After five years another new album by Zion Train. I really grew fond of Neil Perch's sound system. I can still remember a Zion Train concert in Cologne in 1995 organized by the then flourishing record company EFA. By the way, the label manager at the time, Nicolai Beverungen, who now runs Echo Beach, was responsible. Yes, those were the times! Nice memories that influence my assessment of new Zion Train releases to this day. It is therefore not surprising that the new work "illuminate“(Universal Egg) really liked again: Great melodies, driving beats, clever arrangements. Anyone who knows the music of Zion Train knows what to expect. By the way, expressly not instrumental DubAlbum, but a vocal set with 11 songs (and two instrumentals), but the sound is still in the Dub-Cosmos is located. Usually I prefer to judge an album as a whole and avoid dissecting individual tracks. But here I have to pick out Michela Grena's song “Cultural Memories” and ask the question why this melodic masterpiece has not long been number 1 in the reggae charts? Produced with plenty of ideas and sung beautifully: a real catchy tune. Well, this is Neil Perch's great talent: discovering talent and creating strong melodies. That's in the sound system and Dub-Scene unique. And that's exactly what makes new Zion Train albums a little sensation. The only downer: the beautiful songs and Dubs deserve better mastering.
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Zion Train: Illuminate
One reply to "Zion Train: Illuminate"
So, now I've waited long enough so that I'm not the first to comment again .....................
So Zion Train has always belonged to me, at most in the second guard or in the second row of the DubMasters Of The Universe. And so,
I'll start right away with the downer. The mastering - I'll call it the overall impression of the sound - I feel 90% of the time with Zion Train
always as "schepperich" and not very sensitive. She (or he) can only seldom satisfy my “definition” of groove. The blower is
also not my thing at all.
And despite all that, I always find something in Zion Train that touches my inner core and manages it, at least my fascia
start twitching a little, even if it is still not enough for a muscle to begin to contract.
As I said, there are very often differences in the details of our tastes. And so I pick two completely different tunes here, and then one
or induce others to clasp their hands over their heads and duck away.
"Watch where feat. Lua “has a caustic, booming computer bass sound, and yet I really like this tune. There are such little gimmicks and sound frequencies
that make me sit up and take notice and the groove not only raptures my fascia.
And while I'm at Groove again, I especially mention “Political Friction” with Brother Culture !!! A Big Tune Dat !!!
Although I could also complain about the sound here - it doesn't sound much more developed to me than the Casio sound of "Sleng Teng" Prince Jammy - I have to say
that I'm really HOT! and have the unyielding need to completely shoot it off.
Here and there, with repeated repetitions and a few “rewinds”, also with other tunes, I discover a few “interesting things” but I am basically missing a key experience like René must have had in 1995.
My key experiences with Zion Train are limited to the fact that I left the massifs bored at the summer jam and preferred to eat at reggaejam.
I am and will remain a “Zion Train Banause” …………………………………. lemmi