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Aes Dana "Memory Shell"

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Music reviews

Chill out/ambient reviews

Author: Per Kristian Slagsvold

Publishing date: 08.09.2004 09:39

Aes Dana (Vincent Villuis) is back with his third album on French Ultimae Records. He has got a good reputation after releasing his album Season 5 in 2002 and the limited edition CD called Aftermath last year. He is known for going deep into spacey ambient and down tempo trance. With this release you also get a fat booklet with text and several pictures.

Aes Dana “Memory Shell” Ultimae Records 2004 (Inre014)

1. Chernozem
2. Iris Rotation
3. Dusts
4. Opalin
5. Memory Shell (Lost Radio Edit)
6. Haze
7. Shouting Valley
8. Cities Update
9. Sub Morphing
10. Grounds Around
11. Exposure (Aes Dana Rmx)
12. Chernozem (Closing)

First out is a short track with slow, mystic sounds gliding in a relaxed way. Nice and chilled intro on the album. Track 2 continues the deep, floating soundscapes. Aes Dana always delivers very spacey sounds, with mystic and relaxing vibes forcing us to calm down. In this track we also get some relaxed experimental beats and a beautiful humming voice. Reminds me a bit of the deep cold, so called arctic ambient, artists such as Biosphere etc. produce. These tracks float over in each other so it becomes a nice journey. Track 3 has a bit more dramatic vibe. Still totally deep and floating. You also get a voice in this one and the track slowly builds up. After a while a relaxing down tempo rhythm sneaks slowly into the track. A beautiful voyage into deep ambient music. Track 4 starts totally slow, before we glide into a pumping down tempo groove. With this kind of chill out, you can just sit and relax or take a slow dance. This should be perfect for an early evening trance set too. Track 5 continues the deep, dark vibes. It starts with someone telling a little story, we hear the sound of water, before we float further into more mystic vibes. Then comes the stumpy beat back on track. Very drifting with spacey, deep sounds all the way.

Track 6 is one of my favourite tracks on this album. It has a beautiful voice and some very nice atmospheric floating sounds. Totally relaxing with slow, experimental, drifting beats. Track 7 has some very mystic vocals, and almost no beats at all. Just floating deep sounds. About as deep as ambient can get. Track 8 goes to a bit lighter level and we get more groovy down tempo beats. Track 9 is another floating, little masterpiece with a bit more earthy sound, still going a mystic direction. Relaxing drums and beautiful sounds. Track 10 takes us to an even deeper, relaxing level. Perfect when you are tired and want to listen to something really dreamy. Track 11 is originally made by Aural Planet, but here we get a remix by Aes Dana. The original track is on their album called Acoustic Plantation Releases, released on Flow Records earlier this year. Aes Dana gives us a deep, relaxed version of the track, with his typical spacey floating vibes. The last track Vincent gives us on this album is a short finishing track floating like the intro we get on this album.

Aes Dana delivers another strong album full of deep, relaxing ambient and down tempo grooves. Very different from the tribal chill we get in most psychill releases, but also very refreshing to hear something as deep and spacey as this. Very dreamy music all the way through. Recommended.
PK (shivapks@hotmail.com)

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