's wholesomely homemade from start to finish.

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

wow! this is a helluva lot better than I had anticipated... If you're into the

classic goa style, then I highly recommend this. you won't be disappointed.

[seraph]

Extremely good album...Chi -A.D. cannot ever fail...This is his first album and

for that reason is rather simple than his later stuff but as a first album,

this is really great...All songs have sense but the best ones are : THE OCEAN

ALSO DREAMS, ASTRAL WARRIOR ( ! ), STATE OF MIND, SERPENT'S FIRE, ORGANIC

FORMS, SACRED VISION....8/10

[Guest Transphere]

A sweet album filled with quality tracks ranging from full-on to ambient.

Perhaps it's not that danceable, but it sure is good music. Hightlights are:

Astral Warrior & Organic Forms. 9/10

[Guest Davidtolsn]

awesome cd! a lot better than i expected. classic old school sound with enough

variation that you don't get bored. favorites for me are astral warrior,

serpent's fire and organic forms. 8/10

[Sawfly]

Very good album, the first track is pretty painful though, the words "Healing Magic" is being said to death and it just makes everytime

Otherwise this is a great oldschool album

 

Favs: 3,4,6,7

 

8.5/10

[seraph]

the words "Healing Magic" is being said to death and it just makes  everytime

 

535027[/snapback]

I had the same problem with Astral Warrior and repetitive sampling there too...

[Mindphilux]

Love the album, love the artist, but I hate the over-use of the same samples. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Track 1 is in particular for annoying.

[Trance2MoveU]

 

Artist: Chi-A.D.
Title: Virtual Spirit
Label: Ganesha, Nova Tekk
Date: 1997

1. Healing Magic
2. The Ocean Also Dreams
3. Astral Warrior
4. State of Mind
5. Serpent's Fire
6. Inner Energy
7. Paranormal Activity (Spooky)
8. Organic Forms
9. Sacred Vision

This is the first album from Dave Young and I think wildly under appreciated.


Healing Magic- "But if the desire to resume burns brightly enough the holy people will be merciful."

I really like the tribal feel with this one, very atmospheric. It really hits home because while I don't have a drop of native American blood in me, it was my ancestors who slaughtered the Indians and forced the remaining few to spend the rest of their days in an alcoholic tailspin on the most dry and barren land the white man could find. So yeah, I can connect. What I can't connect with is the absolute sample abuse that is taking place here. Love samples, but too much is, well...too much. Love chocolate too, but that doesn't mean I want diabetes. So good atmospheric goa, but...


The Ocean Also Dreams- "The ocean is the largest surface area of our world. Here...man is far from supreme."

I'm sure the ocean is dreaming of a time when we stop spilling so much f*cking oil into it. That's what I would dream about. And I would totally do it with a mermaid.

Even at this early stage you can tell there is talent here. Long, drifting pads float above a bubbling synth and the whole thing has an ocean vibe with the sounds of seagulls. Better, but still a little sample shenanigans.


Astral Warrior- "I have seen things that you can only dream about. I have been there."

Everyone has heard this track as it is one of his most famous. The samples sound so profound and futuristic...feel like I would totally get killed in a game of scrabble with these guys. More tribal elements with the didgeridoo (thank you spell check) humming, but this is the most aggressive track yet. The bass line hammers away and the lead is particularly sharp sounding and intense. Good stuff.

State of Mind- He continues with his "soft touch" goa and it continues to sound great. The flute adds an air of mysticism as synth lines peek around the corner. One of my favorites because it flows so well.

Serpent's Fire- Yes can I get a little soul clap? His songs are so expressive, this one weeps with emotion as the melodies build. The carry like snowflakes which is kind of an odd thing to say since the track title is Serpent's Fire. But give it time, the track gets its fire as the lead rips amidst the bubbling effects. Superb.

Inner Energy- So futuristic and palpable you feel you could reach out and touch the arpeggios as they drift by. Another one that flows like a magic carpet ride.

Paranormal Activity (Spooky)- Nimble little thing isn't it? Seems like the fastest yet and it's more pure goa melodies that aren't soaked in reverb. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Delicate is a good way to describe his style on this CD. There is something other worldly about the tone in an X-files kinda way.



The truth is out there. And it's screaming to put the f*cking donut down.


Organic Forms- Warm pads speak of a sterile scientific vessel and this thing has an awesome beginning. Smooth and involving. This is less goa and more progressive or even dream trance. The simple bass line has a disco feel as the pads keep coming. So warm and fits with the theme of the album. Bra-vo.

Sacred Vision- In 1997 every artist seemed to close an album out with a downtempo track and this one is no exception. He brings the Navajo guy back and he gets all shamanistic up in here. Until it picks up about 3 minutes in and that's when I feel things went wrong. It would've been better if he left it as a closing slow jam. Show how spiritual the ancient shaman is. Show us he's got a plan and sees thing with his peyote ham sandwich and peace pipe.



"Am I gonna win the powerball? What about the NHL strike, is that thing almost over cause if I have to watch baseball I might just slam my d*ck into a car door. Where are you going? Get the f*ck back here Tonto and draw some pictures in the dirt!"

So racist.


It's easy to see why this project is a classic of the goa trance genre. Pure old school that is non intrusive yet supremely melodic. Storytelling at it's finest with slick atmosphere. It flowed like an album is supposed to and like a great actor it never broke character. Smooth goa trance with a Blade Runner feel.

Mdk

[Starkraver]

Overjoyed! Finally on good quality. No more crappy mp3's. This sounds perfect!

 

I dont mind the overuse of samples at all when it comes to Dave's music. I am so lost in the tracks that they hardly bother me.

 

This is such a beautiful album. One more must have from 1997!

[Jon Cocco]

I was feeling inspired to share more about this debut after listening through Chi-A.D.'s albums lately.

01. Healing Magic
02. The Ocean Also Dreams
03. Astral Warrior
04. State Of Mind
05. Serpent's Fire
06. Inner Energy
07. Paranormal Activity (Spooky)
08. Organic Forms
09. Sacred Vision

Hats off to this artist for producing some of the most arresting introductions to songs. I just had to get that out of the way. Each song is like a chapter to a bigger, deeper spiritual story and vision about nature, our Earth, us our world collectively, and more. Virtual Spirit was my first Chi-A.D. album. I heard the artist's song Exit Eternity on a compilation and here I am almost 30 years later. IMO Hannah of Chi-A.D. is one of the most talented, imaginative, spiritual, visionary, and ambitious artists working today. I resonated with every album to healthy degrees except for the more full on Eyes of Gaia album that I found thin on magic, mythos, depth, exploratory elements, feels, and the overall free-spirited style and approach (memorable melodies, atmosphere, structures, etc.) we all know and love. Chi-A.D. began, at least for me with--

01. Healing Magic is one of my favourite Goa songs, and what an interesting (leading us into the mystical) and developed introduction. It does a great job hooking us early on. I love how the artist playfully incorporates edgy snippets of synths early on. Some people mentioned samples being overused at times. I could see that with tracks 2 and the reprisal of the intro voice in Track 3, but I really like the Native American sampling here, as it establishes the earthy, spiritual nature of the album nicely. Moreover, there are numerous segments without them, where the music breaks out and breaths which is great. All three acts are strong, and the variety in energy, transitions, and sound/melody work keeps the chapter interesting and lively. It seems that a lot of work went into this, as it feels meticulously composed and arranged. I love the interludes. I love the dark and light, the tribal and mythical touches, synth work, the Native American sampling (very spiritual), the buildups are fun, the atmosphere, kick drum, baseline, and more. There's so many choices that make up the whole, and I love what the artist achieved. The song is danceable, fun, and has that special old-school something missing from most Goa now days. The atmospheric impact effects catchy too! All these little details add to how attractively entertaining the overall song is. I could have maybe done without a few samples saying "Healing Magic" but I'm nitpicking. This is an excellent song from start to finish.  A

02. The Ocean Also Dreams used to be my favourite song on the album, and I enjoy it to this day. I first heard it in the 90's when I was getting into New Age music like Enigma and Downtempo / Chill Out. The artist's spirituality and love for the ocean, nature, and aquatic life really shows. The music is more relaxing, floating, and harmonious than the other songs. It's also less pure / Goa heavy and that's okay. The Goa influence grows more noticeably catchier in the second act. I feel that the sample "Whales and dolphins..." repeats a bit more than necessary, and arguably (to me at least) distracts from the beautiful, organic flow of the warm harmony. Nonetheless, the sound/melody work is good, uplifting, full of heart and feels-- a pleasant, unique, and unexpected surprise, strategically placed in-between two more energetic, psychedelic numbers. The slower, emotive approach here may not be everyone's cup of tea, as it deviates in style from Track 1 and is, more or less, the black sheep on the album. I sometimes think the last act could have stood out a little more, but the song is so pleasant. Less is sometimes more. This is a wholesome track breathing with life, love, beauty, balance and harmony.  B

03. Astral Warrior -- I'll never forget the first time my friend and I put this on, captivated by the song's introduction and sample..."I have seen places that you can only dream of... I have been there..."  The intrigue, allure to this artist's introductions are fantastic. Then the buildup and suddenly BOOM! The song takes off like a race horse, full of energy and excitement, aggressive and danceable! The song could have incorporated more innovative, refreshing development in the second half, as it grows a bit repetitive in ideas and execution by the end. Some positives are the first two acts. In act 2, the interlude coupled with voice sample reignites intrigue before briefly mixing in "I have..." like an accent (cut off- catchy) along with more grit to the synths, new sound/melodies, and substance. The aggressive, dance-friendly approach won me over in the 90's and I enjoy the song to this day, though I feel that the last act runs out of steam and could have used more inventiveness and ingenuity. Still, the song has a energetically cool and badass sound throughout, and I presume the Astral Warrior Remix (superior version according to numerous listeners and myself) was not yet produced since the original inspired it, duh!  B+

04. State Of Mind continues the storytelling approach with a shorter albeit engaging, warm, and gentle introduction (one of my favourite parts of the song which is often the case with Chi-A.D.). I love how the music begins, the gentle bong-esque sound, kick drum, and Goa sound/melody work. The beat is emphasized with claps. The music grows increasingly danceable, layered, and psychedelic, though the flute or windpipe (whatever type of instrument) softens the energy a bit. The first act is excellent. In act 2 a club-esque synth enters. It's dance-friendly and though a bit typical, works, though it's bit in my face and combined with the flute or wind pipe, I often feel energetically mixed between higher energy and wanting to close my eyes. I feel like the song loses some interest and grows a bit repetitive in ideas and sounds (those opening minutes felt tighter, punchier, tastier to me), past the halfway mark. In that sense, it doesn't stand out to me as Healing Magic and Astral Warrior did, and I'm all for softer, gentler approaches to Goa. In the presence of stillness and stillness of presence is where some of the most wonderful work, clarity, peacefulness, realizations-- consciousness resides, but I digress. There are lots of good ideas throughout this song, and numerous listeners clearly favor, appreciate, and enjoy it more than myself. In my opinion, I feel that it could have been better considering how captivating those first several minutes felt. I just feel that the song's second half is unable to match or elevate how catchy and refreshing the song's first half is. And yet even in the last act, the song continues to showcases tasty/edgy synth work that I love. My challenge has something to do with those two sounds (flutey sound and the club synth) that takes me away from how much I enjoy the rest of it.  B / B+

05. Serpent's Fire packs more feels, and has an intoxicating (captivating and emotive) opening. It's beautiful, coupled with complimentary sound/melody work. The first act is really special, followed by an interlude that curiously allows opportunity for fresh growth and development (something the artist often takes full advantage of in ways that are positive). The second act maintains the feels, elevating them with higher notes. A second transition showcases edgier synths... buildup, and climax-- the fire part of the song. This part is high energy, psychedelic, stomping, and danceable, though I feel it's overall sound, arrangement, and composition could have complimented the fantasy sounds around it better, as it's execution wise, it's a bit harsh and repetitive in contrast to how gorgeous the sound/melody work is. But I love the idea of incorporating fire and my perspective may be very different if I was on the dancefloor. Still, I love the mystical/fantasy feels, melodies, and warm atmosphere throughout this track.  B+ / A-

06. Inner Energy is hooks me early on with sci-fi sounds / feels. The mixing is more dynamic in the first act, and the combination of Eastern Indian melodies along with a psychedelically wobbly accent-esque (lower pitched) synch works well early on. For me, the Eastern Indian melodies grow a bit tiresome and redundant as the song progresses. I would have loved more development, possibly in the sci-fi direction. Hearing the more minimal segments showed me what could have led been, leading to more intoxicating terrain. Alas, the artist wasn't inspired to go in that direction. Nonetheless, more complimentary changes and variety would have been nice, as the song's second half sounds fairly similar in ideas to the first. That said, the Eastern Indian melodies are nice and compliment the lower pitched undertones. Moreover, the artist finds ways to improve the music and brings virtually every established sound and melody together into a sweet fusion by the last act. The song simply feels less less memorable, interesting, captivating, and eventful to me, and that's how I felt about State of Mind to some degree.  B

07. Paranormal Activity (Spooky) has IMO such a great use of an accent-- more naturey in the form (or formless sound) of a tastefully echoed chirpy effect utilized differently throughout the track and while effectively allowing it to take a breather in all the right spots before allowing its freedom more often than not. This works so well. Around it, I find the melody/sound arrangement and composition more memorable. The song's design is full of complimentary ideas and sounds, and pops/stands out because of the accent. Listening to each act feels carefully crafted, choosing when to supply and take a beat (break) from said accents before switching it to the exact variation and timing that feels right. Maybe I just have a sweet spot for catchy/unique accents a la Khetzal, Space Cat, etc., etc. All in all, this is one of the more fun and memorable songs for me. I really like the overall tribally sound, flute, sound/melody work, and chirping bird (whatever that is) that emphasizes the danceable nature of the song that keeps things free, fun, and light.  A-

08. Organic Forms is the most chill out song here since the second song. It's deeply entrancing and floating in subtle ways and melodic. The mid-tempo ambient and trance with Psy/Goa development deeper in that's excellent, great! You could argue that it's a nice background song and very little happens, and you'd be missing the complimentary state-of-mind and the whole thing. The song is intended I infer, as are all of the chapters here, to fit into the spiritually visionary storytelling whole. Another great track!  B+ / A-

09. Sacred Vision is a conundrum for me. The first downtempo act is so earthy, beautiful, heartfelt, tribally, conscious aware/wise and mystical. As the song progresses, the second act transitions-- increasing in energy. The buildup is catchy as the song's energy increases, though it increases so much so that we shift into a seemingly less natural uptempo approach with intense and aggressive synth work that seem to underscore and overpower the magical and poignant mastery of the Navajo / Shamanic, downtempo influenced approach. While the second half of Sacred Vision incorporates some others the first half's ingredients, the song's direction becomes so energetically intense, that I feel jarred from the wondrous, uplifting, and spiritual effectiveness of the amazing opening minutes. I would have loved for the song to continue in the downtempo direction. I don't want to speculate on what inspired Sacred Vision to sound less sacred in the second half, for lack of better words. Numerous listeners also seem to have fell in love with the first half, and I think a couple refinements could have brought more joy to the whole. It's challenging for me to rate this because the first chunk of it is no less than a solid A.  B+ / A-

CONCLUSION

Virtual Spirit is full of passion, beauty, innovation, and imagination from start to finish. There are no bad tracks here. The debut showcases sensitive, emotional, and heartfelt songs and elements, along with numbers carrying fire and intensity. Although I find Anno Domini superior and one of the best sequel albums in Goa Trance, everyone starts somewhere, and for a debut, the pros far outweigh the cons. Every song seems mindfully crafted with love and care. If not for taking risks, we wouldn't have hits like Sacred Healing, Astral Warrior (which naturally inspired the improved remix), the fun dance track Paranormal Activity (Spooky), and more. Naturally, when it comes to songs and albums, we all have our favorites. Not everyone is going to like or love everything.

That said, my biggest constructive criticism if I were to provide one, is that there are a couple tracks, or parts of tracks (4, 5, 6, 9) where things start off great, except for (at some point) a certain synth, sound, idea, or change in composition and direction that sounds less synergistic to me, from the rest of the track. This is probably most notable in Sacred Vision, a beautiful piece of work that shines brightest in the song's first half. For me this is also apparent in the type of Fire approach a la Serpent's Fire. I love the idea. I just like the execution, e.g., sound selection and arrangement/approach could have sounded more synergistic, complimentary, and satisfying  to the other sounds. The Ocean Also Dreams on the other hand could have used a few less repeating samples IMO. That said, creative freedom is essential, and without it, Chi-A.D. wouldn't have created so many beloved treasures, so I praise the risk-taking, even if some inspire feedback via constructive criticism.

For me, Chi-A.D.'s music is more than music. It symbolizes, deeper, more expansive, higher consciousness. I consider Chi-A.D. one of the best electronic artists, right up there with Astral Projection, Hallucinogen, Juno Reactor, Pleiadians, Cosmosis, Transwave, MFG, Khetzal, Filteria-- the best of the best. It's so interesting and inspiring to hear how far this artist has evolved since 1997, like ripples in a galaxy, flowing throughout the Universe. Through every choice-- every moment of being and forgiveness allows us to untangle our consciousness from the split / separation-- from the fear and guilt associated with our collective consciousness-- from our falling out with Infinite Creator / unconditional love, IMO, hence duality, the lower realms-- and inspiration to ascend higher-- to be whole again, beyond space and time in ways that are positive. But I digress! Something tells me that we have yet to fully experience and comprehend how deep this all goes regarding spiritual influences and intentions beyond [that inspires] the music. I'm personally, and believe more of us collectively are becoming more conscious-- whatever that means in respect to where we are headed, a higher octave [vibration] of love. Thank you Hanna for producing so much wonderful from your heart and soul over these decades. 

Highlights: 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, and the first half of 9.

B+  if I were to grade it, and I'm caring for ratings less and less as I get older because, spiritually speaking ,it just feels so subjective for me to slap a grade on something as if that's the answer when it's subjective. I love you for appreciating my reviews over the years when I had more time and interest writing them (circa 2000 to 2018-ish). How time flies. Pretty soon we'll be living in the 4th dimension (on the way to the 5th), and remember there's truth to everything that's said, so we'll see each other in the expansion for real at some point 

Love and light

 

PS:  Chi-A.D. Official YouTube
Check out her song Into the Light... just beautiful ... A