Leaderboard

Released January 15, 2018. Purchase from: https://bmssrecords.bandcamp.com/album/unknownium 1. Unknownium 07:15 2. Squareish Sawtooth 06:58 3. Absent Presence 06:31 4. Greasy Roller 07:01 5. Four Sided Triangle 08:06 6. Blackholes 07:46 7. Someone Elses Memories 06:34 8. Randomness of Thought 07:10 My interest was piqued a few weeks ago when the top-quality psy DJ Boom Shankar (who's always impressed me when I've seen him live) announced that Psilocybian and one half of Lunar Dawn had completed a full-length LP to be released on his label BMSS Records. Yesterday's release by the duo who've adopted the name Unknownium was an instant purchase without even listening to a sample. I'm not inclined to do a track by track review. I've only had three full listens and not sure that's my style anyway. But this is a gem. I'd describe it as sitting loosely in the "morning full-on" genre, but what makes it stand out is how it carefully straddles the known patterns that make this style enjoyable and popular while bringing something fresh to the table. In today's world where a lot of music is released that falls under the very broad umbrella of "full on" and "morning full on" that are WAY TOO REPETITIVE AND LACKING UNIQUE SOUNDS, this stands out very quickly. It's a timeless style that is still a lot of fun for the dancefloor and even good for the mind when done well, but I've more or less given up on hunting new releases given how hard it is to find gems amongst the magnitude of shit that gets released. I know I probably miss some good stuff but I chase up tunes I hear at parties and trust a few labels to check them frequently, but I leave it at that rather than surf through rubbish frequently. This release does not fall in to that trap at all. The production is sharp, which is no surprise with Psilocybian involved, but it's the song-writing that stands out here. Words fail me in describing how these tracks progress. They tend to unfold fairly quickly, only one track cracks the 8min mark, but each stands out with a different approach to sequencing and flow. The 303 sound is prominent throughout but to varying degrees from track-to-track, which aligns with the fact that each track has a unique atmosphere. As much as I absolutely love the full power acid attack in tracks like "Squareish Sawtooth" I am glad it's just a supplement on other tracks to keep things interesting. An 8-track LP in this style with something like 8 different vibes is a rarity. The tracks are largely written in F or E minor, but span a very wide range of tempos from 125 - 148 bpm (!) so can find homes in a variety of DJ sets. My first listen had me a bit disappointed the goa influence from Lunar Dawn (and indeed Psilo's own dalliances with goa vibes) wasn't more prominent. I must have been tired or something because it's shone through more in my subsequent listens, something about each repeat listen has the music overpowering the bassline more each time. The tracks "Four Sided Triangle" and the more pumping 147bpm "Blackholes" lead the way in melodic goa vibes. But I think at this stage my pick of the album is "Someone Elses Memories". A unique and twisted track, suitably mixing headcase vibes, psychedelic layers and dancefloor sensibilities. I've only listened on headphones so far - while they are decent quality cans I am looking forward to putting this through my mixer and proper speakers some time tomorrow to hear the full soundscape a bit differently. If you're a goa purist with a genuine, wide-reaching disdain for the chunky basslines of modern psy this isn't for you. But if you have any kind of open mind and an interest in full on or goa this is well worth your time exploring. Best 8 euro I've spent in ages.

So, there was a discussion on Schlabbaduerst Rekkords group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/12107835483/) on facebook regarding a vinyl pressing. This post is about trying to gauge the interest if there is any, discuss ideas, means of achieving and having a general discussion about one of our favourite label and artist, Schlab and David respectively. Few questions which I would like to hear your answers : # Would you participate in a crowdfunding activity for a Schlab/BoTFB vinyl.? If yes, what will be the amount you will be comfortable pledging and for what period of time will you be willing to wait. # Would you be ok with a 180gm double vinyl of an album or would you prefer a single 10"/12", please do mention what you wish to be pressed. #If we ended up succeeding in turning this idea into a reality and the vinyls are pressed in Sweden itself, would the high shipping prices affect your decision to pledge.? Please note that this activity is being provided out of self-interest and David would be informed about this topic, how this topic is received and the responses shared here are definitely important and they might encourage David to pursue the idea. All final decisions will of-course reside with David. This is just our way of showing interest and encouraging him to purse this idea.

Thanks so much Mr. R <3

As always, it sounds beyond my own expectations! Well done and good luck with festival participation process! -R

Aaaand purchased <3

Boss! Release 'em all as soon as possible. Plz

cool thanks! and just want to let you know that Kuiper Belt was the best psychedelic trance track released in 2017! thats my opinion.

Отличный релиз! Не без недостатков, но в целом очень понравилось. Так держать! Really like the album. It indeed does have many similarities in sound and overall atmosphere to Artifact303's Back to Space, which is my favourite newschool goa album so far, and it does approach almost the same level of awesomeness. My favourite kind of goa, melodic in a good way (I mean, real pleasant melodies, not chaotic mess of notes like in many other "melodic goa" releases), deep, warm and lush. The production is pretty good. On the other hand I agree that there is not enough variety both between the tracks and within the tracks, at least as it appears at the first couple of listens. Some tracks are a bit darker (but it never gets actually dark) some others are downright euphoric (which I always appreciate anyway) but they all follow the same formula, a short intro with filter sweeps and some pads, then the track starts almost full power, fully unfolds in first two minutes and then just rides on. Comparing it to Back to Space the latter has more unexpected turns, more variety in melodies, moods and textures, even though it's the same kind of smooth floating goa. I can skip over to any random part of any track and while I'll most probably hear something I like it all will sound very similar. I think the tracks from this album must work better if mixed up with tracks by other artists, as a whole the album is a bit too much of the same thing. Anyway, I'm glad that this kind of goa lives on, this album offers exactly what I actually expect from goa trance. Being a big AP fan, i'm finding most newschool goa too harsh and chaotic. I hope Median Project will continue working in this style just making his tracks a bit more varied and challenging. Btw, is there such a rule that any goa act from Russia must have "project" in its name? I mean, Psy-H Project, Median Project, Atlantis Project, Centavra Project, Nord Project.

Techincally this is wrong. The "kbbb" bass is a almost always a saw and typically has the filter almost fully open at the attack so the frequency content spans over few octaves. Some full-on basses with longer filter decay may sound almost like leads. As opposed to psy, some goa basslines may use layering which may be responsible for "fuller" sound, however in goa the bass is rarely the main element of the track, so it's actually a good idea to make it relatively quiet and scoop some frequency areas with an eq to make room for all the leads. Also many full-on tracks have lots of chord changes followed by the bassline - especially if we talk about melodic kinds of full-on. Some full-on bassline patterns may sound like melodies on their own. I think goa in general tends to use less chord changes, maybe a modulation to subdominant at the climax and that's it. @the OP: care to post some specific tracks so we could try to figure out how the basslines were made? If you talk about "the psybass" typically no examples are necessary because everybody immediately understands what kind of sound you are after, in goa there is much more variety.