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U-Recken - Flames of Equilibrium (Dacru Records)


Blubber

  

5 members have voted

  1. 1. Rate the Music!

    • 5/5 - Badass
      2
    • 4/5 - Hot Sauce
      2
    • 3/5 - Fingerfood
      0
    • 2/5 - Low Carb
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    • 1/5 - No ass
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Tracklist:

 

1. Aces High

2. Carol of the Bells (Album Edit)

3. Song of Seraphim

4. Shockwaves

5. Clouds of Smoke

6. Liquid Flames

7. U-Recken vs. Zen Mechanics - Broken Up

8. Eya Soala

9. Lost in the Wild

 

...review will follow from recursion loop

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Oh, looking forward to the review. For me this is kind of like Nano Rec. full-on but trying to be smarter, more intellectual - with much less repetition, usually very good, emotional melodies and refreshing sound variety. For some reason however it doesn't capture my attantion like Hypnocoustics or Masters Blasters. I think he tries to fit in too many ideas into single track and it simply doesn't always work well, doesn't gel properly and as a result the tracks seem unfocused...

 

Still, I liked it a lot!

 

4/5

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And here is the review. English is not my first language, so I apologize if something is grammatically incorrect or seems weird.

 

1. Aces High. This is one of the weakest tracks I’ve ever heard from U-Recken. It has a nice goaish melody in the middle, which comes from nowhere and soon disappears, and a pleasant but not especially memorable melodic climax at the last minute. Everything else are random synth sounds, effects and samples in typical U-Recken style thrown over the beat in a seemingly meaningless manner. If there is a storytelling here I failed to follow it. Just a filler for me. 1/6

 

2. Carol of the Bells. This track starts with dark and mostly dissonant psychedelic patterns forming pretty hypnotic and captivating groove which goes through several small climaxes and then leads to the main one, which is built around nothing other than Carol of the Bells. It’s hard to imagine something less relevant to psytrance, so I have no idea why this sample was chosen – does it mean something personal for Yaniv or was it just a random acapella sitting on his hard-drive? Yet it works in the context and makes the track instantly memorable (like "yeah, that U-Recken’s Christmas song"). After the climax there are some interesting melodic twists and turns which sound pretty unconventional for psytrance. All in all, a good track, although not the best I could expect from U-Recken. 4/6

 

3. The Song of Seraphim. The good things come to those who wait. Here we have ethereal singing samples and beautiful melodies contrasted by mysterious and menacing effects and atmospheres. There is no single second wasted in vain in this one, no single sound which would seem to be out of place, everything perfectly works together to invite the listener into a deep sonic journey. The melodies are insanely emotional, yet they don’t sound cheesy even a little – they manage to be tragic and uplifting at the same time. Some of the synth sounds give me pure eargasm – I would trade my kidney to know what synths he used on this one and how he tweaked and processed them. The track lasts for almost 9 minutes but when it stops playing I’m like “how the fvck did it end that soon”. Well, this is U-Recken at his very-very best and the track gets its well deserved 8/6.

 

4. Shockwaves. The track follows the tried and tested formula of starting twisted and disharmonic and then progressing into the melodious part. It is a nice track, but not exactly memorable and I have the feeling that Yaniv has done the same things better on his previous albums. Still, there is proper story-telling here, the dark synths are dark, the beautiful melodies are beautiful, everything in its places. 4/6

 

5. Clouds of Smoke. Here we have trancey synths playing epic and tragic melodies contrasted by twisted effects which make me think of huge creaking trees and strange creatures hiding therein. At first I thought that this track is a pale copy of The Song of Seraphim, but it grew on me at repeated listens. It is not instantly captivating, but deep and meaningful. 5/6

 

6. Liquid Flames. This one is very melodious and filled with unpredictable turns. It starts with a triplet groove accompanied by epic melody and cinematic atmospheres and then progresses into fullonish beat. It flows nicely but I have the feeling that there is too much of everything going on without being really focused at anything. I guess, Yaniv could make two or three more focused and memorable tracks based on these ideas. 4/6

 

7. Broken Up. U-Recken and Zen Mechanics both have very distinctive style, so I guess on this one I can almost tell who made what part. This track is more groovy and dancefloor-friendly than the others on this album but is still good for at home listening. However for the most part of the track I feel that none of the guys actually contributed their best - but suddenly at the very last minute, when the beat stops playing, they drop an eargasimically beautiful melody (I guess it is Yaniv who made it). I wish it was introduced earlier and developed further, but anyway for me it puts the track from “good” into “great” category. 5/6

 

8. Eya Soala. Here we have a bit weird but edgy sounding tribal singing sample masterfully incorporated into a pretty complex arrangement, lots of beat changes (triplet groove, offbeat stomping, fullonish kbbb and some complex polyrhytmic structures), some weird psychedelic synths and a larger-than-life melodic climax. The complexity of the arrangement makes it a bit hard to digest at the first listen but it grew on me quickly, and that climax is a pure masterpiece. Another highlight of the album. 6/6

 

9. Lost in the Wild. This track is built around a stomping offbeat groove and contains some weird vocal samples. This is basically all I remember about it. There are some melodic lines trying to be nice but they should try harder. Another filler. 1/6

 

So, the overall score is 4.2(2)/6. May seem not especially impressive but I have to say that U-Recken has always been one of my most favourite psytrance artists – one of those rare people who don’t just “produce” psytrance in paint-by-number manner but actually write meaningful and deep music which just happens to be in the form of psytrance. He stays true for his unique style and still shows his potential to create amazing tracks, but I feel that he may be somehow tired of doing his things – for some of the tracks he seems to be copying his earlier works, some other are apparently done just because he could, without any idea or inspiration. Maybe it’s time to change the style – I’d love to hear a psychill/downtempo album form Yaniv, he is amazingly good at creating deep cinematic ambiences and soulful melodies.

 

Anyway, if it were not U-Recken but someone with less impressive track record, I think I could give 6/6 mark to the album. If anything, I gave this album the first place when we voted for the best of 2015. And I could safely recommend it to anyone looking for something deep and intelligent, melodious and emotional yet trippy and psychedelic (but be sure to check out his Aquatic Serenade as well).

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May I ask why the rating is out of 6? I like it but I'm just so curious as to why :P

Idk, I usually rate stuff for myself in this way, where "6" is for "well made, solid, good melodies and top-notch production", but some truly outstanding music may go above 6.

 

As there is the poll, I can adapt ratings to "of 5", I have written the review before Blubber made the OP

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  • 1 year later...
  • 3 weeks later...

Well, two years later .... It seems that it was a bad idea to write such a long review because apparently noone actually read it (and my English leaves a lot to be desired).

 

In short: the best psytrance album since Aquatic Serenade :) Go get it asap.

Hi. No it is not a waste of time, and your English is great! I can't speak for others but I try to read all reviews posted (listening is a different matter, have to find the time!). I 'll find the album on Youtube and listen to it before September, maybe comment here too :)
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IMO this is at the top of the genre. I do understand where antic is coming from, it is true that sometimes tracks lose a bit their harmony. Not a major weakness though and it did not bother me at all. The Dead Can Dance sample (Host Of Seraphim) has been used in many tracks now, but U-Recken produced a very good track with it. Creative album, recommended for sure and essential for anyone into this genre.

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