Customer Reviews

Soft Breeze & Tsunami Breaks

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The original album, Heaven's Dust, is one of my all-time favorite albums. It's brilliant - an amazing arrangement of Middle Eastern instrumentation with creative and elegant vocals. So I was excited to hear that the album was being remixed and curious to listen to the finished project.

Let me just say that after the first track, it's nominal at best. This is mediocre electronica. The vocal tracks fit securely within the groove of the original arrangements on the first album, but removed and placed upon a disparate collection of drum tracks and effects it loses all sense of wholeness. Some of the remixed tracks are creative in their own right, but do not stand out among such a dynamic genre.

You are much better off buying the original Heaven's Dust. Soft Breeze & Tsunami Breaks is a nice compliment to the original, but not worth owning without the reference to the first album.

Ekova is a startling group made of three incredibly talented musicians. A variety of Algerian string and wind instruments and unique Iranian-influenced drum beats combine with the voice of American-born Dierdre Dubois, who occasionally sings in English or French, but often does her own made-up language (sort of a world beat vocalese). The group's first album, "Heaven's Dust," is one of the best world music albums ever produced (it rates five stars easily) and features hypnotic rhythms and music. "Soft Breeze and Tsunami Breaks" is made up of remixes of those tracks by some of Europe's top DJs (DJCam, Max Pashm, Doctor L, Da Lata, Farmakit, etc.).

The remixes range from trance beats to world beats to dark jazz. All of the remixes are full of ingenuity, but the original ingenuity of Ekova (as heard on "Heaven's Dust") is somewhat lost in the shuffle. Dubois' vocals are broken down from their multi-layered origins. While it's interesting to hear these layers separated, they don't always work as well on their own as they did when they were piled on in the amazing arrangements from "Heaven's Dust."

For those who are intrigued by Ekova's work, I strongly recommend buying "Heaven's Dust" first. It will literally blow your mind. If you are then as enthralled with the group as I was, then this album will make a nice companion piece (or curiosity piece).

Taken by itself, "Soft Breeze & Tsunami Breaks" is a fairly good techno/dance mix/trance/dark jazz album. It's no revelation, but remains serviceable. But taken as a companion piece to "Heaven's Dust," it becomes an interesting examination of how remix DJs work and think, of what works and what doesn't. It also makes listening to the original "Heaven's Dust" that much more enthralling. "Heaven's Dust" is a must-buy. This album is only a must-buy for those who want to explore more of the "Heaven's Dust" melodies.

this cd rocks! it's great as a soundtrack to all the fun parts of life. just pop it in, and ride the wave (or the breeze, rather)

Although I don't own the Ekova album that was the source of the remixes on this CD, I can definitely say that this CD contains some of my favorite electronica tracks ever (to name two, the d&b-influenced remix of Ditama and the epic second track are, alone, worth the price of the CD).

This isn't to say, of course, that you should just search Napster for the standout tracks -- nearly every song on this CD is very good as well, and many have grown on me a lot with time. Speaking from the point of view of someone who listens to quite a lot of electronica, I think this album is refreshing: the alien sounds and the new, modern arrangements fit together in a very engrossing and imaginative way. The remixers really nailed it with this project.

On this remix CD of tracks from Heaven's Dust, Ekova have shown me that they truly are open to any type of music. There is a large range to the tracks featured on this CD. It almost reminds me of a soundtrack of sorts; a collection of songs all very similar to a theme but each having there own distinct rythm and feel. Done by a whole slew of European and Asian DJs, you would think this really has nothing to do with Ekova...you would be wrong. Ekova had a huge hand in deciding who would remix there tracks. I have heard through the grapevine that there was huge interest in the project and many song were submited. Ekova had the final choice about which songs made it on the CD. So, if you want a very different type of electronica or just a smooth collection of beats to keep you happy in the car, Soft Breeze will definatly not disapoint.

What a pleasure to see productions like these. A beautiful voice, some great research in melodies, harmonies, percussions, rhythms in general.

This CD is joyful, romantic, you feel you are in India, in Africa, in Latin America, you definitely can see the sun in your lounge.

This CD also gives you energy, enriches your life and makes you happy to live. This is a must-buy.

You will find some influences, probably from Dead Can Dance, such as the "Into The Labyrinth" album, but it is way more energetic and sunny than any Dead Can Dance was. You will tell me Dead Can Dance wasn't here to be joyful. Well it looks like now, trends are in joy, smiles, happy, happy mood and I just love that !

What a wonderful record! Great beats and swirling, unusual vocals combine to make you dance. Imagine Dead Can Dance doing electronica-that's as close as I can come to the experience of this album. Every home should have one!

Just what language are these guys singing in?

I picked this CD up in Toronto. I am not sure why. I vaguely remember hearing a National Public Radio piece on a band that used electonic music and an invented language in their music. I am not sure if this is the same band. It wouldn't matter anyway, since I don't understand a word they say. But that seems to be the point... So, with a hunch and a little bit of a sense of adventure, I picked up the CD. I have not regretted the choice.

The interesting thing about this CD is the inventive mixes of different musical genre. At some level, it seems like typical World techno pop, which is why I only gave it 4 stars. But I also enjoyed the combinations of middle eastern inspired electronic music...and who knows what else!! Some of the music is a little off-beat, like the self-claimed Dark Jazz music of "Sebrendita" -- which is a mix of hip-hop, Indian (?) and jazz piano music. Interesting. I also liked their "Taksim."

This is worth a listen!

Ekova return on a remixed version of Heaven's Dust. I personally feel this CD is not as good as Heaven's Dust. Many of the remixs lack the intensity as the orriginal recordings. However, this cd is still a good collection of Indian electronica. If you are looking for a Ekova cd I suggest you buy the original recordings on Heaven's Dust.

Tracklisting:
1 Starlight In Daden (Aurora Remix) Remix - Da Lata
2 Temoine (Farmakit Extended Remix) Remix - Farmakit
3 Helas And Reason (Neti Neti Remix) Remix - Jérôme Pacman
4 In My Prime (Gekko From Ekovaland) Remix - Gekko
5 Sebrendita (Dark Jazz Remix) Remix - DJ Cam
6 Venus And One (Reconstruction) Remix - P Boscheron, Smadj
7 Taksim (Un Taksim Pour Tobruk) Remix - Popodi
8 Sister (Tsunami Sister Remix) Remix - Lofofora
9 Ditama (Kalenda Remix) Remix - Bab & F2F
10 Todosim (Ali Baba Remix) Remix - Roudoudou
11 Sabura (Desert Delight Remix) Remix - Max Pashm
12 La Nef Des Fous (Design Size Remix)Remix - Niktus
13 Chant Of Diem (Golden Days Remix) Remix - Doctor L