Trance2MoveU

Pretty good album of pumping progressive trance where he pays attention to the little details that comprise a lush album. My favorites are The Light and the ones where he employs the 303 like M.A.R.S. The production exhibited a warm sound and was quite good to my ears. Not dated at all. Like others have mentioned no walls were harmed in its making, but it remains something of which he should be proud. I usually tire quickly with the Iboga sound, but this one ain't bad.

Artist: Various Title: Twilight Core Vol. 2 Label: Phonix Records Date: November, 2015 1. Omega Flight & Aquadeux - Order of Chaos 2. Luxbuna - Insane 3. X-Side - Dominate (Roby Remix) 4. Psycho System - Revival of Energy 5. Golden Age - Zabot 6. Aquadeux - Subconscious Telepathy "Where the f*ck is it f*cker?!? Do you miss the heyday of night time or twilight psytrance? When each new compilation or album from labels like Timecode and Nexus Media had you waiting by the mailbox ready to frisk the mailman for your copy? I know I miss it. And after the restraining order placed on me by the previous 5 mail carriers I basically gave up hope for having that feeling again. Perhaps the same thing occurred with Angad Kumar Kapoor the nice chap who runs the Phonix Records label. Because he is doing what he can to help revive those glory days. Without all the assault to the joy of postal workers everywhere! This album is more of a maxi-album of that very twilight sound that has been sorely missed. The promo is a surprisingly accurate description of the music and makes my adjectives seem superfluous. "Inky darkness?" Damnit, why didn't I think of that? Brilliant! It's a minor key festival that creates that perfect atmosphere and will have you looking over your shoulder. Rumbling bass lines, metallic sounds, and eerie melodies are all thrust together in a powerful combination. I've used the description sinister sounding before and it certainly works in this situation. The Roby Remix of Dominate is pure insanity bringing back the good ol days of Nexus Media. F*ckin' A it's havin' it! And that break? Eerie as sh*t. Solid repeat. I could've done without the buildups in several of the tracks as well as the rampant stops and starts in some, but the positives dwarf the negatives by a country mile. If you need your fix, don't miss this one. It's pretty good! F*ck yeah you did. Juno Download Amazon? Cool I can get this and my 55 gallons of lube and sex stool. Score! iTunes. Yes iTunes. Beatport

Artist: GMS Title: No Rules Label: Spirit Zone Recordings Date: May, 2002 01. Life After 02. Gladiator 03. No Rules 04. I'm On Mars 05. Hyperactive 06. At The End Of A Rainbow 07. Spliffpolitics 08. Juice by GMS 09. Overdose "Well don't worry things hardly ever f*ck up around here." No Rules? Really. None? Gotta have some rules. Let's start with no sleeping with your sister. Otherwise you get kids that look like this: Holy sh*t! That's gotta be photoshopped. That is either the worst case of hydrocephalus or the character that got cut out of the Simpsons with the...you know they had big brains...telekinesis. Ah, you had to be there. Some people argue that GMS hasn't evolved and their sound is virtually the same. Not me. I would argue that it has gotten progressively worse and is directly proportional to the amount of f*cks they give. I mean it's up to about 9.5 on the eye roll scale isn't it? As they have gotten on in years their sound has become predictable and non challenging. But that's not how they always were. The first two albums were pretty psychedelic and worth your time. As the years went on and they fully embraced their full-on sound they became parodies of themselves. To the point that their sound was done better then they did it. This album is now 14 years old and back then minimal was on the way out so the masses were poised for an album to explode onto the scene. And this one did. When I came back to it and I heard Life After and its infectious groove I was dancing in my chair. Maybe this album was more awesome than I remembered. But then something happened that always happens when listening to a GMS album. I got bored with it. Really quickly. Now if I'm being honest the acid in At The End of a Rainbow is still appealing and Spliffpolitics annoyed the sh*t outta me. Aside from the first track the rest were just...meh. So unfortunately they didn't continue their streak of good albums. Matter of fact this may be the exact moment...the precise album where GMS began their descent into irrelevance. Damning physical evidence. Can I get a courtesy flush? Damn.

Artist: Goatma Title: Sword In The Darkness Label: Neogoa Date: December, 2015 1. Sword In The Darkness 2. Cosmic Consciousness 3. Spiritual Chanting 4. Shabatayom As a final farewell to 2015 Neogoa presents a short 4 track EP by GoAtma or as the Google likes to call him...Goatman. His real name is Eylon Kadish and I cannot comment on whether like the fine gentleman above he likes to steal socks and take them to his snowy homeland. Doubtful. Pretty sure I could count the number of snowblowers in Israel on one hand. They have more important things to worry about over there. That's terrorism. First I'll say this is pretty powerful. Driving the whole way through as he weaves between goa and some more uplifting style. That said it's all pretty homogeneous. The first track doesn't have a lot of variety and I found myself getting bored with it pretty quickly. Cosmic Consciousness sounds a lot like the title track even if it is a little more aggressive. The final bit of that one is like an explosion so I liked it a lot. Spiritual Chanting sounds like it could be Cosmic Consciousness Part Deux. Only now with more chanting. Which brings me back to the homogeneous point. Another thing I noticed is that the sound palette is fairly limited and that really takes away from the listening experience. Kinda like I could step away from it and come back at a later point and not feel like I missed anything. Or every episode of Friends. So you guys didn't even know one black person? In NYC? Riiiiiight. Shabatayom is the one track that I feel comes closest to it's inner Nitzho without throwing bowls of cheese at the listener. The EP itself isn't bad at all, but in a time when we have heard it all the shortcomings I've mentioned don't allow it to distinguish itself. Free at Ektoplazm

Artist: M.O.S. Title: Bug Label: Velvet Inc. Date: August, 1999 1. Bug 2. Early Bird 3. Outside 4. Speaker People 5. Unearth 6. Live Tropical Fish 7. Drive 8. Anti Gravity I hate bugs. Especially spiders. That sh*t ain't natural. Even if it actually is, uh...natural. But this bug is something I can appreciate. I shall also echo what seems to be the prevailing attitude here that this is a wonderful album. If you are a goa-head or a psy-head it needs to be in your collection. As people have mentioned it can be had on the cheap and what you get is superbly produced, dark and detailed psychedelic music. The title track is a nasty bit of goa business with loads of electric layers. Halfway through I was tempted to write off Early Bird as a linear psy track, but man it just kept evolving into creepy, thumping, insectoid goa! Great headphones are a must to wring every detail out of this work. It's incredibly lush and I actually turned around thinking someone was in my house when the voices from Outside appeared. Unearth is a good old school goa monster and Live Tropical Fish is a great progressive goa track that just continues to build. This one should not be missed.

Artist: New Born Title: Nothing But A Title Label: Cronomi Records Date: September, 2015 Disc One 1. Circus Is Open 2. Omen 3. Universal Bus 4. A Sleeper's Guide 5. Playing Games 6. Something With Stuff 7. Sun Worshipper 8. Far From Home 9. Going Somewhere Else 10. Nothing But A Title Disc Two 1. For It's Own Sake 2. Ineffaceable Moments 3. Birds Of Imagination 4. Fish 5. Staring Into The Abyss 6. Touch Nothing 7. Healing Process (Last Of The Star Makers) 8. Gentle Perfection 9. The New World 10. These Yellow Eyes 11. Ancient Piano Melody "I'm gonna do the best I can do and that's gonna have to be good enough for all of you!" Girl you look stressed. I can relate. That's how I feel about reviewing 2 CD albums. On the one hand I'm excited like a kid on Christmas cause the possibility of aural gems doubles with another disc. But...the other hand is a slap in the face cause you gotta find time to digest two discs worth of material. People are depending on me out there, I can't half ass it. So I'm always slow on the double albums. Do you know I have yet....have yet to listen (not review) just listen to Mind Rewind 1 or 2? Can you believe that sh*t? Just sitting in a drawer. Pleaidians? Please, get in f*cking line. So Cronomi is a label that doesn't put out a lot of stuff, but the music they do release is usually pretty good. M-Run, Portamento, and the Erta Ale compilation are wonderful and that's the kind of stuff I expect from them now. No going back, when you set the bar high you don't try and run under it. So their latest is a 2-CD album from obscure producer New Born (Tom Rarin) who has made a few compilation appearances as well as a couple EP's. Not exactly a big footprint so this release is either ambitious or he had a lot of pent up music that needed to get out there. Either way I've spent the entire day listening to this. And I mean entire. Circus Is Open- Who doesn't love the circus? Peta. Peta doesn't love the circus, buncha vegan, tree huggin, humus nazis! Actually my four year old was kinda freaked out when we took him. Elephants and sh*t. This is a nice, bouncy opener in a kind of Principles of Flight does goa. Omen- This felt longer than it was. But not in a Tuesday at the office will lunch ever get here kinda way. Goa trance that was very exploratory in nature with frequent changes Not bad. Universal Bus- The first of a few blistering goa tracks. Eleven and a half minutes of pure power music. I'll get on this f*cking bus. A Sleeper's Guide- Psytrance with a nice guitar crunch until the last bit where it becomes a rollicking good goa track. Made me double take in a good way, like when you see hot teacher. Makes you smile. Playing Games- is most certainly not playing games and is the second scorcher on this album. This guy seems to know what he's doing. He's got a good command of the ebb and flow of a track. Something With Stuff- He keeps it old school with that screeching lead and it is a nimble little thing! It's a constant pumping sound that takes no breaks. Great stuff! Sun Worshipper- Yeah I'll be rocking this one for a while. A long while. Blistering track number three that just piles on. Far From Home- He goes darker with that rumbling bass line and a little less bombastic. I sense a shift. The extended break promises a brighter day. Going Somewhere Else- Yep we're a little happier now as he drew back the curtains and let some light into this dungeon you call an apartment. Geez, would it kill you to use a little Febreeze every now and then? Another track that resides just on the edge of f*ck you up. Nothing But A Title- Last track of this impressive fist disc is a slinky bit of nastiness. Mid tempo and very atmospheric. Pretty pleased with that. Now on to the 2nd disc... For It's Own Sake- Another intro that's nods slightly towards that POF sound. Ineffaceable Moments- I don't think that's a word. This track sounds like a continuation of the intro with its eerie standoffishness. Like wandering through an old, unfamiliar castle. Not goa per se, but more minimal. Birds of Imagination- Still eerie, but he returned to his goa ways. It's not as lush or powerful as the goodies from the first disc yet it's not bad. Fish- Why are they naked? And where the hell are their fingers and opposable thumb? I love fish. They're delicious! And this track is another good one that would seem more at home on the first disc. Staring Into The Abyss- Ambient Interlude. Very science fiction-y Touch Nothing- Annnnnnd we're back to the filler psytrance stuff. Healing Process (Last of the Star Makers)- Mild goa trance with some Space Tribe acid washes. Gentle Perfection- There ain't nothing gentle about this bruising monster! It's another that escaped from the first disc and rolls over you in waves. The New World- Pretty good goa. Wasn't crazy about the main lead though. These Yellow Eyes- Creeping me out dude. No, no, you just...ah, you just stay over there. I'm good. Another good goa track that has a gentle beginning before it starts erupting. Ancient Piano Melody- and the outro continues its creepiness. It sounds as if it should be a happy, ambient melody, but something about it...makes me feel as if it is a ruse. First off let me say that this is not a melodic, door busting, bomb where each track attempts to outdo the previous one. So get your expectations right. There are numerous tracks here that will rock you, and that soar with the best of them, but he takes goa trance in a lot of directions. The promo says to approach this with an open mind and that's good advice. In our world of instant gratification this may be difficult for some to swallow. Find the patience and give it the time it deserves and the rewards will be handsome. Second, the music is complex with melodies intertwining and new ideas springing forth within the tracks. The transitions are smooth and interesting and take the road less traveled when it comes to the current sound of today's goa trance. I like the first disc better, but that's just me. The second one seemed less...accessible let me say. It's softer almost a goa trance lite yet still with that sense of wariness. Notwithstanding this should be in your collection. Good job Tom and keep on doing what you do Cronomi. Cronomi Bandcamp

Artist: Particle-X Title: Ion Space Label: Submoon Records Date: July, 2015 1. Atomic Light 2. Eden Evolution 3. Future Unwritten 4. Solar Zone 5. Ion Space 6. Magma Wave 7. Goa For Happiness 8. Passage To Blue Heeeeeeeeeee's Baaaaaaaaaack! Kinda looks like him a little doesn't it? Filipe Santos is an artist that generates strong feelings and as many opinions as his artist names. Some hate him, some love him, some don't care. After a long absence the newly married Filipe is the driving force behind Submoon Records and this guy hasn't missed a beat. I mean that literally and figuratively. With all that time away it seems he has been uber productive with so many simultaneous releases that exploded onto the scene. Particle-X is another of his projects and while the names may change (I can't tell most of them apart) the quality of the goa trance does not. Super high energy goa with acid from here to Timbuktu. This should be dance floor approved and with all the layered melodies he is known for you cannot help but move. It's just one power track after another on this Cd-r and maybe they do sound the same after a while, but whew...I'll take it. His leads are screechy beasts as bass lines cycle tirelessly underneath. I didn't care for the happiness track, but that's because I like it dark. This was Taffyta Muttonfudge sweet. You heard me. The album starts off really strong and gradually becomes less heavy, maybe more uplifting and...shiny? No matter where you stand on the Filipe issue, I have to say that the quality of the goa music scene is better with him in it. He is one of the best music producers our little corner of the music universe has seen in a long time. I hope he doesn't ever say another word on this forum. He doesn't have to. The music speaks volumes. Submoon Records

Artist: Libra Title: Share Dream State EP Label: Zion 604 Date: August, 2015 1. Grumbling Machine 2. Share Dream State Just read the Tottem review by our favorite fruit fly and that got the typing juices flowing. Zion 604 is a label that releases music goa trance from both the past and present with nary a disappointment. Haven't heard much from them this summer, but that's probably because they're out at all the festivals shagging multiple ladies with daddy issues with only a beat and a melody. Somehow between all that hedonism they managed to eek out a little ep. This project is yet another musician from the holy land. The closet is not the holy land Robin, it's your prison. You're not fooling anyone. Come out into the light, you'll feel better. Do you have any idea how much you're gonna sh*t after all that ice cream? Good luck getting that outta those tights. Not that holy land the biblical one. With all the artists from that place you would be led to believe that kids are issued a copy of FL Studio when they exit the womb. It's a short 2 tracker, but it is very well done and shows that the label has an eye for current goa trance. The opener sounds just like I think a grumbling machine would, with mechanical sounds and sprinkled lightly with some goa grease. Whirring, cranking, creaking...kinda minimal with not overpowering melodies. Not bad. The title track piles on with the sparse electro theme at first, but the details really begin to flower as you move farther into the track. It's juicy and not aggressive, but at almost 10 minutes it has plenty of time to flourish. Not the best goa I've heard, but it certainly is good to see this music of ours stretched into different creative avenues. Zion 604 Bandcamp

I just want you to know I was halfway through reviewing this again before I realized that I had already reviewed it. I need help.

Great review, you really brought out how the album made you feel. Tottem eh? Eyebrows raised.

Artist: Ascent & Argus Title: The Perfect Element Label: Ovnimoon Records Date: February, 2014 1. Galadriel 2. Water The Perfect Element Every now and then you come across something that just hits you right. Nails the perfect sweet spot for a specific moment in time and this two track ep did that for me. Ascent (Bojan Stojiljkovic) and I assume his brother Argus (Branko Stojiljkovic) have teamed up before with another EP and a full length album all on Ovnimoon. Haven't heard those, but this one stuck me. From the slow, gentle groove to the far away voices this downtempo quickie sounded really great. Remember that Enigma track that was all over the radio back in the early 90's? Of course you don't, you guys were probably in diapers. Anyway he appropriates that beat for a relaxing and mystical trip. But the show stealer is the 2nd track that just sounds so lush and packed with emotion. Really enjoyed this and will be checking out their other stuff. Psyshop Beatspace

Artist: Cactus Arising Title: Solar Storm Label: Timewarp Records Date: December, 2014 1. Sand Inspiration 2. D.I.Y. 3. Night Fractals 4. Star Storm 5. Opposite Spinning 6. Between Our Galaxy 7. Transfer at the Speed of Light 8. Moon + Sun 9. Nova Fractal - Connect (Cactus Arising rmx) A little over a year ago Timewarp Records released this album to minimal fanfare. I mean, it seemed like it was only very lightly advertised. It's digital only from two Greek newcomers who have made the rounds on several compilations like Goamystica, Goa Energy, and whatever the hell Goalogique is doing. I've had this on my hard drive for quite some time, but couldn't successfully get through it. Not because it's bad (it isn't), but because it doesn't offer anything new. The tracks are solidly thumping new-school (I know some people hate that classification) production with similar sounds all the way through. Nothing stands out or makes the tracks particularly memorable however. I found myself waiting for twists and turns that never came which makes the album rather vanilla. Not bad, but there is a lot more dynamic work out there. Beatspace Psyshop

That track is one of the most psychedelic things I've ever heard. Relentless. To lean towards more current releases: E-mantra - Arcana, Nemesis Khetzal - Corelle Amithaba Buddha - Goa Gate M-run - Some Run Just For Fun and let's not forget Zion 604's VA - Flight 604 II and Skizologic's Robotized.

Artist: Night Hex Title: Viziuni Nocturne Label: Suntrip Records Date: November, 20015 1. Night Visitors 2. Sleep Paralysis 3. Distorted Visions 4. Nineve (Remix) 5. Katharsis 2015 was a superb year for goa trance with labels like DAT Records dropping the Pleiadians 3-disc holy grail, a 2-disc Doof release, as well as the Opale EP (seriously, check it out it's awesome), Neogoa released so many good albums for free that I'm just gonna give you a link to their treasure trove, and last but certainly not least Suntrip. They made a big splash in the old school pool by turning out classic albums by Asia 2001, Denshi Danshi, and a disc of Prana Remixes not to mention an album by superstars Celestial Intelligence and a legendary compilation called Aurora Sidera. Not one to rest on their laurels they deliver an EP from an artist that rules the goa kingdom. E-mantra threw 5 tracks together as his self described darker, more progressive goa trance project Night Hex. His style is instantly recognizable as the tracks delve into a hypnotic reverie. It's slower bpms which makes me wonder how you're supposed to dance to this. Pretty sure that's, uh...that's just f*cking awkward. Maybe you aren't and I sure didn't, but I can tell you that I had to listen to this over one hundred times because Mr. Melodies has the ability to make the mind take a vacation. His music is seamless and slowing down the bpm is akin to slowing time as I drift from one lead to another. The remix of Nineve is downright sinister. Fans of his music will not be disappointed as the attention to detail and atmosphere creation is what you would expect from your goa overlord. Suntrip Psyshop Beatspace

Blistering dnb track. Loved the visual...the whole time I was like, "Can you hurry the f*ck up and land the ship?!?" Waiting for you guys to make a dark ambient sci-fi masterpiece. Did ya make it yet?

Still a very good album. The bonus track from the CD is nice too, but doesn't compare with the rest of the bombs here.

There's smooth... and then there's smooth. This is definitely the latter. Death Posture already gave you such an in depth review that I you don't need me to rehash this. I'll just say that I was a cheap bastard and downloaded my copy from Ektoplazm for free. I guess when you make both ambient and trance music you album can showcase your talent in both areas. The sounds are soft and gentle creating a dreamy atmosphere. Melodic trance that has a bare bones approach. I wouldn't call it a masterpiece as I feel a lot of the tracks build up to something and then just hover, not really changing that much. Still, good album and I'm glad I have it. Free at Ektoplazm

Artist: Technodrome Title: Earthquake Label: Metatron Production Date: December, 2005 1. Kawabanga 2. April The Slut 3. Technologic 4. Earthquake 5. Bob the Demon 6. What's The Rush? 7. Turtle Power 8. Reset Dimension 9. Dickhead "The hope and survival of mankind rests on us!" Excuse me have you met us? We humans are woefully unqualified for this responsibility. Perhaps you have something in the social media field. We love to put our business out there. I have to believe this is the jewel in their crown. Everything I've heard from these guys since just hasn't measured up to their first album. Didn't one of them get arrested in India a while back? Tough to come back from that. Ask Michael Vick. Sigh...google him. Technodrome is the project of two Shays from Israel and their debut was a ground rumbler. Lasers, acid, and the unforgettable cover. I mean who doesn't love ninja turtles? It's full-on the whole way that realizes that it's still dance music and as such is supposed to elevate the heart rate. Most of it is four on the floor power trance without any cheese so if that's your thing this will appeal to you. Beatspace Digital Download

Whew...they mean business over there at Sub Terranean. Know how I know? Classics with an X. That's edgy and not f*cking around. But while it's true a few of these are classics you can find them all over the place. Cool thing is this album is dirt cheap so it'll save you some green if you don't have these. But if you're reading this I'm sure you already do. Few things... I hate...absolutely hate Jiggie of the Sphinx. That riverdance melody annoys the crap outta me. Astral Warrior is the track with the oft repeated sample which kinda takes away from its greatness. Don't know if I'd call the last three classics (I wouldn't) but they're still good tracks. So the title of the compilation is mostly correct with a few wtfs.

"Who's nutty enough to do a thing like that?" Ah...I see you went with the more toned down shirt for your job interview. Jesus tap dancing Christ how many epileptic seizures is this guy responsible for? Olli Wisdom is a cornerstone of psychedelic trance from his beginnings as a goa artist to his evolution into a purveyor of ridiculous clothing. He's been making music longer than some of you have been alive and has earned credibility. So this ambitious gathering of his best and brightest over 2 albums is long overdue. Now let's be honest, like a lot of artists who've been in the game as long as he has he's had some...questionable tracks. As I've mentioned before his album covers made more of an impact than some of his work. I mean seriously who can forget the Holy Father behind the ones and twos? But when he gets it right you're in the presence of greatness. The 2 CD collection puts together tracks from his albums as well as stuff from compilations he's appeared on. They range from psychedelic goa stormers to his brand of acidic full on. The tracks with the goofy sound effects or guitar approximations I could do without. Surprise surprise the ones made with Simon Posford are pretty damn good. It's a 2-CD compilation and my 2 cents says that the first disc is great and the second is much weaker. By a f*cking country mile. Now Discogs says it's remastered so even if you're not a Space Tribe fanboy it's pretty cool to get these updated tracks under one roof. Psyshop

Artist: Slum Title: Sunflowers of Today Label: Sunflowers of Today Records. (Really?) Date: May, 2008 1. Deprive of It 2. It's Luckylife 3. Don't Miss the Aimed Loot 4. I Don't Think That We Are Defeated 5. My Turn, Again 6. Get Close Behind Men Only of Pretense 7. Season of Counter Attack 8. Go and Go, Anyway Go 9. We Must Choose 10. It Expands Toward The Sun What in the holy f*ck? Look I try not to stereotype Japanese entertainment, but they make it so f*cking hard. Chubby dude in a diaper and a knee brace rubbing his belly whilst tentacles wave on his arms. For God's sake the machine gun out of the chick's ass is the least unusual thing here! Japanese people must be aliens. Ahem. I like sunflowers. Not sure which is cooler the album cover or the poorly translated Ingrish track titles. This is Shuji Ichimura who is apparently the James Brown of Japanese psytrance. Actually I made that up. Maybe he's the James Woods of Japanese psy. Now that doesn't even make sense. Anyhoo...this is his 2nd album and like all things Japanese it's a little out there. But since we're dealing with full-on it's a welcome change from the tired crap we've been force fe over the years. Take sounds that would be unpleasant by themselves and put it with a bass line and a hi hat and that's where we are. The power is there without most of the annoying things full-on hoists upon the ears. As this unfolds and I get wrapped up in images of smiley Japanese high school girls in ultra short uniforms engaging in ridiculous cosplay against a backdrop of intense colorful flashing lights while sumo wrestlers perform an awkwardly choreographed dance routines. I suppose this happens on the streets of Japan everyday. I don't know I've never been there. The album is a loud and pumping barrage that makes no apologies for its straight forward approach. It's more in your face than melodic, but it will get you moving. Sometimes it gets a little too heavy, but don't discount the havoc his dissonant style could wreak on the dance floor. Acid, guitars, funky last track...there's a bit of everything in here. Psyshop

Artist: Vedama & Spies Title: Photonic EP Label: DAT Records Date: December, 2015 1. Vedama - Photonic 2. Vedama - Scanate 3. Spies - Ceremoniak 4. Spies - Backwash 5. Spies & Space Dimension - Ritual Rise 6. Spies - Backwash (Space Demon Remix) DAT Records have had an awesome run with nary a misstep haven't they? They just keep bringing back music that people clamor for and most times making it even better. Yeah I.F.O. was great...but a 3-CD I.F.O? NSFW *choir sings Hallelujah! Hallelujah!* Draeke could probably release his nephew's 6th grade piano recital and rack up sales. Not saying that he would, but *yells at nephew* "B flat! That's a B flat f*cker! We'll stay here all night! All f*cking night! You don't think Antic can't tell the difference between a B flat and an A sharp? Think again!" So I bought this EP with the Pleiadians and Opale (f*cking awesome by the way) EP and I'd never heard of these projects. Of if I had it went to the memory graveyard swimming in a pool of bong water or Doritos crumbs. Did I need it? Did I even give it a listen? Nope, but it's DAT so your just do it. Where the Opale EP was powerful melodic stuff that could've come from the mind of the Pleiadians or old Astral Projection, this is more of a crunchy style. Somewhat dark that blurs the line between goa and psy. Perhaps experimental where chances are taken with quality results. Backwash throws some tribal elements into the mix, but it gets truly psychedelic with the ever changing Ritual Rise and the Backwash Remix. While not my favorite DAT Records release (how could it be?) it's a solid psychedelic journey and might appeal to those who need a break from the classic goa sound. DAT Records Psyshop

Artist: Various Title: Analogue Label: One Foot Groove Date: 2007 1. Artifakt - Baal 2. Electric Mirror - Play It From Your Heart 3. Hydraglyph - Totalled 4. Atyss - Atomik Circus 5. Rabdom L - Fire Bird 6. Zion Linguist - Twisted Radio 7. Kut 'N' Paste - Red Dragon Correkt 8. Noise Anomalie - Virus 9. S.C.A.M. - Dirty Trancin' 10. Konchord - Bounty Hunter "Them Illegals took ur jobs!" A redneck can be blissfully ignorant about a lot of things but guns, poor hygiene, and f*cking his sister probably aren't one of them. But hey I ain't mad atcha Cleetus, nobody's perfect. I am ignorant about a lot of things too. Middle East politics. Surgery. What I can and can't wear after Labor Day...Just sayin' nobody knows it all. Take this label for instance. They're from South Africa (which is already good enough for me) and I have only been acquainted with two of their releases. But holy sh*t they were monsters. If you like the night time psytrance you typically get from South Africa do yourself a favor and check out the only album from Kut 'N' Paste and Replenishing Roots from Tryambaka. Scorchers, but finding a copy of the former can be difficult as they went full-on Yabai on a brother. So this compilation mastered by The Artifakt showcases lots of dark night time goodness. The mood is heavy and the bass lines rumble. It's a solid bit of dark-themed night music and has aged well. I would say there isn't much filler and would be a solid purchase. Who knows if the label is still active cause I've come to realize you cannot rely on Discogs. Kinda like wikipedia a bit. But this label was definitely heading in the right direction. Beatspace

Artist: Various Title: Passages Label: Ultimae Records Date: April, 2014 1. James Murray - Passing Through Walls 2. Fingers In The Noise - Delicate 3. Cygna - Within 4. Brando Lupi - Opal 5. Miktek - Kinematics 6. Murya - Der Blaue Engel 7. Martin Nonstatic - Moments 8. Lars Leonhard - Deeper Direction 9. Aes Dana - Units 10. Connect Ohm - 9980 (Cell Remix) 11. Max Million - Skying 12. Zinovia - Northern Wind For those of us that don't worship at the altar of Ultimae this compilation appears to be nothing special. Typical cover art presentation with a nice photo. At first glance there are only a few recognizable names (for me anyway) and I was filing this under just the next album in the release train. You would think I'd know better by now. True the artists aren't the household names we've become accustomed to, but treat that as a negative at your own peril. This compilation does what Ultimae does. Soft, gentle downtempo with somber melodies and glitchy grooves. After the opening track (didn't like it, went nowhere) we're treated to relaxing grey day music. Delicate is just that; wispy tones as rain streams down the window. Within is open mouth discovery as I journey through a hidden ice cave. The strings give it a very cold feeling as percussive sounds ping off the walls. Opal is the exit from that cave bringing a vast frozen vista into view. Kinematics is a lush march that takes its time as does Der Blaue Engel, but the latter has more melodies and glitch. Shortest here, but more memorable. The rain falls during Moments and Deeper Direction picks up the tempo. Unlit by the guy I'm actually familiar with is rich and melancholy with some haunting piano. The Cell remix didn't do anything for me and I found it a tad boring. Skying has a full and hopeful sound and Northern Wind closes it out with some nice ambient piano. Ready for me to trot out the often used maxim? While none of the tracks themselves are stellar can't do without, the flow itself is the star. Very relaxing all the way through with rich sounds echoing the hallmark of Ultimae artists. It's not my favorite Ultimae release by far, but it's soothing, quality chill. If you buy the Flac version from Ultimae I think you get the continuous mix. Ultimae Psyshop