Customer Reviews

Bohemia

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

 

 

DJ Ils had a lot to live up to after his Y4K success, and I ordered the CD with a lot of expectations. When I popped it in, I was not disappointed in the least! Ils's breaks remain clean, tight, and funky; as opposed to so many recent break releases with out-of-wack rhythms and messy, hit-and-miss tunes. The only gripe I have with this CD are some of the vocal tracks, where I feel the vocal quality and songwriting could have been better; don't get me wrong, they're still quality tracks. Ils, if you read this, try listening to the vocals on DJ Encore's album with his vocal partner Engeline for an example of fantastic vocals- different genre completely, but stunning vocals! This album is one of those rare ones with consistently good tracks throughout. Unlike his Y4K album which had a few horrible tracks, this one is all class. You will not be disappointed!

I wished the sound quality was better. They need to go back and re-mix this CD with better equipment. The whole CD sounds flat for what the music is. Compared to the quality I can hear from Underworld and Orbital and bands like them, they need to have that sort of clarity. Otherwise it's pointless to make this sort of music.

On BOHEMIA, ILS' third album, he gets much more aggressive. "Tiny Toy," for instance, throws in electric guitar stabs, like it's trying to rock out, and even though "Angels" has some pretty female vocals, they're subsidiary to the beat. But this could be true of any track: "Cherish" disappears underneath the waves of sound. Some of the tracks, though, seem pretty thin to start out with; the lyrics of "Feed the Addiction" don't do anything to save it; better to have done something with the time-stretched Asian vocal in the background. "Storm from the East" does better in this regard, adding some actual tonal interest to the breaks, and "Precious" and "Loving You" slow things down enough to enjoy the musicianship a little more. As well, the strings that kick off "Over My Head" are compelling but these are only a few tracks amongst many.

My discovery of Drum & Bass has only been within the last year however, I have been seeking & consuming the genre with zeal. This album/artist is the first one I have felt compelled to share my feelings on. Ils has managed to stake out a solid middle ground with integrity. They cover the more chill side of DnB (eg: James Hardway) but can still bring it with the slightly darker more intense style as well (eg: Logistics). Very listenable stuff indeed. "It's got a good beat...easy to dance to...I give it a thumbs up." :)

So I'll just say it again...great CD, bought it many months ago but didn't listen to it. Imagine my disappointment after finally giving it a solid listen, and realizing that I'd WASTED months of not hearing it. "The World is Yours" is a favorite for me. Easily a top-ten list CD, and then some.

Ils, a name now synonymous with pure progressive breakbeat, delivers a stunning artist album featuring vocal tracks, instrumentals, and a few ambient/lounge breaks. From the guitar sounds of a great intro track, through track 5, we get a quick dose of two great instrumentals, including the hyper edged track, Feed the Addiction (at a Prodigy-like pace), and two of his vocal singles. The first, Angels, is actually his latest release (after Cherish) and features sinister dark breaks, being lightened up only by the smooth house vocals. I like it, but would have loved to hear it as an instrumental only. Check out some good remixes of it out there now by Teddy Tinkleman and Santos. Santos' Another Planet mix keeps it dark and moody, while Tinkleman lightens and funks it up.

Tracks 6 & 7 are very multi-layered, and just when you thought the album is getting repititous, it takes you for an in the nick of time spin. More solid breaks follow, and the vocal track Precious is decent, but not on par with the previous two. We also get a few lounge tracks, but I am not big on this slower paced style.

The last track is really the cream of the crop of the entire album. It's a stunning melodic track, which I wish was about 10 minutes longer than it is. Actually, if you want more of it, check out James Zabiela's 5 hour Australia mix he did this past fall, where he did a near 11 minute mash-up of Over My Head and Depeche Mode's Enjoy the Silence. It is a must hear masterpiece.

Overall, a near perfect artist album by a leader in the breaks genre of house music. We need more from this master!

Now that I've spent a little time with this CD I can say that it is incredible. I hear bits of Prodigy but smoother, Crystal Method, and Massive Attack. Bohemia is a fitting title for the CD - I recognize lots of Bohemian sounds that I last heard on Boheme by Deep Forest. Great driving music - and good for chilling out as well. Storm from the East and Cherish are my favorite tracks so far.