RTP

okay, meanwhile I have listened to it often enough to say something definite. I really was waiting for this one eagerly, counted the days until Wirikuta finally had it. Had high expectations ... and I'm happy they got met at least partly. EarthShine is a good, solid album. But it could be better! The first track is awesomely perfect, it grabbed me by the balls from start on and didn't let me go. And after many listenings it's still as wonderful as it was at the beginning ... a perfect progressive trance track. Second track as well ... more club atmosphere in that one and even more progression - I like it a lot! But then it begins, sneaks in. Slowly. What follows is actually good music, that's positive, but it kinda doesn't have so many highlights anymore, which is not that positive. I mean, yeah, it's really good when I listen to three of the six remaining tracks, but when I listen to all of them it becomes kinda monotonous, you know? It's good that a certain atmosphere is present throughout the album, I actually am a sucker for just this scandinavian trance atmosphere which is not present in many albums, closest artists to this style being 12 Moons and Matenda ... but I would have wished to have more (and less) drive in the one or the other track, more variation, even if that would have gone on costs of the atmosphere. Black Arrow is still cool, good track with good finish. Brainbow stands out a bit as being the best one of the six, but it's a bit too long. Spectral Nation is much too long as well, it wouldn't need 12 minutes to bring its point across. But track 7 is the weakest one, I occasionally skip it (!!! - SKIPPING in an Ultimae album, something I NEVER did before!). The last one, Cruise, is better again, fortunately. A quite good closer, I like the the calm part with the melody in the middle ... after being through the impression that lasts is satisfaction... Well, what does this mean now? I think the album is good, certainly one of the better releases that comes out these days. But it also leaves me with a bit of hunger after being through ... I was expecting it to be kinda as awesome as Magnus' Ambient works. I was expecting it to be THE album of the year! But sorry, the top, that's a point it can't reach Bonus points for the first two tracks though, they're absolutely awesome! I really like to put the album in the player for just those two! Conclusio: not the best, but one of the better albums this year I'm happy that the next Solar Fields release will be ambient again ... the only downside is that we need to wait until November next year for it. But a new H.U.V.A. Network album will come as well YES, DAMN YES! I was shocked to see this as well. They really could have made a booklet for this one, I was thinking it to be Ultimae standard... Edit: but you know, the EarthShine album is really suitable to write thesis during listening to it. Just a suggestion. I'm serious!

To psy parties I mostly wear a shirt with this motive - the only "psywear" I have apart from a blue dyed shirt: I painted it myself. So if you see a guy with this shirt, it's me

this sums up pretty well also what I'm thinking... but the main fact is, that psy music is just music made for me... I can be happy to it. I can dance to it. I can arrange my thoughts to it. I can dance and think. My whole mass of thoughts and memories is accessible to me, just like a library. I can think of things, think them through ... and be totally free. I can't do this in any other situation. Everyday noises and stuff distract me, lead the thoughts on other paths and in the end I come out with everything but a solution. It's like I have some sort of process in my brain that's producing thoughts and all that stuff continuously that interfere with the thought (or thing) I actually want to do through. And just this process is kinda switched off when I listen to psy, I can finally do and think without interference and that makes me somehow more free... weird, huh?

Haldolium - One Of These Days (Pink Floyd cover) ... but that's hard to get

Concerning really beatless stuff I only know drone ambient ... and that's mostly dark and I don't think she'll like that. Carbon Based Lifeforms - Rise To Tomorrow might be something

I did that. But that was quite some time ago.

I was at the end of 17 as I moved away from trance and got seriously into psy. Went on my first psy party with 18. That was more than five and a half years ago I can relate to this in a way because I was into trance music before I got into psy and I also knew nobody that was into it like me. In my class they were not really pro trance because only chavs were into it. But I never associated this kind of electronic music with social life anyway, I just listened to that stuff at home on headphones while lying in bed ... that was the first thing I did everyday after I came home from school: lying in bed and just listening to trance music for an hour And this relationship I now have to electronic music is still relating to how it was in the ol' trance days back then: even now I'm not connecting psy music to social life apart from this forum here. I don't know any people that are seriously into it except me. And I'm not that social on parties either to talk to many people. I just don't connect this kind of music to social stuff such as the others do ... although of course it's nice to have a good time on parties and when people are nice as well. But for me the core of this kind of music - well, actually of all music I listen to except humppa metal ( ) - is still listening to it alone. Either on the couch or while running. Some casual stuff (that I don't listen to really, just to play something) I also listen during household work and such. But the core will always be what it was back then: headphones and listen, alone. and that is the reason why many (actually most) people find it strange what stuff I listen to - goa, psy, ambient, dark ambient ... all stuff that roots in the initial approach I got to music while I was younger. I formed my musical future back then ... only now I realize ... but I'd never have thought that I'd sit here one day with the new Solar Fields on the headphones

Okay, I'm through it for the first time. And my first impression is ... well, it's good ... actually very good scando prog trance! Although I was expecting it to be so awesome that I'd be blown through the livingroom, which was not the case... Will post a review when I know what to make out of it more clearly. Oh and Ultimae left out the booklet ... why oh why did they do that?

now that I got my order I wish I had taken it

the fact that there's still some good music and some nice people out there ... that makes me the happiest

just curious ... how much money did you spend on all those?

Solar Fields - EarthShine ... I finally got it! alongside with: and:

Indeed, it's out! And it's dark. And good. I was browsing Wirikuta and had my finger on the order button ... but in the end I didn't take it. Money and the too intense sound were the two issues. The sound is really intense. It's good, but I'm afraid I'll only rarely listen to it, just like with the Filteria album I own. It's really good stuff, but not made for home listening. If Gappeq comes here though then I'm the first one that buys a ticket. Definitely have to see this guy! And maybe I'll even take the album as well, depends on my christmas money, will see if it's enough for another Wirikuta order...

I have to think of this saying "You are a God in amnesia." somebody has it as avatar...

DAMN YES! and furthermore: Atmos - Luxor Sound Field - Second Step Above The Sun (Etnoscope Remix) Matenda - Perspectives Matenda - Natural Development Vibrasphere - In Control

Jikkenteki is very good! I'd vote for him! But I actually can't vote, because I only know Jikkenteki's music Never have heard a single complete song from OOOD. I'm serious. I only have checked out samples for Free Range, that's all I know of his music ... but I can tell I didn't find the sounds too great, otherwise I'd have checked out more...

obviously it was indeed it got moved I guess

I was trying to make a point cocnerning the separation between "casual" music (which I just get from batport, put on the mp3 player, play some times and that was it) and masterpieces, which I'd get on vinyl to listen at home. I'd not want the next full on compilation on vinyl. And even the usual progressive psy is already getting kinda repetitous, so I wouldn't want that on vinyl either. These two examples are perfect for beatport. Why? Because in the times we live it more and more often occurs that on compilations only two or three tracks are really good and the rest is just mediocre ... well, in this case beatport is ideal for you - just buy the three good tracks and leave the rest aside and pay only for the good stuff! I wouldn't want this mediocre stuff on vinyl, it would be a shame! And the two-page inlet (inlet, not booklet, note that!) I can do without in that case... The core point to critisize is that the really good stuff, such as Matenda - Natural Development for example, doesn't get released on vinyl anymore! But this stuff for example would be of the kind that I'd put on my record player at home - with crystal clear warm sound ... and oh yes, I look through the inlet aswell here... These cases are where I go buy the release in hardware and would not go to beatport. But industry thinks market-oriented and there are just too few of us vinyl lovers...

that's actually true as well ... but it's not so bad yet .. and I like the idea of beatport and such, no shipping times and all that ... when I have a job and earn good money I'll have an ipod-like thing as well where I load up all the new stuff directly from beatport... but Vinyl is something totally different to that ... the music from beatport would be for casual listening on the portable player, cool and efficient, but the vinyls, that's something special only for listening at home, no disturbances, only sound ... warm, clear, soothing! I'd also not play them often to not wear them off. But this way they'd last until I'm a hundred years old... But anyway, that's all not really that relevant anymore as vinyls are getting more and more scarce But despite the bad news concerning new releases on vinyl, there's still good news concerning the old stuff! This Saturday it will take place again: record convention in vienna! That means once again going through loads of huge cardboard boxes with the fresh smell of cellar and attics all over and maybe, after an hour of searching through a heap of total junk, finding the one or the other gem of old electronic ambient such as early Tangerine Dream or Jean Michel Jarre for a price that you'd not even get a decent newspaper for nowadays ... THAT'S the spirit, man ... look around, there's something like that in almost every town for sure

Well, a real 100% live set is what you'll see when you go to an unplugged concert. Even in the metal scene it is common to run some layers like big choruses, instruments like arctic horns or whatever complex synth layer from a recorder in the back despite that the main instruments such as guitars and drums and keyboards are played totally live. It's just about the reason why you go to a gig. I don't go because I want to see a totally technically skiled live set. Such things are cool, but since it's very difficult to do things live it's quite seldom. The main reason for me to go when some psy artist comes and plays a gig here is to hear his sound! It's at such gigs where you might hear some unreleased treasures or new versions of tracks right off the HD of the laptop of the composer! And that's what I'm after! If the sound is good and the "live act" does at least a bit to keep it a bit dynamic (like this "only one synth layer live"-technique) and doesn't just press play on the lappy that's all I'm looking for. And so far I had the impression that every live act I saw until now did it like that. I sometimes also walked up and asked them and that's mostly what they said, that they had a prerecorded set and played a synth layer here or rearranged a bit there And even if it was all fake from Astal (which I don't believe, the guys were not drunk and they were not just standing around doing nothing), I enjoyed it big time! And that's actually all that counts. And at least I was very happy to enjoy a bit (at least a bit) more of the old stuff than they play on other sets nowadays and not only new and boring remixes (like buzzman said) with maybe People Can Fly thrown in once ... these guys made me finally "understand" oldschool, even if it was just for a few songs

Oh man ... freshly pressed, previously unplayed vinyl has an unbeatable sound quality! A pity there's not much vinyl coming out anymore, everybody releasing on CDs... The last time I saw a Technics SL-whatever on a psy party was probably four years ago - and even there they only used the CDJs

Well, I "know" him as an artist as I have seen him spinning maybe already three times back some years a go in the beginning of my psytrance phase ... but I've never spoken a word with him I would talk to him if I saw him spinning again, but he seems to be on house music now and I've not encountered him on any psy party again... do you know him?

Huh? That's quite wrong. Us men are not more creative than women. The only thing you can say is that women have a different creativity because their brain works a bit differently... But just that female creativity, this rather warmer and more balanced type of stuff (doesn't apply to everything though) is what I like! More females in psy!

I saw Astral Projection live this year. Had the luck that they played a little bit more older stuff than they do usually in their sets nowadays (judging from other AP live reviews on here) as I saw them, which was quite an experience as I've not listened to old school goa trance live before that. But well, of course they played much new stuff as well. And I gotta tell you, I've never felt the difference between the old stuff and the new stuff as much and as significant as in that set, despite that I like the Open Society track. The new stuff has not even half the power than the old stuff... But anyway, if you have not seen them before then go for it! It's a nice experience, they are cool guys and I doubt the music will get much better in the future, so if the ticket price doesn't make you bankrupt I'd strongly suggest to go, you surely won't regret it ... it's Astral Projection, man about the websites I'd advise what Rez said, it's my main source for party infos ... although it must be admitted that this website has its main focus on Germany, Austria and Switzerland...

I will