Artist: Psy'Aviah
Title: The Xenogamous Endeavour
Genre: Electro – Dance - Synthpop
Release Date: 17th October 2014
Label: Alfa Matrix
Album Review
PSY'AVIAH is a crossover project created by Yves Schelpe in 2003 with the aim to experiment in different styles of electronic music. Based in Antwerp (Belgium), PSY'AVIAH has gained an international reputation of quality, evolving between EBM, Industrial, Dance and Synth-Pop with elements from Trip-Hop, Ambient, Reggae, Dubstep, Trance, etc. From 2004 to 2013, vocalist Emélie Nicolaï was a recurring member of the project but last year Schelpe and Nicolaï put an end to their collaboration and now, Yves Schelpe is working with several guest female singers.
‘The Xenogamous Endeavour’ is the band's 4th album on Alfa Matrix. It marks a further evolution towards what you could call “mainstream dance music”. When we asked Yves why, here is what he replied: “I simply followed my instinct. I've always wanted to try things out. I like lots of different musical styles, so this one is more poppy indeed. I wanted to experiment new technical songwriting with different vocal ranges. My previous EP, ‘Future Past’, was already going in this direction, so it felt natural to proceed on that path.”
The result is impressive: the collection of songs stands comparison with major international productions. It is pure dark Synth Pop dance music, pretty much in the style of DELERIUM, CONJURE ONE, ASHBURY HEIGHTS or FAITHLESS. Catchiness and diversity are both guaranteed through the female power-pop delivered by Lis van den Akker, Mari Kattman and Miss FD, ethereal touches by Angèlika (SCHWARZBLUT), futuristic male vocals by Yves himself & Damasius Venys (MONDTRÄUME), raps & spoken word by Suzi Q. Smith and Diana S. (JUNKSISTA) to ballad and emotional vocals by Lisa Nascimento and the tone of Kyoko Baertsoen (ex-HOOVERPHONIC/ LUNASCAPE).
‘The Xenogamous Endeavour’ is probably the most mature album ever written by PSY'AVIAH in its almost 11 years of existence, offering a good balance between melodic modern dance pop tunes (‘Never Enough’, ‘Before I Die’, ‘Long Way’), catchy intimate songs (‘Our Common End’, ‘Broken Failed’, ‘The Parts You Can't See’) and more complex and darker tracks (the straight and upbeat ‘Deliverance’ or yet the provocative trip-hop ‘Get Your Tickets’). My favourite song is ‘Our Common End’, a wonderful ballad with a very catchy chorus.
Dance-floor music lovers will prefer the limited box edition of the album with the second bonus disc offering a trance / house section with radical Trance remakes by M.I.K.E. (Push, Plastic Boy), T.O.M. and Tim Iron. Jan Vervloet (Scoop, Fiocco, Bonzai Channel 01) brings in a dance/ hard-dance element, and Dizkodude delivers his favourite disco-house with a hard hitting bass line in the middle section. COSMIC ARMCHAIR deliver a Eurodance inspired remix. DJ Red Broad makes ‘On My Mind’ into a jazzy/ loungy chillout version, as does Maarten Pels with his piano and guitar rework of ‘Long Way’. Then come the “(in)famous" renditions consisting of other bands making their own cover versions of PSY'AVIAH songs, with this time SCHWARZBLUT for ‘Before I Die’ and RUINED CONFLICT tackling the track ‘Procedure To Mistrust’ in an alluring way evoking some good old VNV NATION reminiscences...
Tracklist
CD1 The Xenogamous Endeavour
01. Long Way (ft. Lis van den Akker)
02. Sacrifices (ft. Mari Kattman)
03. Our Common End (ft. Mari Kattman)
04. Deliverance (ft. Miss FD)
05. (Prelude) Bevor Ich Sterbe (ft. Diana S.)
06. Before I Die (ft. Diana S.)
07. Broken / Failed (ft. Damasius Venys)
08. On My Mind (ft. Lisa Nascimento)
09. The Parts You Can't See (ft. Kyoko Baertsoen)
10. Never Enough (ft. Lis van den Akker)
11. Get Your Tickets (ft. Suzi Q. Smith)
12. Last Of Us (ft. Mari Kattman)
13. In Uthenera (Leliana's Song) (ft. Angèlika Schwarzblut)
CD2 The Exogamous Endeavour (only available in the limited 2CD box edition of The Xenomagous Endeavour)
01. The Parts You Can't See (ft. Kyoko Baertsoen) (Tim Iron remix)
02. Never Enough (ft. Lis van den Akker) (Jan Vervloet remix)
03. Long Way (ft. Lis van den Akker) (Dizkodude remix)
04. Our Common End (ft. Mari Kattman) (Cosmic Armchair remix)
05. The Parts You Can't See (ft. kyoko Baertsoen) (M.I.K.E. Push remix)
06. Long Way (ft. Lis van den Akker) (Amarta Project remix)
07. Our Common End (ft. Mari Kattman) (T.O.M. remix)
08. On My Mind (ft. Lisa Nascimento) (Red Broad remix)
09. Long Way (ft. Lis van den Akker) (Maarten Pels remix)
10. Procedure To Mistrust (Ruined Conflict rendition)
11. Before I Die (ft. Diana S.) (Schwarzblut rendition)
Line-up
Yves Schelpe – Synths, Programming, Production
Lis van den Akker, Mari Kattman, Miss FD, Angèlika, Yves Schelpe, Damasius Venys, Suzi Q. Smith, Diana S., Lisa Nascimento and Kyoko Baertsoen – Vocals
Websites
www.psyaviah.com / https://www.facebook.com/psyaviah
To buy the 2CD: http://www.alfa-matrix.com/shop_comments.php?id=2509_0_8_0_C
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 8
Sound: 8
Total: 8 / 10
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