Search - Kinobe :: Soundphiles

Here Comes the British Answer to Air

MaddKhameleon | Singapore: The City of Sin | 09/07/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Well, I told you that Bent is NOT the British answer to Air, now here is THE BRITISH ANSWER to Air's `Moon Safari'. Really! This is comparable to `Moon Safari'. The single, `Slip Into Something More Comfortable', is such a beach affair, you can feel everything you feel on a beach, the breeze, the tide, pretty girls and handsome boys go by in swimwear... it has already been their `At The River' or `Le Soleil est Pres De Moi', well, shouldn't it be called `At the Beach' and be featured in `The Beach' soundtrack? It could have been BIG though. While the 11 tracks on the album seem to be a pretty coherent affair, there is still some diversity in the music. There is no breakbeats, no extremely edgy sound, just some soothing music for you to chill out, to relax, to simply enjoy the music. If `Moon Safari' flies, then `Soundphiles' swims, if `Moon' feels a silver airplane, this feels like a yellow submarine, while not as flytronic as `Moon', this is flowtronic, instead it gives you a more watery feeling. The melody just flows on well, natural progression, make it feel not so much like electronic music anymore. `Skyscraper' could be the next single, more upbeat than `SISMC', it feels like taking an elevator in a skyscraper to me. At first, the elevator moves upward, nobody is in the elevator, after some time, as the drums/heavier percussion comes in, more people step into the elevator, and the elevator continues moving up until the top floor, then it comes down again. Just my personal interpretation, you can interpret in whatever way you want, this is not abstract art though, it is much more enjoyable than that. Just plug in your earphone and dive into the Kinobe world. Bon Voyage. Oh, don't forget to slip into something more comfortable before you begin this journey. (2minutes later...) Ladies and Gentlemen, We Are Diving Deeper into the Kinobe Sea!"

Vertigo Part 2

Sean | Dublin | 11/24/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This album is very similar to Groove Armada's 'Vertigo' - which is no bad thing really, but nothing here really jumps up and grabbed me by the baubles. 'Slip into something...' is Kinobe's equivalent of 'At the River' with a very similar feel to The All Seeing I's 'Walk Like a Panther' - all cheesy lounge music cliches and a guy crooning over the top about the sea and the sand. 'Skyscraper' is nice, sort of like every other funky down-tempo track that precedes it (think Fila Brazilia, Kruder & Dorfmeister, Groove Armada, Nightmares on Wax et al). The rest of the album contains the obligatory rap track 'Theatricks' (track number two just like on Groove Armada's album), jokey breakbeat assault (the Biological Break), Mexican themed breakbeats (Hombre) and mellow guitar tracks fill in the gaps. It is a good all round album but I really don't think that these types of albums are anything new any more. Put it this way - How often do you return to your Groove Armada album? For variations on this genre get Mr. Scruff's 'Keep it Unreal' or Kruder & Dorfmeister's 'K&D Sessions' for a bit of longitivity and a healthy dose of origionality. Hope this helps. [sean]"

Don't compare to Kruder and Dorfmeister or Air

S. Hebbron | 07/18/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Some very groovy tracks, including "Skyscraper" and the very catchy "Slip into Something..." (the instrumental version is better, called "K-I-N-O-B-E SKIT" on the album). However, I was generally disappointed. Many of the songs are held back by very uninspired production. It wouldn't have taken much more effort to fill the songs with rich, interesting sound, but it falls short, and many songs leave you waiting for something which seems about to happen, but doesn't. Contrary to others' opinions, this doesn't come close to comparing to Air or Kruder and Dorfmeister."