Artist: Magnus
Title: Signal Strength
Label: JOOF Recordings
Cat.#: J00F090
Style: Trance / Psytrance
Date: 10-05-2011
Quality: 320 kbps
Tracks: 12
Size: ~210 Mb
Tracklist:
1. Magnus - First Born
2. Magnus - Hypnotic
3. Magnus - Into The Light
4. Magnus - Signal Strength
5. Magnus - Hold
6. Magnus - Raven Rock
7. Magnus - Letting Go
8. Magnus - The Chase
9. Magnus - Orthobeanus
10. Magnus - Autobahn
11. Magnus - Return True (Michael Lee Remix)
12. Magnus - Edge Traversal
REVIEW:
Like many harder genres of electronic music, power is one thing
psy-trance often seems to value above all else. In recent years, this
has has seen many producers begin to neglect melody too. Signal
Strength, the debut album from Magnus, aka Michael Lee, goes a long way
towards remedying this. The Seattle-based producer approaches the genre
from a straight trance background, bringing a lighter, more melodic
touch that fans of Protoculture, Nick Sentience or Astrix should
appreciate.
In the narrative sense, it would be erroneous to call this an album.
More fairly put, it’s one with a narrow focus, containing 12 tracks made
of much the same stuff. That stuff, however, is exceptional, and free
from the trite constructions which characterise much contemporary
trance. Third track Into the Light, for example, shows how lengthy
breakdowns can be achieved without minutes and minutes of heart-tugging,
saccharine synths. After dropping almost to complete silence shortly
after two minutes in, Lee winds the things up dramatically with cascades
of tribalistic drums and fluttering melody, sans hands-in-the-air
ridiculousness.
Elsewhere, more driving tracks are well represented, with
previously-released First Born opening the proceedings, and heart-racers
The Chase and Autobahn impressing later on. Importantly though, Lee’s
command of melody ensures these outings never degenerate into simple
displays of muscle. Instead, emotive leads provide a constant pulse of
intelligence, backed by a supporting cast of vicious, sweeping pads and
searing acid lines. This is music with balls and brains. Unlike many of
his contemporaries, Lee also scores additional points for leaving out
the cheesy drug and sci-fi-oriented vocal samples. Even this early, it’s
a safe bet to call this one of the best trance albums of 2011, or at
least the best collection of club tracks. It’s just a shame that it
won’t be released physically, as Joof Recordings will be an entirely
digital label from now on.
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