well this album has been destroying minds all over since its release in september 2007. this is yabai’s 7th release following their last compilation ‘matsuri summer festival’. this is also frozen ghost’s 2nd solo album and definitely shows the goodies that have come with an upgrade to 2.0 :). lets get started.

1. ned’s mental [145 bpm]: to start off this cd we have a scary, god damn demented acid filled ride with a guest appearance from none othen than the simpson’s ned flanders. god damn crazy :D. starts off with some spacey creepy atmospheres accompanied with some simpsons samples and then a phat phat bassline. around the 1st minute there are some really hilarious samples again from the simpsons with the doctor at the mental institute talking to the simpsons about flanders. soon after we have the simpsons theme there in all its glory, a glutinous dirty ugly groove yelling at you with all its rage! hell what a ride! the synthetic take on the tune is even more sinister with the bassline taking on a rough glitchy edge to it amongst squeeling leads and distorted white noise like fx. the break around 3.45 is just too much and lives up so much to the name - ‘NED’S MENTAL’! the diddly doodly diddly dooodly madness is something that took me totally by surprise, and the sinster mood that comes after is something so wicked that it shouldn’t be let out of its cage. stabbing metallic distorted leads with serious lazer like leads spell out damage in more ways than one and the track ends with some krusty the clown samples leaving you laughing with some very very demented atmospheres. an insane way to start the album - 9/10

2. frozen toast v2 [148 bpm]: here we have a remix of ‘frozen toast’ which was on the previous yabai cd, ‘matsuri’. i really dug the original with its gritty groove and this remix does not disappoint. it starts with the original pads and what follows is a heavy groovy bassline with intense atmospheres. the track actally starts by 1.17 with some very menacing leads that remind of me an angry damage :P. ‘they want you understand… they want you’, f*ck yeah! this is an andrenaline filled ride which goes looney in the 3rd minute with some cool tricks with the beats. lots of scratchy leads accompanied by melodies that bubble back and forth. the samples in the beginning of the 3rd minute are sinister and build up that follows is massive. the track comes back in serious mode with skippy beats and an ambience carrying across the feeling of a storm coming. soon after the chunky metallic leads are introduced which simply shred any sanity you have left. this is a deranged, stretched out monstrosity and its a joy to hear. maybe not as fun filled as the last track but a serious tune none the less. 8/10.

3. multiprey [148 bpm]: this one starts with a sinister atmosphere… ‘this world is full of stories… and from time to time… they permit themselves to be told’…. heavy atmospheres, with a very serious bassline, this one does not taking any prisoners. like a marauding beast this tune slowly evolves with a heavy metallic melody telling us what to expect. this one isnt as noisy as frozen ghost’s other tunes and the buildup is clean and focused, with the leads getting that sick feeling that every one of his tunes manage to exude… ‘ we had no idea we’d become their prey’ - wow the buildup that follows is intense with new layers adding to the melody. this one has a more synthetic jungle feel to it. the bit around 4.33 with the clear gritty melody being introduced is pretty awesome and the melody itself is insane. the spooky sample work coupled with the very alien soundscapes combine to give this track a very scary set of teeth. the track finally maxes around the 6th minute with it subliminal aggression and glitched out fx. this is another hard hitting tune which keeps things going. 8/10.

4. deranged [148 bpm]: the track starts off with some eery, spacey atmospheres with some creepy samples. the kick bass is pretty hard and has a sort of glitchy edge to it. the fx are pretty haunting from screams, to childish laughter. this tune doesnt waste much time in setting the tone for its story, pretty simply putting it - mayhem. by the 2nd minute we have the characteristic fg leads doing what they do best - slice and dice :P. ‘ you cant kill what you cant see… the night has a thousand eyes …. and their all MINE’. whatever you say about this act, you have to admit he always manages to select some really wicked voice samples. and the buildup that follows is like going through a crazy maze of quirky icky creatures. amongst the chaos there is an epic pad, which lends this tune a true feeling of dementia. the slow down in the 4th minute is pretty cool in that it gives space for the eeriness to creep in. what follows is a good old fashion stomp with screetchy leads and a phat bassline that makes this ride only sicker :D. there are bits in the 5th minute which to me are just ear candy with some cool pads adding more depth to the squeeling sounds which pretty much ensnare the listener like tentacles :P. i wouldnt recommend this to hear at home, just too damned noisy :P, but get yourself a couple of brave souls for a party, and you can scare them shitless :D. 9/10.

5. dirty motion - control freak [148 bpm]: here we have frozen ghost and hiyarant combining forces under the name ‘dirty motion’ to give us the ‘control freak’. dirty motion have had a couple of releases between noize conspiracy and yabai records, and their stuff have always seemed more on the crazy side with a very aggressive twisted sound.. starts off with a more chaotic melody that sort of reminds me more of hiyarant. the kick bass that is soon introduced is minimal and with a good amount of energy in it, with lots of sci-fi fx and some melodic leads to it accompanied with this very particular lead that i hear in dirty motion’s tunes. sort of like distorted wind whine. getting back to the track, it manages to get itself building aggressively with some really cool leads. love the tricks pulled out around 2.15, with the cool stereo fx to the leads. the samples once again are spot on. the sinister melodies are intense, and you can definitely see both acts behind the project work adding their own flavor to the mix. it doesnt quite blow it though and it seems to build alot in the middle, in the sense that the energy levels are still rising, and i think about the break in the 5th minute the track comes alive. ‘whats in it for me if i do this job… how about immoratiliy?….. ‘ ‘tropical paradise turns into a frozen wasteland’…. the buildup is just too twisted with some very very demented and slick leads that just take things to another level. amongst the chaos of the leads there are heavy basslines adding more depth and feeling to the track. over all this is a pretty mad track that gets alot more twisted towards the end, surprisingly twisted till the very end. another track that would work really well on the dancefloors. 9/10.

6. hiyarant - red coat [frozen ghost rmx] [148 bpm]: here we have hiyarant contributing to the album once again, but this time in the form of a remix by frozen ghost. i cant say iv heard the original but if the dirty motion track was anything to go by, then this should be another twisted ride :). it starts of with some funky fx and pretty humerous bunch of fx. Sort of like an electronic spider crawling inside your head, but not too long into the mix the kick bass is established. The bassline is chunky and has a sick groove to it. Sort of like the stuff from ‘just one bite’. Lots of jittery fx come and go and some samples I couldnt quite understand, but the whole feel of the track is a groovy nervous wreck of a monster who wakes up and gets serious at 2.10. the leads are pretty sick, could be either of the acts involved in this track. There are some fun mind games with bleeps and screetches and lots of other mechanical sounds in the 3rd minute. The playful mood sticks around with a ridiculous number of twisted and quirky effects interacting with each other. The break in the 4th minute has some more spooky samples, with a pretty twisted melodic touch. Following this break the track gets itself together with some serious damage in mind… ‘DESTROY THEM’. Nice :D. what follows is a barrage of noise – screetching leads and quirky bleeps n bloops. Soon the typical hiyarant/fg metallic leads are added and things go on a very grim yet funky groove. This is a pretty interesting track, perhaps not a bomb or anything but lots of mind games and a pretty engrossing track. Played at the right time it could provide a playful demented experience to party goers. 8/10.

7. e = mentally squared [148 bpm]: we are back to solo fg with this track which starts off with some an industrial ambience, accompanied with a sinister voice over… ‘ you no longer need to sacrifice for your people…. you no longer need to bare the weight of your crown… iv taken care of everything…’. very nice start. i really like the ambience on this one, the whale sounds and those heavy pads create some very intense soundscapes. the bassline this time around is dynamic and would definitely get you bobbing your head along. amongst the madness, theres this comical little sleeze of a melody that oozes out. its playful and perhaps a little out of place but it doesnt stick along for long, and soon undergoes the frozen ghost treatment. what we have then is a nice groove which soon reveals its sharp claws with some really slick sinister leads which enter around the 3rd minute. new tricks from the man - really digging this tune. in the 4th minute things get a little more serious, with the pads and fx sending the clear message across - play times over :P. heavy ambient pads help build up the suspense and there are some really sinister melodic sounds. soon there is a little girl screaming and a very intense atmospheric break… heart pounding, sketchy computer sounds, and a creepy old man talking. things suddenly get corrupted and the beat comes back with a lead thats just taking this track to a whole new level. the climax of this tune is just too much :D. i dig the growling lead that keeps things going and finally the power just explodes in the 6th minute with more characteristic fg leads being introduced. the sleezy touch returns towards the end but this time along i think it makes more sense,the tune is named e= mentally squared after all :P. i think this tune is probably one of the best ones from this album. you can see barry trying out new ideas and sounds and the final product is a scary yet somehow strangely loveable creature :P. 9/10.

8. icey binge of the bio shrimp [148 bpm]: well after that last tune im really looking forward to this one. here again interesting soundscapes in the beginning. sort of surreal feel to it but the sleezy bass is oozing from all around and this creature slowly wakes up, with a bunch of wacky cartoon sounds leaving you wondering at what the hell is going on. the feel of this track is as bizzare as its name, and the slick groove that it exudes is boisterous and bound to put a wicked smile on your face. after a whole 2 minutes of deranged sounds the bassline lands and it lives up to the buildup. this is definitely more groovy than the previous tunes and here again he introduces some a very phat melody. i especially love the quirky cartoon fx that are thrown all over the place. by the end of the 3rd minute the track is seriously causing some mayhem with metallic leads dictating the plan of action - madness. the slow down in the 4th minute is interesting and the track explores different soundscapes with some nice pads, and more looney cartoon sounds. the break in the 5th minute is really … well… i dont quite know how to put it. imagine yourself in a jungle with furry and icky critters all around you. bizzare :P. the track builds itself back with some really phat metallic leads and more madness. the take off in the 6th minute is just awesome and the sick melody is just ear candy. the track progresses along well, and you pick up more crazy critters along the way. that sick melody is just wonderful. here again we see some new tracks and some really crazy looney music. i really dig this direction that frozen ghost is moving in. its unique and simply putting it plain bonkers. 9.5/10.

9. edible technique [120 bpm]: here we have the title track. this is a downtempo track and i was kind of taken back by this track. its strange and quirky in more ways than one and at times you wonder what the hell is happening. it has all the elements of a normal track, but the bpm being as slow as it is, it opens up new some new space to explore. think of spacey pads, and heavy distorted leads working together… kind of funky. kind of weird, all interesting. this being a down tempo shouldn’t fool anyone, this tune has frozen ghost written all over it, from the sick sounds to that wicked smile it brings to your face. all in all though, i kind of have mixed feelings about this track. its cool to see acts experiment but this one im kind of left wanting to take this track and pump the bpm’s up to 145. on that note its noteworthy to hear a track at 120 bpm that leaves you feeling like that. in the sense it carries across all the derangement and noise that fg is now known for, but its just … so … sluggish :P. heheh. keeping that in mind, i think it lives up well to the name ‘edible technique’.

overall - well this album is an interesting journey. its a bit on the noisy side with just about all the tracks running at 148 bpm. that aside i guess you cant expect much less from this act. just about all the tracks live up to what you expect from frozen ghost and in the later tracks you can hear him playing around with new ideas and sounds. at the end of the day, this will be an awesome cd for djs. just about all these tracks can be dropped at any time to leave an unsuspecting crowd destroyed. from a home listening point of view, this is a bit too noisy :P. heheh. maybe for those once in a while occasions when you want to freak your room mates out with a massive stomp session. heheheh. all in all, as someone who has been following this act from his first release way back in 2004, im more than satisfied with this album :D. its noisy, boisterous and full of demented sick melodies. the album cover is pretty sick too. i really like the concept of the demented looking ‘creature’ on the cover. hell if he had a grin on his face it would be perfect…. on a closer look maybe he does :S. hehe. anyways big up to frozen ghost for putting this crazy album together and to yabai for putting out another a great release :) .

final rating - 8/10.

fav - 1!!,2,3!!,4,7!!,8!!

where you can get it:

psyshop:

http://www.psyshop.com/shop/CDs/yab/yab1cd007.html

saikosounds:

http://saikosounds.com/english/display_release.asp?id=6838