Label: Iboga Records
Released: 2007

01. Surprise, So Nice
02. So Called Life
03. 4 Outputs
04. Beer, Drugs And Hookers
05. Calm Reality
06. Killer (Feat. Dualsnug)
07. Kick Bas
08. One
09. Sit Back, Relax
10. Hyper Space

Gaudium is a project from Sweden and created by two musicians: Denis Bajramovski and Andreas Wennerskold. They entered the scene of progressive sounds in 2005 with "Nordic Nature" album released in Spiral Trax Records. Their new album titled "So Called Life" is just released in Iboga Records.

Except chillout one called "Sit Back, Relax" - which is anyway a not bad dub though strangely fitted on the next track to last - we have here nine prog and clubby tracks that can be divide into two groups. The situation seems like the better tracks are at the end. The border of the first group is the track number six - till this moment we have compositions that rousing only in a few moments and for sure are not charismatics. Could be sayed: we have heard that before. Unfortunately, melody lines looks terribly. I have a feeling that Iboga's musicians using lines only from isolated, available only for Iboga, bank. This is why Iboga's CDs are quite boring - they are released in a wholesale numbers, so the conclusion is simple: this was before. But interesting is that sometimes artists are modifying their style because f.e. "One" (now I'm talking about the second group of course) have got reviving acid line, and its whole sounds isn't for sure so clubby. The same can be said about cosmic "Hyper Space" that have a great background: a short synth line which works mechanical like piston. To these individualists is good to add also a very energetic "Kick Bas"; especially the final phaze of this track is very efficiently constructed.

The worst thing about this CD I can say is that the album doesn't have its own original sound in context of other progressives - this can be heard especially in the first six tracks. There isn't any evolution. Everything is done with the total prog correctness of A.D. 2007. I don't miss clubby elements included there: a melody that starts at 5:31 in "4 Outputs" is so crude that it's hard to describe it within other words. It's literally like from euro trance. From the other hand this is CD that have even a little sounds typical for older progs, sounds, that can be signs with psy- prefixal.

This is characteristic for Iboga that its productions are at the same time done absolutely good. But they are clons. Actually Iboga's music is a misalliance of progressive trance and house and also done with clubby energy. If you like this - this album is for you like the other ones let out from Iboga's home in present time. If you don't like this - try to search for something in the early music done by the label because just then are arguments for, my opinion, that this label is great. However, it looks like this album isn't a manifest with so lecherous clubby attack, so I think, this album is good.