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Amithaba Buddha - Goa Gate


HolyLight

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thanks for your review :)

im just wondering if you came to come across the gate... ;)

 

Hehe yes with some nitrous oxide i mamaged ;)

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  • 2 weeks later...

AMITHABA BUDDHA - GOA GATE

PHOTOTROPIC RECORDS

2008

 

 

Posted Image

 

 

Track list:

 

01 - Goa Gate (6:36)

02 - Sarcophagus (11:12)

03 - Three Eyes (7:16)

04 - Secret of an Amulet (8:24)

05 - Sending Love and Light (8:27)

06 - Transphinx (9:50)

07 - Organic Humanoids II (7:08)

08 - Water Goddess (6:16)

09 - Guardian of the Gate (7:59)

 

 

Thank you those who appreciate my reviews. It means a lot to me. As Diaks noted above (nice review btw), Amithaba Buddha is Filipe Santos, also known as Lost Buddha and recently Pandemonium! I am still not sure where to order the Pandemonium album: (. If someone can PM me privately, that would be really cool because I want to order it. I've really enjoyed this artist's Metamorphosis track on 2005's V/A- Apsara. I've listened as his style became more fluid and experienced over the years, and with one of my favorite tracks by him, Lost In Paradise on the V/A - Pyramidal Trancendence by Metaphysic Records in 2006. And around this time an EP arrived with two tracks; I felt one of them was arguably the strongest track this artist ever produced to date. Now in 2008, the first main album by once Lost Buddha, now Amithaba Buddha (the first title was easier to spell but oh well) arrives with the first debut album. I got this album weeks back and thought it was defective because it wouldn't play in my car. I was about to contact Phototropic Records, but then I decided to upload it to my iTunes and see what happens. Fortunately it worked that way, and so I burnt a fresh copy and use that when driving.

 

The style here is Full On New School Goa-Trance, heavily influenced from the golden old school sound. Aside from that, I had some mixed feelings upon hearing this album. I still do to some extent. The first reviewer here did a great job taking both strengths and weaknesses into account; it felt very honest, and I really enjoyed reading it. I suppose I'll get to what I really like and like less about the album soon, since there's a lot to like here. Furthermore, Goa is still rarely produced and publicly marketed now days, as only two other Goa albums released this year to date. Goa Gate is the fourth Psy album I bought this year, after V/A - Opus, RA's 9th, and Distant System's debut.

 

 

01 - Goa Gate starts the album off with a lot of drive and energy. There’s not much of an intro, which would have been nice. The song jumps directly into the beat at around 0:25. The melodies are very danceable and friendly on the ears. They appear inspired from the fast, psychedelic Israeli sound of MFG, Astral Projection, etc with an ethnic, emotive touch and influence. An interlude takes place around 2:35 and reintroduces the returning melodies very well. I can’t say there’s one leading melody that makes me go WOW, but from around 4:00 to 5:10 where the beat escapes the music again, it sounds beautiful. Around 5:24 the music returns. There is a wonderful sustained tune that plays over the liquid streams. It’s great. And the whole song feels like a real, old-school Goa track completely and exclusively released in 2008. It’s a very well done song, good or great, and a more developed intro would have made the entrance to this new album more intriguing, in my opinion. B+

 

02 - Sarcophagus follows up the previous number with more emphasis on beat and/or baseline. The melodies are fast and driving. The overall number is more aggressive than the previous number, and just as, if not even more danceable. The female vocals are catchy. This artist does a great job with choosing, altering, and where the voice samples are placed. The track becomes more juicy as it progresses too, and I think it’s more catchy than the opening. A cool feature with this artist is his positive, upbeat sounds, and this is no exception. The melodies appear fluid and desirable, creating a complex and delectable texture of tightly crafted Goa work. As with the previous track, a sustained ambient sound plays along with the faster, more intense and swimming melody work. The voice work adds a nice touch. Although the number shares some ideas and sounds usage from the previous song, it’s very well done, with a strong and driving melody lead that really gets the attention it deserves around 3:30. B+

 

03 - Three Eyes has a nice, gentle opening that lasts about twenty seconds. I suppose that I’m so used to the lengthier introductions in Goa now days that a ten or twenty second intro sounds like no intro at all. Much like the previous track, this is a strong, fluid dance number. While I can’t point out one specific melody I particular love, all sounds and melodies sound great in full formation. Another observation is the key changes. It’s about time someone used key changes, and these shifting characteristic driven undertones were one of my favorite things about the last years Mind Sphere - Inner Cyclone album. They’re effective here, and not over used either, thankfully. My gripe is that the song appears to share many similar sounds from the previous two tracks. However, it’s a completely different picture, however painted with what seems to be a fairly limited amount of paint. This artist does a great job with what he’s given to work with, and I wish he had more of a variety of sounds/melodies to play with. B-

 

04 - Secret of an Amulet continues the somewhat traveling and dance friendly approach begun with the opening number. At around 0:44 introduces a catchy, skipping melody. A good sound combination takes place at 1:24. The overall song appears to be more dynamic than the previous number. It appears to be a bit more energized like the second. One thing I like is change up in sounds, melodies, and a song that develops and evolves. This song does these things to some degree. The skipping Goa melodies returning at 3:00 are catchy. The removal of many layers around the midpoint is good, adding character, reducing potential repetition. These combined with ambient notes and other supporting sounds make this one of the stronger, more emotive sounding dance songs on the album. It’s elegant and even includes key changes in the second half. B

 

05 - Sending Love and Light continues the key changes. The melodies are relatively high pitched. A lower one plays off the layered particles of sounds, and a strong uptempo wave takes place from around 1:30 to 2:30. It’s strong, very capturing, and maybe even a bit club influenced, but not club trance in the least bit, genre wise. The song shifts into a less climactic world of peace in an interlude of sorts if you'd include the beat. In addition to the melody wave is many complimentary sounds and melodies, as are known from this artist and his vivid, multi-layered, colorful and tasty Goa style. B+

 

06 - Transphinx jumps into the beat at 0:13 and you’d expect that by now. The third or so track to utilize voice samples. Here’s a track that builds, and builds. Similar ideas are present like formula from the previous track(s), such as a club friendly melody over all other Goa sounds. Also present is sustained ambient notes, giving the song an emotive edge, an interlude in the middle, and key changes. It all sounds fine, but I feel like I’ve heard this track several times on the album by now, just in different variations. Do to similar sounds used before, and a similar structure and melody/note work to Three Eyes, little here appears fresh from previous tracks, and repetition is beginning to sink in. Actually, it seems like the artist took away some layers and build a different variation of Three Eyes with this song. I went back and forth, from the third track to this one, and the main melody, concept sounds almost identical. This song has basically been done before on this very same album, and done better. C+

 

07 - Organic Humanoids II is the first track that really sounds different from the previous four numbers. It is also the first to arrest my attention in the opening. I love the opening, and I wish I could say that with more of the work here. There is something powerful, almost paramount about the opening melodies. They're captivating, and the album could really use more infection inducing Goa work, to make it more powerful, catchy, and memorable, as what takes place from 0:01 to 0:27. Unfortunately the sound is gone by 0:27, but it made a strong impression and is brought back to some degree, with a flurry of melodies and supporting sounds. One leading melody particularly stands out around 1:35. Elegant and highly effective Hallucinogen-esque ambient notes appear around around 2:00 and leave around 2:41. These ambient notes are some of the more capturing sounds on the album. The opening melody returns again in the middle. It feels less individualized and attention grabbing when mixed in with a bunch of other sounds, but it's still great. It would have been cool if the artist isolated this powerful melody from the other sounds again in the middle somewhere, all while keeping the strong beat. The track continues with some fresh, gentle melody additions and ends rather smoothly. This is one of my favorite tracks on the album. It's very good, if not great. B+

 

08 - Water Goddess enjoys a cheerful intro for the first 0:25 then jumps into the beat, no surprise by now. The number continues the upbeat approach with sustained notes, what appears to be a skipping, chopped up voice posing as a melody, and more. The dance formula works well, but its become quite formulaic by now. The song does have a unique tune however, as if something that could have taken place on the old, classic F-ZERO games via Nintendo. The track packs pretty good energy throughout the middle, and it would probably be more enjoyable to return to hearing this, not after hearing all of the others back-to-back. Clearly the artist was aiming at a consistently strong dance friendly album, and this number adds one more danceable piece to the whole. I really like the Goa melody that begins around 0:42. It sounds very old school and liquid, animated and fun. Sure we've heard altered sounds like this before, but it sounds great here. What I dislike is the direction; it’s very predictable, as if stuck in a square or seriously attempting to remain as dance/club friendly as possible while keeping the Goa vibe. But the same can be said for many of the tracks on this album. The melody work is strong, peaceful, and all of the sounds coming together form an attractive energy. It just would have been cool if the song shifted into a less predictable dance pattern, since it’s Goa influenced. The club or more formulaic influence prevents this song from taking me into another world. Overall, this is a pretty good old-school flavored new school Goa track. I appreciate the less intense speed and melodies after the previous faster digits. B

 

09 - Guardian of the Gate is now the most refreshing number I have heard on the album, thanks to a desirable change up in speed, thus altering the tone and the overall feel of the track. I wish in some way that this mid-tempo number was followed by a downtempo number to close off the album with a really chill vibe, and by showcasing more variety in the end. This number sounds to some extent like a slowed down concept of one of the previous, less likely to jump outside of the box and go nuts, dance songs. Fortunately, the ambient notes here are excellent, very emotive and chilling. Also present is a floating development and a strong, Goa band that really compliments the more ethereal sound. The interlude around 5:00 is great too. The returning beat isolated from the melodies and in combination with the female-esque chilling ambient notes is super. It isn’t long before the melodies return; also present appears to be some key changes, very catchy in their own subtile way. A new, several note and sustained melody is born around 6:00. The second third of the song’s new melody work isn’t as capturing as the first in my opinion, but the change or shift was welcome. A very good choice was the returning of the chilled ambient or vocal work in the final third. This sound really highlights all other sounds here. It’s the jewel on the crown, so to speak, and creates a very characteristic and gripping lasting impression. I just wish more songs on this album arrested my attention as much as this one, due in part to it being less uptempo, more chill. This is an extremely well done song, closing or otherwise. B+

 

 

In conclusion, Amithaba Buddha’s debut is no doubt a good one, but I'm not blown away by any track here. Nonetheless, the artist capitalized his album on uptempo, dancing Goa tracks in his elegant, animated style. It seems very influenced from the classic old school era of Goa. It also appears that this album, unlike Lost Buddha, the name that this artist initially adopted, is more club friendly or club trance influenced than ever before, relative to his previous works. The Goa meets club friendly trance edge is where the album appears the most focused, and where I like it the least. The tracks aren't as unpredictable as the Goa I'm used to. This may be due to the artist's focus on not moving too far away from the selling point, or the melody lead, like a chorus. Regardless of the intent, and some may appreciate this more mainstream friendly concept, the songs often feel composed in a less free world. Fortunately the artist loaded each song with many attractive sounds, melodies, and rhythms. The album gets a bit tiresome at times due to every track, with exception to the last one, being a Full On Uptempo number in the exact same, general style and sound, and this is one of my biggest gripes with the album. More variety in sounds and song structure would have raised replay value and lasting appeal, and I find listening to the album straight through a bit tedious in the middle. Also, track 6 sounds too similar to track 3, as if both were put in the same room with slightly different wallpaper. Furthermore, there isn’t much focus on introductions or general surprises, twists and turns. The main goal here appears to be dance/club friendly well over having the intent to pull the listener into another world. More surprise and less dependency on sticking to a general formula would have potentially made this album a lot more dynamic, imaginative, unique. Production could be better too, as it doesn't sound as clear and well distributed in the sound department as recent releases. Goa Gate still sounds good, and if the listener can look past the weaker aspects, he/she is in for a fun ride. The opening tracks are refreshing, and the last one is very strong. Due to the slower speed actually, the album quickly soaks up the variety of change in speed/sound in Guardian of the Gate like a kid who finally got his/her piece of pie. That said, many of the tracks are solid. None are bad. But some sound more or less similar regarding sounds used. There is still a lot going on in each track that distinguishes it from the next. The album could have been better with a stronger production and some wider range of sounds. Nonetheless, there is a good amount of beauty to be found here, and the heavily layered and dance friendly Goa style should attract the general listener if the marketing is done well. I would recommend this debut to those who like/love Goa in the more Full On Goa approach. I found RA's 9th to be a stronger release in comparison, much more varied, etc. But Goa Gate is its own hand crafted world. And it should turn out to be a little hit with Goa enthusiasts in 2008. Those looking for a fast, nonstop action, elegant melodies, and uptempo numbers well over depth and mid and down-tempo songs will likely enjoy this album. Goa Gate is a good album with many great elements of creativity via melody combinations, delectable sounds, and a warm, dance friendly atmosphere throughout.

 

 

Favorite tracks 1, 2, 5, 7, 8, 9.

 

 

B+

 

 

 

Samples / Ordering (scroll down below)

 

http://www.phototropicrecords.com/

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Nice review Jon Cocco, you have a very good ear for details :) i always find your reviews to be very interesting keep it up!

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Just recieved all of the Phototropic releases today.

 

Like Trance2MoveU I found this better then RA. RA is a good album but I think the energy in the album makes me appreciate this more. Cant wait till I get to listen to Jelly Marbles and Nolax when Ive got time. Doing very well on discogs too so far.

 

Great stuff Filipe Santos, cant wait to pick up other future releases!

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Just recieved all of the Phototropic releases today.

 

Like Trance2MoveU I found this better then RA. RA is a good album but I think the energy in the album makes me appreciate this more. Cant wait till I get to listen to Jelly Marbles and Nolax when Ive got time. Doing very well on discogs too so far.

 

Great stuff Filipe Santos, cant wait to pick up other future releases!

 

Someone should make a review of jelly marbles i think.. the agneton track is crazy :) really summer feelings in that one + artha and astrancers track.

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  • 7 years later...

 

Gotta buy it first (unless you're interested in sending me a free copy in which I humbly and graciously accept!)

 

Yes Michael , I would be happy to send you a one free of charge Goa Gate to you and your Family.

If you can please send me your personal address through PM or email , that would be appreciated. Then I will post it to you soon as possible.

 

Cheers ,

/Filipe

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  • 1 year later...

I have to say that Transphinx is a real goa stormer. Pure goa power at its best.

And how, if I may ask, you came across with this one now? Do you have the original CD? I used to have the remastered one but gave it to a friend who likes it even more than I do.

 

The side note: Now that Filipe has quit goa trance producing I bet the prices for his releases will be skyrocketing. I mean those he published under Submoon Records and Good Dance Recordings. I have some 5 pieces of CDs only left, like total of his production + digital releases a few to add :( I damn wish I had more. Even tho back in times (not so far ago) I thought I was always buying them and had them in abundant amounts.

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