Customer Reviews

Deep Forest

5 star:		(62)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This record is a must have, because it defined a new era of crossover-style music. It took Pygmies and put them to an Enigma beat, with an occasional broken English (Dutch syntax?) commentary. Sounds cheezy, but it really works.

The band describes themselves as not a band. "Deep Forest" is a project, according to its creators. Therefore, the album is a stand-alone work, except that it enjoyed such an unpredicted success that it spawned a series of projects.

I first bought this album as an import in the early 90's. "Sweet Lullaby" had been getting some pretty frequent radio play on the San Francisco alternative rock stations, and it was simply intriguing. Nobody had ever heard voices like this. Mix in ambient jungle sounds. Synthetic beat. What a combination? Sound strange? It's not that different from what we hear today from Fatboy Slim and Moby, except of course with Pygmies. I don't think many have dared to replicate it.

Now, it's become a near-desert island CD for me. I've memorized the Pygmy chants. I've lost several copies of it--ex girlfriends, auto-thefts, etc. . . Always, I replace it. That's a pretty strong recommendation.

I've heard Deep Forest collaborations with Enigma, and Peter Gabriel, which are works of merit. Frankly, I think that this is still their most ingenious work.

I first heard Deep Forest back when i was in high school, working at Taco Bell. We listened to Muzak's "Hitline" satellite program there and they used to play track #1- "Deep Forest", all the time. I was fascinated by that song....I wasn't sure if it was supposed to be techno, dance, ambient, or whatever. I wasn't even sure what language they were singing in. It took me a while to track down the artist and CD and 11 years later I am *still* listening to it. Marta's Song from Boheme also rocks....

This music speaks a language that is new to our ears, yet familiar in a way that can't be named. The first time I heard it was in a shop in Santa Barbara, CA over a decade ago. I immediately went up to the counter, asked what was playing, and purchase it. Years later, one of these songs would turn up as the theme to the reality TV show, Survivor.

If I go too long without listening to this CD, I am drawn back to it like a missing link.

This is a must for your record collection if you like world beat sounds or electornica. To give you an idea of how much play this gets: I first bought this on cassette tape, and wore it out playing it over and over again in my car, then I replaced in on CD. Now my CD is skipping - you can bet I'll replace it with another copy.
If you like this Deep Forest you will also like Baka Beyond and I would recommend Tuvan throat singer Huun-huur-tu

I first became familiar with Deep Forest after being amazed with their 1999 live album release "Made in Japan". Although it wouldn't happen until a while later, I later checked out their regular studio albums and finally got a hold of their self-titled debut album and I must say that this is a really amazing album and as it was ground-breaking back during 1993 when it came out, this album still stands out amongst the countless jabs at blending world music and modern New Age rhythms with mainstream dance music because it remains the only album I'm aware of that blends African Pygmy chants with Euro dance, New Age, and Pop in such a successful way. Even today, this album still has the power to take you to a place of harmony that is entire universes away from a hellish life and unkind world that seems to define reality. The album overall has a remote yet vibrant sound that is very natural and earthy in sound. Even the darker parts have a positive mood. Four Tracks on this album are actually two tracks in two separate versions.

The international chart topping hit "Lullaby" is what most Deep Forest fans are likely familiar with, making it's way onto several New Age and/or world compilations with it's light hip-hop beat but if you're going for it on here, you may have limited luck as the version on the album is quite different and must I say very unique too. There are two versions on this album. One is a 'regular' album version. This version is a bit darker and more ambient in nature than the single edit found on let's say the "Pure Moods" compilation. To me, this was a bit of a surprise but albeit, a very pleasant surprise. The second version towards the end of the album is called the "Ambient Mix" edit. This version has no defined rhythm and is mostly just ambient keyboards for the melody but has the amazing haunting chorus but the result is a fine and enchanting version of "Lullaby" heard in a totally different light. This version is very beautiful. The live version of this song though on the live recording entitled "Made in Japan" though is absolutely incredible! Give it a listen. They made an already great track even greater on the live album but let's not change the subject of this review.

I feel that there are two more pairs of songs that are almost like one song broken up in two. The first pair of songs are almost like remixes of the same song "Forest Hymn" with two different versions. The first version is the seventh track "Sahara Walk". The second version is the title of the same name "Forest Hymn". The first one "Sahara Walk" is a rather obscure but really danceable song that blends some old school hip-hop beats with African Pygmy voices, New Age, Pop and Dance to create a really engaging and highly addictive song. The haunting flutes give the song a rather haunting feel but at the same time, a very warm and sunny afternoon atmosphere. To me, this is a great thing. This song is one of my favorite tracks on this album and ranks as one of Deep Forest's best songs in their career outside of "Made In Japan". I'll get to the second part later on in this review but in the mean time it perfectly binds right into "White Whisper". This song is a fabulous song with really unique voice effects that alternate between the left and right ears and the song becomes a really dramatic but really uplifting and heavenly dance song.

The album closes on an epic scale with the best song on this entire album entitled "Forest Hymn". If you liked "Sahara Walk" then you must hear "Forest Hymn". Although the live version on their "Made In Japan" was phenomenal, the studio version on here rivals that version with a totally different beat altogether. Which ever version you like there's no denying this songs positive energy that radiates from its 6 minute length. If you have felt down or really low-spirited, then "Forest Hymn" will let the sun shine on you with the haunting Pygmy chants, the bright sunny melody and the energetic drum loop. I'm not sure who originally made the drum loop but I love it and the drum loop perfectly fits on this song. If there is anything wrong with this track, which I don't see, I would say that it gets rather repetitive from like the 3 minute mark onwards but that's just me. From the way I look at it, I can imagine this song as being like the soundtrack to the sun shining after a heavy thunderstorm or like a new era of happiness and joy begins after a dark era has ended. It's that good. All the remain tracks I passed up are just as great as the songs I pointed out but the ones I mentioned deserved the most attention.

This album is a must have purchase and let me tell you, you will very proud of owning this album. It is a really great thing that their self-titled debut album actually did at least go platinum but I don't understand why this album is no longer in print here in the United States. Amidst the negative nature of much of the mainstream schtuff, it is a major loss that a great and remarkable achievement in music isn't even available anymore. To me, the fact that this CD is no longer carried in the United States is one of the greatest crimes in the history of music. If you can find it used or wherever a copy is available, please buy it! You will fly to a place of beauty, fun, happiness, and positivity. We could really use some positive music nowadays and this album delivers just that! Many artists have blended African sounds with modern electronic beats but Deep Forest's debut remains the hallmark and stands out in so many ways from it's peers. If you love this album you must for their sophomore effort "Boheme" which is just as good even if it's totally different altogether.

This debut album from the African New Age Dance group Deep FOrest is one of my favorite New Age CDs of all time. In many ways, it stands out from many other albums that use African sounds. This CD in particular uses voices from the Pygmy and other isolated African tribes and blends them into dance music with New Age soul thrown to create a truly amazing experience like nothing before. "Sweet Lullaby" is a very good song but other tracks on here are better. I really like the last song on this CD. So uplifting and joyous. Get this album. It's worth it.

What an interesting an bizarre concept that really just seems to work! One can almost detect the primordial ooze seeping though the CD player! Pygmie chants and synth music make DEEP FOREST (and pretty much all their subsequent CDs) an "eco-friendly" listen full of dancy tunes! This project is a product of today's interests and is a happy look into some cultures that may never have given the listener an open door into which he/she might peer. It is unique and definitely worth a listen. If you are into Deep Forest, you might also want to consider other CDs by groups such as Enigma and Dead Can Dance, which are a bit less peppy but great for the unique way in which they all fuse many different sounds into a thoroughly modern mix.

This is the best cultural mix album I have ever heard. Simple lyrics and sounds are cleverly mixed with sophisticated musical instruments to create a musical product that just blows the mind. If you are a genuine music lover, you do not have to understand the language-you just feel the human emotion in the music...which is universal and therefore a common language across cultures. I have all of Deep Forest's albums but this album is definately the best-so far. I know Deep Forest has been criticized by others for using "unathorized" material. I beg to differ. There is no such thing in a collective society such as the one the forest pygmies have-"what belongs to me belongs to all of us." They would have been offended if they had been offered monetary rewards. Just by being recorded, published and heard all over the world is enough reward for these simple and wonderful people. Some things just cannot be measured in dollars and cents. I am sure the pygmies themselves would agree. Even if this is not music from the forest...it could have been from mars, or anywhere in the universe...I still love it. And I am glad Deep Forest has a good ear for recognizing good music, the creativity and motivation to do something about it...and most of all, to bring it to the attention of the world. They should be encouraged rather than be discouraged by bad press. Love you DF!Keep up the excellent work.

this music will transport you to another planet-whether your tastes might be the dead, or house music. some of the most hypnotic sounds you may have heard in a long time will capture your attention. mind blowing, trippy, wild stuff. a friend turned me on to this in 1993 & it really had an impact.
enjoy

I first became familiar with Deep Forest after being amazed with their 1999 live album release "Made in Japan". Although it wouldn't happen until a while later, I later checked out their regular studio albums and finally got a hold of their self-titled debut album and I must say that this is a really amazing album and as it was ground-breaking back during 1993 when it came out, this album still stands out amongst the countless jabs at blending world music and modern New Age rhythms with mainstream dance music because it remains the only album I'm aware of that blends African Pygmy chants with Euro dance, New Age, and Pop in such a successful way. Even today, this album still has the power to take you to a place of harmony that is entire universes away from a hellish life and unkind world that seems to define reality. The album overall has a remote yet vibrant sound that is very natural and earthy in sound. Even the darker parts have a positive mood. Four Tracks on this album are actually two tracks in two separate versions.

The international chart topping hit "Lullaby" is what most Deep Forest fans are likely familiar with, making it's way onto several New Age and/or world compilations with it's light hip-hop beat but if you're going for it on here, you may have limited luck as the version on the album is quite different and must I say very unique too. There are two versions on this album. One is a `regular' album version. This version is a bit darker and more ambient in nature than the single edit found on let's say the "Pure Moods" compilation. To me, this was a bit of a surprise but albeit, a very pleasant surprise. The second version towards the end of the album is called the "Ambient Mix" edit. This version has no defined rhythm and is mostly just ambient keyboards for the melody but has the amazing haunting chorus but the result is a fine and enchanting version of "Lullaby" heard in a totally different light. This version is very beautiful. The live version of this song though on the live recording entitled "Made in Japan" though is absolutely incredible! Give it a listen. They made an already great track even greater on the live album but let's not change the subject of this review. "Hunting" is a really unique and high-energy dance track that has a strong Sub-Saharan African Pygmy style with the odd voice effects and perfectly added to a fast rhythm. My favorite song in the first half of this album is "Nightbird". This song is just amazing. It has a very haunting and dark ambient sound with Pygmy voices up front and a atmospheric sound that gives the feel of a cloudy evening after a thunderstorm moves out. Now that's some really good music there.

I feel that there are two more pairs of songs that are almost like one song broken up in two. The first pair of songs are almost like remixes of the same song "Forest Hymn" with two different versions. The first version is the seventh track "Sahara Walk". The second version is the title of the same name "Forest Hymn". The first one "Sahara Walk" is a rather obscure but really danceable song that blends some old school hip-hop beats with African Pygmy voices, New Age, Pop and Dance to create a really engaging and highly addictive song. The haunting flutes give the song a rather haunting feel but at the same time, a very warm and sunny afternoon atmosphere. To me, this is a great thing. This song is one of my favorite tracks on this album and ranks as one of Deep Forest's best songs in their career outside of "Made In Japan". I'll get to the second part later on in this review but in the mean time it perfectly binds right into "White Whisper". This song is a fabulous song with really unique voice effects that alternate between the left and right ears and the song becomes a really dramatic but really uplifting and heavenly dance song.

The album closes on an epic scale with the best song on this entire album entitled "Forest Hymn". If you liked "Sahara Walk" then you must hear "Forest Hymn". Although the live version on their "Made In Japan" was phenomenal, the studio version on here rivals that version with a totally different beat altogether. Which ever version you like there's no denying this songs positive energy that radiates from its 6 minute length. If you have felt down or really low-spirited, then "Forest Hymn" will let the sun shine on you with the haunting Pygmy chants, the bright sunny melody and the energetic drum loop. I'm not sure who originally made the drum loop but I love it and the drum loop perfectly fits on this song. If there is anything wrong with this track, which I don't see, I would say that it gets rather repetitive from like the 3 minute mark onwards but that's just me. From the way I look at it, I can imagine this song as being like the soundtrack to the sun shining after a heavy thunderstorm or like a new era of happiness and joy begins after a dark era has ended. It's that good. All the remain tracks I passed up are just as great as the songs I pointed out but the ones I mentioned deserved the most attention.

This album is a must have purchase and let me tell you, you will very proud of owning this album. It is a really great thing that their self-titled debut album actually did at least go platinum but I don't understand why this album is no longer in print here in the United States. Amidst the negative nature of much of the mainstream schtuff, it is a major loss that a great and remarkable achievement in music isn't even available anymore. To me, the fact that this CD is no longer carried in the United States is one of the greatest crimes in the history of music. If you can find it used or wherever a copy is available, please buy it! You will fly to a place of beauty, fun, happiness, and positivity. We could really use some positive music nowadays and this album delivers just that! Many artists have blended African sounds with modern electronic beats but Deep Forest's debut remains the hallmark and stands out in so many ways from it's peers. If you love this album you must for their sophomore effort "Boheme" which is just as good even if it's totally different altogether.