Customer Reviews

Transmissions

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

First off, I've noticed that with the exception of maybe one or two people, most who've reviewed this album don't appear to be all that 'into' this genre. If you're someone who appreciates good trance, then this album is going to blow you away. It's outstanding in originality, craftmanship, and musical quality. One of the pioneering, and still best, albums of the largely underground genre. Not only is "Transmissions" one of the best albums, Juno Reactor is simply THE best trance artist(s). Period. I am no newbie to trance; I know who's who: Simon Posford (Hallucinogen, Celtic Cross, Shpongle) is extremely skilled and severely twisted; Pleiadians make wild, throbbing psychedelia; Astral Projection do the heavy melody masterfully; and Infected Mushroom are the epitome of psychedelic insanity. All this considered, I still can't deny Juno Reactor the crown. In their post-Transmissions works they continue to grow and expand, leaping light-years ahead of all the others who twiddle and dawdle behind, attempting to better the precedents that the great JR had set years ago. If you're into trance, techno, ambient, or really, any other type of music, give Juno Reactor a listen, and prepare to be changed.

Before anyone tries to compare "Transmissions" to "Beyond" or "Bible" they need to take a quick look at the dates and realize that Juno Reactor was still evolving. For their style they have always been ahead of the game. Yes Transmissions isn't their best, but it's far further advanced than what many groups are putting together in '99/'00.

The music is what the song title implies. They do a very good job of that.

Laughing gas coulnd't make more sense.

This album is so far away conceptually from the rest of Juno Reactor's work that it really needs to be considered as a separate entity. People say it sounds dated by comparison to the later material, but I think it mostly sounds different because it was going for a different effect.

Later Juno Reactor discs have either focused on high-energy dance music (Beyond the Infinite) or combining that high energy with multicultural samples to create a kind of wordbeat/trance sound (Bible of Dreams, Shango, Labyrinth). Transmissions, however, sets out to take you on a more purely electronic, space-oriented trip. As such, it's a little slower, a little more abstract and atmospheric, and takes its time to develop a distinct mood of cosmic vastness, emptiness, and alien landscapes. It's frequently danceable, but also a smooth and very cohesive listening experience from beginning to end. There's no dense jungle percussion assault like "Conga Fury" here, but the whole thing takes its cues from the opening track "High Energy Protons" and develops the mood from there.

Me, I like the spacey techno atmosphere and think this disc is a great stand-alone success. I was first turned on to Juno Reactor by Bible of Dreams (another great disc), but I listen to this one just as much. The two albums are must-haves, but the musical terrain they explore is so vastly different that they might as well have been recorded by different artists. If you try not to compare this to later Juno Reactor, the disc will pleasantly surprise you.

I suppose I'm different from the rest of the reviewers here who seemingly rate this low. I didn't come into JR around the Bible of Dreams or Shango eras. I came in just as Beyond The Infinite was released and promptly picked up Transmissions the next day. So I was listening to both of the albums at the same time.

I don't find this album dated in the least. I think it just comes down to what you like. I don't like recent JR albums nearly as much as the original 2, but others who like the recent albums will probably not like the older ones. JR has changed styles so immensely that old and new fans are hearing different things.

I love Transmissions. It has a very specific spacey feel to it, thus the name. The NASA samples are extremely fitting. I find it flows better than just about any other JR album.

Besides, it also has one of my favorite JR songs of all time, Landing. The Stephen Hawking quote is amazing and the song is the ultimate finisher, better than any other JR album. Landing makes me wish JR would throw out an ambient album at some time.

So for recent JR fans, keep in mind that this album wasn't made for you. Obviously JR has changed, but this album is far from dated. You certainly can't be a "die-hard" fan and ignore this album.

Cheers!

A friend of mine was digging through his CD collection a couple of years ago (said he had two cd's of the same album and wanted me to have the extra copy) and handing me JUNO REACTOR: TRANSMISSIONS and I have been listening to it every since! It keeps my blood pumping. Silly comment, of course, but you know we need good music to keep us going. I like this artist and the music sounds very good when played on high quality Dolby Digital equipment (even on Dolby Pro Logic sound the music sounds so brilliant). The message editor here said I could describe it in a maximum of 1,000 words but I feel like I have said enough. I was allowed to give it a maximum of 5 stars but it really deserves TEN stars !...

I have noticed over the years that usually when a group or individual has a hugely successful debut album they seem to fade out as more and more albums are released. And that small, unnoticed debuts go on to create wonderful careers as they improve their raw talent. This could be attributed to many things, but in general I think that Juno Reactor has followed the latter path.

Transmissions is a solid album and defiantly holds it own against anything out there now. It shows much creativity and exploration into the electronic genre as well as a taste of things to come. This album is not, however, Juno Reactor's finest work. The tracks I enjoyed: High Energy Protons, The Heavens, Laughing Gas and Man To Ray. (For some reason Contact is ranking up there too.) The other Juno albums offer more intricate songs and production polish, but realistically Transmissions is a pretty good album.

Tracing Juno Reactor's evolution is very interesting. Beyond the Infinite was a pure trance dream. Bible of Dreams upped the ante, expanding their horizons while staying true to their trance heart. It started with Transmissions and it started off very well. While sometimes still raw, the sound of Juno Reactor on this album is definitely good. It's sometimes this rawness of sound itself that makes the tracks so good, while at times genius that is later seen can be glimpsed on certain tracks. Check out Beyond the Infinite and then come to Transmissions.

This style of music has since been imitated to death by the entire genre of "acid trance" music. With copycats galore, its easy to dismiss this album as another early 90s techno record to be forgotten. The difference though, is that Ben Watkins and co. have really put together some solid ideas and added a musical maturity that is so lacking in this genre. This really is "trance" music at its best; an attempt to transport you somewhere else. In this case, the favoured destination is space.

Working against this album are 2 major elements: imitation and technology. The theme of space exploration, gazing into the stars, aliens, etc., is a favourite subject in the trance community (particularly in the 90s), so the listener today is not necessarily as "entranced" as Juno Reactor would like them to be. Its kind of like watching The Exorcist today...the little girl is not as creepy, because we've seen creepy/possessed/psychotic children in hundreds of movies since. Secondly, the musical technology available to the band at the time is limited compared to today, so some of the effects are not nearly as spectacular (kind of like watching CGI from the 1990s).

That said, what makes this album special is how Watkins has pursued his musical ideas and fleshed them out sonically. To use The Exorcist example, people and critics alike still enjoy the movie for its other elements; solid acting and wonderful pacing, to name two. "Transmissions" does the same; excellent pacing, creative ideas, cool samples, and musically mature thinking.

There are a lot of signature Juno Reactor elements to be heard here; that famous rolling bassline is born in "High Energy Protons" and "Luna-Tic". The dark atmospherics of "Acid Moon" show off more of Watkins' preference for visualization and scene-setting. The building-releasing style of "Man to Ray" will be present in many future songs. Lastly, "Landing" shows off Watkins' ability to slow the listener down, right down into a beautiful, floating ending that feels like old school Tangerine Dream, but with more fluidity.

In short: get past the creepy girl vomiting pea soup on a priest. There really is a lot to experience here.

Tracks:

1. HIGH ENERGY PROTONS - a fast paced adventure into space. Early Juno Reactor in full flight. Still sounds great today.

2. THE HEAVENS - a more sound effect-laden piece. Shows its age. Very unique.

3. LUNA-TIC - another rolling-bassline song. Great sampled start. Carries on for too long though.

4. CONTACT - Much more melodic, emphasis on chord progression and synthesizers. Sounds dated though.

5. ACID MOON - An ominous, dark and drone like piece that intentionally holds back. Listeners may be frustrated by its similarity to "Luna-Tic".

6. 10 000 MILES - Very solid bass line/beat combination holds the foundation while synthesizers dance overtop. A very complete sounding piece.

7. LAUGHING GAS - Arguably the most energetic song on the album. Takes the standard 303-overtop-of-a-basic-beat style of techno and gives it a good shot in the arm.

8. MAN TO RAY - A well crafted ride from start to finish, adding layers and taking away to give this song the feeling of a great work out. Another cosmic ride.

9. LANDING - beatless, beautiful, bubbling masterpiece. An excellent calm down after the previous 2 energetic tracks. Still sounds excellent today. Makes for a very memorable ending, and shows off Juno Reactor's potential for experimentation.

This is Juno Reactor's first album, and you can definitely tell that they are ready to conquer the electronic world. I think that JR is one one of the greatest techno bands ever. As you have probably read, most poeple feel that thier second album far surpasses this one. I feel that they are both equally good. JR has a unique sound that mixes techno with tribal and then takes you on a trip, blade runner style. Their music still outclasses most dance and trance of today. Everything I have heard from them is great. If you have missed out on the beginning of Juno Reactor or are just getting in to them, then there is no better place to start than here.

This Is an AWESOME Techno-infested CD and is a must hav