BT Albums (7)
'This Binary Universe'
Release Date 8/29/2006
Tracks 7
Label Digital Sound
See Album Tracklist and Review
'Music from and Inspired by the Film Monster'
Release Date 2/17/2004
Tracks 39
Label Digital Sound
See Album Tracklist and Review
'Emotional Technology'
Release Date 8/5/2003
Tracks 13
Label Nettwerk
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Emotional Technology is no great departure from the cinematic landscape of Brian Transeau's excellent last album, the diverse Movement in Still Life. Keeping with that album's attention to detail and seamless flow from track to track, Emotional Technology differs by being more ambitious, personal, and in the end a bit less satisfying. "The Great Escape" goes on a bit too long, that vocal-stutter effect shows up way too often, and some of the segues and bridges only serve to get to the next song or hook. All these things wouldn't even be noteworthy if Movement in Still Life didn't set such a high standard. The rest of the hectic, polished, and widescreen album works just fine. The electro-slap of Hybrid comes to mind on the Guru-guesting "Knowledge of Self," the video game noises and solid rock & roll of "Superfabulous" is mega-uplifting, and "Somnambulist" almost equals "Never Gonna Come Back Down" for pop-trance perfection. BT does a decent job delivering the vocals on six of the songs, and the guest appearances from Brain, Tommy Stinson, Rose McGowan, and JC Chasez of *NSYNC are all purposeful. Just a shade less stunning than his last full-length, Emotional Technology at least establishes him as one of the better album constructors in the singles-driven world of dance. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
'Movement in Still Life'
Release Date 6/6/2000
Tracks 11
Label Nettwerk
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
In a turn away from his arena-sized, progressive-house origins, Brian Transeau chose to diversify for his third album. With an inspired cast of co-producers and guest vocalists, Movement in Still Life takes on electro-funk and breakbeat techno with plenty of room for nods to the kind of epic trance that made his name on dancefloors all over the world. Three of the biggest names in late-'90s trance (Sasha, Paul Van Dyk, and Hybrid) help out here, and Transeau moves further afield with help from breakbeat maestros Adam Freeland and Kevin Beber on "Hip Hop Phenomenon." Elsewhere an array of familiar names lend their talents to the album -- Soul Coughing's M. Doughty, drum'n'bass superstar-in-waiting DJ Rap, former Opus III vocalist Kirsty Hawkshaw -- but the best moments here are pure Transeau. The majestic atmosphere of "Mercury and Solace" and "Godspeed" prove that Transeau can range as far as he wants for his inspirations without sacrificing the sound that made him one of the most noted dance producers in the world. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Continuing pretty thoroughly in Ima's vein, ESCM is another collection of ambient-progressive electronic music with as much interest in new age blissouts as dancefloor action. This said, ESCM is stronger all around, with a more varied sense of overall rhythm dynamics than the basic build-and-release trance climaxes that were the bread and butter of Ima. Opening track "Firewater" shows this well with its initial rhythm, a shuddering, slightly distorted tribal drum stomp instead of a straight pulse. Swooping synths and ecstatic vocals mix with deep spoken-word vocals about "fire in the sky," and when the main beats kick in, it's shuffling funk that carries the track to even higher and stronger levels. Concluding with acoustic guitar and rough, soulful vocals, it makes for quite a stunning start, signaling the album's greater ambitions and success at delivering the same. While "Orbitus Teranium" sounds like it should be a tribute to the Orb, the crisp drum machine generated breakbeat punch of the track is much more BT's affair, spiked up with sudden stops, interjections, and laser sounds. As the album continues, hints of polite if active drum and bass influences and other recent beat touches crop up on other tracks even as the more familiar techno beats kick in, while quirky, abrupt synth stabs lend a slightly retro air to the proceedings as well. In that vein, the most retro and most successful track at once is "Lullaby for Gaia," with a high bassline clearly cloning Peter Hook's groundbreaking work for Joy Division and New Order. Jan Johnston's lovely, ethereal vocals, sounding a touch like a very polite Liz Fraser of the Cocteau Twins, adds the finishing touch to a perfect number. Not everything works, admittedly -- "Solar Plexus," an attempt at semi-industrial rock, has nothing on, say, Prodigy. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Arguably BT was in some ways late in the game by the time Ima came out because if there was anything like a "golden age" of uplifting/transcendent/progressive house, it happened in the early '90s rather than the latter half. However, sometimes nothing makes an artistic effort stand out more than being defiantly out of sync with the times. While Ima's clean feel, sci-fi/blissed-out song titles like "Nocturnal Transmission" and "Embracing the Sunshine," and a generally happy way around the beat is miles away from the hip-hop/jungle/big beat styles prevailing elsewhere, it still is a fine if, at times, obvious listen. Certainly anybody interested in trance's aesthetics of beat and build will want to leap all over it if they find it; you could slip most of this album on at such raves and nobody would bat an eye. Samples and sonics indicate an interest in West Coast artists like the Hardkiss collective, but generally BT sounds like he's content in his own world. Sometimes things get a bit much -- the semi-whale sounds on "Embracing the Future (Embracing the Sunshine Mix)" were a cliché long before in the first place -- but the vibes and other touches on that same track help it and BT out from simply following others' footsteps. The two strongest tracks are perhaps unsurprisingly the poppiest, with vocals. "Loving You More," included in both a dub version of the original single and a further final instrumental mix, sparkles with energy and the undeniable power of a good if basic vocal hook, chopped up and looped in various ways. More accessible to general listeners would be his Cure-tinged collaboration with Tori Amos, "Blue Skies," included in two versions on a bonus disc shipped with initial copies. Said disc also includes a complete remix of Ima itself by Sasha. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide
