Trance2MoveU

Artist: Various Title: Destination Goa - The First Chapter Label: Why Not Records Date: 1996 01. 09'45" Technossomy : Pyramid 02. 07'21" Gada-Gong : La Guera 03. 08'23" Transwave : Rezwalker 04. 08'46" Chakra And Edi Mis : Final Mission 05. 08'10" Tufaan : Probe (Green Nuns of the Revolution Remix) 06. 08'17" Etnica : Tribute 07. 07'11" Sheyba : Ganesh 08. 10'49" Rainbow Spirit And DJ Sangeet : Sirius Shuttle 09. 06'52" I Savastano : Trance Express This is may be an essential. I'll lay out the facts and then you can come to your own conclusion. To open with such a powerful and descriptive track such as Pyramid is a bold if not somewhat risky statement as it could be all downhill after that. But it isn't. La Guerra isn't anything special, but then you're treated to The Rezwalker and Final Mission. Fantastic exercises in goa trance. So three out of four ain't bad. But wait, it gets better. One of the most psychedelic goa trance tracks ever produced IMHO is the Green Nuns remix of Probe. It's loud and a wall of sound with a lethal 303. That's the good part. Bad part is it was "recorded directly from vinyl and mastered to CD, rendering a lot of crackles." Needless to say the sound quality is poor, but I kinda like the grittiness. This is followed by Tribute by Etnica and Ganesh by Sheyba. Two delicious goa trance tales that will take you to that special place. Sirius Shuttle gets on my nerves yet is still a fairly good track. Trance Express is...different. But not special. So 6 out of 9 tracks are really great. Does that deserve essential status? Maybe. I think it misses out by a whisker, but it's still damn good. Mdk

Artist: Celestial Intelligence Title: Perpetual Energy Label: Suntrip Date: January, 2015 1. Into the Depths of Illusion 2. Divine Miracles 3. Constant Motion 4. Anapa 5. Celestial Beings 6. 1001 Resonse 7. Gray Matter 8. A Different Story 9. Perpetual Energy I believe it fair to say that Suntrip has been on a bit of a roll as of late. *hypnotized* I've been staring at this for twenty minutes. They've got some amazing stamina. Where was I? Oh, and by roll I mean total goa trance domination for a decade. Yeah they are the kingpin of goa trance music with a list of quality releases longer than your arm. But I'm talking this year. From the triple CD ten year lovefest Ten Spins Around the Sun, to the raw old school acidic mayhem of Shakta's Retrospective to the absolute pinnacle of E-mantra's career with Nemesis, I'd say this year has been one in which Suntrip reminds us all how it should be done. Yes, everything is indeed awesome. With their first release of the new year Suntrip have unleashed a whole new level of bad assery. Celestial Intelligence are Branislav Dimkovski and Dabilor Anastasovski from a planet far away and their album is a brilliant debut comprised of melodies and more layers than a tiramisu from the Cheesecake factory. Not to mention the power. Oh, the brute force applied to send you into that perfect level of trance. Each track builds on all of the above factors until it's tsunami time and you're buried under a wave of awesome. Even I could DJ with this. Hit play, get a drink, and go schmooze with the ladies. Fist pump, fist pump! Whistle, horn, siren! That's how you guys do it, right? I agree with Bill (great review btw) that 1001 Reasons is a good track it just has the unfortunate task of following the previous onslaught, thereby getting over shadowed. But everyone has to come down at some point. Can you ask for more of your goa trance than this melodic, acidic, relentless pace? Where do you go from here? How do you top yourself? Questions I'm sure this label will continue to answer. Bottom line this CD is an incredible way to start the new year and it's gonna take an insane release to top it. Do not hesitate to add this to your collection. It's Suntrip. It's Celestial Intelligence. It's magic. Suntrip Psyshop Beatspace Mdk

Artist: Varioius Title: Retrodelic Vibes 4 Label: Avatar Date: July, 2008 1. Slinky Wizard - Slinky Wizard 2. Spectral - Kundalini 3. Blue Planet Corporation - Antidote (Pleiadians Remix) 4. Total Eclipse - Tenskwa Tawa (Edit) 5. Endora - Joy 6. Hux Flux - Calculus 7. S-Range - Kym 8. Sheyba - Ancient Lands "Big pimpin' spendin cheese." This was undoubtedly the head of Avatar Records when they released this trip down memory lane. Like a redneck sitting on a powerball ticket he knew he had something good. Number 4 in the series is a real drop the mic moment when you can include such blistering tracks like the Pleiadians remix of Antidote. As if that track needed any help being a bad ass. But those Etnica boys...made it bad ass-ier. And then tracks like Slinky Wizard and Joy pick that mic right back up only to drop it again. Just leave it there. Maybe it'll sprout roots and germinate into another quality tree. Storming goa trance at its finest. I was all ready to proclaim Total Eclipse as the most overrated goa artist from the good ol' days (still a possibility), but his effort wasn't bad at all. Ancient Lands heard many times is still a good piece of tribal nostalgia. The Hux Flux track perplexes me, but it just goes to show you even bosses drop the ball now and again. It's not a bad track at all, but...Time Slices or STFU. S-Range was plying his dark sci-fi ways even back then with a track that let's you feel the atmosphere. It's more psy than goa, but the feel of it is positively alien. Psyshop Mdk

If there was ever a meh sandwich this is it. With an extra helping of so-so. It's a compilation chock full of average goa trance tracks from the golden year of goatrance. Dreampod is great though and I liked Transparent Mind from Total Eclipse. But this is TIP Records right? I figured they would have a better showing, but I guess not. All the discs in this series are like this. Not bad, but nothing to go searching for. I keep it because I have OCD and am a completionist. But even that has its limits. I'll obey the five second rule...but not one second longer. Mdk

Dohm- From the Dark Poetry. Mdk

Artist: Astral Projection Title: Goa Classics Remixed Label: TIP Records Date: December, 2014 01. X-Dream - Rain (Astral Projection Remix) 02. The Infinity Project - Stimuli (Astral Projection Remix) 03. Blue Planet Corporation - Overbloody Flood (Astral Projection Remix) 04. The Infinity Project - Feeling Very Weird (Astral Projection Remix) 05. Prana - Mugen (Astral Projection Remix) 06. Hallucinogen - LSD (Astral Projection Remix) 07. Electric Universe - Rain (Astral Projection Remix) 08. Blue Planet Corporation - Midian (Astral Projection Remix) "I am feeling very weird." Yeah. Me too. I've been bashing Astral for so long...I, I...don't know how to react. But you can see where I've been coming from right? Right? I mean, endless delays and promised releases that never materialize, that sh*t will make anyone a skeptic. And every time one of the great acts from the golden age of goa comes back it's always sh*tty full-on remixes that make me embarrassed to turn the volume up. A further pissing on the legacy. You should feel lucky I even bought the CD with all the crap you put me through...Yeah, that's it. Oh so, um...that's uh...that's for me? No, no...I understand. And let me tell you that I"m glad you brought out the good silverware. It shows me you care. *speaking through huge bite* F*ck yeah, it really does taste like chicken! Can I get some, uh water to uh...you know, wash this down? So the kings of the goa hill, the masters of the past whom I thought would never return, have and from my perspective they didn't disappoint. Yes they're remixes of classic tracks, but they applied the Astral touch and brought them into the new millennium. They thump and have been Astralized. You can hear their vast, cosmic goa style adding depth to these tracks that didn't necessarily need it. But Kudos people. I'd like to say that it brings me back to the mid-nineties, but I missed goa trance the first time. But my imagination thanks you. And it just raises the bar and expectations for the long awaited release of new material. The only drawbacks for me with this record were the two Rain tracks. Aim a little higher. I would've loved to hear what they could do with The Second Room and Online information. But I'll take it. Congratulations Astral, you've bought yourself another decade. Any of that crow left? Psyshop Beatspace Mdk

All of these tracks (except The Day Before Point) are good and some are fantastic! I would start with San Yacid and Paranormal Activity and then go right to Let's Get Stoned and Watch the Freaks. Followed immediately with Low Commotion and the Bony Incus remix. That's five absolute killers right there. Spiritual Transgression and Touch the Sun are very good (though not on the same level as those previously mentioned). With Can't Do That and Nysos bringing up the rear. That's a pretty damn good comp right there! 9 above average tunes and one ugly friend. But packs of girls always travel with an ugly friend. Makes 'em feel better about themselves. Besides someone has to hold their hair back when they're chucking into a toilet. Mdk

Artist: Various Title: Survival of the Trippest Part II Label: Dope Media Date: March, 1997 Night Side 1. Evolution - Water Spirit (Sub-Marine Remix) 2. Mama Indica - Maria Sabinas 3. Cosmoon - Sleep Paralysis 4. SETI Project - X-Ray 5. Temple of Ellora - Hot Pot 6. Drop & Dash - Trixtrax 7. Metacosm - Dancestein 8. Infrarot - Acid Dog 9. Four Carry Nuts - Grapefruit Morning Side 1. SETI Project - Redeem 2. MOS - The Wave Inside 3. The Pollinator - Clone III (Unreleased Mix) 4. Morphem - Nothing Left 5. Animals Club - Japan (E-rection Remix) 6. Astrological - Stingray 7. Etnica - Moon Influence 8. Paradise Connection - 111 Belltrees 9. Ghost Train - Accidental Erasure Let's put the cards on the table ok? I realize this thing is rare and sold for a ridiculous $219.47. Who throws that much coin at a CD? Can I party with that guy? That's a lot of money for a whole bunch of meh. If you're in the market for spending some cash for a mediocre product can I interest you in some of my college term papers? Yeah it's got a lot of ok tracks on it with some fantastic ones interspersed within. Tim Schuldt as Mama Indica rocks with Maria Sabinas and X-Ray by SETI Project is one of the hardest psychedelic goa tracks ever produced. I haven't heard high pitched squealing like that since I stepped on a cat's tail. F*cking exquisite that track is. Hot Pot by a Shiva Chandra side project is quirky, but really cool. The Wave Inside is another standout, but after that...I'm too lazy to find out if any of the tracks only appear in this one place so if that's the case you're still f*cking nuts to shell out a car payment for this disc. Do you know how many lap dances you can get for that? Mdk

Artist: Nova Fractal Title: Lost Souls EP Label: Timewarp Records Date: January, 2015 1. Main Sequence Star - Virus 2. Lost Souls 3. Trinodia - Human History (Nova Fractal Remix) 4. Naga "Human history is a chaotic thing. Small changes have big results. Unpredictable in direction." Little brothers be f*cking sh*t up for everybody. Timewarp Records manager and accomplished goa trance artist Renato Brnić is at it again with an EP release that contains some new tracks including a remix of the Trinodia smash Human History. He brings you aboard slowly with a sort of break beat cosmic goa track from his side project. Once that melody kicks in it's quite shiny. Nice rest at the shiny break and then it's back to that shiny melody. He didn't rewrite history here, but it's a good track. Lost Souls is a track I really like because you can hear each individual layer as it ascends like a staircase. I wish there was a more dramatic climax, but the sound was so good that's a minor complaint. Human History is a fantastic track and let's be honest unless you drop a Bieber loop in there you really can't f*ck this up. Renato didn't and he didn't. It's still a great track, but I would've liked something in there where he truly makes it his own. With Naga he closes with an aggressive and straight forward sound. Good EP if you like the more modern sound of goa production. Timewarp Bandcamp Mdk

Hahaha! Haters...They sure gonna hate. Mdk

This was so far ahead of its time. Back when it was AAE (all about Etnica) with melodies and tracks that would take you through the clouds along comes this bonafide gem from TIP Records. Oh it didn't seem like a gem when this review was written. Read the thread. People were either luke warm on it or just outright hated it. But if you block off an hour or so and are looking for a deep trip then throw this in the deck. It's pure psychedelic goa trance. Friagram and Do Androids? Sign me up! If the shortest distance between to points is a line then this is a circle. Weird noises abound, but they're not there for just being weird's sake. Well maybe a couple. Truth be told I found both Orichalcum's and the Deviant's tracks a bunch of noise. But the majority are the type that are being re-discovered by labels today. It's far from perfect, but when you're looking for music that doesn't follow any f*cking pattern whatsoever yet remains cohesive then this could be just the ticket. Mdk

Artist: Various Title: Moon Ritual Label: Amakusa Records Date: October, 2014 1. RA - Azure Child 2. Chi-A.D. - Transition 3. Dimension 5 - Transformation (Taiwan Remix) 4. Hunab Ku - Sun In My Hands 5. RA - Spiritual Odyssey 6. Dimension 5 - Fundamental Hippie 7. Chi-A.D. - Exit Eternity 8. Electron Wave - Temporal Distortion 9. Hunab Ku - Children of the Stones "Nobody had a bad trip...it was all good." Not for her. Ok let's be honest...that's a hideous cover. It is. But don't let that visual dissuade you from exploring the beautiful goa trance found within. Seems today that all the labels have finally figured out what we knew a long time ago. Old is gold. And like dirty south rappers grill, there's gold in here. So here comes Amakusa records with a collection of tracks that were either unreleased or only available on vinyl. So what the f*ck is Exit Eternity doing there? Bah, no matter. Beginning with the floating Azure Child from RA it sets the tone with smooth layers. The Chi-A.D. track was at first a bit of a head scratcher. Why bring the mood down? It's a slow builder, but has a sinister chopped lead before it goes all cosmic. Interesting to say the least. The next three tracks are melodic stompers to be sure and I would expect nothing less from Dimension 5, Hunab Ku, and RA. They got a whole Etnica/Pleaidians thing going on as it's the same bunch of guys. Fundamental Hippie had me until it brought in that guitar crunch. Still pretty good. I'm not going to discuss Exit Eternity because it's a classic and we all know it's a boatload of awesome. Electron Wave is yet another side project of these same guys and it's also not bad. The final track is a bit too commercial or full-on for me. I can listen to it, but it's not like I would actively search it out. I was gonna just skip this album, but everyone started talking about how great it is and I"m a sucker for peer pressure. The last time I ignored the crowd I missed out on Mind Rewind so I'm not about to let that happen again. It's a good collection of tracks that like I said were unreleased or hard to find. I know Suntrip was carrying this for a while, but then that stopped. I think I got my copy off Discogs. I didn't see any there the last time I checked, but here's a link to their Facebook page. Mdk

Artist: Various Title: 6th Element or The Missing Elements Label: Altar Records Date: May, 2011 1. Astropilot - Inside the Harmony (Astral Waves remix) 2. Zymosis - Zeta Being (original version without flute) 3. Dreaming Cooper - Space Trip 4. Elea - Paisley Faces (Eternity Remix) 5. Suduaya - Salutation To The Planets 6. Elea feat. Bahramji - Menne Divonne 7. Tentura - Uzm247 8. Sysyphe - Mindscare 9. Ephemeral Mists - Awakening Spirits (Peyote mix) 10. Chronos & C.J. Catalizer - Quid Est Veritas (Air mix) 11. Asura - Vangelis Everyone got their cloud recliner in full, resting position? Good. Altar records is delivering what could be the final part of their beautiful Element series with the 6th Element. First thing you'll notice is there is no such thing as a 6th element. Kinda like a sixth Beatle. At least on this planet. But the "missing elements" found here are overflow tracks that didn't find a place on the other installments of the series. Put together and mastered by Mr. Altar himself (DJ Zen) the compilation opens with an epic ambient track remixed by Astral Waves. And what a floating neural massage it is. Zymosis provides his track Zeta Bieng from the Air compilation now with less flute. Which is a shame because it sounded fuller with the flute. However the coming out of the break seemed more dramatic in this version. Space Trip is a melancholy orbit around a planet (or a pretty good backing for a Lionel Richie track) while I couldn't tell you anything about Paisley Faces. Salutation to the Planets had an annoying chant over a cheesy uplifting melody and then Bahramji tops it. Didn't think it was possible, but don't let anyone ever tell you that you can't do something. So...right about now my cloud is beginning to darken and become a little lumpy. Is this a downtempo compilation or soundtrack to an ISIS training video? Uzm247 (what?) is a better piece of downtempo that builds to a strong climax and Mindscare is more on the darker side of things with a dub-like bass line and a strong snare. Liked that one. Awakening Spirits is a slow hallucinogenic dirge with Indian vocals that appeals to me even if it sounds like a slowed down goa track. The Air mix of Quid Est Veritas sounds identical to the track from the album of the same name while Asura closes on a saccharine sweet note that could very well be a Vangelis track. Not being an anthropologist I cannot declare this with abject certainty, but I believe the missing elements are called B-sides. It's not mixed and there is no flow to the tracks at all. It felt like they were just thrown together. They're not terrible by any stretch, but if you spent $10,000 on a hover cloud expecting to float away you're gonna be disappointed. Of course if you spent $10K on a floating cloud ten more bucks ain't gonna mean that much to you. And can I be your friend? Well, since I'm not an anthropologist I guess there is nothing wrong with sticking them back where I found them. You know...to preserve them and sh*t. Yeah, that's it. Pinkie Pie! Apple Jack! Get to diggin! Altar Bandcamp Mdk

Artist: Xenofish Title: Datastasis Label: Self-Released Date: July, 2014 01 - Datastasis (178 BPM) 02 - Geiranum (176 BPM) 03 - Primeval Pattern (160 BPM) 04 - Zero Velocity (170 BPM) 05 - Disordered Minds (180 BPM) 06 - Twinmachine (182 BPM) 07 - Shattered Phantasm (176 BPM) This is Christian Becker's fourth album and it is a science fiction journey escorted by drum & bass music. The pace is quite hectic as the bpm's will tell you. As mentioned the atmosphere is definitely cosmic with Fifth Element characteristics. I would say that the intros and his breaks are the parts that appeal to me most. Very dark and descriptive. I like the sound and feel it's very clear, but comparisons to Cybernetika and Mellow Sonic cannot be helped. Is it possible to have an over saturated genre with just 3 participants? I don't think anyone would argue that the king of the hill is Cybernetika with his compositions so full of depth and complexity and that's where I think this suffers. Not because it is of low quality, far from it. But I feel it's just...more drum & bass that doesn't push the boundaries. Doesn't take the music in any direction that the other two projects haven't already done. I hear some great ideas and potential for a Front Line Assembly apocalyptic vibe that I hope he explores further however. It's a good album if you're a fan of futuristic drum & bass, but I ask you Christian what are you going to do to set yourself apart? Free at Ektoplazm Mdk

I just don't find any of the tracks outside of the ones I mentioned anything special. They're ok, but most of them come and go without any depth for me. Parts of the track were pretty good, but as a whole none of them stayed with me. As you said to each his own. Mdk

Yeah I know music is subjective, but I think you're all high. Like...really high. Like that guy who's house is floating away with balloons. "Yep, there goes the Psynews community..." This is twenty years old and a lot of the tracks sound like it. Dated and taking forever to goa short distance. See what I did there? So clever. It's a combination of goa trance and the verrrry early days of goa trance. The Slinky Wizard track is king for me and Scarab is great too, but after that...like a club at 5 in the morning. Slim pickings. And saying that Waiting for a New Life is one of the better Total Eclipse tracks is like saying black licorice is better than a cauliflower floret. There are no winners there. I'll pass on this one. Mdk

Oh my God. What an absolutely horrible story. Is this true? How long ago. What a shame to lose another artist to drugs and alcohol. Mdk

Mdk

Mdk

Mdk

Artist: Moonweed Title: Voice of Jupiter Label: Anjuna Records Date: December, 2014 1. Om Life 2. Aardvark 3. Prophecy 4. Micronesia (feat. Shakta) 5. Spiral Expansion (MoonwOOOD Mix) 6. Celestial (feat. Squid) 7. Telepath 8. (SH)It Happens 9. Snake Charmer 10. Voice of Jupiter This is some raw old school sh*t. So raw. "You mean like a vegetable?" Yes like a vegetable. No you simpleton. Like sliding on a basketball court without any knee protection. You know the sound I'm talking about. Like cutting into your steak and watching it bleed. Moonweed is Jamie Graham and thanks to Anjuna records we have all his hard to find tracks in one place. Ladies and gents I present you his debut album. It took a while to get here, but holy crap on a cracker was it worth it. This is a blistering collection of goa trance from back in the day when the men were men and the sheep were nervous. Growling and screeching 303's at a monster drink fueled pace is what this is. Swirling leads and more bubbly layers than my kid's bath. Along with his classic tracks there are also some nice surprises I had never heard before. Waiter, I'd like one time machine set to...oh, let's try the beaches of Goa circa 1996? An excellent choice sir. And beyond excellent it is. I was just thinking that all any goa head would need was this album and Shakta Retroscape when at that very moment Micronesia came on. That's confirmation from the man upstairs people. The whole album is four on the floor relentless psychedelic goa trance and with mastering by Mr. Tim Schuldt the sound is brilliant. If everything old is new again I say keep f*cking digging cause there's gold in them hills! This is an absolute must have and for my money the greatest release from Anjuna to date. Is it too late to vote for the best of the year thingy? Kim Jong Un Approved. Anjuna Bandcamp Mdk

Artist: Maan Title: Robotic Swarm EP Label: DVSM Records Date: December, 2014 1. Swarms 2. Fleur de Synchrotron 3. Bionic Binoculars 4. Entomophobic Droid What's the biggest problem with darkpsy? "Ummm...it sucks?" No, that would be your mom. No, really what's the biggest problem with darkpsy? Inaccessibility. It's either over saturated with screechy sound effects, has a conspicuous absence of melody, or just devolves into a cacophony of noise and goes nowhere. Perhaps all three. Now I'm not picking on darkpsy here, but the darkpsy sound is what this label has focused on in the past. It has a devoted following, but at the same time it's hard for those that don't follow it to jump in and embrace it. But if you've been paying attention they've shifted gears and changed (or evolved) as all music eventually does. Releases like Kiriyama's Reach Escape Velocity and the compilation 71 degrees have kept it dark, but added some light and thereby attracted new listeners. Those two releases alone have shed some light on this label where I would've all but ignored it before. So here is one of their latest projects. Maan is Frode Ungar and his ep is a very varied mix of styles blended together with a dark atmosphere. Maybe darkpsy lite? Layered with sounds of the forest this is an ep any psychedelic fan can sink his teeth into. The darkness is well represented, but instead of being overbearing it's just a piece of the puzzle. That atmosphere enhances the sound and the listening experience. Goa touches are sprinkled within and melodies are heard, but all within the backdrop of a Norwegian forest. It's very well produced (mastered by Colin Oood) and all the subtleties are fully audible. I know it's a digital EP, but the cover done by Shiva3 is beautiful to look at. So perhaps this is a new direction for the DVSM label? It's been coming for awhile now and this release is an example of how to keep the tone dark while also allowing for the productions to have more depth. It's interesting to say the least and I would recommend this to anyone who is put off by the usual darkpsy sound. Good job. DVSM Bandcamp Mdk

"Only the chosen ones may enter." The power. The eerie feeling. This is most assuredly a Nexus Media staple if you love that South African sound with a little Israeli cooking. It's full power all the way with similar sounding head pounding tracks. Hard to believe this was made almost a decade ago. Their sophomore album Planet X was also a blistering killer, but their last effort Incognito...let's just say that it didn't measure up. Rumor has it there is a collaboration EP with Rubix Qube in the works, so let's see if they can get things sorted out. But this album is still fantastic. Mdk

Money...burning hole...in pocket...You must...help...me. Mdk

Artist: Various Title: Life Label: Crystal Matrix Records Date: June, 2004 1. Parasense - Oracle of Season 2. Xerox & Illumination - Night Shift 3. GMS Vs. Talamasca - High Vibe 4. U-Man - Static 5. Fungus Funk - Space Love 6. Joti (AKA Psychaos) - Spinner 7. Parasense - Ice 9 8. Seroxat - Witching Hour 9. Dissociactive - Antricide 10. Suria - One More Allow me to introduce you to one of the albums that helps makeup the "throw another one on the f*cking pile" of psytrance records. Man there sure have been a lot of those. And as we approached the middle of the last decade there seemed to be an explosion of those albums that couldn't wait to get to that pile. Full-on comprises most of it, but there is a good share of darkpsy and progressive as well. Crystal Matrix is the label responsible for this brick and I don't believe they are around any longer. They will always be known to me as the ones who gave us Excession by Shift. But this is not that. Not by a long shot. It's full of uninteresting full-on that doesn't really go anywhere. Yes I like the tribal element of Night Shift with that percussive whack, but talk about beating a dead horse. The bass line in Spinner is pretty nasty and the track itself has a dark, futuristic vibe. Totally Psychaos. But two tracks do not a compilation make. The tunes here aren't terrible, but they aren't special and serve solely as placeholders. Space fillers. The back end veers more toward the darkpsy spectrum, but the quality didn't improve. By the time Suria said one more, I was like...do I have to? I didn't have to delete this one off the hard drive. It f*cking jumped off. Psyshop Mdk