BT
Movement in Still Life
Nettwerk
Brian
Transeau, more noticeable with the alias BT, has been in the "trance"
scene since its birth. In fact, there are certain people who will go
so far as to say that Brian Transeau was the founding father of trance music.
The music of new age combined with the forces of dance beats and bassline
was the signature sound of the trance movement and BT was the first to create
a marriage between the two. As much as BT would like to shy away from the
title "Father of Trance," it's obvious that the elements of the
style is still present in his latest third album, Movement in Still Life.
His previous outfits - Ima and ECSM, was the staple ground
for a trance record. If you had to describe what trance music was about,
you would point your pupil to BT, no questions asked. Like Jeff Mills
is to techno, Brian Transeau is to trance. However, Movement in Still
Life wouldn't be the ideal choice for educating someone about trance music.
There are certain tracks (i.e. Mercury and Solace, Godspeed)
that would make guys like Sasha and Paul Van Dyk content for a solid year
yet give John Digweed a track of Shame for the decks and his response
would be, "What the fuck is this, mate?"
Simply, Brian Transeau is tired of just "trance" music. He
didn't want to make another Ima but rather something so different and
unthinkable that would place his listeners in a musical journey. So
why not put couple guitar-rock tunes in there, add a bit of nu-skool breaks,
mix in some chilled-out hiphop beats, and bring in Doughty from Soul Coughing
and there you have it, BT's Musical Adventure. And that's exactly what makes
this album so great - it's Brian not giving a fuck about 'genres' and 'labels'
and 'trance' but rather having the guts to do away with all that and make
a solid album that embraces all areas of music. You must respect a guy
who, coming from being behind the rolands onto the front microphone, still
has enough poise to sing well even! If Brian wasn't so good at what
he was doing - which is making brilliant electronic-induced music - he would've
been one hot rockstar with that sexy, sultry, voice of his. Instead of helping
to remix tracks by Madonna and Tori Amos (which he is known for), he'll sing
a duet with the two instead. The possibilities are endless.
We definitely get a taste of Brian's musical capabilities as he plays and
sings in the more modern-rock oriented songs of Shame and Satellite,
both, by the way, can get away with being categorized as legit rock songs
than "electronica." There is no sign of any electronic elements
in Shame and Satellite, only a few blips, tweaks, and samples
here and there. If you want "electronica," the album's first
escapade into the nu-skool breaks is one electronica listen that is a must!
Mad Skillz - Mic Check combines the talents of BT and nu-skool
break's "founding father" himself - Adam Freeland. The breaks
are simply amazing while the scratching skills (mad skillz!) of DJ Davey Dave
literally puts the track on fire! Nu-skool breaks is ever-so present
in most of the album. One song that you cannot help but tear up when
hearing is Dreaming - beautiful and haunting, Kirsty Hawkshaw's voice
embraces the entire track and leaves you breathless. She does the same
thing with the song Running Down the Way Up, which BT manages to incorporate
the breaks and the lifts that fits the perfect mold of alternative rock meets
electro-beats. Tracks such as Godspeed and Mecury and Solace
is what BT is known for - beautiful fucking trance music that just taunts
with your emotions! This isn't music to dance to but rather cry to!
And if that wasn't enough for the musical-soundscape tour, the last
track - Love on Haight Street - is straight out of a hip hop anthem.
So whether you call BT a hiphoper/dj/rockstar/trance-father ... it's self-evident
that he is a musical genius. The only label you can put on Brian Transeau
is simple - he is the renaissance man of the 21st Century sounds.