Customer Reviews

Skylon

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

 

 

Ott's second album begins with an ambient interlude saturated with ethnic sounds. But at about a third into a 12-minute track, the bass drops into a pleasant reggae-infused dub that always gets me bopping my head. But who is this Ott, with only one other previous solo release on Twisted Records? Why, he's the producer behind Hallucinogen's In Dub, of course. He also worked with Shpongle, The Orb and Brian Eno. With a huge list of collaborations and studio work, Ott is at the top when it comes to quality production. And Skylon is no exception. Dropping the above mentioned names should give you an idea of psychedelic ambient sound that dominates the album. And so my dry and nostalgic longing for psychill is instantly rejuvenated. Skylon prominently stands among my all time favorites by Simon Postford and Ron Rothfield (Raja Ram, 1200 Mics), downtempo tracks by Infected Mushroom, as well as earlier works by Shulman. And you too, without a doubt, will recognize the staple pitch-shifted vocal manipulation, time stretched flanged beats, and lead arpeggios fed through low-pass filters. All of the above works very well within the super dubbed out, delay-heavy, world-music-infused tracks. Definitely grab this for above mentioned names, as well as Younger Brother, Phutureprimitive, Tripswitch and Bluetech. Favorite tracks: The Queen Of All Everything, Roflcopter and an absolutely beautiful A Shower Of Sparks.

a far cry from ott's early works, largely quite mature, relaxed and appealing. i can't give it a solid five-star unlike, for instance, shpongle - nothing lasts, which is an experience not soon forgotten. skylon has numerous great songs, but i'd be surprised if everyone adores everything. let's call it a 4-star to remind most that you'll hear some stuff you love, and a few you won't really listen to many times.

song-by-song:

from trunch to stormness: two songs in one, with an intro that gives way to a dubby downbeat exploration. i'm not particularly enamored, but some may find it appealing in a sway-while-stoned sense.

the queen of all everything: a luscious, garden-of-eden, sexy, make love kind of tune. trust me: put it on repeat and get with your favorite other.

rogue bagel: sounds like a second first tune of the disc. sets a precedent for the indian influence you'll spot elsewhere. a bit like his earlier smoked glass and chrome but not as sensual. great flute solo.

daisies and rubies: back to dub. nice lyrics with a bit of a mysterious feel, like walking into a head shop that's stranger than the strangest one you've ever visited ;-)

signals from bob: dub with a bit of a bigger, orchestrated sound. in total, tells an interesting story. if you're not sick of the fairly standard-sounding dub by now, you'll be digging this.

382 seaside: wanted something diferent? well here ya go. pretty much a standard rock breakbeat underlies incomprehensible lyrics and... what? slide guitar you ask? haha. yes it's all here in a quirky package.

roflcopter: back to delicious dub infused with some indian spices, random electronic critters and samples. it's fun for a few listens. i wish it had a bit more change in the way that shpongle provides ample variance to keep you engaged.

a shower of sparks: reprises the beautiful lyrics, random samples and appealing melodies characteristic of about half of the album. if you like shpongle's flute melodies, you will appreciate the interlude here. light and airy, beautiful tune. entirely enjoyable.

overall: nice addition to things electronic. what disappoints me about ott's work is it's spotty -- he takes risks and i appreciate that -- but i tend to find about half the release really appealing and half of it collects dust. i try harder with some of the 'off' tunes and a few make it into regular circulation.

It's been a long time coming but it sure has been worth the wait.

If you're a fan of psy-chill then you already know that OTT is one of the leading talents of the genre and that his productions invariably deliver quality. This CD is no exception; if Blumenkraft or Hallucinogen: In Dub captured your imagination, you will not be disappointed with Skylon.

OTT being OTT, the reggaetron beat dominates the majority of the album, but there are enough twists and turns to keep it interesting. The catchy Indian male/female vox are again used to wonderful effect whether flying solo or layered on the reggae beat. Where Skylon diverges from Blumenkraft is that there is more ebb and flow to the beats, to the point where you almost get some hands-in-the-air buildups. This sounds strange from an album which averages about 50bpm, but it works, trust me! Also, Skylon is earthier than Blumenkraft with fewer mechanical effects and more nature-driven instrumentation and some mellow guitars.

But to put it plainly, Skylon is an immensely enjoyable chilled out aural experience that is low key but quite rhythmic and is immaculately produced to boot. To me "Queen of All Everything" and "382 Seaside" are the crown jewels in an all around excellent album. Even if you've never heard of OTT or psy-chill, get this! Open minded fans of good music will not be disappointed.

Man, I wish I had discovered this guy a while ago let alone the whole dub genre. I'm loving it so much right now and cant get enough. My favorites right now are "Jack's Cheese and Bread Snack" and "Splitting an Atom." Thank you Amazon for recommending Ott based on my love for Shpongle! I can groove to this stuff all day.

If you love electronic psy chill you will know sphongle and OTT.

I love his previous work and purchased Skylon as soon as it came out.

It is good very very good unfortunately not in the league of leavitating turtles, Hallucinogen in dub and Blumenkraft.

I would still say go out and Buy you will love it but felt a little disjointed as compared to his previous works. I.e. all his previous albums I tend to listen 2 from beginning 2 end to form a journey wheras skylon I have a few favorite tracks that I mix in with other music.

OTT consisting of one gentlemen from Bath, UK, is a record producer and musician. He is known for his collaborative work with Simon Posford of Shpongle, Hallucinogen along with other artists. He also produces for Twisted Records. This is the second of his 3 albums which was released in 2008. The sound of his music is middle easternish with an electronic twist to it. This album specifically has a groovy downbeat that keeps you boppin. My favorite songs on this album are Rogue Bagel and Roflcopter. Ott does not tour heavily in the US and is not usually at many of the popular summer music festivals. This year he is touring several places in the US and I will get to see him for the first time at Wakarusa Music Festival in Arkansas June 2-5th. I look forward to grooving to his chill beats!

I'm a recent discoverer of Ott, and come at this album fresh, without any expectations relative to previous work. I will say that its production alone is worth the buy, for both fans of Ott and not (rhyme intended ;)

382 Seaside is a perfect example -- arresting minor-key melody, beautiful lush pads panning far and wide across your room, overdubbed vocals (Swedish? Icelandic? Someone help me here...), and the previously mentioned slide guitar, which works brilliantly as a final layer over this dreamy yet powerful "day at the beach."

So glad I found this -- thank you Amazon recommendation engine!

This is sick.

If you are looking for some of the most blissed-out dub the market can offer - look no further. With cuts like "Queen Of All Everything" and its inexplicable love making quality, "Signals From Bob" and its ethnic tripped out dub, and the amazing "Shower Of Sparks" with its feel-good melodies, you can't go wrong with a single song on this album.

I've showed this album to several people, and everyone from my parents to my rock music loving girlfriend found something intriguing about Skylon. But each veteran of the scene to lay their "ears" upon the tripped out dub journey has fallen victim. If only Ott would come out with more of this type of music - Blumenkraft was just as wonderful and Hallucinogen In Dub made me beg for more. Out of all this is the best, but any of Otts music is not worth passing up... just trust me - it is hard to come across such quality for this style of music.

You won't be disappointed...

- |2yan

Wow! I picked this up enjoying Ott's contributions off a number of different Liquid Sound Design mixes.

What an amazing album! A real keeper. "The Queen Of All Everything" is an anthem. Great music.

Definitely a keeper.