Solaris

Amazon.com
It may come as a shock to the purists, but after two albums of pushing abstruse drum & bass to minimalist and epic extremes, the producer has thrown a heap of new sounds onto his percussive palate. To some, Solaris is going to sound like a chicken in search of a roost: both "Can't Come Down" and "Mine to Give" are pure 1988 old-school tracks that even feature that era's legendary vocalist, Robert Owens. "Terminus" and "Junk" pay loose homage to the nu-school breakz template, while "Halogen" and "Lost Blue Heaven" are beautifully poised, damaged electronic torch songs. There's even some drifting ambiance too. But what's missing in terms of coherence is more than made up for by the visceral power of Photek's production. Intense, stripped back, and wielding more brute force than Leftfield's Swords, there's a menacing beauty at work here that reinforces Photek's reputation for tingling sonic sculpturing on a grand scale. --Calvin Bush

Product Description
Photek producer Rupert Parkes moved on to embrace Chicago acid house and minimal techno for his 2nd release 'Solaris'. Parkes made the acid house connections direct by enlisting help for two vocal tracks from Chicago institution Robert Owens (Fingers Inc.). The first Owens track, 'Mine to Give', attacks with suprisingly unwavering beats and a rumbling bass line straight out of the Windy City sound of the late '80s. 2000 Astralwerks release.

Solaris

Solaris,Photek,Astralwerks,Club/Dance,Dance,Dance Music,Electronica,Jungle/Drum'n'bass,Pop,Techno

Average customer rating: Music for a chilly twilight reverie A Melancholy Solar Wind-Bath Excellent CD - Had to Buy it Twice A Beautiful Piece of Music Superb

Solaris (Score) Original Score , and Cliff Martinez Manufacturer: Trauma (Red) ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | New Age | Styles | Music Electronica | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music Minimal Techno | Techno | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Solaris Traffic: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Wicker Park Narc (Score) Solaris ASIN: B00007J8C7 Release Date: 2002-12-10

Tracks:

1. Is That What Everybody Wants?
2. First Sleep
3. Can I Sit Next To You?
4. Will She Come Back?
5. Death Shall Have No Dominion
6. Maybe You're My Puppet
7. Don't Blow It
8. Hi Energy Proton Accelerator
9. Wear Your Seat Belt
10. Wormhole
11. We Don't Have To Think Like That Anymore

Customer Reviews:

Music for a chilly twilight reverie.......2007-06-01

This is one of those rare soundtracks that can easily stand on its own, deeply moving even to those who haven't seen the film & have no emotional associations with it. It's not only music of the infinite heavens, it's music of the equally infinite inner world as well, a flowing & swelling of intense feeling, moving inexorably forward even as it plumbs the past. It embraces loneliness & beauty, longing & fulfillment, and carries the listener along in tides of piercing memories. It's music to make you contemplate your life, to bring tears of both loss & joy, to evoke love & regret. Highly recommended!

A Melancholy Solar Wind-Bath.......2007-03-01

This is a great soundtrack. It washes over you in warm, silvery waves. It is sad, eerie, and a bit haunting--but it is also sweet and quite beautiful despite the virtual absence of melody. Orchestral washes are interspersed with subdued steel-drum rhythms. The music feels comforting and intimate, as if you are being bathed by the musical equivalent of womb-fluids; but the music is also strange, as if the silvery womb-fluids were swashing through the abandoned halls of a space station at the cusp of comprehension. I advise you to soak in this sublime dream music.

Excellent CD - Had to Buy it Twice.......2007-02-08

I loved the movie and the soundtrack and bought both as soon as I could. I loaned the CD to someone at work and never got it back. Now in 2007 I found it was only available from used sellers (some say they have never opened copies) with the price being around $50 to as high as $100. I say this because it shows how popular the CD has become and how truly good it really is. I of course ordered it from a seller and got the CD, it is truly one of my favorites and highly recommended.

A Beautiful Piece of Music.......2007-01-06

This is a wonderful ST...Lush, Haunting and warm, this music is great for long drives, warm dinner parties and or sleeping to.

Superb .......2006-12-24

The main purpose of the film score is to further communicate themes portrayed on the screen. With the sound and vision of the cinema experience being inextricably intertwined, the experience is somehow lessened - one without the other. Over the years, Cliff Martinez has been responsible for scoring the many films of Steven Soderbergh and gained a reputation for producing works as powerful as they are unconventional. Of the score to Solaris, Soderbergh offers, "I relied on it not only to unify the film emotionally, but to import actual narrative information." On this soundtrack, Martinez explores an area where orchestral sound, third world instrumentation, ambient music and science fiction themes all converge. The result is engaging, insular music - equally valid with or without the visual element of Solaris the film.

The spellbinding sound and score for Solaris heightens the film's intimacy and helps portray the intensity and isolation played out by the characters of the film's plot. Here, Martinez uses a traditional orchestra (strings, horns, winds, vocalists) in a unique way. The horns' slow swells of volume and brightness sustaining beneath the string section's shifting harmonic contrasts are reminiscent of the spiritual movement in modern classical music. By adding steel drum rhythms and cyclical gamelon tones, Martinez creates a score with a strong personality and presence. It's like a character from the film, as alien and unseen as the force affecting the hapless crew of this psychological drama.

The score to Solairis provides an impressive range of moods; from the welcome embrace of a lost love to the void, vast distances between stars. The track "Hi Energy Proton Accelerator", with its contrast, disonance, cacophony and ultimate resolution, beautifully demonstrates the orchestra's emotional coloristic range. "Will She Come Back" offers tenderness and a soothing space for those haunted by loss, while "Wear Your Seat Belt" combines the energetic rhythms of the steel drum with the orchestra's brilliant animations.

The soundtrack to Solaris serves its purpose well by adding substantial depth and a palpable atmosphere to the film it was designed to accompany. Cerebral yet emotional, at times warm and inviting, at others frigid and empty; these compositions easily stand apart from the film as an interesting and accomplished album of acoustic ambient spacemusic.

Average customer rating: One Of His Best Complete list of Tomita's classical albums... electronic instruments, very good selections,

Kosmos Manufacturer: RCA ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Grieg, Edvard | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Honegger | Honegger, Arthur | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Ives, Charles | ( I ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Incidental Music | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Ives, Charles | Composers | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Contemporary | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Guitar | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music Electronica | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music General | New Age | Styles | Music Meditation | New Age | Styles | Music Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Star Wars | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Electronic | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music Similar Items: The Tomita Planets Debussy: Snowflakes Are Dancing, Prelude, etc / Tomita Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition Different Dimensions: Anthology Tomita's Greatest Hits CD ASIN: B000002W42 Release Date: 1991-07-09

Tracks:

1. Star Wars - Main Title
2. Space Fantasy
3. Pacific 231
4. The Unanswered Question
5. Aranjuez
6. Peer Gynt: Solveig's Song
7. Hora Staccato
8. The Sea Named Solaris

Customer Reviews:

One Of His Best.......2003-06-07

If one can get past the laughably bad Star Wars opening track, this album is a stunner. Though lacking the fluid continuity of his previous efforts, Tomita manages to select darker, more beautiful, and more moody pieces than before, creating an incredible dream-like atmosphere without resorting to the usual space-ship and "alien" sounds that tarnished The Planets and The Bermuda Triangle. His sound became larger, more ambient, and denser. The final Bach medley "The Sea Named Solaris" is Tomita's finest hour, and this album is a must for any fan or Tomita's work, or of electronic music. A flawed but still great work.

Complete list of Tomita's classical albums..........2002-03-05

This CD is fantastic, but a big box set of every classical Tomita album would be even better. Most of the CDs out of print for years are absolutely fantastic. Four of his albums would fit two on one CD. Here's the complete list...

Snowflakes Are Dancing 1974 (11 Debussy pieces) The newly remastered CD is an audiophile recording, adds Prelude To The Afternoon of a Faun and is available for a good price.

Pictures At An Exhibition 1975 (Mussorgsky)

Firebird 1976 (Stravinsky: Firebird. Debussy: Prelude To The Afternoon of A Faun. Mussorgsky: Night On Bald Mountain)

The Planets 1976 (Holst)

Kosmos 1978 (Star Wars Title. Space Fantasy- R. Strauss: 2001 Title, Wagner: Ride of The Valkyries and Tannhauser Overture. Honnegar: Pacific 231. Ives: Unanswered Question. Rodrigo: Aranjuez. Grieg: Solveig's Song. Dinicu-Heifetz: Hora Staccato. Bach-Tomita: The Sea Named Solaris)

The Bermuda Triangle 1979 (Sibelius: Valse Triste. And excerpts from... Williams: Close Encounters. Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet, Scythian Suite, Symphonies 5 and 6, Violin Concerto 1. My favorite electronic CD.)

Bolero 1980 (Ravel: Daphis and Chloe. Pavane for A Dead Princess. Bolero. Mother Goose Suite)

The Grand Canyon 1982 (Grofe)

Canon of The Three Stars 1984 (Pachelbel: Canon. Rachmaninoff: Vocalise. Albinoni: Adagio. Bach: Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring. 4 pieces from Villa Lobos: Bachianis Brasileiras 2, 4, and 7)

Live At Linz, Austria 1985 (With speakers on both sides of the Danube River and live soloists. Includes 7 pieces from previous albums plus Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring. Japanese Traditional: Cranes In Their Nest. Vaughn Williams: The Lark Ascending. Wagner: Tristan Und Isolde-Liebestod. Beethoven: Ode To Joy with full Choir.)

Live In New York 1988 (Includes 7 pieces from previous albums plus Dukas: Fanfare. Mahler: Symphony 3 in D Minor - 5th Movement. Traditional: Chinese War Lord Going Home. Gershwin: Rhapsody In Blue. Fisher-Dvorak: Goin' Home. My favorite live concert CDs.)

electronic instruments, very good selections,.......1999-05-29

I have this album in vinyl, should be better without background hiss. Star Wars theme is quite interesting, lovers of "the force" should be impressed. Worth every dime.

Average customer rating: The growth continues... instrumental magic!

Cortical Tectonics Canvas Solaris Manufacturer: Sensory Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Penumbra Diffuse Sublimation Quantum ASIN: B000PKG626 Release Date: 2007-06-05

Tracks:

1. Berserker Hypothesis
2. Sinusoid Mirage
3. Interface
4. Gamma Knife
5. Rhizome
6. Reticular Consciousness

Customer Reviews:

The growth continues... instrumental magic!.......2007-06-10

Canvas Solaris' previous album Penumbra Diffuse was such a stylistic transition from their extreme technical metal roots to a more atmospheric, keyboard-heavy style that many of their fans were utterly surprised. Without abandoning their calculated compositions infused with thunderous rhythm syncopation and driving lead solos, they adopted well written synth patches and acoustic passages for good measure.

Their new CD Cortical Tectonics now achieves the perfect balance between the band's earlier heavy stylings and their new-found progressive experiment. The six tracks on the CD are carefully divided into two parts, with the first two songs, "Berserker Hypothesis" and "Sinusoid Mirage", being the ruthless heavy pieces, dominated by Nathan Sapp and Ben Simpkins' heavy-duty guitar riffs and Hunter Ginn's rolling drum work. The guitarists fire off shred-intensive electric riffs with machine-like precision, underscoring the odd-metered drumming. The first track does boast a little acoustic passage defined by a very creepy tone, but other than that it is quite heavy. "Sinusoid Mirage", on the other, starts out slowly, borrowing some cool shaker sounds by guest musician Matt Johnson, and highlights the glistening cymbal work and yet another storm of doomsday riffs.

The band's brooding atmospheric side comes through on "Interface", which also sees a great clean acoustic part by Brian Simpkins, who is normally responsible for the bass and rhythm guitars in the band. Sapp injects an elaborate synth patch into the song lending it a great melody, and the bass motif that rumbles atop is amazing. Ginn concludes the song with his trademark glockenspiel, but his diverse rhythm work isn't as profound on Cortical Tectonics as it was on Penumbra Diffuse. This certainly has to do with the album being more guitar-influenced, thus leaving him less space to demonstrate his ethnic drumming. That said, on the 17-minute "Reticular Consciousness", the band's longest song to date, every aspect of their previous work is emphasized. Ginn gets to lay down a killer tribal solo employing lots of conga and Moroccan Clay drumming, whilst Sapp exacts myriad synth tones through the song's course. He even uses the weird Tangerine Dream-like patch somewhere in the end, which greatly adds to the diversity of the composition.

"Gamma Knife" emphasizes intricate rhythms and arrangements, exuding double-tracked atonal licks and rapid-fire riffery. At one point, the riffing becomes so intense and bent that it is wrenched into a nasty breakdown, which creates a dense, suffocating attack. "Rhizome", on the other hand, is the band's study in the light/dark contrast a la King Crimson and Mr Bungle. It starts out very mellow, bringing forth eerie acoustic guitars, but they quickly morph into hammering electric leads that collapse in on themselves.

The packaging of the album is almost identical to Penumbra Diffuse, with a carboard pack with the credits and liner notes written inside. As with its predecessor, the production and mixing is great, rendered with a strange immediacy to it. The trio in Canvas Solaris still continue to churn out uncompromising compositions and defy traditional musical standards. This album is yet another excellent addition to their body of work, but to me, Penumbra Diffuse is still their most accomplished album.

Along with Planet X's Quantum, Cortical Tectonics is 2007's most essential instrumental album.

Average customer rating: Great Stuff Superb!

Jah Wobble's Solaris - Live in Concert Jah Wobble's Solaris Manufacturer: 30 Hertz Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Experimental Rock | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music General | Live Albums | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Rock | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: Mu The Light Programme I Could Have Been a Contender Passage to Hades Heart & Soul ASIN: B000066CQ6 Release Date: 2002-05-28

Tracks:

1. Mystery of Twilight, Pt. 1
2. Mystery of Twilight, Pt. 2
3. Seven Dials
4. Around the Lake

Album Details

Born Out of a Chance Collaboration Between Jah Wobble and American Ambient/Neo-classical Composer Harold Budd, Solaris Brings Together an Extraordinary Line Up of Musicians to Perform Improvised Modal Adventures in Dub, Jazz and Ambient Music. They Give Audiences a Rare and Unique Opportunity to Hear and Watch a Group of Highly Eclectic Musicians who Are Pioneers in their Field, Perform Together as a Band for the First Time.

Customer Reviews:

Great Stuff.......2005-03-23

You expect a lot, given the players' credentials, and it's delivered here. Can comes to mind. The music mixes low-end dub thud and repetitive rhythm with floating psyched-out noise like the best of "space rock" from any era. All the players' personalities are in there. What a great record.

Superb!.......2003-05-14

This first caught my eye as it featured some of my favourite musicians from the past 30 years (unexpectedly) together - Jah Wobble, Harold Budd, Jaki Leibezeit, Bill Laswell and Graham Haynes - each of whom add their own distinctive touches in this thoroughly satisfying "jam". This remarkable collaboration is taken from live concert recordings of 4 lengthy improvised pieces. Different structural elements come, go, and occasionally fly off on a tangent, but are always brought back to earth by Leibezeit's distinctive metronomic beats and Laswell's driving bass rifts. Grahame Haynes lays down washes of heavily delayed cornet over much of the opening track. The sound reminded me a little of John Hassell's experimental trumpet pieces, but more so of Throbbing Gristle's Cosi Fanny Tutte's cornet playing on "Heathen Earth". In fact at times I imagined that this could be what TG might sound like if they had developed their playing skills over the past two decades, and then got together for a 20th anniversary reunion concert (now there's an idea!). Most surprising is Harold Budd contribution on piano and keyboards. A musician which until now I have generally considered to composer in the "ambient" sphere, assaults his equipment to produce a wild range of tones, buzzes and squawks. Laswell's bass and Haynes's cornet are also heavily modulated at times, producing the kind of satisfying warm sound that comes when "real" instruments collide with "live" electronics in a raw, somewhat unpredictable fashion. Though I suspect these improvised electronic modulations were produced on suitably modern gear, I have a mental image in my head of a stage filled with tape delay machines, buzzing tube amps, and 1970's-era modular analogue synthesisers stitched together with a tangle of patch leads. Though Wobble was the instigator of this project, he seems happy to sit in the background, providing a deep unobtrusive bass which the other musicians work around, almost like a tamboura player grounding a raga during a Indian classical music performance.
A must for anyone who loves the German group "Can" - or simply hearing five superb, highly accomplished and innovative musicians improvise together in a live situation.

Average customer rating: Photek's Masterpiece Photek Solaris if this is bad then I can't wait to hear the good stuff! Unexpected cool a good effort

Solaris Photek Manufacturer: Astralwerks ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Drum & Bass | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music General | Techno | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music Electronica | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music General | Dance Pop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music IDM | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music General | Dance & DJ | Indie Music | Stores | Music Drum & Bass | Dance & DJ | Indie Music | Stores | Music IDM | Dance & DJ | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Modus Operandi Form & Function Risc Vs. Reward Exorcise the Demons Colours ASIN: B00004W3LV Release Date: 2000-09-19

Tracks:

1. Terminus
2. Junk
3. Glamourama
4. Mine To Give
5. Can't Come Down
6. Infinity
7. Solaris
8. Aura
9. Halogen
10. Lost Blue Heaven
11. Under The Palms

Amazon.com

It may come as a shock to the purists, but after two albums of pushing abstruse drum & bass to minimalist and epic extremes, the producer has thrown a heap of new sounds onto his percussive palate. To some, Solaris is going to sound like a chicken in search of a roost: both "Can't Come Down" and "Mine to Give" are pure 1988 old-school tracks that even feature that era's legendary vocalist, Robert Owens. "Terminus" and "Junk" pay loose homage to the nu-school breakz template, while "Halogen" and "Lost Blue Heaven" are beautifully poised, damaged electronic torch songs. There's even some drifting ambiance too. But what's missing in terms of coherence is more than made up for by the visceral power of Photek's production. Intense, stripped back, and wielding more brute force than Leftfield's Swords, there's a menacing beauty at work here that reinforces Photek's reputation for tingling sonic sculpturing on a grand scale. --Calvin Bush

Album Description

Photek producer Rupert Parkes moved on to embrace Chicago acid house and minimal techno for his 2nd release 'Solaris'. Parkes made the acid house connections direct by enlisting help for two vocal tracks from Chicago institution Robert Owens (Fingers Inc.). The first Owens track, 'Mine to Give', attacks with suprisingly unwavering beats and a rumbling bass line straight out of the Windy City sound of the late '80s. 2000 Astralwerks release.

Customer Reviews:

Photek's Masterpiece.......2005-03-28

this is all photek was on his debut, "Modus Operandi", but with some dressing added, if you will. while photek is known for Drum n' Bass, there are 2 house tracks and one ambient track on here that are very worthwhile. The opening track, Terminus starts off with beats like none other and by the time it reaches full swing, youll find yourself wanting more. also be sure to check out the house track Mine to Give featuring the awesome voice of Robert Owens. the title track, Solaris is perfect in every way, and is a real chill out song on a great chill out album which is a necessity for those long trips where you have nothing to do and just feel like tuning out to everything around you. Solaris by Photek is sure to open up new worlds for fans old and new

Photek Solaris.......2003-04-12

Comparing this to "Form and Function" is quite a big jump, but never the less the Photek soul is still visible. I wasn't all into diva singing...I almost regretted buying the CD completely, especially when I discovered the next track had the same deal once again. But I gave it another chance and they grew on me, and before I even realized I was singing along! Along with all the uniquely developed sounds, the song order rolls on very nicely. It beings quite chaotic, but positive, then aims towards love, gets aggressive, then very glum. People that don't like this CD are shying away from Photeks experimentation that's executed extremely well.

if this is bad then I can't wait to hear the good stuff!.......2001-08-21

i've never heard of photek.

then one day i stumbled upon 'solaris' at the music store and was instantly taken by the CD for two reasons: 1)the CD cover, a cerulean blue sky meeting a cerulean blue sea in some far off exotic locale was the most gorgeous CD cover i've seen in a long time and 2) the CD title 'solaris' is the name of one of my favorite foreign sci-fi movies. so warily i shelled out the fifteen bucks for it, popped it in my stereo and was immediately suprised by what i heard.

judging by other reviews, die-hard fans are saying he's selling out with this release and i don't know if he is. if 'solaris' is any indication of what he's capable of doing then the man is a genius.

'terminus' is a weird track i liked the moment i heard that familar yelping synth sampled from autechre. two sets of conflicting yet complimentary jungle beats battle it out over a lot of synth keyboard.

'junk' is my favorite track w/ it's throbbing warbled bassline, a trippy jungle beat and the word 'junk' repeated at intervals. i can never sit still when i listen to it. this track is the closest thing to perfection on 'solaris'.

'infinity' is true d'n'b and sounds a lot like roni size w/ a little bit of u-ziq thrown in for good measure (maybe it's all those rising strings that make me think that).

'lost blue heaven' is like a dragged down, slowed up version of the orb's 'plum island' even down to the echoed out bjorkesque vocals. drifty, dreamy dub.

'solaris' is another track of pure perfection. a throbbing house beat doubled back on itself that you can feel at the bottom of your belly with an eerie melody and a weird solar wind effect (possibly a sample from the movie 'solaris'?). if swayzak did dark menancing house tracks this would be it.

'glamourama' sounds like filler to me. minimal trance stuff i danced to at early 90s raves in san francisco. a repetitous beat, 4/4 claps, hi'hats and some gal rambling on and on in french. YAWN.

i also have to admit the two actual 'house' tracks on here, 'mine to give' and 'can't come down', are pretty weak (although robert owens has an awesome voice, it just doesn't quite gel with photek's beats). of the two, 'mine to give' is the best. it's turer to the stripped down minimal Detroit techno grooves associated w/ a lot of house music which is probably why it's one of the singles off this release. in any case it's still good stuff.

i know i will definitely buy photek's previous releases. if this is considered his worst 'sell out' CD, then i can't wait to hear what's considered to be his best.

Unexpected cool.......2001-06-22

I remember feeling betrayed when I read that Rupert Parkes was experimenting with house on Solaris. Parkes? The same man who gave us "Ni Ten Ichi Ryu"? That turned me off. I was really into his brand of martial arts-inspired jungle.

So for the longest time, I had no intention of getting Solaris. Then recently my brother and I decided to pool some record store club cards and claim a free CD. We couldn't really agree on something that we both wanted (within the offer's price restrictions), but after some pressure - including the store closing as we argued - my brother gave into Photek as a suggestion.

I'm glad he did. The two house tracks on the album ("Can't Come Down" and the ridiculously successful "Mine to Give") still feature Parkes' signature sound, the meagre changes being vocals and a 4/4 beat. The rest of Solaris is basically a logical progression from Modus Operandi - brooding and somewhat minimalist, with heavy staccato bass hits. But whereas MO had a film-noir feel, Solaris is science-fiction. It's difficult to explain how this translates into music. Have a listen to samples of "Junk" and "Halogen" though, and you'll know what I mean.

The only reason I've knocked a star off of my review is because parts of some tracks seem sterile and uninspired. If you're willing to put up with this, as I am, then Solaris is a recommended buy. Even for fans of earlier Photek.

a good effort.......2001-06-15

in photek's latest release, following "form & function," he has shown interest in different sides of the electronic dance music spectrum. in "solaris," photek experiments with house, breakbeat, and ambient sounds, as well as his signature minimalist jungle. the first three tracks are solid breakbeat cuts, straight up, plain and simple. "mine to give" and "can't come down" are house tracks, which aren't my favorites of the album, but are nevertheless decent. my favorite track of this album has to be "glamourama," because i love breakbeats and photek gives it his golden touch. plus, the track also features some eerie female vocals in italian (?). while this album is nothing like "modus operandi" and "form & funcion," it still stands strong.

Average customer rating: The best of Solarstone

Anthology One Solarstone Manufacturer: Solaris ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music General | Dance Pop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music Dance & DJ | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: Destinations Anjunabeats, Vol. 4 A State of Trance 2007 Anjunabeats, Vol. 5 State of Trance: Year Mix 2006 ASIN: B000JJRW1W Release Date: 2006-10-30

Tracks:

1. Solarcoaster
2. Balck Finished Chrome
3. Release
4. Speak in Sympathy
5. Seven Cities
6. Calling
7. Intracity
8. Jump the Next Train
9. Crashing
10. Like a Waterfall
11. Shimmering Little Morphs
12. Greenlight
13. Late Summer Fields
14. Jabberwock

Tracks:

1. Like a Waterfall
2. U Write the Rules
3. Destination
4. Day by Day
5. Universal
6. Eastern Sea
7. Red Line Highway
8. Solar Coaster
9. 3rd Earth
10. Naked Angel
11. Hymn
12. I Want You
13. Seven Cities

Customer Reviews:

The best of Solarstone.......2007-07-08

This album has every classic Solarstone song you can think of. From 'seven cities' to 'solarcoaster,' it's all here. I only wish they included the full unmixed version of each song instead of mixing them. But if you're looking to collect their songs, this is a great album to start, even though it's a little pricey..

Average customer rating: Excellent prog from the 1980s BEST PROG ALBUM FROM THE 80's! Essential symphonic prog. rock Simply a masterpiece It`s a nice surprise from Eastern Europe.

Martian Chronicles Solaris ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Hungary | Eastern Europe | Europe | International | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music Rock | Imports | Stores | Music ASIN: B00000JASK Release Date: 1999-06-22

Tracks:

1. Marsbeli Kronikak I
2. Marsbeli Kronikak II
3. Marsbeli Kronikak VI
4. M'Ars Poetica
5. Ha Felszall A Kod
6. Apokalipszis
7. E-Moll Elojatek
8. Legyozhetetlen
9. Solaris
10. Orchideak Bolygoja
11. A Sarga Kor

Album Description

Periferic Records release from eighties progressive rock. The album is named after a novel by Science Fiction writer Stanislaw Lem. Considered a defining moment in '80s progressive rock with it's intricate & classically influenced flute/synth/guitar compo

Album Details

Hungarian Folk Music featuring Vocalist Marta Sebestyen Whose Vocals Are Prominent on Deep Forest's Boheme Album as Well as the Grammy Winning English Patient Soundtrack.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent prog from the 1980s.......2001-10-17

This album has two things going against it: it's from the 1980s (around 1983 or 1984, sources vary, I have the 1995 Hungarian CD reissue on a label called Gong that has two bonus cuts), and it's from Hungary. At that time, Hungary was still communist, so it's a miracle an album like this was allowed to be released and made available in that country. Basically this album is an all-instrumental symphonic prog album inspired by Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles. In my opinion, I find this album a bit overrated, but by Eastern European standards, and the fact it was released in the 1980s, this is way better than many albums that came from that area of the world, and of that decade, and much better than bands like Asia (which was basically some of the biggest prog musicians playing bland, radio friendly pop). Solaris often gets compared to Camel, don't ask me why. Cziglán István's guitar work is much heavier than anything Andy Latimer ever came up with. Erdész Róbert's keyboard work is pretty much his own style (the keyboards are all analog, but be aware: it's in the early '80s style, rather than '70s, so if you're expecting tons of Moog, Hammond, Mellotron, etc., look elsewhere), with the exception of some Tangerine Dream style synths at the beginning of the album. Perhaps it's the flute work of Kollár Attila that brings in the comparison to Camel, but if anything, Solaris actually reminds me of Tako, an excellent prog rock band from (what was then) Yugoslavia who released two albums, Tako (1978) and U Vreci Za Spavanje (1980). Tako often had similar heavy guitar passages (courtesy of Miroslav Dukic) and similar flute work (courtesy of Dorde Ilijan), even one cut from their debut, "Lena" sounded like a blueprint for Marsbéli Krónikák. I have now begun to wonder whether if Solaris listened to any Tako albums? Or was it coincidence? Did albums from Yugoslavia get in to the Hungarian market? Who knows. Now back to Solaris, Marsbéli Krónikák starts off with the side length title track which is divided in to several parts which includes many different themes and great ideas. It even starts with some funny sounding voices which I guess is the sound of martians speaking Hungarian. The second half of the album consists of shorter, often heavier pieces, like "M'Ars Poetica", "Apokalipszis", and "Legyözhetetlen". Plus the CD reissue contains two bonus cuts, "Orchideák Bolygóya" and "A Sárga Kör", the latter an interesting, highly percussive rock with a strong ethnic bent (in Hungarian style) to it. I have no idea where these bonus cuts came from, whether they appeared on a 45, or were they from the Marsbéli Krónikák sessions that never made it to disc, not sure. Whatever the case is, this is truly one of the better albums I've heard from the 1980s, and as everyone know, the 1980s was a very prog unfriendly decade. While I find it a bit overrated, this is still worth getting in your collection.

BEST PROG ALBUM FROM THE 80's!.......1999-12-16

I am a progressive rock fanatic... i consider this album a masterpiece.... Don't think twice, BUY IT!

Essential symphonic prog. rock.......1999-07-30

If you like this type of music, buy this disk... it's a masterpiece. All instrumental album. Flutes, keyboards, guitars... all there. Great stuff.

Simply a masterpiece.......1999-07-28

This is the best work of this european band, the record is all instrumental, with some martian voices (?). This is not a progressive record of a old school, but don't needed.

It`s a nice surprise from Eastern Europe........1999-07-28

I have listened to this album in a friend`s house some weeks ago and I decided to order it right away. Why ? Because it`s brilliant ! If you like electronic music or simply the traditional progressive rock, the group fuses both. The musics are also enchained one to the other (although there are non-recorded spaces dividing them)and, there are no lyrics, only sounds that remember them. But even if you belong to that majority (like myself) that doesn`t speak hungarian, you will be able to even understand what the meaning of the album is. But the most important of all is the technical quality of the artists and their instruments. It`s really a very nice surprise from Eastern Europe.

Average customer rating: WAY Cool! Amazing and refreshing!!!!! Penumbra Defuse Astounding instrumental prog CS On The Cutting Edge

Penumbra Diffuse Canvas Solaris Manufacturer: Sensory Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music Similar Items: Sublimation Spatial/Design Eventuality Barriers and Passages Nano-Nucleonic Cyborg Summoning ASIN: B000C65Z34 Release Date: 2006-01-17

Tracks:

1. Panoramic Long-Range Vertigo
2. Horizontal Radiant
3. Accidents in Mutual Silence
4. Vaihayasa
5. To Fracture
6. Psychotropic Resonance
7. Luminescence

Customer Reviews:

WAY Cool!.......2006-06-12

As I stated in a previous review, I'm not a huge fan of instrumental- only music, but this CD has single- handedly forced me to retract that statement! This is great, abstract, flawlessly - performed music that actually has some SOUL to it (not the genre but the ingredient that affects the human soul.)Great quiet, atmospheric passages interrupted by large guitar chops, the kind of thing that causes me to salivate with delight. Once again, Amazon and its arsenal of excellent reviewers has steered me to an enjoyable, enlightening experience! If you like dips, twists and turns, incredible playing that rouses your spirit, I would highly recommend this. As mentioned, there are parts that remind me of Fates Warning instrumental work and, as I listen to track 2, I hear a strong resemblance to Porcupine Tree's atmospheric stuff (which I consider to be some of the best, hands down!) Check it out. You WON"T regret it!

Amazing and refreshing!!!!!.......2006-03-28

What an exciting moment in music era we are right now!!! I am a big fan of everything that is progressive music, experimental, avant-guarde... etc... My best stuff are Soft Machine, Matching Mole, King Crimson, experimental Jazz... even avant-guarde classical music. You got the picture! So, lately, I felt like exploring tech-metal... mostly a la Voivod. That brought me back to the marvellous band called Cynic. Then Spiral Architect. I love every minutes of those albums. Now add tech-death metal to my exciting list. But I must say, the most exciting of all, is the new Canvas Solaris CD... And I am just thrilled by what I heard. After decades of only a few musicians devoted to break new grounds... It really felt refreshing that a bunch of new, young musicians (put Dysrhythmia in the lot too) are really aiming at breaking new grounds. And that is exciting.

Canvas Solaris' last effort is just mind blowing... all genre confounded. I mean, they do everything, extremely well! They are talented... and it shows!!! Some passages with 12 and 6 string guitars are just fantastic and classically precise. The drums are so varied... I get lost in all the percussions and how tight it all sound. The thing is, they not only do different styles.. like... to do styles.. no, they mix them... They mix everything from experimental jazz with nicely prog passage with nice aggresive metal riffs and... and a little something that is their own... A personal touch that makes Canvas Solaris what they really are. Unique!!! The result is a trip to the unknown, and the dissonance, the delicacy, the space, the heaviness... real experimentation. All that mixes so well, that few bands today have reached such a new sound, such a quality.

Of course, away from all conventions, they might take a few listen to understand... which is much better for me, since there are new stuff to discover in every listen! That is REAL music!!! That's what music is all about!!! Plus no singer!!! I love that. Only intrumentals... Which remembers me of the best instrumental moments of Soft Machine, Mahavishnu, King Crimson, etc. Even Miles...
Definitly, a defining moment in fusion sound of today, where new, young talented musicians are not afraid to break the rules and create new sounds. A hommage to Dennis D'Amour INDEED!!!!!!

Penumbra Defuse.......2006-02-24

After liking Canvas Solaris's debut Sublimation, I was happy to hear that I would not have to wait long before hearing Penumbra Defuse, which came out in January 2006. I was expecting some more complex, varied, well-written, and instrumental prog metal. I was more than satisfied. The trio took everything that set them above other technical metal bands in my mind - their variety, atmosphere/depth, and songwriting - and improved on them.

Rather than sticking to stuff that the three-piece band could handle live, Canvas Solaris choose to indulge their songwriting ambitions. They use as many guitar and keyboard layers as needed to achieve the perfect depth for each cut on the album. Because of the flawless sound quality and production on the album, you can hear each layer perfectly, letting you either analyze each layer individually or let the songs was over you in their strangely hypnotic way.

Much like the opener to Sublimation, "Panoramic Long-Range Vertigo" opens the album with a chaotic blast of insane musicianship. On the two longer tracks, "Horizontal Radiant" and "Transluscence", Canvas Solaris display that not only can they play well, but they can write songs with depth and atmosphere. The rest of the songs are impressive as well, from the entirely acoustic "Vaihayasa", to the powerfully abrasive distortion of "Psychotropic Resonance", Penumbra Defuse never ceases to entertain.

Once again this trio has impressed me with their grasp of the instrumental progressive metal genre by expanding their sound rather than changing it drastically. Highly suggested for fans of the technical or progressive metal genres.

Astounding instrumental prog.......2006-01-31

I have no idea how Canvas Solaris' new album Penumbra Diffuse will sit with the band's fans of the earlier album and EP, as the band has embraced a quite different songwriting approach this time. No worries though, this is still the same band who released Spatial/Design and Sublimation, and the uber-technical riffs and intricate arrangements are still certainly widely available on this disc. However, Penumbra Diffuse has a more expansive sound, with the addition of a good dose of keyboards and dense guitar harmonies. Not all the songs are as heavy as they get here, the band has toned down their single-minded, heavy-for-the-sake-of-being-heavy attitude. The songs are infused with creative energy and a plethora of atmospheric passages laced with engaging synth sequences.

Driven by guitarists Nathan Sapp and Ben Simpkins (who also handles the bass), and amazing drummer Hunter Ginn, the songs on Penumbra Diffuse are a lot more atmospheric and midtempo. Contrary to their previous efforts, the band is unafraid to write and perform all acoustic tracks or pieces completely captured by Tangerine Dream-like synthesizers. "Panormaic Long-Range Vertigo" is a short cut that opens the album with the classic Canvas Solaris type of fretwork we've come to expect from them. As the song proceeds though, Micro Moog synthesizers and Ginn's unusual combination of conga and djembe rhythms turn the piece into a rather slowed-down number that segues into the lengthy "Horizontal Radiant". Over 11 minutes, the song is essentially formulated by semi-electronic keyboard samples that statitacally throb through the whole piece. Placed on these sampled sounds are gentle 12- and 6-string acoustic guitars that are occasionally replaced with hammering electric rhythms before they calm down and give way to tribal conga and shaker sounds. The guitars are almost hypnotic, particularly when Sapp and Simpkins decide it's time to duel over a random bass pattern. Similarly, on "Luminescence", another 12-minute track, the band dabbles with frantic electric piano, repeated guitar chords that build on until a fiercely melodic section develops out of the experiment. Unlike the Spatial/Design EP, the death metal elements in the duo's riffage is completely gone. Even Ginn refrains from fast, double-bass drumming, save for "Accidents in Mutual Silence", which is grindingly heavy and allows zero moments for acoustic or atmospheric passages.

The other songs are equally impressive, if not more. I'm a big fan of Canvas Solaris' intricate soloing and heavy tendencies, but to see they are also capable of writing other stuff is amazing. "Vaihayasa", for example, is an all-acoustic song beginning with a nice classical intro. Ben Simpkins also plays some mandolin here while Sapp's guitar synthesizers create an almost psychedelic landscape. The song becomes twice as experimental when Ginn introduces his unique tabla, Moroccan clay drums, tambourine, and other percussive rhythm work. Despite being acoustic, this is perhaps the most brooding song on the album, and I'll give the guys extra props for being able to capture that vibe without relying on cliche keyboards like some other bands. The band's most daring song, perhaps even their most avant garde work, "Psychotropic Resonance", is a mix of a multitude dissonant chords married with dark ambient sections. Eerie synths and atonal guitar rhythms join to generate extra texture and eventually spiral into searing twin guitar leads with segments of cold acoustics underneath them.

I love all Canvas Solaris releases, and even though this one will take many spins to fully absorb, I feel Penumbra Diffuse might be their best work yet. Now they aren't just a band with extraordinarily talented musicians, but they also understand atmosphere and composition. Signing to Sensory was a very clever move on their part too. Also, considering they dedicated this album to the memory of Denis D'Amour, I think the Voivod man would be proud if he heard this album.
___________
Tracklisting- Panoramic Long-Range Vertigo . Horizontal Radiant . Accidents in Mutual Silence . Vaihayasa . To Fracture . Psychotropic Resonance . Luminescence .

CS On The Cutting Edge.......2006-01-23

The "Penumbra Diffuse" is an awesome piece of work. I didn't see how they were going to match "Sublimation" - which totally had me hypnotized and wanting more. The new CD focuses even more on experimentation, but in the best possible way, keeping things interesting throughout the entire CD. I recommend this CD to fans of Porcupine Tree, King Crimson, Fates Warning, Dream Theatre, etc. or anyone interested in progressive music that often breaks new ground. But remember this is an all instumental CD. No vocals. At times reminiscent of a modern day Brand X.

Average customer rating: Overrated Jazz metal with a heaping spoonful of thrash...or is it the other way around? great music that is badly produced I knew they were good, but not THIS good Phenomenal

Spatial/Design Canvas Solaris Manufacturer: Tribunal ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Sublimation Penumbra Diffuse Eventuality Nano-Nucleonic Cyborg Summoning No Interference ASIN: B00009RDHI Release Date: 2003-06-03

Tracks:

1. Camera Obscura
2. Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation
3. The Non-Terminating Integer
4. Dark Matter, Accretion Disk, And Interacting Binary Neutron Star In A Self-Reproducing Inflationary Universe

Customer Reviews:

Overrated.......2006-07-12

Good modern instrumental music is almost impossible to find now days, especiually if youre looking for metal instrumental. Canvas Solaris is just another repetitve sloppy band. They musicianship is mediocre, but like i said repetitive. Having no diretion, set verses or tempo, each song becomec extremely annoying after a few miutes....literally giving you a headache. If youre looing for really outstanding instrumental musicians, check out one of my favorite bands Plankton!

Jazz metal with a heaping spoonful of thrash...or is it the other way around?.......2006-01-14

Canvas Solaris is yet another gem for fans of technical metal and/or jazz metal. Though the production might date this album as fitting in the early 90s Atheist and Cynic era, the musicianship, experimentation, and aggression places these trio of geniuses in the company of contemporaries like Ephel Duath and Alarum, without the spastic tendencies. Though I enjoy this EP immensely more than the outfit's first full length, Sublimation, I'm hoping the next LP, Penumbra Diffuse, due out January 17th, features a return to the punishing sound found on Spatial/Design.

And it is this reliance on metal purity; thrash mostly, which separates this release from Alarum's brilliant Eventuality, and Ephel Duath's technical freak fest, Rephormula. The jazz, though a significant ingredient, is used more as a philosophy for frequent style and time signature changes, and the liberal use of melody, a blasphemous hallmark of conformity to many technical jazz musicians, further distinguishes Spatial/Design from more traditional jazz metal records, including Sublimation. What makes this effort my favorite jazz metal release is the delectable Slayer-themed riffs played at a pace to command respect from the metal legends themselves. In fact, Canvas Solaris may be one of the fastest metal bands whose riffs and rhythms are still incredibly audible and prominent.

As one would expect, this release is rather short with just four tracks clocking in at a shade under 30 minutes, but Canvas Solaris, as all great jazz musicians do, demonstrates an impressively efficient use of time. Spatial/Design pays little attention to mood setting and sparse atmospherics; instead, the music constantly charges forward at an intense pace rooted in some of the most astounding drum work I've ever heard. Even when the melodies slow, the drums stay consistently fast, never allowing the listener to achieve a relaxed heart beat. When Hunter Ginn is not boxing your ears by attacking each piece of his kit with blast beat speed and robotic mechanics, he's matching the rhythm of the lead guitar, note for note, which literally has the effect of drilling the music into your mind.

Do not hesitate to pick up this EP if the technicality of jazz and extreme metal is what gets your rocks off. Despite the LP price, you will more than get your money's worth for the countless times this CD will spin in your stereo, and mind.

great music that is badly produced.......2005-07-06

the production on this disc isn't much to get excited about...but the musicianship is amazing. Canvas Solaris impresses me beyond words.

I knew they were good, but not THIS good.......2005-05-10

I've always heard great things about Canvas Solaris; I knew they were an all instrumental heavy progressive metal band with great chops, dazzling guitar work and never-ending energy. However, the last three days I have been listening to their debut EP Spatial/Design, I have to mention that I am amazed at the brilliance showcased on this 26-minute disc, and it far exceeded my expectations.

This is strictly instrumental music in both emotional and cerebral impact. Driven by guitar work from Nathan Sapp and Ben Simpkins, the songs also occasionally lend themselves to odd soundscapes. Ethnic and tribal drum beats, weird percussion usage, synth-like guitar harmonies are all melted into the songcraft never sacrificing heaviness and majestic speed. Mekong Delta and Coroner inspired thrashy speed guitar runs spiral into sharp, merciless leads that are heavier than a rock. The bass is less prominent compared to other bands such as Behold the Arctopus, Spiral Architect or Cynic, but Hunter Ginn's drumming is eerily evocative of Dsrhythmia, another ultra-brutal technical instrumental band you need to check out if you haven't already. Tone, phrasing and the mesmerizing cymbal work of Ginn give Canvas Solaris its own sound for sure - it's the kind of drum sound that is intentionally dry sounding with shattering cymbals and percussion over indescribable guitar and bass combinations. Note the wicked drumming on the thrashy opening song that shifts to a mild breakdown with arpeggiating textures allowing the drums to come through. Likewise, the cymbals on "Non-Termination Integer" (everything except the song titles is great on this disc) give the song its much needed trippy feel when combined with the pumping bass and guitar solo.

As I already mentioned, Canvas Solaris' music is more guitar-heavy than bass. There is a slight jazz touch present, but not on the same level as the aforementioned bands. The finger picked intro of "Cosmic Microwave Background Radiaton" is suggestive of the band's interest in jazz, but more on the fusion side of it. The synth-like guitar theme is the most central thing of the song and it is unafraid to borrow jazz elements. The solos aren't there for the sake of impressing anyone; Sapp and Simpkins moreso employ thrashy rhythm patterns we'd normally expect from Voivod or Watchtower, but there is also a HUGE amount of death metal riffing that runs through the compositions. It's on such a great scale that I was almost swept away by the unexpected death metal groove some of these songs possess. A little inspection of the booklet revealed the band's undeniable love for bands including Anacrusis, Atheist, Believer, Cynic, Death and Pestilence to name a few. Their technicality, except the thrashy overall vibe, is more in the league of European technical metal in the vein of Mekong Delta and Sieges Even to these ears. Needless to say, when your music encompasses all these ingredients and mixes them up so seamlessly, the outcome is bound to please fans like myself. I so need to hear their first full-length disc now. Highly recommended.

Phenomenal.......2005-03-29

I have the slight disadvantage as a reviewer of having heard Canvas Solaris' second album, which is overall a tighter, more well-balanced work than Spatial/Design. However, this album stands as close second to that one in greatness; if Sublimation is summa cum laude, S/D is magna. And in some regards, the latter even outshines its successor, especially in overall variety of song structure.

Track-by-track review:
"Camera Obscura" - So deliciously crisp; the opening lick sets the precedent for the rest of the song, and really all the rest of Canvas Solaris' output to date: rhythmic complexity that shames virtually everything I've heard, highly skilled playing of all respective instruments, harmonic motion that dares to be analyzed in any typical system, and yet a sound that is completely cogent, coherent, sensical, and satisfying.
"Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation" - Oh Em Eff Gee (for you 1337 readers). There are honestly moments during this song that are so cleverly wrought and so well-pulled-off that I nearly want to cry. The mood shifts, the dazzling rhythmic and melodic figures, and nearly every element of this song all are simply astounding. Brilliant.
"The Non-Terminating Integer" - Even with some clear bows to their heavier, more death-metal-type inspirations, a genre that I find little pleasure in, this song transcends those humble origins, transmuting what any other band would use simply as a crunchy, catchy hook into an ultra-complex motive without being heavy-handed or overwrought.
"Dark Matter, Accretion Disk, and Interacting Binary Neutron Star in a Self-Reproducing Inflationary Universe" - The song is wholly deserving of that grand title, because it is a work conceived and executed on a grand scale, seemingly defying its seven-minute time frame. Like Track 2, this one moves from mood to mood smoothly, always exciting, always immaculately written and effortlessly performed.

All in all, even though the recording quality isn't quite up to par with Sublimation, the band really shows that they are mature writers, highly talented players, and overall musical visionaries.

Average customer rating: GET THIS DISC One of my favorites The too-rare combination of beat & melody A much underrated album Very good

Don Solaris 808 State Manufacturer: Cleopatra ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music General | Techno | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music House | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music General | Dance Pop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music General | Dance & DJ | Indie Music | Stores | Music Techno-House | Dance & DJ | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Gorgeous Utd. State 90 Ex:El Outpost Transmission Newbuild ASIN: B000001D5B Release Date: 1997-08-26

Tracks:

1. Intro
2. Bond
3. Bird
4. Azura
5. Black Dartangnon
6. Joyrider
7. Lopez
8. Balboa
9. Kohoutek
10. Mooz
11. Jerusahat
12. Banacheq

Amazon.com

In the late '80s, Eight-O-Eight State were at the forefront of England's still developing electronic music scene. Now, thanks to the mercurial trends that define the genre, the Manchester collective is nothing more than a blip on the techno radar. While new styles like drum & bass and hardfloor take the spotlight, Eight-O-Eight State continues crafting remarkable albums that sound like none other. Don Solaris is one of the most impressive electronic music outings of 1997, if not necessarily the most innovative. Pulling in vocal contributions from artists as diverse and stellar as Soul Coughing's M. Doughty ("Bond"), Lamb's Louise Rhodes ("Azura") and the Manic Street Preachers' James Dean Bradfield ("Lopez") certainly makes it contender as the most interesting. But the backbone of Eight-O-Eight State's sound is still in its propensity for propulsive rhythms and dazzling synthwork. Songs like "Jerusahat" and "Black Dartangon" practically soar out of the speakers. "Don Solaris" is as enchanting as any of the band's most popular work and a great testament to the potential emotional reach of electronica. --Aidin Vaziri

Customer Reviews:

GET THIS DISC.......2003-12-20

This isn't the best CD ever made by anyone ever... it's just my personal favorite.

Don Solaris is stunningly inventive and original, both like unlike anything the band has done before or since. It draws together all corners of the electronic music world to create a gritty, cohesive sound that is a true joy to listen to. There's a good smattering of gritty drum-n-bass and industrial dance tracks in here, to be sure, but the real strength of the album lies in the vocal cuts, which are each different and molded around the individual voices of the singers, particularly Bond with Mike Doughty of Soul Coughing, and the ballady Lopez with James Dean Bradfield wailing about golf over a 5:4 beat. Azura is a sublime drum-n-bass cut with Louise Rhodes of Lamb as well. Most Don Solarisites like that one best.

In sum, this album would have caused a revolution in dance music if a few more people had bothered to listen back in '96 when it came out. Check this thing out. Now.

One of my favorites.......2003-07-21

An underrated album if ever there was one, a seemless and beautiful work of electronic music, 808 didn't take the dark path, and start pumping the lifeless, unimaginative corporate schlock that began taking over the "techno" genre about this time (mid-90s), but that's a good thing. A bit of a break with their past, with a more experimental feel, as witness "Intro" and "Banacheq." "Black Dartangon," "Balboa," and "Jereusahat" among my favorite tracks as well.

The too-rare combination of beat & melody.......2003-06-16

First, I have to say that I received this in a roundabout way: as the fourth "Bonus Free Surprize CD" of the four-CD "Industrial Madness" box from Cleopatra Records. When I opened the box, I admit I rolled my eyes -- I had heard of 808state, of course, but... industrial???

One of my sidelines is reviewing "New Age" CDs for possible inclusion in radio shows. Let me tell you, until quite recently, "New Age music" was largely an oxymoron. Thank the gods, more & more is being infected with club sensibilities. Half of this 1997 album would still kick the stuffing out of most NA that comes across my desk.

The "Don Solaris" CD is in a corner of the universe nearer Bill Nelson or Blur, off to the side of The Future Sounds of London & BT & maybe Depeche Mode. I've been cycling "Bond" and "Bird" heavily, though the complex near-Caribbean sway of "Lopez" is quite nice. The electro basis of "Balboa" is worth noting -- steel drums...?

Oh, heck, if I was forced to pick the *worst* track on this album, I'd be stuck.

Gotta go. Just from writing the review, I want to go crank up "Banacheq".

A much underrated album.......2002-08-16

Made after a long hiatus in which other groups like Leftfield and Underworld made up and surpassed the ground which 808 State had made with early albums like 'Ex:el' and 'Gorgeous'.

The album is very soft and pleasing sounding, apart from the harsh rhythms and rolling beat of 'Bond' with Soul Coughing's Matt Doughty's aggressive vocals, and also final track 'Banacheq' which is a breakbeat track full of squalls and noise.

But on tracks like 'Bird' and 'Black Dartangnon' the saxophone of Graham Massey comes to the fore and has a huge, soothing effect and lends the album a more mature feel, which came as a refreshment in an age which was dominated by lager, lager, lager!

Very good.......1999-07-07

I am a little surprised that no one else has reviewed this album yet. I bought it a little aftr it came out, after buying an import single of Azura. I loved that single, and had a hell of a time finding Don Solaris. I finally found it, and fell in love with it immediatly. Some of the songs are a little uninteresting, but Azura and a few others make it worthwhile. Plus, it made me keep an eye out for Louise Rhodes, and I eventually found Lamb, one of the best CD's I've ever purchased. Both are highly recommended.

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8. This Used To Be My Playground [CD-single] [Import]
9. Time of Our Lives: Connected, Vol. 1 [CD-single] [Import]
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