Ultrabeat’s Erik
Augustsson certainly has a gift. He
wrote, performed, produced and mixed all the tracks on his sophomore
release, Beyond the Stars. The
entire album blends house, techno and dance music beautifully, creating
a sound that feels more alive and energetic than the one found on his
previous release. It is
split into two parts, the first nine tracks are actual songs with words,
while the remaining six tracks are instrumentals.
The separate sections are titled “Spacepop 2001” and “Dreamplanet,”
describing the feel of the grouping of songs perfectly.
The music and lyrics
on Beyond the Stars are sometimes mysterious and sometimes very simple.
One song that stands out is “Jesusrave,” a song that could
definitely be played in a dance club.
The track is easy to follow with its steady beat and pulsing
lyrics:
rave, rave to the beat
come on, come on and move your feet
rave, rave to the beat
come on come and move your feet
Jesus Christ is living and alive
gave His life so you can survive
it's just one way to get free like I am
wake up and see that you are dying
call upon Jesus’ name
and join us in our flashy Jesus rave
The album is
definitely a leap from Ultrabeat’s debut,
Trip
to a Planet Called Heaven, as it sounds like it was
worked on harder and more thought was put into the music and lyrics.
Any fan of dance/electronic music will enjoy the album and
dance-club atmosphere it can create.
