Xtravaganza Recordings: Cat. # 0091372EXT
Released October 1997

Track List:
1. Early (4:17)
2. Already There (2:55)
3. Offshore (Original) (6:45)
4. Lost You Somewhere (8:26)
5. From Blue To Green (5:51)
6. Sunstroke (Disco Citizens Remix) (9:06)
7. Leaving Town (featuring Salt Tank) (5:58)
8. Red Skies (7:35)
9. Sunstroke (Original) (6:18)
10. Offshore '97 (featuring Power Circle) (9:12)
11. The Drive Home (6:06)


IN BRIEF: Still as relevant and inspiring as the day it was created.

It can be said that a measure of greatness in any form of music is its ability to blow your mind years after its creation. In the annals of electronic music there are certain outstanding moments of absolute inspiration and albums that forever demand a place in your heart for their brilliance and personal significance. The question is does this album have the enduring qualities of a true landmark in the trance saga?

Chicane’s music was met with acclaim, if not slight confusion when Offshore initially launched his career. What was this kind of music? Was it indeed Epic House as some christened it, along with the then-new debut cuts from Way Out West? Or was it Balearic-infused ambient? Whatever the tags suggested, Chicane met with almost instant success. With melody-driven songs abound…

The opening bars of Early are awash with enveloping, swirling synths and vocal pads that immediately conjures up ideas of sunsets and deserted beaches. As this eases into silence, flamenco-esque guitars announce the arrival of Already There, bolstered again by more huge synth swells. You instantaneously get the impression that this is an album rather than a collection of singles, and as many a jaded electronic music lover may attest, this can be something of a rarity these days. Offshore begins to take shape from a final cadence in the aforementioned Already There and the familiar sounds slowly mesh together until that opening riff appears.

There is something delightfully organic about the manner in which Chicane develops each track; it feels so earthy and natural. Many are built around a repeated, hypnotic central theme and then expand themselves in many directions simultaneously, all the while moving toward a certain destination. The music manages to announce the next track subtlety, yet with staunch purpose.

There are certain exceptions to this rule, as the inclusion of Bracegirdle’s remix of Sunstroke (under his Disco Citizens guise) is a dancefloor-oriented rub of which the original features a little later in the proceedings.

Personal preference will always prevail in this situation; the DC mix has energy in spades and is like a cosmetically-enhanced model, using its heavily compressed kicks and driving rhythm that demand immediate rapt attention. Meanwhile, the Original is quite content to be a natural beauty without forcing its charms onto the listener, the tripped-out broken beats and vocal snatches emanate sunshine and yet more imaginings of long desolate beaches. These beach scenes are fast becoming a consistent destination of thought as the album progresses; perhaps I need some sun…

The likes of From Blue To Green and Leaving Town exude genuine emotions, a feat which many musicians fail to achieve without the use of lyrics to guide the listener. You really have to admire the way each track individually tells a tale whilst remaining steadfast to the theme of the album.

This wouldn’t be an accurate and balanced review without a gripe of some variety. In this instance, the vocals added to Offshore by a Power Circle bootleg are the offending item. Although most vocals in dance music are radio-inspired toppings (and cannot be described as anything different, especially if they were not considered in the original composition process) these aren’t especially poor. Nor are they especially good. As bootleg vocals come, this one is middle of the road territory. You see my point is, they are just plain unnecessary.

The arrangement is also subject to a few changes and these are positives, arming the track for maximum dancefloor potential with the inclusion of a thumping beat. In a modern context this would seem lazy and clichéd, but then the realisation dawns on you: this record was made a decade ago, before such ideas became burned out and overused. Offshore is an exceptional track, a record that almost defies words to adequately describe its significance and greatness. No really, it’s still that good. Just listen to it three times in a row, and see if it doesn’t leave you with a warm feeling and craving summer weather.

It’s been nearly ten years since this album was released, and for many people Chicane’s debut still conjures up the very spirit of Balearic identity. The scoring is beautifully complex in weaving such great textures into the overall sound and whilst operating around the central theme of repetition still manages to excite and surprise without sounding contrived and fake.

System J’s thoughts on the sophomore contribution Behind The Sun allude to Far From The Maddening Crowds being the far stronger of the two, and a genuine showcase of Chicane’s undoubted talents as a composer. Possibly the pitfalls of later albums were the productional tricks that are so unique here became trite and over-familiar, their appearance in other contexts maybe detracting from why they made the original tracks so special. This was not just true of Chicane, as of course many witnessed the popularity of his sound and were happy to plunder and create a wave of second-rate mimicries. His later works were marred by peer-to-peer plundering, in particular Easy To Assemble (although this did not detract attention from the sub-standard content), and Bracegirdle declared that he had been ‘basically stuffed’ by illegal file sharing. He is due to release his latest albumSomersault in mid-July, although you get the inference that he will labour long and hard to best his debut release.

So, how to summarise what is surely one of the landmarks of late 90’s electronic music…

I really cannot stress the significance of this release, not least the personal impact this music had. Whether ambient or fledgling Balearic trance, Chicane’s obvious talent for creating an all-enveloping soundscape is captured here in probably (and sadly) the pinnacle of his work. Once described as “a soundtrack for an average day" by Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Far From The Maddening Crowds would surely be the soundtrack to a damn fine day at the beach right through to watching the sun set over a clear ocean. Teary-eyed sentiments aside, it can be difficult to find albums that bear such great relevance a decade from their release. With all current trends considered, it’s hard to imagine many recent releases becoming celebrated milestones in the relatively short history of dance music.

So is this one for the hall of fame? Listen to it and try to argue otherwise…

ACE TRACKS:
Every single last one of them.


Written by Will Alexander for TranceCritic.com. May not be reproduced or republished without the consent of TranceCritic.com. All rights reserved.

Title: Chicane - Far From The Maddening Crowds
Category: Album
Sub Category: Trance
Reviewer: Will Alexander
Related Link: Chicane Homepage
Added: June 30th 2007
Viewed: 1997 Times
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