ENIGMA ''A Posteriori'' Review(ENIGMA 5)

ENIGMA

Review by Chaitanya(hey thats me) with Onur inside out!

ENIGMA ''A Posteriori'' released on:22nd & 25th September 2006 by Virgin Records/EMI Music.3699942 // 3730922____________


The end was actually hiding a new beginning in its sphere;darkness became the light, the wind turned into the smell of fear… Endless space has started sending the message; it was the time to decode the signals from the laboratory of the alchemist… We are obscure, we are complex…Feel the routine; see the unfathomable and the esoteric movement of the astrolabe… This is six… This is the sixth…
1.Eppur Si Muove 3.41
...Hundreds of years ahead of him…A welcome from the far future to the darkness of present and past, the orb is obvious for the next installment... We are all about to dive into a new dimension of the astrolabe, the movement will guide us into the epic tale of the endless space…Endless darkness, eternal enigma, the definite riddle…All has the same way…Fear this!… Fear the forthcoming!.. There's no way to hide or run away from the discovery…Cosmic doors are open…and yes, it does move, and yes Enigma goes on the musical journey without any limitation on time, space and any dimension of existence.. The latin chant in vocoder effect from the space introduces the excitement…. Synth effects are all around the channels…. Side to side, up and down… The bass line hypnotizes the self, a progressive start to the chapter, a well thought reference to ''From East to West'' that tastes incredibly good, very clubby, showcasing the essential quality of the alchemist...Like a poetic harmony, traditional roots are meeting the future, the sound fades out to minor C again, to repeat the reality of what we have already started…Chants are in futuristic vocoder effect, deep mystic layers are lying down to…


2.Feel Me Heaven 4.50...the post modern view of this continuum… Fading into a fabulous synthesizer collage, from our current coordinates to space, a 360 degree view of Enigma or the view is actually the space? What is this space behind Enigma? Twisting and turning sounds, waving scary voice line …
Feel me…. Feel me….. Feel me….. Heaven!....
Heaven, feel the cretuism, feel the passengers, surpass the hexagonal experience, flow into this translucent river. This is a track ahead of its time, an electronic anthem of heaven…This is the introducing track of Cretu's electronic symphony…Featuring the progressive touches of mastermind, nothing is sampled from our own past…The song starts to breath after 2:00 in its very own way of breathing, there after kicks the ultimate jungle beat, blended with the synth sound of this electronic heaven…Feel me….Feel me….Feel me Heaven…. These are the repeated lines till the end or till the grand turbulence of sound….There we fade out to ambient environment of space, could this be the lounge of the spaceship? A voice probably announces that it is time to dream...Even it is impossible to decipher the content of this ebb and tide…


3.Dreaming of Andromeda 4.26
… Is it a '' pressured air'' back and forth?...My baby's asleep…Reverberation of genuine effects side to side, with a chilling layer…We are all about to wake in our dream… Excellent beat combination with the effect, great bass line never heard before, the next generation of falling star effect, the kind reflection from our Enigma in zeitgeist... Rolling spheres around 2:17, A female operatic voice is leading the track throughout the song until the next path in our galaxy…A genuine operatic new age track, ethereal and unpredictable…In the end of this unique piece we arrive to an oozing silent scream in an unbreakable silence, the extra terrestrial choir starts in the end of Andromeda, this must be dedicated to the threatening stares of Mephisto…The morphing soul is now frozen with the coldness


4.Dancing with Mephisto 4.25…with a sudden, our dream is over…How scary is that? Layers are in and out like a tide, then we are in this amazing loop..A mid tempo hi-hat dancing with the electronic guitar riffs, very hard edged.. This track is reminiscent of ''Smell of Desire'' and ''Sadeness Part I.'' but in this space fashion..The voice of Enigma, Louisa Stanley whispers ''Follow me, come and feel infinity, eternity..'' and some more obscure French lines .. This is meant to be a déjà vu as Louisa whispers in the Dance with Mephisto. At 2:30 we hear our future, ''Invisible Love'' beat sample is heard in between to taste the forthcoming, before its time…The feeling is heat, the feeling is danger… This track is one of the most breath-taking, outstanding pieces on A Posteriori.. Mind puzzling as we're heading towards the northern...


5.Northern Lights 3.40
…lights of the galaxy, if there's such thing in eternity… A very beautiful beat, a smart variation of Callas Went Away from the debut album MCMXC a.D… But Callas is long gone, we're light years ahead….Still there are distorted voices traveling in our orbit, encountering with depth… This is the best down-tempo instrumental piece so far…This space might be dark for everyone, but Northern Lights is so colorful and enlightening. A perfect track, a top notch…Do you ever wonder what's going on in our spaceship, inside?..

.6.Invisible Love 4.55…Michael is playing a classic guitar for the very first time on Enigma, yeah you've heard that right… Quite surprising…This is actually a hidden prelude on the track, just setting a mood to the following trance beat…'Falling star generation duo' opens this track with the lead vocals from our master…
''Oooh rescue me, ooh rescue me, my invisible love''
Diving into this side of space….''I'll follow you….I'll follow you…Oooh Rescue Me'' This is a deep and dreamy trance track, something never heard before, very fresh and still haunting the listener, so inspirational…Who will rescue the gazer?...A dark haunting atmosphere…Even the reviewer is lost here… Closing my eyes, feeling the bass waves…Stars are all falling down, for this precious invisible love…

7.Message From IO 3.10
…heading to the volcanic moon of Jupiter here, meet the natives, see the shades of the mechanism, something organic breathing there, it is excited to see us, staring us with red eyes…A swirling layer…A mysterious mid album instrumental track with instrumental-like voices or voices like instruments… This is the initial claim of today's Enigma… Voices are twisted to sound like an instrument or the instruments are … The contradiction represents the paradox…Chilling, soothing the audience…Like a lost illusion of all these years…



8.Hello And Welcome 5.09
…into a revisited After The Storm Mix of Hello and Welcome. Not exactly the same but this version is rocking on chill out bases… Being a dub version of the original, this new revisited edit also features some great electronic guitar solo, almost the same one heard on Radio Edit, somehow that fits perfectly well to the main scheme of the album, Andru's voice is distorted, very cool metallic sound, could this be the '''I Love You I'll Kill You'' in space, especially considering the guitar solo part?..


9.20.000 Miles Over The Sea 4.23
…we left IO, we left Jupiter… Every journey has a returning time… Now it's A Posteriori's time to return to the base, we've already reached our moon… We're over these dry seas…We can hear water droplets but, is this an imagination? Could this moon be our earth? The main beat is identical to Jens Gad's Achillea – Ragnarok (Twilight of The Gods), Male Latin chant is back here , but there's no fear hidden, it is almost stroking the notes, spreading supersonic waves all over the wide horizons…This cinematic masterpiece captures all senses, seduces all emotions, it is almost impossible to resist….We are flowing, we are dreaming.…


10.Sitting On The Moon 4.21…of someone left behind.. We left a piece of our heart in our last stop, it is aching deep inside…The beat is a close variation of ''In The Shadow In The Light'' from the album Voyageur. Michael is desperately singing ''Where are you?, where are you? I am Sitting on the Moon'' Very emotional and special track, with loads of senses inside… This is a song not to be heard, a song for just to be felt inside…No words can describe the feeling in this song…Sensual, capturing, mesmerizing layers…



11.The Alchemist 4.41
…Travel into some falling down effects, similar to the ones that can be heard on Rollo's Dusted Variations Mixes on the special box set. This is the second and last hidden prelude into the Alchemist… Another dark edged sudden beginning, beat surfaces side to side with voices or instruments intended to sound like an opera… A Posteriori is Michael's electronic symphony and this song is all about him… He is the alchemist of music… He turns samples and voices into esoteric and hard to understand puzzles with perfect precision… This track features a very unusual pattern, just the typical innovative soul of our mastermind.. Each piece is telling a story, like this one….And we visit the lounge of our spaceship in the end, here again, ambient & jungle like voices thru...


12.Goodbye Milky Way 5.58… this eastern-like girl chant..''Shall I go? Shall I Stay? 107 light years away, many times, so many doubts, but no reason to talk about.'' ''Mission is over, mission is done, I'll miss you children of the sun. But it's time to go away, goodbye , goodbye milky way!'' For a better world, without hate, follow your heart, believe in fate, only visions and the mind will guide you to the light!''... This is the ending anthem in a night dream in which we are all gazing into the dark sky at the glimmering stars…Fading out slowly, very slowly…Louisa Stanley whispers; ''In 5 billion years…The Andromeda galaxy will collide with our Milky Way, a new gigantic COSMIC WORLD will be born..'' The end of the code, the end of the mission until the next one…A Minor C, an M.C, the Michael Cretu way…

best regards
Chatty(chaitanya!)
~~~A Posteriori by ENIGMA:

ENIGMA 4 REVIEW

After so long of anticipation of the style and direction and obvious thoughts of music ,I am coming up with my Review..... As every Enigma album before, this one offers as much excitement...all my words expressed were written as I heard the album on the second play, and reflect my feelings and emotions as a true Enigma fan."Thanks to the few who made this possible...you know who you are!!!"

and by the way those who Know me very well, Enigma is what they should start thinking

wat ya say!

every second of the diffretiated music has been understood and left into imaginary world.

I would suggest you all to play the Album and then read... you will understand the abyss followed then.

Bless! and happy listning , as you read.

-Chaitanya

The Gate 2:01...swirling intro...Elisabeth Houghton repeats the galaxy information...the familiar intro that has been with us since E1 comes ambling in...and out again...the vocal information keeps telling us about the earth’s rotation...some nice bells tumble down...swirling space sounds...could we be in a space station?? ...just as the sound fades at

1:26 in comes the first Carmina sample looping and fading inwards...

1:36 the vocal is full blast loud, very loud...the sample is the full length and not looped until

1:57 when the ladies voice tells us more about the universe!! ...drums start and go right into...

Push The Limits 6:25...This starts very differently than most Enigma tracks but ends up being a classic piece of music...Oh how I wish every Enigma track is 6:25 long and has all of these elements!!The intro to this song carries over the same words about space being presented...and it has different synth sound than you would not normally assign to Enigma. Drums beat from side to side with a deep bass sound...the voice...and then lead into a snare...at 0:30 sec into the track the main melody kicks in...again a different synth sound is used...great drums are all around...and loud!!!

At 1:18 the melody and strange synth stop...it goes into a very nice ethnic chant...repeated with the now familiar Enigma sound of the past...a really nice high pitched female vocal melody plays in the background...Now 2 chants at the same time!!!At

1:57 in comes the third chant...similar to the one in Light of your Smile!!! at

2:03 the voice says ( Basic Instincts are side by side )...so 4 elements are playing all together for a few brief moments...CHRIST this is brilliant ...At

2:20 the drums drop and in comes the TNT tabulars drums...and the English ladies voice repeats the "words of wisdom"...then at

:40..another captivating/chilling/eerie/ Mongolian sample...this haunting sound will stay with you and you never forget the chilling sound of this Mongolian chant...awesome!!!!...the drums are still low while this chant goes on and on...this is the real Enigma...until

3:34 when the beat goes up and more strange instruments never heard on Enigma before...the voice comes back again at

3:54...it is haunting/scary!!...this plays to the first drums and increases in intensity until 4:33...where the drums cascade into the first synth sound and melody again...this plays until 5:10 when the drums drop again ..and the moans of Sandra together with a sample used in Mea Culpa...drums build up again...and in come the voices chants again...drums are really nice...and strong!!The mea Culpa sample plays over...and the melody comes back in the final seconds...classic Enigma!!! This is the same feel you get from "Eyes of Truth" and "Morphing Thru Time"...great opening track...hallmark of Enigma albums...

Gravity Of Love 4:01...Same version as the single...nothing more to say about this track...(well we all Know Know This Track..wat ya say!

Smell of Desire 4:56...droplets of beats...ambient feel...low synth Enigma feel to start...very heavy bass drum drops in at

0:16...clicking drum noise...could it be native tribe banging wood...or just a new Enigma drum beat...melody of synth come in around

0:25 low and un-assuming...in comes the pan flute...low and winding...at

0:47 and the main drum beats comes in...not as loud and the whole track has a low key feel...pan flute plays a beautiful rift...at

1:25 in comes a quick heavy sigh sample...and into a new higher pitched synth melody...sounds new and just as moody as the pan flute...this wanders it way through silky sounds until a very nice low electric guitar of Jens Gad comes in at

2:01...starts off with a acoustic Spanish feel but quickly goes into a smooth rift...heavy deep breathing surrounds the background...but it is kept back in the mix at just the right level ...oh my...in comes Sandra at

2:23 with the erotic Mea Culpa words... "Je ne dors plus, Je suis folle, Je m’abandone, Je suis a toi" which she repeats through to

:42 when the pan flute comes back in with the melody...rally nice atmosphere surrounds...and in comes another E1 sample from Sadeness trance mix playing backwards at

3:15 all 3 previous Enigma albums come together in this track...how is it possible...wow!!!...electric guitar comes back in with the Sadeness track still playing backwards in the background...now in comes Mea Culpa again...this is truly amazing how he blends all elements together...all the way to the end...you will listening in amazement of the construction of this track...the true beauty of production...Sadeness, Mea Culpa, Principles, Beyond the Invisible, Shadows in Silence, I'll love I'll Kill You all in one!...The Master of erotic!!! This has to be one of the most standout tracks...fades out with Sandra whispers of the "the eternal flame will always burn - feel - understand - and learn" ...fading Pan flute...goes into a...

Modern Crusaders 3:49...ambient feel to start the track until the drum kicks in at

0:08...Andru picks up the vocals at

0:18..(first thought are Cretu singing...but NO it is Andru...Cretu's voice can't get down low to some of the notes...listen carefully) singing through the normalizer to make his voice slightly distorted...very upbeat song...singing about Modern Crusaders...sound like early Cretu solo singing but with a heavy drum beats...not to much happening in the background...the old Enigma synth feel...until his voice breaks at

1:32...and wow...in comes the main chant you will all know from "Carmina Burana - O Fortuna"...mixed here with the heavy drums...pounding...chants stops at

1:58 in come heavy Gad guitar...sounds as hurried as the guitar from E2...breaks at

2:32...drums break and lower feel...in comes the main sample from "Carmina Burana" again...low chorus which builds up to the main part which come in loud at

2:55...drums come in heavy again...and Andru goes back into the chorus at

3:18 Gad comes back with the rift...Andru finishes the vocals and in comes the same organ used at the start of Rivers to finish the song...hurried and a very up beat song after the last track...it is over as quick as it starts. The production of the sample works and he captures the emotion of the Carl Orf theme...More ambient feel and intro...into...

Traces (Light and Weight) This is one of my fav's.. and I like this part like I smell my soul back.

.4:10...heavy droplets of water...are the start of this track...drum beat is different again...but heavy...strange sound that accompanies the drum...almost sounds like a snare...but it is a match being scraped and lit...in comes a chant Mongolian sample at

0:40...swirling around in the background...sound like a instrument church bells ring at 1:02...they chime to the melody to another new synth sound form Cretu...at

1:35...the sound breaks apart form the water droplets...atmosphere surrounds...a very faint Latin sample is heard which fades quickly and is slightly muffled...more Delirium sampled sound...very low...weird sounds surround this section...again sounds like spring noise...could it be dolphins noise...at

2:14 the heavy drums start again...melody still floating in the background in comes the sampled voice again at

2:27...not high in the mix...but enough to make the song chilling...church bells accompany the melody briefly again...weird sound going on and on... the sampled voice becomes louder and more the front of the mix...and then fades as then song does...more ambient feel as the drum stops and the tracks fades out...reverse voice and choir are heard at the end...this starts the next song...

The Screen Behind The Mirror

3:57...This starts with another nice heavy drum intro...going to heavy bass beats at 0:10sec leading into some nice Sandra heavy breathing and atmosphere...at

0:31 a very nice chant that has been distorted in the same fashion as Peter Frampton did...this then goes into a more audible chant...African...he turns this into a melody until

0:51 sec when Sandra starts some very faint singing with the chants very active in the background...harmonica samples...voice samples too...this then breaks into the synth melody at

1:12 which is a high pitch...and again a different type of Enigma melody at

:33 more Andru singing the vocals of Gravity...then in Ruth joins hi mat

1:52...with the a very nice catchy "da da der" chant...The vocals are deliberately distorted to set the mood of dreaming...and confusion in your mind...the heavy drum stays al the way through this...great track...the old Sadeness stutter drum loop thrown in a few time s to diffuse the master beat...at

2:015 Andru sings more lines for the Gravity lyrics...until

2:34 where the high pitched melody comes back in very strong...this then winds it way to the end of track with a lot of atmosphere and Ruth vocals in the background..."da da der" vocal chant to the end...

Endless Quest 3:05...VERY STRONG DRUM beat...great angelic noises...and choir like synth melody...here is the old Enigma...pan flute...at

:30...very nice floating sound...and melody...man this drum beat is awesome and strong...pan flute winds it way with great effect...Beyond and Sadeness all in one...now at 1:20 and it is still going...WOW...angelic voices at

:30...drum breaks at at

:40...with a crescendo of cymbals...then a weaker drum breaks in the background...nice high sound synth again at

1:48...this now plays where the pan...flutes left off...pan flutes still laying in the background at the same time..

.2:17 the drums came back in strong with the electric guitar of JENS GAD...VERY STRONG and "I'll love Ill Kill" you strength...this breaks down at

:49...and winds down...and ends with some very heavy Sandra breathing man this could have gone on for another 2-3 minutes...suddenly it ends and in comes.

..Camera Obscura

1:27...wild vocals break and hard hard drum...vocals are very distorted...and it is hard to make out who is singing...sounds like Andru...but the words sound backwards...could it even be a chant...at

0:33 in comes a strong and bold Carmina chorus...this is the sample you all know...but the drums are very dance beat and strong!...this goes on and ends when the tracks breaks down into to sublime ambient beats...WOW talk about up high and then comes down into a mellow ending...very emotional track...and quick...this floats into...

Between Mind And Heart

4:08...Oh...very nice synth and mellow drum...and ambient beats...slow melody...with another organ sounding synth...Santoor instrument maybe...almost 2 sounds of melody...very calm...at 0:55 in comes some nice light sample of chants...vocal sound angelic and in Latin...heavy breathing as well. at

1:15 in comes a very nice harpsichord pia

no...with Michael vocals...hard to hear what he is singing...but it is calm...at

1:40 in comes a African chant sample...this is repeated and echoing...again you want forget this sample...haunting!!...this then floats with more heavy breathing and distant women...and more sample of chants harp plays in the back ground in comes Sandra who sings "this is the engine of your body" at

2:21...and then she says "that brings the engine of life"...louder choir and the main sample come in loud and floating Sandra voices...and this runs to the end of a beautiful track full of emotion and feeling...the track ends with all of the African samples looping all together and swirling around the room...Sandra ends the track with a whisper.

Silence Must be Heard 5:18...Oh my...so much has been heard upto now...it seems so quick but fulfilling...all the emotions that Enigma bring...come to a end with this beautiful sounding start...some really nice low synth like a organ...like TNT intro...really nice effects that appear like a knocking noise...until this really nice melody snyth starts at

0:30...really nice drum into combines with this super swirling melody...Ruth Ann starts to sing at

0:50...her voice has emotion and sounds like Sandra...low and highs voice...now it starts to get higher and more emotion...at

1:27 it breaks and has the feel of a Sandra song...in comes Michael as the drum breaks and groans in the background... "silence must be heard"...

1:27this distorted like a angels voice...then the Ruth Ann comes in hard with the chorus at 1:47...this sounds like Sandra...with many effects used in old Enigma and Sandra tracks...but then this great melody synth come back in at

2:07...very nice catchy drum pattern and loops...at

2:26 she sings the final words of the song...and this has breaks into another Cretu vocal background break...but the atmosphere is haunting...in comes Ruth loud again at

3:00..."Silence Must Be Heard"...in comes the final melody...Damn this is catchy...and mellow but has the emotion and energy of a the old Cretu...track fades out at

4:10 with whispers of "Silence"...could this be Sandra or Ruth Ann...and into the final outro will all know from previous albums...but clear and a space feel to it!!!This track will stay in your mind as soothing and even though it has energy...it oozes Sandra and maybe some earlier Cretu...even though Ruth Ann is singing...but it could easily be Sandra...maybe it is...but the melody will hook you...as it is addictive...this track could have surely gone longer.

Wrap Up...What can I say...the album is awesome...and it will leave you spellbound in ecstasy!!...the feel and emotion has come back into our lives after 3 long years...and this album blows away Enigma 3 in context and beauty. Not overdone with vocals but pure instrumental charm with outstanding ethnic samples...where does Michael find them.The album feel is very diversified and listening to the Carl Orf samples used it is misleading...these give the album another twist...and it is hard to fully understand how he wanted these to fit...the Enigma feel is always present although the newer and cleaner sound is awesome!!Moody and full of energy...give you the roller coaster effect of emotions...the only negative...the album could have been longer... maybe each track would have done better to be at around 5 - 6min...you want each track to keep going...as beauty should be longer. African/Jungle/Indian feel to many of the songs...but each track takes many twists and turns you really cant get comfortable with any part before it changes into another direction...but the flow is tremendous. It is amazing how many older Enigma sounds are packed in this album...but you really don’t think..."hey this sounds old or outdated"...it is sounds new and fresh and part of the new generation album. The drums make you feel like you are born again...new sounds, new beats, new emotions...Enigma fans I am going to come with a lots of reviews..... more of ENIGMA 1, 2,3 and 5 and 6 too...... but as 4 being my fav... so's started with this..!well that day even is not to far away... but before that beg or borrow the money to buy the album...and you won't be disappointed!!!!Sorry I just love Enigma.

Enigma 3 Review

Group: Enigma
Title: Enigma 3 Le Roi Est Mort, VIVE Le Roi!
Author: Chaitanya
Source: Microsoft Music Review

Expect the usual enigmatic from Enigma's third tour of inner space: shimmering synthesizers, breathy female vocals, low boil beats, and brooding mysticism. Enigma is the mystery-shrouded brainchild of Bucharest native Michael Cretu, better known as Curly M.C. a cloistered studio rat smitten with the electronic sounds of Pink Floyd, Deep Forest, and that Cool Manual no-no, Yes. The Gregorian chants and pan flutes of Enigma's first album MCMXC a.D., blend with the Indonesian flavors of 1994's The Cross Of Changes on Le Roi Est Mort, VIVE Le Roi! ("the king is dead, long live the king"). It's a pleasant rehash with only one notable distinction, Cretu's own vocals. His capable and emotive singing is a mixed blessing. In it's restrained form, Cretu's voice adds another silky layer to the luxurious textures. When he bullies to the forefront the spell shatters. On Beyond The Invisible he sounds like Phil Collins straining for metaphysical euphoria. "Things are changing but nothing changes" is the mantra permeating Le Roi, an ambling philosophical meditation that pivots on the question "Why?" While not exactly a novel mission, the quest for answers can be a worthy aim, except when the search gets under way. Cretu gets so hung up ruminating on the crisis of the unknown that he forgets to open his eyes and get a clue. By the end of Le Roi, even the most pensive sage would holler "Oh, why NOT already!" Not that it matters. In the language of Enigma, words are merely another instrument to caress the sensibilities. The voices of Zulu's and Latvians mix with gentle flutes and strings and other worldly sound effects to create swirling, exotic collage. Cretu ditched crisp disco beats for muted drums that readily blend with the moody sonic. When Le Roi hits it's stride, the result is ethereal and wondrous, as in the feathery "Morphing Thru Time", "T.N.T. For The Brain" and Odyssey Of The Mind", a hunting piece that recalls the creepiness of Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells. But Enigma descends into a new age noodling, it has all the spiritual sustenance of K-Tels ode to the oboe.

Source: Microsoft Music Review