Monika Kruse @ Voodooamt - Passengers mp3 download

Phallozs Dwarfs

After many years, I found myself pulling this one off the shelf for one main reason. Every once in a while, for quite some time now, I've been spinning the 12" record of theirs which had Highway #4 and Andromeda on it, and I remember those being my favorite tracks of theirs, which, in combination with this double pack, came together as the "Passangers" CD version. So I went for it. I haven't listened to it in ages, and the single has been getting relatively regular spins, given its date of birth.Was I in for a positive surprise! Their sophmore album is such a vibrant and lively techno experience. From the ecstatic lush pads of Eternal Moments, through to the more tribal, highly melodic passages on Raingarden and Runaway, this album radiates with positive techno energy. The tracks I just listed are (were) far from game changers, but their playfullness and innocence still hit a spot with the listener today. The sound is somewhat tribal percussion wise, yet Monika Kruse @ Voodooamt fortunately enough avoided the back then so popular use of "typical" tribal elements: samba related samples, corny reveresed congas, and carnival chants. Eschewing those, they enabled their own music to survive the one season standard. Instead, they rely on uplifting melody work, which while not out there to set new standards, won't make you kill this record with a stop button. Think somewehere between Detroit's harmony, Sweden's more moderate take on techno with labels like Truesoul, the Jericho label and Germany's no-questions-asked assault on the dancefloors.Funk Frequenz, which would later be treated to some remixing work, is a beefed up funk techno bomb that boasts an obese bass line, microscopic vocal snippets and ten thousand watts of club friendly gravy! Arguably the finest DJ tool here, armed with plenty effective drops, filtering and nasty breaks, this was the kind of a tune you could match with anything and stir up some serious peak time delirium. Not really something that would crawl its way into modern sets, however its all guts no glory approach, and energetic factor might appeal to modern crowds as well.Other than the highly melodic output, there's also stuff designed to incinerate dance floors. Take Jetlag, for example: a seemingly endless, five minute build-up, that erupts just as your patience is about to reach boiling point. The progression, tension and execution is about as simple as things can get, yet the timing and the programming are flawless. Tell me you just sat through Jetlag without completely losing it in your bed room, and you are free to move on to Justin Bieber. Sorry. Then there's S.W.A.T., a pummelling onslaught and by far the album's wildest cut. Due to its apparently unstoppable BPM rate, it is completely useless today, though it will provide you with you with an adequte idea of just how mental the peak hours used to be... Killer drums, wicked fast paced breaks, with a light speed and crazy laser gun effect. A total blast from the past floor crusher.The album ends on a totally surprising note. Snowfall is a gentle, break beat track, with a fragile vocal, that could have been easily recorded by Future Sound Of London. The lush pads, the descending cherubic vocal, and the sublime melody work layed over the bonga drums all partake in creating a narcotic musical journey that transcends styles and trends in electronic music. By the time those heavenly piano stabs hit in some four minutes deep, Snowfall has already established itself as one of the album's highlights. So light hearted, so freely floating, yet so relieved of any genre bound restrictions or rules. This really is a tune I undeservably forogt about. Pure joy, down to earth beauty.Techno anno 2003. If my memory serves me correctly, this was a year (deservably) dominated by Chris Liebing, his label CLR, and his partners in crime - Bau, Dedek & Sneo. The dark, repetitve and hard sound of the germans' harsh take on techno was hammering it down across the continent. Nothing bad in that, as Chris Liebing made a double home run: his award as the best dance act, and coming off the immense praise his album, "Evolution" has received. Tossed in the mix, you also had the British Murder Boys having crowds going absolutely mental with their berserk take on techno and industrial, while the masses were either all over the micro house magic Villalobos was unleashing or in utter admiration of Richie Hawtin's mixed compilations where the advent of the digital era was more prominent than anywhere else. As one can imagine, with so much interesting stuff going on, it was fairly easy to overlook "Passangers". Not that this album can, or ever wanted to, hold its own against anything I listed above, but this is - plain and simple - an album packed with quality techno. No more no less. From dance floor devastation, to melody and funk, it is here. Regardless, I would first and foremost recommed getting the 12" release where Andromeda and Highway #4 are to be found, as both cuts by far exceed anything presented on this 2xLP... Whichever way you look at it, you can hardly go wrong with Monica Kruse @ Voodooamt circa 2003! Now, in an era when everyone is prevalently obsessed with "fetching the latest white label ltd. to 300 pcs. and strictly operated through Hardwax" release, I doubt that means much. There was a wonderful time when you'd just buy the damn album because it sounded so freaking good, you know... That was all it took. "Passangers" is one of those releases. Eight tracks of quality through and through, and while it may not be an epochal 1991 Underground Resistance level, it's a pleasant and fullfilling listening, or dancing for that matter, session.