COLORSTAR

ColorStar is a psychedelic/space rock band that has lately ventured more into the trance/dance spectrum of the genre. The earlier albums were more like the traditional style of the genre, where now things are more electronic and modernized, sometimes resulting in a great sound, other times just becoming too repetitive and trance-like. The album 'Time is the Drug' is their 8th album since their debut in 1998.

'Opening Theme (Landing in the D-Zone)' starts off in an atmospheric way with a lot of electronic processing and manipulation and there are all kinds of neat effects and sounds which even includes some vocal effects. Right away, it is noticeable that this is excellent and interesting, psychecdelic and spacey, yes, but also very innovative with a heavy use of electronics. After 2 minutes of atmosphere, the theme is played in a James Bond style with deep guitars and a clicking rhythmic pattern and vocals in the mix. Very nice. This is followed by the upbeat 'Information' which features layers of vocals and a catchy electronically driven sound. The music seems inspired by the Krautrock sound, but very much updated and based off of various chords, not just one. The sound is also very modern. Half way through, there is a cool guitar solo and vocal effects with the beat staying constant and improvisation is built around the single chord in the Krautrock/Space Rock style.

'Sophie' has a definite funk vibe to it as the rhythm builds, there are spoken vocals which change to subdued airy wordless vocals. The track is built around a conversation between a human and a robot. The sound is also very Techno-European and quite danceable. 'Across the Desert' begins with a guitar loop riff and bongos, probably electronic though. Vocals (which feature guest Ruby Harlem) begin off of this more minimal beginning, but a steady rhythm is established later and there is that desert feel to it with a more mid East vibe to it. Things get a little too repetitive for my taste by the end of this 8 minute track. 'System Error' moves to a more trance-like feel with a rapid bass line and faster, yet tricky rhythm. Vocals are made up of field recordings and spoken word, mostly about space. Rapid notes come from the percussive guitar and synths give it an almost cinematic feel.

'Humanoid Model' begins with spoken word again, this time with a nice percussive rhythm loops and guitars. There is a world music vibe to this track. After a few minutes, singing vocals come in, sometimes layered. The beat becomes more solid as it continues. 'It's All Around' is a nice upbeat techno-space track with a deeper lyrical content than before. There are also field recordings mixed in there. 'Fly' continues with a heavy fast beat, but has a lusher sound and an almost 'Yello' style to it with a countermelody in the synth, separate from the vocals and a guitar improvisation built over it all in the 2nd half. The last track is the title track 'Time is the Drug' that has a run time of over 10 minutes. This track is more trance based and goes on too long except for a short guitar section.

The album isn't bad, and some of the tracks are quite interesting and good, but it seems that it tends to lean toward a dance vibe more than it does a progressive sound. The best tracks are the ones on the first half of the album that tend to take on the 'Orb' style and take cues from space rock and krautrock, where the 2nd half of the album becomes too disco sounding with less of the interesting effects and styles of the first half. Anyway, it all evens out to 3 stars in the end.

It is not often that I feel at a total loss for words but I have no idea how I am going to describe this album for you. At times it is world music, at others obviously eastern European, while others progressive, or is it pop? There are samples, music coming in at strange angles. Bits that don't make sense, but then again do, perfectly.

I attempted to listen to this initially while doing something else, but the something else failed miserably as I found my attention taken more and more by the music as I tried to work out what was going on. In the end I decided that I didn't have a clue but was going to enjoy it anyway.

Originally appeared in Feedback #65, Dec 01

This time, the band ar a trio. The drummer left.

Because of that, the spacerock influences are less and the dance influences are more prominent.

Does this mean,it's bad? Not at all. There's still the duelling guitars, heavy spaerock-like synths and heavy basslines. Less instrumental songs and more vocals. I must say that I liked their last album (Colorstar 2009) better, but still, this new album is solid enough to keep me satisfied.

The songs are dark and almost threatening, and have a lot of drum&bass and techno-beats. I can understand, that not everybody will enjoy this. But personally I really like this new prog-stuff like Korai 'r'm, M'sfel and even Ozric Tentacles, mixing dance, ethnic and progrock.

All I want now, is an official live-album, because on stage the band is even more exciting!

I must say that Colorstar is probably my favorite Hungarian group at the moment, thoroughly entranced by previous albums "Heavenicetrip" (a classic in my opinion) and "Via la Musica", its prog content is sometimes questioned but their mix of organic electronica with strong bass and real drums is a concoction I happen to enjoy. Their concerts in Hungary are well received and provide a strong platform for Hungarian prog to continue to flourish. "Komfort" veers deeper into synth-led environments where the collapsing guitars jumble furiously with the manic rhythms, creating a dense web of sound that would appeal to a wide variety of fans, anywhere from Trey Gunn-era King Crimson, Kraftwerk , fellow compatriots Korai Öröm (all Ks!). It will also please the electro trance crowd because you can actually dance to this also. The groove is intense, all vocals are in English (at times vocodered), the rhythmic weaving intricate and ever evolving, spiced with all kinds of sonic effects but always pied-pipered by the guitar/bass combination. The tracks are all note worthy, each different in its own way, with an assortment of themes and beats that keep the enjoyment alive and kicking, swirling and oozing appropriately. A track by track rundown is uncalled for as all the pieces have their own identity while still firmly ensconced in their forever evolving style. The dual dueling guitars of Péter Szalay and András Keleti still rule the roost with solid drummer Zoltán Farkas pounding mercilessly. New members are no slouches: the über-electronics are handled by Márton Szinovszki and he is utterly convincing while the rumbling bass is now handled by Csaba Bese.

Admittedly not everyone's cup of tea but isn't that what makes prog so grand , a massive buffet of sumptuous sounds all catering to one's individual tastes and preferences. The production and sound are astoundingly clear and concise as is always the case with Hungarian recordings, a long standing tradition in this country. This should be perceived more like party (read =FUN) music than your serious ultra-snotty musical audition. The idea is enjoyment after all and Colorstar will definitely fit your bill, as they are both creative and original, blurring that fine line between Psychedelic, Space and Electronica.

4.5 Komfort Zones

Komfort is the most dance-oriented album of their early albums.

But it's not cheap, on the contrary. The band experiments with jungle/drum&bass, dub, reggae and trip-hop. This makes the album quite a trip to listen to. There's so much going on and it never gets boring.

Because the band uses guitar, violin, drums, bass, sequencers, drumcomputers they have a lot of colout to their sound.

My favorite song it the opener, where the drummer plays some intricate drum&bass-beats through the intro with guitars and fretless-bass and synths to complement it. Very unique, to say the least. When the song breaks down and the vocals start, the song gradually builds up again into an more pop drum&bass song. One of the greatest crossover of rock and drum&bass I ever came across.

Another heavy drum&bass almost jungle-song is the short One More Slip, wich is just amazing. If this song doesn't start you dancing in joy, nothing will.

Another Day is more some kind of trip-hop song with rock/pop leanings. A great intro with two duelling guitarsolos until the middlesection (wich is a great pop-tune) keeps you mesmerized. Also a great song to dance to.

Who says progrock isn't meant to dance to, and have great time? Hungarian bands know how to blend dance and progrock/spacerock into something great (Korai Orom, Zagar and Masfel are other great examples).

There are apparently people on this website rating this album very poor. I guess they chose the wrong album to listen to.

For the people who are interested in this band: this is one of their best albums. Here they perfectly find the balance between spacerock and triphop.

The guitars and synths are inspired by spacerock (Eloy, Pink Floyd) and the rhythms are mostly funky and inspired by triphop and dance. But there's also reggae-dub and the balkansound to be found on this record. Also the band tries and succeeds at harmony-vocals.

The shorter songs have a real pop-flavour, like Roam the Land (wich remind a bit of Jamiroquai and Zagar), but the main attraction is 10+ minute long spacerock song Origination, wich builds and builds with synths, drums and guitars. This is their most spacerock-song from this album, and reminds of Eloy and Pink Floyd.

Another example is the great Sudden Love, wich starts slowly and builds to a crescendo and then suddenly breaks down to make way for a trumpet-solo over a southern american-beat. It's really amazing how the band plays so tight with the sequencers and drumcomputer.

Maybe this band is too modern and progressive for the listeners of progrock, to be truly appreciated. But for the ones who can look past the low rating, this is really a must-have. I can only hope that more bands were progressive like ColorStar (Zagar, Younger Brother and Masfel come to mind).

Anyway: highly recommended!

This incredible music wallows within far-flung Space rock concepts , close to Italian group Sunscape, choosing to weave intricate dual guitar riffs, with chugging bass and almost danceable drums (in a good sense) similar to their Hungarian compatriot tripmeisters Korai Öröm or Finn cousins The Giant Hogweed Orchestra and Groovector. They also bring aboard a couple of synthesists to intensify the sonic colorations with masterful results. "Indúl" (Start) blisters ragingly ahead, setting the torrid yet oft dreamy pace, drowning in massive swaths of psychedelia and groove. This pulsating ambiance blooms even further on the title track, the pertinently named "Heavenicetrip", a raucous explosion of intense guitar fulminations, bluesy but fast and hence, desperate to keep up with the funky bass played the István Balahoczky that slings this one into one hell of a danceable but groovy setting, while both axemen let the strings shred through the mist, with a myriad of luscious effects. "Imarobot" squirms into trance territory but pushed along by that malevolent bass, the guitars ring choppily and the mood intensifies as the synths start pinging and ponging wildly. Drummer Zoltán Farkas thumps his traps abusively, in a pseudo-African marshalling beat that just keeps cooking! Another absolute killer track. "O-Zone" retreats to a trippier minimalist intro, very psych and repetitive for the most part but still relying on the percussive work to shoulder the main thrill. The bass finds itself still funky and prominent, waving the other lads through towards some distant cosmic buzz, a bit like those trance- rave concerts with live bands like Ozric Tentacles, Hawkwind et all? After a brief ambient lull and some odd chanting , the theme comes rambling through once again more furious than before, the lead guitarist with deadly grins on their faces. They really blaze ardently, my goodness! Already a half hour of colossal music, can this "trip" go on? "Fix Dance" keeps the ball rolling with that locomotive bass, the rippling drums toying with the guitar arpeggios that quickly morph into heavy riffs, dissonant effects and vocal distortions, carrying a lot orgasmic weight as they forge forward , ready to explode. And then the deflagration comes with a sinuous and creeping lead guitar solo that swerves, swoons and sweats, all within the bruising and delirious sounds. Bloody incredible really. Things get experimental with sampled female voice bits computed to infuse with the male lead vocal on the brooding "Running in the City", a curious adventure in electronic music played by a hard- edged rock band, with highly satisfying results. The fretboards really peel off some sizzling solos, crafty and original and a prostitute tirade effect that is très recherché only adds lusty humor to the urban context. Brilliant again, I must say. "Podmóbü" is the oddball track, brimming with oddity, half old Pink Floyd, half Experimental, with some eccentric guitar blissouts and female chanting that fits the atmosphere to a Tee. The outgoing Frippoid slash is magnificent. Things get obviously interstellar with the cheeky "6 Steps on the Moon", a galactic ride of humongous proportions, loaded with unexpected genius, totally unpredictable (a rare occurrence in the relatively restricted Space ?Rock genre), ever endingly creative and yet powerfully hypnotic. The drummer really lets it rip here with a nasty solo that will make your heart skip a few beats and beads of sweat berthing at your brow. This incomparable album ends convincingly with "Karma Tours", a final 7 minute romp that oozes rhythm and psychosis, a lethal combination when well propelled by such a first- class bass/drum duo. Things get tribal electronic with almost vocoder-like robotic pleas bursting through the thundering haze. Blistering material, proggers, you need this BIG TIME . After all, sinkadotentree and I cannot be both wrong!

Easily within my top Prog 100 ever. Yes, and another sex soundtrack (LOL) for my harem. 5 trippy Budapests

'Komfort' offers much comfort for people who like to enter the dancefloor and want to break sweat. Very funky and sometimes triphop, even house bordering. Modern synthy/electronic elements are coupled with disco like alienated vocals and backed by groovy drums and bass which are responsible for an enormous drive. The high pressure drum work is remarkable but also something to argue about - is it hypnotic or only plain with intent? On the other hand the guitar appearance and some synthesizer output is refering to the psych/space origin by all means. All in all it sounds like the band experimented a lot to combine retro and modern elements to something new.

The title track is an example for that. Some spacey synth patterns, psychedelic guitars and samples are backed by drums with a simple techno/house beat. Ambivalent - it takes some rounds for getting used to. Light Up the Stars in contrast is a simple radio/disco-friendly track which cannot convince a prog fan. The contrary album opener Falling pleases me though. Basically an excellent combination of groovy and spacey elements more working in the vein of Korai Öröm or the old ColorStar sound. Great straightforward drums, with electronical help in the more floating middle section. Even the vocals are suitable here. The rest of the songs are basically house beat driven spiked with some psych and space elements. Only One More Slip differs because provided with diversified beats and the floating trippy song Fragrance which has a native touch.

'Komfort' is unusual - experimental and not always successful. Taking prog standards as the criterion they are passing the line here predominantly. First I was willing to condemn this one completely and it definetely took some time for me to get to the bottom of it and to filter the prog ingredients - 2.5 stars.

Wow - this is good. 'Via la Musica' has rhythmic and even danceable music to offer - combining psychedelic and triphop proportions in a very special way. I like that. Korai Öröm's music is nearby sometimes - no wonder they are coming from the same origin and scene at Budapest. But COLORSTAR is not a simple copy at all by using ethno world music elements with loops and some hungarian folk snippets. The band has developed its own style mixed up with more electronic portions embedded in song structures with ups and downs, gradual increases and surprising changes.

Just to mention the opener Morning call starting in a psychedelic trance mood with synthesizer, sitar and then suddenly changing to uptempo triphop even bordering to drum & bass. Not to believe - it groooooves! Budapest Win-A-Trip and Hue & Cry on the other hand are nujazz and could reach for a place on a Cafe De Mar sampler without any problems. Aalomadalom follows provided with a tribal beat, floydy guitar and mouth organ - what a combination!

Control the Momentsounds like a reminiscence to the Korai Öröm style. The guitar is striking as always and arranging the psychedelic vibe which increases more and more 'til the end of the album. Waterfront is a very catchy song with standard drum work convincing me much.

Interesting colourful music - quasi contrary styles are formed as a unit which is really impressing. Not typical psych/space sounds as you might expect - first of all because of this special rhythm work. This album will rather change the atmosphere on your party and fill the dance floor at a late hour. Worth it to have a listen.

This music is so much fun ! We get a taste of Dance, Trance, Psychedelic and Electronic all blended together. I couldn't help but think of another Hungarian band called KORAI OROM who play a similar style of music. Lots of drums and percussion with PORCUPINE TREE-like guitars and deep, chunky bass lines. This music just grooves people !

"Indul" has an ethnic flavour and becomes uptempo with that hypnotic beat. Such a full and solid sound to their music. Turn it up ! Hard not to move to the music. The song ends with a nucleur explosion. "Heavenicetrip !" has this mid-paced beat as guitar is picked. Such a clear and clean sound. Synths and processed vocals come in. It kicks into gear at 2 1/2 minutes, and i'm reminded of early PORCUPINE TREE, especially the guitar. Love that guitar ! Chunky bass and some ripping guitar after 7 minutes. "Imarobot" opens with floating guitar melodies as synths and spoken vocals come in. The tempo picks up as the bass digs deep and the guitar plays over top with the drums beating away. A more powerful sound 2 1/2 minutes in,organ follows. Vocals 4 minutes in. Great sound. "O-Zone" opens with percussion. Guitar and bass join in. Synths arrive and i'm thinking PINK FLOYD. A calm after 3 1/2 minutes. Spoken words 5 minutes in before it kicks back in.The guitar before 6 1/2 minutes sounds fantastic.

"Fix Dance" is experimental to begin with until we start to get a beat a minute in. Prossesed vocals 2 1/2 minutes in. Guitar before 4 minutes. Great sound. Spoken words again after 5 minutes. It's raining late as it blends into "Running In The City". The rain continues until a beat takes over with vocals. Guitar 4 minutes in makes some noise. "Podmobu" sounds like "Run Like Hell" early. The guitar 2 1/2 minutes is very psychedelic. Some female vocal melodies later. "Six Steps On The Moon" is a great track. I like the bass lines as well as the guitar. We get a beat before 1 1/2 minutes with vocals. Incredible sound 4 minutes in with the synths and female vocals. Crazy good drumming to end it. "Karma Tours" has such a good beat with synths as the guitar plays over top. Vocals come in and it gets a little heavier 5 minutes in. Nice.

Obviously from the ratings for this one, not everyone is as into this style of music as I am. I think if you like OZRIC TENTACLES or KORAI OROM you'll like this one a lot.