Enigma
MICHAEL ROBIN JONES
and I'm not sure if it fits here.
Has anyone heard the new Enigma? It's supposed to be released herein
the U.S. sometime this month. Is it like the old one? And, can anyone
tell me anything about the band?
Thanx!
Kirk Herlitz
Well, I haven't heard anything off the new album, maybe.... Enigma DID do a
song recently for the "Sliver" soundtrack. Fortunately, their song was also
released as a single -- it's called "Carly's Song". If you liked their first
album, you'll like the single. I can see why you're confused as to where to
post about this group, since there's really nothing like it...
--
KJH
kirk...@engin.umich.edu
Mark Bad Boy Jeremy
The new album will be coming out in early Feb. I think it is similar to the
album but not sure. Did you know that there is a "Limited Edition" of Engima
album came out just before christmas?
Mark
--------------
/==========================================================================\
| Mark "Bad Boy" Jeremy | |
| Computer Engineering | "Don't Worry, Be Happy!" |
| Rochester Insitute of Technology | |
| Rochester, New York, U.S.A | |
Chris McBride
: song recently for the "Sliver" soundtrack. Fortunately, their song was also
: released as a single -- it's called "Carly's Song". If you liked their first
: album, you'll like the single. I can see why you're confused as to where to
: post about this group, since there's really nothing like it...
Well, personally I would 'classify' Enigma has rather ambient. But other
people have other ideas. There are some ambient discussions in alt.rave...
You might look through there for more information on Enigma type stuff.
: --
: KJH
: kirk...@engin.umich.edu
--
Chris McBride __ __
Edmond, Oklahoma S P E E D / \/ \
mcb...@okcforum.osrhe.edu L I M I T \__/\__/
Lonnie W. Warpup
>: Well, I haven't heard anything off the new album, maybe.... Enigma DID do a
I just picked up the new import single of Return To Innocence and it is
great. It sounds somewhat similar to their previous album, but yet
different so it won't be like having two of the same album. I can't
wait until the last week of this month/first week of next for the new
release.
--
--
Lonnie W. Warpup : Oakland University
lwwa...@vela.acs.oakland.edu : Rochester, Michigan
Zenon M. Feszczak
Some information about Enigma . . . the name is appropriate, as facts are
scarce, but this much is known: Enigma is basically one man, Michael
Cretu, best known as a producer for various dance/pop acts. Cretu until
recently lived in Bucharest, now resides in Ibiza, an island between Spain
and the coast of Africa (Ibiza, by the way, was long considered one of the
most beautiful locales in the world, though the tourist trade is doing its
best to ravage its splendor . . . ). His wife, Sandra, provides the
vocals in French and English. The Gregorian chants used on the record
were sampled, not recorded live, according to my best judgement.
Sandra has a solo CD available, produced by Cretu, along with a few CD
singles with remixes. I listened to these, hoping for something as
creative and intriguing as Enigma's music, but was disappointed to discover
generic top-40 style dance/pop. Anyway, Cretu, in a brief statement in
Rolling Stone some months past, defended his record as serious art, not a
joke or novelty item, a statement I could well support . . . he was
uwilling to give any hints regarding the second record, for f ear of idea
plagiarism . . . the lessons of his first record, after which every rap and
dance record for some months seemed to include some variation of Gregorian
chants and/or French vocals. We'll see if he can do as well on the new
record . . .
SH1
>: Well, I haven't heard anything off the new album, maybe.... Enigma DID do a
>: song recently for the "Sliver" soundtrack. Fortunately, their song was also
>: released as a single -- it's called "Carly's Song". If you liked their first
>: album, you'll like the single. I can see why you're confused as to where to
>: post about this group, since there's really nothing like it...
>
>Well, personally I would 'classify' Enigma has rather ambient. But other
>people have other ideas. There are some ambient discussions in alt.rave...
>
>You might look through there for more information on Enigma type stuff.
>
You might also try alt.gothic or rec.music.industrial, as Enigma was discussed
in those groups alot last year.
>
>: --
>: KJH
>: kirk...@engin.umich.edu
>
>--
> Chris McBride __ __
> Edmond, Oklahoma S P E E D / \/ \
> mcb...@okcforum.osrhe.edu L I M I T \__/\__/
l8r,
SH1
sdon...@charlie.usd.edu or sdon...@nyx.cs.du.edu
~~~~~My employer shares nothing with me, especially not my opinions~~~~~
"A great FLAME follows a little spark." The Divine Comedy, Paradiso I,1.34
------------------- Dante Alighieri --------------------
Zenon M. Feszczak
Enigma fans may wish to seek out the following CD singles, probably only
available as imports:
Principles of Lust - remixes, including a jazz mix with a slow swing
rhythm
Sadeness - remixes - not too different from the album's mixes, but some
variation
Mea Culpa - a couple of great remixes, in the William Orbit style (spacy
sounds, backwards drums, etc.)
Rivers of Belief - least interesting, as too close to the album mixes
Also, a video tape is available with videos for "Sadeness" and "Mea
Culpa". The video uses the remixed version of "Mea Culpa", by the way.
Very creative, beautifully photographed. The "Sadeness" video involves a
monk wandering the ruins of a monastery, who encouters a huge steel gate,
with human figures carved into its surface, frozen in their poses, writhing
in ecstasy and/or agony. The gate seems to be inspired by Rodin's Gates of
Hell, though not an exact reproduction, as the sculptures vary. Anyway,
the video is highly recommended - fantastic imagery, perfect for the mood
of this trance music . . . if anyone is interested, the video can probably
be found at your local Tower Records, that oasis in the desert . . .
Chris Weiss
: Enigma fans may wish to seek out the following CD singles, probably only
: available as imports:
: Principles of Lust - remixes, including a jazz mix with a slow swing
: rhythm
: Sadeness - remixes - not too different from the album's mixes, but some
: variation
: Mea Culpa - a couple of great remixes, in the William Orbit style (spacy
: sounds, backwards drums, etc.)
: Rivers of Belief - least interesting, as too close to the album mixes
: Also, a video tape is available with videos for "Sadeness" and "Mea
: Culpa". The video uses the remixed version of "Mea Culpa", by the way.
: Very creative, beautifully photographed. The "Sadeness" video involves a
: monk wandering the ruins of a monastery, who encouters a huge steel gate,
: with human figures carved into its surface, frozen in their poses, writhing
: in ecstasy and/or agony. The gate seems to be inspired by Rodin's Gates of
: Hell, though not an exact reproduction, as the sculptures vary. Anyway,
: the video is highly recommended - fantastic imagery, perfect for the mood
: of this trance music . . . if anyone is interested, the video can probably
: be found at your local Tower Records, that oasis in the desert . . .
Is this video collection called "Visions Of Sadness"?
(sorry, tried to reply E-Mail but it bounced)
--
Net: cwe...@netcom.com
AOL: CWEISS
Physical: Chris Weiss@Maxis Software
Mental: James Brown's Celebrity Hot Tub
Jason A. Giles
Well I have the new Enigma called The Cross of Changes. I found it in the
import section of "Vintage Vinyl" in STL MO. They said it would not be reliesed
officially to the USA because of the poor performance of 1990. Dumb ass
americans, you should of bought more! Well, I left the CD with my brother in
STL so I can give out the lable and id number. I think anybody could order it
because there was a big marketing scheme for hats and t-shirts, but you have
to pay in D. Marks since it is german.
The album is fantastic, which is to be expected. I think it was 46 min long
with 10 tracks. Carly's song is one of them. The last couple songs are more
gitarish but it is still enigma to the hilt. a coulple of the tracks have
and India overtone in the vocals while others carry an American Indian characterI dont remember any french vocals but a sultry female voice does the job. The
Cruetu (sp) music writer does most of the lyrics and sort of shines some light
onto the music so it isn't as dark and thick an atmosphere as the first ablum.
Again it is very solid and I'll wrestle the CD from my brother so I can give
some addresses and label information. I asked for more copies to be ordered
but they take a couple of weeks to come in. everybody should try the same, also
since it is an import it cost me about 25 bucks but it is worth it!!!
L8R
Jason G.
.:
--
Jason A. Giles
Chemistry Department of the Univerity of Missouri Rolla
jgi...@clciris.chem.umr.edu
"Polymers are cool, yea" Butt-head's intelligent twin brother, Bald-Spot
Mark Bad Boy Jeremy
>
>
>
>
>--
>Jason A. Giles
>Chemistry Department of the Univerity of Missouri Rolla
>jgi...@clciris.chem.umr.edu
>"Polymers are cool, yea" Butt-head's intelligent twin brother, Bald-Spot
Which country does the Engima group come from??
???
Mark "Bad Boy" Jeremy <mej...@ritvax.isc.rit.edu> wrote:
>Which country does the Engima group come from??
Germany, if I'm not mistaken.
--
Chris Rode
cr...@iastate.edu
jrarm...@happy.uccs.edu
"upcoming releases" section at our local Sound Warehouse. The 25th is the date
that I have.
How anyone could say the album did "poorly" is beyond me. It peaked at #6 on
the Billboard chart, and is certified platinum !! Fairly impressive if you ask
me.. and it blows me away to think that it could have sold nearly that much in
"if it ain't got a guitar, it ain't real music" America.
jon.
Keith Dribbs Dreibelbis
> In article <1994Jan21.1...@ultb.isc.rit.edu>,
> Mark "Bad Boy" Jeremy <mej...@ritvax.isc.rit.edu> wrote:
> >Which country does the Engima group come from??
> Germany, if I'm not mistaken.
Correct me if I'm wrong (I often am :), and sorry if this
is "technical" of your wording, but I thought Enigma was *one* guy
who did all the stuff (not the chants) himself. Don't know his
name, though...
Can't wait for this album!
Chris McBride
: officially to the USA because of the poor performance of 1990. Dumb ass
: americans, you should of bought more! Well, I left the CD with my brother in
: STL so I can give out the lable and id number. I think anybody could order it
: because there was a big marketing scheme for hats and t-shirts, but you have
: to pay in D. Marks since it is german.
I'm not sure I buy this. Enigma was BIG here, they got MTV play like crazy,
and local music stores had tons of stock on the CD.
Can anyone confirm that it's not going to be released in the US? Or at least
provide more information as to who to talk to to find out.
: --
: Jason A. Giles
: Chemistry Department of the Univerity of Missouri Rolla
: jgi...@clciris.chem.umr.edu
: "Polymers are cool, yea" Butt-head's intelligent twin brother, Bald-Spot
--
Jason H Mccalla
>least provide more information as to who to talk to to find out.
well, my local 'alternative' radio station(corporate-owend, etc) is
playing at least one track from it during the teeny-bopper(evenings)
timeslot... they don't normally put stuff that's not commercially viable
in that slot, and I was really surprised when I happened across it as I
was driving home after night classes.
cjb...@ritvax.isc.rit.edu
is......febuary ...... 8th....
at least that is what I heard.....so if anyone knows differently please tell
me...
Se-Wai Lee
> In article <2hp38h$3...@news.iastate.edu> cr...@iastate.edu (???) writes:
> > Mark "Bad Boy" Jeremy <mej...@ritvax.isc.rit.edu> wrote:
>
>
> > >Which country does the Engima group come from??
>
> > Germany, if I'm not mistaken.
>
> is "technical" of your wording, but I thought Enigma was *one* guy
> who did all the stuff (not the chants) himself. Don't know his
> name, though...
> Can't wait for this album!
>
> Keith_Dr...@brown.edu
>
Enigma is basically a pseudonym for Michael Cretu (The "M.C." in "Curly M.C.").
I picked up the second album, "the Cross of Changes" in Hong Kong in December
(Interesting aside: you can find a fantastic number of German, French, and UK
imports in Hong Kong, all priced at around $13 U.S. In fact, almost all CD's
in Hong Kong cost ~$13. And they're not fakes)
Overall, I'm not as enamored with this album as the first. It's not as "innovative",
and it's rather pompous in the same way that Deep Forest is pompous (that is,
it purports to have a message, but it's mostly lip service and bogus pseudo-
intellectual musings). Despite all this, it's a pretty safe buy if you liked the
dense sonic textures of the first album and don't mind hearing the same sort of
musical hooks again (no monks though).
Here's a track listing and synopsis:
Second Chapter
Sounds like a recap of the first track on the first album, featuring the
same whispery female vocal (Cretu's wife, Sandra). Enigma like you always
expected it.
The Eyes of Truth
Lilting reedy Eastern melody. Sandra sings in style reminiscent of Ofra Haza
and Enya. Some male choral backgrounds, but not the same Gregorian-esque
stuff from the last album
Return To Innocence
Male vocals (credited to "Angel" in the liner notes) start off singing English
lyrics and degenerate into what I can best describe as yodeling. I find
this track rather irritating.
I Love You ... I'll Kill You
Starts off sounding like it's the continuation "Principles of Lust" (from
the first album). Halfway into the track, a guitar solo begins to weave
in and out of the melody. Carly sings repetitive refrain. Interesting.
Silent Warrior
My least favorite track. The beginning sounds like it's sampled from the
Deep Forest album. Then Cretu starts singing a grating song about the
injustices of the Crusades done in the "Name of God". Unconvincing.
The Dream of the Dolphin
Acoustic piano, chimes, and echo-ey synth. Like David Lanz was in the studio.
Age of Loneliness (Carly's Song)
From the movie "Sliver". Probably my favorite song on the album; it's true
to the style of the original album without sounding stale.
Out from the Deep
Same flavor as Silent Warrior. Cretu just doesn't get it.
The Cross of Changes
Peaceful, ambient ending to the album. Nice close.
44:16 total time. On a track-by-track basis, it's not a very satisfying album.
Listening to it beginning-to-end in one sitting, it flows fairly well, but nowhere
as gracefully as the first Enigma album. Programming out the "Silent Warrior"
and "Out from the Deep" tracks helps the flow somewhat.
Last I saw at Tower Records, the Cross of Changes is due to be released domestically
on Tuesday, February 1.
- C.Y.
Jim Martin
mcb...@okcforum.osrhe.edu (Chris McBride) writes:
> I'm not sure I buy this. Enigma was BIG here, they got MTV play like crazy,
> and local music stores had tons of stock on the CD.
>
> Can anyone confirm that it's not going to be released in the US? Or at least
> provide more information as to who to talk to to find out.
>
It will be on sale in the US. I believe it is on Feb 5 (I posted
earlier, but cannot remember the date..duh!). Fear not, Enigma is
coming.
**********************************************************************
Jim Martin ---- Computer Solutions Specialist ---- Jim_M...@ATK.COM
--- Multimedia and Advanced 3D Animation @ MN School of Comm. Arts ---
------By eye and claw I shall have your soul --Vecna, Archlich-------
**********************************************************************
Jon Snook
In a previous article, Jim_M...@ATK.COM (Jim Martin) says:
>In article <CK6BD...@darkside.osrhe.edu>
>mcb...@okcforum.osrhe.edu (Chris McBride) writes:
>
>> I'm not sure I buy this. Enigma was BIG here, they got MTV play like crazy,
>> and local music stores had tons of stock on the CD.
>>
>> Can anyone confirm that it's not going to be released in the US? Or at least
>> provide more information as to who to talk to to find out.
>
>It will be on sale in the US. I believe it is on Feb 5 (I posted
>earlier, but cannot remember the date..duh!). Fear not, Enigma is
>coming.
It's already out up here in Canada (wow, we got something before
the States...neat). It's definitely not as good as the first. it doesn't
flow like the first album did and a couple of the tracks are pretty weak.
Overall, it's an ok CD.
--
Jon Snook:ao...@freenet.carleton.ca "I said it was FREE!"
Hassein Davoodifar
IMHO it is very different from the first release, it sounds more like pop music
at times, lot more vocals and not in french either. Also, the chanting monks
are featured only in two cuts (if I can remember right). It lacks that "sexy"
sound the first one had.