Customer Reviews

Are You Shpongled?

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Normally, I review CDs with a great deal of depth and heavy description, but for Shpongle, I just want to repeat the word "brilliant" until I hit the word limit. It's the sentiment I've had ever since I purchased the album... Gosh, was it really one year ago? It seems unbelievable that I've listened to this album as many times as I have, yet I love it as much as (if not more than) any other disc in my collection.

The reason for that is that Are You Shpongled? is simply so unique. Simon Posford and Raja Ram reportedly wrote this album while high (most likely on marijuana, considering some of the album art), and it shows. This is something that took the ultimate, mind-freeing experience to write.

Are You Shpongled? packs the CD with over 77 minutes of mind-bending, trippy ethnoambient experimentation. It covers everything from smooth dub to wicked drum 'n' bass to mellow jazz to spaced-out lounge to energetic trance, sometimes within the course of a single track. There is NO genre that typifies this sound, since it borrows a little from everything.

That may at first suggest that the album is jarring and disjointed, but that is hardly true. In fact, Are You Shpongled? should win an award for its seamless and unbelievably smooth flow. Somehow, Posford and Ram manage to work rhythmic and stylistic shifts that take place over such long stretches of time (without being boring) that they seem not to happen. Any producer in the world could stand to learn something from this duo.

I personally feel that the album hits its peak toward the end, but then, all that means is that the last three tracks deserve six stars instead of five. ;) It builds to a slow peak and then cools off quickly, especially with the 20-minute "...And the Day Turned to Night" wrapping things up. This track was written to reflect Posford's emotions while watching an eclipse, and it recreates that powerful experience vividly.

I tried this album purely on a recommendation, since the sound files seemed only moderately interesting. I have never been so thankful that some random force (whatever it was - fate, chance, whatever) prodded me in the right direction and made me get this album. It's just a milestone for music in general, and it deserves that amount of recognition.

This is one of the few. Similar to Banco to Gaia but more psytrance this is the work of a true genius. Wonderful textured layers, lush beats and samples woven into an amazing fluidity which sends you off to that other place.

Shpongle falls develops so deliciously. I love the huge dark drones mixed with a beat that changes rhythm at least twice. The flute is beautiful ( which btw is used to brilliant effect on the last track), the layering is top notch. You won't have heard these sounds before. This all heads towards the climax which is ethereal beyond belief. An absolute classic.

And then of course the day turned to night. Well, this is my favorite. Twenty minutes of a completly evolving drum and bass styled beat layered with flute, samples, drones and other devices which I have no idea about...sounds like atmospheric bliss. And then come those lush cords. Oh my do they sound good. The timing on this track is spot on giving it a superb ending where you don't quite know where it's going to go.

The first and the last tracks provide such wonderful bookends to this fantastic collection of music. I can only hope we see much more of Shpongle.

Simon Posford and Raja Ram have collaborated to record music that goes beyond the boundary of notes.. each song has its own ambience and personality. Extreme aural pleasure results from listening to this album.. the flutes were beautiful and inspiring. The synths were perfect.. just perfect. Shpongle Falls evolves from ambient into a kind of jazzy riff... the whole song is incredible. Instead of using single notes. Posford uses hundreds of bleeps. The result is mind-blowing. Behind Closed Eyelids was another one of my favorites. It is a more mainstream song than the rest of this album, but I like it either way. It has good chord progression that remains the same throughout the 12-minute song without getting boring. Posford created some amazing breakbeats for this one. Divine Moments of Truth (DMT.. heh) was the best off this album. It was quite different from the rest of the songs.. it sounded more tribal and ethnic. It was filled with very groovy Native-American chants throughout. The dub voice is just too cool... dmtdmtdodomtlsdodmtlsdodmtdivinemomentsoftruthdivinemomentsoftruth ...And The Day Turned to Night is an epic journey, a good finish to such a great album. Overall I recommend this to anyone with an open mind. It is a MUST for anyone even remotely interested in psytrance or other forms of non-mainstream electronica.

This is the first of the 3 Shpongle CD's. The others are indeed awesome however, the way these guys mess with time signatures is incredible. And the way they play with processed vocals on this disc is unlike anything I have ever heard before or since. Truly cutting edge! The use of computers allows them to change the way phrases are accented and musical phrases sort of morph from one phrase to another before your very ears. If you're into cutting edge music that is recorded expertly, with incredible production values and you appreciate the music of Gong, Ozric Tentacles, Motivation Radio circa Steve Hillage etc.... you will love this disc.

As other reviewers have alluded to, words simply cannot describe the beauty contained on "Are You Shpongled?". Simon Posford and Raja Ram create the most awe-inspiring soundscape of a place called 'Shpongle Falls', which is described in a somewhat cheesy preamble on the cover insert. There is, however, nothing cheesy about the end of "Monster Hit", which starts out intense and percussive but deftly slips the listener into absolute serenity when Raja's flute shows up during the last few minutes. I cannot listen to one or two tracks at a time on this album--when I play it, I do so from start to finish. Who says we reached the height of our musical achievements hundreds of years ago? Truly a religious experience.

a must buy to everyone who likes music. the most inspiring album i have ever heard, simon posford and raja ram at their best. cant wait to another one that should be published by the end of the month (june 2001). in one sentence: "DIVINE MOMENTS OF TRUTH..." most highly recommanded.

Are you shpongled is probably the most unbelievably well produced albums I have heard in a very long time. It is an album that should receive far more recognition and publicity, and is a outstanding example of the quality of music that is being overlooked by the major record labels. The 20 minute epic '..and the day turned to night' has to be the best tune on the album, although all the others are outsanding in their own way.

I'm a huge fan of all Shpongle's albums (including the remixes) and cannot recommend them enough. Each album offers something so remarkable, yet so distinct that no album will leave you bored because it sounds too much like the last one.

"Are you Shpongled?" is probably my favorite, although the others come in a close second. This truly is unlike any group or artist you will hear; top notch production, crazy sounds I didn't know existed, and the beautiful flow of each song make this essential "psytrance goa" or whatever you wanna call it. The extraordinary mix of natural instruments with digital ones and the progressive nature of the music help create astounding electronic music. It's not overwhelming either. Much of the music is very ambient and relaxing without that repetitive, overbearing beat that plagues too many trance songs these days.

This is truly one of the best collections of sound you will ever lavish on your ears. A true audio-alchemical delight. It is without doubt the most moving and intelligent albums I have ever heard. If you want to move out onto the edge of sound get shpongled!

This album will blow your mind. Period. The best electronic album I have ever heard. One of my favorite pieces of music in a large personal collection filled with jazz, classical, jungle, psy-trance, ambient, and salsa. This album keeps on giving, even after the hundreth listen--there is so much there. I'm waiting for impatiently for the next one!