Stainway to Heaven is a four track EP originally planned as one half of a larger whole. The other half took more time than expected and turned out several years later as the album Escape from Heaven…
SPECDR02022
CDR, edition of about 150 copies.
The tracks from this EP were later released on the compilation Short Cuts & Dead Ends.
Reviews
“Niko Skorpio’s Stainway to Heaven is another strange beast. Slow-motioned voices moving backwards create a feeling of drowsiness further strengthened by slow backward moving music samples and subdued buzz drones. Almost ritual in its expression, Stainway to Heaven is a fascinating listening experience though the strange musical style probably won’t fall into everyone’s taste.”
( Vital Weekly)
“Niko Skorpio from Turku is an artist one can expect almost anything from, as far as I know. Perhaps with the exception of music that’s rigid or foreseeable, though. Bizarre and chaotic is what this gent’s latest production, the four-track mini-album Stainway to Heaven is like, at any rate.
The first track, Retrohacktivist begins with low humming space sounds slowly forming weird melodies, until they are replaced by heavy-tempo’ed drumming and chords played slowly on an acoustic guitar, reminding me of the composing style of Angelo Badalamenti. The album’s title track is almost hilariously catchy; happy melodies are beating and crackling on top of a fast jazz-accompaniment and there’s something that resembles singing on the background. The third track Minor Failure in Point Blank, is, in turn, undefined noise-ambient. On the background there’s a wavy drone and on top incidental, sometimes truly ear-hurting bursts of din. All tracks are, in spite of their strangeness and experimental nature, carried out very well both when it comes to their concepts and sound technics. The only weak case on the album is the last song, where a weak whining voice is singing Gloria Gaynor’s hit song I Will Survive, backed up by dragging accompaniment. The chaotic nature of this album is confusing in the beginning, but once you get used to the style, the album proves to be very enjoyable and downright genious.”
( Kuolleen Musiikin Yhdistys)
“Turkulaisen Some Place Else –lafkan naamarin takana lymyilevä Niko Skorpio, tuo uudella neljän biisin minillä esiin nyrjähtynyttä tapetin kuviointia. Skorpion musiikillinen menyy on jo 90-luvun taipeesta pitänyt listallaan enemmän vaihtoehtoisia auditiivisia aterioita kuin mitä moni tulee elämänsä aikana edes maistamaan; tyylillisesti kutsuttu electro madnessiksi, sick-hopiksi, power ambientiksi, illbientiksi ja vaikka miksi. Ensimmäisen biisi kaivautuu hitaaseen matalaääniseen massaan, jonka alta hiljalleen nousee akustista kitarointia ja verkkainen rummutuksen tempo. Nimikkobiisissä taas käännetään mieli nurinpäin ja siirrytään menevämpään ylösnousuun, joka jokseenkin tuo mieleen hilpeän Aavikon –kaltaisen tunnelman. Minor failure in Point Blank –kappale katkaisee suorastaan hermoston narut noisahtavalla ambientin surinalla ja katkonaisella resonanssilla. Viimeinen biisi on retrospektio Glorya Gaynorin I Will Survivesta, joka herättää kuuntelijan sisäisen retardon, sillä biisi on ahdistavan mainio omatulkinta. Ruokalistalta kolesteroosi, ja verisuonitukos on lähellä.”
(Inferno Magazine)
“Niko Skorpion 23-minuuttinen illbient-levy sisältää rutinaa, sämplejä takaperin, vinkunaa ja riivattuja ihmisääniä. Kiekon päättää dementoitunut Gloria Gaynor -pastissi Gain no glory, joka saisi taatusti aikaan pienen mellakan homobaarissa. Myös universumin epäkäytännöllisin levypakkaus lietsoo kapinamielialaa.”
(Voima)