Trance2MoveU Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 Artist: Various Title: The Kingdom Label: Zion604 Records Date: February, 2013 1. Kalika Inana (Live Version) - Eat Static 2. Howling At the Moon - Cosmosis 3. Tri Kay - Shakta 4. Mars Supial - Moonweed 5. Scirroco - Lunar Asylum 6. Mass Connection - ManMadeMan 7. Ants 4 Breakfast - ECT & Mass 8. Harold Eben D'Owld - Nervasystem 9. Spiked (Remix) - Double Dragon Zion604 is a label dedicated to keeping the old school spirit of goa trance alive. Run by veterans Roy Sason, Stephan Spivak and Masafumi Hoshida they have also released several other compilations. I reviewed their virgin effort Flight 604 and that had some really good moments. Their latest is a 2 disc compilation of new and old school artists called Phoenix and I am eagerly awaiting my copy. Till then this one caught my eye. Don't see many old school compilations these days and hold on, what's this? Unreleased stuff from back in the day? Finding unreleased stuff from the goa masters is like finding a Lexus under the Christmas tree. Driven by a busty pornstar with money coming out of her... Ewww....I'm not touching that. No, you keep it sweetheart. Put it toward your, ahem...medical school tuition. Eat Static begins with a track that would appear in the morning after a cleansing rain. Sunbeams shining down and reflecting the moisture with a tribal and slow opening as if welcoming you to nature's kingdom. Deep chants groan over bubbling electronica in a hypnotic dream of progressive goa trance. Normally I wouldn't care for this, but it's well produced and captures the feel of an ancient culture perfectly Howling at the Moon- Who doesn't know this classic beast of a track? Now remastered it's barely restrained chaos of screaming leads and rampaging acid lines. Hurtling the listener through the galaxy at ludicrous speed it is crystal clear. Non stop insanity and one of the greatest goa tracks of all time. Tri Kay- Shakta delivers one that somehow got away. It was put out on vinyl but not on CD. I've never heard it so it's new to me! The layers are delicious and eerie, but at almost 10 minutes it repeats itself quite frequently until the break. All the excitement at hearing this lost gem was tempered a bit as it came on like a lion, but left like a lamb. Still good though. Marsupial- Nobody loves a good didgeridoo more than I and that's how this begins. The leads dance in the sky and then come back to Earth. There is no mystery here just an all out goa assault. Scirroco- You say Scirroco to me and I'm thinking of an old Honda. And this track sounded old. Like it was something they were messing around with and never got back to. It seems more of an electronic sketch that isn't very strong. Mass Connection- Loved the atmosphere in this one. More psy than goa in the beginning they put effects in the right places to create an uneasy feel. When the goa gets going it becomes a stormer. Chunky and distorted that lead melody is all consuming. Ants 4 Breakfast- *Checks to see if this isn't Shamanic Tribes on Acid* By far the loudest and most experimental track on the compilation, this one is made for headphones. With rich bass sounds, darkpsy lead rips, and frenetic percussion it's constantly evolving. Full of skittering effects and at first I hated it, but with repeated listens this actually sounds like what having ants for breakfast would sound like. Aggressive and powerful and in a state of perpetual motion. You couldn't wring more out of a lead than this. Suomi meets goa in an insane track. I don't know if I love it or should perform an exorcism on it. Harold Eben D'Owld- There is nothing special about this track as it ambles its way through, but there is a high level of detail. Computer whirrs buzz amidst bubbly synth leads as this has a constant bounce. Clearly we're out of the melodic portion and now it's about setting a mood. Like industrial goa, but less aggressive and at a progressive pace. Spiked (Remix)- This final track was only released on vinyl so it might as well been an 8 track for me. It's from 2001 so clearly the focus at the time was taking goa in a different direction. Lots of percussive pot banging and sounds to create the atmosphere. Sounds like the needle scratching a record. Not dark, just is. This is a very varied compilation with different goa styles represented. It's all over the map from blistering to experimental madness. They mostly sound great so kudos to those responsible for mastering and recovery. I listen to all of my music on headphones so I can appreciate the finer details. This is like a goa market showcasing the directions in which goa can be driven and it's up to the listener to explore. The final 4 tracks mark the line where the compilation shifts from the melodic to the more...daring. What this has shown me is that while layers of melody are great there is much more to discover. Congrats Roy on a compilation that has a little something for everyone. Bandcamp Mdk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balance Posted November 6, 2013 Share Posted November 6, 2013 Great compilation, my favorite from this label. The Eat Static track is one of the best Goa tracks I've heard to date!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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