Album Description: A best of collection form this trance, techno, industrial, pop, dance, world band. Many tracks highlight some of the most innovative collaborators the Juno Reactor has ever worked with, Alex Patterson (Orb), Greg Hunter (ex-Orb), Stef Holweck, Mike Maguire, Steve Stevens (Billy Idol), Amampondo, Nick Burton, Phil Jackson, & Johann Bley. 11 tracks including the single, 'Hotaka'. Digipak. Metropolis. 2003.
Brilliant band, disappointing compilation Others have pointed out that this collection has nothing that is not available elsewhere. There is no reason for fans of Juno Reactor to purchase this album. Even the "original" cut of Hotaka is available on a single that most fans either already own or will want to own.
Another major disappointment is that the collection comes with no liner notes, not background on the group. One thing I usually like about "best of" compilations are the commentaries or documentary materials that provide additional insight into the music, the members of the band, their evolving place in history. This CD has absolutely nothing of the sort. It might as well be a home-burned mix disc.
As for an intro album, I guess it's a reasonable selection. It *does* include many of the pieces that I would put on my own personal best-of. But again, it has been pointed out that if you like this kind of music, Juno Reactor is *so* good that you are going to want to own every original anyway. There is no original album, no "single" that is in any way disappointing. In fact, this album is the only time I have ever been disappointed by Juno Reactor, and that's only because there is not one atom of original material, musical or otherwise, in the package.
Good Stuff Within the scope of electronic music there seem to be no strict boundaries. Everything imaginable can be realized through the use of digital synthesizers and computers. Juno Reactor has proven that anything within earshot can be utilized and compounded into a viable musical form that may resist description. Whether the Reactor are dabbling in techno, trance, world, industrial or rock they come across as the seasoned veterans of the scene that they are. So if you've found yourself at a loss as to where to start your Juno Reactor descent then this 11-song collection is it.
By: Christopher Curry
Entering the Odyssey that is..Juno Reactor I first came across Juno Reactor on the soundtrack to the movie "Virtuosity" with "Samurai". Most recently since getting this CD I've been looking to expand my collection of their music. With any "Best Of" CD it's going to be hard to put together something that everyone will like since we all have our favorites. This CD does a decent job of putting some of the good songs and different styles of Juno Reactor together, but like most, I feel that some better ones were left out. I would have pulled ones like "Feel The Universe", "Komit", and "Hule Lam" and put in any of the following songs: "Swamp Thing", "Haguya Hime", "Childeren of the Night", "Contact", "10,000 Miles", Guardian Angel", "Ice Cube", and "Samurai". Still this introduces anyone new or familiar with Juno Reactor and the new song "Hotaka" isn't too bad at all.
An interesting look at Juno Reactor. Like Fluke's Progressive History X, Juno Reactor's Odyssey is designed to take a retrospective look at the past. And like PHX, it fails miserably, since no artist or group can be summed up in such a short selection. Still, it's a decent CD.
I got my first taste of Juno Reactor in the original Mortal Kombat flick, and got my interest re-sparked by the soundtrack to The Matrix Revolutions. But it was when I heard the single Samurai that I knew I had to look Juno Reactor up. Naturally, I came into this CD looking for more tracks like Samurai. Naturally, I was disappointed. Like Fluke's PHX, this is a fairly diverse CD, designed to give you a taste of all JR's various sides. The album starts very well with High Energy Protons, which is exactly the kind of Juno Reactor sound I was looking for. Rotorblade also impressed me (remember, I came in looking for more like Samurai). I consider those two tracks to be the best on the CD. But Odyssey slowly abandons that sound in favor of the more tribal style JR adopted, and tracks like God Is God and Conga Fury take over. Things pick up again with Komit and Pistolero, the latter simply being one of the coolest tracks I've ever heard. Hule Laam and Hotaka really don't do it for me; both feel too forced. Hotaka particularly bothers me, as the guitars completely overwhelm the Japanese taiko drums that should have taken center stage. Masters Of The Universe is an interesting number that many will probably recognize from The Animatrix trailers (Conga Fury was also used in The Animatrix).
The CD is never dull, and does offer an acceptable look at JR's different stages of progression. But with my bias towards the progressive/psy-trance sound of High Energy Protons and Samurai, it just didn't quite hit the spot for me. I definitely think all electronica fans should look into Juno Reactor, but just maybe not this album.
An excellent album for newcomers, but nothing new Over the years, Juno Reactor has been the center of a lot of attention, a rare feat for such a quality electronic band. With original works for several movies such as Mortal Kombat, Lost in Space, and the prestigious (yet disappointing) Matrix Reloaded/Revolutions, Juno Reactor now has the eyes and ears of the world, and as such, it would be logical to release a compilation of their (well, Ben Watkins's - Alleged Juno Reactor `pivotal member') past works, which in contrast to the advertised "Celebrating 10 Years".
Odyssey effectively outlines Juno Reactor's career by featuring popular songs from their previous albums. As a Juno Reactor fan, I could spend a decent amount of time talking about how I think other songs should have been put on the album, but all things considered, the selection accurately portrays Juno Reactor's talent, and sheer variety in different music styles. Few other artists can meander through different genres as easily and naturally as Juno Reactor (Ben Watkins), and Odyssey begins with such pivotal Psy-Trance tracks, suck as "Feel The Universe" and "Rotorblade" of who's hard-hitting nature, and vague industrial feel more at home in Matrix films, rather than the dance floor.
The album progresses into Juno Reactor's more natural feel, with the popular jungle/tribes piece "Conga Fury" (featured in the "Animatrix" short "Final Flight of the Osiris"), and than moving on into Pistolero, a western themed song about a woman who is in love with a Bank Robber, complete with Spanish guitar.
Fans of Juno Reactor probably own the albums that include all of the above, suggesting once again that Odyssey is meant more as an introduction to the world of Juno Reactor. Contributing to this likely intention is the fact that many of the songs on Odyssey have been edited with shorter introductions. While this definitely will help those who don't have the attention span for 7 to 10 minute songs, it's somewhat an insult to fans, and once again limits the appeal of the album to newcomers. Unlike some electronic artists, Juno Reactor has always been able to provide the payoff for a long build, so, I do not think this was necessary.
Like any "Best of Album," the intended hook to snare old school Juno Reactor fans was a brand new song titled "Hotaka," a collaborative effort with Gocoo, a taiko drumming team. Hotaka lends it's self to the Japanese influenced song, titled "Samurai" (also Juno Reactor), and throws in some classic Rockin' Guitar, courtesy of Steve Stephens (Billy Idol). When broken down, Hotaka is composed of Gocoo's style of somewhat vocal (yet bodiless) percussions, pseudo jungle beats, and Rock n' Roll guitar riffs. Daring in concept, but in practice, it doesn't really work. The song is too segmented, and sounds like a clumsy hodgepodge of a piece, suggesting once again that Bed Watkins really doesn't play well with others (like his Collaborative piece with Don Davis for the Matrix Soundtrack). Alone, Hotaka unfortunately doesn't offer enough for fans, and simply purchasing the Hotaka Single is somewhat of a better alternative.
Ultimately, I can only recommend this album to those who have realized that that catchy tune during "Virtuosity" was Juno Reactor, and other soon-to-be fans. As a fan, this is nothing that hasn't been heard before, and thus, unless you really want to show your support to Juno Reactor, I would say this is a pass. Those who would like to catch Juno Reactor's new song, should check out the Hotaka Single
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