Customer Reviews

Are You Shpongled

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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

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.

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.

This makes your usual electronica look like diletante's work. It is absolutely amazing how Shpongle can use the sounds to make music. This is the work of a genius and if you ever had ilusions of writing music, once you listen to this you'll be ashamed you ever thought of being alike to the composer of this music. It is simply the best music I've listened to in years. To me, it had the same impact as Vangelis and Jean Michel had over twenty years ago, when there was nothing even remotely resembling their music.

Well, they might have their merits, but this is definitely on a higher level and it's not just about the new technological means that one can now employ to produce the music, it's a difference in vision.

I actually sort of stumbled across Shpongle on Amazon.com while trying to find some quality music. Boy did I find it ever! When I played it I really felt like I discovered wonders. The only downside there is to it is they only released two albums so far.

You can't really go into analizing the album, because there's too much to say, but ...And The Day Turned To Night is the only twenty minutes piece I ever listened to that doesn't have even ten seconds that will bore you. It is simply unbelivable.

Don't ever hesitate in getting this album, it might be by far the best music you ever listened (that is, of course if you didn't listen to their second album first).

I'm at a loss. You see, I don't like to gush out superlatives when describing something. Euphemisms like "Best Ever" and "Definitive" betray the ingorance of the one who employs them. But seriously... if I'm to avoid sounding like a gushing fanboy, how am I to ever do justice to something like this?

This is a stunning, timeless work of complete and utter genius. Simon Posford and Raja Ram have earned the right to be mentioned next to Sergei Rachmaninoff and J.S. Bach. They are among the first people to realize the boundaries of endless invention that electronic music is capable of. You see, when you're not bounded by an instrument, where any sound is at your disposal, all bets are off. And when you're listening to Shpongle, that's precisely what you should expect - all bets are off. This is music that refuses to conform to any single genre, transcending the boundaries of electronica with reckless abandon, and yet doing so with an unerring alien inner logic that tells you that the end result isn't senseless experimentation but a finely crafted musical idea.

There are rumours that this album has been created entirely under the influence of LSD. This is possible.

So, what kind of music is this? I suppose if you try to file it away under a single label, "ambient electronica" might be close, but this music has only some things in common with other more traditional ambient artists like Future Sound of London. There are many psytrance elements here - hardly surprising since both Simon Posford and Raja Ram have (or had) permanent psy-trance projects. Indeed, Posford's Hallucinogen has many similarities to Shpongle, but while Hallucinogen is purely psytrance, Shpongle uses psytrance as one of the many tools in it's diverse sonic portfolio. There are elements of drum'n'bass here, elements of dub, breakbeats, Native American chants/percussion (?), lots of other ethnic influences, and general all-out weirdness. And flute. Raja Ram's flute is all over this one, giving us a nice contrast between electronic manipulation and impressionistic melodic instrumental musings.

With an array of influences this diverse, you would expect the end product to be a discombobulated mess, but here, the whole is greater than the sum of the individual parts. Shpongle isn't about it's musical influences - it transcends them, and uses them as building blocks in order to construct... something else.

Really. My powers of description fail me. We typically describe things by analogy, but there's simply nothing that I could compare Shpongle to. Is it like a more concise, more melodic Lifeforms-era Future Sound of London? Yes, and more. It is an ambient, experimental rendition of psytrance? Yes, and more. Is it a cross between ethnobeat, dub, and drum'n'bass? Yes, and more. Instead of being merely influenced by a particular genre, Simon and Raja Ram prove to us that they can do that genre better than the masters of it can themselves. Their trancier interludes are every bit as good as anything that Astral Projection and Infected Mushroom ever put out. And, they have a sophisticated melodic sensibility that goes far beyond what most electronica artists are capable of, at least those without classical training.

Production has held up really well over the years. In some ways, this is even better produced than the follow-up. There's more deep bass, and ambient queues are clearier and easier to discern. A good system can go a long way to help you fully appreciate this music. On my Stax SR-404 electrostatic headphones (sorry, earspeakers!), this sounds utterly amazing. Of course, you don't NEED a good system to enjoy this disk, but you haven't heard the limits of this music until you've put it through an audiophile, reference quality setup. Simon and Raja Ram have used a predominance of analog synths here (that's right, NO PRESETS), and much of the recording was done entirely in analog. It shows - their attention to detail is meticulous. Everything sounds perfect.

Every track is excellent, but the standouts in my mind are "Shpongle Falls," a perfect drum'n'bass-ey flute-covered gem, "Divine Moments of Truth," which stands somewhere in between a tribal chant and... well, I don't know what exactly, and "... and Day Turned to Night," which is a psychedelic mini-epic, and a complete emotional journey from beginning to end.

Should you get this disk, if you have no idea who Shpongle are? Yes. Without reservation. I've seen people who weren't especially impressed by this disk, but they're few and far between. As long as you have at least some interest in, and appreciation of, electronic music, this is a mandatory item in your collection. As is the follow-up.

Final rating: this is beyond ratings. This is the future of electronic music.

Being a long term 'electronic' music listener and producer, it has been quite a while since I have listened to music relating to the 'trance' genre (based on over commercialisation and my taste changing over time). I know Simon Posford to be exceptionally talented from his Hallucigen days so when I stumbled upon Sphongle and discovered him to be behind it, I expected it to be quality. What I didn't expect was the level of complexity and variety in this music. There are very few artists who can bring about those 'spine chilling' moments in music yet with Sphongle they happen regularly.. from the extremely tight gating/sequencing in 'The Day Turned To Night', to the incredible layered choruses of vocals in 'Divine moment of Truth', with the beautiful smoothness of sub bass there is a surprise around every corner. As an electronic/computer based musician myself I listen very carefully to how music is produced and with Sphongle it seems that rather than using a mouse to control the sequencer they in fact control it directly from their brains.. honest.
DO YOURSELVES A FAVOUR... BUY EVERYTHING BY SPHONGLE.

Shpongle...what can I say. Really, I don't know if I can express how Shpongle has truly Changed me. I bought "Are You Shpongled?" about 3 months ago and since have listened to the album 30, 40, 50 times? Being a music connoisseur (Electronica, Blues, Jazz, Rock, Heavy Metal, Punk, Classical, etc.), I have exceedingly high expectations of any piece of music to which I listen, much less buy. Shpongle not only exceeds my expectations, but also raises the bar, not just for electronic music, but for all music. Never in my life has a primarily "electronic" album moved me close to tears--until "Are You Shpongled?" I just have one question I know other Shpongle fanatics are asking: How was this done? How is this possible? Can other bands follow in Shpongle's footsteps?--Well, learning from Shpongle may be a more realistic hope.

I won't go into the technical aspects of the album, as that would be an exercise in futility: I don't claim to understand what Shpongle is doing--I have nothing to compare the album to--I've never heard anything even CLOSE to this. And I own close to 100 albums of various, high-quality electronica. All I will say is, if you listen to this album...I mean REALLY listen to this album...10 or 15 times (or maybe less, depending on your openmindedness), I think you may begin to grasp that same thing that keeps slipping from my grip: What is Shpongle trying to say? And trust me, they are saying a lot--more, I believe, than some of the true greats of 20th Century music (Armstrong, Duke, Miles, Coltrane...The Beatles, The Stones, Black Sabbath...The Sex Pistols, The Clash...Metallica...etc.). Just get the money, buy the CD and listen without prejudice. You will come out on the other side with a better understanding of the possibilities of music.

And by the way, the same goes for their second album, "Tales of the Inexpressible." After all I said about "Are You Shpongled?," would you believe me if I said that their second album may be even more impressive? I'm sure that's hard to believe...but then again, we are talking about Shpongle, and they defy a lot more than logic.

Enjoy.

...And The Day Turned To Night is one of my all time favorite musical passages ever written. And just so happens to be written by Shpongle.

You can tell that so much care and attention has gone into this collection. Each passage and section stunningly crafted. With new discoveries floating up on each new listen.
I'm always amazed at how they can blend so many textures, layers and sounds yet keep each one sounding crisp and clear. Completely un-muddled and melodic. Technically outstanding. Sonically way ahead of their game.
So many fantastic drum beats, layered - revolving and spining. After you've listened to these tracks your're gonna be nothing but Shpongled.

There's a few musical artists out there who indeed, sound like no other. Music that you'll hear no where else. And no matter how hard you look you'll never find a comparative companion to it. They are unique.

Well, what can I say? `I've just been Shpongled' I suppose. The perfect musical experience. From a lover of the likes of `The Boards of Canada', `Sun Electric', Casino vs. Japan' and in general most ambient/electronic music I have to say this album has stretched to a sphere not even the aforementioned has achieved. From the word go this album just climbs and climbs. My favourite track is `Behind closed eyelids' but it's only just about my favourite, I'm sure that will change next week as I've only listened to this album 6 times since obtaining it last week. If you drive a lot this is just the ticket for chilling you out. That reminds me I must listen to it again. It has that affect on you. You just want to keep listening to it. It's addictive and seductive, it's intelligent tranquillity, it's hypnotising and mesmerising. I had never been Shpongled before and I must say I like it very much. I've been injected with a new kind of love, something has penetrated my being, so much so that I see things in a new light. A new door to a new room of musical enjoyment has been opened to me and I've just floated in to it. Magical, majestic, amazing. I cannot recommend this enough. Simon Posford and Raja Ram you are geniuses. I congratulate you for this astonishing, mind blowing album. A landmark, milestone, masterpiece in electronic music and a must have for all lovers of not just electronic music but lovers of music in general. This will elevate the average listener to a higher level of appreciation for this genre.

Astounding!!!

I first heard of Shpongle on a message board and I thought I might as well download a track and hear what all the fuss is about. I randomly downloaded Divine Moments of Truth (or DMT) and boy was I impressed. Especially by the middle part of the song where Simon created a vocal riff (the one in the title of my review). It must have taken him weeks to get that part sounding so amazing! EVERY song is very well thought out and produced and it never gets repetative or boring.

This isn't music you blast in your car, or music to use as background noise. The ideal listening scenario to fully appreciate its beauty is to lie down in a dark room, with a decent stereo (5.1 surround sound does wonders with this album), and maybe get yourself into an altered state of conciousness if you're into that. Satisfaction Guaranteed.