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Psychonavigation 4 - AW 041 (also PW 40) Release Date: 19 October 2006 Limitation: none Arena 12.29 Samira 7.39 ENTIB 2060 17.26 Good and Bad 17.34 all tracks written by Pete Namlook and Bill Laswell
Ah, we've arrived! My favourite of the series, and seemingly the logical progression to the perfect destination is complete. Here we have three rhythmic, almost upbeat tracks, and a final nod to the chilled origins of the series in the form of the 17-minute closer "Good and Bad."
The disc as a whole is much more easily accessible than most, if not all, of the rest of the series, which I for one find pleasing in a Fax release...hell, non-Faxheads may even appreciate it too...why not find one now and see for yourself? :-)
"ENTIB 2060" is my highlight, a beautifully-crafted, even groovy number, with a delicately sprinkled tune on top. "Arena" isn't dissimilar beat-wise, but is arguably a more rounded piece musically, while "Samira" has a more ethnic feel, especially in the 2nd half, and is by some way the shortest of the four...which leads me to my main gripe with this series...
The discs aren't as long as they could be....there, I said it! :-) Still, what's there is more than good enough, and that's what counts, non? :-)
Verdict - 8/10, best in class (series).
(review by Martin Jones)
Warning to Psychonavigators : this one is different! No dark droning, no endless depths of space, no telepathic entities, ...instead we are faced by something even stranger : funk and beats!
Arena - Rolling cyber-funked electro/techno. Could even be described as "uptempo"!
Samira - Tribal percussions and dub 'n' bass until the track is transformed by eastern instruments and violin nightmare! ENTIB 2060 - Rolling cyber-funked electro/techno...hang on, isn't this Orbital?
Good and Bad - The only "ambient" track. Tones and silences, generally of a warm nature.
This album is immediately engaging and impressive. Only time will tell whether it can hold interest like the previous installments.
(review by AdAckBar1972)
fax goes electro pop, almost, on the first track which actually has a theme based on a major chord! "Arena" could have come from "Solarized" ... similar in style ... actually, one of the lightest/brightest Nam/Las pieces I've heard ... certainly unlike the darker stuff you're used to hearing ...good driving music with a good hook.
"Samira" is more beat/drums oriented, easter thing ... "ENTIB2060" back to more familiar territory for these two but still more drums than usual and not as dark ... "Good and Bad" is the obligatory 18 min chill out track.
overall, a somewhat different direction as the drums are not as muted or non-existent as in previous releases ... the next step after Solarized
(review by george)
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