Dylan Tauber - Dolphin Trance 2

Israeli trance producer Dylan Tauber has been making music since 1996, and he seems to have a thing for dolphins. His first album under his 20-year running label, Son of Waves Studios, was called Double Mirrors Soundtrack and, in Tauber’s own words, “…was inspired by dolphins, waves, and Ethiopian Women.” Ignoring that weird bio quote, back then Tauber’s music seemed a little more on the ambient side but the obsession with water and marine mammals was still prevalent. Through 11 more albums that theme was omnipresent. Now with his most recent, much more trance-heavy album, Dolphin Trance 2, Tauber isn’t letting up on the aquatic themes. Quality, on the other hand, is subject to change.

It’s unclear why the first couple of tracks on Dolphin Trance 2 sound so strange. “Dolphin Swim Remix” and “Son of Waves 2.0 Remix” are both re-styled from much older tracks, so perhaps the translation from older production methods to modern programs didn’t quite come off. “Son of Waves 2.0 Remix” in particular sounds as though the levels are just generally off. The loudness of the snares vs. the melody vs. the vox seems muddled at best. In both of the two opening tracks, the vocalist Enlia sounds completely flat to the main trance melody, and there’s no discernable beat. Though having five versions of “Trance of the Whale” seems a little tedious, this section of the album is of higher quality, and at least has Enlia’s vocals matching up with the melody tone-wise.



With the entre of track seven, “Slowly”, Tauber seems to be back in his wheelhouse. This haunting ambient piece features only Enlia, a subtle synth melody and echoing whale samples. It may be tougher to catch here as there are not as many moving parts as in a trance track, but it seems like the levels on “Slowly” are better synched than earlier songs.  “Slowly” is followed by four equally well-done ambient tracks. “Sea Stars and Colors”, “Sun Rays”, “Deep Cold Sea” and album closer “Rainstorm” seem to only increase in production quality and clarity as the album progresses. With each track Enlia’s vocals are clearer, the melodies are trickier and more subtle and the way Tauber deals with negative space in each track becomes more evocative and beautiful. The way the music pulses in and out on these last four tracks is almost meditative and may in fact be of frequencies similar to binaural beats. This section of the album shows Tauber as a truly great ambient producer.


The difference in quality and composition between the first part and second part of Double Mirrors Sountrack is more than a little perplexing. Is it a style issue, a technical problem or a producer’s reach exceeding his grasp when it comes to trance? It’s difficult to tell. What is clear is that Dylan Tauber’s ambient production is smooth and works well with his penchant for the sea, but when it comes to trance a lot of cleanup is needed on this album. One way or another, Tauber’s art may not be translatable from ambient to trance quite yet.

Feb 12 2017