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June 2nd 2008
Nokia have licensed the track "Mediteran"
by Chilling Matenda, and the track will be added to one of their new
mobilephones.
August 31st 2007
Review of
Natural Development by Kai (M.R.-Magazine)
Denis Matenda is son of croatian parents and born in Sweden.
After a time as diving instructor and holder of a kick boxing
club he entered the progressive scene in the late 90ies with the
big wave of Swedish music. He had releases on labels like
Transient and Spirit Zone, released full albums on Spiral Trax
and Flow and his Chilling Matenda project on Chill-Code.
Compared to other Swedish psy pop stars he had never the big
success, but opposite to them he won with the time and delivers
know an amazing new album on his own label Global Phonehead with
the proper titel »Natural Development«. It's a pearl of modern
dance music, relaxed and entertaining, anywhere between
proghouse, smooth trance, soft electro and down beat in the
range of 100 to 135 bpm. A masterpiece, highly musical, very
beautiful, precious...
August 25th 2007
Review of the
album Natural Development
I bloody
love this. This album has been like a close friend for the last
month or so. I was back in Europe for a bit visiting family and
friends, and I hardly took any music with me, but by Shiva was I
glad I had this. I know I’m supposed to be talking about music,
but bear with me a second: if you can imagine heading back to your
old spaces and places, seeing old mates and family members, it’s a
pretty emotional time. Add to this borrowing for your stay the
finest car you’re ever driven, all the feelings and emotions and
purrs are all so high up the scale – and they were all, without
exception, experienced to the accompaniment of this wonderful
album.
I always thought
Matenda was a great producer on the one hand, and an underrated
producer on the other hand. He is one of the few artists whose
music I can always go back to, and find I know every single damn
note (the other artists who spring to mind are Neil Young, Johnny
Marr's guitarwork with The Smiths, and most of The Stone Roses.)
From the opener
Speculator, with its effortlessly gliding layers and orgasmic
breakdown, you know you’re in for a bit of a treat. Plain Vanilla
shamelessly resurrects warm Balearic vibes – think Chicane with
up-to-date production, all the while sounding as though you’re
driving along some beachside highway with an implausibly stunning
bird sitting in the passenger seat.
The title track
is an utter classic – it’s laconic, low-set stuff that coaxes
melodies out of nowhere. Perspectives runs deeper, a subtle track
that is the sort of thing that we used to say would hold a
dancefloor’s attention nicely. Sounds Around is a competent stab
at pumping vocal amylectro, and the out-and-out lysergic Loopus
funk of Electronegative goes a hell of a long way.
Equilibrium and
Invisible Garbage are more tribal takes; the latter works better
than the busy and cluttered former, though neither are essential.
Best bet is to skip on to the blissful jazzy house of Epsilon, or
better still the gloriously lamenting closing track Orphean:
sounding like everything wrong in the world being put
simultaneously right, it’s a gorgeous piece of music your mum will
love.
What makes
Matenda so special, as I have said before, is the apparent ease
with which he translates honest, raw emotion into music. Listening
here, there’s the full range: wonder, love, amazement, happiness,
expansion, and a touch of a reflective, almost folorn sadness. It
really is that good. In an age where we’re bombarded with presets,
big breakdowns, and festival-live performances with smelly-looking
guitarists, it’s about time we heard something that’s just bloody
honest with itself.
Thank you.
Review by Damion
June 13th 2007
Natural
development GPCD002, Coming soon
Finally the Global Phonehead Records, second
release is here. Matenda´s 3rd full-length album “Natural
development”, will fit everybody’s taste with its wide range of
musical styles. From influences of trance, electro, house to
downbeat and more club-inspired sounds. The album Natural
development is a fusion between the down-tempo project “Chilling
Matenda”, and the more up-tempo project “Matenda”. Matenda
delivers the track “Equilibrium”, for the more percussive peak
time moments of the night and tracks like “Natural development,
Speculator, Invisible garbage, Epsilon and Plain vanilla”, for
more of the morning use.
“Perspectives” again shows his
affinity to harmonies, driving basslines and warm pads, whereas
“electronegative” takes us to a electro and more housey place. The
album ends with the beautiful down-tempo tune “Orphean”, in true
Chilling Matenda style. You can for sure expect the unique Matenda
vibe again, but with “Sounds around”, which is co-produced with
Alex Joon and with vocals by Dejan Mitic, perfectly state that he
is ready to take it to the next level. Natural development is the
album which suits the Global Phonehead Records slogan perfectly
“high quality tracks for progressive minds, to hear and feel
everywhere... anywhere...”
April 6th 2007
Wonderful life
from the last Chilling Matenda album, Mediteran, has been
licensed to the Italian label, Time records. The compilation is
named "east & west gallery by Raz degan". One more
licencerequest has been done by one of the biggest clubradio
stations in Germany, BigCitybeats, who also runs a label. The
requested track is "Good old sun", from the album Mediteran.
More info:
October 8th 2006
Due to the insolvency of Cosmophilia and a big loss for the latest release "Mediteran",
the next release had to wait a while. We are trying to find a better distribution channel
this time with a better managment-team leading it. The next album is planned to be released
before the summer of 2007.
May 15th 2005
We are changing distribution. Untill we find a new distribution
you can order the CD "Mediteran, GPCD001, Chilling Matenda" by us.
You can make your order on the e-mail adress "info@globalphonehead.com".
July 24th 2005
An
interview of Denis Matenda has been done by Damion (www.psyreviews.com).
Questions about the album "Mediteran" is in focus.
http://www.psyreviews.com/features/matenda.html
July 24th 2005
Some more great reviews of the album "Mediteran":
Chilling Matenda
started out as the experimental side-project of Denis Matenda,
one of Sweden´s leading progressive trance artists. After last
year´s triumph with “Chilling Matenda”, Denis releases his
second down-beat ambient album. Mediteran is a smooth collection
of tracks, which are inspired by this area of Europe´s delicious
summers and stunning scenery.
The disc begins
with the gorgeously slow “Good old Sun”- there´s plenty of time
to weave your way around the piano and guitar hooks that send
you off into the warmth of a sunny evening by the sea. “No
Comprendo” breathes subtle waves of housey synths and calm
grooves over a friendly bass line, and “Wonderful Life” leads
you down to the water´s edge to dance out your dreams with it´s
feathery piano patterns and unfolding melodies. The tunes begin
to grow that house/Ibiza feel to them as we progress through the
album, something that may put off the more psychedelic chillers
at the beach, but there seems to be so much love and happiness
poured into this music that this really shouldn´t matter. The
seriously groovy “Adio Raj” climbs over itself effortlessly,
spiralling into a dandelion delight of sonic happiness.
Mediteran is
perhaps less of an ambient album then “Chilling Matenda”, less
whispering samples and more subtle, soothing melodies. It´s all
pieced together incredibly well – Global Phonehead records sure
know how to release their first album: the positive, shining
vibrations of this music will stay with you for some time to
come. This will leave your ears smiling, your feet tickling and
your head sliding… Great stuff
Mattski (Revolve
magazine)
If you want to be
chilling by the pool this summer, this is definately an album to
look out for. Going past the regular chill-formula in psytrance,
with those ethnic influences, this album goes straight for the
sunny beach, balaeric influences. Straight from track 1 the
guitar and the relaxed vibe gets to you and doesn't let up until
the final track of this album flows off in the distance. It's
just great stuff, really. Someone once said that the sounds
Denis uses never seem out of place. Almost as if all the sounds
just fit in where they belong. I concur with that completely.
Anyway, there really isn't anything more to be said. If you like
your chilling to be a bit different but still really relaxed and
without all those ethnic chants that seem to be all the rage at
the moment, then you should really check this out. Great stuff!!
Denis, I hope you keep this up. Excellent work.
Acidhive
This album is already
a summer-favorite. The sound is ethereal, warm, laid-back (and
of course, not at all psychedelic). It sounds a bit like more
commercial cafe del mar / ibiza comps or some downtempo
eurotrance stuff in some places but Matenda is careful enough
to not let it drift away too much. This is a very well
polished album, very clean sound, sweet & calm trancy synths,
hypnotizing steady slow beat, pure bliss. Enjoyed most in a
beach bar gazing at the sea.
June 11th 2005
Two more great review´s. The first is from Damion on
www.psyreviews.com
"This is seriously amazing music, and I’m not going to listen to
anyone who says it’s ‘not psychedelic’ or whatever. If you like
music that’s simply good music, and you want something a bit
different, then this could be one of your best friends this
summer. "
Read more at
http://www.psyreviews.com/reviews/june072005.html
And the other made by Tigo at
www.psychedelicplanet.com
"It is indeed a great album and when people verbalize "peace on
earth" I can suggest including this brilliant music as the remedy
to succeed. "
Read more at:
http://www.psychedelicplanet.com/reviewMediteran.php
June 1st 2005
Review made by Liese for Mushroom-magzine:
Chilling Matenda "Mediteran" (Global Phonehead) CD
Denis Matenda seems to be totally into chillout nowadays and with
his second release in this genre he also presents us a masterpiece
of modern electronics. Dreaming, melodic and deep intros followed
up by excellent arranged beats are the reason for the motions of
the listener. I am not able to judge which are my favorite Tracks
here because all of them are real pieces of listening art and I
have to slow down to play not only this CD.
And this is what
Konstantine on Freeze Magazine thinks about the album:
" I can not find the words to describe these magic, sunny ,summer
lovely, sounds, it4s amazing. Just put this album in your cd
player and go to the beach and enjoy the magic music together with
the lovely mediteran sea.
Thank you Denis for these sounds.
The only thing i want now, is to fall in love during the
summer,while I listen to this album. "
May 9th 2005
The releasedate is set to 18 of May. Samples of the album can be
heard on
www.amboworld.com
This is what James on
www.amboworld.com says about
the
release:
"Gorgeous melodic rolling sounds instantaneously transport you to
mediterranean beach bars. I can almost see the swizzle stick in my
virtual cocktail each time i put this in the player. Absolutely
top tunes for summer, replayed four times after the first listen,
total quality from Denis Matenda, mastered by Son Kite: this piece
is without question a top ambient release for 2005.
What a perfect way to start the long hot summer.
Global Phonehead Records have started their label with a sure
winner, top tunes, well done folks. And the artwork by bakke is
really rather jolly good."
March 19th 2005
We are proud to
announce our first release, Mediteran made by producer Denis
Matenda.
Chilling Matenda started as an experiment project of downbeat and
ambient tunes produced by Denis Matenda. After the huge positive
response all over, Denis decided to start producing the second one
immediately. This time the album will be released on the new label
Global Phonehead Records. The label ambition is not to be locked
in to one genre but to release nice quality tracks that can be
heard and enjoyed everywhere.
Denis Matenda is known by his subtle and atmospheric sounds, which
always makes people in a good mood. He has a long history of
releases on many different labels and some of them cult labels
such as Transient, Spirit Zone and Spiral Trax. His production
skills get better all the time that also shows in the album
Mediteran.
The Mediterranean has inspired so many people, including Denis,
that’s why he dedicates ten smooth tracks that celebrate this
magic area. Mediterranean means “middle of the earth” and was
named as such because it was at the heart of the Western
civilization. Historical forces have been part of Mediterranean
history for centuries. The Mediterranean world has a rich history
of encounters between people of various cultural, ethnic and
religious backgrounds. So now it´s time to enjoy the Mediterranean
rides with Chilling Matenda. |
