Found at: http://trance.net/article/articleprint/320/-1/29/
|
Top level
Music reviews
Chill out/ambient reviews
Spiral Trax Records in Sweden is out with their second chill out compilation in the Ease Division series. As last year, Michael Andresen (Healer) has compiled the tracks, and it is based on Scandinavian artists, mainly from Sweden. As it says on the cover art; downbeat grooves from the Scandinavian shores.
Ease Division 2 (Spiral Trax Records) 2003 (SPITCD016)
1. Vibrasphere – San Pedro (Low Sky Remix)
2. Saiko-Pod – Wednesday
3. Robert Leiner – Lunar Suite
4. Matenda – No Return
5. Stress Assassin – Intentional Depths
6. Solar Fields – Compressed Universe
7. Human Blue – Swing Delight
8. 12 Moons – Pancakes in Tulum
9. Healer – Solar Panels
First out is the famous San Pedro track by Vibrasphere. This one was released on their first album Echo (Spiral Trax 2000). A beautiful track you can also find on several other compilations. But here we get another version of the track (Low Sky Remix), which was released on a cd single (Stereo Gun) on Spiral Trax this spring. This version is also really nice and chilling, with a deep groovy bass. Track 2 is by Saiko-Pod (Kox Box from Denmark). This track was first released on the Saiko-Pod album Phutures and Options on Spiral Trax last year. Pretty groovy chill out track, which reminds me a bit of Gabriel le Mar. Track 3 is a new track by Robert Leiner, also known as The Source Experience. Tracks by him are always interesting. Here we get a really floating atmospheric track. Not among my favourite Robert Leiner tracks, but not bad. Matenda give us track 4, which is one of my favourite tracks on this compilation. Deep and chilling with a lot of beautiful sounds. Stress Assassin released an album on Spiral Trax last year (Within The Office Of Eye And Ear) full of minimal dub. Here we get a new track from him, where he follows the minimal dub style again. Almost no variation, just deep dub with some stoned reggae vocals. Too boring in my ears. Solar Fields has released two albums on Ultimae Records. Here we get a taste of his floating, slow, beautiful ambient. Human Blue has released two albums on Spiral Trax. He likes to follow the progressive side of trance, but here he give us a pretty nice chill out track. It could have been a bit more varied, but the space jazz feeling you get is really relaxing. 12 Moons is usually the trance project of Michael Andresen (Healer). Here we get a really slow 12 Moons track. Chilling but not much varied. He also gives us the last track on this compilation as Healer. This one is a bit better, with really nice atmospheric ambient.
You get some nice chill out with this compilation, but there wasn`t much surprises, and a lot of the tracks sounds pretty average to me.
PK
