Search - Marco Carola :: Open System

ONE OF TECHNO"S FINEST ALBUMS

LuckyM | Raleigh, NC | 05/27/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album is for people who know where techno came from, where it's at, and what direction it's heading in. I'm very surprised that I am the first to review this release. Here in Germany this would be considered a given in anybodys collection who claims they listen to techno. It is a very hard driven original and pure techno. If you think Oakenfold and Digweed's commercial stuff is good DO NOT BUY THIS CD! People that have been listening to electronic music from the beginning can't distance themselves far enough away from Oakenfold's sorry music made only for money and fame. This release is talent built on experience in the genre. They(Sasha, Digweed, etc) are to techno what N"Sync and Jennifer Lopez are to popular music."

Nice tracks- but doesn't quite work as album.

LuckyM | 08/28/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Marco Carola is a fine producer and Open System is a collection of some really masterful, if not groundbreaking, pure techno. The tracks on Open System run the spectrum from some Detroit-ish mellowness through some electro/breaks material all the way up to the second half of the album, which is full-on floor techno.
There ain't a bad track on Open System, but that's not to say that it doesn't have it's problems. Marco's tracks are layered and interesting, and in a DJ set they no doubt tear things up like nobody's business.
Unfortunately, as an album, this gets a bit awkward. The techno tracks kick in with all guns blazing, there's little build-up or song structure. They start abruptly, and end the same way.
When techno works in unmixed album format, it's done with build-ups and more song structure. A good example of this would be "Metaphor" by Kenny Larkin or "Ion" by Theorem.
I think Open System would have benefitted if Marco worked on the transitions between tracks a bit more. This feels like a compilation of dancefloor singles. Speedy J just came out with "Loudboxer," which features studio tracks mixed together like a DJ set, to great effect. Hopefully more techno producers will be going this route.
All in all, a good release."

People should hear this.

LuckyM | 08/21/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a phenomenal techno album. My personal tastes run more on the Detroit techno side of the spectrum, but this album rocks.Understand- this is not happy trancey ATB/Acosta/Oakenfold stuff- it's straight up techno like it was meant to be. No cheese here. The beats are driving, the atmospheres are futuristic, funky, and sometimes disorienting- but that's what you're looking for, right?I say, if you are a fan of electronic music (especially pop stuff like Oakey), you need to hear this record."