Review of "Deep Forest", a CD by Deep Forest Written by Rob Berry for the Ambient FAQ Copyright (c) 1993 ********** VITAL STATISTICS: Deep Forest "Deep Forest" (C) 1992 Celine Music/Synsound Epic EK 53747 # Name Time BPM ------------------------------------------------------------ 1. Deep forest 5:33 n/a 2. Sweet lullaby 3:54 " 3. Hunting 3:27 " 4. Night bird 4:18 " 5. The first Twilight 3:18 " 6. Savana Dance 4:26 " 7. Desert Walk 5:14 " 8. White Whisper 5:46 " 9. The Second Twilight 1:24 " 10. Sweet lullaby (ambient mix) 3:47 " [spelling and capitalization is as it appears on the CD.] Total Running Time 41:03 All songs by Eric Mouquet and Michel Sanchez, except 5, 6 & 9 by Eric Moquet, Michel Sanchez and Cooky Cue. ********** GENRE: Ambient Tribal Dance RATING: 7 of 10 STRONGEST TRACKS: "Sweet lullaby", "Desert Walk" WEAKEST TRACKS: "Hunting", "White Whisper" BRIEF DESCRIPTION: An album of mostly ambient dance music using sampled tribal Baka chants of Camerown, Burundi, Senegal and Pygmy. This album may appeal to you if you if you enjoy ambient dance or have an interest in tribal music. ********** REVIEW: "Somewhere, deep in the jungle, are living some little men and women. They are our past... and maybe, maybe they are our future." That announcement starts off "Deep Forest", the musical brainchild of Michel Sanchez. "Deep Forest" combines ambient strings and environmental effects, mellow but danceable drum machines, and sampled tribal chants in order to "transmit a part of this important oral tradition" to those who might otherwise never hear it. The first track, "Deep Forest", is moderately upbeat and danceable, although you could just as easily meditate to it. The main hook is a four-bar melody sung by an older woman. Ambient strings, a subdued bassline, and synth flute provide the backdrop. A bit too repetitive, but it gets the CD off to a solid start. Track two, "Sweet lullaby", is sung by the same older woman from "Deep Forest", accompanied by a chorus of background singers. The music consists of quiet, down-tempo drums, synth flute, ambient strings, and human voice samples spliced to resemble crying birds. This is probably the album's strongest track on the album. It is later reprised in track ten. "Hunting" is an upbeat tune-- too upbeat, in fact, as its "party" flavor clash with the atmosphere of the rest of the CD. ("White Whisper" also suffers from this.) The verse is an 8-bar, asymmetrical melody sung by a man. The chorus consists of human voice samples altered to sound like happy jungle birds which then half-sing, half-chant along with more recognizably human samples. Several bars of scat-singing pop in after the second chorus. Synth marimba, strings and occasional effects round out the tune. Despite being out of place on this album, it's a good tune in and of itself. Quiet drums, an unobtrusive bassline and the by-now-familiar ambient strings form the foundation of "Night bird". The mildly interesting verse consists of a two-bar sampled melody sung by a person of indeterminate gender. The chorus makes up for the mediocre verse by being truly spectacular. A human voice (apparently male) is reverbed and otherwise altered to sound like some great beast in the throes of mourning. The effect is emotionally powerful-- depressing-- but powerful. Highly recommended. "The first Twilight" is the only song to feature no singing or chanting. There are no drums here, just a deep, dark flute sample accompanied by flowing strings. The melody is pensive at first, but becomes more uplifting towards the end. May seem ominous or peaceful, depending on your mood. "Savana Dance" has an eerie, enchanting quality to it. The moderately upbeat drums consist are accompanied by tribal drum samples and jittery synth horns. The verse consists of variations on a two-bar theme, sung by what sounds like a five-year old girl. Quiet bass and thinner than usual strings round out the song. The effect is charmingly mystical. After two verses, an ominous interlude builds to the song's finale, in which the girl is accompanied by a calling boy's voice in the distance as the song fades to silence. One of the better tunes on this CD. "Desert Walk" should have been called "Desert Groove". The drums are more organic, and the bassline more "groovy", than on any other tune. The calling boy from "Savana Dance" is back, but the voice is slower and deeper, as if he had aged since the last song. Also returning is the girl from "Savana Dance", who sings the verse. The melody is memorable, and has the same enchanting quality as "Savana Dance". The chorus is sung by what might be a teenage girl. The only downside is a brief pseudo-rap that sounds like Shabba Ranks with a vocoder stuck in his throat. One of the best tracks on the album. "White Whisper" shouldn't work. It ends too abruptly, it starts with an *incredibly* annoying vocal sample which is repeated dozens of time throughout the song, it's way too repetitive, and its upbeat mood clashes with the rest of the album. Yet the song really isn't that bad. The drum beat is kicky, and the bass compliments the groove nicely. The verse consists of variations on a two-bar theme sung by a teen-ager of unknown gender, and the chorus is sung by older men in a "call and response" arrangement. Bits of sonic oddities are sprinkled over the foundation and keep the song interesting. "The Second Twilight" is like unto the first; no drums or chanting. The song consists of strings and quiet effects that provide a backdrop for an old woman humming a lullaby. This serene tune provides an excellent lead-in to... "Sweet lullaby (ambient mix)". The CD ends by echoing the melody of "Sweet lullaby", this time without drums or vocal samples. Synthetic cricket chirps provide the song's only environmental effect. After a verse of pure strings, the "background choir" from "Sweet lullaby" begins singing the melody. (The old woman is absent.) The synth flute also makes one final appearance, after which the sustained strings fade to silence. ********** CONCLUSION: The liner notes strike me as a bit too self-important, but "Deep Forest" is definitely good ambient dance music. Had I been in charge of production, I'd have made it less repetitive, and replaced the overtly-boppy songs with something more subdued. But there are some excellent ideas in here as well; in particular, Deep Forest's use of samples to mimic jungle noises is both clever and affecting. And even in its most repetitive moments, "Deep Forest" never forgets that melody is the essence of good music-- a fact dance music tends to ignore. I would recommend this album to all who like ambient dance or have an interest in tribal music. ----- END ----- CUT HERE -----