ItaiTaiko "A little Different

1 rating since posting on Friday, May 4, 2007
ItaiTaiko "A little Different
in Portugal
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(submitted by Goagadar Magazine )

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ItaiTaiko "A little different"
Reviews - ITAITAIKO - "A Little Different"

"Behind Itaitaiko is Itay Berger from Israel who until now has mostly released under the pseudonym of Kukan Dub Lagan. To call this album progressive trance would surely not be fitting as Itaitaiko mixes it up with electro house and a serious pinch of psy. His debut album spans everything from 120 bpm, which could easily still be named downbeat, to maximum speed at almost 142 bpm. In the first track one can still feel his roots in reggae paired up with tribal rhythms and samba. The use of many percussive elements and a funky groove gives the CD a very original note and it clearly stands apart from the many exchangeable releases which are appearing at this moment."
www.mushroom-online.com
Direct link for this article:
www.mushlink.com/107244.html

"After making waves in the chill-out world with the release of two successful albums and numerous compilation tracks under the name Kukan Dub Lagan, Israeli producer, Itay Berger, presents his Progressive/Techno-Trance project, ItaiTaiko. The release of a few select tracks on labels such as Dance N’ Dust and Groove Zone, and many hours in the studio experimenting with more dance floor oriented influences has culminated in the project’s debut album, “A Little Different.”

As the title suggests, this is not your typical Progressive Psy Trance album. ItaiTaiko opts for a techier, percussive approach to dance music, placing more emphasis on the rhythmic elements of music. While the musical arrangements are well thought out and keep the songs moving, the real development and intensity of these tracks builds in the drums on the lower end. Seriously impressive drum programming is the hallmark of this album – literally some of the best drum programming I’ve ever heard. Multiple layers of crisp drum sounds and loops come together in dense, often intricate patterns, to form a solid base of funky tribal and electro rhythms that drive these songs forward.

The musical parts are rhythmically influenced as well, accenting and playing off of the drums and percussion. Gritty acid lines, fat bass, and dubby vocal samples bounce around and move with the beats, once in a while finding themselves washed out in waves of big synth pads and echoing off into deeper music spaces. What emerges is a sort of spacey, dubbed-out, electro influenced progressive tech-trance sound that is quite unlike anything else in the Progressive Psy genre.

And while it’s hard to put my finger on, there’s something in this sound that calls back to an earlier time in electronic music. Maybe it’s the squelching acid lines, or analog sounding bass and synths used in some of the tracks. Maybe it’s the classic sounding female vocal samples (“My house is your house, and your house is mine”). Whatever it is, it’s the most endearing quality of ItaiTaiko’s music, and something that long-time electronic music fans will surely appreciate.

It took a while for this album to grow on me. I honestly didn’t like it so much on the first listen, but now I would highly recommend this release to anybody. It should also be noted that this is not only ItaiTaiko’s debut album, but it is also the first release from Portugal’s Quantic Chill Records. With such a bold first release, I’m sure we can look forward to more fresh, left-of-center sounds from this new record label.

Favorite tracks:
“Electro Wave”
“Mushroom Room”
“What Is Going On”

David Justin
A&R / Label Manager / DJ – PsyBooty Records
www.PsyBooty.com "

quantic-chill.com
- Goagadar Magazine , posted 05/04/07

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