Genre: Trip Hop

01 Please Repeat After Me
02 You Aand Me
03 Pinpoint
04 White Elephant
05 Miss Encyclopedia
06 Bar Song
07 Venice
08 Painful Bliss
09 Antrabata
10 Kaleidoscope
11 Summer Optimism
12 Mirror Song (Voor Tom)

Since becoming a journalist for the Heathen Harvest webzine, I have learned of a very unique appreciation that I didn't have a chance to understand prior. I have gotten to be introduced and acquainted with a wide variety of bands and new genres, new labels and people, and even new instrumentation (I sure as hell didn't know what an 'Erhu' was until coming here.) Along the way, I have found new loves in styles and bands, and certain labels have become favorites of mine as well. The few releases that I have received from Prikosnovenie have been almost life-altering for me. I have been fortunate enough to further my education into trip hop internationally and because of these experiences I have abruptly changed my style as musician as a whole. I still play metal by all means, but my heart now leans in the direction of this slow, lo-fi jazzy sound that comes with the title Trip Hop. I have found nothing more beautiful on this planet than the groovy neoclassical and heavenly sounds that this genre has blended.

So as I cound my blessings from this label, I read deeper into trip hop with this latest release, Antrabata's "Elephant Reveries". This is yet another different style of trip hop with a very different style of female vocals, and flute incorporated. I never would have thought that flute could work so effectively in the music, but it holds its place and gives the music a unique style of folk. It took me a minute to get used to these new vocals but once my ears were acquainted with them, they became as beautiful as Beth Gibbons' herself. The music also feautres your typical jazz drums and moving bass lines, along with volume swelling keyboard atmospheres and effects-ridden guitar work. It's all very moving and well written. The production is the soft spot for me on this release strangely enough though. There was quite obviously a great deal of owrk put into the way the programming was made to sound measure by measure. None of this album was simply "written" but was absolutely and flawlessly conceived by its creators. I also think I've found a new personal hero in Regis Aubert; here's a man I look up to a great deal, not only for his unqiue vision of the music written here, but because of his talents in so many different instruments. I myself play a great deal of instrumentation and it doesn't seem a common thing to find in this world today. This is just another one of those simply incredible releases. It almost starts to feel cliche that I say that about every Prikosnovenie album that comes in to be reviewed by me, but its absolutely true. This label is incredible in every way.

This is one of those few albums that I think everyone who loves music in general should give a chance. Before trip hop came into my life i listened to mostly avant-garde and black metal music. Now my tastes haven't completely shifted, but trip hop obviously has had a huge impact on who I am. If you love music, support this artist, and definitely support this label. There aren't many truly great labels left in this world. Certainly not ones that have lasted for as long as Prikosnovenie has.