Customer Reviews

Shango

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When I heard Juno Reactor was coming out with a new album I was very excited. From the taste I got from the Pistolero single it looked very good. The CD isn't bad. It's not their best (Beyond the Infinite is, in my opinion), but it is good.

It starts off with Pistolero which is a very interesting mix of synthesized sound and music from spaghetti westerns. All in all, they pull it off and it sound really good. The second track is a harsh sounding track with frenetic, tribal-sounding drumming. It's good too. Track is a calmer, bass-driven, low-key track that is a well-placed change of pace.

Track 5 is my favorite. It's what I've come to love about JR and has the same energy that dominates Beyond the Infinite. Track 7 falls into this category too and is another highlight of the album.

Tracks 8 and 9 are also calmer. 8 is almost ambient and 9 seems strongly influenced by God is God from Bible of Dreams.

Juno Reactor has never sat back and rested on the success of prior albums. This one is no exception. They experiment with new things and definately are continuing moving forward. Shango is enjoyable, but I don't know if they will ever top Beyond the Infinite. If you enjoy anything by JR, you will like Shango too.

Once tantalised by the release of the Flamenco-inspired "Pistolero" single, Juno Reactor fans have had to wait over a year to hear the much-delayed album the single is taken from. But the wait has definitely been worth it: Shango shows that Juno Reactor still produce truly original work.

The album starts upbeat with the fast Spanish guitars of "Pistolero", by now a classic floor-filler. The album moves smoothly on to African drumming on "Hule Lam", a fine example of ethnic trance. The pace slows slightly with the bass-laden but strangely haunting "Insects", mellowing out nicely before picking up for the dark and brooding "Badimo". Towards the end of the track, those with good hearing may pick out some familiar sounds from Juno Reactor's first album, "Transmissions".

Then without much warning you're suddenly launched into "Masters of the Universe", a powerful and at times frantic track. Again a Spanish influence comes to the fore here, with Flamenco / Arabesque chanting and super-fast tom-toms. The track is beautifully paced, moving from impossibly fast to slow, funky syncopation and back again with incredible ease.

The "Nitrogen" tracks mark a change in the flow of the album, connecting the previous adrenaline-laced material to the more ambient and rather mellow tracks that follow. "Nitrogen part 1" takes its inspiration from a more oriental style of music, slightly reminiscent of "Kaguya Hime" on "Bible of Dreams". "Nitrogen part 2" is slightly more upbeat, with an insistent, pulsing rhythm.

"Solaris" is a beautifully crafted super-relaxed Tibetan sound. Nothing is rushed. Slowly Indian drums come in, overlayed with African then Arabic chanting.

The final track "Song for Ancestors" is a little faster, but is still pretty mellow. Long echos, strings, and a thin female voice over the top make this an amazingly relaxing tune to bring you down gently on.

This album is unique in blending such diverse styles of music; only "Banco de Gaia" comes close in terms of breadth. This album has a harder, darker edge than Banco's "Igizeh", but if you like one you'll probably like the other.

When I bought this cd, I had VERY VERY high expectations. I expected it to be some of the greatest music I'd ever heard, because in the past, Juno Reactor has always lived up to that standard.

I was not in any way disappointed. This cd enthralled and moved me in so many ways. There are a few main styles of music found in this cd:

-A kind of an organic-ambient sound found on songs like Solaris and Song for the Ancestors. This is kind of a new direction for Juno Reactor, because in the past, they've mostly been about spacey-melodies, and complex jungle rythms.

-A more African sound, found on songs like Hule Lam, and Badimo. There's strange chanting, and some intricate melodies and beats. Juno Reactor expands it's horizons, and gives more of the same kind of style that was found on "Bible of Dreams." The African style is a welcome addition.

-The straight, driving, trancey melodies and beats found on Transmissions, and Beyond the Infinite. The enthusiasm and power from their previous works are present in songs like Pistolero, and Masters of the Universe.

...And everything in between. There's even some unique throat singing on Solaris, and most of the songs are laced with some very African and cultural sounding drumbeats. Pistolero combines the driving beats that you're used to, but also uses a melody which has a very strong spanish sound to it and is very catchy.

Shango probably has the most diversity out of any of their albums, thus far. It is, in many ways, my favorite work by them, and it just about sums up and highlights all of the different styles they've perfected since 1994.

This album is a gem.

If you liked any of their previous works, and are looking for more of the same, and some new sound as well, look no further! Shango is near perfection to someone who can appreciate Juno Reactor's other music!

After listening to Shango several times, I have mixed feelings. Juno Reactor has as much expanded on the sonic and thematic motifs that they began to earnestly focus on in Bible of Dreams as they have left them behind. The almost too smoothly organic pulses of their last album are gone--replaced by a mix of furiously energetic and vivid rhythms as well as eeriely cold ambientish tracks. If one part of the album is a desert tribe whirling in fury around a campfire, another is the sounds of that same desert, cold, dark, and alien at night. Shango takes the tribal aspects of Bible of Dreams's sound and, instead of letting them merely color the songs and give them character, Juno Reactor lets them *become* the song. And, so far, I think with mixed results. Some of the best Juno Reactor tunes ever are on this album: Pistolero and Masters of the Universe are an amazing synthesis of the energetically dramatic 'epics' of early Juno Reactor (Feel the Universe, Labyrinth, Rotorblade, Samurai, High Energy Protons, etc) mixed with the cooly dark organic feel of Conga Fury and Children of the Night on Bible of Dreams. Song for Ancestors is a beautifully haunting piece that falls outside of traditional electronica, reminding more of Dead Can Dance than The Crystal Method or KoxBox. Both Solaris and the two segments of Nitrogen are, for the most part, slow and creepy. Not bad at all but again, I *occasionally* wonder if I'm listening to Synaesthesia or Aphex Twin rather than Juno Reactor. (Songs like Landing, Magnetic {for the faster sections of Nitrogen}, and Acid Moon? put out earlier by Juno Reactor are worth mentioning as comparison). Finally, there's Badimo (or Aroimo as Amazon.com calls it for some reason), which annoys me slightly. The song is heavy, percussive, and deep sounding, with a crazed voice chanting 'Badimo, etc' throughout it. So far, I don't feel they did enough with this song...I kept expecting something to happen. To an extent, I felt the same way with Solaris and Insects. This is likely to do with expectations of Juno Reactor (one expects some kick to their songs). But taken as purely what they are, Badimo, Insects, and Solaris are not bad all all. But these songs, like the song 'Shark' are a far cry from the style of songs off Beyond the Infinite or Transmissions. Juno Reactor is definitely evolving at composing yet I'm ambivalent as to I feel about this. If we continue to get songs like Pistolero and Masters of the Universe, and they refine their worthy but perhaps undeveloped efforts in songs like Nitrogen 1+2, I'll be with them for a long time to come. If we get more like Badimo and Shark...well, we'll see.

In the years between Bible of Dreams and Shango I had found myself distanced from JR and didn't really listen to Shango until a couple of years after its release. I had Pistolero in the meantime and already knew it was a killer song, but I wasn't sure what to expect from the rest of the album.

Pistolero starts off with one of the greatest transitions I've ever heard. The machine gun to breakbeat to trance wave is amazing. The first 30 seconds of the song catches me every time. Add in the catchy bass loop and you have a winner. I would've never believed flamenco guitar could fit into trance before this song.

Hulelam has the cliche African chanting but at new levels. It actually sounds like real African chanting as opposed to sampled African chanting. Not that I mind either, I love chanting. Makes me feel like I'm living hundreds of years ago in undeveloped countries. However, it gets kind of repetitive, even for a trance song.

I find Insects to be one of the weaker parts of the album. It's extremely dark, but too low-key to really be scary. It's borderline industrial, but just not loud enough. Unfortunately this is followed up by Badimo.

Badimo is probably the other weak song on the album. The guy who talks during the song is pretty neat sounding, but basing the song around it is overkill. Honestly, between this and Insects I was really losing it.

However, as Badimo finishes you come into the greatest song on the album, arguably better than Pistolero -- Masters of the Universe. What a powerhouse of epic trance this is. The driving beat of this song is amazing and it's no surprise to see it become the only other single besides Pistolero. The other reviewer who recommended the single was right on the money.

Nitrogen 1 honestly reminds me of something I would hear on an Orbital album. That's not bad by any means, but just different.

Nitrogen 2 moves forward from N1 and starts sounding like a blend of Orbital and JR mixed with some Nine Inch Nails samples. I like the song, but not in large doses.

With Solaris the album just slows down. This song really takes me back, way back, to Landing on Transmissions, which is one of my favorite JR songs. It's so spacey. Solaris isn't quite as spacey, but it's still out there. It's like being on a vision quest with natives dancing around a fire. This song really reminds me of something off of Intermix's Future Primitives.

Song For Ancestors brings more beat back into the album, but a very slow and off-kilter beat. It makes me think of some of the Indian albums I've heard and was obviously inspired by them. It mostly reminds me of a soundtrack song.

A good effort by JR, but not one of their best. I give it 4 stars simply because even JR's worst is still better than a lot of groups' best.

From the first gorgeous guitar note on the song Pistolero to the sonic landscapes of Song for Ancestors I was completely won over by this cd. I originally heard of Juno Reactor way back in 4th grade because of a song they did for Mortal Kombat, but never paid attention to them because I thought it was just another techno band. This sad process of exposure to their music occurred over the past 8 years, and much to my regret I didn't purchase one cd from them until last year. If you've ever watched The Matrix Trilogy, they're in there. The music from the historic Freeway Chase, Burly Brawl, and final battle between smith and neo were all written by Juno Reactor (except for one that was a collaboration). Believe me, you will not regret buying this cd. Pistolero effectively blends the classic guitar sound of spaghetti westerns with psychedelic trance (and yes, they used a live guitarist for the entire thing). Insects is a dramatic and bass heavy song that'll get your head bobbin' before you know it. Masters of the Universe is also known as the song from Kid's Story in Animatrix when he skateboards from the agents. Thankfully the best song on the cd is the one song that can't be bought as a single. Nitrogen Part 1 was simply my favorite song of all time. This may be hard to stomach for some people who can't understand how a song without lyrics can convey any amount of emotion. You may be surprised, not just at how good the song is, but that the song actually transforms in the last few minutes. Trance songs are notorious for being unimaginative loops with a droning bass beat. Nitrogen Part 2 is basically a raver's dream come true. And Song for Ancestors is just beautiful. Warning: this is a new breed of trance that blends live and computer generated music, and it's damn good. There's some very nice ethnic vocal singing mixed in to Masters of the Universe and Song for Ancestors that brings to mind the gorgeous intro to Conga Fury. Another thing I recommend is to listen to this music alone in your room with your eyes closed because these songs actually paint pictures in your mind if you relax enough. Buy this cd now, please. Two other cd's I recommend from them are "Bible and Dreams" and "Beyond the Infinite" (which is out of print, but I was lucky enough to get it from a private dealer).

After hearing the album's first track, the husky latin-flavored breakbeat opus "Pistolero", I immediately bought the album without a second thought. I was crossing my fingers not to have a disappointment, but my faith was strong. I listened to the album on the train from New York City to Mount Kisco. My jaw hung and my eyes widened from the moment I stepped on the train to the moment I stepped off.

The next track, "Hylelam", is what you'd get if the members of Deep Forest put on their UFO pants, broke out the glowsticks, and held an Ibiza-esque fiesta in the middle of a vicious and exotic jungle. This song is digestable for fans of world music, and especially the more vividly tribal side of Juno Reactor.

The music gets dark n' dirty, but still strong, with the next two songs, "Insects" and the growling "Badimo". But, as if it was just a lull, back up to energetic, fiery speed we hop with the Egyptian-dipped "Masters Of The Universe". "Nitrogen" (both parts 1 and 2) have the least elements of tribal music to them, and lean more towards pure techno.

With "Solaris", the album takes a full plunge into eerie, beat-less dark atmospherics, but with a purely tribal flavor (of course). A haunting woodwind cries over a vague ambient pad, and you can almost smell the jungle plant life.

The album concludes with "Song For Ancestors", a finely-crafted song that will leave Woob fans shivering with UTTER delight. Middle Eastern percussion and various instruments creep on you from all angles, while a lone woman sings in a foreign tongue, and begins to frighteningly cackle towards the end of the song, as it builds like an ostinado. Light the incense when this song comes on, and prepare to practice your "Om".

Those who like Deep Forest and Oceania, but just wish they'd hit the rave clubs will appreciate this outstanding effort, as well as anyone who digs world and/or tribal music. Even those who nodded their heads to the "Mortal Kombat" theme song will want to give Shango a listen. Its diversity and craftsmanship are of pristine quality, and the album's mechanics are a strong trait. Techno fans who want to greatly broaden their taste in the genre are suggested to dive into the unknown and exotic world of Juno Reactor. Enjoy the trip.

innovative, super-charged dance/world beats with Steve Stevens cranking on guitar and many other surprises along the way. Yes, synth has merged with world before; but it takes the likes of J.R. to stir the pot just right.

Astoundingly enjoyable work.

Juno Reactor is a bridge between Industrial Music and GOA/Trance. I put it on when I have both ravers and goths in the house. :)

I had been anxiously waiting over seven months for Shango to be released, and when I finally got it, I was slightly let down. I was expecting another album in the vein of Bible of Dreams and I had also expected it to be better. In my opinion, Bible of Dreams is an absolute masterpiece...easily the best "electronic" album ever, and it is one of my all-time favorites. So to compare Shango to it was not fair on my part. After a couple more listen-throughs, Shango has emerged as a very unique and fantastic album; it does not have the flow that BOD had, and it is much darker and rougher--that is to say the musical elements in the songs do not blend together with surgical precision all the time-- but that is not necessarily a bad thing. Pistolero and Masters of the Universe are the standout tracks, for both have marvelous beats that grab you and don't let go. Insects and Badimo are very dark songs, the former has a subtle beat that lulls you into a sense of security until it explodes into chaotic bursts of drums, and the latter at times sounds like some sort of pagan ritual soundtrack. Hulelam features the frantic drumming of the African group Amampondo, and while their beats dont always line up with Juno's, it is still a wonder to hear. Nitrogen part 1 is a collaboration with the Orb's Alex Patterson and it has a great beat that makes you bob your head with a fascinating sonic influence that can only be described as "oriental". Nitrogen part 2 is another dark song with intense mechanical beats and loops. The last songs, Solaris and Song for Ancestors are much slower, "comedown songs" I call them. They allow you to reflect on what youve heard and while unspectacular, they are a fitting end for the album. The good sign is that I wish they had replaced one of those with another hard track or two, showing that as long as Juno Reactor continue to evolve and change their sound, while keeping it as infectuous as ever, they will remain my favorite band.