Illusion reviewed

FRACTAL LP01

The first official mixtape of Colombia’s national talent released by a Colombian record label named “Fractal recs” is probably one of the most important things that happened to the dnb scene in this country recently. It is a very colorful mixture of very different styles and substyles that contains 47 minutes of pure homemade dnb and therefore it really deserves all the possible attention from the public just as much as the one from critics and media.

Let us begin with the first thing that you get to see as soon as you get hold of it – the art cover. It is a very interesting peace of art they got there. At first sight it reminded me somehow of the movie Hypercube or at least of my vision and imagination of the Hypercube itself and its ever changing, infinitive and auto destructive progression pattern. All credits go to Nautak for the beautiful design that came in very handy with the musical concept of the LP or at least of the mayor part of it. 5/5

Now on to the musical part.
The LP begins with a very intro-like tune. Well at least the intro of the track begins with a very mellow and smooth ambient sound that has been perfectly used for that precise purpose – to introduce the Fractal and its shreds. With a very warm digital ambient and a recognizable minimalist approach to the theme this track is one of those tracks that are always going to be remembered by the public in the future. This young producer Brain made a very powerful deep roller entitled Test Me that is my personal favorite from this mixtape. 5/5
As we change the track we go progressing to the next tune and we get to listen to a dancefloor killer named Launch Rig made by two producers D-Audio and Hardbass. The thing that let me almost breathless was a very massive drum line with a bone-crushing snare sound. D-Audio and Hardbass will have a bright future if they continue making electrostep dnb. Thumbs up! 4/5
Amen Insects is deep, tribal, profound, severe, massive, deep, deep, deep. One of the probably most experimental tunes on the release due to its tribal, deep dnb sound given to it by the producers Brain and Xue. I personally had the opportunity to listen to some older tunes made by Xue and all I can say is that his influence came out to the surface in this tune. 4/5
Noxiv – Broken Techno Musik, HOLY SHIT! This is probably the biggest surprise on Fractal’s LP1 sincerely because of its spontaneous entrance and a very interesting bassline. The track has a slight technoid touch to it if we are focusing us on the rhythm. Noxiv is a producer with very interesting structural and technical ideas and also very skilled in making sick but also very simple basslines. 5/5
The next track is the only pure neurofunk piece on the compilation that has a very firm neuro bassline featuring in it. The more you listen to it the better it becomes as you get to notice more and more details on the mentioned bass. The drums are the only thing not very convincible due to their saturated static sound. Apart from that, the producer Brainbeat in the tune Massive Dose did an excellent job on the structure, bass and offer as such. 3.5/5
Fomagata is a very interesting deep track and if we remember the mentioned influence from the artist Xue we will understand the reason of the style and sound generally speaking. A very stable tune but maybe lacks more frequencies if we look at it from a more technical point of view. 4/5
Going Down To Hell is the most massive tune on the mixtape. It is made by the father and mother of the Colombian crossbreed – Tetzuo. It’s not just ANY tune, no it’s the pure violence coming out from your home’s Hi-fi. Crossbreed at its finest and in its most aggressive form. It is easily noticeable that Tetzuo has the necessary skills to make a dancefloor destroyer with ease. 5/5
The last tune on the release is Err3xx’s tune entitled Explosive Transmission and it’s the only dubstep tune on the mixtape. Done very firmly, it has everything that a good dubstep tune needs to have. Even though I personally am not a big fan of dubstep I simply can’t say that the tune is bad, it IS a dancefloor banger that emits quality in every aspect of it. 4/5

Considering the technical side of the release I am pretty sure that it could have been made with mayor quality. By contacting Fractal recs they told me that the next releases are not going to be so rushed as this one, which is sincerely a reason for happiness.
4/5

My final note would be a strong 4.35/5 for Fractal LP1.

Album reviewed by Aleksandar Narancic (Inbassive, Fractal recs, Illusion Project, InBASSion, Submassive Introduces, Stepz, STEPSstudio, Citizen, Hide_motion, Overpass, Submassive, Whisper)

Fractal recs:
http://fractalrecs.blogspot.com

Illusion reviewed

Sava Marinkovic - Nowhere near

A long time ago when music still used to be a place of inner peace and harmony instead of diversity and social pleasure, this album would be received with a lot of joy and happiness. “Nowhere near” is a peace of art levitating, and progressing from pure ambient crystals like “Argemon” and “Taste Of Rust” to tracks slightly darker “Self-Neglect” and “Fragmented Life” that are pushing us into a hollow space of modern melancholia. The last that I am going to mention is the track “Nowhere Near” probably the most complete of them all as it takes us to a ride trough various genres and various styles and sub-styles, trough very distinct musical worlds. On this album we are going to meet the direct influences of the artist  Sava Marinkovic, we are going to listen once again to our favorite musicians of Ambient, Downtempo and Post-rock that have been forgotten a long time ago. I personally can say that music as the one from “Nowhere Near” is the reason why I started to make music, it’s perfect, clean, impeccable and beautiful!

Technically I found this album to be one of the most ear-friendly releases that came out in a really long period of time. Finally something that is not super compressed to the roof. All credits go to Slobodan Rekovic and his outstanding mixdown/mastering skills.

This artwork is more than a simple recommend, it is a must-listen for everybody that wants to taste the bitter and the sweet of musical perfection put together in 5 songs that WILL leave you without words.

Thanks once again to Sava Marinkovic and Acustronica for this jewel as my final note would be a 4.7/5.

Album reviewed by Aleksandar Narancic (Inbassive, Fractal records, DNBC records, Illusion project, Submassive introduces, Inbassive)

Download it:
http://www.acustronica.com/albums/119-nowherenear.html

Presenting you the new label

We are proud to inform you that Illusion will operate from now on as an independent record label releasing experimental electronic music. The "season" is opened with an EP called "Sous la glace" which is carefully levitating from soft but broken IDM rhythm lines to pure classical score music giving the listener a part of the artists soul.

One featuring track is included on the release with an young female vocale Kristina Grebenar hailing from Serbia enriching the album with a soft touch of Balkan ethno sounds in a minimalistic IDM/Glitch environment.

 

Counterfate - The interview

illusion project:
So, tell me how long is "Counterfate" existing on Pancevo's alternative music scene?

Counterfate: We've been on the scene as Counterfate for about 6 months but before this band there was a band called "The Bitch Slap Rapperz" which was the beginning of Counterfate.

ill p:
How would you describe your music and lyrics? 

cf: We always try to make the music identify with the lyrics. Our music is pretty hard but melodic, nice "jumpy" riffs and melodic choruses. The lyrics are mainly about how society survives in the world, how people depend on politics and on other people, drugs, the night life of teenagers etc... We mostly write about people and their relations.

ill p:
Can you tell us a few words about you EP? 

cf: We started recording it in April and finished somewhere mid-July. The EP was produced, mixed and recorded by Stefan Gacesa and the cover for the CD was done by Marko Tulic and Stasa Bukmirovic. It was really fun and a great new experience, but also really hard at some points. Everything, fortunately, worked out great and we're really happy with the outcome.

ill p:
What is your view of the everyday struggle indie musicians have?

cf: It's pretty hard, of course. But that's the fun of it, I guess. The more you struggle the better you'll feel when something big happens! We can't wait until our next gig, rehearsal or interview.. It's really exciting and we have a lot of fun. The biggest problem is the country we live in. It doesn't really support indie musicians and that's the biggest problem. We would love to get something more out of the place we live in but for now we have to manage. Unfortunately there are a lot of good bands in Serbia but it's really, really hard to break through.

ill p:
What are your plans for the close future?

cf: Well, I guess we just like playing for ourselves and the people that come to listen. We're booking as many gigs as possible and working on songs. Our next plan is to finish two new songs we've been working on and try to book a gig outside of Pancevo.

ill p:
Thank you for your time, end for the end say something to all indie bands, musicians, producers, DJ's...

cf: Just do your thing and work as hard as you can!



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Be-nice records USA

Illusion project:
Could you introduce us with the label for the beginning?

be-nice records USA: In the beginning, be-nice records USA, was originally created as the Official Platform for the releases produced by the Label’s owner (dj: be-nice USA).  In late 2010, our Label’s owner decided to open up the Label to receive Demos from New & Talented Unsigned Producers, DJs, and Recording Artists from around The World, in order that these individuals if accepted by our Label, would have a chance to release their Track (s) to The World, that they more than likely would not be able to do on another Label, because they did not have a Big Name. Since January/01/2011, the Label has been receiving hundreds of Demos daily, and many have been released on our Label, as well as are waiting to be released. We have many projects in the works, and are diligently striving to obtain what we feel, are Tracks that “The World” Needs to Hear. be-nice records USA is not only a Label, we are The “be-nice” Family, protecting our Producers, DJs, and Recording Artists from the unfairness and politics that many other entities often utilize, in their decision making. Bottom Line – We have Morals & Standards, that have made our Label what it is Today, Tomorrow, and in The Future, and we refuse to accept nothing less from anyone who is, or may become signed to our Label.

Ill p:
What musical genres do you usually release?

bnr USA: Various Styles of House, Minimal, Tech, Dubstep, Electro, Techno, Trance, Drum & Bass, Trip Hop, Ambient , & More. For updates please visit www.be-niceUSA.com

Ill p:
Illusion project is all about promoting underground artists all around the world, so the question is what do you think of the underground electronic music scene worldwide?

bnr USA: The Underground Electronic Scene is obviously different, depending on where you are in The World. Countries that do have an Underground Electronic Scene, usually bring about The Best in any individual partaking in The Scene, whether they are The Person or Group producing the music, they are a civilian attending an Underground Event, or they are enjoying an Underground Track on their mp3 player, the radio, etc. |  be-nice records USA supports The Underground Electronic Scene World-Wide 100%

Ill p:
How many artists do you have on the label at this moment and what are the genres they play?

bnr USA: be-nice records USA, currently has 24 Producers, DJs, and Recording Artists signed to our Label. Our DJs signed to our Label, usually play the genres of music they produce, as well as other dance music genres, depending on the event. We are also in the process of signing contracts with additional Producers, DJs, and Recording Artists. For updates please visit www.be-niceUSA.com

Ill p:
Could you reveal us a few secrets about the forthcoming releases?

bnr USA: Forthcoming Releases on be-nice records USA include: Submassive – “Station” which hosts Dubstep, Drum & Bass, and Trip Hop in one Track.  Also, T.S.H – “Electrolize 2011” which is The Official Theme Song for The Popular “Electrolize 2011” Festival @ Kühlhouse, Bremerhaven on July/09/2011.  Another be-nice records USA secret is, Chemical Language – “Chemical Language EP” which will include five tracks. Daji Screw, also has multiple Tracks coming up for Release in 2011, that will definately \\\\\\\ SHAKE THE WORLD ///////, Plus much more :) For updates please visit www.be-niceUSA.com

Ill p:
What is, by your opinion, the one thing that connects all of the artists in Be-nice records?

bnr USA: We would have to say that Our Motto is very well understood by all our Talent signed to our Label, which makes them Strive To Be The Best They Can Be, thus connecting each of our Artists, DJs, and Producers, in no particular order, together with each other, as The “be-nice” Family.

Ill p:
Is there anything that you would like to tell to all these new, indie, electronic producers who are at their very beginnings in the music world?

bnr USA: Yes, there a few very important pieces of advise we will give. The first being, if you want to get signed to a Specific Label, just keep sending your Demos to that Specific Label. Second, if and when you do get signed to a Label, promote your music to “Everyone”. Third, only venture into this music business, if you are ready, as most people are not ready for the total commitment, because their mindset is that they will become rich and famous without doing any of the promotion themselves. Finally, make sure you are doing your best to Eat Organic Foods, and Get the proper amount of Exercise & Sleep, as you will need it, for your Musical Journey.

Ill p:
Whats the motto of Be-nice records USA for the end?

bnr USA: Our Motto: We Are About 100% EQUAL TRUST & RESPECT With Any Artist, Producer or DJ, That Signs To Our Label !!!!!!!!!

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Peace, Illusion