Urban Legends

Urban Legends is the debut compilation from the new label Trival Vision Records based in Prague. Their first release is a respectable entry into 2004’s string of excellent progressive releases. With interesting and distinct album art, an informative 16 page booklet with bios and background as liner notes, a slip for the DJ’s binder, and a full 79 minutes of music on the compilation, there could hardly be a more professional delivery! Let’s hear how the music is…

Rai opens the album with the warm Groove, a lounging sunshine sound with a loping house beat and very pleasant vibes throughout. The break in this song is over three minutes long – luxuriously building up twice before letting the song get back to straight grooving. This one is sure to raise some smiles out at the festivals next summer. A great easygoing tune from a Czech artist heretofore unknown to the psytrance world, and a great opener for the compilation.

Emok should need no introduction – his reputation as an icon in the progressive psytrance world is fully deserved. Old Speckled Hen is among the first of his solo efforts released, following What’s Going On from Iboga’s Set 3 and the excellent remix of I Wanna Be released on Tatsu earlier in 2004. The sound here is very similar: smooth and progressive with a cold sort of groove, chilled to a low tempo of 130 BPM. All the percussion is tight and precise, featuring some light and crispy loops that sublimely integrate with the beat. A significant feature is the groovy and dynamic bass tones that undergo small shifts and leaps at key transitions to provoke an emotional response. Gorgeous chords develop throughout the song and the end result is a very enjoyable song with all the quality you would expect from Emok.

The third track is a collaboration between BLT and Elysium Project entitled Subway, and this is certainly a welcome marriage of styles. Yuli is following up on the incredible Anything U Want album while Kristian Thinning has been developing a groovy tribal progressive sound in the last few years. Subway sounds similar to BLT’s recent remix of Frogacult’s All Seasons, featuring an excellent percussive arrangement and deep bassy grooves that leap around, with sunshine melodies that lightly caress the inner ear. Hearing this one on a big rig will surely cause some very nice vibrations. Another great piece of relaxing progressive music!

What could be nicer than a Vibrasphere song to follow up on the first three? The Swedish act is down to just one member now, but the vibes are still positive and delightful. This fourth track is the artist’s own remix of Infusion, from last year’s excellent Lime Structure album. The difference is subtle, though the production is noticeably stronger. This version drifts a great deal more with small atmospheric sounds hypnotically iterating over the groovy foundation of warm dubby kicks and chattering percussion. Vibrasphere hasn’t changed in style, but with this remix the artist is digging deeper than before, with an excellent outcome.

Parrket from Croatia is another new name, and the first of two tracks on this compilation is Skeletonised. Things are starting to pick up, as the beat is more active and involved, laced with sharp tribal textures. The groove pumps along and introduces a small variety of melodic lines that dabble for a while and recede. Some less than subtle work with filters can be heard in certain segments, with a few distorted kicks rolling in for added emphasis at some moments. For an early effort this is a solid offering, even if it doesn’t measure up to the work of the veterans on the compilation.

Prisoners of the Sun continue the descent into darker and more energetic sounds with Polish Lips. A synthetic underbelly throbs along at a breakneck pace alongside the wet cracking kick. With some nice tribal touches the foundation is set for steady grooving. Electro sounds grow from the bottom up and provide an insistent pulsating partner to the sweet melodies that come surging out of the song in later sequences. Another excellent piece of trance, drifting towards mystical modes with a busy arrangement of hypnotic sounds.

Meller’s Valhalla is a logical follow-up featuring a harder and more kicking beat and a darker mood. Loops figure prominently in the percussive strata, with a continued use of tribal hooks to provide an organic texture to the sound. Gritty electrical effects dance around and develop a mystical tone, transitioning nicely to a deep lull near the middle. Into the moody and expectant heart of the song the title is spoken: “Valhalla…” In another smooth transition the edgy sounds from the first half of the song return for their final pronouncements. This is another great tune with an original sound!

Echotek makes yet another compilation appearance with the song Skykorg Key. I’ve yet to enjoy any of his material and this piece is the same old story. The style is stripped-down full-on with basic yet distinct leads, including one sound not unlike church bells. Some of these melodies come across as badly constructed, with a dissonant feel to certain note combinations. A complete lack of nuance causes this track to be a poor production – the only bad song on the album.

Human Blue makes a late entry with Motionrun, which is very much in the style of the epic anthems from his recent album Electrolüx. Dag constructs a synthetic groove with slowly growing melodies and atmospheres that build towards soaring heights of auditory ecstasy. There is really just one lead melody in the song but it remains impressively engaging throughout by the way in which it is introduced and then manipulated. Smooth trance for peak moments – another great song from one of my favourite artists.

The album closes with Parrket’s second song entitled Sventevith. This one is another solid effort with stomping grooves and a swirl of lush chords, culminating in a big melodic sequence after the half-way point. The rougher beats contrast the smooth harmonies in a nice way and provide a good end to the compilation.

For a debut release the team of Slater & Schwa have really outdone themselves. Aside from the very professional packaging, their selections are consistently high in quality and varied in sound. The flow of the album is ideal, building up from relaxing sunshine grooves to more energetic and deeper territory, dabbling with a few dark soundscapes as the journey turns inward, and peaking with some very nice melodic material. It is unfortunate that the Echotek song interrupts the otherwise flawless delivery of music, but that can be forgiven. Emok and Vibrasphere deliver particularly great material, but all songs here make for excellent listening and will receive a warm response on dancefloor at the right moments. The tribal theme holds it all together, with nearly every song featuring nice work with the drums. Tribal Vision has a bright future with such a high-quality debut, so be sure to watch for their future productions! I would highly recommend this release to all progressive fans, especially home listeners who like some variety in a single release. Urban Legends is an excellent journey through the deep and modern sounds of trance.

Release Data

Title: Urban Legends
Label: Tribal Vision
Format: CD compilation
Released: 2004

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