Customer Reviews

In Dub

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What can I say, this is a great album! If your a fan of dub or Psychedelic or Hallucinogen or Shpongle then you need this album. Every song on here is great and the production and engineering is superb. Ott had free reign to Simon's hard drive and has created a masterpiece of sound with Hullucinogen's songs. The tempo is a lot slower than Hallucinogen but it works perfectly. Go to http://www.backroombeats.com/flashindex.html and start the flash music player at the botom to hear songs off this album (assuming they havent changed by the time you've read this) but keep in mind the streaming audio doesnt do the sound quality of this album justice. Besides great song composition, this album is an audio engineering masterpiece (I'm a recording engineer myself), which another one of Ott's great talents, so if you get a chance do yourself a favor and listen to it with headphones. This is one of the best albums I've heard and not to be missed! Ott definatly has his own unique style and this album is a great showcase for his talents. So turn down the lights, pop this CD in your player and take a trip with Hallucinogen In Dub. This an aural experience like no other.

I am a huge fan of hallucinogen and shpongle so when I saw that this was being released I bit the bullet and bought it at full price.

I was not dissapointed.

These remixes of hallucinogen's songs are wonderful. They don't detract from the original versions but definately go their own way. If you like Goa/Trance then you should get everything by hallucinogen and shpongle, they are the best out there. The trippy head music builds slowly, like a story reaching a climax. While only 6 songs, the album clock in at over an hour so is plenty of ear candy here for the listener.

If you are new to hallucinogen and shpongle then I would start off with tales of the inexpressible by shpongle and the lone deranger by hallucinogen. Then you will most definately want to get this album. Enjoy the mi-loony-um!

Ahh this is really superb. I've been after other artists in the same vane as Shpongle for ages. It's a loosing battle I know as Shpongle is just so fantastic and unique.
This though is the closest thing I've found to their wonderful wacky atmospheric audible splendor.
Each track grows and changes throughout its ten minute length. Nothing is repetitive. Some really clever production here. And then there's the bass line -after all it's in dub. Awesome stuff.
The album really gels into one coherent piece of psy trance with some awesome bass lines. You really do have to listen to this. A masterpiece.

This is, strangely enough, the most well produced, most detailed, and has the most depth of sound of any electronic album I know, despite the fact it was made in 2002. The whole CD flows as one, with each song shifting into the next, something I have loved ever since Dark Side of the Moon. The thing about this CD is that it makes you question what you are really hearing. It may sound repetitive, but throw on some headphones and you will find that every bar of music is shifting and changing, nothing remains the same. The whole cd is held together by tight drumming and reggae bass lines, while the harmonies are constantly shifting, flowing, and dancing above them. Now, keep in mind, I did not 'get' this cd at first. I had to come back to it a few months later after getting into Ott's other music. But it seems every incredible CD is challenging at first. There are simply too many sounds going on in this CD for your brain to take it all in the first go through. It takes a few listenings before you can pick out the magic in these waves of energy in the form of sound.

This is one of my favorite Hallucinogen albums. It's a bit slower and has a bit of reggae flair to it.

If Simon Posford (Hallucinogen, Younger Brother, Shpongle, etc., etc., etc.) is a barking mad scientist (and all evidence points in that direction), then OTT is the full moon he howls at. To say that these are radical reinterpretations of Posford classics in a PsyDub stylee would be technically accurate; however, that simply doesn't begin to touch on the shrieking lunacy buried right to the hilt in the body of this work. One is struck, physically, by the force of the opening of this album, placing one in a dazed state entirely proper for the depth of listening the material demands. And this material most certainly makes demands on the listener, albeit demands I happily concede: awash in thunderous bass, lilting butterflies of synth, and chattering psychobabble, OTT engages the screens of the senses in an intensely cinematic drama that is good to the last drop. Essential.

"Solstice" from Hallucinogen - In Dub is a masterfully crafted composition composed by Ott in the dub genre. While many composers take too many liberties and depart from the classical characteristics of this genre, Ott returns to the historic roots of dub through his adept incorporation of classic reggae with techno and the use of techniques such as varied layering, echoes, dubbing of vocals, and an emphasis on the beat.
Dub was a new venue of creativity for reggae allowing artists to remove the vocal tracks of previous songs and explore the manipulation and incorporation of numerous rhythms. Therefore, to an extent, a dub composition can only be as good as the rhythms utilized. Ott has expertly chosen melodies that lead to a perfect fusion of reggae with a bubbly techno influence. For example, in Ott's second track "Solstice", the composition is introduced with two minutes of bouncy techno beats before the first flare of reggae dub is presented. From that point onward, Ott does an accomplished job of blending the two styles and multiple melodies seamlessly. At no point does one melody overpower another. Although in the classic sense, it may seem as if the two styles reggae and techno oppose each other, Ott makes them belong together.
Throughout Hallucinogen - In Dub several techniques characteristic of dub can be identified. For example, in the introduction of "Solstice", Ott begins with one distinct rhythm, fades in another rhythm, and continues to fade in additional techno beats and rhythms until there is a complex soundscape with varying dimensions. Ott is able to meld multiple rhythms in a melodic way that resists the sense of gaudiness and heaviness that other dub composers like Benga find themselves being pulled towards. In addition Ott recycles different rhythms throughout the composition creating a thoroughly united piece. Halfway through "Solstice", Ott most notably utilizes extreme echoes in addition to soft underlying vocals. Even though the dubbed vocals are too soft to understand, they do add a great dimension to the composition adding extra depth. Finally, there is an emphasis of the drum parts throughout "Solstice", especially during the reggae inspired sections.
Whereas "Solstice" is my favorite song out of the album, the other five compositions are just as elaborately and tactfully composed. "Gamma Goblins" and "Angelic Particles" incorporate the characteristic dub technique of sampling from nature by using water drops and bird songs, respectively. "L.S.D." focused more on using dubbed vocalization throughout the song compared to "Solstice". However, while each piece is extremely unique, I would prefer it if there was evidence of a similar theme between the compositions that would provide this album with a sense of unity. The pieces did not seem related in the least with one piece reminiscent of reggae, another suggestive of nature, and another perky and upbeat.
Although "Solstice" relates to the historic roots of dub via reggae, all of the pieces competently incorporate the classic techniques of dub without being overwhelmed by competing or overpowering independent melodies. With regard to the compositions as a collection, these pieces are not similar. However, each composition, individually, is expertly and thoughtfully produced. Within the dub genre, Hallucinogen - In Dub is a must.

Hallucinogen covers a lot of ground here with yet ANOTHER OUTSTANDING record. I first started listening to Hallucinogen after hearing "Spiritual Antiseptic" late night on Groovesalad net radio. Psychedelic, Downtempo, Dub this album incorporates all these elements and more into six very well rounded tracks. The production value is near perfect, layering and mixing is extremely well done, theres even a harmonica sample. Listening to this album really puts you out there and can truly instill emotions that are unbenounced in other genres of sound. Hats off to Hallucinogen for being so damn progressive within the heavily ridiculed "Beeps & Clicks" movement. I'd recommend this record to anyone who listens to Essa 3, Shpongle or even Thievery Corporation. Your NOT going to want to miss out on this classic.

I'm not sure why some albums just hook you while other similar sounding ones just seem mediocre. Whatever IT is... this has got it. I've never been able to get into Sphongle or a myriad of other psy-electro whatever stuff. I was a Goa head back in the day but kinda outgrew it. And a lot of the reggae dub stuff is just too stereotypical "jah mon, hair we go" for me.

My point is... I'm not a total nut for any particular genre, this just sounds fantastic to me. Give it a spin. One of my favorite dub-inflected albums, up there with Dub Trees and Kumba Mela Experiment.

Not sure how the reviewers for this rated it 5 stars while Sphongle's "Nothing Lasts" received 4.5 stars, the latter supremely more musical and interesting. I have an infinite amount of respect for Amazon reviewers but this one has me scratching my head.