Shulman – Random Thoughts
Shulman Random Thoughts 2006
SHULMAN 2. Midnight Bloom BLUETECH AND SHULMAN 3. Zero Degrees SHULMAN 4. Ra He’ya (Shulman rmx) SUB6 FEAT. MICHELE ADAMSON 5. Spaced (Shulman rmx) ENTHEOGENIC 6. Ya Bouy (Shulman rmx) OMAR TEKBILEK, STEVE SHEHAN 7. Look Honey it’s the Vitties!!! SHULMAN 8. I Dive SHULMAN FEAT. LEE TRIFFON 9. Staring at the Abyss SHULMAN |
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Shulman’s third album is an unusual and completely new experience. As the title suggests, it contains different compositions in Turkish shades of blue, led by a paintbrush of a giant called Omar Faruk Tekbilek, broken by the whiteness of some Israeli trance kings in the form of a formation named Sub6; a French duo Entheogenic is responsible for painting with a cool redness, and an artist Bluetech straight from the USA completes a mixed compo with a whole range of the gray. The album contains six new tracks and three created in a collaboration with the aforementioned great artists. A diverse composition, a varied range of tints – all that and compositions gathered in the studio of Shulman are varied and independent from the particular project. A travel in the far corners of Shulman’s ‘mindscapes’ is experiencing some new sounds, interpretations and acoustic surprises. It is surprising how Shulman extends the boundaries of his musical universe to the lands of new and exciting sounds. He has spent a lot of time interpreting the music of the Middle East. As it can be heard, he gives us some surprising mixes and a new perspective on things which as one might think, are exploited on every possible level. All of this creates a specific mix, gives a fresh perspective and is a challenge for music that can not be ignored.
The opening track called OMG really deserves its name – it evokes blissful mood; a reverie comes together with a trademark as some dripping synthetic lines and Arabic songs straight from the Middle East. The next track with an American passport is already MIDNIGHT BLOOM of Bluetech. Its climate is very mild and atmospheric, impregnated with some mystical sounds under the sign of Shulman, with a large dose of melancholy. Delving into the album we find ZERO DEGREES, which builds a lively, rustic atmosphere with a flute and guitar. The track RA HE’YA for fans of Shulman can be a dissonance, however I love its playful mood and provocative content (‘Bad bad bad bad boy, go to my room and twiddle your thumbs till I come, do not have to think, oh let’s make some noise. I’ll let you bring all your toys’). The next track is a remix of Entheogenic called SPACED done by Shulman. Personally, it corresponds to me more than the original version, especially a surprising jazz ending is honey for my ears.
The remix YA BOUY of Omar Faruk was led very perversely – from some nostalgic parts to very optimistic and a bit chilled tribal sounds. Another three new tracks of Shulman are saying goodbye to us. LOOK HONEY IT’S THE VITTIES!!! is like a crazy and powerful psychedelic rollercoaster. A saxophone mixed with a little bit of jazz and broken beats make up the fast track. The last track with a participation of Lee Triffon called I DIVE really gets on my taste, although I am not sure whether the vocal is needed here.
Shulman in RANDOM THOUGHTS really managed to cross many musical boundaries and show us the interior of a creative genius who can weave some short stories from the tracks. Those stories absorb a listener in the music world of breaking barriers between people and strangers. Everything, what is this album, is a high quality of production mixed with some incredible images; extreme psychedelic experiences and some real emotions that this album steals from me in every second.
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6.5 / 10
Beata Brzoza