Juno Reactor - Bible of Dreams (9 tracks) +Album Reviews

Good psychedelic trance for the masses

Alex Gubin | Concord, CA United States | 08/26/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I didn't read all of the reviews here, but I went through the first 10 or so, and the impression I got is that people are largely unaware of the type of music that Juno Reactor represents. This comes as no surprise, since psychedelic trance (or goa trance) is mostly unknown to the general public in the USA, and Juno Reactor is probably the only band of this sort that can be found in your awerage mainstream record store. Juno Reactor walks a very fine line between psychedelic trance, which is an underground genre, and mainstream electronica. They are, however, very well known in the psy-trance community. If you like what you hear and want to explore this type of music further, check out Astral Projection's "Dancing Galaxy" and "Another World", as well as Hallucinogen's "Twisted", for a nice introduction to real trance (NOT the Alice Deejay type stuff you hear on the radio). X-Dream's "Radio" is also a psychedelic classic, and a landmark of the genre, but it's not as easily digestable."

Redefining the Genre

Ryan Richards | Midland, MI United States | 11/20/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Quite simply, Juno Reactor is the only trance music I'll listen to, but I don't know if that's the appropriate statement to make--if "trance" means the album is supposed to be filled with repetitive, dull, thudding bass beats and uninspired, faintly melodic screeches overhead, then this album is sadly mislabeled. This is an incredible CD, filled with track after track of innovative, powerful music that truly does make you feel that for the moment, you're not quite on Earth. "Kaguya Hime," "Komit" and "Conga Fury" are all rhythm-intensive, energetic songs, with the last being a particular standout that evokes images of a primeval, every-man-for-himself tribal ceremony. The guitar riffs and tropical drums of "Swamp Thing" are unabashedly funky, while "Children of the Night" delves into a dark, intense Gothic mood that's closer to the spirit of classic "vampire" novels than anything Hollywood's churned out in the past decade. In contrast, the calmness of "Shark" conveys a relaxing "underwater" feeling. The only weak pieces on this CD are "Jardin de Cecile," which is calm and reflective but boring when compared to the album's other works, and "High Energy Protons," which just doesn't contain the musical ingenuity evident in the rest of the album. Overall, though, this CD is an excellent buy for both committed trance fans and dilettantes like me. If you think the techno/trance genre is more or less a waste (which I thought for a long time), this album will make you change your mind."

Never ceases to amaze

R. Goss | Seoul Korea (South) | 09/23/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I don't know why it bothers me when I read people knocking Juno Reactor, because I've been listening to music long enough to know that no matter how creative, interesting or complex it is, you're never gonna please everyone. That's just a fact. So I really should let it bug me when people knock on these guys.

But for some reason, it does. And I think I've finally pinpointed why.

As a big fan of psytrance, I'm always on the lookout for something "fresh." Sadly, it doesn't seem to come along often enough in this genre. Like basically any other musical type you could name---hip hop, alt-rock, jazz, whatever---there are so many artists who sound the same that it can get old really quickly.

The same goes for this genre. As much as I enjoy it, I can't tell you how many times I've found myself bored listening to music in the same category as this, yet with one track at another having the same monotonous, rapid beat (usually 130-140 beats per minute), and wondering to myself if the track had actually changed from the one I'd just been listening to.

Fortunately, there are a few artists out there brave enough to try and break that trend. Among these I would rank Infected Mushroom, Hilight Tribe (who, sadly, aren't even listed on Amazon, but absolutely should be), and of course, Juno Reactor.

And to me, "Bible of Dreams" is truly their opus.

While I enjoy some of their other works very much, most notably "Shango," "Beyond the Infinite" and their very nicely remixed "God is God" EP, this one is the standout. It is simply a work of art from start to finish. Even the supposedly "weaker" tracks are still nice experiments, and nevertheless a pleasure to listen to. I felt like they poured themselves not only into every track, but every point of every track. And that's so rare in electronic music, where artists and DJs all too often just seem to rely on the technology to do the work for them.

I won't bother to break down this album track by track. The reviewers below me have already done that, and I think they've done a good job. All I'll add is that if you want something in the psytrance genre that doesn't sound like everything else, then give this one a try. Although I can't guarantee that it will suit everyone's taste, I think I can say with certainty that if you respect artists who at least try not to sound like everyone else in the pack, then you won't regret spending the money."

.........cosmic

KTK | 01/15/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I guess "Bible of Dreams", Juno Reactor's bold foray into territory beyond their techno days, contains the best sounds. Aw, who am I kidding? It's the greatest album in the history of the universe!!!

1) Jardin de Cecile - 4/5. You might call it boring; I call it moody. This is not the standard "calm & slow" sound of Juno Reactor--in other words, it's not a droning, monotonous pile of neverending bull. This one actually has character, which is maybe not as evident in the first couple of minutes as it is later. We get some atmospheric, echoing notes that have a nice, dreamy quality to them. After a while, percussion joins in, along with this weird "sweeping" noise that pops in every few seconds. About five minutes in, the song undergoes a complete change of style and transforms to heavy percussion and a little synth. A nice intro that gives you a taste of things to come. It's like the POV of someone gradually waking up and joining the traffic jam of everyday life. While stoned.

2) Conga Fury - 4/5. You may have heard this in "The Animatrix" or "Mortal Kombat: Annihilation" (so sorry for mentioning that movie). It starts off with a lone female voice whose harmonizing is soon joined by jungle drums and synth. It continues on with the drums and the synth and the voice until it quiets down and ends the same way it began. And what's really funny is the male voice that kicks in at two minutes. It's somewhat weird and out of place, but it's so hilarious that I can forgive Watkins. "Huela! Huela! Libalalibalalibalalibala..." Or whatever he's saying.

3) God is God - 5/5. It's funny. When I first heard "Pistolero", I thought that no other Juno Reactor song could ever be as good or better. Kids today, eh? Whatever melancholy quietude existed in the first two songs is completely gone here. We've left the jungle and entered the desert, and does it deliver. Don't be fooled by the spacy sound at the beginning--that soon gives way to a crazy beat with chanting and all the instruments you'd expect in the Eastern cultures. There are also sound clips apparently taken from "The Ten Commandments", which are weird at first and then as cool as the rest of the song. Sure, it's repetitive, but the main tune is WAY awesome, and as long as we have that...repetition matters not, grasshopper.

4) Komit - 4/5. Not bad at all. A remix of this was heard early on in "The Matrix Reloaded", and I must admit, I liked it better there. It begins with a series of notes that give one a sense of flying through the calm night air. I would've liked to hear these notes become more prominent, but alas, only in "Reloaded". Here, they stay in the background and let the Juno percussion take over. The song just gets bizarre at times, although the grungy tunes are worth it. That's about all. Overall, this is a more organic version of something you'd hear in "Transmissions".

5) Swamp Thing - 4/5. Ah, looks like they're tackling heavy metal. This starts off grungy and gritty, and doesn't let up until it's over. The usual percussion kicks in, and sticks with a sinister tempo for a while. When we hear the guitar solos at approximately 3:30, it seems kinda belated and anticlimactic, especially since they don't go much further than that; we slip right back to the percussion. I'm only giving this a 4 because it's rather catchy.

6) Kaguya Hime - 5/5. This can be compared to "Swamp Thing", but it takes itself a lot less seriously. It's got a similar setup and form: percussion accompanied by minimal synth. About forty seconds in, we're introduced to a very playful beat that sounds like the work of hollow drums played by chopsticks. Or something like that. Midway through, the drums "mature" into a heavier-sounding variety, with some more synth playing alongside than before. It's still playful, though. In fact, this is a very fun song to listen to if you don't mind a drum being the primary instrument. Reminds me of the final segment of "Jardin". I'm only giving this a 5 because it's supremely catchy.

7) Children of the Night - 5/5. And now for something completely different. While the previous six have different styles, one can tell that they're all Juno Reactor works. With this, it might be a little more difficult. At least for me. On the platter is a tune that sounds evil yet fun. Shall we say...giddy. It's very, very giddy. You can imagine an evil force approaching to kill you, but messing with your mind first by sneaking up on you from multiple directions, or filling your mind with images from your worst nightmares. It is giddy. There's not a lot of ways to describe it. Giddiness all around. "The children of the night are call-eeng...hehehehe...hehehehe..." accompanied by the sound of puppies allegedly whimpering before their horrible, gas-filled deaths. Brrr. Did I mention it's giddy?

8) Shark - 4/5. I know, I know, it's "calm & slow". But it's also not monotonous. If you haven't figured out from the title, this conveys an underwater feeling to the listener. It's very mellow and trancy, and in some parts, definitely reminiscent of Vangelis' opening score for "Blade Runner". It's down-time for the entire song, although there is a rough patch that's supposed to resemble a tectonic plate breaking apart or something. Ruins the calmness, I think. The length is another problem; it's over nine-and-a-half minutes long. When a song doesn't have a lot of musical variety, you might wanna shorten it. On the plus side, featured here are a bunch of trippy sound effects that sound underwater-ish, but I don't really know why. Without these sounds, this song is what you'd hear at one of those big aquarium display shows. With the sounds, it's...well...Juno Reactor at its calm & slow finest.

9) High Energy Protons (Orion Mix) - 5/5. I'm fully aware it's a remix. I'm fully suspicious of the guys for being lazy. But that doesn't stop the "Bible" finale from ruling. To make it easier for you, I'll just assume that you've already listened to the original version in "Transmissions". And by "easier for you", I mean "easier for myself". Some of the techno sound is still here, but the background choir holds much more presence. Furthermore, there's the addition of a few synth riffs that add another dimension to the whole thing. However, I still like the original mix better. Don't ask why. And if you're wondering about the dialogue clips, they've dropped "You're going to have a wonderful trip." All we've got here is "You're the brain and central nervous system", "High energy protons spilling over into our atmosphere", and "Everything's going extremely well." (YES! HAL-9000!!!)"

An intense experience

Igor Gershenson | USA | 02/28/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A very interesting blend of dance, ambient, and african drums. Probably not for everyone though. People who are new to trance music will be bothered by some of the repetition. Still, if you are new to techno, this is a good place to start. Like all good trance CDs, it stimulates your imagination. Directors making science fiction films should definitely consider including some of this music on their soundtracks: it is fast, exciting, and almost never boring. Unlike many other techno CDs (like Underworld's CDs, for instance), this one does not get on your nerves; instead, it gives one an intense, hypnotic listening experience."

Search - Juno Reactor :: Bible of Dreams

CD Details

Synopsis

Similar CDs

Similarly Requested CDs

CD Reviews