Are You Shpongled

Shpongle | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 25, 2001)
• Original Release Date: 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Twisted Records
• ASIN: B00005OW7H
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #34,151 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #73 in Music > Dance & DJ > Trance

Track Listings

1. Shpongle Falls

2. Monster Hit

3. Vapour Rumours

4. Shpongle Spores

5. Behind Closed Eyelids

6. Divine Moments of Truth

7. ...and the Day Turned to Night

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Musical Works of Our Day, January 16, 2003

By 

Russell Brooks "iq-9" (North Wales, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Are You Shpongled (Audio CD)

As a discriminating electronicasseur for over fifteen years, I was, prior to discovering Shpongle, under the impression that I had completely saturated my technolust with brilliance from the likes of Ozric Tentacles, Eat Static, Juno Reactor, FSOL, Crystal Method, Delerium, Faithless, Dirty Vegas, Balligomingo, Underworld, Orbital, Richard James, and the list goes on. Simon Posford, cosmological originator of the Shpongle universe, has dual-handedly provided me with unequivocal evidence that there is a vast macrocosm teeming with life beyond today's musical event horizon. Being new to his genius, I currently only own the two Shpongle masterstrokes, and absolutely can not wait to own every work he has ever put to digitized media. The musical omnipotence demonstrated on these CDs has rekindled my interest in the whole genre of uber-creative, beat-driven, goa, world, trancetronic, psyonic, progressive, ambient, intelligent, quasi-synthetic blend of otherworldly cerebral massage, if there is such a thing - true listener's music.

The lush production value alone is worth the trip. It is clear that Simon takes great care in the consummately transcendent sonic engineering on his projects. An audiophile friend, and fellow 500+ CD-owner, who enlightened me to Shpongle, put it best, "This is the best production I've ever heard." Simon's endeavors in inventive panning, gating, digital delay, pitch-shifting, harmonization, and sonic layering are nothing less than phenomenal. I can not get enough. I notice new and subtle nuances every time I listen.

It is beyond refreshing to hear someone scatter the electronic song formula to the wind, and dream up his own from the deepest marrow of his being. All but nonexistent is the conventional throb of the quarter-note kick drum, as Simon explores the more moving and compelling polyrhythms of 6/8, 7/4, 5/4, 6/4, 7/8 and more, but makes it so immediately intimate and palatable, that the odd meter is undetectable. The man has raised the bar to heights as yet unreachable by any other artist. Raja Ram's ethereal flutations swirl Simon's troposhperic textures into a perfect natural balance like a vaporous, ancient Valdivian rain forest. The sounds that emanate from these CD's are breathtaking. From the deepest of the sub-bass, to the lucid mid-layers, to the bristling highs, the entire audio spectrum is populated with living, breathing, ever-changing forms, oozing, sliding, and flowing amongst each other in a dance of eternity.

I don't remember being this inspired by a musical work since that first epiphany as teenager fifteen years ago, when I first felt the musical spinal shivers during a serious headphone listen of the highest-production music of the time - that preeminent moment when you realized, "Music moves me."

Simon, may you live a long and fruitful life, so you may continue to bring the world this astounding, beautiful, and fulfilling music. Don't ever stop.

Fan for life,
-russ

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The call of the jungle to the lost tribes..., July 22, 2005

By 

David G (Tasmania, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Are You Shpongled (Audio CD)

The call of the jungle to the lost tribes...

In their first venture as Shpongle, Simon Posford (aka Hallucinogen) combines with 70-year old flautist Raja Ram to blend a unique range of genres ranging from Middle-Eastern, Latin, Celtic, African, tribal, drum n bass, psychedelic trance, dub, and ambient into a lush psychedelic jungle soundscape.

This is my favourite Shpongle album, and I own all of them including the 2005 release Nothing Lasts...But Nothing is lost (which is not yet listed on Amazon), and the Shpongle Remixed compilation. For those who have listened to Shpongle, this is not the club killer "Nothing Lasts...But Nothing is Lost", nor is it the round-the-world epic of "Tales of the Inexpressible", but more of an ambient soundscape. Think of voyaging though an unknown alien rainforest.

Those new to Shpongle or the ambient genre may prefer their later, more upbeat albums;
I'd strongly recommend "Tales of the Inexpressible" as the first place to start with Shpongle unless you are specifically looking for an under-the-stars, feet up experience. Those looking for a dance/club experience would be better directed to buy "Nothing Lasts...But Nothing is Lost", or "Shpongle Remixed". Those who are already shplongled (you know who you are!) will be able to fully appreciate this work to its extent.

As pre-mentioned, this is Shpongle's first, rawest, and most ambient work. From the first track we are in "a circular vortex...spinning...spinning...", then into the jungle with "Monster Hit", which goes from drum n bass into trance and dub, with beautiful vocals and a magical flute solo played by Raja Ram. More upbeat, "Vapour Rumours" starts off with samples about UFOs before a 3-and-a-half-minute long flute solo launches the track into a Celtic/dub/psytrance hybrid with even more flute riffs and trippy UFO sighting samples. "Shpongle Spores" is back to chilled-out dub, this time with middle-eastern sitars in the background. The last three tracks are the best on the album. "Behind Closed Eyelids" launches the dub into goa/psytrance, which just builds and builds in to a trip-out fest by the end and features more flute melodies. The horse "neighing" sample in this song is awesome and makes me think of "The Lone Deranger".

My favourite track "Divine Moments of Truths" starts off with tribal vocals and what sounds like a digareedoo followed by hypnotic melody which magically appears to change (but doesn't!) as the 4/4 kick changes to breaks. Then a funky baseline surfaces with sounds a bit like turntable scratching before Mayan/Amazonian-sounding vocals come in followed by African vocals, then the tribal chanting of "DMT". The track then builds itself into a tribal frenzy of such intensity that makes you yearn for an open campfire on a beach, or a jungle or desert or mountain rave with multitudes of deliriously dancing bodies. Owning all the Shpongle albums this is without a doubt my favourite of their songs (imagine an African/Mayan tribal version of "Dorset Perception" for those who have their second album).

The album closes with the 20-minute epic "...And the Day Turned to Night", a soundscape of middle-eastern, tribal, trance, and drum n bass, which is arguably Shpongle's greatest work.

Throughout the album, which is really more like one giant track, Simon Posford's godlike production and songwriting allows for the multiple genres to seamlessly blend together: for example, at any one time you might have drum n bass beats, dub bass, middle-eastern guitar, goa melodies, accompanied by tribal/shamanistic vocals and psychedelic sound samples. However never once does the mix feel cluttered, on the contrary, the way the sounds are layered so intricately to sound so clean is a credit to Simon Posford's masterful production skills. This has to be some of the best production I've heard.

What's really interesting about Shpongle's music is the organic vibe from use of live (or live sounding) instruments (most notably Raja Ram's flute and the KILLER bass that works its way through the whole album), and the tribal vocals. Special mention should also go to the percussion section. The beats are all tribal sounding and Simon is not afraid to make use of exciting time signatures such as 5/4 and 6/8, 11/8; the 4/4 kick which psytrance/goa usual employs is all but non-existent for the majority of the album.

Overall this album is a genre-defying debut classic that will be enjoyed by many generations to come. I would dub it the modern-day "Dark Side of the Moon" from the way it incorporates a range of sounds to form a psychedelic experience in one solid movement. All of my friends, who are into a range of music including psytrance, trance, reggae, metal, rock, and hip-hop, as well as my mum who listens to world music, have thoroughly enjoyed the Shpongle experience.

I would recommend "Are You Shpongled" to anyone with taste in non-mainstream music, especially world music, tribal, ambient, psytrance/goa, dub, who wants to listen to a unique music that effortlessly bridges genres and has the power to change how you think of and appreciate both music and life.

One more thing.

I strongly OBJECT to the reviewer who states that this album can only be fully enjoyed under the influence of drugs. I can believe that this album WAS intended for listening under the influence of psychedelic drugs: with the Terence McKenna quotes, trippy effects/vocals, the cover art, references in songs like "Behind Closed Eyelids" and "Divine Moments of Truth" ( DMT is a highly potent hallucinogenic drug), and of course the fact that it was written by Simon Posford (aka the psytrance godfather "Hallucinogen" whose most known song is titled "LSD"). However, it is such a masterpiece that when listened to in the right circumstances it takes you out of your body even when you're sober. Of course for psychedelics this is ESSENTIAL trip-out stuff and Shpongle's most psychedelic album (although you need to get "Tales of the Inexpressible" to hear the gnomes' new way to say "Hooray!").

PS. Sorry for the long review but I really wanted to do this CD justice.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Aural Bliss, December 20, 2002

By 

Kort "Art, Music, Book & Movie Enthusiast" (Boca Raton, FL, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Are You Shpongled (Audio CD)

Oh Simon and Raja Ram, what hath thou wrought? This is a beautiful masterpiece of intricately textured music for the mind. It is second only to the follow up album, Tales of the Inexpressible. Rarely do find better crafted albums than these. I have to agree with the other reviewers that ...and the day turns into night... is one of the best pieces of music ever written.

I know Shpongle falls under the Goa/Trance genre, but it truly spans many musical musical styles from world to ambient. That said, it has a style all it's own that will draw you in and not let you go. I have over 1000 CDs and this one consistently gets a lot of play time at work, home and in my car.

If you like this CD, I recommend more music by Simon Posford and some of the other groups under the Twisted Records label. The Lone Deranger by Hallucinogen is a fine place to start. But first, get Shpongled.