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O.O.O.D - Free Range


NEMO.BOFH

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Love this album... haven't heard it in any parties yet (though I will! Voice of Cod/O.O.O.D. is coming to Israel in about 3 weeks and I'm definitely there...), but I did jog with it playing a number of times... that Batman track just kills me :) I've been running like 30-40 minutes and then suddenly this starts... even though I'm out of breath, I just can't help myself laughing out loud... hehe :)

 

This album is really groovy, really beatish... really makes me want to move. So full of humour in each and every part of it... I love it.

 

Sometimes you want the hard-core, no-games, artistic and pure melodies, a-la Jikkenteki, and some times you just want something to enjoy, to laugh at and with, to make you squirm in your seat, and then jump up and start moving... this is just it.

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Voice of Cod/O.O.O.D. is coming to Israel in about 3 weeks and I'm definitely there...

Just so you know, and despite what it said on the version of the flyer that you and I have obviously both seen, Voice of Cod has not been booked for this party, and OOOD will not be playing live. However Rama and Ryo from the band WILL be DJing, and hopefully will be playing more than a few tracks from the album! They are two of my very favourite DJs ever and I'm very sure that they'll totally rock the dancefloor. :D

 

Thanks to everyone for your kind words about the album :)

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However Rama and Ryo from the band WILL be DJing, and hopefully will be playing more than a few tracks from the album! They are two of my very favourite DJs ever and I'm very sure that they'll totally rock the dancefloor. :D

:o :o :o :o :o:D :D :D :D :D

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I love this album! It grows on me every listen. :)

I gauge myself based on the track I reach at the end of my run :D

When you get home half-way through Smoke A Lot you'll know you're ready for the marathon.

 

BTW Album review now on www.psyreviews.net...

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oh yea, i heard it first time on a bus trip and suddenly i started laughing haha

i heard it the first time while crammed in the back of a van, on the way to the bronx to go to the botanical gardens, looking up at the sky, maybe tripping a bit....

 

whoever could pull off an oood/voc party would totally rock.... :rolleyes:

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This is what Psyreviews thinks:

 

OOOD

Free Range

Organic

 

It’s a little-known – and, let’s be honest, largely insignificant – fact that without OOOD, there would be no psyreviews. Their Kundalini is THE track that kept me interested in this music, after having my curiosity piqued by those very same year-dot tracks that everyone credits. Free Range has been a long time coming, and it bloody well sounds like it too. The production hugs you, lifts you up from the conventional psytrance bottom-heavy spectrum and to have this level of musical variety on one piece of plastic is almost enough to reaffirm your faith in music. The title track kicks off funky and drops into 4-4 in one of the best set-starters ever devised; after which, Smoke A Lot flitters from glistening dub to floaty doof with a sublime elegance. The Humming is evil and hefty up to a dreamy breakdown, after which it’s evil and hefty again, and Solar Sway takes things into a sort of netherworld-y, morning-trance-cum-oldskool that isn’t exactly arresting, but is jolly nice all the same. Oh My (Good Golly Me) is one of their best efforts here. It’s brave, it’s bold, and it’s beautiful. The vox distorts and warps perfectly, the techno-pounding rig botherage is in full effect, and subtle changes make it feel like a real journey, in the manner of Prometheus’ better work. Marijuajuana has a few too many samples, but its combination of shitkicking disco and dreamhouse pads make it a winner. Rock My Soul again suffers from over-samplage, which could almost be forgiven were the tune itself not quite so wandering and noodly (or should that be nOOODly). Sorry, crap joke – but then that’s what you come to psyreviews for, isn’t it? Blue Seal is a cracker. Taking ages to start, it holds the attention perfectly with intricate hooks, suggested melodies, an array of frequencies – in short, everything this kind of music should have. It all comes together in the wonderful, warming Eye Of The Beholder; utterly wonderful, fluid, epic, dreamtime stuff… the kind of which I never thought I’d here. Free Range is a decent album, with plenty of variation and with the inclusion of what’s known in the trade as "short talky bits" (think Three Feet High And Rising), it’s a winning package for home listening. Musically, it may lack a certain thunking presence – as in, it doesn’t sound like normal fullon –and as such DJ’s might find they don’t give it quite so much of an airing. But the bottom line for the rest of us is that this is a mature, confident, loveable, lasting album that’s executed with flair, grace, professionalism, and a little sprinkle of magic from another dimension. Probably.

 

9

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  • 2 weeks later...

great shit. 11/10 for sure!

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OOOD are a 4 piece collective from UK that already graced us with 2 albums a few years ago. I didn't really connect to aLive which was the first debut psy-trance album that was recorded live but their second offering, Breathing Space had a few of my favorite ol-school Goa tunes.

And now 7 years later they are back with their 3rd album that seem to have all that funk and groove that OOOD were renowned for with their previous offerings.

I am very much against shelving music or putting them into boxes but this album is the perfect morning material for me. Although it sometimes borders the cheese line with guitars and too frequent samples it's mostly manages to be uplifting yet psychedelic, melodic but not overwhelming, passing the traps that so many morning artists have been falling recently.

From the epic "Free Range" to the ultimate morning set closer "Eye Of the Beholder" that sounds exactly the way i want Psy Trance to sound today that was made with possibly the most talented artist in the psy-chill scene, OTT and through the dubby Smoke-A-Lot, the deep "The Humming" and of course the best tune Simon Posford never made "Oh My (Good Golly Me)" this is an essential album for any Psy-Trance listener.

Especially in the current time frame when the other alternatives range from nightmare inducing night music to vomit inducing cheese morning Israeli style.

9.5/10

Favorites: 2!,3,4,7!!,8,12!!!

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  • 4 weeks later...

Billy Cosmosis recently posted this little review on Psy-Forum:

Oood's Free Range is the best "Psy-Trance" album that I've heard in years.

 

It's excellent.

 

It's inventive, bold and fun and with top quality production.

 

There's clearly been a huge amount of time, work and love put into this album.

 

It's a proper album rather than a collection of generic dance floor tracks for DJs therefore is great to listen to anywhere.

 

10/10

 

Cheers,

Bill

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Got this album a bit late.

But I just have to say, this is some of the best psy I've heard in ages.

An amazing achievement in terms of artistic vision and production skill.

 

HUGE props to Colin and the crew.

I can't think of any reason to not give this CD full marks.

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I was greatly surprised when I finally heard this album and realized that it IS, indeed, a very special sounding piece of work. I tend to get prejudices about something that is so greatly hyped, but I must admit this album is well worth it. I don't dig all of its moments, but it surely has a lot to offer to me as well.

 

One problem I noticed tho - (well, not a problem, but..) - to me there aren't any really great, stand-out tracks (hits! :P) except The Eye of The Beholder. And thus other tracks seem a bit paler because of this one massive track shining so brightly above them....

 

Anyway, very good album. 8/10

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I don't quite agree, but to each his own.

 

Stand out tracks (hits?) for me are Oh my, The Humming, Eye of The Beholder + probably Free Range.

Those are tracks that I think (know) will go off on a floor most ... and that I'd like to see live most.

The rest is probably a bit too chilled or weird to really be played in a full on set (or to be enjoyed in a full-on state of mind) ...

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  • 2 months later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks everyone for all your comments... makes our little adventure seem all the more worthwhile. It turned out alright hey :)

 

to me there aren't any really great, stand-out tracks (hits! :P) except The Eye of The Beholder. And thus other tracks seem a bit paler because of this one massive track shining so brightly above them....

Not surprising IMO; Ott did all the production, arrangement and engineering on that track, and wrote all the percussion as well as the main vocal melody and subsequent glitchy loveliness; I just sat in his studio for a weekend and fed him basslines and pads and 303 riffs and wierd noises etc, and he took it all away and made a thing of glory out of it. His next album should be interesting!
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I really like this album because it is fun & doesn't take itself too seriously. There is some great psy in there & a lot of fun samples & stuff!

The batman one is :lol:

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I really like this album because it is fun & doesn't take itself too seriously. There is some great psy in there & a lot of fun samples & stuff!

The batman one is :lol:

Ryo (our drummer) is moving to Japan in August for at least a year, to become global sales manager for Dileka. We'll be very sad indeed to see him go but wish him all the best of luck... and it means that we might well be playing in Japan in 2008, depending on what can be organised!
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Not surprising IMO; Ott did all the production, arrangement and engineering on that track, and wrote all the percussion as well as the main vocal melody and subsequent glitchy loveliness; I just sat in his studio for a weekend and fed him basslines and pads and 303 riffs and wierd noises etc, and he took it all away and made a thing of glory out of it. His next album should be interesting!

The guy is brilliant :rolleyes: and seems to be a very nice guy, that track is sure divine! Will be looking forward to hearing his next album.. when it arrives :)

 

I quite a agree with abasio... very nice to hear a album (this one) of such good quality not being to serious and focused on being cool, but its just filled with humor and happy times :P

 

Sure one of the stand-out releases of 06!

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Ryo (our drummer) is moving to Japan in August for at least a year, to become global sales manager for Dileka. We'll be very sad indeed to see him go but wish him all the best of luck... and it means that we might well be playing in Japan in 2008, depending on what can be organised!

Sweet! Good luck to him ;)
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  • 5 months later...

O.O.O.D. - FREE RANGE

ORGANIC RECORDS

2006

 

Posted Image

 

 

Track list:

 

01. 02'27" Welcome ... N/A

02. 09'17" Free Range - B

03. 08'42" Smoke A Lot (Ricochet Mix) - B

04. 08'23" The Humming - B

05. 07'37" Solar Sway - B- / B

06. 00'16" …But Handy! - N/A

07. 08'09" Oh My (Good Golly Me) - B / B+

08. 08'09" Marijuajuana - B+

09. 09'08" Rock My Soul (Joker Vs. Operator Mix) - B+

10. 08'58" Blue Seal - B+

11. 00'55" It Isn't Just You… N/A

12. 08'26" Eye Of The Beholder - A-

13. 00'53" We Love You - N/A

 

 

 

O.O.O.D created a very unique album with Free Range. It's groovy. The amount of tracks and variety is strong. There are unexpectedly fun and funny bits. Many moments stand out in a positive way. If each song was comprised of thirds, not one third ever feels cheap or existent as filler to the song. The tracks are often involving enough regardless that this is not a provocative, deep journey. There exists a strong danceable edge throughout. Furthermore, the album gets better as it progresses. Blue Seal is a very good if not great track and I love the one that follows.

 

Stand out moments: - (I don't usually do this but Free Range has so many of them that... :)

 

Free Range - The beginning is a great way to start off the party friendly album.

 

Smoke a lot (Ricochet Mix) - The crazy cowboys and how they're integrated into the mix, the music.

 

Oh My (Good Golly Me) - Innovative voice work. (although the track is too dependent upon it IMO)

 

Marijuajuana - Comical samples. Uplifting bell-esque melodies.

 

Rock My Soul (Joker Vs. Operator Mix) - Funny introduction and voice samples. Melodies from 3:30 forward and groove.

 

Eye Of The Beholder - The involvement of artist OTT. All of this song stands out.

 

 

Now my critical side tells me that something is missing that prevents this album from getting a higher score. The answer is in all but the end. I enjoyed the first 10 tracks around the skits I feel indifferent towards. However track 12, Eye Of The Beholder lifts the album off into an entirely fresh [higher] level of greatness. Eye Of The Beholder is what tempted me to write a comment on the first page of this thread and I see various others agreed with my observation ever since. The track was initially the sole reason why I did not order this album until early 2008. Simply put, I wasn't as captured by other songs. There are however other tracks good and great enough to buy this album. Eye Of The Beholder however seals the package with a more shiny light light.

 

 

In Conclusion, this is a great album with a magical ending. I'd love to hear that magic emphasized on an amazing follow up by these talented artists. OTT's return would be icing on the cake. Can a follow-up album be produced with more tracks as powerful, infectious, and as magical as Track 12 (and beyond) here? If so O.O.O.D. could potentially make a groundbreaking masterpiece. That being said, other great songs would have not been the same if not for the upbeat, openminded mentality and approch by these artists. Such attitude has affected all tracks to some degree in a good way. Eye of the Beholder is not the only stand out number here, but it is my favorite. Nonetheless, a solid amount of the tracks stand out as being good and great. None are below average. The association to drugs I'm not a big fan of but I enjoyed both the samples and melodies in Marijuajuana because of the delivery. The feel good vibes and humor on this album I find amusing. I also like the musical development, especially into the driving second/third act of Smoke A Lot (Ricochet Mix). Many elements in this album appear to be a clear reflection of O.O.O.D.'s creativity and originality. I love hearing something fresh and catchy. Free Range is a fun album that's meant to be fun, listened to for fun, and danced to for fun. The artists' here have made a seriously well done album without taking things too seriously. There is this who-cares(!), free-spirited approach to the project I find refreshing. Ironically, this is one of the best electronica (Psytrance) albums of 2006.

 

 

Favorites: 7, 8, 9, 10, 12.

 

 

B+

 

 

 

Samples:

 

Saiko Sounds: http://tinyurl.com/yaosvq

 

Psyshop: http://tinyurl.com/yeo5ue

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