ALIAS ZONE
Lucid Dreams
REVIEWS
A sampling of the reviews Lucid Dreams has received:
"...a
swirling mix of ambient, world percussion, and spoken word that calls
out to be a soundtrack to a film. Lucid Dreams is a film noir of sound.
The mood throughout is dreamy and gloaming, reminiscent of twilight...This
is one of those albums that is a meaningful journey and I highly recommend
it....Lucid Dreams is aptly named. It asks to be listened to and meditated
to and it gives in return a deep experience of what music can be when
it is thoughtful and deeply felt. Anyone into intelligent ambient such
as Bill Laswell, Axiom of Choice, Brian Eno, Air, and the like, should
definitely experience Lucid Dreams. Let us hope that Alias Zone will
grant us another tour through their world soon."
dj_pro-fusion/WorldFusionZine.com
"With
an assortment of sounds from slowed down oil derricks and
children in China to acoustic and processed flute, Lucid Dreams defies
categorization...a distinctive sound that fits in somewhere between
world beat, New Age, ambient dub, fusion, Swaziland and the stratosphere.
With samples ranging from the voice of President Lyndon Johnson and
sounds from a freeway, our album of the month is an ethereal fantasy
that will amaze and enlighten you. If you like Bill Laswell, Jon Hassell
and Eno, pick up Lucid Dreams and hear what's next."
Seattle New Times/March 2002 Album of the Month
"On
their debut album, Lucid Dreams, Southern California's Alias
Zone mixes samples in real time loops and digital processing, topped
off with flutes, bass, and beat poetry... Textures swirl and mutate,
instruments morph, and sound effects roll across the stereo spectrum
in a hallucinogenic stream of consciousness that owes a debt to Bill
Laswell beyond the loops of his that are actually sampled here. Despite
all the technology and post-production mixing, the music is born in
collective improvisation, and that gives Alias Zone a more fluid feel
than most electronica/ambient albums. In particular, flutist Richard
Bugg and bassist Lucky Westfall move intuitively through the landscapes
of Chris Meyer's digital mix-mastery."
-John Diliberto/Echoes
"Well,
once again classifications fail... This disc, springing from live performance
pieces, produces an electronica sound with a warm, human side. Incorporating
world beat, new age, ambient and fusion, all ten tracks originated as
live jams, and were edited, remixed and overdubbed to produce this unique
sound, which warbles somewhere between - and beyond - ambient and space...
This CD's exhilarating live performance feel is complemented by attentive
postproduction technique. The result is an ambient acid rainforest jazz
extravaganza."
NAPRA ReView
November/December 2001
"Exotic
Oriental percussion, choppy guitar and drumbeats, techno rhythms, spoken
word, and a wide array of sampled environmental sounds blend together
in this cool, ironic album. Lucid Dreams evokes a film-noir-ish world
of rootless Americans and disrupted civilizations, a fragmented Asia
where ancient temples have Coke stands in their courtyards and satellite
dishes sit beside thatch-roofed tropical huts. Thunder, rain, and crickets
are the background to an international array of drums and acoustic bass
lines, punctuated by half-heard modified voices... Voices speak or chant
in incomprehensible languages, as the percussion and bass roll along,
as if the listener were lost and wandering through the smoky, crowded
streets of a humid South Asian city... But no matter what the message
is, the rhythms and the music are good listening."
Hannah
M.G. Shapero/EER 11/15/01
"...words
are incapable of giving a definitive meaning to what flows from the
stereo's speakers when the first track, Phunque, begins. Alias
Zone, which is more of an experience than it is a 'band,' offers up
loops, ambient, exotica and world beats infected with foreign language
to present a trippy, otherworldly dream that rests just south of the
nine-to-five grind. (And that is very apparent on I Have Stopped
Dreaming, which just about kills every living thing in a five mile
radius whenever it is played) ... The music just isn't meant for everyone.
Instead, it is music designed by divine hands for creators and dreamers.
The rest of the world will enjoy it, but won't understand it. Those
who spend more time in their own reality, however, will find that this
suits them just fine."
Doug
Brunell/Violence Fetish Online 10/16/01
"Lucid
Dreams is a literal jungle full of sounds, music and voices... The
end result is astounding, beautiful, and textured ambient rapture. This
is very different. It was all so engaging and original that I felt transfixed
to the total artistic outpouring of each arrangement. The flute playing
is hypnotic... There is water flowing, birds chirping, and tongues from
distant lands speaking over drums from deep inside the jungle. And these
are some of the finer auditory pleasures that are intermingled in the
music that make this CD an incredibly realistic musical flight. If you
are in need of relaxing or a spiritual walk in an aural wonderland,
give this CD a spin."
Keith
"MuzikMan" Hannaleck/Music Dish 9/24/01
"Alias
Zone is taking music into new territory in the field of cross-genre
ambient music. Brian Eno first brought ambient music to the attention
of the underground masses in the '70s... Alias Zone has followed the
trail Brian made, for just a little way, then branched into completely
new territory, boldly going somewhere new and taking us along for this
awe-inspiring journey... (This) is a tantalizing disc, filled with ten
of the most uniquely original tracks I have ever heard -- each one enfolds
you in a world of musically induced imagery, and allows you to become
the music. A very incredible experience -- this is ambient at its most
potent extreme to date... Lucid Dreams is a must-have for anyone who
likes ambient music or likes to listen to music which makes them think
and feel...it is even "the bomb" for dancing as was proven by a couple
of errant teens enjoying themselves in my living room -- captivated
by the music as they were heading out for the day! Alias Zone's Lucid
Dreams stopped them in their tracks for over an hour. This disc not
only crosses music genres, it crosses age barriers, too!"
Naomi
de Bruyn/Rambles 9/22/01
"What
the group achieves in Lucid Dreams is a luscious, many-layered sound
that combines planet dub, jungle trip-hop, live improv and world beat
rhythms. This soundscape is layered over with many tongues...a coherent
and focused effort, whose sounds become richer with every listen."
Zenya Shea/Relix August-September
2001
"This
is naturally an adventurous album and explores several areas of diverse
music such as ambient dub, world beat, exotica and I quote: 'voices
in many tongues.' Musical references include Bill Laswell, early Jon
Hassell and some David Byrne particularly his album 'My Life in the
Bush of Ghosts,' jazz, reggae, Berlin-movement electronics, etc... Some
of the album reminds me a bit of Paul Haslingers album, 'World Without
Rules' and as a bookmark would be a reference. Lucid Dreams is a step
up from that as it is more adventurous. It has its dark moments but
overall if multitudes of wide ranging sounds and creative and well-written
compositions are your thing, Lucid Dreams would make an interesting
listen."
Gary
Andrews/Ambient Visions 8/19/01
"A
boombox in a rainforest! These spontaneous compositions reflect the
energy of world culture. I wish more artists would explore this combination
of pre-organization, live performance, chance events, and thoughtful
post production."
Kurt Wortman/Hidden Spot Music
(session percussionist; TV/film composer)
"Alias
Zone have gone to great lengths and paid much attention to detail in
the creation of Lucid Dreams. Ultimately, the result is a cross between
the organic ambience of Hector Zazou and world-beat pop of Delerium,
though with more integrity than the latter project. The band know their
way around many different genres and how to use them together in unity,
and that comes through perfectly on this album."
Phosphor/ElectroAge
"In
some places Lucid Dreams sounds a lot like Grateful Dead percussionist
and world music experimenter Mickey Hart's work, but in other places
the recording has a sound of one of Bill Laswell's quasi-tribal/world/dance
hybrid outings. There are many aspects of Alias Zone's Lucid Dreams
that set it apart from their contemporaries' work, but the one truly
refreshing aspect is the live, dynamic, and refreshingly real instrumentation.
It sounds like Alias Zone are using real instruments, and that's because
they are, which truly makes this recording different from other new
age recordings. The tracks that make up Alias Zone's Lucid Dreams run
the gamut of music genres, but it's this cross-genre flexibility that
will help them out immensely as their gifted willingness to try new
things is a thirst that seems to go unquenched. This is an excellent
work and fans of Hart, Laswell, and new age alike will verily enjoy
this eclectic recording."
Matt Borghi/All Music
Guide
"...think
of Lucid Dreams as a semi-mystical (yet fun) roadtrip with Alias Zone
in a retrofitted schoolbus crammed full of instruments and samples...they're
steaming through a heat-drenched neverworld between ethnic music, current
electronics technology, electro-organic soundscapes and astute artiness.
(...) Lush production means each segment of these Lucid Dreams exists
in several planes at once for entrancing audio-envelopment. Deft musicianship,
thoughtful post-processing and the atmospherically worldly results thereof
means that Alias Zone rings up an appreciative 9.0 when they pull into
my ear-filling-station."
David
J Opdyke, AmbiEntrance June 2001
"...it
is only after a couple of attempts that appreciation of what they are
doing becomes apparent. That may put a few people off and it really
shouldn't, as I would not have the foresight either awake or in my dreams
to conceive these 10 fine tracks. I have grown to adore the opening
piece, Phunque, with
animal noises carefully mixed into a tribal beat and the ethnic flute
imparts a great feeling. The bass riff on Towards
the Dawn is totally intoxicating and the way it's all assembled
is very impressive. Dust
is one of those marvelous moody tracks that accentuate the deep bass
notes and contains some of the finest flute playing in the business.
The album is a mix of live and studio based musicians who surround sampled
performances of individuals such as Bill Laswell. The album is a great
discovery as the process of making it happen is innovative as is the
sleeve design. Beguiling in the extreme."
Phil Brook/Modern
Dance #34
"Techno,
trip-hop, jungle, African, Asian and Middle Eastern rhythm loops - straight
and processed flutes - analog and digital synths - the list goes on
and on. Alias Zone make amazing music by using live performances and
processing interchangeably - moving from the stage to the studio and
back again, blurring the boundaries between the two. Excellent line
up too - highly recommended."
Richard
Gonski/Digital Music Archives
"From
the dense foliage of 4th world jungles to street-wise rhythm jams, this
new release is in its own realm altogether. The rhythm loops rumble
through every track, with all manner of straight, vocoded and convolved
guitars, flutes, piano, and basses. The voices that are tastefully and
sparingly used - to great effect - are by Indian and Malaysian singers,
newscasts in Swahili and Urdu, speeches by American presidents, birds,
insects, elephants and other wildlife, plus freeway sounds, derricks,
gongs and more from the collage of dreamtime imagination. (...) Each
song is amazing."
Lloyd
Barde/Backroads Music
"Mixing
sampled beats + textures with live instrumentation, Alias Zone generate
a unique and funky sound which floats somewhere in a virtual space between
Jon Hassell and Bill Laswell. Fruity bass loops, hip hop style beats
and blissful ambient sounds merge effortlessly with sampled speech and
live prose. Featured instruments include flute, piano, electric bass,
guitar, electric sitar and percussion. The album has an interesting
organic vibe to it and is simultaneously relaxing, uplifting and intriguing
(which shouldn't really be possible!). A beautifully produced and packaged
CD - it comes highly recommended from us here at FARFIELD Records."
Nick Webb/Farfield Records
"The
music assumes a strong jungle trip-hop mix with added elements such
as Bill Laswell's Acid jazz influencing the sound by virtue of his loop
contributions. There's a strong ambient texture in much of the tracks
as well as a diverse palette of voices (which) are brushed into the
soundscape. The sum is quite beautiful, quite engaging and new shapes
appear as if called from the shadows with each subsequent listen."
Gajoob.com
"The
music has a smoothness to it that draws you in. The aural effect from
this amazing sound is not only creative, but it also goes to show the
evolution of ambient music. The sounds wrap around you and creates a
powerful image of musical vision. It's just so difficult to explain
the aura, but one will definitely understand by hearing the first song.
This is as good as it gets. I can't imagine a better ambient album.
Every song is amazing. Most of the music is instrumental, but there
is an occasional spoken word cut. You haven't heard great ambient if
you haven't heard Alias Zone. Very intelligent and artistic compositions.
5 stars for Sound Quality, Production Quality, Musicianship, and Overall."
Michael Allison/TheGlobalMuse.com
"An
extremely rewarding lush and exotic journey."
Mark Isham
"One
word, no two for (this) release - sensual and beautiful. Bloody nice
album."
Hans Stoeve/Power Spot 89.7 FM
"A
journey through exotic worlds and emotions, propelled by strong grooves
and dub tactic treatments."
The Orchard
"(the
single) I Have Stopped
Dreaming is a miraculous blend of spoken word, deep grooving
dark brooding music - with a background of rain and thunderstorms and
fretless bass riffs. (...) The record is a complete musical experience."
earBuzz.com
Click here to return to the main page with more MP3 samples, or here to read more details and gossip about this album.
Released by Valley Entertainment February 2002