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REVIEWS FOR BELLE EPOQUE
Glenn Love - Belle epoque (cd Sonic-X)
Posted on 16 Nov, 2006 - Side-line Magazine
I can’t remember to have heard of this Canadian artist before. The official debut-cd reveals an interesting melting pot of electronics. It sounds quite fresh and full of nice electronic effects although I’m missing vocals. By the exception of one single track all the songs remain instrumentals and that’s maybe a point that has to be reconsidered. The only song with vocals is the “Mars ascending”-cut, but the remixed version by AntiStasis. Among the coolest pieces I’ll mention the harder “Landwehr” containing some heavier, industrial sounds and the more into wave like “Seventh veil”. Notice by the way that labelmate T.H. Industry made a remix as well. It’s a remix of “Iceland”, but I here prefer the original version! This is a project that can grow, but there’re some interesting ideas running through this debut! www.sonic-x.de (DP:6)
DP.
Here is a translated review from Zillo Magazine - February 2006
With this his fifth album the Canadian Underground artist Glenn Love rigorously continues what had already distinguished his previous recordings. With his Dark Electronic Beats he produces purely instrumental soundscapes that are partly dark, partly wonderfully dreamy, mixes them with atmospheric Ambient, groovy Trance and even elements of Celtic music. What should be positively emphasized is that he still creates this flowing atmospheric world of music in the "old fashioned way " by exclusively using Hardware-Synthesizers. The disc's 13 tracks demonstrate great variety, since numbers such as "Airships" and " Der Letzte Abend" are ideally suited to Chillout, while "Lanwehr" or "Mars Ascending" with their grooves would not be out of place even at the clubs. The last-mentioned track is also available as an AntiStasis Remix, and the driving opening number "Iceland" re-appears at the end in a tougher guise by the German Industrial Project T.H. Industry. A very successful work that does justice to its name by offering the listener a beautiful epoque.
S.P.
English translation Judith Orban August 2006
Here is a new translated review from Medienkonverter.de :
Medienkonverter.de Review of
GLENN LOVE BELLE EPOQUE
by Björn
Attention: hot electronic tip! Canadian Glenn Love is back with Belle Epoque, his second presentation after Cruel Utopia in November 2001. Here in Germany/Europe probably only insiders are familiar with his project, but in North America this active underground artist has already garnered much praise from his live performances at Canadian dark raves as well as on main stages, a reputation not least confirmed by his top ranking on hit-charts and much radio play. Purely instrumental (like the rest of the album) Belle Epoque is an electronic conglomeration, presenting plenty of variety ranging from monotonous forward thrust to complex, calm numbers and yet maintaining a very clearly recognizable through-line. The whole project was deliberately performed on analog synthesizers only, with no playing around on PCs. Of course its clear that other toys such as samplers were used, but really only to produce beats and samples for loops providing a fascinating, rhythmical trip into a soundscape that is sometimes chillout-heavy, peaceful, warm-sounding, even occasionally abyss-hugging, at other times beat-heavy and harsh.
The first cut, Iceland, immediately provides good proof for this recommendation without first having to listen to the entire album. The sounds Love uses instantly awaken memories of earlier, analog days the drumset and bassline are there in full force. On Airships, Belle Epoque or Waking Dreams Glenn Loves playful way with sounds makes for a very pleasant tootling dancing rhythmically through your brain, Waking Dreams also seems to follow traces of Cyclotimias Eschaton. Opulent but not over-ornate, these titles are an inspiring feast for the ears, especially through earphones. Listening like that also allows you to most easily discern his self-confessed combination of Neo-Folk, Celtic, Electro, Ambient and Trance influences. On this CD the absolute groove with a rhythm that makes you move can be found in Landwehr. This track, equally infectious and atmospheric, is so compelling that it makes reaching for the skip button definitely worthwhile for back that is; by the way, for Seventh Veil see Landwehr. Best would be to use the repeat button only once at the very end; although the two re-mixes of Anti-Stasis and T.H. Industry are certainly not the worst, theyre not really in harmony with Glenns second release, nor is the first-time introduced Mars Ascending among his best songs. However, the Iceland re-mix could surely rock any electro dancefloor.
Belle Epoque shouldnt just decorate your shelf, but instead be constantly used in your well assorted CD collection. It doesnt matter how you interpret the meaning of the title whether as a reminder of earlier times (more musical underpinning than the actual historical background), or as an independent beautiful work, or as the impetus for a new musical flowering. In any case, in contrast to all of todays many releases which generally can always be compared to some other musical style, Glenn Love and his recognizably individual style is in a category unto itself, namely Electronica at its finest and entertaining on top of it. Even if you have no interest in such music, you absolutely should listen to Iceland with its distorted, whirring guitar riffs, Airships, Landwehr, Waking Dreams and Seventh Veil!
Rating 5 out of 6 stars !
English translation by Judith Orban
July 2006
June 26th 2006
I will add a new review from Zillo Magazine as soon as I get it translated.
Review SONIC SEDUCER - March 2006
Glenn Love "Belle Epoque"
Whether Glenn Love is his real name or if he just thought up a particularly delightful pseudonym shall remain an open question here, for it ranks among the rather less interesting aspects of this extremely interesting second album by the meticulous Canadian sound manipulator. Yet Love's darkly pounding electronics are neither noisy Power-Industrial nor ritual Ambient, and least of all any dance-floor Electro. That in his native land Love frequently provides sound for Chill-Out-Zones at murky Raves fits into the picture, because it would be possible to describe "Belle Epoque" as dance music for people who don't like to dance. Though his tracks are rhythmically stringent and provocatively monotonous throughout, they are more suited to building up a mood than to wearing away the urge to move. Glenn Love approaches the work so unobtrusively that, in the beginning, the album is almost in danger of rushing past the listener - only after 3 or 4 pieces you notice that the restrained but relentlessly pumping material possesses massively hypnotic Loop qualities. If Martin Rev had a notion to re-release the last Suicide album, this time without Alan Vegas' singing (or what Vegas thinks is singing), the result might perhaps sound similar to "Belle Eppoque". And you might just have to program out the two Electro Mixes of T.H. Industry and Anti Stasis, that seem somewhat out of context but are probably necessary in view of club suitability.
Tremendous disc.
Thomas Pilgrim
LEGACY MAGAZINE - March 2006
Glenn Love "Belle Epoque" (Sonic X/SXD)
Techno in the Legacy Soundcheck??? That's probably what some colleagues thought too, and in their utter amazement handed out low point fines. But aside from the fact that 95% of Legacy writers should never be given any technoid music to review, GLENN LOVE'S creations have a greater right to exist than it appears. The man is actually a DJ, comes from Toronto/Canada, and also creates his own original music in his spare time. His 2001 debut album titled "Cruel Utopia" seems to have done well on his home turf, and therefore the German label Sonic X was prepared to give the man a leg-up in releasing its successor "Belle Epoque". But this disc contains not merely Techno, for the name GLENN LOVE stands for a colourful and vast - though partly somewhat antiquated - range of electronic music, encompassing elements of Ambient, Industrial, Trance, Chill-Out and EBM. It's nicely categorized on the label flyer as 'Dark Electronic Soundscapes', since there's no doubt it is 'dark', it's 'electronic' in any case, and instead of conventional songs the listener gets to hear instrumental, mostly atmospheric expanses of sound. Nevertheless the album is danceable and from time to time the 13 songs (including remixes of AntiStasis and T.H. Industry) produce an hypnotic effect. Frequently you get the feeling of listening to a soundtrack, while in your imagination you watch cameras rush through post-modern industrial waste lands and big city ghettos. Also remarkable is the fact that GLENN LOVE - contrary to tendencies on the current music market - is said to have rendered his songs exclusively with genuine Hardware Synthesizers. So there's no chance for Plug ins. "Belle Epoque" may be a controversial album not only for its erroneous placement on the Legacy-Soundcheck, but also because it doesn't offer readymade Standard Electro, revealing instead the attempt to add an individual note to the genre. For some spoiled modern-age-Electro fans this may be hard to swallow at first, but it says something about the artist's daring. (SB)
10 points
Review Oblivion Magazine - December 2005
With "Belle Epoque" the Canadian Glenn Love has produced a truly remarkable and satisfying electro album, for here an underlying technoidal and ambient soundcarpet is overlaid with the most varied musical influences, and the whole is woven into a conglomerate of sound that has ultimately resulted in a really fascinating and entertaining album. These musical influences run the gamut from early Simple Minds or Ultravox through Celtic rythms and melodies, to distorted industrial grooves and samples, all the way to futuristic-sounding soundscapes à la early Jean-Michel Jarre or Klaus Schulze and Tangerine Dream (just listen to "Airships"). In addition, "Belle Epoque" maintains throughout a slightly dark, melancholy undertone. In Canada "Belle Epoque" had already made its debut this past summer, and we can only rejoice that a distribution label has been found for this musical jewel, which so clearly demonstrates that even in today's Electroscene it is possible to follow new and innovative roads. With this disc Glenn Love has succeeded in producing a master work. Unconditionally recommended for purchase.
Raiting 9/10 - MK
Review Elektrauma - January 2006
Put on the CD right away and listened to the first song…wow! Glenn Love, a musician and artist from Toronto (Canada), instantly inspires enthusiasm. The life-force of the first song "Iceland" is its simplicity, displayed in swirling bass runs and the staccato melody. The very first grooves of "Belle Epoque" prove that pure electronic instrumental music can be inspiring when it is arranged intelligently. Glenn Love's specialty is to rely on the good old synthesizer and, without using computer-generated music, to revive the craft of punctiliously pursuing detail. That's why Glenn Love's creations always have that touch of '80s Underground Electronics à la Fad Gadget or Umo Detic. Though the beginning might hint at a dance album, the later cuts show that Love is not interested in conquering the clubs. Above all, the songs want to create atmoshphere. And he does that very successfully. "Waking Dreams on the Bridge of Night" uses broad expanses and minimal drum programming. In contrast "Seventh Veil" is filled with driving percussion and seductive guitar. These are only a few examples of how music is defined here. Only the remixes at the end were really not necessary. Glenn Love is a living example of how to do electronic music. A 'must listen' in any case.
Raiting 5/6
Review Dark Heart Magazine - November 2005
With "Belle Epoque" Glenn Love presents the successor to his debut disc "Cruel Utopia". Once again he mixes in an interesting way a variety of musical influences, such as Ambient, Trance, and Electro, to produce a dark instrumental sound track of a particular kind. By listening to this CD you undertake a journey - not only of Glenn Love's musical world, but also of your own spirit. The consistently ambitious songs offer a lot of scope for interpretation and your own ideas. In that regard the title of the album "Belle Epoque" seems very suitable - a journey through a different era. Originally the phrase was applied to the artistic heyday and economic changes of the period 1871 - 1914 in Europe so abruptly ended by WW I. And some of the songs reverberate with a kind of melancholy that this era is over. The CD comprises 13 songs, among them 2 remixes of T.H. Industry and AntiStasis! Independent Electronic Music for connoisseurs! Recommendations:"Iceland", "Darkroom", "Mars Ascending".
Conclusion: Give a listen!
Raiting 3/5
Review Re-flexion - December 2005
I can't quite follow this euphoria, though "Belle Epoque" is good, it is just that. Nevertheless it is worthwhile to listen to Glenn Love's world of sound and form your own opinion.
Raiting 70%
Review Chain DLK - December 2005
Hailing from Toronto, Canada, Glenn Love is a sole underground musician and successful live performer at some dark raves in his home country. With this full length CD now released under the wing of the German Sonic-X label he presents his second official studio release. It is music based globally on Dark Electro themes which plays and combines with several different elements like Electronica, Trance or Ambient. Instrumental music more designed for some Chill-out areas than any straight dancefloors – I would recommend the use of a good pair of headphones. This CD features 11 original tracks done by Glenn Love plus two remix works constructed by ANTISTASIS and T.H. INDUSTRY to make sure a straighter and dancefloor-friendly attitude. The best tracks here are to my taste the more darker pieces like "Walking Dreams" because of the thick synth layers, and the easy-listening "Airships", which features some Trance elements. I like the own identity of the sounds and the ideas behind this project. This music is something special asides all hyped styles and trends. Congrats to the artist and Sonic-X for this courageous release – moreover because I think that any bigger commercial success will not happen in our "short-hair-rivethead" generation. I see it quite difficult to earn any recognition without the use of vocals – so is life and unfortunately an unwritten rule of the scene. Nevertheless it is nice and enjoying – I hope it will enter unforeseen success!
Raiting 70%
Review Morbid Outlook - November 2005
A new album from the Canadian electronic artist, acclaimed for his 2001 release, "Cruel Utopia". Trance electonica with strong grooves and atmosphere. Excellent club music as well as good "busy music" while doin' stuff around the house. There is a continual sense of urgency and import that repeatedly pulls your ear back to it no matter what else you might be doing. This dude is bad in the best sense of the term.
REVIEWS FOR CRUEL UTOPIA
June 2005 review from UndergroundPress in South Africa.
Review by NachtwaertZ - December 2004
With his fourth album "Cruel Utopia", the Canadian Underground artist Glenn Love from Toronto has put on the market a disc that truly blew me away. "Cruel Utopia" is as great for dancing as it is suitable background for a session. A contradiction ? No, it really works. Especially lovers of electronic Ambientsounds will enjoy this CD, because the seven tracks are simply superb, and stand out from the usual dark sound collages. The music is situated somewhere between Trance, Darkambient and Electro. It conjures up a magical atmosphere, and I use it often to launch a party - or rather a session. The CD prevents the mood from becoming too dark or getting too deep. Nevertheless it allows for "playing" without the mood being disturbed by it. Used together with strobe lights the disc provides fabulous dance music. My first thought when I listened to it was," mystical." Glenn Love does everything himself, and used almost exclusively his own sound creations and loops during the seven months that he worked on the project. Unfortunately his first three discs are not for sale in Germany.
Review by Starvox Magazine - December 2003
For several years now, we've been listening to Goth bands producing reformulated (some would say regurgitated) 80s music. Glenn Love is part of the Next Wave. His synthesizer stylings are firmly grounded in the late 90s/early Aughties; instead of hearkening back to Depeche Mode, his "Cruel Utopia" evokes a darker Astral Projection, an Infected and Poisonous Mushroom. It's Thoroughly Modern Music, which shows all the strengths and weaknesses of Trance/Ambient dance music.
In the best trance tradition, he finds a Really Cool Sound and repeats it until he comes up with another Really Cool Sound. This is not really very interesting, unless you're chemically enhanced. Arnold Schoenberg, Robert Fripp and Brian Eno, among others, broke the rules AFTER they learned them. At its worst, this is lazy, not challenging, composition.
"Cipher" is tuneful, and has a danceable beat, but Love doesn't really go anywhere with it. At 7:25, it's a good two minutes too long. The drum machine sounds, well, like a drum machine. While "Photo" and "Mind" have a bit more of an edge, Love doesn't really develop on his themes. It's unfortunate; he has a good ear, and a feel for music which gets under your skin. He could benefit from some composition classes, or from a study of Serialism or other alternative ways of developing tension within a tune.
Of course, it could just be that I'm a boring old fart who doesn't understand post-postmodern music. "Cruel Utopia" begins with a slightly faster beat, and a pulsating bass line that put my JBL subwoofer through its paces. I've gathered that in Cali many once-industrial DJs have repackaged themselves as "Psytrance." They should include this track in their mixes, then segue into "Kool Utopia." The jaunty circuslike opening, reiterated throughout various permutations, captures joy and dread in one fell swoop that you can dance to... dark ambient trance at its best.
"In Exile" and "Sea of Forgotten Dreams..." may be the strongest tracks on the CD. Both build up an atmosphere of dread, playing samples and dissonance against a pulsing beat. It's music that makes you nervous even as you shake your booty. If Love continues in this direction, his next CD will definitely be worth listening for. His recent tours of Germany should expose him to a new audience... and should also be a great educational experience. The country which gave the world Kraftwerk and which discovered Giorgio Moroder certainly has a few things to offer a talented young synth artist like Love.
Review by Morbid Outlook Magazine - August 2003
This Torontonian musician paints an electronic soundscape that exudes all that is sci-fi. Very Blade Runner ambient; this isn’t music you casually listen to, it’s something you absorb.
Check out the review in the German magazine www.ragazzi-music.de - March 2003
Here's the translated review from Ragazzi Magazine; With his fourth work "Cruel Utopia",the Canadian Underground artist Glenn Love has finally also arrived on the German market. And enthusiasts of ambient sounds now have cause to rejoice, for the seven tracks are all sound constructs worth listening to, and considerably better than the often monotonous offerings of this genre. Even though he is not necessarily comparable in musical terms, Glenn Love can justifiably be cited in the same breath as his Canadian colleagues Bill Leeb and Rhys Fulber (Frontline Assembly). These two had already conjured up similar soundscapes with early works of their side projects 'Delerium' and 'Will'. Dark and mysterious, atmospheric and grooving, the tracks of "Cruel Utopia" forge their trail, flowing between Trance, dark Electro and Ambient. Like opaque veils of fog, a mysterious rhythm drifts through the songs. Pleasantly supported by this rhythm, the listener slides into the music picture that Glenn Love devises for the eyes and ears of the traveller. This artist does not simply process existing loops and samples. He still programs each sound himself, like a painter grinding his own paint colors. Amazingly, a few parallels to the instrumental songs of Spylabs "This Utopia" album are to be found in Glenn Love's "Cruel Utopia". Magnificent! (can be ordered through sxdistribution.de)
Interview by Dark Heart Magazine - December 2002
Read the Dark Heart Magazine Interview Here
Review by Dark Heart Magazine - December 2002
Read the german review here
Review from the Canadian-Music.com Newsletter - July 2002
Electronica at its finest. This is perhaps the best CD in this genre that I've received this year. Very moody and dripping with originality, each song is a journey into another dimension. Very cool! Let me put it this way, if you're into dark ambient trance then you must get this CD.
S.
Review from Exclaim! Magazine - August 2002
CRUEL UTOPIA is a strong fourth album from this one-man dark electronic/ambient project. From the first track the clean, polished programming stands out. With no vocals, the songs remain simple but not amateur. There's also a bit of a retro feel to CRUEL UTOPIA, but it is updated with the current flavour of ambient and trip-hop, but much much darker of course. Clocking in at about 30 minutes, this disc is the perfect length for ambient music of this variety. The intensity of Love's work shows through, but the edge is definately mellow.
Coreen Wolanski.
Chart Attack Review - May 2002
Glenn Love appears to be well-versed in the nuances of contemporary dance music, although his latest release gives these sounds a darker spin. As its title suggests, an underlying cold, gothic tone pervades through Cruel Utopia's seven tracks. Love mixes up the beats, but retains a Spartan electronic backdrop that brings to mind Plastikman's recent work. An impressive effort, adding the proper melodic support where necessary, but always allowing the throbbing electronic pulses to propel the music.
Darrin Keene
Review by Dj Lord Pale of SAVAGE GARDEN
I always have a moment of doubt when someone hands me a disc to promo. Especially when its giving is accompanied by the words ambient. What normally follows is me in a darkened room trying to decide whether the disc creator was on an amphetamine come down or conversely I was way to straight to understand it. That's not a problem I had with Cruel utopia. It stands and speaks for itself. The intricately laid out rhythms are as organic and full of life as it gets. Its not a driving album with all the subtly of a steam train. Rather it is a slow and melodic creation that is as individual as the person who listens to it. Its difficult to describe any ambient album, especially when its good. A truly good album is unique. This is Cruel utopias greatest virtue. Its originality. It doesn't try to drown you in sound. Its a soundscape that speaks of joy, despair, hope, and salvation. Its melodies wash over you and speak to something deep within. What that is I don't now. What I do know is it feels right. This is an album that you don't just listen too. You let it wrap you in its arms, and listen to its whisper of other worlds.
DJ Lord Pale,
Savage Garden
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