Bluetech "Sines And Singularities"
Top level Music reviews

Author: Per Kristian Slagsvold

Publishing date: 27.12.2005 17:36

Review by PKS
New album by Bluetech out on Aleph Zero Records...

Aleph Zero Records based in Israel has for sure put themself on the map among the highest quality chill labels lately, with releases such as the second Shulman album, double Bluetech album and the Natural Born Chillers compilation. Now, they are out with a new album by Bluetech (Evan Marc) from the US, who got great feedback after releasing a quite psychedelic double chill album on Aleph Zero in 2004. He has also released music on the respected Waveform label.


Bluetech "Sines And Singularities" (Aleph Zero Records) 2005 (AlephZ04)

Enter The Lovely
2. Condensation
3. Leaving Winter Behind
4. Forgiveness
5. Shulman – First Came The Stars (Bluetech Rmx)
6. Pitch Black – Ape To Angel (Bluetech’s Evolution Rmx)
7. Airstream
8. Dreamtime Lullaby
9. Shimmer
10. Wilderness
11. A Garland Of Stars

Bluetech sure has his own unique way of making psychedelic chill out music. All his tracks has their own Bluetech trademark, with twisted melodies and sounds. He mixes tons of quite flat, weird sounds with atmospheric, floating soundscapes, echoes and vibes. A combination he does in a way that all the weirdness cooks into beautiful, relaxing pieces of music. Like on his first albums, this is what he does here too. You rarely find so much uniqueness in chill tracks these days as you find in these tracks, which is a high quality mark for an artist. If you enjoyed his first albums, you will for sure like this one too. Not much change in style from his previous releases, but he keeps a high quality line all the way through. One of my favourite tracks here is the Leaving Winter Behind track, which you can also find on the Left Coast Liquid compilation released on his own label Native State Records earlier this year. Quite emotional track, with melancholic vibes, totally relaxed all the way through. We get dubby beats and atmospheric vibes in most of these tracks. He also delivers a couple of interesting remixes in this album. One of them originally made by Shulman, released on the first Shulman album Soundscapes And Modern Tales. Here, Bluetech adds his unique style, and change the track into something quite different and interesting. Remixes are nice when it is done like this. He has also remixed a track by Pitch Black, which is a duo from New Zealand,quite famous for their dub albums, such as the Ape To Angel album released this year. Another interesting remix, pretty different from the original. Bluetech puts a lot of creativity in all these tracks, coming up with his own new ideas in most of them, which is something you rarely find in todays ambient/chill productions.

This third full length album by Bluetech is for sure one of the best chill albums I have heard in 2005. He follows the style he had in his previous albums, which is a good thing. Even though some could be hoping for a little bit more new ideas compared to his previous albums, Bluetech still has his own way of producing his own unique style and high quality, combining IDM, psychedelic and atmospheric vibes. Recommended!
PKS (shivapks@hotmail.com)


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Bluetech "Sines And Singularities"
Death Posture 04.01.2006 19:13
Mercurial downbeat…

American producer Evan ‘Bluetech’ Marc has gained worldwide recognition for his atmospheric, eclectic downtempo creations… His first two albums were widely praised – and for the most part I liked both of them… That being said, I must also say, that I don’t like everything this guy has released… Certain stuff seems to lack depth and sometimes I’ve found myself more than just a little bored when listening to Bluetech ambient… But hey, as I say, I like most of his stuff, and I’ve eagerly been awaiting this third album… After all, this is released on AlephZero which has fast become one of the leading outlets for high quality downbeat music…

Let me take you thru the tracks…

#01: Bluetech - Enter The Lovely
Enter the pleasure dome! This album starts exactly where Elementary Particles left off, with slow progressing, floating downbeat… Starts as ambient, but soon evolves into faster, trippier chill-out… The trademark Bluetech ‘digital singing’ is also present here… Lovely indeed!

#02: Bluetech – Condensation
Condensation means a billion different things… In physics it’s the process by which a vapour changes to a liquid… Or in psychology, the process by which a single symbol or word is associated with the emotional content of several, not necessarily related, ideas, feelings, memories, or impulses… Like when you’re dreaming! And I chose to interpret this, as the soundtrack to a lucid dream… Fragmented, dubby beats are accompanied by syncopated, high-pitched synth stabs, creating an epic, yet head-bounce friendly melody… It may sound simple at first, but give this some time to sink in, and you’re in for a treat… Sweet track!

#03: Bluetech – Leaving Winter Behind
I’m sure philosophers would have a field day trying to decipher the meaning behind the track title here, but I choose simply to see it as an ode to the spring… And oh my, what an ode! This is quite simply beautifully constructed music… On one hand it reminds me of the great works of Eno or Schulze and on the other hand, it reminds me of Aes Dana or Solar Fields… Soothing, floating, beautiful ambient… Amazing track!

#04: Bluetech – Forgiveness
Whereas the previous track was all about leaving the cold winter behind, this track feels much more winter-like… Arctic even! Icy-cold ambient – with the chill factor approaching minus 30 degrees Celsius… And this is where I start to loose interest – I mean, it’s not bad at all, but the lack of depth gets to me…

#05: Shulman – First Came The Stars (Bluetech Remix)
This track was originally on the first Shulman album Soundscapes And Modern Tales… A magnificent track and I’m happy to say that Bluetech treats it with the respect it deserves... A harmonic piece which pays tribute to the original, but still adding enough new flavour… I like the distinct psychedelic edge here… The original is a timeless masterpiece, and this remix is also pretty sweet, though it seems to loose a little direction towards the end… But nicey nice nevertheless!

#06: Pitch Black – Ape To Angel (Bluetech’s Evolution Remix)
Another remix here… This time the original was made by the Kiwi duo Pitch Black… I haven’t heard that one, so I can’t really tell you what was changed… What I can tell you though, is that this track is more on the experimental side of things – with rich electro and dub influences – and even some cut breakz&beats… Reminiscent of the latest Solar Field’s album in some parts… A very mature and somewhat introvert track that requires a lot of listens before really sinking in… Pretty good, but I don’t consider it, a stand-out track…

#07: Bluetech – Airstream
This track is easily more upbeat, though still with an edgy, mature held-back feel to it… Experimental to say the least – downtempo music with EDM influences all over the place… Spacy at times, inner city-street wise at others… Fragmented and complex – joyous and melancholy… All at the same time! Descriptions that would normally be contradictory, but it’s a different story with Bluetech… As with the previous track, this took me quite a while to feel comfortable with, but when it finally dissolves it’s really powerful… I wouldn’t mind if it was twice as long though!

#08: Bluetech – Dreamtime Lullaby
And now it’s time for a lullaby… A deep, dubby Bluetech lullaby! Progressing at an impressive pace, this track is essentially up-tempo ambient with a dreamy touch… Too fast for sleeping though, but for wake walking through lucid dreams, I’m sure this is a welcome companion…

#09: Bluetech – Shimmer
And now we’re digging even deeper… This is maybe the deepest track here, with ultra low frequencies and a very ganja-friendly bite… Multilayered and rich in texture, this is easily one of the most complex tracks here, but despite repeated listens I cannot seem to fully connect to it… It has amazing parts, but also too many muzak parts… What a shame!

#10: Bluetech – Wilderness
But I do not disappear, as Wilderness is another masterpiece! Oh yes, gone are the grimmest, introvert excursions – and we’re left with an uplifting, majestic piece of soothing, melodic ambient…Just the way I like it… Trademark Bluetech – in all its glory! One of the best tracks here…

#11: Bluetech – A Garland Of Stars
On the closing outro track, Evan is joined by Rena Jones on cello… And oh my, what wonderful music this is – sounds like a psychedelic version of something off the LOTR-soundtrack… Simply beautiful… It’s a shame is so short!

The hype surrounding this album was immense… And to some extend, I understand that – this is indeed a wonderful, unique album… Evan Bluetech’s music is as inimitable as it is unparalleled… And that’s really rare in this kind of music! Also, it’s very refreshing to experience a downbeat album that isn’t riddled with voice-samples… So in that sense, this album is indeed one of the most original released in 2005 – but that’s not the same as saying it’s among the best! It’s not! Some reviewers have dubbed this the album of the year – and called it the best thing since sliced bread... I’m going to have to disagree with that… It’s good, it’s even very good – but not *that* good…

I’m fully aware, that this is a mature album that requires several listens to really sink in… Very much so, and the listener is instantly rewarded after doing so, but I still think parts of this are too much like elevator music… Dare I say the b-word – boring? Yes, I dared… I know, this might be sacrilege to some people, but that’s how I feel… That being said let me also stress that the good tracks here are VERY good… And I’ve even rated half the tracks as favourites! I just wish the whole album was like that…

The artwork is top drawer as always with AlephZero – and the mastering by Shulman sounds absolutely top notch to me too… The whole package! Anyway, a very mature album by Bluetech here – that’s guaranteed to suit the taste of a wide array of people within ambient/downtempo circles… Enjoy!

Favourites: 2, 3(!), 5, 7, 10(!), 11
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