Customer Reviews

Part 1

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

 

 

this is a classic electronica album rarely heard except by those whose interests bring them to techno in the finest hours of sound. it has rare tunes on it like Hallo and Lightworks; classic tracks. completely original sounds from archived electronica.and a great listen to over and over again bringing you to a sense of new enlightenment.

Astrobotnia still has some refining to do before really making a name for himself in the IDM world; fleshing out his perceptive drum patterns with some more keyboard-driven work could help distinguish him from countless other b-grade beat-makers. For now, Pt. 1 has just enough to warrant a listen, touching on enough hyper-stylish and slow-clanking rhythms to separate this artist from utter mediocrity.

Once again, this is Ovuca's music, not Richard James/Aphex Twin. A lot of Ovuca's material is pretty random and experimental and perfect for the short attention span, but he finally stuck with a good sound and theme on this series. He has an IDM sound that could become a big hit among the other Warp players (minus the few bad acts that plague them) but there is better material on Rephlex and Warp. I can't find part 2 and part 3 is just more of the same of part 1.
I'd suggest looking for Cylobotia (though I thought it was Cyclobotnia) instead of seeking out every part in the Astrobotbia series. Cylobotnia is a collaboration CD that adds some interesting acid to the sound.

Firstly, if you should purchase an album for the front cover alone - make it Astrobotnia Part 01. Typical electronica anonymity - Rephlex isn't saying who is behind Astrobotnia Whoever it may be, they have created something unique. The sound of fireworks begins the journey on 'Lightworks' before it reveals the sounds outside of Earth. Swirling synth-like sounds form the backdrop for the most part of the album whilst deep, soft basslines transport you. Shattered beats rebound off invisible walls forming intricate rythms intertwined with layers of atmospheric ultra-ambience... wait, no this isn't right, i'm not going to describe the sounds of Astrobotnia. But I think i've discovered something...
Astrobotnia has formed aural connections that expand and explore huge networks of interstellar tunnels inbetween permeating cosmic bubbles that contain lifeforms indistinguishable from the sounds they generate. You travel through these tunnels at hypersonic speeds. Strange reflections and translations of the journey are projected intermittently exposing our future millions of light years away from now. Otherworldly experiences aren't usually this vivid. Clocking in at only 35mins long, you can only imagine whats inside the other tunnels.

This is an alright album.

A few of the tracks are really great, but some are a bit more subpar in my opinion. A lot of it is just too percussive, with out much melodic substance...but some people. The tracks 1 and 2 are really awesome...definately the standouts of the album. After that some of the tracks are good, some merely ok. I'd say it's a good album for anyone into idm or braindance, but for someone new to the genre I'd suggest another introduction.

another reviewer said this is very percussive without much melody. True. I love highly percussive IDM but this is only interesting enough to listen to once straight through. As soon as you're done listening you've forgotten what you've heard. Everyone is annoying and disturbing (and part of the reason I returned the disc) where a guy says over and over again: "I want to kill everyone, Satan is good, Satan is our pal." Maybe it was funny in The 'Burbs but taken out its context and radomly placed in a song makes it disturbing and completely unneccessary. Miss June is the only awesome track and I found I played that over and over again but the rest is mediorce at best.
Rumor has it that this is aphex twin. If so, shame on you Richard. If not, then you'll do better picking up an aphex twin disc. And hey reviewer down below, leave Warp records alone. Obviously you like mediorce music like this.

I'm not the biggest fan of IDM, which is electronic music with ambient melodies combined with harsh, manipulated, drum-loops, but when it comes to Rephlex, I usually give it a try. Unlike the crap Warp Records have been releasing for the past two years, Astrobotnia (who was thought to be Aphex Twin, but is actually a lesser-known artist, Ovuca) three albums are engrossing, often leaving the listener in a state of awe. I like the first LP best though, unfortunatly Parts 2 & 3 don't live up to this one. But this is truly an amazing album, coming from a mediocre artist distributed by a corny record label that releases anything that sounds "weird" rather than analyzing the music's material, they focus on the "weird"ness, the drums and all. Thus everything they've put out by once excellent artists have failed to please...anyone's ears. This label I'm referring to is Warp records, but I'm surprized and extremely glad that Astrobotnia did not give in to this.

Any band that samples satanic verses from 'The Burbs' starring Tom Hanks and Bruce Dern is probably good.