Gel-Sol - Gel-sol 1104 FLAC

How I got around to listening to this album remains a mystery. But the quality of Gel-sol's album is unquestionable. A very coherent piece of work, and it could have been better if it wasn't for the totally misplaced and pointless Numby Numbs. Other then that, the album is turgid with beautiful lead melodies, which constantly morph and come and go in many shapes and forms, freely floating around as the music progresses. The bass lines are really going to speak to you if you listen to this through excellent headphones; deep and wide soundscapes go hand in hand with mesmerizing tricks from the bass department. The percussion comes across as being very random and eclectic, mostly broken beats, but with no regular patterns; just as the music, the beats don't have to follow any determined rules, they are free as well...
By now you must have gotten the point. This is a really relaxing journey, which doesn't have to be played as background music in order to sound relevant. There is enough variation and interesting elements throughout this album to earn it spin time during your CD player's rush hour, so to speak. The music is slow, dubby, light and very melodic.
On the downside, the already mentioned Numby Numbs placed right in the middle of this album makes me want to question Andrew Reichel's hearing. On an acid jazz compilation it might have worked, but here? What gives? The other thing, and it is only a matter of taste, are the samples. As cool and entertaining as some of them might sound during the first or the second listen, there are just one too many of them, and on album like this, they tend to shake my concentration and break the flow of the music. I mean, I really don't want to hear samples about potentially winning 125,000 dollars in a game quiz, do I now? Especially not when listening to those gorgeous melodies pour as though they were eager to float out of a mountain well...
Those few errors aside, this is still a worth while listen. Unfortunately, it is not nearly as good as various internet sellers want to make it seem. Basically, if you want to own this one in original physical format, you will have to sell plenty of CDs, and maybe live to regret it. A classic it's not, and for reference only, it doesn't have a patch on some other fine albums released throughout the years on this label, as well as many others. For em:t completists this is a must, the rest of you IDM and ambient fans might want to visit the sure classics first, and then try and seek this one out. As pleased as I may be with what is offered here, trust me, stuff like this has been existing on the market for quite some time, and a fair chunk of it is still widely available.

This is an absolutely stunning album. There's similarities to mid-period Orb releases, especially "Orblivion", as well as Irresistible Force and Pete Namlook's collaborations with Bill Laswell. Layers of warm, comforting synths and some dub-influenced basslines and beats, weirdo samples and a general feeling of detached, enveloping harmony. The only oddball track on this is the somewhat Squarepusher-esque "Numby Numbs", which is a bit of a breakbeat departure in the middle of the album but doesn't derail things too badly. Overall, a superb album and a welcome addition to the em:t lineup.