Not to be confused with the amazing US-based bassist of the same name, this Trip is a drum'n'bass outfit which is a part of New Generation Ministries, home of dba and Hydro. This isn't the first time a UK, or even NGM, outfit has had a name mix-up - recently britpop outfit Bleach have had to change their name to Steve as a result of the US outfit of the same name. There are plenty more examples, but I digress...
This first drum'n'bass release on a Christian label comes in the wake of the huge success of Roni Size and Reprazent's "New Forms," which introduced the mainstream to drum'n'bass as an up and coming musical sub-genre.
The album opens with laidback keyboards, sounds which aren't quite what I'd describe as 'washes' (as they have more attack), but are getting that way as they fade out. The beat comes in strong, and is nicely programmed with just the right level of complexity to make it more interesting than standard techno. Vocals come in later: airy, reverb-laden vocals which meld well with the keyboards and give the whole thing an ambient feel. The lyrics are not overtly Christian, and there aren't many of them, but with this genre vocals are mostly used for effect anyway.
The first track is the longest on the album, clocking in at 6 minutes 28 seconds (most of the songs are over the five minutes mark). Sometimes when I listen to the album this seems excessively long, but it depends what sort of mood I'm in. If I want to relax while listening it helps me detach from things.
The introduction to the next track suffers a bit from sounding like the theme music to a music program on the BBC called "The Ozone," but after this the track continues in a similar vein to its predecessor, but with some stronger beats in places. The album does have a flow to it which is not unusual in the genre - the songs don't all flow into each other, but they do all tend to follow naturally.
The bass sounds used sound a little too synthetic to me, and would certainly benefit from more organic production. This detracts from things where the bass is prominent. The vocalist, Tanya Farthing, however, is excellent - her voice is ideally suited to the music.
The album continues in a fairly ambient (but not as in the style of dance music) mode for a while, gradually building up in energy--and becoming easier to dance to. "Wildfire" is the most aggressive track, but apart from the vocals even this is not particularly aggressive.
As an ambient journey through drum'n'bass this is a good album, definitely one to unwind to rather than dance to. I would like to hear more live bass on future albums, and perhaps a bit more diversity, but I'm sure a few tracks would do well if released into some clubs.
3.5 tocks
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 1999Reviewed by Justin W. JonesYou hear it on late night radio programs, you hear it in between songs on the radio, you hear it in commercials, and it's spreading faster than a juicy rumor.. I'm talking about jungle/drum and bass. This genre of the dance scene is one of the fastest growing styles of music in the secular market. It's invaded the UK, and is slowly taking on the U.S.A. But one thing it's not doing is flooding the…Similar sounding releases
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