Customer Reviews

Mesmerizing the Ultra

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

For me the test of a good record is the number of times I can listen to it consecutively. I have probably listened to this record 108 times in a row with only a brief hiatus to check the mix of some tracks I produced. The tape to which I dubbed this Bassnectar record will be worn through before I am tired of this album.

So, why is this music so good? Well, let me share with you my top ten reasons for why you should get this record NOW ...

10) The bass on this record is so thick it will disintegrate negativity when bumped at high volume.
9) The message of the music will also effectively counter any false propaganda which may have slipped past your mental defenses.
8) You can turn off the lights and turn up this record and be moved to dance in freaky ways not yet experienced.
7) You can put on some 'mood' lighting and turn up this record and you and twenty of your closest friends will move together in freaky ways not yet experienced. (Ah hem.)
6) This record will cause you to question the effect that sound has on reality, and it may cause you to question the nature of reality itself if used appropriately. (Note to self: Publish top ten list of most appropriate uses of the Bassnectar record.)
5) After listening to this record it is quite likely that you will begin to make sound effects as a soundtrack for your life (ie. making a 'bleep' or a 'whoosh' sound when you hand your money to the cashier at Trader Joe's)
4) Kyrian's beatboxing on the track 'Blow' is the sickest beatboxing you have ever heard.
3) Your friends will think you have 'crazy' good music and thank you for giving them a taste of bassnectar.
2) Listen to this record enough and you will be moved to do something in your life that you would not have done otherwise.
1) When played at sufficient volume, this record will uplift your soul.

True word.

*

I don't know if it's possible to convey in words the depth and intensity of the love i have for this music or the respect i have for it's creator, but i will try.

MESMERIZING THE ULTRA is one of the most intriguing musical journeys one could ever undertake. The production is gloriously masterful, an extraordinary blend of myriad diverse elements impeccably woven into a profoundly fascinating sonic tapestry that is an utterly divine experience to listen to.

This music is ELEVATED , REVOLUTIONARY , and INCREDIBLY FUN to experience.

This music is an open challenge, beckoning you to rise limitlessly with it beyond what you thought was possible and simultaneously infuses you with all the encouragement and vitality you'll need to do so.....

I was about to buy this, when I noticed that 'Simultaneous', the track that I'd heard that brought me here was not in the listing. It turns out that the CD version of this is 2 disks, but the download includes only one of them.

Clearly the price isn't bad, and the music is still good. Just be aware that you're not getting all of it.

Please folks, I realize we all "tripped" at Burningman and heard Bassnectar while traveling the astral plane, and it's obvious you are Lorin's direct fanbase by the fact that you have reviewed only this cd, but let's not go overboard. Some people buying here want to know the real deal.

As far as being "an important step in musical history" as one reviewer put it, I would say let time tell that story. After multiple listens I could give an educated musician's guess that it will be a forgotten part of musical history in around 2 years. Part of that guess would be based on the fact that there are already 14 used cd's at half price on Amazon itself. The other part is the fact that electronic dance music is a very, very over hyped, and trendy genre of music. People in the scene love to espouse the amazing qualities of this latest artist or that one. I know this to be true because I have been involved in it for over 20 years. And I can tell you now that very few electronic artists have withstood the test of time, or are considered historically important.

Some of the qualities that would make an artist an important step in history would be: Inventing a skilled form of music that has never been heard before, composing in a way that transcends the trends of the moment thus causing people from outside of your genre to be drawn to it decade after decade, having some inert genius at improvising or playing an instrument to the level of making any form of music sound new and exciting, etc.

Lorin's cd is full of enthusiasm, and sometimes this works for him, and other times it does not. I think he has his hands in too many pies at times, and thus loses focus in places throughout this very long double album.

Many of the tracks are too busy with overlay upon overlay thus disrupting the natural flow and direction. This technique can be used as an artist's statement about music, but when it's done over and over, that statement can lose it's power. Also the "farting" bass line sounds on the breaks might be a signature but also can get a bit predictable and tired.

Some of the more simplistic downtempo and dub ambient tracks are too derivative in sound of earlier artists to make them very memorable, although the production work is tight and very professional. The Orb of course comes to mind, among others.

On the other hand, the inclusion of spoken word and political/spiritual messages is a refreshing change in an otherwise generally impersonal and impermanent genre of music. It's great to hear an artist that desires to affect his audience beyond the dance floor with words of wisdom.

Overall I think Bassnectar is at a good beginning point, experimentation is high and there is a great amount of energy to this work. But if Lorin starts believing too much in his own fans' hype, and does not push to evolve a truly original and cohesive sound, I am afraid time will tell the same story as many of his electronic music peers.

Bio- Lorin Bassnectar has been a leader in the underground dance scene (uprooted from San Francisco) for years now. Recently voted "Best DJ" in the Bay Area. He is a progressive thinker and is using his clout to triggering a movement towards a more fair and just society through a grassroots following. His music should appeal to nearly everyone since it varies from melodic tunes, to hip-hop, reggae, to nasty bass-filled beats.

I'll let Bassnectar describe Mesmerizing The Ultra speak for himself:

"The theme of this music is the thick churning heartbeat of resistance; the force that supercedes human drama and political failures...and sound textures that hypnotize, mesmerize, enchant, [...], twist, hug, laugh, and contemplate.

I wanted to paint pictures of audio that portray all sorts of moods and circumstances. Some of the tunes are raunchy, grinding monsters, some of them are sweet lullabies, but all are intended to touch you in one way or another.

[...]

This is a double disc. Disc one is all unreleased freakmusic...loads of collaborations (Buckethead, Sound Tribe Sector Nine, Freq Nasty, Sayr, Suga, Sunru, Jahi, Kyrian of the Fungineers, Nickoftime, and a few others) and myriad styles and feel. Disc two is pretty much the same tracklist as Diverse Systems of Throb, but all the tracks have been fully mastered and [...], and there is a bonus track as well, the Bassnectar remix of Heavyweight Dub Champion's Arrival featuring KRS ONE. ...The bonus is that the CD will be priced as a single CD"

[...]

If you've seen this fellow live then you'll want this disc. You can buy this for a more realistic fair-market price and --most importantly-- most of the money will go directly to the artist GO TO bassnectar-dot-net because, as you will see; ``Money generated from this page goes directly back into making more music, or into political causes that need support. We ain't buying yachts, sippin' on gin and juice, nor are we LAID BACK with our mind on our money and our money on our mind. Not in the slightest. But we do need donations and contributions to keep the labs running, so...''

GO FOR IT!!

What would you get if you crossed the epic gorgeousness of Hybrid, the driving intensity of High Contrast, the spastic inventiveness of Luke Vibert, and the cold yet massive bass of early Mocean Worker? It would probably sound pretty much like Bassnectar, my favorite new artist.

I can't stop listening to "Simultaneous," "Replenish" and "Creation Lullaby" but really every track here owns. If you like any of the artists I named above you owe it to yourself to give Bassnectar a try.

A word about politics: with track titles like "Blue State Riddim" and "Viva Tibet," Bassnectar is, as you might guess, an activist liberal, and if your politics don't lean that way you might find this a turnoff. For my part I prefer to keep my politics and music separate, regardless of whether I agree with the politics or not. That said, I wouldn't care if Bassnectar was an Evangelical Mormon Scientologist with song lyrics about bombing the capital gains tax for Jesus, as long as his music is this good I will continue to listen to it.

A+, #1, new monster sound.. will rock your face off.
Beautiful, powerful, original.. the first CD I've bought in years that was utterly worth the investment, and then some.

If you like breaks, electronic music, powerful bass, and powerful, original music in general.. You want this cd.

superb.

We have been nourished from the Bassnectar many times over with this new double CD. Beautiful melodies, churning rolling thick glitchy throbby basslines, with amazing vocals, it doesnt get better than this. Socially conscience with a desire to open peoples eyes to society and to the music he is creating that is living inside of us.For the price of this cd and for the amount of amazing music thats on it.....priceless. We are so fortunate to have a dj/producer who is continually producing amazing music, commanding huge crowds at parties and at those amazing festivals(burningman,shambhala) and who is someone with some power that actually wants to help.
i could go on forever but i wont.thank you Lorin Bassnectar

Five years ago I heard this heard this kid droppin BOMBS at the Burning Man festival in Nevada, a coupla thousand freaks losin their collective $#i#&*!!!

Back then Bassnectar was the sound of the west coast underground. Now he's the sound of the future. In a sea of tired styles and production, it's the rare artist who has the courage, imagination and raw talent to blaze new sonic worlds... M.I.A. and Bassnectar are two.