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V/A - Lucas Presents: God Save The Machine


psychedelic_mustache

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I didn't pay much attention to this when it came out. I suppose the recent Hallucinogen track on GT 4 soundtrack didn't impress and TIP World stuff not long before this release has been weak compared to how it used to be.

 

One question: Who is LUCAS?? Why is he featured in almost every song? Just curious.

 

That said...

 

Someone posted this as one of 2006's best albums in the 2006 Best releases (October) thread and I had to check it out again.

 

There's some very good work here, but none of it sounds superb to me other than the nostalgic tracklist. That's the problem. I hear a song like, yeah alright it's cool... and for the most part...that's it!! None of these songs are spectacular, superb, or a "masterpiece." Arguably few songs are great. Few tracks really stand out and grab my attention.

 

It seems what masterpiece COULD HAVE BEEN has missed ACTUALLY BEING ONE due to two artists not going completely all-out, old-skool goatrance (where it all began) as if there is some big hollywood budget where the studio is telling them what to do (fear of taking risks to make it more mainstream friendly) The artists are trying to make their song very danceable, even if that means less imagination and creativity (see: greatness) to compensate for more Full On dance floor sound. I could be wrong, but it seems to me this "trying to appeal while not completely losing old-new skool goa/psytrance roots/tones" creates limitation to how superb these songs had potential to be. With exception to few songs (opening and closing) it seems the artists are limited to a certain, structured formula even if that means stunting the growth and development their songs could have had while still being danceable and fun as hell to listen to.

 

I see some of these artists like HALLUCINOGEN and PROMETHEUS which instantly grab my eye. The first delivers a pretty good song I suppose, nothing impressive aside from some good melodies towards the end. The song by HALLUCINOGEN doesn't seem that interesting or intriguing for the majority which I found odd. Sure it sounds cool, and I was thinking of something more arresting from one of the greatest goa/psy trance artists in the world according to so many. The PROMETHEUS song delivers and is one of the best on the album, it's good.

 

Tracks 4, 5, and 8 on the other hand are nothing special and pretty weak. They're OKAY, average, decent more or less, not good I feel.

 

You'd think these artists would go all-out indivudually to bring fourth one of the best, most excellent songs of their career to re-emphasize the greatness of why they (their work) is so superb, to let loose a huge stomper for this whatever-year-old occasion and theme it is. Few of these artists seem to have acknolwedged or have cared to acknowledge the importance of why they're on this comp. I assume the initial goal was to make it magical and it ended up coming down to hit-and-miss for reasons that go beyond my my understanding. Nonetheless this is one of TIP's best releases in years but when you put things in perspective...

 

I agree with others.. this comp could have been amazing. Some tracks are very groovy, occasionally fun, and the tracklist is great/nostalgic. It has songs that seem very danceable. This is probably one of the better or best comps of 2006 along with one of the biggest disappointments due to not meeting expectations since the great artists on here, including Hallucinogen seemed to create almost anything but superb. I don't think there are any bad songs although several are very weak IMHO, some decent and above average, few good. If these were any other artists I'm sure more slack would have be given. TIP World finally released something good in 2006 and maybe it's biggest flaw is that it's not the great thing many would have loved it to be. It's still cool. Naturally, this isn't 1996-98 anymore. You can't eat your cake and have it too, and regardless...some songs here could have been much better than they are. ;)

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I thought it was pretty good even today. Not sure what the attraction to Eat Static is. I don't think I have heard a track by them that was anything approaching good. And the one here further reinforces that theory IMHO. *ducks from flaming dog poo thrown by Eat Static bunnies!* Not my cup of tea I suppose.

 

I think I liked the Dickster and Sybarite track the best.

 

Mdk

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  • 1 year later...

This is typical "grows-on-you" music. You just have to feel the grooves and you be in the right mood. Check out "VA - Wingmakers - Beyondwards and Upwards" on Nano Records, it's nearly the same just with pogo than lucas (and no Hallucinogen).

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Create a Hippy is the standout track for me here. Such a great bass (emphesis on the 1st and 3rd quarter-beat, 3rd being one octave higher) very hypnotic. I wish i would dig GOA more but for some reason i like this "GOA full on" better than both GOA and normal full on.

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Still a great solid release after 4 years. None of the tracks annoye me which is great for a V/A release. It strikes me that a lot of the tracks have more depth than other full on, are more subtle arranged while maintaining the groove. Some of these tracks are made to listen on a huge professional sound system and to dance and freak out to.

I read on Lucas's myspace he is preparing a follow up. Can't wait...could be even better. I hope he will maintain originality over commerciality.

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"You might catch yourself sliding into a hallucinatory state after this is all over...if you do, just relax and enjoy it."

 

So...TIP Records goes down, then you have TIP World. It subsequently goes down, and then Raja Ram resurrects TIP Records. Oh what a tangled web. This release was a quality psytrance bomb. Took full on, put the psychedelia back into it and then flirted with goa. That's how you get people to start paying attention. Lucas O'Brien (who as Lucas is on every track) cut his teeth during his tenure as label manager for Flying Rhino so one assumes he knows his way around the psychedelic world.

 

He delivers. Thumping beats, growling 303's, and more futuristic samples than you can shake a stick at. This came out when full-on was at it's height of...lowness. Generic, cut and paste drivel that hardly challenged the mind. Call this a kick down the door moment.

 

The Simon Posford bunnies I'm sure were out in full force as he makes an appearance with his typical way out there style. Still don't get the attraction of Eat Static, but that's just me. Every other track here is well done and oozes quality. Hard to find a physical copy though.

 

Mdk

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  • 4 years later...

I'm listening to this as I type, and I have to say I just don't get the hype. Sure it is a little bit better than generic full on, which is to say that it is just slightly less crap than a steaming pile. The only tracks with any individuality are the opening, the Hallucinogen track (which is not so special imho) and the Prometheus track which at least has an actual melody. The rest have moments here and there but are otherwise dominated by that maddeningly samey full on bass line and extra cheesy "psychedelic" samples. Meh. Moving on. ~*~

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