Trance2MoveU

Album: Goatronika Artist: Various Label: Phototropic Records Date: January, 2010 1. Analogue RADICAL DISTORTION 2. Goa Trance Mission (Jikooha rmx) SPACE ELVES 3. Inner Poison ALIENAPIA 4. Next steps to the stars SKY TECHNOLOGY 5. Uncharted Planet AMITHABA BUDDHA 6. Cosmic Sphere HYPNOTIC SIGNAL 7. Cassiopeia BLACKSTARRFINALE 8. Four Points VOX 9. Synesthesia NK47 10. The journey continues ARRONAX I know I did an abbreviated review earlier, but I thought it was time to go through this track by track and kick the tires again! Phototropic Records is another label that is continuing to release new school goa trance or SWOG (Second Wave of Goa .) Based in Austria, they are responsible for goa compilations such as "Ya Wichna, Artificial Sun and The Sitting Goddess, just to name a few. Their style is high energy and loaded with beautiful melodies. This effort was compiled by Imba and Digitoxin with cover art by Radical Distortion. Geez, is there anything that those guys can't do? The cover is beautiful; showing an alien against a multicolored background. I know this has been an area of contention, but I think it is a nice composite of the two worlds; one ancient and mystic, the other futuristic. Analogue- The Greeks open the compilation with a track that slowly evolves with a pretty dirty bass lead focused more on groove. Not long after more traditional leads appear and it is more of a mellow offering. Some of the leads are floating some are twisted. Not blasting right away, but gently easing you into the experience. Good track. Goa Trance Mission (Jikooha Remix)- Jikooha had a pretty good album in 2008 with Revolution Spaceship and here they give the Space Elves the remix treatment. It's fairly driving and very old school sounding. What you don't hear is the stacking I've mentioned before of countless melodies but again a more toned down approach that is just entrancing. Like they used to do it in the old days, give you one central melody and build around it. Pretty smooth. Inner Poison- This is a track off of Alienapia's brilliant debut (review coming) Goapocalipsis. Much more aggressive than the previous two tracks, with swarming melodies and grungy leads. The break is a nice display of a new lead flowering without losing momentum and still keeping the atmospheric feeling. The last third of the track really picks up some power finishing strongly. Great track! Next Steps To The Stars- Sky Technology's EP Time and Space (free at Ektoplazm) from UAF was a strong statement that brought out the chaos and beauty in goa trance. He wastes no time after a short intro melody by jumping right into the battle with crazy filtered leads and an even crazier melody line. It's totally different than what I'm used to with beautiful melody combinations with great pace. Sure it has the goa melodies we are all familiar with, but it is what he surrounds them with that makes this track stand apart. The feeling of a higher consciousness and spirituality is definitely present. Super! Uncharted Planet- Filipe can do very little wrong in my eyes, as he has made track after track of pure goa bliss. He starts right away with arcing pads, and a fairly plain beginning lead. It doesn't stay that way however, as it gets twisted and filtered to within an inch of its life. Middle Eastern melodies cascade above 303 stabs right into an outer space break. Quite the pace young Skywalker. No more 8-bit stuff, the Buddha rules! Cosmic Sphere- "First there was darkness. Then came the Strangers. They were a race as old as time itself. They had mastered the ultimate technology. The ability to alter physical reality by will alone. They call this ability...tuning." I love a Dark City sample and ones I can understand more. Beginning with some tribal percussion this track growls, speaking in low hushed tones before spiraling skyward into melody. There really isn't a lot of evolution, but what is given works very well. This track makes the alien on the cover seem more relevant and keeps the theme focused. Good track. Cassiopeia- This is his 3rd track (actually 2nd since this came before the Dimensional Gateway comp) and he has been pretty solid. This one has a shimmery start almost noisy with some 303's underneath. At the 3 minute mark it changes and becomes more melodic with the 303 becoming more prominent. It takes over, actually. Fast and furious is how I would describe this track, and I liked it. Four Points- This is Tomislav Crncic from Croatia and his album Innerpolarity was quite good back in 2007. He also released a stormer on the V/A Protozoa this year. Analog leads, thick and fat storm to the break, and then out of it, becoming a little monotonous. It takes almost 5 minutes for the goa to come out and then the lead melody dances around like a butterfly. I would say that this track was weak in the beginning, took too long to get strong and then didn't quite make it worthwhile. Good, but not great. Synesthesia- His Outer Space Shaman EP showcased his talent with three strong tracks. The outer space feel is here with nice melodies that shoot past stars, with a great amounts of reverb. Nice alien effects pelt the small spacecraft, into the break with a filtered synth crying the whole way. An interesting song, pretty good. The Journey Continues- The bass in this one is a filthy affair as a lead tries to be heard. Groovy, sure, but it doesn't stop there. High pitched tones that speak of other beings pop out. This is not a track that bombards you with wave after wave of melody until you submit. It shows you several of its sides, one at a time, leaving before it becomes repetitive. A different take on how goa can sound is always refreshing, and this one is pretty psychedelic. I think when a new goa album or compilation comes out one of two things happens...we tend to be overwhelmed by its newness and the accolades start pouring in or we dismiss it entirely. I know when this was first released I hopped right on the bandwagon and enjoyed the hell out of it. I still do. This is a good example of the sum being greater than all the parts individually. Most of the tracks are good on their own, but when listened to all the way through, they seem more cohesive. Although I didn't care for the Vox effort it wasn't terrible. One could say this is a mixture of different styles of outer space goa trance. There are more powerful goa albums, but this is still a worthwhile addition to one's collection to hear the style of different artists. And don't forget, it is still melodic as hell. Highly recommended. Mdk Beatspace Psyshop

Album: Iwasankai Artist: Various Label: Yabai Records Date: March, 2010 1. Free Man BRAIN HUNTERS 2. Black Out KHOPAT AND SINFUL REACTION 3. Kind of rush ORCA 4. The Universe B-55 5. Reborn TIME TWISTERS 6. Don't get me mad (rmx) PHATMATIX 7. Brain Damage DAPANJI 8. Rising Waves TOXIC 9. Yottabyte ATEAM Yabai records is another one of my favorite labels that delivers the goods. Power, melody, and insanity. Their artists are heavy on rhythm and skilled in creating atmosphere. Compilations like "Macao" and "Ministry of Chaos" were very good. Here there is a mixture of the well known artists as well as the not so well known. "Iwasankai" according to Psyshop is Japanese slang for blowing your mind. On the outside the cover looks like some grafitti on the side of a train. Nice colors and the business fits the style of music. There is a lot going on. Brain Hunters- Free Man Spaniard Alfonso Zambrano starts things off with a powerful track with a sample I am unfamiliar with. This track also has one of those ridiculous buildups which I hate, but thankfully it is short lived and he gets back to the acidic goodness. Plenty of groove that is guaranteed to move. Like it. Khopat & Sinful Reactions - "Black Out" Khopat is Vasco Pedrosa and has been in the game a long time. Sinful Reactions are 2 brothers Orlando Pereira and Luis Pereira who have had a couple of releases. The bassline rambles and the break at 3'30" is clever. Acid is present of course as a nice melody drops in at 4'19" to give the track a fuller feel. Some may find one of the leads a little shrill, but it doesn't kill the song. Not bad. Orca - "kind of Rush" Loved his debut album, full of hard beats and melodies. This track has lasers, acid, and even a Detroit style rave sound that ups the groove meter. It almost sounds like it was done on a turntable. The intensity rises delivering quite a good track. B-55- "Universe" Japanese duo Keisuke Fujiwara & Takashi Sekiya have been hit or miss with me. Some of their tracks are a little too dark for me, but the ones that appeal to me are smashes. This is one is a smash, dirty and funky, loud with an attitude. There are high tech noises that give it that futuristic atmosphere. Stellar. Time Twisters- "Reborn" No idea who they are, but they did have a track on the "Not For Humnan Consumption" compilation. This one has time signature changes and is most assuredly different with arpeggios of chimes as well as dirty acid. The leads fit well with the groove sounds similar to what Frozen Ghost uses. Enjoyable. Phatmatix- "Don't Get Me Mad Remix" Stephane Rault has the Midas touch. I don't think he has the ability to produce a poor track. His compilation work as well as his 2 albums are awesome. This one (a remix of his on "Manga") starts out with a cool British sample and it isn't long before it delves into dark territory. True to form, there is acid, groove and leads that creep about. He even put some electro influences in there. Very good. Dapanji- "Brain Damage" These guys released an album? Never heard of it. They are Israeli duo Ran Rajuan & Daniel Aminov and they have the longest track on the album. And if their album is like this, I will pass. A lot of starts and stops, obligatory LSD sample, and full on to the core. Is Dapanji really Tetrium? How the hell did this get on here? Toxic- "Rising Waves" Another Israeli duo Alon Atias & Avi Aboresi have released a ton of tracks on lots of comps. As prolific as they are, I find their musice to be good, but missing that extra something to put them over the top. This one wastes no time, bringing full power and an in your face style. It's pretty groovy, but plagued with a few too many builups for my taste. Good, but not great. A-Team- "Yottabyte" Minor key psy bringing an air of uncertainty to the track. Around the 5 minute mark this beast picks up momentum right into a nice earthquake sample. It starts to growl, you can feel it getting angry. Once it does, it gets pretty heavy. Thick like Xerox's "Battleship." Pretty good. All in all, quite the good compilation. There is a lot of energy and acidic craziness here, just the way I like it. B-55 is the standout for me, but most of the tracks bring something good to the table. Yabai continues to pump out quality twilight psy, and I was happy to add this to my collection. Recommended. Mdk Beatspace

Album: Kartuxo Artist: Various Label: Timecode Date: January, 2010 1. ill noize BRETHREN 2. urei CYBERNETIX 3. hardcore D_MANIAC 4. unhuman POISON 5. 8 bit celebration ARTIFAKT 6. black light PHYX 7. stay alive POISON 8. anger management TRYAMBAKA 9. sphere PRINCIPLES OF FLIGHT Are the masters of insane South-African psychotrance really on their 27th CD release? This label has been nothing if not consistent in releasing some of the most brain twisting and melodic twilight psy over the past few years. Just check out their Discography. I guess you know you have made it if you get your own appreciation thread here at Psynews. I make no apologies for being a Timecode fanboy (as have others) as each new offering is an instabuy. You will always receive quality production from this South African label, hands down. Well, enough fellatio, what have we got in the box? This effort was put together by one of their newer artists, Anestetic. The tracklisting shows some of the Timedcode vets as well as newcomers Poizon and Cybernetix. The style remains South African, with dark atmospheres and heavy beats. The melodies are still there, albeit somewhat stripped down sometimes revealing a bare bones approach. First let me say that this is still good music and still true to the Timecode mantra. What is missing is the chaotic, catch your breath moments. Where the tracks are so intense your adrenaline is threatening to go into overload. I didn't feel that way at all with any of the tracks. When you listen to their previous records such as "Trojan" or "Future Cuts" the madness was there. There were twists and turns, evolving storylines and deep layers of chaos. The acid lines that brought you to the highest high are absent and perhaps there should be some "filling out" in the tracks. I like that they are doing different things and I am very glad I got this. Music cannot stay the same, it has to evolve otherwise it risks becoming stale. I feel however that this is not one of their stronger efforts. I mean, does anyone think that Principles of Flight fit the TC sound? (No offense intended as I liked their track here.) Have I jumped off the TC bandwagon or have we witnessed the demise of a once proud label? Absolutely not. What TC can do that very few other labels can (nods to Nexus Media) is that it can bring the power to psytrance without sacrificing the little things that give it that psychedelic, dark atmosphere. Mdk Saikosounds

I agree. When was the last time they released anything of quality. No thank you. Mdk

It is a good time to like Psy and Goa. Very good. I would still say Suntrip is number one, but that may be because my tastes have changed. Timecode and Nexus Media are a VERY VERY close #2 followed by Yabai, Digital Psionics, and Glowing Flame. But this is a thread dedicated to Timecode. And they rock. Mdk

Don't you love it when an album comes out when the label says it will? Mdk

Worked for me! Mdk

I just heard a track from him under the name of Enigma called "Time Warp." Absolutely fantastic. I would say this along with the Artifact303 album are my most anticipated projects. Artha, Artifact303, Antares, Goasia, Suntrip's Energy Waves...also Phototropic is going to release a new Amithaba Buddha album...but no idea when. Hope they don't mind that I spill the beans. Awhile back there was a track by Atom303 that was really great called "Ocean Drops" that was also impressive. Wonder what he is doing these days... Mdk

I like it. Your tracks continue to have that great goa feel to them and this keeps me listening. I wasn't a fan of the 8 Bit project but this goes down nicely. Any plans to release an album of this type? Also, did I remember correctly that you have a lot of unreleased goa as Amithaba Buddha that Phototropic plans to release? Is that so? Keep up the good work! Mdk

I would say: 1. Suntrip 2. Timecode 3. Nexus Media and Glowing Flame Records 4. Yabai Records 5. DAT records, Phototropic and Cronomi records. The above 8 for me are blind buys. Period. Mdk Edit: How could I have forgotten Digital Psionics and the best Progressive Trance Label IONO?!?

This was an enjoyable listen, but I fear it hasn't aged well. I appreciate the historical significance of this music (way ahead of its time), but today it seems slightly empty. With all the technological advances in music today, the music feels like it can't compare with the more full sound of today. Mdk

Wow. Just wow. I am late to the party on this one, but what a ride. This is the definition of evolution of sound. At no point in this disc is it boring or cliche. Some of the voice effects I could've done without, but never did it make me dislike a track. The first and last track are on a whole other plane of awesome and the middle is mostly sublime. I never really got the appeal of Shpongle until this album. Having had my eyes opened, I shall listen to his previous albums with this new all seeing eye. Great work. How do you top something like this? Mdk

Damn Imba, your avatar is hypnotizing. That girl is so cute! Great, now you made me feel like a perv!

I liked this. I think it sounds better than the majority of full-on out there today. Mdk

Artist: Adham Shaikh Title: ReAlignment Label: Modulation Elektronik Date: 1993 1. Pulsation (Oscillation Vibration) 16:25 2. Quazar 20:49 3. Oberon (Greymatter) 21:11 4. Alternate Spectrum (Transmission) 14:08 This was remarkable when it was produced and holds up well today. Think about it...over 17 years old. Only 4 tracks and the shortest one is over 14 minutes! A lot of the aspects of this music are so far ahead of its time. Adham Shaikh has been in the game for a long time. This is his first full length release. Whereas he is now known for ethnic sounding chill, this album is a pure voyage into the vastness of space with dreamy ambient. There are great ambient textures as well as a solid mixture of melodic trance in the first track. The trance is never boring or predictable and even flashes some of that great old school goa sound. The 2nd starts off as a very spacey 2001 ambient piece and I am totally immersed in the atmosphere but then takes a turn with jungle style vibes. This doesn't seem to fit at all together and it was a little disappointing. I wasn't a fan of that mix, but the quality is there. Oberon is quite droney and spacey, giving a cold feeling. And isn't that what space is, cold and isolating in its vastness? Listening to this I can feel myself twisting and turning miles above the Earth. The muted breakbeat let's me know that I am still safely secured to the space station. This allows me a front row seat to all that unfolds. Alternate Spectrum cuts loose the umbilicus and I am set adrift in space. Images and soundbytes rush through my mind and I realize just how alone I am. This was very spooky and downright cold. Powerful. You really have to be in the mood for this as it takes you to another world. The album should be enjoyed as a whole, because breaking it up into tracks would take away from the experience IMO. Very deep and lush with sci-fi and space samples. Great stuff. Mdk

Not a fan of the cover myself, seems to be kind of goofy. However, that won't take away from the great music Artha produces. Can't wait. Mdk

I think "consistently" is suspect. Their last full album was The Great Unknown in 99 and the Australia EP a year later. Then, here comes U-turn in 2006. Mdk

Since Astral is set to release their new album supposedly sooner than later, it got me thinking. Let's hope that this date sticks and we eventually see this album. I'm curious to see the record of old school masters delivering comeback albums. I'm not talking about artists who released great goa albums in the past and continued to release albums though the years, for example, X-Dream. MFG- Message From God - Psytrance album, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Esp. "Positive Energy." Transwave- Frontfire and Backfire - A psytrance album of some of their goa classics in psytrance form (which was great) and an album of their lesser known goa tunes. Also a success. Cosmosis- Psychedelica Melodica (pretty decent psy album with a great goa track "Dance of the Cosmic Serpent." Fumbling For The Funky Frequency which was a better album with even more delicious goa tracks. Retro Vol. 1 and 2 which brought out some of their classic goa tracks. Ra- 9th Awesome Goa release. Oood- Forethought and Free Range. I haven't heard them in a long while so I will have to give them another listen. IIRC they are definitely not goa. Crop Circles- Tetrahedron Awesome goa release, but this was material made back in the day. Chi-A.D.- Eyes of Gaia I thought this was an awesome release supplying a great mixture of Psy and Goa. Jaia- Re:Works Progressive trance album that was kinda hit or miss. Dimension 5- Transdimensional - Again, awesome album but it doesn't count. It's not like they came back to give us new stuff. KoxBox- U-Turn - Totally not goa and depending on what side of the fence you were on, more of the same tech-trance stuff they released before. Logic Bomb- Sonic Algebra - Were they really goa back in the day? Regardless, I loved this album full of psy goodness. Synsun- Zelur Project and Full Power of Goa Great, but old material. Zirrex- Lost In Time This was one of the greatest goa trance albums, but it still doesn't count. Nothing new, with the exceptions of some tracks on the re-release that weren't anything special. Total Eclipse- Tales of the Shaman - I'm not sure if they count, as they did release Update Files, but in any event, this album sucked. Boring psy. and of course, Pleiadians- 7Sister7 - A brilliant psytrance album I thought. Did I leave anyone out? All in all, not a bad track record. Must be tough for these guys because they are damned of they do and damned if they don't. Release a goa album and you haven't evolved, but release a psy disc and you are turning your back on your roots. I hope Astral drop a killer as it would be great to see them on top again, psy or goa. Check out the Blissdom EP, it's pretty good. Open Society is a great track. Mdk

Earworm, Twisted System, and Lost & Found. Nuff said. Mdk

*drools* I believe the term you are looking for here is....instabuy! Mdk

Really? Are you serious? Can we just take a step back from the hyperbolic cliff for a moment? Tastes differ and if you're one of the ones who thinks the sun rises and sets on this disc than that's great. I ain't that guy. "Spiritual Healing" sounds like a synth pop anthem, though I cannot deny the emotive aspect of it. But cheese. Some other reviewer mentioned it sounds like the cheapest synths were used and I can see where he got that. This isn't a dance album, and it sure as hell isn't a goa trance album. I will say this: In every track there are parts that I liked. Unfortunately they are small parts that can't carry the album. "The Return of the Travellers" and "The Ancient Sounds of the God" stood out for me, very vivid. I look at it like this. If you are looking for something different, then this might fit the bill. If you measure it against the heavyweights of goa, it will most definitely disappoint. Mdk

Wow, super dark goa trance. It's got some great attributes; poignant sci fi samples, atmosphere, and a driving beat. I usually love my music to be melody laden, and this has them, but they are mostly subtle. The main ingredient here is mood and how they unfurl the tale. The tracks are well placed as well. Tranceformations comes after a few scaled back somewhat minimal sounding tracks and jars you awake, giving that second wind. I can listen to this all the way through as I feel that is the only way to immerse yourself in what Darshan is trying to create. Sure, sometimes it can sound a little samey and monotonous, but if you catch it when you are in the right mood, watch out. Mdk

The majority opinion here is that this should be a classic. So what's the hold up? I believe the melodies are superb on a lot of the tracks, but the production is lacking and seems very dated. Could that be the reason? Electric Universe came out with a classic in 95 with One Love. Indoor had Progressive Trance and Infinity Project had Feeling Weird. Are those artists superior producers? Hmmm....I wonder. I just can't put this up there with the Etnica/Pleiadians, Hallucinogen, D5, Ra, or Astral. I would say this is 2nd tier, but still impressive. Mdk

This Cd doesn't measure up to Phenomena of course as it is more club styled rather than firmly planted in goa. The woman still knew how to rip a lead though. That screamer in Disco is pure goa. Like most have said, not great but also not that bad. Mdk

Man the power in this release is unbelievable. The melodies are very distorted (someone forgot to tell them to ease up on the Portamento and modulation setting) but once you get into it, the scene is very dark. This is what it would sound like to me if the Delta did Goa Trance. If you are looking for goa in the Suntrip model, keep looking, it ain't that type of party. So, do I like it? I can take it or leave it. I am impressed with what it does; it's loud, abrasive and unrelenting. I don't consider it a classic, but it is worth a listen. I don't know what you guys see in Neuroglider; it descends into a swamp of noise. Mdk