KEN RAMM - Dobro, Vocals, Voices, 12-string Guitar
GARRY HUGHES - Cymbals, Keyboards, Hammond Organ, Programming,
Clavinet, Drum Programming
ANNE DUDLEY - String Arrangements
ROY BABBINGTON - Acoustic Bass
MILES BOULD - Percussion
LIVINGSTONE BROWN - Bass
B.J. COLE - Pedal Steel Guitar
JULIET ROBERTS - Vocals
DIRK CAMPBELL - Ney, Kaval
JULIE GALIATSOS - Voices
MICHAELA HARRISON - Voices
MADDIE WILLIS - Vocals, Voices
NICK BLAGONA - Engineer
GEDDY LEE - Engineer
SIMON HEYWORTH - Mastering
CHRISTINE ALICINO - Photography
DAVE BURNHAM - Engineer
MIST - Programming, Engineer
TOM ELMHIRST - Mixing
PAUL SIMM - Drum Programming
MICHAEL JACK - Engineer
DAN BIERTON - Assistant
BYRON WONG - Programming, Engineer
Euphoria brings a uniquely guitar-driven twist to electronica. Imagine
a Ry Cooder and Pink Floyd collaboration produced by Brian Eno where
layers of slide guitar are melded with compelling grooves and
trance/ambient soundscapes. An exceptional twist to today's menu of
experimental pop. "Delirium", the first track from their upcoming CD,
has been transformed by some of the finest remixers today resulting in
grooves that are both cutting edge and accessible.
"Euphoria make slide-groove "guitronica" blending spacey beats with
looping spoken word, breathy vocals, multilayered guitar wash, and
intense, yet playful drum and keyboard programming."
Amazon.com
"Extracting elements from world groove, slide guitar dustiness and
shoegazing pop, Euphoria locates the ethereal fringes of many genres,
while never alligning itself with any particular camp. A dreamy and
moving collection of songs."
College Media, Inc.
Slide guitar and trippy, electronic beats don't usually go together;
slide guitar is normally considered a blues (or bluegrass) instrument,
and is therefore generally associated with earthy, folky sounds rather
than a club ambience. What better reason to make an album whose musical
center is the sound of a slide guitar but whose atmosphere is dominated
by electronic breakbeats, sampled voices, and heavily treated guitar
sounds? Club bigotry being what it is, it's hard to imagine any of
these tunes making much headway on the rave scene, but there sure is
lots of fun and beautiful music here, from the funky yet contemplative
"Sleep" to the dreamily atmospheric "Elevator to My Soul." Ken Ramm's
slide guitar oozes and insinuates itself everywhere in the mix,
sometimes quoting bluesy phrases straight out of the Delta, other times
conjuring up more exotic images with his microtonal shadings. All of it
is worth hearing, and since the disc lists at such a low price, it's
hard to imagine a reason not to pick it up.
Rick Anderson - All-Music Guide
Led by Toronto guitarist Ken Ramm, Euphoria blended trance, techno and
electronica with often slide-guitar-based instrumental work and,
occasionally, song structures. Their 1999 self-titled effort featured
guest appearances by Geddy Lee (Rush), Roy Babbington (Soft Machine),
Anne Dudley )Art of Noise), and gospel singer Juliette Roberts.
Beautiful My Child appeared in early 2001.
Steve Huey - All-Music Guide
The Six Degrees label is becoming a reliable source for some of the
best genre mixing and globally focused music releases around. For their
self-titled release on the label, Euphoria blends dreamy pop, hazy
blues, and blissed-out trip hop to create a truly unique album. While
"Lost on a River" may take cues from Portishead, the vibe Euphoria
creates also has elements of Gospel, R&B, and modern dance. The
appeal of this vivacious track transcends all label categorization and
alludes to a collective beat that resides within us all. Euphoria
explores late night dreamscapes "Watching the Skies" which is an eerie,
slow paced jam that is similar to the translucent moods of Mazzy Star
and This Mortal Coil. Then moody riffs and samples weave in and out on
"Elevator to my Soul" which showcases the band at its best. While never
content to rest in one musical place for more than a moment, Euphoria
is able to successfully leap from one style to the next with total
dexterity and each influence they absorb along the way only makes them
stronger.
Euphoria's self-titled debut plays like any good ambient-groove record.
It swells and retreats with cascading, crystalline melodies, massages
the eardrums with a wash of dub-influenced basslines, and churns along
with a rhythmic pulse, the effect of which is blatant, yet
simultaneously subtle. What distinguishes Euphoria, however, is its
adventurous instrumentation. Slide, 12-string and pedal steel guitars,
live percussion and strong female vocals ride atop the synthetic
ambiance at every turn. "Is This Heaven?" is an appropriate title for
the band's sizzling, gospel-tinged heartwarmer of a song, while
"Sleep," with its haunting guitars and spatial ambiance, recalls the
experiments of late-'70s Pink Floyd. Extracting elements from world
groove, slide guitar dustiness and shoegazing pop, Euphoria locates the
ethereal fringes of many genres, while never aligning itself with any
particular camp.