plaid Balil: An Anthology

[Guest ruiagnelo]

I have had this idea stored in my mind for quite some time now, and while listening to some Balil now, i am thinking it might be worth, at least, trying it. I don't like the idea of home made compilations, but i think that a Balil compilation, made from already released tunes, would be a hell of a sonic journey. Also, Balil is, next to Plaid, the most prolific alias of all the three old dogs. According to discogs, these have been released so far:

 

Clinically Inclined (Remix) - (ART 1 E.P.)

Jam Packed - (ART 1 E.P.)

Nort Route (R&S Remix) - (ART 1 E.P.)

Nort Route (Remix)- (ART 1 E.P.)

Rosery Pilots (Parasight)

Avidya (Parasight)

Parasight (Parasight)

Island (Parasight)

Merck (Bytes)

3/4 Heart (Bytes)

Glass Dual (The Electric Institute)

Nort Route (Mix4) (ART 4)

The Whirling Of Spirits (Mix2) (ART 4)

Small Energies (The Philosophy Of Sound And Machine/Trainer)

Eshish (Trainer)

Nort Route (Trainer)

Whirling Of Spirits (Trainer)

Choke And Fly (Trainer)

Uland (Trainer)

Flux - credited as produced by Balil here, even though is part of the Black Dog Productions EP.

Island Praise (or Paradise?) - unreleased track, full version of Uland, might as well be included, as there is a remastered version around the web, and it might have been actually released. discogs doesn't mention track lenght tho, so it is hard to confirm.

 

Remixes, which i don't think should be included, because they are not as genuine as other Balil tracks:

Shambala (Reflected By Balil)

The Melody (Balil Remix)

 

I don't think i am leaving any track behind, and now i am going to work on the tracklist, which i hate doing. I want you guys to suggest your 'perfect' tracklist, but don't go ahead and throw any random list, it's Balil we are talking about here. I know there are quite a few real lovers here (sirch and Boxing day immediatly come to mind), that's why i am coming up with this.

I might create some artwork too, if this really works out. Really looking forward to this experience

 

edit: forgot to mention boredroom! tho he really has been faaar away

[Wyern]

There's also

 

Balil - Hammers

Balil - Merck (Premix), different than bytes version

[Guest sirch]

excellent idea mate! :D

i thought this was some new Balil release tho when i first saw the title! lol

i'll try come up with my perfect tracklist.. and will post here.. it will be hard, tho!!

 

oh, and magdog and gaylord sweetwood know their stuffs, too! :)

[Guest ruiagnelo]

There's also

 

Balil - Hammers

Balil - Merck (Premix), different than bytes version

 

you are right. i love them both, and i don't want to sound like a dick, but their audio quality doesn't seem enough to include them in such a compilation.

 

 

oh, and magdog and gaylord sweetwood know their stuffs, too! :)

 

indeed!

i am curious to know gaylord sweetwood's list! i have mentioned three members with whom i had conversations about this, but i know there are plenty of Balil fans here

[chassis]

Nice list.

[goDel]

FYI: First two tracks of your list are by Kirk Degiorgio (=future/past). Only the nort route tracks from that ep are by balil.

 

 

more on topiccish: anthology yes, but not without the unreleased stuff!

[Boxing Day]

Balil is definitive in my TOP 3 artists of all time list. That Parasight EP is just mind blowing and beautiful.

 

Please Balil if you are reading this .. RELEASE THAT GOD DAMN LP

[Boxing Day]

Anyways , here is my tracklist for the Balil Anthology , best of .. whatever.

 

1.Merck

2.Avidya

3.Flux

4.3/4 Heart

5.North Route

6.Small Energies

7.Uland

8.Whirling Of Spirits

9.Island

10.Rosery Pilots

11.Parasight

[Guest ruiagnelo]

FYI: First two tracks of your list are by Kirk Degiorgio (=future/past). Only the nort route tracks from that ep are by balil.

 

 

 

indeed! copy/pasted from discogs and forgot to delete

 

 

 

 

more on topiccish: anthology yes, but not without the unreleased stuff!

 

not a single problem for me! i love Balil, everything!

anyway, will try and include unreleased tunes as well, just a little worried about audio quality tho :/

[Guest ruiagnelo]

Balil is definitive in my TOP 3 artists of all time list. That Parasight EP is just mind blowing and beautiful.

 

 

Balil is also one of my favorites. He [Ed] really stands out amongst the other dogs with this alter-ego. He has this ability to impregnate his unique and distinct sound with emotion and soul. There is also something about his tunes, a timeless essence. I don't think they will get dated at all, ever.

Too bad there wasn't LP or a couple more EP's, still, i am glad that we have got about two hours of Balil, and i love every second of it!

 

 

Please Balil if you are reading this .. RELEASE THAT GOD DAMN LP

 

You know what's funny about this... i think they actually might read this, or at least have someone that reads, and tells them boys.

[Gaylord Sweetwood]

Awww shucks fellas, you don't need to butter me up like that. In all honesty, I really don't know if I could compile an Anthology so easily. Balil is, without a doubt; my single favorite artist. Just thinking off the top of my head I would say 6 or 7 Balil tunes fill in a Top 10 list for me.

 

I'll throw in a couple of tidbits and observations on our good pal Ed:

 

I did specifically ask on a different forum if there was ever a Balil LP in the works that was going to follow-up the Parasight EP. Ken or Martin mentioned that indeed there was other stuff planned in the pipeline (on Rising High), but details were lost since it was so long ago or that perhaps Martin didn't have them if it was him.

 

When "The Melody" remix was released there were many high words of praise about the Balil remix. DJ Sasha was playing it regularly and I vaguely remember him saying something along the lines of that it was perfection when it comes to the Detroit sound. (Not that his opinion influences me or others on this forum at all lol).

 

I am of the opinion that the Undoneson EP perhaps was older Balil tracks that had been possibly reworked from their original form, specifically "Spudink" and "Undoneson."

 

The point was made about how Ed and/or Andy or someone who knows them reads this forum and I do think that is the case. It's probably not on a regular basis like us, but from time to time I believe it. Looking back I think there has been quite a few tracks in recent years that are very Balil-esque. "Host" from Heaven's Door and "Strata 3" for sure. Not too mention Ed and Andy did indeed do a new mix of Parasight for their live shows. To me that came out of leftfield and I think that was because of the attention the song was getting from youtube, various "Favorite Trance lists" as well as this forum.

 

I always had hoped that Ed and Andy perhaps on the side would bring out their Balil, Atypic, Close,Up,Over, and Tura aliases and release some new material. Who knows if this will ever be the case, but one thing I have learned over the years is that people hold Ed and Andy's solo material in high regard, as evident here and elsewhere.

 

I don't know what the future will bring, but I see them still tinkering with ideas that I hear in their older material. Perhaps we will be surprised one day. Either that or someone win the lottery or something and commission a new Balil LP!

[Guest sirch]

I don't know what the future will bring, but I see them still tinkering with ideas that I hear in their older material. Perhaps we will be surprised one day. Either that or someone win the lottery or something and commission a new Balil LP!

 

I will do this! :) when i win the lottery i will commission both a Balil LP and an Atypic one. and 1 or 2 Close,Up,Over EP's, and a Tura EP, too.

..soon as i win the lottery! :)

[Guest fox]

Ed and Andy did indeed do a new mix of Parasight for their live shows.

 

am i the only one who got really excited at the thought of this?

[Guest ruiagnelo]

Ed and Andy did indeed do a new mix of Parasight for their live shows.

 

am i the only one who got really excited at the thought of this?

 

i got too. and hope someone can post a youtube link, if there is one

[Guest sirch]

there's a couple of vids out there on youtube or vimeo where they play Parasight.. the new skool version..

think it was at one of their CLASSICS gigs, last year. :)

i can't find it right now, tho, soz.. i'm rather drunk on Gorden's London gin.. *hick* :P

[Gaylord Sweetwood]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RPAEqJ9TQo

ThePlaided made the effort to edit Parasight out of the Bang Face video from a couple of months ago.

 

I've been to 4 different Plaid shows in the U.S. And it was the last time I saw them in 2008 that I was finally able to hear a Balil song live, that being The Melody remix.

 

I know Ed and Andy like to play a lot of their Double Figure and Spokes tunes when they play live, but to hear and see the reception they received with Parasight I can only hope they continue playing some of their older material live. What I'd give to hear songs like "Merck", "3/4 Heart", "Reishi", "Small Energies", "Spudink", etc. etc.

[theplaided]

....... Also, Balil is, next to Plaid, the most prolific alias of all the three old dogs. According to discogs, these have been released so far:

 

Clinically Inclined (Remix) - (ART 1 E.P.)

Jam Packed - (ART 1 E.P.)

Nort Route (R&S Remix) - (ART 1 E.P.)

Nort Route (Remix)- (ART 1 E.P.)

Rosery Pilots (Parasight)

.....

 

are you sure of the first two tracks on your list to be Balil? cause i dont think "clinically inclined" and "jam packed" are Balil anyway.. ?

[Guest ruiagnelo]

....... Also, Balil is, next to Plaid, the most prolific alias of all the three old dogs. According to discogs, these have been released so far:

 

Clinically Inclined (Remix) - (ART 1 E.P.)

Jam Packed - (ART 1 E.P.)

Nort Route (R&S Remix) - (ART 1 E.P.)

Nort Route (Remix)- (ART 1 E.P.)

Rosery Pilots (Parasight)

.....

 

are you sure of the first two tracks on your list to be Balil? cause i dont think "clinically inclined" and "jam packed" are Balil anyway.. ?

 

no, they are from future/past (aka as one).

i forgot to delete them after copy/paste the ep's tracklist ;)

[theplaided]

well :) :P i DLed the EP after reading your post (thinking "wow how many new Balil tracks to-be-found!!" and,,,,, its just great! the future/past tracks quite "ooh-be-do" as well as Balil's nort routes. so, thanks for the topic.

 

by the way , avidya rules big time! it must be one of the top 3 "most precious Plaid" for me. i so often used to play that on repeat! :)

[Guest sirch]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RPAEqJ9TQo

ThePlaided made the effort to edit Parasight out of the Bang Face video from a couple of months ago.

 

I've been to 4 different Plaid shows in the U.S. And it was the last time I saw them in 2008 that I was finally able to hear a Balil song live, that being The Melody remix.

 

I know Ed and Andy like to play a lot of their Double Figure and Spokes tunes when they play live, but to hear and see the reception they received with Parasight I can only hope they continue playing some of their older material live. What I'd give to hear songs like "Merck", "3/4 Heart", "Reishi", "Small Energies", "Spudink", etc. etc.

 

yeah! that's the one! i think. though i seem to remember seeing it on the toob quite a lot longer than a couple of months ago.. like, way back middle of last year... ?? but i don't think that one was as long. maybe it was a different gig. but this one seems to be 4 times the length! which is nice. :)

 

and i totally agree. i'd love to see/hear them play more of their older stuff live. but they do tend to only play a lot of DF, some Spokes, etc. (the sweet crowd pleasers) like you say.. which, once you've seen/heard it live a few times, gets a bit boring, imho.

i'd love them to play out all the older stuff again. i don't think the "classics" gigs were as awesome as what was expected really. they could've been mightily awesomer if they did play more of the older Balil/Tura stuff and some of NF3's/Spanners-era, etc. etc. rather than mostly 'the hits' off DF/Rest Proof. but maybe there's a lot of legal issues about playing out that older stuff live? cos of old names and new names (e.g. Black Dog /Black Dog Productions/The (new) Black Dog/ The (old) Black Dog)?? i dunno.

i'd like to go to a gig where they played all their tracks in chronilogical order, live, minus remixes and anything by Downie. that would be amazing!!!

[NewSchoolScience]

What I'd give to hear songs like "Merck", "3/4 Heart", "Reishi", "Small Energies", "Spudink", etc. etc. [/font][/size][/color][/b]

 

3/4 Heart -- OMG! I'd perhaps give up a teste to hear this live. It was good enough to hear TBD playing a jacked up version of that in a couple of their live/DJ sets from a few years back. Lovely lovely tune. Top 5 for sure.

[Guest sirch]

What I'd give to hear songs like "Merck", "3/4 Heart", "Reishi", "Small Energies", "Spudink", etc. etc. [/font][/size][/color][/b]

 

3/4 Heart -- OMG! I'd perhaps give up a teste to hear this live. It was good enough to hear TBD playing a jacked up version of that in a couple of their live/DJ sets from a few years back. Lovely lovely tune. Top 5 for sure.

 

i know the set you mean. it was at one of their (dust/downie) early live gigs i think. but all they really did was use the classic "we must search the universe" sample, over the top of some 'bangin techno', minimal stuff...

it wasn't any sort of version of 3/4 Heart. that would've been quite amazing!! but really i'd much prefer to hear Ed do it like it should be done.