Sympathy In Chaos [1997] #fRiikTV

Album……: Sympathy In Chaos
Type…….: CD
Genre……: Ambient
Style……: Breakbeat, Dub, Downtempo, Ambient
Label……: Matsuri Productions
CatalogNr..: MPCD7
Url……..: http://www.discogs.com/Various-Sympathy-In-Chaos/release/153769

Tracklist;
01. UVX – 13 Floor Spectrum15:53
02. Mantaray – Zentral Wheel 02:49
03. The Liquid Dub Connection – Floating Through The Air On Gossamer Wings 06:43
04. Prana – Geomantik (Fire Dragon Mix) 10:08
05. Tripitaka – Monkey On A Cloud 05:06
06. Ju Ju Space Jazz – Pizza 05:04
07. Massimo Vivona – Vice 06:00
08. Anand – Atmosphere 06:10
09. The Irresistible Force – Space Is The Place (Intergalactic Ambient Mix) 08:49

Compiled and Mixed by Tsuyoshi Suzuki of Matsuri Productions Ltd.

Founded in ’94 by Tsuyoshi Suzuki and John Perloff, Matsuri emerged
into the growing global trance movement with shining examples of
high-quality psychedelic music. After releasing several instant
classics from Transwave, Power Source, Witchcraft, Kailash, and Prana,
the label began to explore new style fusions and abstract broken beats
with Digitalis, Psyburbia, Syrinx, Ju Ju Space Jazz, and Ubar Tmar. The
label winded down with its last few (bizarre) releases in ’99 as
Tsuyoshi grew disinterested with the label and began to carry on new
exploits in the high-profile international DJ circuit. Matsuri’s death
is mourned by many, as few labels have redefined and innovated so
consistently.

Perhaps the best of the three Sympathy in Chaos albums – certainly in terms
of continuous listening potential. What I like about this album is that as a
whole it works very very well. It is not a track-by-track experience –
probably because Tsuyoshi in his best days was a very gifted dj – but
overall it is a blissful journey.

The structures are not the simple feel-good melodies of many Ibiza-styled
chill sets, but rather complex workings that gradually pull your mind down
into the chillspace. There is a strong electro feel throughout – plenty of
weird and wonderful noising but without being too invasive to the relaxed
state that this creates.
It starts in a very gentle and subtle manner, developing rhythms and beats
as tunes progress.

Vux is the ideal opener, with a warm, delicately soothing sound that keeps
on developing through it’s 15 minutes … beats enter and depart – weird
seti-type samples, gyuto chanting monks and psychedelic screechings abound.
The liquid dub connection track is equally interesting – searching, deep
intelligent music.

Of course, the tempo peaks a bit with the remix of Prana’s (Tsuyoshi’s own)
Geomantik ….. if you don’t know this tune then you didn’t get to a dance
floor in ’97 ! This is a very psychedelic piece, and probably a bit strong
for the general feel of the album, but I guess he was proud of himself !!
The Triptaka tune is also too heavy to classify this as a purely chilled
album – though I don’t think it was ever intended to be pure ambience.

The Ju Ju Space Jazz tune is predictably unpredictable – though it’s
certainly not my favourite of theirs. I think you either love these guys or
hate them…. I’m a lover !

Massimo Vivona provides a nice tribal style – if a little uneventful – but
it becomes the launch pad to the arabic mayhem of Anand. The finale is a
beautiful Mixmaster Morris track – perfectly formed and highly emotionally
charged.

The one let down about this album is that in, my view, the extra noising
that Tsuyoshi added reduces what would otherwise be near-perfect production
quality ….. was this a paranoid dj trying to keep his tracks to himself ?
Who knows… but for that reason, and because the tunes are heavily
interwoven, this is probably not a dj’s best friend. But for the bedroom
listener, this is a journey worth taking many many times.

Review taken from http://psynews.org