Trance2MoveU

Artist: Trancient Title: Energetic Flow Label: Flatlife Psy Global Date: February, 2013 1. Investigating My Consciousness 2. Ajja Ojjo 3. Before Time 4. Mood Morning Magic 5. Resinating 6. Shamaans Passings 7. Xmind 8. Space Cosmonaut 9. Magier I'll be totally honest with you here...I'm not 100% sure where I got this from. Sure I linked to Beatport, but it could just as easily been shoe horned into some malware after someone who definitely wasn't me visited all those porn sites. Damn shame. Originally I was attracted to the psychedelic cover art and that's how they get you isn't it? Please it's how thousands of horror movies exist on Netflix. I'd actually been meaning to review this for a couple of years, but it's so vanilla that I simply could not make it through to the end. Every time I would try I would ask myself what the f*ck I was doing and feel shame. Like my mom caught me masturbating. Track after track of non-distinguishable sounds and psytrance stereotypes. If the track was 8 minutes long then it was...about 7 and a half more than I could take. And it's not even terrible it's just...generic. It's like looking at the face of that Lego guy. The label had a short shelf life so maybe it's for the best. "Hi. I'm Trancient."

While not as interesting as his earlier stuff (let's be honest, some of his earlier releases was ridiculously barren) the later phase of Space Tribe is the acid laden full-on dance floor smashers. Some of these tracks are blistering even today. A Pinch of Psychedelic and Astral Body Surfing? 12 years old and still scorchers. For me it's like a nice walk down memory lane with this later version of Olli's music because I wasn't around for his goa days. Now I will agree that a rut he is surely in because he's been making the same music since 2004, but these efforts bring a smile to my face for nostalgia purposes alone. Still, this release has a lot of great tracks and at the time of this writing is itself almost 7 years old.

Artist: Robert Elster Title: Still Breathing Label: Joof Mantra Date: July, 2016 1. Deanimation 2. Antenna 3. Dilated 4. Marmelade 5. Dream Projector 6. Recrystallization 7. Straight To Base 8. Apollo 303 9. Trails 10. 2SC945P Hmmm....Once again proof you cannot judge a book by its cover. I could've sworn this was going to be something along the lines of an Ultimae Records release. Nope. This is Robert Elster (half of legendary Swedish trance act Vibrasphere) and even though that fabulous act is no longer active he is here to let you know he is still f*cking breathing. This is an album that screams from the rooftops that he is doing his thing and will not go gently into the good night. Seriously, he's doing his best Hardfloor impersonation. The tracks are f*cking loaded with warm kicks and growling 303's. Strong progressive drive with tracks like Antenna and Dilated is what Talpa would sound like with 303 usage. he understands how to plant the seed and watch a track thrive as it flourishes with layers on Recrystalization and the haunting Straight to Base. While most albums are looking for the door with the final track he slays with some funky, bubbly spice. Beautiful stuff that I feel went waaaaay under the radar. Don't miss it. Beatport

Artist: Various Title: Locomotion Label: Hado Records Date: June, 2015 1. Chronos - Urban Life 2. MentalImage - Somewhere Between Worlds 3. E-mantra - Minimal Butterfly 4. Spectrum Vision - Inox (Chronos Remix) 5. JBC Arkadii & Konstantin Zhirov - Meteor Fall 6. G-light feat. M. Mayborn - Mysteries of Light 7. SynSUN - Mechanical 8. JBC Arkadii - Aquanautica 9. Harax - Rill 10. Filteria - Lyva Chill music that...isn't that chill? Where offerings from Ultimae are usually a relaxing and calm ride all the way through, this is psytrance with low bpms. The broad umbrella of psychill is varied indeed and I would say if you want to float away to music this would not be the vehicle. The label itself calls this compilation eccentric. And they are absolutely correct. That said this collection of music from some very well known artists will find a foothold. Tracks range from noisy and harsh (SynSUN) to smooth deep space exploration. It's music by artists that you know are straying from their comfort zone. Hell E-mantra has been making psychill for years now, but are you ready for some deep space ambient from Filteria? How about the re-emergence of G-light with a very rewarding offering? How about the 80's-esque guitar solos on Meteor Fall by JBC Arkadii? As I mentioned there won't be any shut eye being had listening to this, but it's cool to see different ground being tread upon. This one grows on me every time I listen to it. Hado Records Psyshop Beatspace

Artist: Scann-Tec Title: Unyt Label: Ultimae Records Date: June, 2016 1. Snova I Snova 2. Unyt 3. Quantum Evo 4. Ne Viden 5. Svet 6. Kinostat 7. Parsec 8. Delta-V 9. Nadezhd 10. Turgenev Russian artist Vladislav Isaev has released his third album and if you read his Discogs blurb the man loves sounds. All sounds. Any sounds. He'd probably record the conversation between you and your mother telling you to visit more. And what he's done with his sound collection is quintessential Ultimae. The booming bass contrasted with the twinkling highs on Snova I Snova is a magnificent contrast and what you can expect to hear throughout the album. The 24 bit sound is incredible filling the room with glorious imagery. Unyt lopes along in a dreamy haze while Quantum Evo drops the slow hammer while a melancholy vocal soars above. The juicy and sneaky bass amidst the high, puffy clouds of Svet is the stuff of dreams. Parsec may be the pinnacle of lush, vibrant downtempo with its driving yet calming sound. Delta-V is the most uptempo track here and has a long ambient buildup before the thumping kick arrives with authority. None of the tracks are in any hurry to get where they're going. Matter of fact it's life in slow motion. This truly is an example of the journey being more important than the destination. Each sound is crystal clear with many layers and works well whether you're looking for a deep, meaningful trip or just some background music. The whole thing is floaty and relaxing and isn't that what this type of music is supposed to do? Nailed it. Ultimae Bandcamp

Artist: Saluberrimae Title: Time Is A Flat Circle Label: Neogoa Records Date: March, 2017 01 - Trapped Inside (95 BPM) 02 - Jesenné Prebúdzanie Do Letného Rána (80 BPM) 03 - Jennifer Connelly (80 BPM) 04 - Time Is A Flat Circle (70 BPM) 05 - Loophole (70 BPM) 06 - The Abyss (95 BPM) 07 - Čiernobiela (70 BPM) 08 - Frozen (110 BPM) 09 - Večerná Ciga Na Balkóne (80 BPM) 10 - Gestonkenflapped (70/140 BPM) "I had a dream last night when I woke up, I remembered it but...just a moment ago...huh. It's gone" The downtempo/psychill side project of Lukáš Bartošek (Goatree) is a nice mix of dub, chill, and ethnic music with real instruments. There is so much to unpack here with a bunch of great ideas. A lot of the tracks have a repetitive phrase which brings a sci-fi feel as if big brother is watching. Very mechanical and sets the stage well. The title track is a pensive thinker that exhibits a slow, hypnotic burn. Loophole has a slow awakening like a beast being preparing for a strike. Čiernobiela has a post apocalyptic feel with a ponderous hip-hop beat. Reminded me of NIN Reptilian. Frozen turned into an industrial influenced crawl with a very throaty 303. Was that a bit of Southern guitar licks on track 9? Felt like a hot summer day on the Mississippi delta. So what it does, it does well. While I liked the ideas unfortunately a few did not realize their potential. Either there wasn't enough evolution or the great bits didn't last long enough. The jazzy elements in tracks 2 and 3 just weren't for me. It's good music and I like where he's going, but for the above reasons it misses greatness. But just.

Artist: Various Title: The Jury Label: Nexus Media Date: August, 2016 1. Technicolor - Plastik 2. Orca - Unleashed 3. Mad Science - War is Law 4. CoRupt Vs. Shift - Voice of Reason 5. Shift - Kapitol (Deliriant vs Iliuchina Remix) 6. Aptitude - The Aliens 7. Dissy - Never Give Up 8. Xatrik - Space Invaders 9. Iliuchina - After Infinity V2.0 (Rabdom L Remix) 10. Demosys - Shameless 11. Abomination - Fallen (Brain Attack Remix) 12. Alienn - Gaming Time 13. The Commercial Hippies - The Belly Of The Beast" (Shift Remix) 14. Stereopanic Vs. Shameless - Mayhem 15. Zion Linguist - Prisoner 16. Cybernetix - The Grid 17. Dyce - Neverland You are not alone. What was once a titan in the South African psytrance scene with releases like the Midnight Storm series and numerous other stellar compilations and albums has been reduced to a minute Facebook/Beatport presence. As my country's bloated, verbally challenged, orange dictator would say...sad. And it is sad, because at one time this label was the end all and be all of hard rockin, minor key melodic bombastic psytrance. Now just because the label doesn't have a dominating web presence doesn't mean they cannot deliver the psychedelic goods. And with that spirit I wanted to check out this release. Reality slapped me in the face pretty quickly. First off it's digital only and that's fine. Save the planet and sh*t. Second there are seventeen tracks so it's a large one. Back in their prime I would've bet the mortgage that the lion's share of them would be brain melting blasters. Alas times change and it is simply not the case. None of the tracks have the storytelling gravitas of the old days. Most are masquerading as "night time" full-on complete with stops, starts, build ups, and annoying melodies. This is a watered down neutering of what was once a dominant label, but we'll always have Midnight Storm. $16.99 for this digital disappointment? GTFOH

Aritst: Various Title: Arborum Susurri Label: Banyan Records Date: 2017 1. Space Alien - Magic Moments 2. Senang - Free Your Soul 3. Noize Bug - Askeladden's Ferd 4. Etlainen - Rite of Passage 5. Ra Root - Dizzy Walk 6. Mandari - Cognitive Toilet Flush 7. Chudl & Vermo - Dark Side of Us 8. Raschka - Never 9. Praheya - Electro Angelic Wave Pulse 10. The Third Eye of Monkey - Menani "Isn't anybody here? Should we go inside?" Actual gif of me trying to escape whatever the hell is in this forest nightmare. I have never heard of this label nor any of the artists which are found on the track listing. The title I believe means "Forest Whispers" and this lush release lives up to that title. Everything about this release is dark from the trippy cover art to the music within. Bubbling sounds, eerie noises from every corner, and hallucination inducing atmosphere. Layer upon layer of delicious supernatural terror with psychedelic trees in motion all the while reaching for you with skeletal fingers. The music in each track refuses to remain stationary, constantly evolving with ever darker soundscapes. Each layer washing over you like a fresh nightmare. On the surface melodies would appear absent, but closer inspection will find them lurking underneath rumbling bass and kick. There are nine tracks, but if you buy the CD you get an extra one from the label. This is a very deep release which I enjoy discovering and separating each component. This is one of the best forest releases I have ever heard. Bravo. Psyshop Beatspace

Artist: Various Title: Freak the Tune Label: Blue Tunes Recordings Date: June, 2008 1. Midimal - Secrets of Beauty 2. Dualnok - Wave Out 3. Earsugar - Womanizer (Quantize Remix) 4. Martin - Intoxicated 5. Infinity & Meander - Rollercoaster 6. Liquid Soul - 6.15 am (Jay Selway Remix) 7. Progenitor - Visions 8. Manuel Duego - Deception (Symphonix Remix) 9. Dream Donor - Dancing Knobs "People think they came here to take over the planet." This German progressive trance label has been around for a very long time releasing a lot of great music. I tend to like the progressive trance that paints a lush picture with tons of layers rather than the more minimal, bare boned approach. With their 19th CD this was an enjoyable, smooth progressive ride. Most of the songs had layers to get lost in as well as being head nodding bounce worthy. This is almost a decade old, but it holds up surprisingly well. They didn't reinvent the wheel (to be honest I really don't know what that would look like at this point), but if you're in the mood for some groovy tunes that put a smile on your face, this will do nicely. Psyshop

Artist: Various Title: Cryptographic Label: Medusa Records Date: June, 2006 1. Inner Action - Drops of Sunshine 2. Beyondecliptica - Medusa Pt. 1 3. Painkiller - Electrical Charge 4. Xenzodiak - The Seed Of Etzab13 5. Bio Genesis - Harmonic Chaos 6. Horus - Telepathic Power 7. Earthling Vs. DJ Torry - Far, Far Away 8. System Brothers - Fresh Memory 9. JP - Power Mesh No. Just...no. This release isn't so terrible that I can start making coaster or frisbee jokes, but it may be one of the most vanilla full-on releases I've heard in a while. Not a single track distinguishes itself and that's rare. Usually even the craptacular compilations hitch their wagon to one outstanding track. It has all the stops and starts, build ups, and triplets that you expect any mid 2000's release to have without being mind-numbingly terrible. But this...nothing. Bland music that could've come in a brown paper bag. It's not at Psyshop, Beatspace, Beatport, or Juno. Public service I suppose.

Artist: Various Title: Goa Files Vol. 1 Label: Code Vision Records Date: May, 2017 1. Ultimate Xperience - The Night Creatures (III) 2. OOOD - Silence (2017 Reboot) 3. Goasia - Analog Steroids 4. M-Run - Alien Brain Train 2017 5. Celestial Intelligence - Phantom Dancer 6. Joyfull Natives - Gate Of Aliens 7. Miranda - Svarg 8. Omnivox - We Are Infinity 9. California Sunshine - Wonderland (2011 Edit) "It's so weird I've never forgot it." Well, repetition is a good way to remember things. But we'll address that later. This digital compilation arrived out of nowhere from a label that most would be hard pressed to say they had heard of. Regardless of that fact they seem to have gathered an impressive artist list. UX does what he's been doing lately and that's making long, epic tracks that straddle the psytrance goa line. This has a futuristic vibe with an ethereal voice and driving rhythm. Pretty good even if it ran a little long. I wasn't a fan of this reboot of the OOOD track. I don't know if the original artist was behind the reboot, but gone are the gravitas and melodic momentum that made the original such a bad ass. No offense to the artist, but this comes off as a weak Talamasca-esque full-on "ing" of a goa trance classic. The Goasia project fits into an alternative niche in the goa genre. Often people love them or hate 'em. They are definitely different then most of the goa producers today and this track is no exception. It swarms like a uh, swarm waging galactic warfare with a myriad of color. Outside of the lead melody though it's a little thin. Nice, but I would've liked more detail. M-Run has only one album to his credit (still waiting), but what a doozy it was. With that spirit this track is unmistakable M-run. Groove intact with sparkly goa madness throughout. One of my favorites here. Phantom Stormer blasts right out of the gate with an imminently danceable sound. Relentless in your face goa trance. Joyfull Nature is the sole unknown artist represented and this track starts off...well, joyfully. Not long after it assumes the mystical sound of goa beaches with a gentle flowing motion. Like a smooth introduction to the goa producers club. Not bad. Miranda is back (always a good thing) with a decent if not unremarkable effort. I liked the weird voice in the background, gave it an air of mystery. Omnivox absolutely slays with We Are Infinity a track with a boisterous bottom end. Closing things out is an older remake of Wonderland by California Sunshine. Never been a fan of this project and repeating the sample 12 times isn't going to help. The same sample. 12 times. That means on average every 43 seconds you hear this sample. Nephew please. The background sounds added to the alien feel (if you're in the mood to be funny and I always am it could also sound like cats) and this had the potential to be a creepy success. Had. It's a decent comp with 3 or 4 really good tracks and the rest are decent minus the two I obviously had problems with. Bandcamp Beatport

Spanky says get to the f*cking point. Was there an epidemic of too many awake people in the world? Man this is night night music. It's not until Colbalt and Fade Away that this pillow reveals it has a pulse. That said this project at its worst is better than most at their best. The track that kept me upright was Something Heavens with its violent guitar crunch. Someone said that they prefer the artists as their solo projects and I agree with that. This is an example of an album where listening to individual tracks doesn't work. To get the full narcoleptic experience you have to listen to it all the way through. If you can make it that is.

Artist: Gataka Title: In Trance We Trust Label: Phonokol Date: October, 2005 1. Deeper Level 2. Blast From the Past 3. Night Becomes Day 4. Viva La Mexico 5. How To Create A Monster 6. Experience 7. Down To Earth 8. The Mind Twister 9. One Day Ticket 10. Israelizer No. Seriously, just...no. For the longest time I've been calling this label Oh No kol just to remind me of the crap they put out on a consistent basis. What was once a proud label has devolved into fluffy, full-on eye rolls. Every single trope is represented here and this confection is about as deep as a petri dish. Pretty sure this information is already known by this community, but just in case any newbie stumbles upon this review, do not put your trust in this.

Artist: Etnica Title: Equator Label: Spirit Zone Recordings Date: March, 1999 01. 10'03" Be On Go 02. 05'39" Patricia ... Our Happy 03. 06'49" Mad Crickets 04. 06'00" Trip In Transkei 05. 10'13" History 06. 11'29" Vibra 07. 08'40" Resistance 08. 08'59" Funkadelia 09. 06'48" Baraka "My God...they're really from another world." I think we can all agree that this project is legendary and may very well be from another world. Their album Alien Protein is one of the greatest goa trance albums of all time. Flawless, screaming goa trance. You know it and I know it. This is their second (technically third if you count Juggeling Alchemists) album and when it came out in 1999 the melodic days of Protein were in the rearview. Gone, but not forgotten as they still used their goa mastery while exploring different areas of psychedelia. Be On Go is a thumping downtempo goa opener that is filled with layers. Patricia isn't their best, but it's a pure tribal track with great percussion work. Mad Crickets has a saunter and also shows how samples can be used effectively to enhance the groove. Indicative of the time there is a techno influence in Trip In Transkeii which reminded me of the material in the FLA album Flavour of the Weak. History took a little bit to get going, but to my ears sounded like M-run. Good movement that doesn't stop. Vibra gets on some serious Cydonia atmosphere with the eerie lead and industrial chunkiness. Resistance continues the industrial atmosphere, but unlike Jon I don't feel this really goes anywhere. The music at 5'36" just stops and any momentum it had (I was a tad bored by then) vanished. Look, if you're naked with someone sitting backward on your head screaming "Woot woot!" while trying to push a shopping cart full of pharmaceutical sludge uphill on an inclined tile floor, any momentum you had will vanish. Don't believe me? Well, this track never recovers. Funkadelia is a breakbeat journey with tribal elements as well as some goa flair. I really liked the percussion in this one and the samples from Independence Day added a futuristic touch. Baraka is eerie and mysterious downtempo with chopped vocals and more tribal percussion. The beat was funky and had me wanting more. If you are looking for Alien Protein II you're gonna start breaking sh*t. This is entirely different yet still deep and moving. This album is full of styles while continuing to keep the goa spirit alive. I'll defend this album as my third favorite Etnica release due to its sound and variability. Since I don't go to festivals I don't know how this would work on a dance floor, but I can tell you that it's great for home listening. You wanna sh*t all over Chrome, I'm right there with you, but this one is worth the time.

Masterp...? I think you spelled sleep aid wrong. Considering this was made in 2002 near the height of boring minimal trance take it for what it's worth. Holding up well is not its strong suit. It's very minimal and treats melodies like I do a drooling man on the subway. I liked their samples and the sneaky quality of some of the sounds that would emanate from the background. Dervish, Liquid Forms and Are We Safe seems to be the most aggressive tracks here, but the last three tracks sound like they took a nap, but didn't turn off the sequencer. There ain't a whole lot to chew on.

Artist: Gido Title: Orange Sunshine Label: Blue Hour Sounds Date: May, 2017 1. Tangerine Ice 2. Goa Merkabians 3. Sacred Substance Mechanizm 4. Orange Sunshine 5. Bangkoxx 2055 6. Via Gravity 7. Another Civilization 8. Mystical Vision 9. Space Pirates 10. Glowing Freedom Seriously. The debut album of one Adomas Juozapavicius from Lithuania was an album I was looking forward to. Unfortunately after multiple listens I came away a wee bit disappointed. Look nobody would like to see Blue Hour Sounds back on top more than me, but my goodness this sounds like one long track. Where's the dynamism and variety? The formula seems to be punchy bass preset which always takes center stage, gurgling sounds (which are great), and keep the melody on the light side. Sacred Substance Mechanizm gave me hope as it seemed to be heavily layered and acidic, but that track was followed up by droning full-on filler. I miss the days of Beware of the Fish by Ianuauria which was a juicy, forest surprise that was constantly shifting focus. This resembles that album with the darkness and acid, but without the same detail. I don't want you to think I don't like it because enjoyable moments are there. He creates some vivid musical hallucinations at times, but listening to this all the way through is a bit of a challenge. Blue Hour Sounds Bandcamp (Digital) Psyshop Beatspace

Artist: Astral Projection Title: Y-Salem Ep Label: Dacru Records Date: May, 2017 1. Y-Salem (Astral Projection Remix) 2. Y-Salem (Remastered) Sigh. The original track was from the precursor of Astral Projection first released on the Trust In Trance compilation. It was meh back then and a remastering maintained its meh status. There is absolutely nothing redeemable about this lazy as f*ck effort. Did I hear a rumor that Suntrip was going to release an ep by these has beens? A little advice for Joske and Mars...better check it first. They haven't reached shameful Talamasca status, but we'll see. So disappointing. It's like they're striving for mediocre. Not linking to it. Embarrassing.

Artist: Aes Dana & Miktek Title: Far & Off Label: Ultimae Records Date: March, 2016 1. Far & Off 2. Diffraction Protocol 3. Cut. 4. Small Things Matter 5. Alkaline 6. Parenthesis 7. 6 am 8. Sulfur 9. Evenfall 10. The Unexpected Hours Just wanted to write a little blurb about this release. It's a collaboration between two very good artists on the Ultimae label that deserves your attention. Collecting tracks from three Ep's (Alkaline, Cut., and The Unexpected Hours) it's dark and very introspective, perfect for overcast and rainy days. Glitchy sounds and percussion abound; vehicles for daydreaming and listening to time dissolve away. Futuristic and cold with a firm grasp of the melancholy. The sound is rich throughout and rarely have I felt such a feeling of isolation. To me all the tracks flow together into one fluid production which prevent me from discerning whether one was better than another. Nicely done. Ultimae Bandcamp - Only 5E for digital Ultimae Bandcamp CD and 24 bit digital

Would love to buy this for the price of 35E from bandcamp, but then the additional $11 for shipping, puts this at near $50. That's a bit out of the old price range. Looks great though.

"I bring chaos to order." This 2 CD compilation is just loaded with goodness. Sure you've got your classics from the titans of the genre, but don't you love finding tracks that you've never heard and they turn out to be psychedelic as hell? That was my experience with Tiny Little Engines. And that tiny little engine could and did blow me away. As did Millennium Surface by Element Over Nature which was a futuristic, Blade Runner type assault. Very Cydonia-esque. Spirit Gave Mummy was bouncy and infectious and sounded like M-run before he did. Socaine and Acid Rain were both good churners. The less well known track by Chi-A.D. Exit Eternity was a welcome sound which has more in common with dreamy trance than goa. Very good compilation for those who don't want to be beat over the head with the same old classic goa sounds. If you don't already have it it is dirt cheap on Discogs at the moment.

Oh boy. 3rd in a series? Usually spells doom. However... Loved the Bug. Loved it. Smooth and sinister. That gradual time signature change in Horrorgram is pretty slick as well. Conflict by the Nuns is a stormer and The Future is Now by Shakta is one that demands movement. Like a lot of people I used to hate Pathfinder, but now I find it so interesting. Having more in common with Cydonia /Elysium than Etnica and Dimension 5 this tribal stomp is hypnotic especially when the vocal arrives. It just keeps churning. Not bad for the last entry in a trilogy.

"Ok space cadets prepare to hurtle through the cosmos!" Almost guys, almost. This was almost the ideal goa trance starter kit for the uninitiated. But then the final three tracks happened. I realize they probably tried to get a larger cross section of the goa experience, but the momentum and power was just sucked out like a vacuum. Something like a Syb Unity Netwerk, Psygone, and a Cydonia track would've been much better replacements.

Some great classics here. According to Discogs track 7 is an ambient piece by an artist called Genetik System. Fairly unremarkable and I don't understand how the hell that made it on here. The last track is from half of Transwave (aka Deedrah) and is very interesting. High techno / drum n bass influence yet still with a goa soul. Great album that is dirt cheap on Discogs.

Fin. Yes and he still managed to screw that up. There is no need to set the bar so low especially for an artist who should know better. I choose none of the above. That's like asking me to choose between chlamydia or gonorrhea. Either way it's going to be unpleasant.

They told me I couldn't do that anymore.