Narkopop
by Gas
Metascore
86

Universal acclaim - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
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  1. The Wire
    Aug 8, 2017
    90
    Narkopop has a symphonic majesty, a sense of form and forward movement that no prior Gas record quite reached. Voigt's forest no longer merely murmurs; it positively exults. [May 2017, p.46]
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  2. Exclaim
    Apr 19, 2017
    90
    Not only is Gas' Narkopop a top candidate for best microhouse album of 2017, it may also be the best drone album and the best classical album--and possibly just the best album you'll hear this year, period.
  3. Pitchfork
    Apr 21, 2017
    88
    The music carves out a space that always leaves plenty of room for the music’s most important component, the one that, in this artistic sphere, ultimately determines what it all means: the listener.
  5. The A.V. Club
    Apr 21, 2017
    83
    Voigt certainly hasn’t lost touch with electronic music, though Narkopop reclaims the sound of it that is most unmistakably his, while also giving it more variance in tone.
  6. Record Collector
    May 25, 2017
    80
    The meditatively plodding drums are off-putting if focused on too deliberately, but there is little else to fault here for those who like to zone out into infinity, with the 17-minute long closer being particularly peachy.
  7. Resident Advisor
    May 1, 2017
    80
    Whatever the differences on Narkopop, the album is remarkably true to the project's past: this is music that takes inspiration from childhood memories, bygone eras and the natural world. The results can feel like another dimension, but the album is also intensely personal.
  8. Tiny Mix Tapes
    Apr 28, 2017
    80
    The M.O. is so resolute, the beat so constant, that even after 17 years it is unimaginable to think that a new GAS album would sound like anything but this. As with the forests of Voigt’s childhood, it’s a comfort and a moment of disquiet to confront something so perpetually, hauntingly still.
  9. Mojo
    Apr 25, 2017
    80
    Grand intermeshing spinneys of lush ambient sound, distant pounding beats, lonesome horns and glimpsed shadows of melody that hint at Beethoven, Mozart and older Teutonic ghosts. [Jun 2017, p.89]
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  10. The Observer (UK)
    Apr 24, 2017
    80
    It can sound like being plunged into a dark, Dante-esque forest, with only a muted aortic throb to guide you home. Immersive, to say the least.
  11. Uncut
    Apr 20, 2017
    80
    Despite moments of discordance, as on "Narkopop 1," Gas continues to provide, for the most part, analgesic relief. [Jun 2017, p.30]
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  12. Spin
    Apr 20, 2017
    80
    A couple of the drone bagatelles, though masterfully realized, break Gas’s signature hypnosis and could be mistaken for any number of Kompakt artists rather than being unmistakably his. But at best, Narkopop faithfully upgrades Gas’s murky fundamentals to HD.
  13. PopMatters
    Apr 19, 2017
    80
    Narkopop emerges as a fresh conceptualization of the same tradition, refined into an altered form while retaining the fundamental aesthetic that made Gas so groundbreaking in the first place.
  14. AllMusic
    Apr 19, 2017
    80
    Fully maintaining the trademark Gas sound while adding new dimensions, Narkopop couldn't be a more welcome return.
  15. The Line of Best Fit
    Apr 19, 2017
    75
    At times, Narkopop moves surprisingly fast and the senses struggle to absorb all the nuances of sound. Other moments are more traditional mesmerizing GAS offerings. Either way, it is a complex, beautiful and terrifying experience.

Awards & Rankings

23
#23 Best Album of 2017

User Reviews

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User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 41 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 35 out of 41
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 41
  3. Negative: 3 out of 41
  1. Evic21
    Jan 22, 2021
    10
    When this album first came out, I was confused abut all the hype, but now that I've given it time to settle, Narkopop is truly a masterpiece.When this album first came out, I was confused abut all the hype, but now that I've given it time to settle, Narkopop is truly a masterpiece. This is music to get lost in and music that envelops you like you're being hypnotized.… Full Review »
  2. clem666
    Dec 21, 2020
    4
    I discovered GAS by its 'Pop' album (2000). I really enjoyed it: it was deep, changing, questionning, heading and bright.

    'Narkopop' is    I discovered GAS by its 'Pop' album (2000). I really enjoyed it: it was deep, changing, questionning, heading and bright.

    'Narkopop' is another piece of work. GAS obviously kept his ambient style but here it feels like he put less effort in it. There are more tracks but less beat variance and almost all tracks are paired to the same grey fog. We quickly have the impression of getting lost in the project while waiting for something to happen. And when something does happen, it's miles away from our expectations.

    Anyway 'Narkopop' remains a nice project to listen to during work and study sessions when we get tired of any other style of music.    … Full Review »
  3. Music_Observer
    May 16, 2017
    8
    Although the heavy existence of a 4/4 beat seemed to go against the free flow of this ambient album, I actually liked the dichotomy itAlthough the heavy existence of a 4/4 beat seemed to go against the free flow of this ambient album, I actually liked the dichotomy it presented, allowing for interesting experimentation of combining differing layers and obvious detectable movement to create a rich, pleasant ambiance. My Score: 135/180 (Solid) = 7.5/10… Full Review »
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