Greatness is a space reserved for very few and in the music industry, few albums are great but this is one is one space beyond great, Why? Find out

Asura – Lost Eden (Dutchi Records)

Dutchi Records is a new label that was just recently started by Amsterdam based TV Matters; they are producers of PBS specials and a film distribution company. They decided to create a new label to cater to the ever-growing electronic music fans and because of that, Dutchi Records was created. Yes, the label name reminds you of a famous donut that is served in many donut shops around the world but Dutchi don’t make donuts and they are serious about what they release.

Asura is a French based group that was created in 1996 and the group included Vincent Villuis and Charles Farewell. They released their first album in 2000 called “Code Eternity” on Ultimae Records. Fast-forward to 2001, Villius has left to work on his solo project and Christopher Maze and Alex Ackerman have joined Farewell. They have been compared to Enigma at times and “Lost Eden” is their 2nd album.

Asura – Lost Eden

1.Lost Eden
2.From the abyss
3.Raindust
4.Land & Freedom
5.Fahrenheit
6.Requiem from nowhere
7.Incoming
8.The Battle of Devas
9.Le Vol d’Icare

CD Cover and Inlay

Sometimes I like a cover so much that I just have to describe it and tell the world, why I think it is cool. The cover of the CD contains a picture of the Eastern Green Mamba, if I remember my snakes correctly but this eye catching picture is backed by a white background. You open up the CD inlay and you see a longer picture of the snake and the track information, the latter catches your interest. On the back, you have a close-up of the skin of the Eastern Green Mamba and then white lettering of the track list. So many CD covers and inlays are done without much thought but this one was done correctly, it shows that the label takes its product seriously.

1.Lost Eden

The album starts with an almost symphonic sequence, where you hear some instruments and they are coupled with some beautiful sounds of crickets and some other forest creature sounds. A male vocal comes in singing what sounds like “Down, Down, Down”, after that happens, some beautiful violins come in. You realize very early into the first song of the album that this trio knows exactly what they are doing and that they are not rushing into anything. This sound tends to remind me of Enigma at times, not their most recent album but the albums that they released in the late 90’s. A short while later, some drums roll in and then shortly thereafter a vocal comes in singing a foreign language. Usually when a foreign language vocal comes in, it tends to take away from the track but this seems to be different. The vocal fits in well in this song and you don’t care that you cannot understand the lyrics. Some cool synths rumble in, giving the song more life and you wonder if the song can get any better, even thought at this point, you are perfectly content with the track. This is how music should be made, something that does not sound like anything else and where the musicians rather innovate than make something in the same mold as other artists. The track continues on for a little while longer and eventually ends with some crisp bell sounds. Most albums fail to grab to your attention right off the bat but this grabbed my full attention from the very beginning.

2.From the abyss

Song number two starts off like the first song, very slowly and they don’t seem to be rushing. We start with drums but they are at a much slower pace than I am used to. You hear water dripping in the background and you get the feeling that you are in a cave, this effect is so ambientesque and so well used. A subtle riff then enters and it does not take your attention away, it simply builds on what is already there. The riff is followed by what sounds like a classical choir chanting at times, the music is incredibly precise and everything is used with surgeon like accuracy. It flows like this for a bit then a bass guitar joins in playing some notes. The song is still moving at a slow pace but your mind is taken away by the sonic sculptures in the track. Near the end, a brilliant and beautiful harmonic riff comes in and it just completely floors you and then the song ends a little later.

3.Raindust

“Raindust” starts with a gentle piano and then a jazzy feel bass line comes in, the bass line is a little harder than one would expect for this type of album. A female vocal singing “I” is added to the mix, the vocal is so soothing, the vocal then goes on to sing “Your Mind” and then a pause then “Be There”, the vocal is well utilized here. Eventually the vocal moves on to a verse but I could not clearly make out the words but the vocal has so much power and force that it reminded me of the something from the mid 90’s. The vocal improves the song and then some unknown language chants come, it’s certainly different from the norm here, as they near the end, I begin to think they are Turkish. The song then fades out.

4.Land & Freedom

Asura in this song takes you on another journey, they are not content with just making ordinary music, and they want to take you away to different parts of the world. The song begins with water dripping, just like earlier but it becomes more clear about ten seconds later, when you realize that it is water hitting leaves and you get the impression of being in an Amazon rainforest. A symphony of sounds comes in from the back, it adds body to the song and it is quickly joined by one of the most well placed flute solos that I’ve ever heard. The flute solo has so much magnificence and so much splendor here, the solo tends to take your attention away. Another wind instrument is added and if I thought nothing could top that, I guess I was dead wrong. This adds even more beauty to the song and they go tandem at times, they are such a joy to listen to. As both instruments fade, an unclear male vocal comes in, some echoed drums quickly back it, this song is very good. The song then continues with more chants, then an African voice says “This is the land of freedom”, it reminds me of Nelson Mandela and his speeches. The song then fades away but what a start to this album, I’m hooked already and I cannot wait for what will happen next and this is rare for me, when I listen to music.

5.Fahrenheit

As we hit the middle song, this track tends to start even slower than any of the previous songs. It is joined as usual by some foreign chants, which add to the song. Some more instruments are added and you get the symphonic feel but you also feel like you are in a movie theatre with the sound that you hear in this track. I stated before that Asura rather take you places with their music, this album is a true journey. A Spanish guitar comes in and starts to play, it continues like this and then some keyboards come in but they have been placed near the background. The song quietly molds itself into an aural masterpiece and then just as the song builds, it changes pace and a banging bass line enters but this is a lot slower. Asura seems to be content with using slower bass lines, not just speeding it up like some artists tend to do. About half a minute later, the song then ends, what a corker.

6.Requiem from nowhere

As we move into song six, you think that you don’t have much longer to go with this album but you would be wrong because the first five songs are under six minutes and three of the last four are over seven and half minutes in length. We start with some unknown instruments playing notes and that’s it, certainly a creative start. A female vocal chanting comes in; the track is rather simple at this point. About twenty seconds later, you start to hear faint bells in the background, which add depth to the track. The bass line then finally rolls in and it sound similar to GU024 CD 1 Track 1. The song is a slow mover as all the other previous songs. A Turkish sounding riff then moves in for a few seconds then leaves for a few then returns to repeat the process. The song is very long, almost clocking in at ten minutes but the song is so good, that the time just flies by. The chant returns and as this happens, drums come back in and we are in this mold till the end

7.Incoming

“Incoming” is the shortest song on the album. The track begins with some eastern sounding flutes, the song builds slower than the previous ones, thought seems a bit cliché now, doesn’t it? That the songs are very slow at times. The percussion then enters, it is made up of some cool sounding drums and some echoed foreign percussion. The song seems dark at the beginning of the track but it gains light by the halfway point of the song, which I really enjoy. A complex riff near the back comes in and it immediately hooks you on and takes you along with the track till the end. Very short song but very powerful.

8.The Battle of Devas

As we have just encountered the shortest track on the album, we now get into the longest track on the album, clocking in at over ten minutes. Here, we begin with water sounds backed by a subtle synth. The song continues like this for a short period of time and then a classical choir chant comes in and the track builds the slower than anything on the album. Some electronic drums then add to the chant and then the classical chant drops out and a Turkish chant comes in, this is coupled with what sounds like African tribal singers in the background, it sounds weird but this song is not ordinary. The vocal pushes the song along and then you hear what seems like an Australian tribal instrument in the background. Asura is throwing everything in but the kitchen sink here and it seems that nothing won’t be used and the great part about this, is that it sounds incredible. “The Battle of the Devas” continues in this mold till seven minutes in, at that point, a solid bass line comes and a unique riff that is hard to describe comes in and they both carry the track for the remaining three minutes. What a musical odyssey!

9.Le Vol d’Icare

As someone once told me, all good things must come to an end and that’s the case with this album. Sadly this is the last track, what a ride, it has been. We start with more rainy sound effects but this one seems to sound very differently than anything on the album. It gains such an ambient texture after the background moves in. We have an African chant here that carries the tune for a short while. The next element that enters is electro-oriented synths followed by some keyboard-based riffs and then a bass guitar enters. The track tends to stay in that mold for the rest of the song and it finally fades out

Conclusion:
Asura is a genius trio from France and this album shows that they have extreme patience and extreme precision in making music. The album flows beautifully from start to finish, some of the tracks are mind-boggling but they are all well done. If you liked Enigma, then go out and buy this now or if you want to hear something that is not done in the same mold, as most artists seem to have fallen into these days, then buy this.

Released August 10, 2004