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Bigwigs - The National Heroes Of Sonic Parallel (Horns And Hoofs Entertainment Nov 2007)


Goa Bill

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1 Córki Lota II

2 Pars Pro Toto

3 Sound Anonim

4 Sumiaste Nagrania

5 Snack La Vista

6 Tesla Oxymoron

7 Scarlet's Dawning

8 Sheer Dying Leasure

9 Tour The Trance

10 Mania Magma Lena

 

 

Bigwigs, or as their parents call them Grzegorz Magnuszewski and Jurek Przezdziecki (I’d like to hear it spelled correctly one day btw) are Psy Trance scene’s Monty Python or perhaps judging by the cover maybe the Village People. This is their second album and they have undergone a small change of their original team for this one. Tomek Roehr and Jerzy Przezdziecki (Praecox) left the team and instead of them Jurek Przezdziecki (Kino Oko) joined the effort. The 3rd and the 4th track were co-written with Tomek but the rest is Grzegorz and Jurek. The album was released on Horns & Hoofs Entertainment which is the Polish/Russian branch of the infamous Boshke Beats records which is run by the energetic DJ Alex Boshke.

The first thing you notice is the cover of the album which is with no doubt the gayest Psy Trance cover I’ve ever seen, second only to Jorg’s compilation with a giant phallus (or a sword, I don’t remember) on a cover. The cover was skillfully designed by Inga Burina, who restlessly designs some of the best covers in the Psy Scene.

As you might have expected from those guys, their weird sense of humour is an integral part of their music. It is with no doubt very, very hard to write about their music because it’s so god damn unique. It definitely reminds remotely Suomi Trance with the overall funky wacky weirdo attitude and the strong will to sound as much different as possible to absolutely everything else in the scene at the moment. What differentiates them, in my opinion, from the Suomi Trance I think, is the very high level of musicality in this album and the very high production level. Those guys are as good musicians as they are good sound engineers. Throughout the whole album the bottom end is a pure bliss, the high end is crispy and the mid is vivid and mud free.

It is really hard for me to go track by track in this album but I’ll sum it up like that: If you like Extrawelt’s and Sensient’s groove and sound and like the wackiness and free spirit of Suomi Trance look no further. This album is unique and definitely shines out from pretty much everything is released nowadays.

 

Favorites: 1!! (Oh my god what a bass) 5!!, 6, 7, 9, 10

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I like it a lot. Very different - inventive, groovy and really psychedelic, and the production is excellent. There are a lot of different landscapes in the album and the whole thing is a real trip. It sounds like a lot of thought has gone into every element, and it sounds like the two of you had a lot of fun making it! I do a lot of driving for work and this CD is on heavy rotation in my car. As a result of listening to it my tongue is now covered with thick black hair and I am incapable of speaking* words which end in "-ing", but these are small prices to pay for such a good album.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*I can still type them though.

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...small change of their original team for this one. Tomek Roehr and Jerzy Przezdziecki (Praecox) left the team and instead of them Jurek Przezdziecki (Kino Oko) joined the effort...

One remark. Jurek = Jerzy just like Bob = Robert or Bill = William

And I'll try to record correct pronunciation of their names and post the sample here :)

 

@ Colin & Pavel - if you haven't already, you should also check Kino Oko's last year's "Lost Entertainment". It's brilliant too! :)

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One remark. Jurek = Jerzy just like Bob = Robert or Bill = William

And I'll try to record correct pronunciation of their names and post the sample here :)

 

@ Colin & Pavel - if you haven't already, you should also check Kino Oko's last year's "Lost Entertainment". It's brilliant too! :)

Oh shit :angry: I wonder why he didn't mention that in e-mail. Thanks for the offer but the lovely MC already let me hear the correct pronunciation. And the Kino Oko album is good as well :clapping:
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  • 3 weeks later...

Bigwigs - The National Heroes Of Sonic Parallel

 

Horns & Hoofs Entertainment, 2007

 

1. Córki Lota II

2. Pars Pro Toto

3. Sound Anonim

4. Sumiaste Nagrania

5. Snack La Vista

6. Tesla Oxymoron

7. Scarlet's Dawning

8. Sheer Dying Leasure

9. Tour The Trance

10. Mania Magma Lena

 

www.psyshop.com/shop/CDs/hah/hah1cd007.html

 

The sky was never blue

The stars are raindrops searching

And I never cared for you.

 

"Willie Nelson - I Never Cared"

 

A strange musical composition called Bigwigs came into the world in 1999 AD. It was brought to life by three friends: Tomasz Roehr a.k.a. DJ Dreddy and Grzegorz "Magnes" Magnuszewski a.k.a. Kino Oko, the Tromesa duo, and Jerzy Przeździecki, known until recently as Praecox, now as Epi Centrum. Over the years, these guys have been issuing new numbers with increasingly strange, although not devoid of sense titles, drinking vodka at parties all over the world and creating a longplay masterpiece called "Fraktalik Fraterniti". Since then a few things have changed in the Bigwigs family. A rumour about a second album circled the world, in time the title, originally "The National Heroes Of Sonic Pasmanteria", changed, and the trio became a duo, saying goodbye to Dreddy. Tomek did however appear in two tracks featured on the CD, mainly "Sound Anonim" and "Sumiaste Nagrania". The new album appeared thanks to Horns & Hoofs Entertainment, a label that previously relased many productions of Kino Oko and Epi Centrum, including the former's debut album.

 

Already at first glance at the track list we notice the name "Córki Lota II". In a way this is a historically important production, as "Córki Lota" is the first Bigwigs number in the history of this Warsaw group. You will have to admit writing about this music is like talking about colours. What is important is that the serious approach to the process of creating music and the high quality technical polishing mix again with a bit of childishness and a carefree atmosphere present in various tracks. There is time for contemplation and joy. Each track is different. Not even for a moment do we feel we are listening to the same track, just with a different name. And thank Shiva. The music presented on this CD frequently portrays an atmosphere we have already experienced on the "Kino Oko - Lost Entertainment" album. Bigwigs also retained their style of throwing a joke into their titles, since apart from familiar words we can find 2, 3 or even 4 hidden meanings. Among my personal favorites are the sequel to "Córki Lota" and its powerful bass, the delightful and baroque "Pars Pro Toto", the light and fluffy "Scarlet's Dawning" and especially the melancholy "Sheer Dying Leasure". Of course I can not forget to mention the genius graphic design of the album cover, an integral part of this production, which also deserves a few warm words. I have to admit it is one of the best covers I have ever seen. It attracts the viewer's attention, it is original, calls to mind a variety of associations and it is hard to forget. Basic marketing rules - check. Ms. Inga Burina, the person responsible for the many Horns & Hoofs covers, along with the guys from Bigwigs have done a great job. The Middle Ages, theatre, Rubens/Gay erotica and the forbidden faces of our heroes - you will find it all. Not to mention the fact that placing one's own face on the cover with a positive result is quite a daring feat on the trance scene. Take for instance the extravagance that is the Hypersonic album, an ideal backdrop for the "Blue Oyster" bar from the "Police Academy" movie series, or the menacing face of Skazi, gloomy Talamasca and many others, led by the head of TIP World in his underwear or with a plastic guitar. Do you remember the "Most Wanted Presents: Raja Ram - The God Father" or the "Raja Ram's Stash Bag 4" compilations? Yeah…

 

The world is changing and the Bigwigs along with it. "The National Heroes Of Sonic Parallel" is a mature album that should survive the test of time similarly to its predecessor "Fraktalik Fraterniti". Who among us does not turn once in a while to stuff like "Papa Gejos", humming its merry theme to ourselves? This is not a difficult CD to listen to. It is different. Different from what is served to us en masse at Psyshop. It is full of music and stories, something many people calling themselves "artists" or "musicians" forget about when spawning more and more plastic mashups of sounds, losing the spirit and intention somewhere along the way. Bigwigs did not fancy up their specific character with hip, repetitive gimmicks. Being aware of he consequences they produced what they wanted to without the ever-present compulsion of being trendy. Possibly (hopefully not) the album will get lost in the rush of other productions, but it will surely take a place in the awareness of many fans continuously searching for something interesting. Something with loads of Polish tongue-in-cheek, a specific atmosphere and sonic pizzazz.

 

www.psytrance.pl

 

Additional links:

 

www.bigwigs.prv.pl

www.myspace.com/bigwigs3

www.hornsandhoofs.com

www.myspace.com/hornsandhoofs

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  • 2 weeks later...

Yeah, very different album than anything nowadays.

 

Pavel nailed it with description, but I still miss some melodic and harmonic elements in it to fully appreciate it.

 

Still, the production and fun wise, this is one very thought through album.

 

Favourite tracks : PARS PRO TOTO, SNACK LA VISTA, TESLA OXYMORON, TOUR DE TRANCE, MANIA MAGMA LENA 7/10

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Not as consistently excellent as Fraktalik Fraterniti, but where it's good, it's heart-in-the-throat, stop-what-you're-doing, tremendous work.

 

And Bigwigs succeed in releasing something utterly fresh and distinct from any other sound. Throughout, their playful approach resonates without reducing it to kid stuff.

 

The production values are top-notch.

 

Tracks 1, 2, 8 are special. It's worth the price for those alone. The others are less accessible, but I'm not judging them yet. I hope to be able to appreciate them more when I have the time to get into the album as a whole.

 

Yeah!

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  • 2 weeks later...

A few weeks later, I've started working this into my rotation. It is growing on me, and becoming a favourite. Every so often, something about the arrangement roundhouse-kicks my face, and I wonder, "how the hell did I miss that all this time?"

 

:drama: :clapping:

 

OOoooooo! It's lovely! Buy it if you haven't. 9/10.

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  • 1 year later...

Bump for greatness. Don't be scared by the stupid cover, there's nothing stupid about the music. One of my favourites of the year, a few of these tracks are incredible (the rest are just great). Scarlet's Dawning (7) is a track I usually send friends who are interested but novice in psy, since I feel it has the power to transcend its genré.

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