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Frag​-​mentos

by Circle

supported by
vas_cosmogenesis
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kwulf
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bgrade
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Vagārī
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Soundmission
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1.
Mixed Emotions 08:52
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2.
Nimby 07:27
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3.
Hunter Gatherers 08:29
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4.
Fun 07:12
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5.
Crystal Columns 06:38
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6.
Damaged Datalinks 08:39
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7.
The Next Chapter 07:36
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8.
The Gift 08:59
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about

Unreleased Goa Records celebrates Halloween with "Frag-mentos", the amazing Psytrance album of Circle, a South African project from the early 00’s, otherwise known under the more established guise FractalFungi. David Beer was the founder and drummer of Crystal Dawn, a band from Johannesburg that released a Melodic Death Metal album in 1999. Around the same period, he and the guitarist of the band, Dwain Du Plessis, attended several Trance parties at lovely natural locations, where they were mesmerized by the new psychedelic sounds. They both felt that Psy-Trance turned many of the musical rules upside down and threw out much of the constraints and limitations that they unconsciously set up for themselves in the Death Metal genre. Consequently, David began investigating the fabric of these sounds and pulses. The turning point came in 2000, when he came across the famous "Distance To Goa 8" mixed by Joti Sidhu. This compilation 'altered his DNA' and played a pivotal role in his decision to begin a new journey as a Psy-Trance producer.

David started using a computer at his first design job, at the late age of 19. It was the first step towards him becoming a feature film animator in the United Kindgdom and now in Norway. Two friends introduced him to Jeskola Buzz. At his next design company, he installed the modular freeware on his work computer and made experiments after work-hours, sitting in a dark office alone until midnight, doofing, zapping and squelching. All tracks featured in the present album were born in this particular working environment. They reflect a cross-over from House and Trance into the Goa and Psytrance realms, influenced by a variety of thought-provoking Trance-related 'entities': Global Underground releases, the housey-trance spiritual themes of "In Worship Of False Idols" by Baby Doc & The Dentist, HardDesertTrance mixes, Christ, the fully Goa styled "In The Mix" by Robert Miles, which paved the way for piano-based rave music, the voxless version of "Perception" by Cass & Slide, and the Psychaos tracks featured in the "Concept In Dance 2: Tribal Science In Trance" compilation. During this creative process, however, David felt that his electronic music production skills were somehow limited and that he would only attempt to make tracks in the style of Ticon and Necton, and the simpler sort of dancey vibes.

David signed his tracks under the name project "Circle", a simple word that conveyed the cycle of life and his obsession at the time about the way all things are connected. Reflecting retrospectively on his musical journey, he experienced a "blast from the past": he found himself piecing together tracks, timeframes, personal experiences, i.e. fragments of his memories and momentos, that make up the title of this album.

The opening track, "Mixed Emotions", is the result of an accidental play between a major and minor scale progression that transformed the vibe from melancholy to happiness. The listener is first immersed in a dark and indifferent atmosphere, forced to challenge the less confident / hopeful aspects of themselves. At some point, magic emerges and the sounds begin to construct, from the same elements, a sense of hope, purpose, and joy. "Nimby" was inspired by the lack of social cohesion, as described by George Carlin, the fact that no-one wanted any public outreach or assistance facilities near their own home. "Hunter Gatherers" is strongly connected to the muddy, basic basslines and stomping rhythms of Necton, as well as the "found sounds they were kicking out" of Shiva Chandra. "Fun" is more on the light and groovy side: it was written when David had just discovered Ticon and was impressed with the way the duo made such great tracks out of very simple ideas. "Crystal Columns" was inspired by the shifting basslines and percussion David was hearing on some Tech House tracks. Influenced by James Holden, Infected Mushroom and Shpongle, he ended up combining these elements with female vocals, as he was also listening to some medieval female a capella songs. "Damaged Datalinks" is the result of David’s fascination with some Techy House tracks with shifting naughty basslines that worked well on the dancefloor. Following Cass & Slide and James Holden, "The Next Chapter" uses a melody that is placed over a single monotone root note for some time and then the bassline changes under it. The inter-related, symbiotic elements unify and excite the mood and the vibe. From a sense of indifference, the listener is elevated to a state of wonder, and purpose. Finally, “The Gift" was inspired by a girl David was deeply smitten with, who motivated him to write a more easy-going slow track.

All tracks were produced between 2000 and 2001; some were once available in low MP3 quality on the now-defunct MP3.com platform. They were played by some South African top DJ’s and on 5FM radio station. They are released here in full audio quality for the first time. The only exceptions are "Crystal Columns" and "The Next Chapter", enhanced with the aid of modern technology, as the original masters did not survive in wave format.

Tracklist:

01 – Mixed Emotions
02 – Nimby
03 – Hunter Gatherers
04 – Fun
05 – Crystal Columns
06 – Damaged Datalinks
07 – The Next Chapter
08 – The Gift

credits

released October 31, 2023

Credits:

All tracks written and produced by: David Beer
Mastered by: Federico Draeke
Artwork: Federico Draeke
Executive producers: Vas Cosmogenesis, Federico Draeke
Catalogue number: UGR 052

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Unreleased Goa Records UK

DAT Universe sublabel, perceived as a logical continuation and the final phase of the “Unreleased Goa Project”, that exists since 2007. The aim is to release in digital format until now hidden and obscure Goa Trance tracks, or re-release rare albums.

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