Buckle Up Vol. 2

Safety first!

Trancelucent Productions from Israel is a funny label really – they’ve released some really, really cool CDs like the brilliant album From The Legend by The Misted Muppet + the two brilliant Etic albums Touch Ups and the recent Feedback… They are all cracking artist albums that I really enjoy – but unfortunately Trancelucent also has a tendency to release really crappy stuff… Like the Electro Sun album and the Cyberdelica compilation – and now this second Buckle Up compilation…The first one was released in 2003 and had a couple of good tracks – but the rest were forgettable… Now let’s hope this one is better…

Let me take you thru the tracks…

#01: System Nipel – Russian Gangsters
The compilation is kicked into gear by a couple of Russian gangsters in Israel: Ruby Yakubov & Anton Lunev… And this track is pretty much recycling… Boring neo full-on pads, ‘the DJs took pills to stay awake and play for seven days’ samples and predictable basslines… I have to give credit where credit is due though: I do like some of the melodic pads here – too bad it’s soaked in cheese… I mean – just listen to the breezy ‘I can feel it’ samples… Too much cheddar will make you… Puuuuuuke!

#02: Cosmic Tone – Element
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the tunnel. I’m your DJ! And I’m gonna take you on a tour of the twelve inch. We’re gonna start here with the kick and the bass. Are you with me? Here we go! There are many elements of a track – I like it all!” It’s been a while since I’ve last heard anything from Israeli producer Roei Nissan – he’s a productive guy and has been involved in loads of releases already… As you might have guessed, this is very much uplifting morning trance… Full-on in nature, but not as fluffy as the previous track… Well, don’t get me wrong – we’re still very much on the lighter side of the spectre here, and the lengthy Music Instructor-like sample in the middle of the track totally ruins it for me… I would have absolutely loved this track when I was 13 – but I’m twice that now, and kiddie stuff like this doesn’t do it for me any more… Avoid!

#03: Electro Sun – Demons Halo
Here’s a new track by the young producer Nadav Elkayam… He released his debut album Pure Blue earlier this year and I only liked a few tracks from there… This is more full-on, but with a little more edge this time… Finally! The offbeat experimentation is this track is reminiscent of old Infected Mushroom and its pretty good – without being revolutionary… This is an ‘ok’ track… But ok doesn’t cut it in my book I’m afraid…

#04: Aquatica – Skydance (Rmx)
My last encounter with Aquatica (Elad Asi) was on the Cyberdelica compilation released by Trancelucent last year… That track was edgy full-on and was actually pretty good… And sure enough, this is pretty good too… We’re still in Israeli full-on world, but this isn’t as fluffy as some of the previous tracks… I’m guessing this is a remix to an older Aquatica track – whatever it is it’s the best track on this compilation so far… And that’s not saying much!

#05: The Misted Muppet – Snarling Zraw
Ahh – the muppets! Or rather just one muppet now, as Tal Hassidi left the band and it’s Dagan Israeli on his own… But the MM touch is indeed intact here – from the very first second the trademark sound is present – medieval intro complete with cembalo and the works… Very similar to the sound of the brilliant debut album From The Legend released last year – and yeah, that formula still works for me, and this is a stand-out track here… Multi-layered, darkish medieval full-on… Also the what-the-fuck-happened-to-my-speakers FX used towards the end of the track is sweet… A delicious track!

#06: Noga – Acceleration
The stuff I’ve heard from Noga Sudai has been in the better end of the full-on scale – I like his Etic-like progressive approach to full-on… And sure enough – this is pretty good too… That being said, this is still pretty fluffy, but hey – fluffy in a good way… This is very melodic, simple morning trance… The little kicks here are groovy and the general feel is enjoyable… Nice, but forgettable…

#07: Etic – 1 Day
“Why would I lie to you?... If that’s what you wanna do, you should do it!” When I looked at the tracklist of this compilation, I was only excited about the MM and the Etic tracks… Etay Harari has released two brilliant albums on Trancelucent and I really like his hybrid between progressive and full-on… This is just that – a funky number somewhere in between… Long, atmospheric, murky pads in the background – and a progressive rhythm-section with all kinds of spacy FX sprinkled all over the place… Another job well done by Etay… Another stand-out track!

#08: SystemiC – Systec
Dekel Maman (SystemiC) & Itay Milgrom (Synth Tec) also had a track on the Afula On compilation released by Com.Pact in 2004 – however this is the first time I hear their work… This is groovy full-on… Reminiscent of Sub6 and older Infected Mushroom – and it actually sounds pretty nice, though not particularly original… And that’s sad really, as these guys clearly have talent… The break-down bit is sweet indeed – fits the track perfectly… But still…

#09: Noga vs. Solar System – Above The Ground
“Why do I have to be humiliated in front of my guests by one of my own servants? The more license I allow you the more you take! If his grace is not satisfied with me he can dismiss me!” Noga Sudai is back for the last track – now in cahoots with Lior Lahav… They open up the track with a voice sample from some flick about Mozart – and they launch straight into a melodic, full-on piece… I like the harmonies here and the percussion with hints of progressive rhythms… Yeah, this is not a bad way to end this compilation at all, but I could have been without the cheesy female singing or moaning or whatever it is…*Sigh*

Well, IMO there’s only two stand-out tracks – the rest is simply too generic for my tastes… And two out of 9 is simply not enough for me to validate a purchase of a compilation… Of course this is a matter of taste and fans of the new Israeli full-on sound will have a field trip with this one… Others should probably take a listen before buying it… But enough common sense lessons for now!

A lot has been said about the controversial cover-art here – most people seem to dislike it… Again, I tend to disagree… Frankly I can’t get worked up about this – it’s obviously a piss-take on behalf of the Trancelucent crew – and I smiled the first time I saw it… I like it much more than say the cover of the newest Etic album… At least this one doesn’t try to hide anything…

Anyway, I didn’t really like this one – but I haven’t given up on Trancelucent… How could I with the amazing Etic album released simultaneously with this one? Enjoy!

Favourites: 5(!), 7(!)