Veracohr Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 My first review. Deal with it. Announcement just posted today: Liquid Jungle - High Toxicity EP Artist: Liquid Jungle Album: High Toxicity EP Label:Acid Chemical Plant Records Date: February 12, 2011 1. High Toxicity (7:03) 2. Ethanol (7:26) 3. Overflow (6:58) 4. Wasteland (7:09) High Toxicity Nice blend of acid and psytrance. The acid lines build and evolve over an amp-sequenced vocal pad that gives that great spooky, haunting vibe. The middle part builds up energy as it focuses on the acid leads, and the last couple minutes bring back the haunting sound with the vocal pad as it comes in again after breaks. This song mixes the best of both worlds - the familiar acid sound of multiple layers of 303, some high and screeching and some low and growly, with what to me is the essence of classic trance - repetitive parts that evolve slowly over time and build energy until they put your mind on pause so the body can flow and the soul can bask. An amazing mix of darkness and euphoria. A+ Ethanol This song is much more on the acid techno side, but with trance's beat and tempo. It starts out aggressive and doesn't stop. There's really nothing to this song other than the 303 parts, and that's a good thing. There's some breaks in the usual trance fashion, but framed by full-on acid. The evolution of the 303 loops is masterful. A Overflow This song is pretty typical acid techno at a higher than normal tempo. I don't really have anything to say about it; it's not terribly interesting. It still draws my attention because of the screeching 303 lines (I'm a total sucker for them!) but overall there's not much to this song.C+ Wasteland This has a real old-school trance style, and even the 303 lines conform to it. While "High Toxicity" and "Ethanol" combine an acid techno-style 303 with trance, this is all trance which uses acid-sounding 303 lines that fit into a trance paradigm. A I've listened to some of Mr. Santos' music as he's announced various releases here on Psynews, and I've searched out a few things elsewhere. As I said, I'm a total sucker for acid. I've liked most of what I've heard, but after listening to this EP, I have to unequivocally say that Filipe Santos is an official Jedi Master of the TB-303. Seriously, with the exception of "Overflow", this EP made me want to dance in my living room like I was still 20 and at a rave no matter what my roomates thought. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Usling Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 Nice. I generally like acid so i downloaded and tried it. You're right about it being more techno than trance. The first two tracks are really acid techno. If you like this style i can understand your high rating because there doesn't seem to be much of this around. I thought it was just enervating. It doesn't get me anywhere. Either the tracks doesn't evolve or i don't get it. Guess i'm more of a trance guy but i wanted to try it anyway because i really like stuff like the Aphex Twin - Classics album and so on. This was nothing like it. Third track is also what you said it was gonna be. Nothing special. But i didn't think it was worse than the first two. In my opinion it's just like the first two. Last track was not what you said it was gonna be. While i can understand there is more trance in it than the first two tracks, it's still acid techno. This is not goa-trance or anything like it. Yes there are 303s and much acid, but the baseline and melody (or lack thereof) are neither goa nor trance. Now i'm not here to discuss genre borders so if anyone have a different opinion i can understand that. But i wouldn't call it trance. I couldn't find a red line or "story" to follow like i usually can with trance or goa-trance. Still i like this track the most, but the baseline is enervating. Also a slight minus for the tracks not being available as FLAC. Yes they are free so i shouldn't complain at all (and really i'm not here to complain, but to give constructive advice), but converting to FLAC is no different than converting to MP3 and i see no reason for MP3 other than to reduce file size (which is good for mobile phones).The different audio formats available is a plus for all those out there that has big digital audio libraries (see next post for reason of editing). Audio quality could on the other hand be a bit better. It feels like the artist could step up a bit in musical depth aswell if you get what i mean. Again, i don't want to complain. Take my criticism as constructive advice or not at all. Maybe i could've used better wording and tone but english is not my native language. I apologize for any toes stepped on Conclusion: I wont rate this because it would be a highly subjective rating. Final verdict is that this is probably good if you like the more techno-side of things. Production quality could be better, but i guess MP3 is an ok choice audio formats available are very good but the audio quality wasn't 100%. I guess this doesn't qualify for commercial success but as a free download and good enough quality it could be great at underground parties and such. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amithaba_buddha Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 Also a slight minus for the tracks not being available as FLAC. Yes they are free so i shouldn't complain at all (and really i'm not here to complain, but to give constructive advice), but converting to FLAC is no different than converting to MP3 and i see no reason for MP3 other than to reduce file size (which is good for mobile phones). This leads me to the conclusion that this was an amateur creating this music, and while it wasn't bad in any way, it feels like the artist could step up both in audio quality and musical depth if you get what i mean. Again, i don't want to complain. Take my criticism as constructive advice or not at all. Maybe i could've used better wording and tone but english is not my native language. I apologize for any toes stepped on Conclusion: I wont rate this because it would be a highly subjective rating. Final verdict is that this is probably good if you like the more techno-side of things. Production quality could be better, but i guess MP3 is an ok choice since the audio quality wasn't 100% anyway. I guess this doesn't qualify for commercial success but as a free download and good enough quality it could be great at underground parties and such. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Usling Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 Haha thank you! With that list of formats you may change my slight minus into a regular plus! I edited previous post. Guess i'm just tired of all the "download here" that leads to "download here" buttons, skipped it fast. Sorry! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amithaba_buddha Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 Haha thank you! With that list of formats you may change my slight minus into a regular plus! I edited previous post. Guess i'm just tired of all the "download here" that leads to "download here" buttons, skipped it fast. Sorry! No problem , enjoy . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veracohr Posted February 14, 2011 Author Share Posted February 14, 2011 Big post Interesting difference of opinion. I'm surprised you find it lacking in tranciness. I should qualify my...exuberance...by saying that I was a little drunk when I wrote the review, and I tend to get passionate about things when I drink. I still love the music though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trance2MoveU Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 Artist: Liquid Jungle Title: High Toxicity EP Label: Acid Chemical Plant Records Date: February, 2011 1. High Toxicity 2. Ethanol 3. Overflow 4. Wasteland Congratulations to Veracohr and a great first review! I really enjoyed reading it. And now for something completely different... I'm not a tremendous fan of acid trance. It seems rather dull and harsh to my ears without much evolution. That's cool though, it's not for everyone. Have you seen what people are into these days? Why would you...meh, if you're that f*cking stupid you deserve it. You go sit right over there next to the cat lady in the "why can't I find a man" section. Are you kidding? At what point was a fat chick jumping in an icy lake a good idea? All of that crap just isn't for me. However, every now and then something comes along where two great tastes taste great together. This little EP was done by none other than Filipe Santos. I kid you not when I say that he is one of the most talented producers of music in the new school era. Arnold, just look at the facts. The sheer number of his productions divided by the co-efficient of quality clearly states that....look who I'm talkin' to...mr. S.A.T.'s That's not fair..Arnold can't understand what I'm talking about because he's...well, dead. The point is that whether he's making music as Lost Buddha, Amithaba Buddha, Chynacid, or uric acid, his stuff sounds great. This EP is no exception. It is pure old school all the way. If you said that this was produced in the nineties I wouldn't argue with you. High Toxicity- Wow, he wields the 303 like a hot knife through butter. The acid bass line is filtered and the kick screams minimal style. There are no complex layers here just leads that he twists to maximal effect. If you're not dancing to this, you don't like goa trance. Ethanol- With more nods to the acid roots the kick thumps as the 303 rage grows inside him like the Hulk does Bruce Banner. More aggressive with a simplistic feel. You can hear every sound he produces...kick, hi-hat, bass and leads. That's it, nothing gets lost in reverb or countless unnecessary layers. It's a 303 sledgehammer to the face.. That guy should spend a very long time in jail for hitting a woman like that, but really...haven't we all felt like hitting Snooki? Even just a little bit? Overflow- This was the only one that didn't move me as much. It is less melodic than the previous two tracks, but it was still a nice mover. When you set the bar as high as he did though, coming up a little short at times is to be expected. That being said, what he does with that 303...it screams at you. Wasteland- Feel the tension? Pure acidic goa trance. Same kick and 303 manipulation which he has made a living off of. The pads are a nice touch creating a more pensive atmosphere. Brother, why do I feel you used your Electribe on this EP? Another screamer that is full of bubbly goodness. And there you have it, another Ep by Filipe that is well worth your time. Liquid Jungle is just the latest in his series of releases that bring you back to the old school. He combines acid trance with goa melodies with very good results. His sounds are smooth and the way he wields that 303 is just...well, it's assault is what it is. Oh, and I forgot to mention...that this is free. Yep, costs you nothing. Good job Filipe, Acid Chemical Plant Records Mdk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penzoline Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 Ethanol is fucking massive. The acid is just tasty like you'd expect and the melodies rather technoish, but that bassline just seals the deal on the whole thing. It's dirty as hell, I love it. POM POM POM POM POM POM OooOOMP POM POM POM!!! YES!!! Just imagine a rave with this track. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amithaba_buddha Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 Trance2MoveU : thanks for the time you spent on this review. Penzoline : You totally nailed it. Veracohr : thanks for your review and for the kind support. For who enjoyed this work i would like to recommend another album from '95 , Computer Controlled EP by Bassline Baby. He made the track 'Altered States' which came up on several Goa compilations at the time. Unfortunatly there's not many albums with this kind of style of Trance. http-~~-//www.youtube.com/watch?v=xc5xQxLnv3M http-~~-//www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQsraizZ9gI Bassline Baby - Computer Controlled EP Discogs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Usling Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 If it's any comfort i liked the 'Amithaba Buddha - Myself in the mirror' CD a lot. Suits my taste more Dunno why i felt the need to write this, i just hope you keep some distance to negative reviews and opinions like mine. But at the same time, it could be boring with just worshippers around? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amithaba_buddha Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 If it's any comfort i liked the 'Amithaba Buddha - Myself in the mirror' CD a lot. Suits my taste more Dunno why i felt the need to write this, i just hope you keep some distance to negative reviews and opinions like mine. But at the same time, it could be boring with just worshippers around? Thanks Usling. Don't worry , we all have different tastes . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trancedanne Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Wow i must say that his is the best release ive heard so far this year. Really really amazing, its so rare to hear this kind of music these days. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkAngel Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 His sounds are smooth and the way he wields that 303 is just...well, it's assault is what it is. this made my day thanks Michael and company! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starkraver Posted December 10, 2016 Share Posted December 10, 2016 Has this been reissued? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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