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Simply mesmerizing album and amazing artist, on of my current favourites in the psy / groovy chill domain, very creative and with a powerful positive energy. His set in the Boom Festival 2018 Chillout Gardens was something else! Great review, something special indeed.

Pre-order here: https://suntriprecords.bandcamp.com/album/human-control ;-)

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Complex subject, complex melody or no complex melody, musical theory or no musical theory. Personally either complex melodic or not complex melodic tracks either have it or they don't. This is foremost dance music, its origins kicking up red laterite dust on the Goan shore line, so we can expect complex melody to have a second place to groove and atmosphere (which is often created using simple melody). Of close second importance this is trance music, the goal is to hypnotize, greater complexity melodically or with sonic layers tends to retract from this potential. I know from experience here. There are a few artists whose sound design and rhythmic programming / production discriminatory skill and attention to minuscule sonic detail stands out a cut above others IMO. Their music is as un-melodic as it could be but it is awesome and has the "spirit". I suspect this comes from immersion in the culture of Goa, living it ! You cannot intellectualize that. However, I do think melody is largely what makes tracks stand out in lieu of extremely skilled rhythmic sound design. But there is a fine line as this music is largely based around the Phrygian mode and this both limits and also gives it a worthy (and historic) home, this scale alone gives the mood, more or less dark/moody/intense/slightly eastern. So ultimately, to me personally it comes down to feel, it either has the something "Je ne sais quoi" or does not. How you got there or your knowledge does not mean very much to me, compared to how did I feel ? Traditional intellect has little place in the spiritual, consciousness expanding origins of this music. To use a rather nebulous word, for myself either a track imbues the spirit or not. What is that spirit if we "word" it ? Maybe a sense of openness, depth, space, intrigue, mystery, expanse, drive, hypnosis, sentiment, magic, togetherness, wonder, connected-ness, timeless-ness, distance, meditative focus on the moment, now. I think it is very difficult to gain the interest of those who solely or predominantly enjoy music from 25-15 years ago, you cannot garner favour against emotional sentimentality attached to memory, that is very powerful force. (even making retro tracks). Trying to make something new to penetrate the arena of sacred memories will be very difficult. (and I say that with respect as all of a certain age have them) I seemingly have more plays of my overtly retro sounding tracks than more modern sounding ones. Maybe it is because I have had some vision based concept for them and I conveyed it well and it resonated with more people. Whilst the O.P. made interesting points in his video I think he missed the aspect that extreme forms of music of any genre always tend to have their draw. Hi-Tech is not generally for me, but as it can be viewed as the extreme end of psy it will surely always have some following. I don't think psy trance conforms to the "trends" of other styles of dance music. It self propels through new experiences and advancement of the surrounding events and visual efforts, psy trance delivers a specific vibration and culture, no other genre encompasses this unique origin and international depth. By and large you know what you are going to get. To this end it is a scene like no other. Let people follow their own ways, you make this music because you love to, whatever happens is just part of the bigger flow, water finds its natural resting place. Do your thing for your little corner of the scene, be true to your little contribution. Life is short, put energy in with those and what resonates with your input. The rest will be a waste of energy.