Customer Reviews

Organik

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

This album is a surpirising change in style from Dreamland and 23 Am. Dreamland was like thunderstorm trance music and 23 AM was a blend of trance electronica and New Age. Organik on the other hand is very different from those two.

In fact I had to check to be sure that this was Robert Miles.

This album is like rock, classical, little of the Dreamland ambience and more buzz sound effects and some chill out beats.

In fact this album is almost like a Real World release because it has a strong Middle Eastern sound. This album has kind of an atmosphere similer to Peter Gabriels' Passion' album even though that one is very different from Organik. I could play this album when traveling through Tajikistan or the Middle East. This album is incredible. It's almost like a Martian album.

Tsbol is a disturbing opener with a mostly electronic classical sound. Separation is more space techno sounding with heavy rock guitars and almost robot voices. Paths is a more eerie song with female voices and a strong Middle Eastern violin and from what I guess are pizzacato strings. Wrong is a catchier song with classical orchestra, rock guitars and some almost old school hip-hop beats. It's All Coming Back is much darker and more eerie with a very catchy metallic beat along with electronic hums and a creepy melody. Definately one of the highlights. Pour De Parlor is less creepy and more similar to Wrong. I love the acoustic almost flamenco pause in the middle. Trance Shapes is very rock sounding with an almost Soundgarden like light guitar sound at the ending. Connections is a more Chemical Brothers sounding song. Realease Me is a very Asian/Middle-Eastern song with an Indian sitar and a jazzy urban beat. Improvisions Part one is a disturbing song that reminds me of the more ominous parts of Peter Gabriels 'Passion' CD from way back. Improvisions part one is mostly ambience and some record crackling sound that gives a feeling of the song being like the heat from an oven and sound effects and an Asian beat that build up. This song is like the quiet before the storm. I love how it becomes a buzz like sound effect at the ending. Improvisions Part 2 is a continuation of part one but this one has rhythm, something part one lacks. Part 2 is almost like a Chemical Brothers song. It's great. Endless is another Asian trance song with a strong Middle Eastern sound. It almost feels like an Afro Celt Sound System track although without the Celtic influence.

Many artists sadly fall into the pit of sell-out commercialism after two or three albums( Janet Jackson and Mariah Carey come to mind). With Organik Robert Miles is not the case.

Fans of Dreamland and 23 Am or going to be confused and dissapointed with this album as is evidenced with the 3.2 rating on this CD. Organik is an album that challenges the listener. Even if you like Miles' first two albums, Organik is worthy of checking out even if it has none of the ambience of those two albums.

Definately one of the best CDs of 2001!

<EOM>

This is nothing like his last two albums and unlike a number of other reviewers, I personally feel that his style has evolved and improved tremendously. His 2nd album was boring as Hell! A little too reminiscent of the first only even cornier and with very subtle differences. When you think about it, if he had've made the third in a more consistant order it would've gotten old fast! This is something very diverse and unexpected! It's like when Massive Attack had become renowned for their style of toned-down housey trip-hop and out of nowhere comes the masterpiece "Mezzanine" which was an unconventional mix of their trip-hop roots, hard rock and gothic ambience. This is Miles' Mezzanine. It is dark, evocative, spiritual and sexy. There is so much emotion and soul here. It was a bold move. This album is his most rewarding work to date and I think he has stepped up to becomming a brilliant composer rather than just a washed-up late-night MTV DJ.

Well if you've already gone ahead and taken a listen to the samples above, you've probably already figured out that this album has little in common with the Euro house music that brought Robert Miles to the forefront. Where Dreamland has a light, airy feel to it, like the clouds on the cover of the case, the first impression one gets listening to this album is dark. It would make an exceptionally good soundtrack for a post apocalyptic movie, like Spawn perhaps.

The same progressive elements that have always been a feature of Miles' music are here, however, rather then move in the direction of progressive trance, this album almost goes the direction of progressive rock. The Liquid Tension Experiment meets the Future Sound of London, with just a little bit of Delirium thrown in for spice.

Synth's are a big element of this album, but they are far from the only one. And I am not talking about crooning female vocals. An active bass player plays a big role in that progressive rock element I spoke of earlier. That delirious trance feel is obtained through a heavy use of traditional Asian instruments.

So my overall review. There is little chance of hearing this one on a club's dance floor, at least with out massive remixing. If you are the sort that needs music you can hum during your day, then this album is not for you. This is the sort of music you just let go in the background until a facet catches your attention and pulls you in. It is to be listened to and enjoyed for its musical creativity and vision, both present in abundance. This album is an awesome piece of work by Robert Miles and a courageous move, stepping away from his house base to come out with this album. It is that sense of evolution that brings him to stand out from the crowd of trance DJ's.

I have liked Robert Miles stuff from the first time I heard Children. The the album 23AM came out and I thought it sucked. 23AM was Mile's journey into an obsessive love of new age pop. I bought 23AM at 1PM and was asleep by 130PM. 'Organik' is on a completly different level from his other stuff. Many people wont like it. I love it. This album combines pop, techno, rock, cool funky sounds, and enough wierd stuff to keep a stoner blazed for years to come. I don't think that there is any particular style that Roberto was following here. It is purely experimental. From the Nine Inch Nails sounding 'Separation' to the very progressive 'Improvisations' tracks. If you want this album because you love Robert Miles' beatiful mix of pop, techno, and classical, go buy a bag of popcorn and wait for the next one. But if you like progressive, then check this puppy out.

If you're looking for Dreamland or 23am, you will be confused and disappointed. However, the best way to go about listening to this album is to put what you currently think about Robert Miles aside and listen to Organik as if it were his first album. After a few listens I immediately found the genius on yet another album by Mr. Miles. I believe "Trance Shapes" is his best song to date and "Release Me" may easily be his second best. There are so many amazing sections on the CD. My only problem with the CD was that the amazing sections were not long enough and because of the experimental nature of the CD, it suffered melodically because of this. Just give the CD a listen a few times before you pass judgement and I think you'll understand how brilliant Robert Miles is regardless of your opinion.

'Organik' is an attempt by robert miles to shift from the very typical dance/house genre that had been associated with him even years after his famous dance hits 'Children' ,'Fable' & 'One & One' .He had tried a similar attempt in his previous album '23 Am' ..Fortunately that album was good enough to be rated as much a masterpiece as his first album'Dreamland'. But in Organik ,Robert Miles has tried to create a fusion between classical & pop music. Unfortunately it seems out of sync . a case in the point is the track 'Paths' .Some brilliant work is done on the south asian instrument Sarangi but that seems to be the only saving grace of the song .. Overall The album does sound pleasant after more than 10-12 listens .Its not the kind of an album which will make someone sit up & say 'Wow !What an Album ' or perhaps tap your feet or dance ...Its in a different mood altogether. If the main aim of the album was to experiment or create a fusion then i know of better works than this .but probably the hype or expectations associated with Robert Miles might let the album down .

If you are expecting a CD exactly like Dreamland, you're going to be disappointed. This CD is so much better then anything Robert Miles has done in the past, you might not realize that this is the same guy who brought us Dreamland and 23 am. Dreamland was a great dance album, but Robert Miles started to get more artistic and complex in 23 am. In this CD, he not only continues on the path he started out on with his last album, but he takes it to a completely new level. I think Robert Miles is pioneering a new type of music that will take over the industry in the future. He is ahead of his time, and you can expect to see a lot of people trying to re-create what he did with this CD.

This cd starts out great with some really cool stuff. TSBOL, Separation, Paths, Wrong, Trance Shapes...all excellent songs, all with their own flavors. There is a lot of great variety in the first half. Dark industrial sounds, crazy orchestral samples, well played guitars, great female vocalist in Paths, Indian/Asian/Middle Eastern influences. Then after a while it just starts to get repetitive. It sounds like he used up all his good ideas in the beginning and then just started cranking out noise for the pure hell of a full album. It's not bad noise, per se, but it kind of leaves you disappointed because the beginning showed so much potential. It's as if he just slowly slides into a repetitive rut he can't spin his wheels to get out of. It's not bad, but it left me feeling unfulfilled. If you listen to the samples on Amazon and you like what you hear, by all means get the album. Just don't expect too much, like I did or else you'll be disappointed.

Note: It does make excellent background music, however. As long as you aren't expecting a masterful opus, put this one on while doing work, and I'm sure you'll probably be pleased with it. As I think I've stated, this isn't a bad album, it just packs the first half full of original music that doesn't keep all the way till the end.

After Roberto's first 2 CD's, this one might be too much of a departure from his original style for his fans to keep up. I would never say that this CD is "bad" or that there is no obvious talent in the music but I have to say that the magic that made Robert Miles so popular in ambient and downbeat electronica circles has apparently moved into the past. I know that many artists don't like to have their CD releases compared to previous CD's and I certainly know that RM preferes to have each of his works evaluated on it's own merits but, let's be real here, fans expect (and even need) a little bit of continuity from their favorite artists. I think Robert "missed that left turn at Albekoiky" as the rabbit would say. Continuity is no where to be seen with Organik, not only in terms of style from his earlier CD's but in the music on Organik itself. One of the traits that I believe made RM so popular was that his songs had MELODY. His music flowed and each new note seemed to take every previous note into account and his counter melodies and tempo's blended perfectly with the front line. Not so with Organik. If I had to describe this album in a word, it would have to be "disjointed". The music on Organik no longer has that flowing quality. It's almost a "fusion electronica" flavor with heavy native beats and middle-eastern influences if you will. It almost feels like Robert tried so hard to maximize the variety of styles in each song that he lost sight of his OWN great style in the process. Every now and then, you hear a pinch of Roberts original genius but those brief moments are immediately drowned out by the clash of change-up's and break-beats in these songs.

If your a fan of Dreamland and 23AM, don't expect to hear that formula on Organik. It's COMPLETELY different and, while the talent is still evident, I don't think his fans are going to respond to this album quite as he'd like.

Make sure you listen to this CD before you buy it.

This is where electronic music needs to go. As a relatively new musical form it does need to push the boundaries of what can be considered musical. Most of the mob that do the real pushing never really sell cause they are indie, uncompromising and not signed to big labels so it is up to people like Roberto Concina (aka Robert Miles) to have their own interpretation. They have the name and the profile to show what can be done.

This is not sit back dream relax music as in previous albums (while I appreciate Dreamland I think 23AM is tedious). Rather this is more proactive and involving. In many ways, Roberto has gone to school on the work of Nitin Sawheney (check out 'Beyond Skin', 'Prophesy' and 'Human' if you don't believe me) and in fact Nitin appears on this album as a bit of a guitar god - which is not what I expected either when I first heard this. If you want to think styles think Indian via England with serious beats (often real ones)filled in with tabla (Indian hand drums), guitar, female vocals and an informed sense of what's hip in atmospheric electronic music. There's a fair bit of general noise rolled in too - so much so that some could say this one almost rocks. It is definitely worth cranking up as there's lots to hear in this one.

If you were a fan of the two previous albums you may not think much of this effort (too difficult perhaps? Or your Mother may not like it?)but if you are willing to stretch your musical appreciation beyond easy listening and out into the world of international music then grab this one - if you like it then go see Nitin Sawheney, Afro Celts, Rachid Taha and even Appollo440.