The beginning of greatness This is Juno Reactor's first album, and you can definitely tell that they are ready to conquer the electronic world. I think that JR is one one of the greatest techno bands ever. As you have probably read, most poeple feel that thier second album far surpasses this one. I feel that they are both equally good. JR has a unique sound that mixes techno with tribal and then takes you on a trip, blade runner style. Their music still outclasses most dance and trance of today. Everything I have heard from them is great. If you have missed out on the beginning of Juno Reactor or are just getting in to them, then there is no better place to start than here.
Same band, different concept This album is so far away conceptually from the rest of Juno Reactor's work that it really needs to be considered as a separate entity. People say it sounds dated by comparison to the later material, but I think it mostly sounds different because it was going for a different effect.
Later Juno Reactor discs have either focused on high-energy dance music (Beyond the Infinite) or combining that high energy with multicultural samples to create a kind of wordbeat/trance sound (Bible of Dreams, Shango, Labyrinth). Transmissions, however, sets out to take you on a more purely electronic, space-oriented trip. As such, it's a little slower, a little more abstract and atmospheric, and takes its time to develop a distinct mood of cosmic vastness, emptiness, and alien landscapes. It's frequently danceable, but also a smooth and very cohesive listening experience from beginning to end. There's no dense jungle percussion assault like "Conga Fury" here, but the whole thing takes its cues from the opening track "High Energy Protons" and develops the mood from there.
Me, I like the spacey techno atmosphere and think this disc is a great stand-alone success. I was first turned on to Juno Reactor by Bible of Dreams (another great disc), but I listen to this one just as much. The two albums are must-haves, but the musical terrain they explore is so vastly different that they might as well have been recorded by different artists. If you try not to compare this to later Juno Reactor, the disc will pleasantly surprise you.
One of JR's best. I suppose I'm different from the rest of the reviewers here who seemingly rate this low. I didn't come into JR around the Bible of Dreams or Shango eras. I came in just as Beyond The Infinite was released and promptly picked up Transmissions the next day. So I was listening to both of the albums at the same time.
I don't find this album dated in the least. I think it just comes down to what you like. I don't like recent JR albums nearly as much as the original 2, but others who like the recent albums will probably not like the older ones. JR has changed styles so immensely that old and new fans are hearing different things.
I love Transmissions. It has a very specific spacey feel to it, thus the name. The NASA samples are extremely fitting. I find it flows better than just about any other JR album.
Besides, it also has one of my favorite JR songs of all time, Landing. The Stephen Hawking quote is amazing and the song is the ultimate finisher, better than any other JR album. Landing makes me wish JR would throw out an ambient album at some time.
So for recent JR fans, keep in mind that this album wasn't made for you. Obviously JR has changed, but this album is far from dated. You certainly can't be a "die-hard" fan and ignore this album.
Cheers!
Trance at its very best I listened to this album at a used music store back in '97. I had never heard of Juno Reactor before. The music took me to a place that I have real difficulty describing - another plane of existence that I know I've visited before. The soundscapes are masterfully engineered, rich and original. Each track is a gem. This album tops any of their subsequent releases.
For it's time it was good... I bought this CD, having known Juno since Bible of Dreams and Shango. Then, after buying Labyrinth, I went to this. What's in the past, should be left in the past. It's a good start for Juno's career, but I'm glad to see them come so far now.
If you're expecting more of excellent Juno, think again. These are good trance songs, but they aren't engineered as well here. The engineering quality reminds me of how Orbital first started out and mastered their art over time.
The music reminds me alot of CoEx: Synaethesia. It has some odd voice-recordings that sound extremely archaic, but, of course, they fit the songs.
They also tried to follow a theme about space, and pull it off somewhat half-heartedly. Another band, Delerium, enjoyed creating themes in their albums, and this is akin to Spheres II.
This CD isn't as good as everyone's saying it is. If you're a die-hard Juno fan (like me), you won't miss this album, trust me.
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