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Bluetech - Phoenix Rising


Melancholyman

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Artist: Bluetech

Album: Phoenix Rising

Label: Somnia Records

Release date: 07.11.2008

Format: CD

 

So what we all have been eagerly waiting for is finally here. New material from Evan Bartholomew under his to us most known name Bluetech. For a couple of years Evan has been experimenting under different aliases and has released some great piece of arts. Namely, Caverns of Time, Secret Entries into Darkness. These two releases has undoubtedly stayed in the region of psychedelic downtempo whereas another release Borderlines, did stray a bit form this path into a more ”standard” ambient route with alot of acoustic elements. Also a collaboration with Steve Hillage that has surpassed me but seems to be very popular among the scene. There is also the tech house project, that I found awful, and others with me (abasio? :) ).

 

But to the point. The new ”mini” album Phoenix Rising that is as to say a little prequel to the ”real” album coming out on Aleph Zero in a near future still features alot of tracks and many minutes of listening pleasure. Cause this is really what this is all about, listening pleasure! Evan has moved away from the traditional Bluetech sound. If his earlier releases were a little bit more dub, and almost glitch like influenced, Phoenix Rising is much more straightforward. Much less complex but also much more beautiful. The jazzy vibe is still here, very much so in the track Invocation (ft. Alyssa Palmer) with alot of piano and other acoustic elements in it. This is a slow track, and also noticable is the nice use of voices in the background that Evan surely has implemented from his great Caverns of Time.

 

This is melancholic yes in a sense but very beautiful with great composition and production. Another element that is noticable is that Evan has moved into more a more darker approach. This is highly obvious in the opening track My Dear Friend Chronos, wich has a rather dark feel over it, but still with some very beautiful piano strings coming in from time to time. Without this very subtle element, the track might have felt way to dark, but very cleverly Evan manages to make a perfect mix. This is also a very straightforward track, as I stated earlier, this is not as hard digested as earlier stuff, it's more ”sit back and just enjoyyyyy the ride”. Having listening to this for some time now and many times, I can assure you that the lack of complexity is not harming in any way. The tracks just sound as great as the first time I heard them or even better. A way of explaining this perhaps might be if you remember the tracks Leaving Winter Behind and Wilderness, this is more an evolution of such tracks still with a little more combining of the older dubby stuff and also throwing in a new few elements in the mix.

 

It's very nice how the tracks really define themselves rather uniquely. This is done with small but very noticable variations. The elements of acoustics is to me a great feature. As in What The Night Reveals, with alot of flute appearing as a central ingredient. Very nice indeed. This track at first feel good and light, but after around half of it's length starts moving into some darker territory again. And it's worth saying again how Evan manages to take us into these regions without you even noticing. Somehow a illusion is created whereas you think you are in some light and beautiful place.

 

Kingdom Of The Blind is my favourite track on this release. It starts off rather brutally with a kinda hard slow beat, and is keeping it throught the song.

 

This is not to say there are worse tracks here, a Delicate Mystery and Riding The Sky Elevator feels to me like fillers. But this doesn't matter at all since all the other tracks are just astounding.

 

All in all I like this new approach on Bluetech sound from Evan. It is obvious that he has learned alot from experimenting with other genres and projects. Much of it is implemented in this release. Having waited along time for new Bluetech stuff, it was well worth it now that we have the end result in our hands.

 

If you want better descriptions of the tracks, wait for Abasios or any other review. I don't like that kind of approach since music is so individual in it's subjective experience (and I suck at describing sounds). Just hear this out! The whole album is available for listening on Somnias website Somnia.

 

Also I want to thank p(sy)ayam for letting me hear these tracks some time ago so I was able to get this review out so quick!

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The sound has changed, it's less polished and you can feel the inertion from his latest releases under different names. Lets wait for the album now :)

 

Could you evaluate you're "less polished" statement? I just don't understand what you mean. Not that I disagree, yet....

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I like this one. It has more gentle beats which I like and still the typical Bluetech sound is there. This is actually better than I expected. I find some of his earlier releases to be somewhat "flat" productions. This has is much "fuller" sound imo.

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  • 2 weeks later...

But what do you think of the last 2 tracks that are totally missing from your review?

 

I'm not fond of track to track review. My approach is just to try to say something about the album as a whole. And what direction the artist might have taken. And it's only one track I don't mention, it's the sixth Phoenix rising. But I'm an amateur, I just try to contribute to the psy-scene from time to time. But the one I didn't mention Phoenix Rising is great, if that was the answer you was looking for?

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Bluetech

Phoenix Rising

Somnia

2008

Downtempo Ambient IDM Dub

 

Tracklist

 

1 My Dear Friend Kronos (7:22)

2 What The Night Reveals (6:19)

3 Kingdom Of The Blind (Third I Mix) ft. Alyssa Palmer (5:21)

4 A Delicate Mystery (New Life Mix) (7:49)

5 Riding The Sky Elevator (7:56)

6 Phoenix Rising (8:54)

7 Invocation (The Fire Within) ft. Alyssa Palmer (7:14)

 

Just before Bluetech is going to release an album on Aleph Zero he releases an.....album on his own label Somnia. It's been called a mini album and an E.P. but it's pretty much a full length album. Over 50 minutes long it's longer than many artists full length albums, 7 tracks most over 7 minutes it's an enjoyable journey. The music also deserves a mention, it definitely has the Bluetech sound we all know & love but it seems much more raw & dirty. It has lost the only thing that I didn't like about Bluetech's music on his previous albums, it has lost the ultra clean production. The production is still top notch don't get me wrong but now it feels warmer and more analogue.

 

1. My Dear Friend Kronos

My Dear Friend Kronos starts with a playful melody & some shuffling beats, another melody higher in tone rings out & then the beats kick in. Nice relaxed & dubby beats give this a really sunny feeling. It still feels chilly though like you are flying high above the clouds. So bright & warm inside surrounded by cold atmospheres. It is a very nice start to the album, scratchy in places and sounding very real. The layers of melody are nice & some are subtle in that you don't notice you are listening to them until they have already been playing for quite a long time. It's one of those tracks that make you effortlessly pay close attention to what is happening.

 

2. What The Night Reveals

The next track has a much stronger bassline, speed it up & crank up the volume it could be a D&B bass. As it is it's dark & chilled yet funky & alive. The pipes play glitchily and kind of blend or warp into other sounds as they progress. The beat is even dubbier than the first track and when combined with the bassline it feels like some real dub but with a better combination of sounds in the melodies & sharp glitchy sounds in the background. What The Night Reveals is too many the perfect sound in between dub & psydub. It is more interesting than most dub I've heard but never gets cheesy like a lot of psydub does. Great stuff.

 

3. Kingdom Of The Blind (Third I Mix) ft. Alyssa Palmer

I heard the original of this on Max Chillrom & I was blown away. It really made me look forward to this release as it had the most delicious trippy melodies that skipped & moved very quickly up & down while reverberating side to side. The remix doesn't sound much different than the original and after listening to them back to back I can't really spot any differences. Maybe it's the positioning in the album or different mastering or the fact that it was the first time I heard it but I tend to like the one on Max Chillroom a bit more. Alyssa Palmer's vocals are nothing to fear either as they sound more like another electronic instrument than a vocal. Without focusing you might not even notice them.

 

4. A Delicate Mystery (New Life Mix)

This is the sort of sound I have come to expect from Native State Records, it has cool IDMish beats, a tight bassline & subtle layers of melodies coming in and out. This track really is delicate, on my first listen it sounded pretty average but once you get passed the beats & the bassline & listen carefully there is a whole world of sound underneath them. The melodies intertwine brilliantly & some of them echo like they are being played in a cavern. When the sounds cut out halfway through & kick back in it sends an amazing chill down my spine, just the way I like. A great cool melodic IDM track.

 

5. Riding The Sky Elevator

Riding The Sky Elevator has more energy with more tribal beats & long rushes of atmosphere falling down as synth drones in the background. It's more minimal than the other tracks but that just adds to the charm of this track & to the overall feeling of the whole album. The music moves less & is more focused & entrancing. The melodies are lighter but no less intricate & it is overall more atmospheric for it. It might not be the most instantly gratifying track here but it will grow on you given time, decent speakers or headphones & no distractions.

 

6. Phoenix Rising

The title track has the most prominent melody, simple yet fun. The beats are scratchy and the synths are toned high but fall down like a sonic shower. They warp a bit as they come passed the beats & melody though adding a nice atmospheric touch. The melody remains simple throughout and doesn't change but the work with the beats & the glitchy sounds around it make it seem as if the track is progressing nicely & when the bassline comes in playing the same tune as the melody it all seems to fall into place. It is possibly a little too long for a track with little variety in it but the melody is a very enjoyable one and as the whole album is pretty varied you don't notice or mind so much.

 

7. Invocation (The Fire Within) ft. Alyssa Palmer

We finish with quite a Jazzy track. The piano sounds very loungey as do the beats which trip along nicely in an almost marching fashion. The music gets more freestyle as we go along with high pitch funky sounds & long drawn out vocals that do not say anything (thankfully). There is some good atmospheric background ambience created by the vocals & soft drones but the beats & glitch define this track more. This is very different from everything else on the album, more urban & socialite than the others. Not my favourite track here but quite nice in it's way.

 

 

If this is meant to be a teaser for Bluetech's forthcoming album on Aleph Zero then it has done a fantastic job. I am really looking forward to that. If he calls this a mini album can we assume that the "full" album will be a 2CD? Also as I said above this isn't really that mini, it's over 50 minutes and there is a lot of variety in it that it seems to be even longer. Some of the tracks are instantly gratifying while some need a bit more time to get into. So buy it, give it some time & if you like Bluetech or any of the Native State compilations you'll probably enjoy this.

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