Le Spa Sonique
"Flowing with seriously chilled grooves... ENGIMA, fans will be right at home with the album's similar mood and melodic style.' --Music Design In Review...Le Spa Sonique is a musical overindulgence of the relaxation  senses. A sublime set of lounge pieces with a Euro-cool feel, Le Spa  Sonique propels itself with percussive rhythms, synths, electric guitar,  and the cooler elements in electronica. The album transports a closed-eye  listener to a warm summer evening at sunset in a mystical paradise. Gems  are aplenty on Le Spa Sonique, including the percussive yet celestial and  reverberating "The Orbiting Suns," the sexily spoken "El Momento," and the  guitar work and ominous string bass in "Cape Blanc." Treat your customers  and their senses to a state of relaxed bliss and dreamy relaxation with Le  Spa Sonique. The CD is an intense digital experience and a headphone treat,  and is a must-have for fans of Enigma and Achillea. --Peter Manzi, Sounds From the Ground Up, Resource Guide 2006Best known for his work as guitarist and co-producer for Enigma, Jens Gad goes solo for his 2006 Le Spa Sonique, taking Enigma's atmospheric dance-floor grooves one step further into the realm of soothing New Age. Recorded and produced at Gad's studio on the Spanish island of Ibiza, Le Spa Sonique is rich with acoustic and electronic instrumentation, as well as the hypnotic accompaniment of ephemeral female vocals. Preserving a natural flow, ocean waves connect the tracks and sometimes influence them, as in "The Orbiting Suns," where Gad beckons his listeners on a calming walk down the Ibiza coast to watch the wet sand glisten and the seagull's song softly transform into a synthesized melody.Gad explores an impressive array of emotions with a heavy emphasis on beats and bass levels. Piano, synth textures, and Gad's soulful riffing on electric guitar all gradually fade in and out and back in again, forming a foundation over which they all take turns with equal importance. Le Spa Sonique straddles the line between meditative journey music and chill-out party music. These songs are as perfect for falling asleep as they are for getting your groove on, but that's what Gad does best, creates the atmosphere in which to do both.The use of voice effectively enhances the experience throughout Le Spa Sonique, adding a sense of temporal location, guidance, and deepening mystery, as in the case of "Navajo," where an old man talks of the blues, while in "El Momento" a woman speaks soothing Spanish. Voices flow above and beneath Gad's steady current of alternating synth tones, piano, and guitar, all set to slow and steady rainy-day beats that freshen the spirit and body like a spa massage where the masseuse is saying something to you, but you're so relaxed they sound very far away. Le Spa Sonique works precisely the way it's named and makes a great background to yoga or meditation under a sunny window, or sun lamp, with a little coconut oil in your hair to create the full island sensory effect. Gad helps you open the doors on your inner cabin to let in some of that breezy morning island air; and after all, if your senses think you are there, there you are. And as for Gad, based on this album, I hope he wants to spend the rest of his life making peaceful music in the Spanish sun. --DailyOMFrom the wonders of Enigma and Achillea, Jens Gad brings us this  mystical mix of mood music. This CD is rich with heart pounding rhythms and  sensual grooves combined together to form the ultimate union of relaxation  music. Perfect for use in a spa, or bring the feel of the spa to home.  Relax, revive and rejuvenate with this delicious mix. Whether in the pool  or hot-tub, practicing yoga, or as a backdrop to a sensual meal, with Le  Spa Sonique, you can't go wrong. --The Pagan Review, August 2006Le Spa Sonique presents a series of moody downtempo arrangements built around velvet chords and smooth synth washes enhanced by various shimmering effects and highly polished digital production. Jens Gad's music has a strong percussive side, utilizing the kind of seductive beats perfected by Jens and Michael Cretu. There are slight tribal hints at times to the rhythms, but always serene, lush and deep. Chimes, pianos, strings and voice effects broaden the sound palette and the vocal contributions of Luisa Fernandez and Helene Horlyck. Fans of [Achillea - The Nine Worlds] will surely enjoy Le Spa Sonique as Jens' trademark sound is clearly evident once more. --Morpheus Music Reviews