Electro dreamscapes and discerned beatz

Afterhouse vol.2 is a masterpiece - no doubt. I am one of the lucky owners of the first instalment of this series, created by the award-winning GlobalUnderground label, with one of the side projects that generally go pretty much un-noticed, face of the mainstream releases by the UK-based label.



The first volume of the serie, was a revelation, and still is one of my favorite records, even after a few years - a real trip trhough the Afterhours of a post-pill warehouse club in West London, or Barcelona, or Berlin, or maybe even Ibiza, but not on the mainstream track...



With volume two the trip is not over - from ambient to trance, from tech beat to distant fading voices, electro moodz popping over discerned beats, everything coming out of the darkest corner of your soul. This is a pulse for wandering minds, leave your body behind and let the sounds take your mind through an hipnotic trip `till daylight. You still fill like dancing? No problem, you'll be jumping around too, if you feel you have to do something more than keep nogging your head to the beat - but fast, before the trip fades back to grey =)



Volume one starts with melodies growing and merging with waves, distant voices, minimal beats, to explode in an electronic glory by track number 5, where 7 Hurtz starts a ride that eventually folds back a few track later into an ipnotic ambient scheme provided by Boards of Canada, Aloof and Burnt Friedman, that surprisingly but organically melts with Roxie Music that flows into Tricky - wow - and the end of disc one is still very far, with an epic ride through electronica, beats and finally dreamscapes again, provided by The Forth, Trafik, and The Album Leaf.



Disk two of the Afterhours record is even better, as in the style of Global Underground, that pushes more underground with disc two of all its releases. As in Afterhours Volume one, the ambience is already set, and the ride goes even more psychedelic - it all starts pretty statically with U.N.K.L.E., but goes immedially dub with Colder's One Night in Tokyo, perfect intro to a dubby set that will have your mind travel (and your body move) to the grooves of Cottonbelly, Primal Scream, Dub Chemist and Rockers Hi-fi, before diving again in a spacey electro texture that will swift you away, until the moment when the monolithic sinths of "Fade to grey" from Visage will break through the hipnotic beats provided by Dominic Eulberg - another of that moments in time when your smile will pop up, even if your eyes are closed.



From there on is electro hipnotic textures again, but this time well supported by electro beatz (Psychonauts, Telefon Tel Aviv).... and then it happens again! An acappella from Closer Musik reveals as a complex minimal tech tune, perfect fit for the epic ending provided by Sinner DC and Subside vs. Beanfield. Wow, gotta put it on again..... =)



By the way, the packaging comes with a DVD - a few experimental videos that will add more depth to the work of art provided by this secon volume of Afterhours - I deeeeeply suggest you to buy it, and also get Volume one - and, if you are still in the mood for some quality ambient electronica, I suggest also the other side (and equally forgotten) series by Global Underground: Electric Calm (volume one is far more interesting than volume two, but the latter is not bad anyway). Enjoy the dreamscape!

One of the most essential recent electronic releases...

Global Underground is a label that constantly reminds us there can be "club music" that doesnt insult the listener's intelligence. Au contraire!



Aside of the fact that the so called "club music" has been associated with some of the most commercial and uninspired electronic music, one has to realise that this has been a choice of clueless DJs and not a necessity.



This label has offered a very convincing alternative. And it has been so with remarkable consistency quite some time now.



Being that this is a limited release you should urgently get it unless you want to miss out on one of the most significant releases in the electronica field in recent time.



It contains 2 CDs and a DVD. The music presented here is some of the most exciting and grounbreaking acts the label has to offer in some of their most intriguing moments. It's the music Global Underground is reknown for: dark, heavily atmospheric, intimidating, inspiring, spacey...But abobe all, intelligent.



If there was a SETI project for music it would surely detect this great label amongst its first findings.



The DVD that accompanies the very carefully (and with much gusto) assembled set is a worthy companion of the albums. Five videos faithful to the style that dominates the music, a modern optic experience in its own.



What needs to be said for those not familiar with G.U is that the music ranges from experimental electronica to house, but, within this range, anything you'll discover here is fresh, there's new ideas abound, cliches are avoided ruthlessly.



As difficult as it might be for the usually mindless crowds that pack the clubs just as rewarding it is for those that want their music to be a step ahead and to stimulate their minds.

Dont miss this.