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Squaremeat -Astronomical Coffee Break [Exogenic]
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| Le Lotus Bleu |
Squaremeat – Astronomical Coffee Break [Exogenic]
Tracklist :
1. Platypus
2. Liukutaklaus
3. Front Side Rock’n’Roll
4. Static Traffic
5. Evaporator
6. 2 2 Tango
7. Shinkansen Rmx
8. Pure Caffein
9. Go Away
10. Queen Of The Night
Squaremeat (Pepe Kosminen & Françoise ******) delivers with Astronomical Coffee Break their 4th album : a journey into finnish funky psytrance.
1 Platypus opens on a groovy bassline embellished with an imitative bird singing synth. There are weird grunt samples around 1’10. Then it’s time for the metallic synth to appear, followed soon by a funky bass. The tune evolves shortly through a quick hacked fx part. You’ll notice too discret percussions in the rythmic background , some strident tones for a swift break at 4’50 & also an etheral lead (from 5‘15)which brings more depth in the harmonic sound contrast. Last remark, the tune gets more psychedelic, twisted through sounds on the end after 6’15. Personnally, i wouldn’t have placed it in first position, it would have been resulted better if situated in the middle/second half part, in order not to begin with something too much mental according to me for a start; but of course we can listen the album in a random order if we prefer.
2 Liukutaklaus goes directly into punchy & energic horizons with an uncontrollable funky bassline, coppled with a special pushed rythmic environment : sharpy metallic hithat’s profusion & euphoric high claps. From 3’07 percussions start to resonnate, few later on some bleeps make their appearance. You’ve got a sympathic practical joke ghost atmosphere with the melody from 5’10, with a echo-ping pong effect trick based on 2 leads on it that takes you up to the end. This one results matching much more my taste compared to the previous one.
3 In Front Side Ronck’n’Roll , the first evident impress you’ll feel is how warm & deep is the bassline. The second one, funny this time is a little birdy whirling sound kinda canary indeed. At 1’34 a typical funkadelic lead takes you away accompanied by the bleepy singing canary sound that remains contrarily to the funkadelic lead. Actually it is replaced from 2’20 by a completly distorted devasted lead, and then this last one at its turn by a pretty climbing effect on a waving layer (from 2’45) , at its turn again replaced by a funkadelic guitar riffs trying to imitate the canary bleep (from 3‘12). At 4’32 the bassline changes into a more grumeling way, like if it was wanting to become more serious but it’s without counting onthe mischievous canary bleep which is still active.
At 5’33 an unexpectd good & funny tumbling down break occurs & I’m afraid that this canary finally succeeded in escaping from his cage for rediscovering freedom just after this, with an evident unconceal pleasure (6’36).
A very entertaining & funny tune to listen.
4 Static Traffic is, at first, about a very nervous atmosphere b ased on an hacked, angry repetitive synth at 0’30. Then at the minute a more classic funkadelic tone comes. After there’s a focus on the rythmic , a new lead arrives but i don’t like it (sort of dark psyfunky atmosphere was probably wished to be create). This part doesn’t catch me though, too long. At 4’20, things back to normal for my eardrums with a more classic trancey funkadelic surroundings but it doesn’t last a long time as at 5’40 we come back a bit to this attempt of darker psyfunk previously mentionned. But that’s not finished, the final cut is particularly raw consequently awful to me.
I really think Squaremeat could have put additionnal efforts on this one, dissapointing ; probably with a remix something decent could come out from this tune.
5 Kinda electric oscillation in guise of backsynth is present in Evaporator all along, amplified & multilayered at 2’20. You can add 303 lines from 1’30 too in the ingredients, as same as a global rocking atmosphere & some softly muted electric guitar tense/dry riffs from 0’35 & appearing at several others occasions during the tune. After 5’00 it’s time for a weirdo climax rupture with little raving sounds & a short very klonk sample nearly understandable but so freaky.The whole thing obviously, is sustained by a funkadelic groove, quite fat.
6 Squaremeat keep going with loud tones here in 2 2 Tango indeed we’got here a latin rythmic but not Tango. At 2’17 a luminous,sparkling organ arrives & delivers a will-o’-the wisp melody. Then at 2’45 soft indus & robotic tones are intregrated in the background.
From 4’15 you can feel some E.B.M influences, more rigity through sounds & pachydermic atmosphere. 6’35 the tune pushes a step forward into a robotic-funky feeling.
7 Nice sweet happy carillon as intro, that obligatory puts you in a good mood. Otherwise Shinkansen Rmx is a step higher in psychedelism compared the other tracks, very trippy with a bouncing bass, synths that remind Texas ******’s work. The tones here are rougher, more unpolished. The funky spirit is still present but more discret & difficult to catch ; furthermore the harmony is more agressive than the global album content with the use of many acid, shrill sounds. Nevertheless it’s not a bad tune, at contrary it permits to offer a diversity in the album which is welcome.
8 Pure Caffein is one of the gem in the album thanks to a nice floating flute melody that confers also a goa touch to the track. The tones employed are very enlightened, quite psychedelic, energizing and at the same time very relaxing. The whole thing delivers a lightness impress. Definitivly it’s a very good & interesting musical construction.
9 Go Away is different with a fat groove plus percussions sounding a bit housey & kinda weird jungle cries samples all along like at 2’25. From 5’25 some more twisted sounds are appearing & the harmony starts to be much layered conferring an hypnotic touch to the groove. With Squaremeat you can expect at a moment things to get funky, that’s what happen at 6’33. At 9’00 an additionnal lead is incorporated to the already very rich sound texture of the tune, more goaish but it also announces a soon finish.
10 For Queen Of The Night you have effective metallic funky guitar riffs from 1’10 from which you can’t resist at least to move if not dancing, a muffled organ speechless at 1’48, a mewing synth at 2’25 typical from funkadelic and then elements will intermix together and of course some voice samples that are repeated several times among them the weird ‘you got milk’, of course ‘Queen of the night’. It’s a positive, happy disco-funk trancey tune that ends the album.
Climaxs :3,5,8,10
Alernative choices :6,7,9
Mention to the inventilvely raving artwork cover.
Last but not least don’t forget that the cd gives you also the opportunity with a link of downloading 8 bonus tracks.
You like finnish psytrance? you like funky influences?
if you got 2 yes, you're ready to spend an Astronomical Coffe Break with Squaremeat.
8/10 |
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| DiMethGuy |
| Jesus Christ, that's the best review I've ever read from a n00b. Hopefully a sign of things to come. |
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