Violet Vision - Your Voice (CD SINGLE)

[traveller]

Artist: Violet Vision (Jonathan Dagan & Shay Raviv)

 

Album: Your Voice Cd Single

 

Label: BNE/Yoyo Records

 

Cat: YOYO CS06

 

Total Playtime: 22:12

 

Tracklist:

 

1. Your Voice 06:45

 

2. Your Voice (Mo Shic Remix) 10:43

 

3. Pale Void (Edit) 04:39

 

 

A few words before we begin:

 

I recall certain online trance store describing these guys' debut album's -First Sign of Communication- style as "Story telling colourfull sound somewhere between Shpongle and Infected Mushroom." Now that I've owned that very album for something like two years I really couldn't disagree more. Well I do agree with the story telling part, but sound between Shpongle and Infected Mushroom? I don't think so! I do believe that many share the view with me that these guys created totally own style and sound that really can't be compared with any existing artists. Yet I do think that Shpongle and Infected Mushroom should definetly be mentioned while talking about Violet Vision. Reason for this being that when it comes to quality and innovativity, these guys are definetly up there with Simon, Raj, Erez and Amit.

 

When "First Sign of Communication" was released it definetly suprised many, it just was so fresh and yes, psychedelic. After the debut Violet Vision has released tracks on such labels as Dragon Fly, Yoyo, Hommega and Phonokol. To name a few compilations: Generations, Elucidations, Another Life, UFS 3, Israliens 4 and Raveolution. They've also released a remix to Infected Mushroom's "Deeply Disturbed" on Infected's single that carries the same name. So, after something like 15 tracks I still can't name even one bad one. To be honest I've even bought a compilation or two just to hear the new Violet Vision work. So it's no secret, I'm a big fan of them.

 

We already got a tiny preview of Violet Vision's Incoming album "Unfold" with a trance remix of "Cellophane" which was released on Raveolution (?). Now it's time for new previews, which will hopefully make it easier for us (for me anyways) to wait till late summer, when Unfold should finally see its daylight.

 

 

Almost there:

 

As I opened the mailbox for mornings paper I really didn't expect to see this weird white packet with unidentified symbols on it. That's when I realized that it said BNE. And then it hit me. I knew what was going to be inside. But the packet seemed bizarre. Reason for that being that it was pretty big. For a minute I thought that this ment some serious searching for my grandma's old vinyl player. Had a picture in my mind that it was somewhere in the garage. Thank god it later (like 1 sec, I was anxious as hell) came clear that this was indeed a cd single and not 12" vinyl.

 

I'd already drooled on the cd at psyshop so I was familiar with the artwork. On the front cover there's this sort of surrealistic clown's head. This head could very well belong to the headless guy who's on Violet Vision's debut album's cover. The artwork is apparently done by Yaniv Yehuda Eiger. Well, I really like it! It's very original.

 

 

Review:

 

The beginning is some sort of a soundscape that after two cycles is joined by some pitched drums and a few seconds later by a organlike synth. We go like this till 00:29. That's when the Hybridism hits us. Strong drums are doing the job. Quite well if I may add. Some weirdness is thrown over it. And soon we get a preview of Noa Lembersky's voice. She says or rather sings "your voice". At 01:00 we are still on our way. Exactly 11 seconds later we get a spoken sample "this aint no disco". Indeed! The disco like beginning is now left behind. It's time to psy. As I learned from the debut album, when it comes to Violet Vision anything and everything can happen at any given time, place, dimension or moment of a track. We have the pattern. But on top of it something is going on any given millisecond. It just can't get boring. Noise after noise, effect after effect, synth after synth, it keeps on variating until 02:25. That's when we get a chilled part. Still loads of stuff going on, but no beat, no bassline. 02:54 the lyrics reach us. It goes somehing like this "your voice, touches of insanity, so pure, so clean, your voice, touches of perfection, so clean, your voice, touches of insanity, so pure, so clean, your voice, touches of perfection, so clean". Time to drum n bass! The vocal part is very emotional for it's just.. no words. The vocals are repeated in more or less the same way. 04:52 some really strange stuff is going on right behind them. Then some serious vocoder stuff, which I'm really keen on. I know I said earlier that VV can't really be compared to anything, but think Hybrid and add psychedelic atmosphere. That's pretty much what we have. Noa is now singing about echoes and oh well my concentration lacks for I'm just trying to here it all. All in all, job done. Done very well indeed!

 

I've never heard about Mo Shic. I've got this A4 that says "Israel's rising star - Mo Shic (titled by DJ Magazine as "One of the brightest new hopes for the progressive scene"). So I guess now it's time for the progressive version of the previous track. The track will most likely differ the previous greatly for it's almost like twice as long! Okay as I went to get some orange juice I apparently didn't hit the pause button. So as I came back to my room the 2nd track had played for something like 04:40 and guess what. I felt like dancing. Sounded very groovy! Did recognise the your voice synth thingie. Oh well, time to hit the skip button back to the beginning.

 

"Traveller hits the skip button." Okay I apparently hit it twice. Oh well, I might as well relisten the first track and see if I actually managed really to capture anything essential of it. Trying to concentrate on something else now so I don't get too repeative. First of all I simply love that way the kick drum hits us at 00:29. Or rather the tiny effect that somehow resembles a opening door. Not sound wise, but symbolic wise. It starts in the middle of 00:26 and ends to the first kick. I really love those background effects and noises. Really helps you hear them if you happen to be behind closed eyelids. And those snares! I probably already mentioned, but this track is very drum n bassish. As we know also Violet's debut had some serious drum n bass influences. In a way anyways. Not saying that it actually is drum n bass or anything. Ah well, Noa has really nice voice. It's so pure, so clean! Touches of perfection? Yes, indeed! I love the way the track starts building up after the vocals dissapear. The Violet Vision build up is very complicated and layered. You can listen to the track 10 times in a row and hear it in 10 different ways. 04:51, I think I picked that weirdness already, but damn I like it! 05:15 has that opening door symbolic thingie again. But this time it's actually closing for the track is about to end. As seconds advance, layers dissapear. We get a piano, but only for a second or two. Noa is now singing, but it also feels like it's dissapearing. Then the final hit, fadeing piano, the end.

 

Okay time to listen to the Mo Shic remix, this time the entire track. The beginning is sort of similar, yet different. At this time one could confuse it with the original. That option is left behind at 00:29. Familiar point (time wise)? This time the drums don't kick in in such strong way, but rather in some bizarre echoed way. At 00:58 we get some tribalism previews. Yes. The opening door effect! Totally different, most likely not ment to be, but oh well. 01:45 we almost have a steady 4x4 thingie going on. Not because of the kick drum, which still is sort of random, but the beat. 02:25 we get the regular kick. The BPM isn't too fast but not really too slow either. A lot faster than my heart beat though. Your voice vocal layer is mixed in. But it's weak. Sort of echoed. Very distant, impossible to reach. I'm really not too keen on 4x4 stuff, but this goes. The kick gets stronger at 04:20. We also have a bassline. Didn't notice when it started. Must have sneaked in slowly. Not really too much going on at the moment. Actually the beat is guite manipulated and variating, but it's very distant. 05:50 it's time for a break. Pretty much the only connection with the original version is that distant "your voice". The break is kinda interesting. We have some nicey effects. And uh, that piano. This is more like it! Love the way that beat starts to come together again. Noa can be heard clearly, as she's pretty much the only thing that can be heard at the moment. 07:14 we have some serious echoes on the hi-hats and the snares. 07:42 the kick kicks in. I'm sure this would work really well on a dance floor. On a dance floor I atleast wouldn't mind hearing it, but for home listening I just.. you know. 10:00 you can sense that it's about to end. Slowly, once again, fading away. A few words: groovy, tribal, progressive trance, all in all totally different than the original, you decide if that's good or bad, but I sure as hell prefer the original.

 

"Pale void" is something really different. It's not really a trance track, or even a electronic one. Jonathan Lev playes the drums on this. That already should tell quite much about it. Don't get me wrong, on the background there's lots of Violet Visionism going on. In the very beginning, exactly 10 seconds after the very very beginning we get a organlike synth. Reminds me of Weezer (the band). Little later on we get a bassline. Now the only thing missing is the vocals, which are by the way sang by Kfir Basson. "I hide my pride, goes away, got no reason here to stay, put my wings put on your fags(?) but it's not working, i'm trying so hard.." Indeed, it's not a track but a song. As he says, or once again rather sings, or actually starts singing the phrase "I'm trying so hard". We get a guitar. If you've heard about Weezer then this should sound quite familiar to you. Hell, this could be a pop song (or actully is), but I happen to love it (yes love)!

 

 

So:

 

Well to me the weakest link of this single is the Mo Shic remix. But since I'm not too keen on progressive stuff, or even 4x4 stuff that should rather be seen as a compliment for I didn't dislike it. The other two tracks, or the track and the song are just puurrfect! I'm really, really looking forward for the Unfold album! Other that that, thank you and huge respect for the Violet guys for keeping their promise! More than that, thank you for not letting me down. I wish you all the best!

[Guest z]

GREAT review Traveller! im happy they did it again:) i just love the first album and i realy cant wait to hear this single and of course the new album!.

by the way it nice ther is an israely group that u realy love ;-) it make me happy that thers more then full on that comes from israel (dont get me wrong i love full on but still i want to hear more new and original stuff from israel cuz ther are so many talented ppl ther).

in shurt cant wait to here this one:))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

[traveller]

i added some sound samples to my webpage

 

www.geocties.com/ganjalien

 

 

for some odd bizarre pervert reason my alternative (and A LOT cooler mypage.org url) doesn't work