The Vitals:

Label: Yo-Yo Records
Genre: Psy Trance
Number of Tracks: 10
How to Obtain: www.bne.co.il , www.psyshop.com , www.cduniverse.com , etc

Factor Scores:

Production Quality: 9.0
Programming and Arrangement: 8.3
Entertainment Quality: 8.5
Total: 8.6 – Great

Digital Aura's Take:

The Freak Show is an Israeli partnership made up of Itay Avraham (age 25) and Itay Dangur (age 28). They have been honing their production skills for two years now from their studio in Holon.

While they have had some success already with their live show and through their releases on other compilations, this debut album sets the stage for the duo to make their move in a big way to dance floors across the globe. This latest effort has proven to be wildly popular among psy lovers already and can be best described as a collection of monstrously huge dance floor hits that sound like "a ping-pong game on acid".

The Freak Show has a very unique sound: bright melodies, dirtied glitchy leads, wide use of sampled clips, and big breaks to bring in more depth to each track. They've mastered some elements so well that they capitalize on those sounds throughout the whole CD. The same riveting arped bass bounces through each track relentlessly boring through your skull, the same drum kit produces intense driving motion in every song, and they've discovered the perfect psy kick, which they use to punch holes through your brain!

If these elements were anything less then stellar, it may have been the demise of this release.... But believe me, their production is so tight, and the elements sound so good, that you literally cheer when you hear the next track hasn't abandoned what's already been working in previous ones!

The mix is way above par. The kicks have a pronounced pumping sound while maintaining a crisp and solid punch. The leads are quirky, sharp, and musically gorgeous. The pads are deep and move behind everything else without muddying the spectrum. Brilliant work. And while each track maintains that unique "Freak" sound, they are disparate and unique unto themselves.

The title track, "The Less You Freak", lays it all out there: gated synths, wicked arps, big breaks, stunning samples, magical melodies. Track 10, "Control Your Life", introduces a vocoded chorus into the work giving it a slightly more club friendly sound then other offerings in the psy trance market.

"Spin Me Around" is a very effective psy remake of the classic 80's tune of the same name.