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Oh hell time flies, it feels like I wrote the 20th bday thread not so long ago, but turns out if was before the Covid crisis... It's still accurate. What more is there to say to that? The is not the most active community but it should stay online as it contains a goldmine of information about Goatrance and Psytrance. BTW for those who don't know from the FB post, Psynews was moved to a brand new server one month ago, it feel so much faster now. Psynews certainly changed our lives. It changed mine big time, I keep realizing it. It was a big launchpad for several projects (Suntrip, Filteria...) It's like a fabric of wonderful people all around the world. Mind you, I'm even going to finally meet @Jon Cocco in the flesh next summer as he invited me to his place in the USA. Psynews keeps amazing me with everything it helped creating or enabled along the years. For those who need some more insights about this community, I still have this other thread in store HAPPY BIRTHDAY !

And people wonder why this forum going downhill, this is a review thread, keep it that way

RA - To Sirius - 3CD Remastered Reissue This month marks the 25th anniversary of one of the most iconic and timeless albums in the history of Goa Trance: "To Sirius" by the legendary Norwegian act RA. To commemorate this milestone, DAT Universe has worked tirelessly behind the scenes with the band’s visionary founders, Christer Borge-Lunde and Lars W. Lind, to curate an extraordinary triple-CD reissue—a tribute that not only honours this revered masterpiece but also cements RA’s legacy in the pantheon of the genre. More than a mere celebration of their magnum opus, this ambitious project seeks to transcend nostalgia, expanding the reissue into the ultimate anthology, gathering the finest compositions ever crafted by the duo during the height of their creative journey. The painstaking process of meticulously digitizing the band’s priceless DAT tapes and unearthing their long-lost old archives was a labour of love spanning several years. The result is a captivating odyssey through RA’s early foray into Goa Trance, and a definitive panorama of their artistic evolution before their reformation in 2006. Originally released in 2000 by the Taiwanese label Blue Moon Productions, and reissued in 2001 by Nova Tekk, "To Sirius" emerged like a celestial anomaly in the Psychedelic Trance scene—a luminous UFO soaring above a landscape increasingly dominated by dark minimalist and techno-infused influences. Its arrival was nothing short of a revelation, conveying a sonic manifesto that rekindled the genre’s cosmic soul and melodic grandeur. RA’s seminal masterpiece encapsulates all the quintessential elements that defined the golden era of Goa Trance, seamlessly intertwining intricate melodies, ethereal atmospheres, and hypnotic rhythms. Yet, "To Sirius" stands as a bold and visionary endeavour—an enthralling alchemy of spiritual sounds that transcend the boundaries of trance. With its cutting-edge 3D sound design and futuristic precision, the album not only redefined the genre but also reignited a glimmer of hope for its resurgence at the dawn of the new millennium. The first disc presents a remastered version of the album staying true to its original essence while elevating it to new heights—each track now resonates with greater depth, richness and balance than ever before. For the first time ever, listeners will also experience the complete, unabridged version of "Astral Flight", restored after being truncated in the original release. The second disc brings together all previously released vinyl and compilation tracks produced in the 90s, alongside a trove of unreleased gems composed between 1997 and 1999—hidden treasures that never made the album’s final cut. These long-forgotten pieces, exhumed from the band’s secret vaults, have now been reinstated into the original work, breathing new life into this reissue—a true "rebirth". This collection also features a miraculous discovery: the medley "Mooncake – Tribes Of The Moon", born from RA’s inspired collaboration with Kerry Palmer and Graham Franklin of Dimension 5. The final disc unveils the finest previously unreleased tracks from the pivotal years leading up to the creation of "To Sirius" (1995-1996)—a mesmerizing journey through the duo’s formative era, where raw creativity and fearless experimentation forged their unmistakable sound signature. Spanning an eclectic range of tempos and styles, these early productions stand as vibrant testaments to the artistic evolution of a band destined to etch its singular legacy into music history. This reissue also includes a richly detailed booklet chronicling the history of RA, complete with in-depth liner notes from the duo. It offers a rare glimpse into the equipment they used, along with long-kept secrets revealed for the first time—including the origin of the "RA" alias and the hidden meaning behind the "To Sirius" album title. With this monumental reissue, "To Sirius" is reborn—a timeless masterpiece once again illuminating the vast cosmos of Goa Trance. Tracklist: Disc One: RA – To Sirius 01 [Prologue] 02:07 02 Astral Flight 15:12 03 Universal Key 09:13 04 Beyond Control 08:34 05 Initiated 07:47 06 Sign Of Life 08:47 07 R.O.M. 08:46 08 Paradox 07:53 09 Sirius 06:52 10 [Epilogue] 04:38 Disc Two: RA – Rebirth 01 Rebirth 03:30 02 Another Horizon 08:20 03 Spiritual Odyssey 05:57 04 Lifeline 06:36 05 Questions 07:59 06 Azure Child 08:20 07 Mooncake – Tribes of the Moon 08:59 08 Static Distress 07:58 09 Crystals 08:01 10 Unseen Sky 05:04 11 Sanctuary 07:11 Disc Three: RA – The Early Years 01 Gateway (Goa Mix) 09:35 02 Cheops (Spirit Nomad) 07:45 03 Iris 07:32 04 Soul Transfusion 09:30 05 The Calling 09:15 06 Messenger From Beyond 08:34 07 Sign Of Sun 08:58 08 Intermission 02:07 09 Cheops (Caravan of Life) 07:53 10 Gateway 07:38 You can pre-order your copy here: https://www.datuniverse.com/product/datuv004-ra-to-sirius-3cd/ https://datuniverse.bandcamp.com/album/to-sirius

Vaporized Human Odyssey 2023 Digital Reprints Human Odyssey 1 1-1Vaporized (2)–Return To The Source 12:51 1-2Vaporized (2)–Circle Of Dust 11:21 1-3Vaporized (2)–Solar Cycles 10:38 1-4Vaporized (2)–Human Odyssey 9:44 1-5Vaporized (2)–Full Moon 9:44 1-6Vaporized (2)–Silverbox 10:54 1-7Vaporized (2)–Enter The Circle 10:37 Human Odyssey 2 2-1Vaporized (2)–Return To The Source (Dig Deeper Mix) 12:51 2-2Vaporized (2)–Circle Of Dust (Red Rock Mix) 10:36 2-3Vaporized (2)–Solar Cycles (In Orbit Mix) 11:03 2-4Vaporized (2)–Red Dust 10:22 2-5Vaporized (2)–Silverbox (Acid Mix) 9:47E 2-6Kristian* & DJ Cosmix–The Vision (Vaporized Remix) 10:00 2-7Vaporized (2)–Artifact 12:22 This is a fascinating double album released in 2023 by Danish artist Kristian Thinning Andersen. He is most famous as Elysium, though he has a variety of other monikers. Andersen made some of the greatest Goa tracks ever in the 90s with a unique mellow, tribal, and hypnotic style. One of my personal favourites is the Sheyba ep on Flying Rhino from 1995: Who can forget the wolf howls in "Ancient Lands" which take the listener deep into the ancestral past. Other notable releases include Spiritual's "Ride the Snake", Kaaya's "Ormazd", Kailash's "Higher", and the two Elyzium albums Dance for the Celestial Beings (1995) and Celestial Sounds and Neurotic Tribal Beats (1997). Evocative, storytelling stuff, more for the inner journey than for 'aving it on the dancefloor, though plenty potent on the dancefloor too. Rather than give a track by track formalist description, I want to try to sum up Andersen's artistic goal and the feel of his tunes, with which I'm sure many of you are familiar. Perhaps the most important thing then is to point out that if you are a fan of his work, as I am, then this is a must. Andersen has not changed his style. This is not to say that he is stuck or lacks variety or experiment or is narrow, but he simply has his own unique style that is instantly recognisable. And what a style it is - poised hovering in the liminal zone between the dancefloor and the chill out area with bpms seldom getting up into the 140s, its distinctive feature is hypnosis. In a sense, then, his music is the very essence of trance, which is a hypnotic state, a state of immersion if you will. There's a deep calm in his music, that is quite different to the ecstatic excitement, even freneticism, of a lot of trance and psytrance. It is more of a highlands plateau than the peaks and valleys of psytrance. It is likely that the Dionysian among us will not like this calm and will find this album boring. If you want high drama, crushing rhythms, major chords, frenzied build-ups, hardcore blastoff, then look elsewhere. For those who can enter this calm state, it provides the meditative bliss of relaxation and acceptance. This music creates the atmosphere in which it is best appreciated. Here are the words of the man himself: "I wanted to return to the way I think trance should be like. To me, trance is a slowly building journey on the dance floor by its hypnotizing patterns and deep soundscapes. Repetitively rhythmic to put you in a state of trance." Andersen emphasises his return to proto-Goa, which was slower and lacked the build-ups and galloping horse basslines of post-millenial psytrance. What I most appreciate about this relaxation is that it tends to grant the space for the mind to expand into fantasy - it is quite easy to be swept to far-off lands with these tunes. This does not mean that Vaporized lacks intensity. Intensity may be provided by tribal vibes through vocals, samples, percussion. Whilst I do miss the tribal vibes a bit on this latest album, they are still there in the background. Intensity is also provided by the microdynamics of texture and small changes. A master of texture, Andersen was always good at making sounds that ranged from silken smooth to ragged ripping. Many of his sounds, showcased by the relatively constant rotating polyrhythms in the background have more pixels per nanosecond than there are motes of dust in the Sahara (though you will need a good hifi to hear this). Part of the sonic magic is the recordings and masterings: no compression wars here and sounds have space to breathe, do not blur together, dynamics are free. I checked out my vinyl and cds and the only information on the mastering I could find was "Prodam" and "Podam" - I searched but nothing came up. This is also true of this new work, which is also well produced. This high quality recording and mastering pays off in psychoactive sound with good micro as well as macro dynamics. This is crucial to Andersen because he is very good at small changes, subtle shifts of delicate percussion, unexpected time wobbles - small changes amidst heavy repetition that can tug at your ear, especially when you are in the calm and receptive state of trance. There, in a nutshell, I think you have the spirit of Elysium/Vaporized: hypnotic trance. It is relatively introspective stuff that eschews drama, performativity, grandiosity, hysteria, going instead for meditative calm. This, of course, does not mean that the artist is always so calm himself. Hypnosis is also invariably haunted by the image of the zombie: who is controlling the hypnotised is the question that typically arises. Is it a corporate AI? Perhaps it is the Soviet nostalgia hackers? No, it is definitely the aliens described by Cixin Liu. Whether you are concerned about being hypnotised or not, the questions that have historically accompanied the inner path do flutter about this introspective art. Of course, this means that this is more home music than for the main floor. If hypnotic trance sounds appealing to you, then you won't do better than this excellent album and the stunning back catalogue behind it. ~*~

sorry to hear that. sometimes i get annoyed with myself also.

i still listen to and adore Amen from 2003. So if this new album is anywhere close to that, I look forward to another 20 years of sonic bliss Ive watched all their clips from youtube shorts, and there are some very interesting tracks here, so its looking good! im kind of excited! even though its really hard to get excited these days, at 42 😅

Hi yeah, we were a bit understaffed and I had my reasons, feel free to check out the Status thread if you're interested. Back now and cleaned it up quite vigorously (at least what seemed reasonable to me, which was most). It should be better from now on that we have a little people more on the team Thanks at everybody for not letting the drama escalate too much, you handled it reasonably, all of you No, we will not make it a rule that a review needs to include links The links always help the people that are interested - and it is nice to play the embedded video and read the text here, I give you that point. But overall, I still put good writing above all and that's well done by the Doctor here, so: no critics. Cheers!

Really nice review... ....And a little bit of drama added to keep things interested. You can buy the release here: https://digitalreprints.bandcamp.com/album/human-odyssey And in the meantime check the new 2xCD Elysium's release as well :) https://digitalreprints.bandcamp.com/album/a-journey-through-time-space

Psynews has been a cornerstone for all psytrance related topics: from music, party/festival annoucements, new releases news, discussion about various topics ranging from album/compilation reviews/talks, interesting video sharing (interviews, old video-clips), production tips and tricks exchange, general talk about culture, entertainment, spirituality and so on. That being said, my opinion regarding the improvement: Disclaimer: I'm aware it requires resources, mostly someones time, knowledge and some money, but here me out. Two things are here important and both of them can be seen as a great foundation for eventual re-haul/improvement of the website/board. First one is content and second one is user-database. Forum/board should be just one segment of the website. The front-page of Psynews.org shouldn't be board. It should look like a interactive web-page where you can find couple of things: - A nice clean horizontal menu with few sub-menus such as: News, Videos, Reviews, Events, Playlists, Forum. You can add Contact and/or Newsletter info as well - Big horizontal header, Psynews logo or promoted banner for certain release/event/something else - Top 4-6 articles should be right below, in form of a box or as a list, but pinned - Eventually side-bar with latest topics/threads from the board/forum - Everything else is a matter of details - Footer with standard copyright and privacy policy Now to the point: When you have already great content, such as well-written reviews or proper music annoucements made by members, you can use that to put it (highlight it) on the front-page of your website, with nice image attached it's like pro-looking article. For example if you are using Wordpress page, you can make great SEO (search engine optimisation) of each article and attract more visitors to check your website and engage in other content (including the forum). It also gives nice exposure to artists, event organizers, label owners, DJ's as something representative. It's a win-win situation. Turn on some social-media commenting below the article, or link it with board/forum, you have engagement. I'm not that much into technical side of things, especially regarding the server/hosting that Psynews got, but I believe it supports latest version of Wordpress. You can get nice web theme/template in style of blog/magazine for like 50 bucks. Everything else is a matter of details, how you segment your page, what kind of plugins are you using and how you format certain text within articles, what images are you using and so on. But let's be honest, it would look much more professional and more involving for many content creators, no matter are they posting new release infos or putting up some album reviews or just sharing the event details with public, as well to some random visitors or psytrance enthusiasts. Regarding the forum membership: I'm aware that many registered members are inactive, but let's keep focus on active members, lurkers and eventually newcommers. Form a small team of 5-10 well-spoken users who will be in charge of re-posting forum content on the front page. Start with ongoing year 2024 - put up all reviews up in the frontpage, pick couple of festival annoucements, some upcoming releases and create 20 articles. You can, but you don't need to re-post other reviews, news, but it would be great to get each month at least 20-most commented/viewed reviews in form of article (form past years), just make sure to change the date when creating the article (in case you don't want to see it up in the lastest article sections). Add couple of articles regarding the most important festivals, share some nice DJ mixes. You can always edit articles, format images, credit the authors. Instagram reels, Facebook posts and new YouTube uploads by labels or artists can be great source for a fine article. All you need is a engaging article title, 200-300 words, link within article, nice looking photo and of course some links. The best thing is to directly add/embbed a clip or a videot. Put some hashtags and it's good to go. Feature some playlists by DJ's - make it on weekly or monthly basis. Daily throwback - put a highlight on some forgotten artist or release or even label. I can go on for hours with this idea, but in the end, what matters is the will to re-shape this great website, and I'm not sure is that even an option, but if someone from Administration decides to deal with it, I will be first in line to check it on daily basis and support it by recommending it. Sorry for lenghty post.

I've written some code to generate images in Clojure, going for a 90's rave flyer aesthetic. Let me know what you think:

Happy Birthday Psynews!!! I started posting here when I was 14!!! 36 now At that time I started chatting with Sherlockalien and met up with him the following summer, we married 3 years later 😄 Psynews indeed was (and hopefully still is) capable of connecting people are any of the old members still active? What happened to Feathers 😁 Jeeee we all had some good laughs.. amazing really that this is still up 👌🏻 Congrats!!!!

Background: I have never been a Filteria fan. When he was a new artist I assumed it was kind of new school stuff but when I read all the amazing revews here from Goa fans and the comparisons to Pleiadians, I tried a couple times to listen to Sky Input, but I had a similar reaction to most of the other handful of negative reviewers: there are good Goa sounds and melodies but once the tracks get going it becomes a sort of wall of monoculture, like, I love chocolate cake but I don't want every space in my fridge and cupboards squashed full of only chocolate cake. (I should also mention incidentally that IFO is not one of my most favorite albums, though I do like it and listen to it quite a lot. I feel it has more color than Sky Input). I read that Daze of Our Lives is considered by many an improvement on the earlier albums so I have given it my first couple of listens. I am trying to let go of my biases, but that is hard to do, but I do need to say that the best bits of this album are really good and there are certainly moments where there is a really interesitng and unique sound. For me the really good bits are when he goes more ambient / downtempo and lets the music breathe a little. My favorites are the first and last tracks. I think he should try a whole album of downtempo. The other stuff, I like it OK, and I will give it more listens. It's technically good; the melodies are good; the effects are really good, but I honestly have to say that for most of it I don't get that really magic feeling that I get with older Goa or something like RA. It is hard to put my finger on it and it may be down to preconceptions. It might be something to do with the mastering or just Filteria sliding back into his tendencies for a relentlessly constant level of energy in a track. There are colorful melodies and organic effects yet many of the tracks for me feel a little on the flatter, less colorful, more homogenous kind of side in terms of their overall impression. This is just my subjective personal preference. I should mention this album does have quite a few Posfordlike elements that are done quite well, the warping chords and bright arpeggios. He has also nailed the weird, stuttery vocal effects although I do wonder if these were verging on being over-used here, though that's a minor quibble. This is no Hallucinogen 3 for me though, unfortunately. I award that title to Artha's incredible Influencing Dreams. I give tracks 1 and 9 9/10. The rest, I would have to give it more listens to really rank it fairly but my current feeling is if I was just rating the technical achievement it would probably be about 7 or 8/10 but in terms of my own enjoyment, 6/10. So for the whole album: 7/10.

Like and follow to get notified of the uploaded scans https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61573389360427

... one of the best decisions of my life. I used to read this forum like it was a bible when I was 20ish. 15 years later I'm organizing parties in Finland and I play Goa whenever I get the chance. Fullon is SO much easier to mix, but making 1 hour to 1.5 hour sets of goatrance is like finding the genre all over again. Every single time. It feels like I'm creating stories whenever I make my sets. Every single track brings something new, they tell stories that have never been heard, they push sounds and melodies that never been explored before. They intricately have a soul that trancends the life we are so accustomed to. Sometimes it takes 10 hours of goddamn hard work to make just over an hour of goatrance to flow together (even with my insanely vast knowledge of the genre!), but every - damn - time, it's totally worth it. There's like 5 people in Finland putting together goatrance sets during the year and it's a total pleasure being one the very few going against the mainstream of hitech, fullon, forest (that has nothing to do with forest, the fuck is wrong with that genre?) and other minimal psytech types of sounds. Last weekend I had the upmost privledge being able to deliver goatrance that transforms from 140bpm danceable super rhymtic and hypnotic goatrance (M-Run, Radical Distortion) to 156bpm soft nitzhogoa (Goalien & Agneton) and everyone who was in the front row was banging their heads off!!! I seriously could not have believed I could bring these sounds to peoples ears that have never heard them - and get them to enjoy it! This music literally was a saving grace for me. I used to be a nobody. Goatrance was something I consumed alone, skateboarding, hanging around on forums. I still kinda am a nobody, but goatrance made me a person who gives people experiences they never experienced before - I'd imagine that counts for something more than just being an npc. Goatrance, as a genre, is a goddamn joy. The melodies, the stories. People who make, play and consume goa, I've found, are the best type of people. The one's that have the capacity to ask more, the one's that think. The one's that care. Last weekend I had an older couple come up to me that my set from the weekend before was the best.. I was not sure what I heard so I asked them "this one, or the other one?", they answered "BOTH". ❤

Morioun - Dawn Of Illusions (Global Sect, 2024) Pre-order digital & CDs: https://globalsect.bandcamp.com/album/morioun-dawn-of-illusions We are pleased to present to you the third studio album of the rising star of the new school Goa-trance, Morioun project. You have already heard great tracks on the compilation Hallucinations Of The Buddha, as well as releases on other labels. We are always very happy to see new names and fresh views on our all favorite style of music. Tracks from this album were written by Daniel Lübke (Germany) between 2019-2024, using digital and analogue equipment. Lyrics of Salam Sahara written by Daniel Lübke, translated and recorded in Moroccan arabic by Amine Sefnaj Tracklist: 1. Huaxa Nakh 2. 4-Seven-A-Nine 3. Abundance of Complexity 4. Space Academy (feat. SETI Project) 5. Vacuum Tube Laboratory 6. Darth Fader 7. Salam Sahara 8. A Dream Within 9. Generation Mars 10. The Drake Equation Release date: 24 December 2024 Label: Global Sect Mastering: 4CN-Studios W&P: Daniel Lübke

The Hallucinogen Singles boxed set is up for pre-sale on Bandcamp. Grab it now 😃 https://hallucinogenmusic.bandcamp.com/album/hallucinogen-5xlp-singles-remastered-deluxe-media-book-pre-order-only-ships-on-or-around-17th-february-2025

Digitalis - The Fourth State album (features unreleased older tracks) on vinyl - limited to 50 copies: https://organicsigns.bandcamp.com/album/os05-digitalis-the-fourth-state

The Goa Constrictor – A Fabricated Reality (Live @ ZNA 2024) …A Fabricated Reality – Live@ZNA2024… (2hr03min/320MP3/297.6MB/©2024) Genre: Goa Suomi Direct Audio Download/Stream: TheGoaConstrictor-FabricatedReality.mp3 Direct Video Download/Stream: TheGoaConstrictor-FabricatedReality-ZNA2024.m4v YouTube: youtube.com/watch?v=LLXSufQ1e4w I was honored and blessed to be chosen to represent as a Goa Guardian at this summer’s (2024) ZNA Gathering in Portugal. I played from 4AM -> 6AM, closing out the night and ending as the sky started opening up. I documented the journey to/from and during the festival, as well as the set itself, and created a video diary of the entire experience. I highly recommend checking out the video but if you only want the music, you may stream/download that too. The mix represents a chunk of what brought me to Goa and what has moved me all of these years. Some of my earliest vinyls and rarities that I always wanted to play on a big system to a crowd of lovers like this. I hope you can hear that and capture what captures me. Enjoy the ride as reality is only that which we make it! Click for Tracklist:

I have to admit, I'm a bit hesitant to upload this because I really don't want to step on any toes. However, I feel like it's time we talked about something that's been on my mind and on the minds of many others. Has Psytrance lost its edge? Has it become a bit too formulaic? A lot of the tracks I come across these days seem to follow the same set of rules—using similar sounds and carrying the same general vibe. Many of my friends who are DJs and producers—very active in the Psytrance community—have shared similar concerns but often choose not to speak up to avoid any negative backlash. Since I'm no longer reliant on the scene for my livelihood, I feel it's important to bring this conversation forward. See how general interest in Psytrance has declined: https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=psytrance,psy trance,psy-trance&hl=en-GB In this video, I'm revisit some tracks from some of the most innovative Psytrance artists from the early days, before 2000, and explore how we've moved from a musically diverse scene to one that today sounds remarkably consistent. While this is all highly subjective and there are certainly exceptions, I think we need to discuss the current state of Psy-trance. Please leave your comments, let's dive into this together! Playlist used in the video: U?si=t4328LDRaroZVy3D

Is he back already?

Why would you assume she can't dj? Because he's a fucking idiot, I'm tired of coming into the forum and seeing it flooded with stupid posts and stupid replies from this individual...because of him and those who pay attention to him, this forum is more dead than alive. Fucking trolls... get a life!!!

Most of these changes come with board updates. Admins and moderators don't really have skills or time to start customizing the board, especially with constant security updates. It's unfortunate but not much we can do about. I also miss that user level thing. Reaching "customize your title" was awesome!

Nop, but I started a new one, I'm trying to develop my style I started a new one, even the bassline has an arp , I will remake the track Goa ufo and comet with my new skills I have to add more details to the tracks.

Yup, that's the case for me personally. Even if I consider the 2014 remixes album a real album, it's been 10 years since that release, the world is moving, people change, taste changes, and right now I couldn't care less of a new Astral Projection album. Great news for the fans though.

Finally !! https://www.facebook.com/share/p/BYPATb662ytnXCYe/

Hello again, little did I know ... life is super (super!) crazy and turbulent for me these days ... I just wrote that first post, read the first replies, thought a little about what to say - then: boom .... I have been through so much it would fill an entire thread! But I put it short: Two family members in hospital ... still in hospital (it's been months). One of them is my daughter, who came over 3 months early. Second one is my dad. It looked bleak, really bleak and it also affected my psychological health. I recovered, but it was not easy and still is far from it. It's all so easy and shortly said, but I don't wanna spill out all my personal details in a post, I did enough of this in the past and while it would do me good, I do not have the energetic resources to process all the replies ... don't get me wrong, you are all great, but this is something I want to share only little. The situation is definitely a lot better now though and the outlook is positive again So if anybody wondered about admin absence, there you have the reason. Returning to it now though, I am happy that this forum exists and that I can write that here. No, I will not retire Psynews (if Mars keeps the server alive). I will embrace the requests from people who offered mod help and we will continue on, past 2024 and beyond I have a way better outlook now, a new private workplace under construction and I will now finally be able to be here more. And I also have begun to post Videos again on Jungle TV, which is a sign that I am well

I heard he is on tour doing keys for Coldplay

Next up, track 11. This was finished in early April 1999, almost 2 months after the previous one, and this is where things are getting a bit weird. I'd been spending much of the preceding months completely fascinated by The Lone Deranger, and the Twisted Records Dementertainment compilation. Listening to those on an almost daily basis, here is where my sound took a turn towards more gritty and should I say "dark". This is definitely the most complex track I managed to write in Impulse Tracker, both technically and as a composition. I remember a situation where I described the track as "organised chaos", and that's quite an accurate expression here. The only things that bother me a bit about this one is the rather murky and nondescript bassline (I really wish I could have come up with something better), and the track title feels oddly disjointed.

Upload day my good brother.

I hope you realize Filteria didn't invent shit. At least Xenomorph has his own style, the story telling (not this album specifically but in general).

Saw the post and felt like commenting because it is important to have this place going. I remembered my old password🙃, it has been a while..

I personally would prefere it if the forum keeps running. I'm only posting once in a blue moon but I do read it way more. And I've been able to discover some amazing tracks/artists/albums through this forum lately so it is still very helpfull for me. I don't think it's that bad if moderating the forum only happens with a delay. Considering the forum is not very active anyway I don't see any harm with that.

Yes keep it running, I have some spare time if you need help I think I can help too forums still have some advantages no pub and not so distractive.

All i want is fewer smileys i miss the old few n selected Psynews emojis. Now -at least on my phone- it's hell opening up the smiley selections... So much lag n crash .. :posford: 😛h34r: ..... Love your dedication to the forum, RTP. Keeping it alive.

I love this place and if you need any help with Mod/Admin'ing, I'd be happy to support. 😃

Man, I haven't logged in months and the very first topic that I see is EP stating he's leaving the scene. It's like I've been transported back to 2003. Or 2005. Or 2008. Or every year cause that's what EP does. Biggest drama queen of our scene.

lolololol I woke up with this sample in my head this morning. Did a Google search for <<goa trance sample "I feel like I'm losing my mind">> and this thread was the first result. I laughed very hard when I opened it and realized that I had created this thread and it appears to be a common issue in my life. FFS

We made 200 copies in total, but there are already less than half of them left in the preorder. The release date is next 21/11. Also we reissue the only release of Positive Recreational Soundsystem aka A Positive Life. https://organicsigns.bandcamp.com/album/os02-positive-recreational-soundsystem-p-r-s

Great we are back

Fiery Dawn started producing music from the beginning of 2000s

Xenomorph Netherverse 2024 Suntrip Records 1 Sinister Contours 9:17 2 Dying Sun (Sol Aeternus Mix) 8:03 3 War In Heaven 8:35 4 Negative Time (-L Di/-Dt Mix) 8:20 5 No Beginning No End 8:39 6 Nebula Of Souls 7:47 7 Subdimensional Anomaly 8:38 8 Abode Of The Damned 8:46 9 Netherverse 8:38 So Mark Petrick comes in 2024 with Netherverse, his fourth album and the one to accompany 2023's superb ep "Negative Time". Is it any cop? "Sinister Contours" telegraphs Petrick's self-evident intention: he is for sure following the left hand path. This means a heavily arpeggiated track with a threatening minor melody. There'll be no easy upliftment on this album; and no cheese! But isn't the whole gothic darkness thing quite cheesy? Well yeah, if we are talking Twilight movies with aristocratic pretty boy vampires who bling in the sunlight, or perhaps campy Tim Burton style goth-lite. But we are not talking that here. No easy joy, no happy endings, on this sinister path, but plenty of eerie and other disquieting feelings. A "Dying Sun (Sol Aeternus Mix)" is probably my favourite track on the album. Here we seem to be on a space ship on a quest for a new home and we dive deep into a black hole, or something like that, indicated by the "our sun is dying... we are dust" sample and another spaceship sample (Petrick is a master of the appropriate sample - he really tells stories with his samples, which are carefully chosen). We sense here how cosmic Xenomorph's vision for this album is. The production quality on this track has to be heard on a good hifi to fully appreciate it - mindblowing. EPIC! A+++ "War In Heaven" starts off with a simple four-note melody that summons up fairy tale horror, but at the half way mark the track shifts up a gear and achieves take off with sawing synths. The "war in heaven" sample states succintly Petrick's apparent philosophy that the tension between good and evil is the propulsive force that drives the universe. A dance floor monster! A+ "Negative Time" is from the accompanying ep of that name. Plenty of pretty tinkles and juddering synth melodies here make for a track that is almost progressive trance - a more mellow track than the ones that preceded it, quite blissed out and dreamy. A "No Beginning No End" is an ourobouros in both concept and in big swirling melodies. These melodies do seem like spiralling nebulae. At 3.15 it turns darker with some delightfully chewy bass 303 and then the spiralling begins again, growing out of the darkness. Another epic trancer with massive melodies. Petrick has worked hard on making these melodies as echoing and big in scale as possible. A "Nebula Of Souls" - I love this slightly more minimal track. It features mysterious vaporous synths at the start, which are utterly beautiful and uplifting in a creepy way. There's a whap-whap sound that continues throughout, giving propulsion; it builds to a grinding climax and then ends on moody cello - simply stunning. A+ "Subdimensional Anomaly" starts with twinkling synths (lots of those sounds on this album) and then builds towards twisting leads against a stumping beat. There's a lovely sense of calm and observation behind this track. A "Abode Of The Damned" is as dark as its title, beginning with a sample about a graveyard and its ghosts. There's a great climbing bass arpeggio that kicks things off and then we have minor key choirs so beloved of dungeon synth and black metal and used quite regularly on Cassandra's Nightmare. This track could easily have been from that first album. At the four minute mark the bass goes into double time and here comes the growly acid that slowly morphs into long pads. Yo party people, are you ready to chew your tongue off and lose your shit? I'd love to see what this track would do to a dancefloor. A+ "Netherverse" - the come down track. Vaporous spacey synth, twangy echoes, a slow beat, eventually builds to the expected long and melancholic pads. I'm a huge fan of sloa Goa, but this is not an especially outstanding example, coming across as an unfinished fragment, and is the least good track on the album for me. B So is it any cop? You betcha it is. What I particularly liked about this album is that Xenomorph has not stood still, unsurprisingly perhaps as so many years have passed. This is a unique lighter and more cosmic album in his discography. Terrifying, eerie, haunting, sinister, at moments, but also full of cosmic beauty, Xenomorph's vision achieves maturity here. It seems that his albums are all quite different, despite there being strong similarities (not least the superb production and sound quality of all of them). I characterise them like this: Cassandra's Nightmare 1998: cinematic horror trance Qlippoth 2003: spirit possession Demagoguery of the Obscurants 2007: the conspiracy album Netherverse 2024: cosmic darkness and light In this fourth album, it seems to me that Petrick goes scifi and reaches for the stars, seeing the dialectic between light and darkness, matter and antimatter, creation and destruction, as the cosmic turbine that powers all. His vision has become epic and fully realised by this point it seems to me in that it appreciates all, including the disgusting and repressed, and values all equally. A divinely balanced cosmic vision. Does such a vision appeal to you? It is a bit early in the year, but I have no doubt that this is already one of my records of the year. Actually, my only strong criticism of this album and the ep is the cover art - weak in both cases. Finally, I am inspired to look back over his oeuvre as the body of work that triggered an entire (sub-)genre: darkpsy. You could argue against this notion, pointing out the other great dark Goa albums that helped ignite darker psychedelic trance: Sandman's Witchcraft, Orichalcum and the Deviant Orichalcum and the Deviant, Cydonia Fear of a Red Planet, UX Ultimate Experience, and so on. This would be correct: all played their part. Nevertheless, nothing was nearly as dark and scary as Cassandra's Nightmare and it remains the keystone album. So Xenomorph's latest album deserves to be seen in this wider context as part of the genre that his first album kickstarted. Amazing what can come out of watching a few horror movies and being open-minded enough to meld trance with the gothic, industrial, and metal. ~*~

HI. Hey FP. I live in SEOUL, SONGPA GU, SONGPA 2 DONG HANYANG ART. If I have lot money I will take with you with Outback Steak house and Papajohns Special Pizza. But I have now not have lot money. I love Pizza. If you visit my house room I will buy pizza with you. haha. But I you have lot money you pay haha!. I always visit psynews. I recently make My new band "The Superman" and "The Trance" etc. I will release my new albums and singles at nearly soon. thanks my email nhjohyennro@naver.com

hmm. i think surely he was one of the first to popularize and create neo goa. And he certainly has his own style, his first two albums were kind of meh even though they did have a huge impact on the scene. But he really got into his own with his third album, and to my knowledge there is no other artist that share a similar sound and style. I realise you dont like him at all and thats ok but at least Try to be objective tracks like filtertraces and perpetually delayed voyage are completely unique to his personal style.. But lets agree to disagree, also the thread isnt about filteria so enough about him 😃 And i like Xeno, just not this album that much.

Hmm, you're asking difficult questions here. That friend of mine who introduced me to both goa trance and Impulse Tracker gave me his entire sample library (most of which was quite useless tbh) and I couldn't in any way tell where all those samples were from. I do remember we found some websites with useful sample packs, so there's the source of most of the sounds in my tracks. Of course I couldn't tell which synths and drum machines the sounds are from; I did rename all of my samples for the sake of organisation, so the original file names are lost to time. There are some hints in some of the file names, but of course you have to remember that back in 98/99, I had absolutely no idea what words and numbers like "acid", "juno", "303", "909", and so on even meant. They were all just useful sounds to me

Funny to see how many old crocodiles are still here lurking once in a while And... I am one of them now 😛

Exactly. Agree about the track. Want a honest opinion? Astral Projection haven't released an album since 2014, that's 8 years now, and that was an album of remixes. If I am not mistaken, the last album they released producing original tracks was released in 2006, that's 16 years ago. Astral Projection have stated they would release an album in 2020, that's already two years... my honest opinion: I don't care one bit anymore. It's fine to tease your audience but waiting so long has a negative effect. When Astral Projection will release their next album in 2028, I bet hardly anyone will care anymore. And yes, the track is quite generic. My opinion sounds harsh because at the end of the day, they do what they want, I mean they are accountable to nobody. I am just sharing my own feelings.

Just a heads up that Vader just out out their new album. If you want some quality death thrash from Poland give it a listen. They always deliver if if it's a bit same same.

Eh it's still a highly relevant and an interesting tangent. I think it's totally crazy I didn't even think of people mastering for festivals or parties, but I guess that's because my music consumption is home listening 100% Personally I listen to so much music that I do notice the differences(Unless it's a trashy audio system, but then everything sounds equally shit regardless), it is a massive change whether a track is flat, sharp, bloomy, soft or whatever you want to throw in here. You don't even have to get technical about it, just the way it sounds is enough. And as said, newer equipment get more and more revealing as the years go by. On parties people will pay even less attention to these things because everything is loud regardless and the sound systems already colour the music pretty heavily(There's a saying everything sounds great in a party). At least to me, mastering can make and break a track as I automatically gravitate toward things that sound more enticing and pleasing rather than boring and flat and the production has a huge impact on how the bass sounds, how sharp or dull the highs are, how busy it sounds or how much breathing room the layers have. Homogeneity is also an issue I agree, not everything should sound the same, but for the sake of consistency for an album that's a different thing.. Now obviously people who do mostly notice these things are not the majority, but why does one have to always go for the lowest common denominator? This is why we have the loudness war in the first place. Musical quality is the most important one yes, but again if something sounds like it's been through hell like the tracks in my original post, then it doesn't matter, the tracks will be forgotten. a couple pages back I posted a comparison of D5 iron sun and it's remix, tell me you don't hear a difference with them. Or another album I find unfortunately lacking in audio department was M-Run, he had 2 tracks on Erta Alé mastered by Colin and they sounded much better than anything in the album. I still find the album brilliant in it's own right, musical-wise, but I do not go back to it as much as I'd want! And to note this is not directed at anyone in particular even if it might seem so, just talking general principles what kind of a change you can achieve just with how things sound.

RA - Unearthly Altar Records 2012 1. Floating Shrine of Inanna 2. Rain No Water 3. Ascend 4. Shift 5. Lifethread (Serene Mix) 6. Lightspark 7. Unearthly 8. Celestial Slice RA is one of the leading pioneers of Goa-Trance. Christer Borge-Lunde of RA is also known for producing some of the best chill tracks in the past few years, mainly on elemental compilations by Altar Records. Unearthly is the latter with all new songs. It's the first downtempo album by RA and one of 2012's best albums! 1. Floating Shrine of Inanna is a beautifully optimistic, harmonious piece with catchy female hymns. Initially I thought it could have developed a little more. On return listens, I find it just right, a song that gets better with repeat listens. The strings in the second half are creatively utilized and reduce the sense of repetition. The warm mood and atmosphere, violin, and various other instrumental sounds add to the immersive, downtempo feel. This is a great opening track. A- 2. Rain No Water is an ambient driven epic that's floating, contemplative, dreamy, and evocative. The first half to two thirds is pure gold, magic. Sometimes I feel like it goes on for several minutes longer than necessary; that it could have ended at around 7:47. In the end, that's probably a nitpick. The song oozes with passion and beauty. It's like a masterful opera track for ambient. Overall, this is a wonderful song filled with love and light. I could easily see it complimenting a great scene in a film. A / A 3. Ascend begins with a sample of living in the present, NOW. I love the opening sounds; they fit the track title perfectly. The mid if not uptempo song reminds me a little of those upbeat, infectious tunes from those futuristic F-Zero racing games for Nintendo. The overall track sounds eons apart, more natural, harmonious, and well orchestrated. The ambient support is fantastic, and oozes life into the digital body. My hesitation to give a solid A relates to how engaged I am from beginning to end. I love how optimistic and positive these tracks are. A- 4. Shift is more Egypt/RA-influenced. This is more psychedelic and combines creative, tasty sound/melody combinations. At least one layer music is manipulated to create an energy-like, skipping (I don't know what I'd call it) wormhole (?) effect. It's very catchy! The Goa influence (touches?) work extremely well. The song keeps moving, developing. It's arresting throughout. Excellent work. A 5. Lifethread (Serene Mix) is a chill version of Lifethread on the Shaltu compilation. The song has an intriguing opening and some beautiful ambient to boot. I like it a lot more than the uptempo version that felt too safe to me. I simply find the synth work catchier on the other tracks, comparatively speaking. Nonetheless, the warm, emotive touches stand out. The lighter approach brings balance to the less light numbers (before and after this one). I can't help but find the other songs catchier, but this adds variety, has some great elements, and is a welcome song to the canon. The last third develops nicely too. B+ 6. Lightspark has more energy than the previous tracks. It's more dynamic too! Once again, the ambient is different and supports the catchy synths. I love the first half of this song; it's refreshingly gripping. I like how the song develops, growing catchier as it moves forward. Unfortunately I find that it begins to feel a little repetitive around the fifth (to 5:50) minute, just before the interlude. The song felt more zippy and tight leading up to the 5th minute. The interlude is very good as well as the beat's return. To me, the last act could have stood out more and incorporated greater development, as it grows a little repetitive to me (again) by the seventh minute. The song's homogenous though; it's very nicely composed and some may prefer the song this way. I love the tempo and the accents on and around the beat. This is another solid number. I simply expected more based on the first half. B+ 7. Unearthly is another Chill-esque number that's fairly upbeat. The kick drum produces more of a dance-friendly feel and atmosphere. The ambient notes and harmonies are pleasant and catchy. The key changes are nice too and support the piano. Towards the end, an almost mini-climax or rush takes place. I wonder if this was intentional. The rising sound effect of a particular sound enhances the track, as it leads up to new ground and as the horse continuously gallops. I'm a huge fan of the melodies too; they're emotive and contemplative, beautiful and gripping. They develop in arrangement which is one of the artist's many talents. To me this has more variety than the previous two tracks; it keeps my attention more, due to a greater sense of development. Great track. A- 8. Celestial Slice is another beautiful gem. The song begins with a magical and floating opening. The ambient produced has a surreal feel that for me, enters the realm of fantasy. I love the melody/sound work throughout this song. The interlude is seamless and gripping, connecting a gentle flute to the fluid whole. The song has a feel to it, as if its been crafted to near perfection. It's full of emotion and harmony, and makes me feel hopeful, optimistic and loving. The flute segments, and the song's progression and development is beautiful. This is a terrific song from beginning to end. Well done! A Unearthly is beautiful, engaging, imaginative, and magical downtempo album. This is easily one of the best downtempo (chill) releases of 2012 along with Akshan's The Tree of Life, and few others from the ones I heard. Unearthly has some wondrous, magical numbers. The songs develop in ways similar in spirit to Goa-Trance. Some evolve more than others. Some of the evolutions I find catchier than others, but everyone will have their favorites. It's a rare treat from some of the most talented artists, a downtempo album full of catchy, innovative numbers. At times, melodies comes across like feelings oozing into the songs. Furthermore, the album has soul. There's even a few infectious mid-tempo tracks to boot. If I were to be more critical, constructively speaking, I'd say that Lifethread (Serena Mix) and Lightspark, though good, are the least strong (magical, memorable) tracks on the album, to me anyway. They're more or less interesting and add variety. All in all, Unearthly is a gem. Highly recommended. Favorite tracks: 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8 A- Sample / Order http://www.altar-records.com/ra.html http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=ra+unearthly