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Artist: M-Run Title: Live Session Album Label: Cronomi Records Date: March, 2020 1. Live Session 1 - A Trip to Andromeda 2. Live Session 2 - Technosonic 3. Live Session 3 - Spiral Cloud 4. Live Session 4 - Chronos (Live Version) 5. Live Session 5 - The Magic Mug 6. Live Session 6 - The Redeemer 7. Live Session 7 - Hexagon 8. Live Session 8 - Oxigenated Seal What's this? A new M-run album? Sure, I'll dig into this. Let me get a cup of coffee first to keep focused. Hold my calls. Ahhh...that's the stuff. Now let's see...M-run for those that don't know is Mario Matakovic from Croatia and this is his second album. His first Some Run Just For Fun was a revelation in the goa trance scene. Easily a classic chock full of butt shaking grooves that took goa into directions never before seen. If you're a fan of goa trance it is mandatory listening. So with his second album for the Cronomi label he embarked on a very ambitious project, giving us a behind the scene look how he creates his music in the studio. So he created his tracks, practiced and rehearsed shooting for a recording in one take. Do you realize how difficult and extraordinary that is? Easy? Sure, maybe for an octopus. But to control an entire track and play it flawlessly in one take? And each track had a different hardware setup? I wonder how much F word was uttered during those takes. How many cats were kicked because he messed up one little bit and had to start all over again? I wouldn't be surprised if he was sick to death of playing these tracks. If I were you Mario I would be looking over my shoulder for PETA. They don't take kindly to cat kicking. "Ok Mario...take 76. F*cking hell." So what's the music like? First I'll say this is not Some Run II. Yes there are plenty of grooves and his production is second to none. Each track is its own tale and it is super easy to get lost inside. While his first album was an atom bomb with one jaw dropping moment after another this one is more laid back. It's not so much a "get on the dancefloor album" (although you could certainly dance to it), but more of a cerebral relaxed vibe. There are plenty of head bobbing beats and space age sound effects and even some times where it is powerful (Spiral Cloud, Hexagon). His production is second to none (love me some kicks without hi-hats to start a track) and I can honestly say it grows on me with each repeated listen. The all important first track sets the tone, bringing an organic and mysterious allure. Technosonic with its vocoded speech brings a down and dirty groove. The Magic Mug is like sitting in a groovy cauldron during an Egyptian summer. The Redeemer carries such a funky swagger while continuously building on its foundation that it is instantly one of my favorites. I would say this is another triumph for Mario. His two albums are distinctly different, but share equally impressive music. I heartily recommend this album. Cronomi Bandcamp

One in a thousand? No! This new release is really really good Don't miss their first release, a pure dream,... goa labels must and should support each other more As the manager of Cronomi Rec. I think this digital release really deserves a serious mention! Check it @ Deities-and-demons-records

I can also do goa (or what I think is goa ) This sounds very cool

The funny thing is... Filteria and Xenomorph are friends and talk a LOT about "music making" and synths They never made music together so far tho As for modern goa not being goa? Thats, obviously, not serious and one of those opinions that somehow crushes all modern innovative psychedelic artists within this genre. A music genre is not defined by a time period but about a style. I think its very clear for example Triquetra is pure goa. Why wouldn't it be? Because it is made in 2020? Its made exactly like the music in the 90s.. 100% with analog synths and the style is the same as well

I think the "other art" was just movies and literature ... so merging that with OT was the right thing to do. For that what you _probably_ mean with art, you could use the "visual promotion" forum if you had art to post that's at least related to psychedelic trance... I have no idea, sorry

I love it. Perfect alien soundscapes to lose yourself into.

I can not wait for round 2. Funk. Nasty, groovy, space-funk. Cosmic musicball dance party with melodic hors d'oeuvres and little hi-hat dental floss thingies to clean out your teeth in between bites. No, wait, make that mental floss. Go in hungry for musical caviar and come back sated. Seriously, these melodies are some earworms. Like others said, these are not your below-average, wandering, listless melodies, but actual melodic statements with intention and purpose. This is fun music. It has its corollaries to Space-era S>Range in the space-funk, Alien Protein-era Etnica in the theme-building, Dragon Tales-era Koxbox in the cosmic joker cameo, and more Koxbox in the melodic matrix everything unfolds within. The latter may be the best comparison I can come up with -- just updated. Not better, because that's really hard to do, but just with a chrome finish where Dragon Tales had 80s-era solid stainless construction. I'm not a party-goer, since I live in small-town America, but I can only imagine this BIG sick sound could only result in orgiastic, twirling, pulsating dancefloors. On headphones, it's got my neck bobbing up and down like a chicken at feeding time. Or a cheerleader after the big game. Buy it. You WILL need at least five hands to count the number of full listens you get out of it.

Still the most funky and rhythmic goa trance album ever.

Hah, I'm loving this album, very refereshing sound! Interesting how it goes from pretty fast to pretty slow, yet keeps the pace somehow. Drifting Across The Universe got to be my favorite on here, it has a really nice drive and something strangely funky in it. And I love funky! More bonus points achieved for that splendid psy-chill outro track!

admittedly, my first few listens of this album i was disappointed but after readjusting my expectations i find it to be quite enjoyable. a lot of goa can be too intense if i just want to have something on in the background. the screeching assault of noises and non-stop nature all blend together and i feel kind of claustrophobic and anxious after about 20 minutes. goa is great if i want to close my eyes and analyze the complexities but not so much if it's accompanying a task. but this ufomatka album is really warm and easy to digest as a soundtrack to my life. there is nothing abrasive about it, it makes an effort to be distinctive without being turgid. is music best enjoyed by carefully dissecting each part or are we meant to just feel the vibes? ufomatka has created an album full of good vibes, no thinking needed, just let it ride out. it maintains the goa sensibilities with a refined, less is more approach.

I really like the album. It's new goa, but indeed very different from what we know now as new school goa. It's almost techy goa. Not all tracks have the same quality. That's true. But I can really dive into this sound and let go. Admitted, also for me, his compilation tracks are more my thing than the album. But I had to buy it. It has something special.

Few years have passed and this one still is on my playlist. Great album!

Nice review. I agree with some of the tracks not having massive developments but thought that what Alexandr did do worked like a charm. Check out his EP 'Altering The Synaptic Controllers' if you want some more unique ufomatka vibes. Nice job to Cronomi for releasing a new album and keeping it fresh.

Listening to this again the similarities with peak oldschool Etnica struck me, especially in the arrangements and peripheral sounds. Amazing goa album, one of the very best released in the last 10 years in my opinion. It's full of bouncy, funky energy, keeps catching you by surprise, and above all is a lot of fun to listen to.

Aged very well! Essential album of this decade.

Tracklist: 01. A Way To Regret 02. Monkeys (Extended Remix) 03. Theory Of The Ghost 04. El.Es.Di 05. Mahabaratha (Live Version) 06. Dream Telepathy 07. Secret Trip 08. Flutes I LOVE the sound/melody (SYNTH) work, energy, and the majority of the imaginative elements throughout this highly addictive Goa-Trance album. 1. A Way To Target begins with experimental voice effects that morph into accents around the beat. The opening minute reminds me of Infected Mushroom before they got carried away with their experimental vocal work. Fortunately, it doesn't overstay its welcome. The first act is catchy, thanks to some creative synth work. There's a dreamy interlude and a musical shift to more positive sounding development halfway through via ambient, soundscapes, female hymns. The result's attractive and unique. But going by this track, I'd never expect the following songs to sound so different (Goa uptempo-wise). But I kind of like that (and the overall song), even if the Hallucinogen influence is obvious to me. It doesn't feel ripped off, but inspired and I like that. B+ 2. Monkey's starts out so dark and intriguing, with what appears to be subtle industrial/atmospheric elements. It's great. Turns out the direction of all three acts is dynamic, unpredictable, infectious, and stomping. This is evolving GOA-TRANCE, the way Goa should be. The synth work is FANTASTIC. I'm reminded of what Dark Soho could sound like at times if they returned with a wonderfully upgraded still to the strength of their debut. The key changes are GREAT! There's an incoherent sample roughly halfway through (and towards the end). It sounds like a child; I could have done without it. The song ends with an odd sample, kinda meh. Everything else is SUPERB. All in all I LOVE this track. A 3. Theory Of The Ghost appears more Psytrance driven. The first act has a mechanical (almost tech-trance) sound that's decent, but it doesn't develop much and drags a little. There's a brief albeit cheesy male laugh that's completely unnecessary. The second act is stronger, with catchier synths, energy, and Goa elements. It's solid until the silly male laugh returns. It seems juvenile (to me) compared to everything else I've heard on the album thus far. Fortunately the music (again) improves past it despite the fairly rote (predictable) direction. This is a decent to pretty good song, and arguably the weakest uptempo track on the album. I enjoy many aspects of it (synths, mixing, final act), but compared to the previous track, I can't help but feel letdown. This artist is capable of creating far superior (catchier), satisfying work. B- / B 4. eL.eS.Di begins with a strong, emotive backdrop. The chapter improves as it progresses and features some fantastic psychedelic MELODY WORK, bubbly/shuffling FX, a terrific climactic segment, and a strong, evolved second and third act. Excellent! A- 5. Mahabharata (Live Version) is one of the best tracks here. This vehicle's packed with energy, variety, development, infectious synth work, textures, and rhythms. Just when the first act seems to drag, it breaks out with delicious new moves and sequences that elevate its opening. Also the last act's excellent! WOW this things catchy! I can't imagine this not being a hit on dance floors and electronic music festivals! The song is super fun. It comes equipped with wonderful synth/sound work and remains highly addictive from near start to finish. A 6. Dream Telepathy is great, save the male vocals (singing). I get the idea of having ethnic influence (adding flavor to your songs). Here they however certain ones take away from the surreal vibe accomplished so well by the terrific music. Some may not mind the vocals. The effect is catchier when they skip. I can accept the difference (unique element) of them overall. Then there's that tasty mixing/beat/synth work to boot! Also the female vocal effect around the male hymns is VERY CATCHY, as well as the evolved, last act. Overall this is pretty great! A- 7. Secret Trip appears more Psytrance oriented. Fortunately there's Goa elements as it progresses. The reverberating backdrop is catchy. The synths and the Hallucinogen influence work to some degree. However, the song would benefit from having more development. The few voice samples are fine. The high-pitched indian chanting in the last act however is pretty distracting. This would have been a great opportunity to develop the song more. The melodies in the last two minutes are good, though they could've arrived and developed more earlier. It's fairly memorable due to its rumbling backdrop and a decent to pretty good track, but the least strong here IMO since Theory Of The Ghost. B- / B 8. Flutes is an experimental, PSY, downtempo number. There's a sound that reminds me of someone tapping their wet sneakers on the floor amidst a pleasently forming atmosphere. The song has one of the most cringe-worthy, albeit not-too-long voice samples. The ambient flute segment in the last 1-2 minutes is very nice, especially when the beat returns. I'd say the last act is very good, if not great. More scenery (eventfulness) and development would have been nice, but this thing does development. Regarding the flute, I love the idea of incorporating classical instruments into Goa-Trance. This is a nice way to end the album, though I think the artist could've taken it further. The song isn't bad. It's nothing spectacular either. Flutes is a unique, solid closing. Now just get that annoying voice sample out of there. Your album's too healthy for unpleasant ingredients! B / B+ CONCLUSION I'm impressed. I've never heard Artha before, yet I'd place this up there as one of 2016's best Goa-Trance albums. Same goes for.. - Morphic Resonance - City of Moons - Ultimate Xperience - Lazarus Rising - RA - Earthcall - Crossing Mind - Beyond Duality Dream Telepathy is creatively rich, exciting, immersive, and engaging. It has some of the best Goa-Trance songs I've heard all year on it, primarily Monkeys and Mahabharata. I'm loving much of the work on numerous other songs too, e.g., eL eS Di (what a pain in the ass to spell lol) and Dream Telepathy! Is there anything that could be better? Yes. The third song could have been stronger. Same with the seventh and last one. This artist is insanely talented, yet there's a few songs (and moments) that could have been refined when compared to the excellent/superb work surrounding them. I could have done without the brief laughing on Track 3, the hymns in Track 6, the chanting in Track 7, and the samples in track 8. None of these ruin the album for me, they're just noticeable when they occur and take distract from the strong and worth experiencing (many times!) journey. That said and for the most part, the Hallucinogen-inspired elements are SOLID. Most of the album is terrific, at least I think so, and many others (not all) seem to agree. There's an ingenuity to many of the songs that I like, that give this album a distinct flavor, style, and feel. There's room for improvement for sure. That said, this is a terrific release. Dream Telepathy is easily one of 2016's best albums IMO. HIGHLIGHTS: 2 (!!!), 4 (!), 5 (!!!), 6 (!!) A- Stream the full album on YouTube here!

I just love how old-school this album sounds and how Artha took the Hallucinogen (and its "derivatives") sound as an inspiration and made it his own, with those signature swirly synths, heavy bass lines and lots of swooshy, noisy FX. It's also refreshing, that this somehow avoids most of the current day neo-Goa cliches, drawing heavily from the legacy of the original psychedelic trance, rather than melodic goa, even if it is unashamedly melodic at times. "A Way To Target" is one of the best triplet trance tracks, very funky and acidic and with a great transition to Juno Reactor-like dreamy atmosphere in 2nd part. "Monkeys" captured my attention because of cleverly used spoken samples and that nostalgic, long main theme played with slowly oscillating synth. "Theory of The Ghost" sounds like a collaboration with Eat Static with machine gun, train-like bassline and laser kick, but at around 4:00 mark a melodic riff reminds that it's Artha after all. Very good, hypnotic track, even though the main melodic hook could be elaborated more. "El Es Di" stole my heart with those bells appearing in- and out- throughout the tune, wobbly SH-101 synth lines, ring-modulated acid lines and overall "dirt" in the production, i.e. the lo-fi drums. Great track. "Mahabharata (Live Version)" immediately sends you flying with that wiggly acid line, but then somehow fails to build and sustain the energy; there's some excitement introduced by new melodic lines at 4:15 and then 5:55, but for my liking the track "starts" to early (and ends to abruptly, as well) and loses some of the dramatism it could otherwise have. Very good track, still. "Dream Telepathy" I don't really like, because the chopped-up singing and heavily distorter acid line make it seem much slower than it really is; the 2nd part pulls it up a bit with some great melodic work, but I was disappointed with the part at 7:20 - when it really gets interesting - not getting developed any further... BTW, it's fascinating how often artists pick a name of the album after the weakest - IMO, of course - track. "Secret Trip" is a return to form though, with heavy Shakta ("Silicon Trip" album) and Hallucinogen influences - 1st half is a bit understated, with different ideas thrown about but then it gets really great in the middle, with that Soothsayer / Gamma Goblins-like bubbly acid synth(s) and heavily echoed Indian chanting. It's all laid back and not very driving, but all the details in the background - e.g. that delicate, "angelic" riffs - create a very captivating atmosphere, "Flutes" takes a bit too long until it gets going, but when it does it's really good, very Shpongly, mixing live flute with gentle acid lines. One thing I wasn't particularly fond of is the spoken sample, that doesn't really make any sense in the context. Overall, it's a strong 4/5 from me, mainly because I'm not always convinced by the arrangements of certain tracks that somehow lose steam or fail to build up the energy altogether; and because of the length - one more track could have easily been squeezed in. In terms of mastering, I'd probably preferred this to put a little less emphasis on bass and ever so slightly slightly more on the hi-hats which would've benefited the overall clarity (mastering of Artha's track on V/A "If I wasn't human..." was on point, IMO), but it's great anyway: meaty, detailed and very pleasant on headphones.

Gave it a good break (not like it needs any) but daaaamn, this sounds so beautiful now. Goosebumps all over ! And I'm just in the first track! Going to be a good evening

I don't like the way tooooooooooooooo long voice speeches in this one. But aside that I think this is another overlooked album due to saturated market and 'minority' label.

Damn it's been almost 4 years since this was released and I haven't said anything except voice my disappointment in the sound compared to Erta Ale? I feel like I need to apologize. It took me time but I got over that, kind of. There is some absolutely fantastic music in this album. The first three are not my favourites but still good on their own terms. The first track is not my cup of tea, maybe it's the slower pace, maybe it's repeating itself too much. Ethereal Resonator has really lovely leads and a groovey sound to it. I like the samples in Cognitive Disorder and it's climax. However, what happens after that is, well, amazeballs. One blasting maximal track after another. Absolute madness. Unlike anything released thus far, sounds, compositions. Alien Brain Train gives goat man a run for it's money. I just love that never-ending speed of light movement. Also, I wasn't expecting much from Twin sister but it is a totally worthy remix of Goat Man and abduction Phenomena has a lovely b-movie scifi feel to it. All of the 5 tracks just kick major buttocks. What else is impressing is there is actual work done on the ground level, the tracks can be groovy and the tracks e v o l v e and have a story. What sorcery! I think what happened during the release was that the first three tracks weren't impressing me as much as I had hoped and the low from Erta Alé's high just destroyed me, too many emotions blinding what was actually absolutely stellar music. A great, great album and I have no doubt the sequel, whenever that may be, will be another to impress. Especially considering the tracks he has been releasing lately. Let's keep running! Thank you.

Yes!! Now this good news.. <3 Cronomi Records. What an amazing news thanks!

I'll only remember this one for Monkeys. A great and masterful track that evolves into a hypnotic monster. Such a pity it's surrounded by empty tracks that lead to nothing and do not induce a state of hypnosis or even resemble raw power. I'm with T2MU who feels Artha is able to do great stuff, but not an album full of it. Yet.