Astral Waves - Genesis (2017)

Get ready for take off with the new visionary album entitled “Genesis”, by Astral Waves! Astral Waves is DJ Zen (aka Gabriel D.) based in Quebec, Canada. Originally hailing from France, he’s one of the pioneers of the Canadian psytrance scene.

DJ Zen created Altar Records in 2009; as label chief he’s been running and managing things ever since. On top of providing DJ and live sets on demand, he also does most of the artwork and audio mastering for Altar Records. His production as Astral Waves has gathered high praise in the psychill scene, along with the numerous compilations he’s compiled and curated for Altar Records (and other diverse labels).

His latest offering gives testimony to his emerging status as a very promising producer. This is a deep, tribal psychill journey made over the last three years with the following goals in mind: no repetition whatsoever of any sounds or samples, and maximum inspiration taken from nature, indigenous people, tribal drum rhythms and chants from all over the world. If you’re looking for a soundtrack to activate your inner Warrior of Light, you are in for a treat!

And while this is definitely a journey that takes you into the realm of psychedelic chill (with its deep, trippy vibe), it also comes with a nice serving of dub influences, some progressive chill, and strong tribal beats at key points for good measure —hence the title “Genesis”. In fact, it’s a wonderfully diverse album that plays out very much like a ‘best of Astral Waves’ compilation would. And for good reason: this definitely is his best work to date, and his most creative.
Each and every sound was carefully chosen and meticulously crafted, providing a unique feeling to the compositions as well as a musical trip to the continents of Asia, Africa, America, and Europe.

The album flows seamlessly even if each ‘wave’ or story has a different flavour. It seems that Astral Wave’s intention with Genesis here is to prove that psychill music is more than capable of tapping into our deepest feelings and states of mind. Since the dawn of mankind, music has been crafted to express feelings, sooth fears, express boundless joy and (most of all) get the tribe dancing, moving and shaking. So it was in the beginning, so it is now…Let the journey begin…