Artist: Charasmatix
Title: Abracadabra
Style: Psychedelic
Label: Candyflip Records, Greece
Cat. #: CD CF010
Date: April
Year: 2004
Playtime: 1:09:27
Size: 101Mb
Two years after the critically acclaimed “Soma Agents” (last proper release from Flying Rhino… R.I.P.) Germany’s dark psycho trance duo Charasmatix is back! The Berlin based powerhouse duo consists of Martin Schoenauer (DJ Aze) & Karl Rademacher (Cybersnack) has been making music in different guises since the early 1990es… We got a taster of their 2004 sound on the Wizzy Noise “Timeline Remixes” EP a few months back, and now their back with a full album mastered by Mark Pfurtscheller a.k.a. Kopfuss Resonator… I don’t know about you, but I’m expecting this to be dark, pounding, progressive, groovy psy-trance with a touch of German psy-teKk… Do they need magic spells to make an album like that? Let’s find out…
Let me take you thru the tracks…
#01: Is this the norm at all? Well, I hope so, ‘cause this a damn fine first track! Instantly we are greeted by a deeeeeeeep baseline: mechanical, metallic, pounding – amazing! You remember the ragamuffin voice sample from Aircrash Bureau’s “Time Traveller” track? Well, it’s revived here and it fits perfectly – it all adds to the funky, yet dark atmosphere in this track! Very cool track!
#02: This is crazy – with the extra z! The intro is very weird – I think it’s the Kopfuss Resonator impact showing here… At first I get an eerie jamboree feeling, but it soon turns into dark, dusty house… With an underlying psychedelic groove present throughout the track! It’s topped of by subtle insect-like humming hidden in between everything… I have a hard time digging this track though… It’s just too crazZy for my taste! Decent track!
#03: Another clever play on words… Brace yourself – these are some dark German Stampfenrhythmen. The dark trademark Charasmatix-sound in full effect… Not much else is going on but some serious head banging night trance… Ok track!
#04: Oh my, it gets even darker now… We’re getting even closer to Halloween trance now, as this track is packed with horror-effects: Screaming, moaning and other evocative sounds… The bass pumps along at and incredible speed followed by psychedelic FX… Somehow dark and spooky, but my head is still bopping along… Cool track!
#05: Healing world? The speed is slower now, and the bass is tucked away in the background… Emphasized are the classic ‘psychedelic digital drips’ and some dude talking with a bizarre accent… The track is packed with all kinds of psychedelic effects, but somehow it doesn’t seem to go anywhere… Decent track!
#06: “Meet – the nice sound!” As far as I know, this track was made in collaboration with Zerotonine and released last year on a Tatsu comp!?… Correct me, if I’m wrong… Anyway, a nice peaceful intro is brutally disrupted by a very heavy bass… This is really a percussion track, with clever use of kick-drums, hi-hats, snare, cut beats, etc… Somehow they manage to sneak a melody into this dark track… Well, it’s a dark melody, but it’s there nevertheless… Ok track!
#07: What ‘the National Association of Elevator Contractors’ has to do with trance is beyond me!?… This is another extremely dark track with an evil pounding bass line… Check out the cool ‘acceleration bit” @ 3’15… I like small surprises like that, and this track has a few of them… Nice track!
#08: Damn, now this is a cool intro… I don’t know if it’s a guitar or a chain saw! Skazi eat your heart out! It’s very, very dark night trance… Perfect for head banging – and complimentary headache included! You better have your audio equipment set up properly for this massive wall of sound to come through properly! Repetitive, industrial sounds make this a gritty beast! Sweet track!
#09: Nostalgic track name ;o)… If you were hoping for a chilled track, forget about it… This is more Charasmatix mayhem... The pace has slowed down though – but just a little… It’s still dark and monotonous, but the nice percussion work and the funny samples somehow add to the overall groovy feel… Nice track!
In my humble opinion there are a few misses and a bunch of winners on this album… The flow is somewhat interrupted by the lack of coherence between the tracks… If the more experimental tracks came first, followed by the darker ones, this would have been an even smoother experience… That flaw does not however, ruin the impression of a very nice album… I’m sure this will turn some heads and appeal to the many fans of Charasmatix and their trademark sound… Recommended!
Playlist:
1. Charasmatix - Norm @ All (7:48)
2. Charasmatix - Crazzy (8:43)
3. Charasmatix - Sillicon Sally (8:22)
4. Charasmatix - Abracadabra (8:11)
5. Charasmatix - Heile Welt (6:49)
6. Charasmatix - Collateral Damage (7:23)
7. Charasmatix - Naec (7:02)
8. Charasmatix - Furthus Ultimux (8:20)
9. Charasmatix - Acid Time (6:49)
