Customer Reviews

Electronico

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Maybe this isn't representative of Madredeus' work, but it is a beautiful album. The vocals are still as stunning with an interesting mix of electronic sounds. I began to like Madredeus' other albums after hearing this one because no amount of remixing can take away the beautiful, haunting quality of many of their songs, and this album only seems to enhance them.

I've always loved Madredeus and electronic music. Having both things in a same album was an interesting issue. I don't regret to have bought this Electronico. Madredeus selected the elite of electronic music artists (Buscemi, Alpha, Télépopmusik, Moana Maru...) to remix some of their beautiful songs.

If you expect to listen to added samplers and dance tracks you'll be disappointed. All groups have reinterpreted (and even charmingly dissected) each song to create this compilation. Minimal electronica is excellently mixed with Teresa Salgueiro ("the singer with the amber voice") performances and Madredeus' melancholic (and irremediable marine) atmospheres.

Madredeus' Electronico is simply a must.

I had never heard of Madredeus before stumbling upon this album of Electronica remixes. While expecting the usual Hard Dance-floor Beat remixes, I was stunned to hear down-tempo, chilled-out, electronic beats by some of my favorite musicians (Dusted, Craig Armstrong, Alpha). The others seemed to work in the same vein, which is fine by me. If you like laid-back, chilled out or trip-hop music with ethereal vocals, this CD is hard to beat. Rarely do I find A CD that I am totally happy with, but this is a keeper and a solid alternative to the usual run of the mill "Chillout" compilation.

After a couple of years listening to the harmonious mixing between "fado", Classics and the divine voice of diva Teresa Salgueiro you may not stand the impact of a new component: the electronic sound! You may listen to the band's old great hits included in this edition with a little sensation of "Madredeus?? No way..." But hold your horses because you'll agree after a couple of listens that harmony and feeling are still there, I mean, it's still Madredeus.

Well, I didn't give 5 stars just because despite the tremendous quality of this work I want them back to the old style. You know, too many years listening to the old sound recipe...

I was doubtful about this remix album. Madredeus music is so specific that I was scared an electronic treatment would destroy its equilibrium and kill Theresa's voice. I was wrong, those remixes actually work out well. When reading the liner notes, comments from each remixers about Madredeus music and their remix, I was relieved to see they all worked with respect to the originals. Theresa's breathy voice remains the center of attention. The new production adds even some melancholy to the tracks, and might attract new listeners to the originals.

"Haja o que houver" 'Lux mix' accentuates the melancholy and longing of the original with a floating and aerial electronic loops background. "Vem" gets a majestic string mix by Alpha. The strings and percussion climb hand in hand in intensity and passion with the vocals. Sunday Best version of "Ecos na catedral" is ethereal and contemplative. Banzai Republic washes out the vocals in a musical sea wave turning "O mar" into a haunting mermaid song. Bushemi proves with the "O Paraiso" 'afro mix' that Madredeus music can contain beats without turning into a dance track. Theresa's voice seems to float above the light orchestration.

"O sonho" keeps the trademark guitar sound in Ralf Myerz and Jack Herren Band version, but they push the vocals in the background to add to the atmospheric, dreamy feeling. Afterlife remix of "A lira" keeps the trademark cords and brings pulse to the song with a conga beat while the voice remains pure. Dusted keeps most the original elements of "Andorinha da primavera" and throws some quiet beats and spacy electronic loops in. The song becomes a waltzing lullaby.

Telepopmusic incorporate perfectly Madredeus natural elegance into their electronic musical world. Their remix of "Oxala" is elegant, twisted and nonchalant. "Ao longe o mar" receives a chill out treatment from Astro who preserves the haunting, contemplative feeling of the original, and is successful in marrying tradition and modernity as he attempted to.

David Bridie and Christian Scallan remix of "Ainda" is extremely interesting. They created an instrumental with sounds recorded in Mississippi bayou and "cut into rhythmic grabs" (in their own words) and married it with Theresa's vocals. The result is stunning. Craig Armstrong chose "Anseio". With the somber beats he added, the track made me think about Massive Attack. The vocals sound even more tragic, passionate and luminous at the same time. Manitoba added tribal drums and percussion to "Guitarra" and its typical guitar motifs but took out the vocals. I think the right word to describe this mix is 'tropical'.

If you're a fan, don't be afraid to purchase this album. You will not find your favorite song in a badly adjusted disguise. You might discover new elements in Madredeus music. If you do not know them yet, it is not a bad way to start, but I recommend you to purchase "Antologia" or any of their previous studio albums to be able to compare to the originals. You will succumb quickly to the Portuguese charm too.

This album with it's beautifully mysterious sound was well worth the $. The sound is very heartfelt and emotional. I felt pulled in by teresa's new enhanced sound. If you like ambient, chillout, or groups like balligomingo,conjure one,delerium,deep forest,enigma,telepopmusik then definitely pick this one up. It may not be as good as these well known artists but comes pretty damn close. I'm grateful I discovered this album and hope madredeus comes out with another electronic/ambient album cause I really dont care for the folk sound at all.

The mood of this album is slow, fluid, lazy...ideal for listening to at the beach. In fact, the song "O Mar" (track #5) has surf sounds in it. The female vocals are ethereal, at times pretty and at other times hauntingly beautiful. Some songs are very summer-like, yet some have a darker sound fitting for winter.

I picked this up because it is a remix album, and for me, the vast majority of songs, I prefer remixed versions to original versions. This is the only album I've heard by Madredeus, so any comments made pertain only to this album; I cannot make comparisons with their others.

The sound could fit into an overall New Age category, with some "smooth jazz" elements, some World music elements, and some songs could even mix well with classical crossover.

Track #8 "A Andorinha Da Primavera" and track #12 "Anseio" have more of a World music flavor. Tracks #10 & #11 are darker sounding; "Ao Longe O Mar" could easily fit on a mix tape with Operatica, and "Ainda Insect" would sound good with Led Zeppelin's "No Quarter" or the string quartet tribute version of that song. The last song on the album alternates some upfront World-style percussion with peaceful acoustic guitar playing.

This is an enjoyable album, one I would recommend to others. (For a complete description of how I choose the number of stars for albums, see About Me.)

Combine near-classical arrangement with operatic Portuguese vocals, and you have Madredeus. Combine Madredeus with a host of electronic artists, and you have ELECTRONICO. With all remix albums, the final product is always the result of the recombinant elements, and, for the most part, the album is gorgeous. Lux's mix of "Haja O Que Houver" and Rob Da Bank's take on "Ecos Na Catedral" are downtempo gems, with the latter on a more abstract tip. Dusted turn "A Andorinha Da Primavera" into a dub lullaby recorded in a child's music box factory, and David Bridie & Christian Scallan make "Ainda Insect" a modern torch song (if I could only understand the lyrics). If you're looking for more uptempo beats, Buscemi (Afro-house tinged) and Telepopmusik (cut-up abstraction) deliver the goods. That said, not all the mixes past muster: Alpha (whom I normally love) were undergoing their not-so-good phase with their unfocused take of "Vem" or the Banzai Republic's unremarkable mix of "O Mar." And Manitoba's mix of "Guitarra" sounds a little haphazard. But the weaker tracks fade away in light of Ralph Myerz and the Jack Herren Band's remix of "O Sonho," a version that's bright and shiny as a new quarter.

1. I really like Madredeus. A lot.
2. I really like electronic music (though not in a hardcore DJ-dub-electronica-call-it-what-you-want way. I grew up on New Order, admit to liking many Pet Shop Boys songs, and like some of the more recent electronic acts, such as Groove Armada and Massive Attack). I didn't really think that points 1 and 2 would ever come together. Yet somehow, on this album, they do. And very well, at that. I'm not familiar with the DJs who remixed these tracks, but for the most part they did a fantastic job "translating" the acoustic and earthy-yet-celestial sound of Madredeus into something spacey with bleeps and noises while still retaining the integrity of the originals. Don't worry, this isn't an exercise in making the music "dancable". Most of the remixes showcase Teresa Salgueiro's vocals well, except for 'Ecos na Catedral', where her vocal repeatedly gets chopped into pieces. 'O Sonho', 'Haja o que houver', and 'Oxala' sound fantastic. I was disappointed with 'O Mar', which is one of the few remixes that in my opinion did not do justice to the original. 'Guitarra' is probably the loudest and most "un-Madredeus" track of the bunch. Lots of crashing cymbals and a pounding beat. I could go on but I've already said too much. Long story short, Teresa's voice remains the most important instrument, and the others also get respectful treatment. Having seen them on stage a couple of times, I'm smiling at the somehow funny but now not altogether impossible idea of seeing a DJ with a turntable set up behind the band at their next show!

I absolutely love Madredeus, so of course as soon as their new album came out I bought it sight unseen. Boy was I ever disappointed when I got it home. The whole foundation of Madredeus, that they have nurtured over the years, is their unique acoustic style and old-world charm. In this album, that history comes tumbling down in a cacophony of clips and snips of noise. The succulent voice of Teresa Salgueiro is savagely mutilated by a lifeless machine, and all that remains of the beauty of this group is their name, which in my eyes is now woefully tarnished. If you love Madredeus, do yourself a favor and DO NOT BUY THIS CD! Perhaps the poor sales will send them a message to never do this again.