Shpongle - Are You Shpongled [Full album]

 

 

 

Shpongle - Are You Shpongled [Full album]

 

     

Psytrance at its best.
"Are You Shpongled? packs the CD with over 77 minutes of mind-bending, trippy ethnoambient experimentation. It covers everything from smooth dub to wicked drum 'n' bass to mellow jazz to spaced-out lounge to energetic trance, sometimes within the course of a single track. There is NO genre that typifies this sound, since it borrows a little from everything.

That may at first suggest that the album is jarring and disjointed, but that is hardly true. In fact, Are You Shpongled? should win an award for its seamless and unbelievably smooth flow. Somehow, Posford and Ram manage to work rhythmic and stylistic shifts that take place over such long stretches of time (without being boring) that they seem not to happen. Any producer in the world could stand to learn something from this duo.

I personally feel that the album hits its peak toward the end, but then, all that means is that the last three tracks deserve six stars instead of five. ;) It builds to a slow peak and then cools off quickly, especially with the 20-minute "...And the Day Turned to Night" wrapping things up. This track was written to reflect Posford's emotions while watching an eclipse, and it recreates that powerful experience vividly.

I tried this album purely on a recommendation, since the sound files seemed only moderately interesting. I have never been so thankful that some random force (whatever it was - fate, chance, whatever) prodded me in the right direction and made me get this album. It's just a milestone for music in general, and it deserves that amount of recognition." (MTJames)