Customer Reviews

Geometry

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The intelligent dance music genre is so lacking these days. How refreshing and dynamic this subtle release by Jega is! My first expectation was something rampant like 'Spectrum' but Dylan Nathan manages to meld the craft of Autechre, the minimalism of Plastikman and add enough of his own beauty-within-the-machine to make this a far more intriguing listen. Still, like 'Spectrum', Jega manages to be bold by never sticking to one particular feel or sound. On the opening track he rolls a heavy bass line and then suddenly awakes your alien memory with a wonderfully chosen sample from 'TRON.' Then by the time the title track stutters in, it becomes very easy to actually envision yourself sneaking around on some neon grid or finding yourself alone in space where distortion and melody create a paradoxical peace. I know this sounds a bit silly, but listen to "Geometry" and find out for yourself! An absolutely fantastic IDM release and easily one of the best of the year if not the best.

Yes, it is an IDM album. But no, it's not [their typical] music. There's definately an established breakbeat rhythm to almost all tracks on the CD, and the groove is really funky, in a sci-fi futuristic kinda way (James Brown in Afrika Bambaataa clothing). It could be played on a dance floor -or- listened to. The REASON why people would associate this EP more along the lines of an experimental album is because the overlaying melodies and tones around around the established rhythms are shifting in what appears, skin deep anyways, in chaotic flux. Listened more deeply to, [...], the chaos is removed to reveal a very lush dance album that makes perfect sense to both your feet and your brain. Trust me.

By the end of the album, your brain starts to hurt and the album will make you tired. You'll need a time to rest to get through this one. But it's well worth it. The textures used in Geometry that best stand out in my mind are: symphonic - strings und stuff; arcady - it sounds a little pacman/spaceinvaders-ish; and sometimes like someone it just sounds like a guy with a garbage can and a flailed drum stick. Great stuff!!!

Four stars? Why? Put simply, nothing's perfect. Besides the old lady down the street said it sounds like Noize, and I trust her opinion. Anyhow, i'm tired of seeing people putting five stars on everything. It makes you want to buy stuff; but try to get a chance to listen to this album somehow anyways if your into breaks or IDM, or both.

p.s. if this is a yin, than Boards of Canada's Music is Made for Children would be a very good yan. find that one too.

This cd is quite frankly one of my all-time favorites, It hasn't gotten far from my cd player in months. Jega really comes into his own in this album. The production value is just outstanding, quite an improvement from the slightly raw Spectrum. The range of frequencies you'll hear on this album go from the lowest bass imaginable to the highest gentle tones. The rhythms are probably the best thing about it. You won't hear beats like this on some house record, and melodies and general musical value are not lacking either. The really fascinating thing about it is the theme. It really *does* give you a feeling of geometry, and the names of the songs seem very apt at times. Recursion really does recurse. Inertia picks up steam.

When I started looking through some of the other reviews here, I was surprised to see that some people cited the title track, Geometry, as a standout track. I think it's decent, but possibly my least favorite on the record (either that one or Binary Space). When people cite a variety of tracks as being the best, it is often indicative of the overal quality of the album, and this is no exception.

IMO, the BEST tracks are (1)Alternating Bit, (3)Recursion, (7)Breakpoint Envelope, and (11)Post Mid Arc ... Breakpoint Envelope in particular is amazing. The landscape of sounds is incredibly diverse, but what really makes this song so unbelievable (yes unbelievable) is the mood it creates. It's dark and sinister and gives you a dirty kind of feeling that is very tough to describe adequately in words. And like many songs on the album it develops as it goes, building climax upon climax.

Provided you have an open mind, I really can't recommend this album enough. I'll tell anyone who'll listen to buy this album and keep playing it until they like it.

This is an unbelievable CD. I had been looking for something dark and introspective, and completely lucked out with this find. Somewhere close in mood to Autechre, with a tiny tiny pinch of Aphex Twin oddity. Though some of the tracks -- when listening to the CD in its entirity -- seem to follow a formula, it is nonetheless a formula that works and works exceptionally well. It's great with headphones, but beware: I find the music so captivating it's difficult to listen to it while doing anything else!

I first purchased this album in the summer of 2002. When I first listened to it, I was quite captivated. The recursion track was by far my favorite. I felt I was in a digitally controlled machine Utopia in the middle of a desolate desert parched by a sun of infinite brillancy. I also like syntax tree, it is like taking a joy ride in a digital electronic circuit following data into registers.

People are as constantly saying "blah blah this isnt as good as aphex" or that this other person might do something better. But people have really lost the scope of what electronic music is about. Electronic music is about using your tools to create whatever insane weird thing you could ever possibly think of. I would say that Jega's Skills are definately on par with that of Aphex Twin's and Squarepusher's but he has a much different approach to his music. This album totally fits the label of being "freeform" electronica. There is very little of anything like it before and little like it since including his first album spectrum. Jega singlehandly takes the definition of music and turns it on his head. Unlike his previous album spectrum this album is straight up Dark and Moody. You arent going to hear any lighter tracks like "bikini ski boat". Using combinations of non-percussive sounds and synths, He seems to warp the very fabric of pitch/time by creating surrealistic effects to his music. Sounds will slow down and then speed up to sync perfectly to the tempo, entire parts of songs repeat and skip with insane precision, and he fills up his sounds with rich effects for a mix that sounds plain "phat". I dont really think there is an electronic album that is as pure and well made as this album. I am a huge fan of other electronic greats on warp and planet mu, But this album has a sound above all others that appeals to everything I love in music and it holds a special place inside.

This album is great. I've never written a review for an album before, but this one has inspired me above all others. Listeners will enjoy the mellow beats and then smile when the crazy tracks come along that remind them of Richard James's hard core tracks like 54 Cmyru Beats or (A Complex Mathematical Equation). The title track, Geometry, is by far my favorite, being pleasantly melodical with a boards of canada feel. I've been told that this guy attended architechture school with Richard James. Small world eh?

Listen to it.

GEOMETRY is, quite simply, one of the best electronic albums I have ever purchased. Although it is filled with glitch techno and insane breakbeats, Jega has found room for melody and solitude. The title track, "Geometry", is a definite downtempo standout, and has one of the most beautiful melodies on the disc. The last track, "Subdivision Surfaces", is slightly reminiscent of a mellow Boards of Canada piece. "Inertia" is an excellent example of progressive layering in electronic music.

A side note: The first track is based heavily on samples from the track "TRON Scherzo" from Disney's TRON Soundtrack.

This music shares many qualities with Aphex Twin and Autechre, but is really hard to group with them as it is so unique. Highly recommended.

There's so much to love in this album. Lovely, nostalgic computer melodies, reminiscent of blade runner; complex rhythms that dont rely on typical drum structure; thick low ends, and bass that makes you feel warm & fuzzy-- this album has got more soul than most IDM releses within the last decade. Cudos to Jega for producing an album far more cohesive and solid than his previous (spectrum), and for digging deep into the realm of dark themes, without losing melody.
Anyone fond of either the Bladerunner or Tron themes will be especially pleased, and the wise will notice the homage he pays to Tron on the first track. This one comes highly recommended. If ya need a taste before you purchase, check the song "Geometry".

I hate rating albums, cause I find it hard to narrow down my feelings of an album to a particular number... I usually review albums that I like, and so if they're good enough for me to review them they usually get a 5... that doesn't necessarily meen it's a perfect album, but just that I really really like them, and that overall it does something for me... but anyways, on with the review...

that is the case with this album, it's not perfect, but probably pretty close... I really really like it... it has beautiful melodies, cool percussion work, strange and errie sounds all throughout, and it sounds good all together... straight through, it's very good... I like the way some of the songs start out seemingly as a bunch of random noises all over the place, and then it all falls together and the song comes into focus... some of the songs have excellent grooves, like Recursion for example... beneath the noise lies a great rhythem, and out of it comes a cool little melody... I'm not totally familiar with all the track names right off, cause I only bought this today, but already I love it... it sounds very metallic, and even sounds like old school electronica, but with a modern flavor... my favorites right off are Tracks 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 13... but the other ones are good as well... if you're interested in electronic music, or more specifically the so called IDM genre (stupid name), then definately check this out...