DeathPosture

You're the real McKoy aren't you? Yeah - a genuine soup nazi!

You didn't have to become personal! That was a long time ago, and I had some real problems back then! EDIT: Oh, and it wasn't lesser-know Shakespeare... It was a combination of lesser-known and well-known works!

Third trade with Babs completed... As always, everything went smooth... This girl is very trust-worthy - I'd entrust my Ming vases with her! Highly recommended! /DP

* V/A - Survival Of The Trippest 3 (High Society 1998) http://www.discogs.com/release/224824 ^ Thanx Tatsu! /DP

Bloc Party - Silent Alarm album

Sure man - Bump the old thread...

Well, it was heavily bashed at the time... But yeah - a great, mature album...

Capsula – Synthesis Of Reality Artist: Capsula (Israel) Title: Synthesis Of Reality Format: CD (jewel case) Label: Ajana Records (Germany) Cat. #: AJACD003 Distribution: Arabesque Date: November 2005 Track listing: 01. 06’24” Mulholland Dub 02. 08’15” Retro Inversion 03. 07’46” Don't Wake Up 04. 10’08” Gates Of Heaven 05. 08’25” The Chemists Choice 06. 06’40” Inorganic Creatures (Laugh Of The Goblin) 07. 07’19” I Know That I Know 08. 06’55” Human Mentality 09. 09’12” Second Attention 10. 03’11” Ride The Wave 11. 03’41” Hidden Track Review: Exploring inner as well as outer space… Capsula is Yosi Shamay from Israel… Prior to this debut album, he has only released three tracks – on two different downtempo compilations… But oh, what tracks! All tracks were distinct stand-out tracks on the compilations they were on… So when Ajana Records announced this album, I was jumping around in circles – as this guy has a big fat plus in my cool-book… Now let’s see if the album lives up to my bloated expectations… Let me take you thru the tracks… #01: Mulholland Dub “I had a dream about this place… I want you to go back to work tomorrow. You were re-casting the lead actress anyway ... audition many girls for the part. When you see the girl that was shown to you earlier today, you will say ‘This is the girl’. The rest of the cast can stay - that is up to you, but that lead girl is not up to you! ... I don't know what my name is. I don't know who I am!” This opening track is credited to someone called Radius… I have no idea who that is, but I’m guessing it’s a Capsula alias!? Anyway, as the title suggests this is dubby, smokey downtempo – packed to the rim with samples from the excellent David Lynch flick Mulholland Drive... Actually, the pace is pretty fast here, and there’s a certain feeling of anxiety hidden within the complex, multilayered music… The weird ass Lynch samples, doesn’t exactly make the track cosier… But that was never the intention, I reckon… A nice opening track! #02: Retro Inversion “I remember thinking from being a being a small child, you know from twirling round and round and round trying to change our perceptions, our level of control from taking something from the outside and putting it in, and being in control of changing your consciousness…” As with most Capsula tracks we get lengthy samples – but they are very well-fitting, and this one is also pretty cool… A very trippy, organic downtempo track here… Dubby-slash-jazzy in structure, but with a distinct Posford’esque spin to things… Could have easily been on one of the old Twisted chill compilations… They were good – and so is this track! Especially the first half… #03: Don't Wake Up The intro here must be a piss-take on the boring, floating new age kinda elevator music… Very dreamy and fluffy – not to mention boring! Luckily we’re treated to a couple of nifty little computer FX and psychedelic twirls in the background… Slowly the track gears up, and eventually gains more pace through a raging guitar-solo, before it ends in some subtle breakz… A held-back frenzy really! An ok track, but surely not among the best here… #04: Gates Of Heaven “The kingdom of heaven is within you! And where Jesus descended into heaven, he went right into the middle of himself, he disappeared, you know! Like the gates of heaven they are pearls. Leads us into funny gates, gates covered in pearls […] The gates of heaven are pearls! Each one is one pearl, and you know a pearl has a very thin hole through it for the thread to go in. And that’s why the camel […] eye of the needle, because you have to become no one to go through that hole!” This very harmonic track starts with another lengthy sample – this time a biblical one… Spoken by some familiar stoner! This is a very peaceful, organic piece – complete with acoustic guitars and soothing, harmonic melodies drifting in the background… Yeah – this is chillum music… Perfect for astral projection sessions or meditation… Delightfully executed by Capsula! #05: The Chemists Choice “Who built these then? The pyramids of Giza and some of the other great structures of the ancient world which are mathematically, geometrically perfection. Who built them? Bill and Ethel in the tent? I mean, who did it? It was done by high intelligence. No one knows where they came from!” As the title suggests, this track takes on a more chemical-friendly approach to downtempo – still dubby in structure, but with a more refined, trancy touch… The percussion is also more adept here, and we’re treated to some old-school melody construction… The sampling is cool as always, and before the track ends we’re exposed to another dose of extraterrestrial teachings: “Knowledge is neutral. Technology is neutral. It is how you use it that is positive or negative!” A nice little track, but again not an instant winner in my book… #06: Inorganic Creatures (Laugh Of The Goblin) The aptly named laugh-track takes a radical departure from the previous tracks, and we’re not entering the realms of psychedelic world-music… This sound like something Ben Watkins could have composed on a bender – or something off the latest Shpongle album… Tweaky, joyous, Eastnern-influenced world music soaked in dub, electro and 45rmp tango… Trippy ethno-vibes packed with a lot of goblin laughs! How’s that for trying to describe a track? I give up – listen for yourself! I assure you, you’re in for quite a ride… A very unique track – nicey nice! #07: I Know That I Know This track was already released on the Peak Records compilation Chilling Goddess which I reviewed earlier this year. Here are my thoughts from back then: “We are all so fascinated with recording things. Taking photographs, writing them down and above all remembering them (…) Because you see if you don’t remember anything, you don’t know you’re there. A person who has total amnesia and lived in a split second only wouldn’t know he was there.” Yosi Shamay brings forth a more psychedelic edge into the chill spectre… This is twisted stuff, and one of the main reasons for that are the very trippy samples… “But suddenly to know that you’re there, you need an echo…There was a young man who said though; it seems that I know that I know. What I would like to see is the eye that knows me when I know that I know that I know” … Try figuring that one out while trippin’! … Amazing track! #08: Human Mentality “Out there somewhere, buried or secreted away in a place that might still be found. It is said, and has been said for years, there are twenty thousand hits of Blue Sandoz… LSD!” On this track we launch straight into a south-east Asian uplifting string-arrangement… Ethno-downbeat with native chanting and singing – with additional psychedelic tweaks, twists and turns… Fuck me; this is so different from what I’m used to hearing… Yosi really has no musical boundaries – and that’s so cool… I believe the sample is Art Bell interviewing Terrance McKenna, but I’m not certain… Anyway, this is truly a magical track… #09: Second Attention “About fifty thousand years ago some crucial transition occurred whereby these previously separate intelligences somehow came together. Cross-fertilized each other and produced new beginnings of characteristics of human […]” We take it down a notch, for this emotional, tribal piece of downtempo… Emphasis has been shifted towards the rhythm section, though the melodies are far from forgotten… A very well-produced track, but doesn’t stand out as much as, say, the previous track… Still pretty damn good though! #10: Ride The Wave This is the official closing track – and we’re riding the wave out to sea… Don’t expect surf music though, as this is Mother Nature and King Neptune battling space ships… A strange opus of nature vs. space… A fun little track… But wait, there is more… #11: Hidden Track “My dream has always been to bring something here from there. And […] things travel well from there to here are ideas, and I’m not an artist so I couldn’t think, so this is a psychedelic idea. There are millions of these kinds of ideas swimming in the psychedelic ocean” This track is not included in the official tracklist, so I guess it’s an added bonus… And I actually like it better than the official closing track in all it’s acoustic-slash-industrial, bleak atmosphere… The perfect way to end the album! Phew – what a ride! Now this is definitely a very noteworthy album… The sheer magnitude of some of these tracks here – it’s simply impressive! The Shpongle-link is evident, but it’s too easy to just write this off, as a Shpongle-clone…. It’s not! This is the work of a very talented guy – seeking inspiration in all kinds of music. All kept within a framework of spiritual and psychedelic downbeat. And I’m damn impressed! Well, I kinda knew what to expect from the compilation tracks, but still – this album fully lived up to my huge expectations! I like most tracks here, but obviously some are better than others – and a few are even worthy of becoming legendary! I’m sure they will! Some people will most likely be put off by the excessive use of voice samples – and let’s face it; with all the voice samples, Capsula is like the Space Tribe of chill-out music, but I really think he can pull it off… I wouldn’t want it any other way with any of these tracks! Whereas the music is top drawer all the way through, it’s a shame that Ajana Records didn’t go to the same lengths with the cover finish. I mean, the track-times are wrong and an extra proof-reading would have taken care of the most obvious spelling mistakes… It’s not cool misspelling the album title, now is it? Also, I’m not a big fan of the cover art which seems a little too messy for my tastes! But hey – screw all that, it’s the music that’s important here! And yeah – this is amazing music! I really, really like it! Recommended to all fans of eclectic, psychedelic downtempo! It’s a safe buy! Enjoy! Favourites: 2, 4(!), 6, 7(!!), 8(!), 11 DeathPosture External links: Ajana Records: http://www.ajana-records.com Discogs: http://www.discogs.com/release/562303 Saiko Sounds: http://tinyurl.com/ajb85 CDUniverse: http://tinyurl.com/9ohgj Amboworld: http://tinyurl.com/a63v3 Beatspace: http://tinyurl.com/dyv9v Psyshop: http://tinyurl.com/dtpyh Wakyo: http://tinyurl.com/aknck Chaos: http://tinyurl.com/cv9v2 Cisco: http://tinyurl.com/bkhkh Ajuca: http://tinyurl.com/92lba

Yeah man... January for both album + single... And apparently the single is coming before the album now... It's a big mess, I agree... But allegedly Liquid Records have been ready for a while, but Arabesque doesn't want a december release for some reason!? You're just going to have to wait - and I assure you it's worth the wait... /DP

Capsula - Synthesis of Reality album

Well yeah, the EVP tracks were by far the best on Wild Rumpus, and now a full album! Sweet! I've only listened to it once, but that was enough to label it real fucking good... And yeah, a full review to follow shortly... /DP

I got it yesterday... It's real fucking sweet so far... Expect a full review up this week... ;o)

Oooops, completely missed your question the first time around... I'll answer now though: Yeah - I have a lot of CDs.. There are stacks all over the place... All my trance stuff I empty into plastic pockets to reduce space... A rock club is pretty much like a regular club with a big dancefloor and light-effects, huge speakers, etc... I don't beat-mix, as it's pretty pointless to do so... Of course I think about "flow" too, but it's not as important as in a, say, trance club... People dance - oh yeah! From 00.30 to 3.30 the floor is PACKED on a saturday night... And we're open from 24-06 usually... Most people just "dance" like they would in a regular club, but when I up the ante and play stuff like Rammstein, Manson, Korn, etc some people go nuts and jump around... It's good, wholesome fun! ;o) /DP

Microwave dinner goa perhaps? I have this album, and I really enjoyed it for a while... Shame though, that 'while' only lasted a couple of weeks... There's a couple of solid, nostalgic tracks on here though, but nothing that hasn't been done much better by other similiar artists of the time... /DP

That's easy for you to say.. You're a girl - you don't have to "keep up with the pace" in high-BPM tracks like us guys do...

I will - already took the CD down from my shelf... Will listen to it in my morning psy-session.... ;o)

Well, I surely didn't like that remix back in 2001 when I reviewed it... Truth being though, that I haven't listened to it since then - so maybe it's time to see if my tastebuds have matured... A more recent IM track I find good is Astrix - Coolio (Infected Mushroom Remix)... I'd stayed clear of everything IM for a couple of years, but Jikkenteki recommended that very track - and it's good indeed! /DP

Insane Creation - Connected Hi-res cover: front + back Artist: Insane Creation (Switzerland) Title: Connected Format: CD (digipack) Label: Domo Records (Israel) Cat. #: DOMO CD 007 Distribution: Psyshop.net + File Distribution (Japan) Date: 1 November 2005 Track listing: 01. 09’35” Distorted Dreams 02. 08’42” Restlessness 03. 08’40” Filestyle 04. 08’22” Sweet Random 05. 07’18” Snüül 06. 09’25” Cafane 07. 08’52” Freakuencer 08. 09’51” Shoobidoo .m3u-playlist: http://tinyurl.com/copeq (all tracks!) Review: Progressive Milka trance… Insane Creation is Czech-born, Swiss-based producer Dave Walitza. He’s releasing his debut album on Israeli proggy label Domo Records, following the very sweet compilation Posse on which Dave also had a track – and a fine track too! Despite Dave’s fair share of released 12-inches and compilation tracks, the aforementioned track is actually the only I’ve heard from him… But that’s about to change with this debut album… Let’s dig deeper! Let me take you thru the tracks… #01: Distorted Dreams [136 BPM] The opening track is a breezy, uplifting progressive stomper… Rich in reverb and instantly funky! It’s all very nice and well-polished, but maybe also a little too androgynous… Despite maybe lacking some ‘bite’, this is still a nice track – and will serve DJs well when they need a quality transition track… #02: Restlessness [135 BPM] Restlessness can be a bitch – but this track isn’t bitchy at all… On the contrary, this is a sweet, sweet track… Definitely deeper than the first track – but still absolutely soaked in reverb… Oh yes, this is sexy beach house trance – designed to keep you warm in these cold winter times… Reminds me of sleek Plusquam or Groove Zone stuff… Funky, but again maybe a little too un-climactic for my taste… That’s true for the first half of this track at least, it picks up towards the second half with those sweet melodic leads… Nicey nice! #03: Filestyle [136 BPM] “I have taken a voyage. Out of my mind. Into my head. Into myself!” And we dwell even deeper in this track, which also crosses over into more psy-like morning trance… That gives the track some edge, and I’m all about edge – so for me, this is the best track so far… The percussion seem tighter now, and the melodies are arranged differently… The phat reverbs are still in focus, and they are all so nicely done… Would mix perfectly with older FREq tunes… Nice track! #04: Sweet Random [134 BPM] More edge enhancement here – as this track drifts away from the most well-polished, lush antics of the first two tracks, and takes on a more tech-trancy coat… Also there are evident links to early 1990ies German techno… Mix that with some smooth progressive trance and a few melodies and you’ve pretty much got this track – which has a sweet, hypnotic sound which I like… Reminds me somewhat of Atmos on his latest album! Not a ground-breaking track, but still pretty tasty! #05: Snüül [134 BPM] “I could say that by using psychedelic drugs, I became tuned in on a network of neurological signals and cellular wisdoms that radiate hundreds of millions per second – within my body!” This track stars with something as rare, as a Timothy Leary quote… Well, that’s not rare in psy – but it is in progressive trance… And sure enough, this is one of Dave’s most trancy tunes… Deep progressive morning trance – crossing well over into psy-territory! Those high-pitched stabs half-way through are so cool… Sweet, sweet stuff! #06: Cafane [133 BPM] This track was written with fellow Swiss producer Cafu – and together the guys have created a very rigid, percussion-driven tune… Instantly head-bounce friendly, this is among the funkiest tunes here… Simple at first, but eventually more complexity is gained… The digitally created moaning sound horny enough to keep me interested – and despite the somewhat clubby feel, I’m entertained throughout the track… Nice! #07: Freakuencer [138 BPM] The pace has quickened, and after the initial minimal intro, this track evolves into a fast-paced morning tune… I like the cut-up voice samples and held-back, tight rhythm-section here… The bassline is also among the best on the album, and the tribal Etnoscope-like drum arrangement in the last half is simply sweet! Another quality track! #08: Shoobidoo [138 BPM] On the final track, we get more progressive morning trance packed with rhythm-section experimentation… All kinds of filtered synths, tribal drums and an impressive array of percussion are present in this track – which is among the most edgy on this CD… That being said there’s still something missing here I think… I can’t really put my finger on it, but it seems maybe a little too hollow? Also I’m not too fond of the weird, high-pitched metallic sounds towards the last third of this track… Not a bad track at all, it’s just not as good as some of the previous ones… Yeah, this is definitely a quality CD – and a fine debut by Insane Creation… This guy spans over a wide array of styles within progressive trance, and he definitely knows his way around a production studio… There are no bad tracks here – but on the other hand, there are no mega-hits either... So, in that sense it’s kinda hard for me to judge this album… It’s all pretty good – without being outstanding! Kinda like the Gaudium album really… With a bit more edge, this album would have been up to par with some of the biggest releases this year… This will however, appeal to fans of tightly-knit, well-produced progressive trance which crosses over into morning trance… And in that field, this is a winner! Enjoy! Favourites: 2, 3(!), 4, 5(!), 6, 7 DeathPosture External links: Insane Creation: http://www.insanecreation.ch Domo Records: http://www.domorecords.com Discogs: http://www.discogs.com/release/552267 Saiko Sounds: http://tinyurl.com/bex48 Wirikuta: http://tinyurl.com/7k5ne Psyshop: http://tinyurl.com/bsjzp Chaos: http://tinyurl.com/e2hpb Ajuca: http://tinyurl.com/an9qy Cisco: http://tinyurl.com/8yp4v Juno: http://tinyurl.com/8pfg5

And equally fair and just question... The easy answer is no - I don't have time to listen to really listen to them all... But I do what I can, as music will always be one of my main priorities in life... I'm currently unemployed, which leaves me with more time than usually - which also means more time to listen to music... But I've always been a big music nut, which means I listen to music whenever and wherever I can - on different formats of course! Most of the rock stuff are DJ tools - I have to keep up with the current releases and stuff, so I buy loads of those to test out at the club where I work... The trance/psy/chill stuff is equally divided into stuff I buy for my old-school collection, and stuff that I review... Obviously the stuff that I review, I spend a long time listening to prior to writing the review... So there you have it... /DP

My condition is worse: I can only make music making love to Celine Dion!

System of a Down's brand-spaking new album Hypnotize

A varied bunch today... New, old, rock and indie.. * EVP - Harmonic Module (Wild Thing Records 2005) http://www.discogs.com/release/573323 * Blissed - Rite Of Passage (Pod Communication 1993) http://www.discogs.com/release/60446 * Bloc Party - Silent Alarm (Wicheta 2005) http://www.discogs.com/release/461406 * System of a Down - Hypnotize (Columbia Records 2005) http://www.discogs.com/release/569648 /DP

I have printed covers in the past... So yeah, I appreciate them!

Oh yes, good choice man... Unfinished Symphaty too - or any Massive Attack for that matter... Maybe Shamen too... Boards of Canada... The Orb... Stuff like that!

A classic Psynews discussion, that we already had a few times... Most recently here... But always fun, and inspiring nevertheless... So, allow me to quote from older topics... Here's a list I made a few years ago, when I was with my girlfriend... We pretty much always listened to ambient/chill/downtempo when having sex... We did it so frequently, I could even compile a best of list... Which looked like this: So yeah - basically everything with a not-too-high BPM rate would be good for love-making... Also emotional stuff like Sigur Ros would work... And even some progressive I guess... Hell, in a tight stop (no pun intended!) even MTV would work! /DP