Trance2MoveU

Artist: Lotus Omega Title: Recycle Bin Label: Zillion Mental Anarchie Records Date: February, 2000 01. 07'49" Mastermind 02. 11'18" Kuru Kuru 03. 08'21" Renegade 04. 09'01" Flower Of Life 05. 09'13" Beauty And The Beast 06. 12'32" Diwali 07. 08'03" Deep Sea So this is what happened to the guys after Crop Circles broke up? The debut album of Lotus Omega and it's the type of noisy crap you would expect in the year 2000. This is like breaking up with a chick and later that night seeing on the news she robbed a 7-11 and took hostages. Was the b*tch always this crazy? Did they all of a sudden become allergic to melodies? Maybe I'm playing it at the wrong speed. It's one thing to make an annoying track, but to make them go on forever...that's just a blatant f*ck you to everyone. The first two tracks seemed like months of my life I'll never get back. I believe it's entirely possible they decided to make the worst music they possibly could just to see who would buy it. In which case kudos to them, that's f*cking funny. If dubsteb is the sound of robots humping then this is the sound of that awkward moment when the male robot attempts to get outta there after hitting it. It's got a gritty underground sound and while most of the time that's a compliment...I'm going the other way. Everything is modulated and nothing is memorable. I just listened to it, but I couldn't tell you one track from another. This is what the feds use when they want to break down terrorists. Etnica's gotta be laughing their ass off. The second halves of Beauty and the Beast and Diwali showed promise with actual melodies, but not enough to make me want to hear it again. Even the downtempo track at the end sounded like it didn't want to be here. I know music is all about taste, but this tastes like a sh*t sandwich. Mdk

Artist: Various Title: True Blood Label: Synergetic Records Date: November, 2012 1. Extasy Effect - SIDEFORM VS ZYCE 2. Ancient Groove (Pop Art rmx) - LYCTUM 3. Mentality - MINDWAVE 4. Twilight (Atomic Pulse rmx) - ULTRAVOICE 5. Ocean of compassion - ELEGY 6. Forest Lights (AtomiCulture rmx) - AQUAFEEL 7. Human Touch - AVSHI 8. Alundra - LUPIN 9. Long Arrangement - ECHOTEK 10. Sicilian Vendetta - SUNSTRYK Labels like Synergetic, Prog On Syndicate, and TesseracT Studio are the new regime in progressive music. Melodic and floaty and sometimes so sickeningly sweet you need a sugar detox. Synergetic is based in Germany and this compilation was put together by...no way. You gotta be f*cking kidding me. True Blood. With a picture of a white horse. Compiled by Herr Sunstryk. Nobody at Synergetic thought this might be a tad...offensive? Why not just put a picture of Auschwitz on the cover? Ok, ok calm down Mike. Let's not jump to conclusions. No matter how hard I try I can't find the swastika anywhere on this thing so it might just be a white horse. Still a little sensitivity goes a long way. Let it go. It's just a horse. A very beautiful and powerful animal. I can't stop looking at it...so strong...I just want to...so pure... NOT THIS TIME YOU NEO NAZI HORSE F*CKERS!! I'm pretty sure that the folks at Synergetic are not neo nazi horse f*ckers and let's face it, it's the music that matters, right? So let's see what they've corralled for this progressive journey. Extacy Effect- You would be hard pressed to find a compilation Zyce wasn't on and his team-up here with Sideform is just how I described progressive trance from this label. Bouncy and drifting. Good opener. Ancient Groove (Pop Art Remix)- Pop Art's album tasted like a sh*t sandwich to me but sometimes artists do their best work on compilations. From Lyctum's Ancient Groove EP the best thing I can say is that it didn't blow chunks. Nowhere near as good as the original, but that's what happens when you remove all traces of atmosphere. Mentality- "There is no such thing as fate or destiny." Crisp kicks and echoing effects make this one enjoyable. The slow groove escorted by the chopped synths is very appealing. Twilight (Atomic Pulse Remix)- This is from the Perplex album Reunion and is part of the sugary sweet "trance" I was talking about. I think this is the full-on he does with the bpm's ticked down a notch. Ugh, it's making my head hurt. What's that smell? Ocean of Compassion- "There was another outflowing of the ocean of compassion..." Funny that this is the title of one of the tracks horse f*ckers. Where was that compassion when Hitler started deep frying jews all across Europe? Sorry, sorry...I said I would let it go. I liked the EP he had on Ektoplazm as it showed his skill at making a detailed track. He had an album that was put out on Ovnimoon recently that I haven't heard yet called Imaginarium. This one is like the opening track, more drifting in style. Not many twists or turns, just steady. Forest Lights (Atomic Culture Remix)- Protoculture + Atomic Pulse. Any guess where this is headed? First class ticket to terrible town. Human Touch- This guy's work with Osher on the Desert Trip EP was top notch and he easily earns the best track award on this compilation. It pulsates with life and is actually interesting. Alundra- I've never heard of Lupin, but this track made me take notice. Atmospheric and effect heavy the female vocal added a bit of mystery to an already fine track. Long Arrangement- Michah changes time signatures here a few times. It's a pretty good track with more of a hard edge, but it sounds like a lot of progressive stuff you have already heard. Fairly aimless. Sicilian Vendetta- Herr Sunstyk breaks out the echoing samples for the longest track on the compilation. It reminded me of that Seinfeld episode where they were pitching a sitcom that was literally about nothing. What did this have to do with Sicilians and their vendetta again? This was a weak effort. Forget the cover and what may or may not be subliminally insinuated the music here was forgettable. Not much stood out and most of these tracks seemed like stuff the artists had lying around. Stuff they could give to make rent. The only thing missing was the word GOA on the cover. You can do a lot better for your progressive fix. Psyshop Beatspace Goastore Mdk

I had a review and thought I posted it, but I guess that dinna happen. I have the Avatar version with the two extra tracks. The debut of GMS certainly took goa trance someplace it wasn't used to. Gone were the stacking of Indian melodies and in it's place was a sound that was evil and juicy with alien textures. Effects laden and story telling at the same time it took you to another planet. Had to be another planet, have you ever heard a lead white hot like the one in Androids? Haunting mid tempo stuff like Houston? They can do the storming aggressive goa as well like Jaws and I'll Be Back. They can do strange also. I still don't know what's going on with La Raga. The Crow remix was fine, but I thought that Hashimoto wasn't anything special and just a throw in. So the question is is this a classic? Maybe, but if it isn't perhaps it should be. Mdk

Artist: Goasia Title: From Other Spaces Label: Suntrip Records Date: November, 2007 1. Intro 2. Love and Piece 3. Space Travellers 4. From other spaces 5. Octagon 6. Liquid Soul 7. Taboo 8. Per aspera ad astra 9. Sunrise 10. Pray For Rain Suntrip's 9th release and for 2007 I thought it was pretty good. With a decent beginning and a very melodic and strong middle the goa was powerful and entrancing. I wasn't bothered by the repetition as much as the weak last third of the album. Ending with an average goa track (Per Aspera Ad Astra), a monotonous trance track (Sunrise), and an unremarkable break beat track (Pray For Rain). Kinda like they were all... goa'd out. "F*ck we have a deadline!" "Chill out man. just throw some of that other sh*t you were working on for the end. Problem solved. Now it's your turn to buy. Let's get hammered!" Obviously there were zero concerns about this project as their music has continued to evolve and mature. Happy to have this in my collection. Mdk

Artist: GMS Title: The Growly Family Label: TIP Records Date: October, 1998 1. Surreal Killer (The Doppelganger RMX) 2. The Caterpillar 3. The Growly Family 4. Tentacles of a Jellyfish 5. Mouth of Madness 6. Addiction 7. Slow Motion 8. Gwai 9. Dirty Harry 10. Yashu "They're afraid of me because they're afraid of the unknown." I'm afraid of you because you've obviously gone off your nut and psychotics can be a tad unpredictable. The 2nd album of GMS is superbly psychedelic and a perfect one two punch with Chaos Laboratory. There are loads of metallic and bubbling sounds to greet the ear without the safety net of too many melodies. This is a full body acid cleanse with weird sonic screeching that may make some uncomfortable. I agree with the masses that it takes multiple listens to get on board this train. Their style at this time had migrated from a goa base to a fully hallucinatory cornerstone. They no longer want you to dance all night; they want you to be touched by the warped creatures they're showing you. Listening on headphones and attempting to follow this twisted adventure is quite the task. The first two tracks are brilliant psychedelic mind benders and then they show you their fun side with a ridiculous Adams family sample. Tough to take that tracks seriously, but guess what twinkle toes you're not supposed to. Mouth of Madness is a freefall down a rabbit hole where these Easter bunnies have very sharp teeth and a taste for human flesh. If Addiction is autobiographical then these guys need help. Heavily modulated squirts (really they are all over the album...like they had Taco Bell for a straight month) and a breakbeat with demented samples act as a brain melting nut punch. F*cking loved it. As I'm listening to Slow Motion it occurs to me that GMS might be the grandfathers of darkpsy based on the sounds chosen, psychedelia, and the atmosphere. It all points to darkness. The bubbling Gwai is overpowering and I wonder what Mozart would think if he heard this. Admire it, or sh*t his pants and have to change out of his wife's blouse. I don't know if they were on drugs when they created this but if they were I say get back on them. Their music today cannot hold a candle to the interesting stuff they made back in the day. My counsel tells me that I must make a statement. In know way do I condone the taking of illegal mind altering substances in any situation. But it's ok to get sh*tfaced with a bottle of Jack or any tequilla? Pssst....hey buddy! Here's my number *hands out cell #* I'll have what they're having. Mdk

Received mine! Can't wait to listen. Mdk

Artist: Phaxe Title: Calm Under Pressure Label: Iboga Records Date: May, 2013 1. Presentation 2. Angels of destruction 3. Kondi 4. It's always sunny (vs Vice) 5. Disturbed 6. The Witness (Phaxe and Pras rmx) - KRUEGER AND COYLE 7. Jellyhead (vs Morton Granau) 8. Drums and Guns 9. Unforgotten "Some confusion is perfectly normal at this stage captain." Phaxe is Kevin Josefsen and after going the EP route and appearing on a bunch of compilations he's ready to release his debut full length album. Lately the progressive arena has been owned by those crazy talented Balkan folks so Kevin needs to bring his A game. Does he win a date with the head cheerleader or is he destined to watch his pants get rung up the flagpole? Bit of a mixed bag really. Or so I thought. While not captain of the chess club, he's certainly not the quarterback of the football team. However I think that has more to do with the Iboga playbook than anything else. Their style is more beat driven compared to the lush, melodic atmosphere if say an Iono or TesseracT Studio. Presentation is a vivid opener with good bounce, but then the next few tracks don't live up to the hype. Not a lot of variation and they seem a little light. That said there were still hypnotic snippets to be found in Angels of Destruction. It's always sunny, has a great break, but it also has that silencer sound which annoys me. So at this point I'm thinking it's a decent release without making room for it on my CD shelf, but then the moody and beautiful Disturbed happens. Details so vivid I can taste it with a voice telling me to let myself go, drifting along, close my eyes...and let myself drift. Wonderful structure! The Witness continues the vibe with a wailing synth and chopped strings before a chant is repeated. The whole thing has an eerie tribal feel kinda like you think you're witnessing something benign, but then by the time you realize it's turning on you it's too late. Jellyhead pushes you further down this dark hole, but don't worry...he gives you a funky synth riff to help you climb out. He puts it all together with light and dark moments as well as another entertaining break. Guns and Drums brings more surprises with a bouncy feel and appealing melodies that all fit well together without overloading the ear. Closing with Unforgotten it's a positive ending with light melodies and a soothing hand. This is me being pleasantly surprised. After the first track I had my doubts, but then he kicked it into overdrive. Progressively speaking that is. Very rhythmic and detailed with a danceable swagger. It comes full circle as the beginning is positive and uplifting before he steers you towards the dark side of town only to bring you back into the light with the last track. A solid release that brings a smile to my face and it should do the same for melodic progressive trance lovers as well. Psyshop Beatspace Goastore Mdk

Artist: Tickets Title: Black Mind Thoughts EP Label: Biomechanix Records Date: November, 2012 1. Ennax (Full On Version) 2. Collapsed Kingdom 3. Waboba Kappibarru Rising Forehead "Chill...chill. Take a chill pill." Tickets is Joseph Summs, a twilight artist who's had great success riding the Android Wave of South African psytrance with 2 albums to his credit and plenty of compilation work. This was one of those EP's that didn't grab me right away. It required further digging. I was going to describe this as a short 3 tracker but there ain't nothing short about 11 and a half minutes, know what I'm sayin? Ennax is an epic storytelling track that has its fast and slow moments. Sounding more like an FLA side project it has an extended intro and symphonic presence until the trance kicks in. Honestly I was more entranced by the sample than the music. Who can ever get enough McLovin? Collapsed Kingdom continues the epic feel and is more Principles of Flight than Tickets. It's ominous and goes medieval on you. He saves the best for last with the most aggressive and Tickets like track. It still carries the same vibe, but the power and in your face factor is turned up. And that track name...what the hell does that even mean? To compare I would say this is more Dreaming of Places than Timelapse with a strong nod towards the theatrical. Consider it expanding his horizons. Entertaining. Re reading the review I don't think I said Tickets enough. So...tickets. Beatport Mdk

Artist: Various Title: Fresh Part 03 EP Label: 3D Vision Date: April, 2013 1. Mutants - Absolum & Ex-Gen 2. Assistance Required (Powered by Absolum) - A-Mush Some of my favorite music is the stuff by Absolum. Inside the Sphere (almost 10 years old) still set the bar so unbelievably high. That high tech acid insanity never fails to get me moving. It's intense, moody and will take out more teeth than a hockey fight. Down goes progressive. The third part in the fresh series is more balls to the wall hyper trance that is purely unforgiving. Can't take the heat? F*ck you it doesn't care. So awesome it makes twilight music seem like ambient. More acid than a dead show it's slicker than oil with thumping rhythms and a frenzied pace. Get out of the way people it's an avalanche of awesome headed straight downhill and no f*cking St. Bernard is ever gonna find you. Only 2 tracks, but you can't handle more than that. Absolum and the Ex-Gen pairing rule and the A-Mush track pushes it to the edge. Whew. Hell. Yes. Beatport

Artist: Various Title: Luxuria EP Label: Disasterpeace Records Date: April, 2013 1. 2116 2. Why Don't They Stop It 3. We Are Insane (feat Dirty Motion) "Hey we all know how we're gonna die baby, we're gonna crash and burn!" And these motherf*ckers are at the wheel. The Pereira brothers from Portugal are back f*cking up your program with their brand of hyper trance. These two have been shaking floors on comps for a while now so here comes their 3 track EP. It is loud and the concussive force is ready to push you across the room. We live in a world where melodic progressive trance is attempting to build delicate houses in the trees where we can all live peacefully. It's beautiful. Well these guys see your treehouse and raise you two chainsaws. Pure power with superb one liner samples. The acid is like an Indian monsoon and I warn you if you even have the slightest twinge of a headache steer clear of this beast. Sometimes I wish it would be a little less stop and start, but that is a minor complaint. When the dust settled and it was all over my ears continued to ring for quite some time. "Why don't they do something, why don't they stop it?" Here's an umbrella...good luck with the hurricane. Long live this sh*t. Beatport Mdk

Artist: Various Title: Cyan Clouds Label: Cyan Music Date: January, 2013 Side 1 01 - Fortadelis - Groovytational Pull (125 BPM) 02 - Saftronic - Lørdags (132 BPM) 03 - Low Orbit Satellite - Synchrotation MKII (125 BPM) 04 - Ross McLean - Subterrane (136 BPM) 05 - Paranal - E-System (125 BPM) 06 - Paranal - Binary Interaction (125 BPM) 07 - Arkadelphia - Fluidity (118 BPM) 08 - Arkadelphia - Lunar (112 BPM) 09 - OuD!n13 - Alteration (100 BPM) Side 2 10 - Low Orbit Satellite - Supersonic Traveller (95 BPM) 11 - Blatancy - A Cup Of Tea In The Twilight (Original Mix) (105 BPM) 12 - D-Echo Project - Subtle Change (110 BPM) 13 - Smooth - Nachtwerk (104 BPM) 14 - The Mixing Chef - Phases Of Chill (90 BPM) 15 - Tenonaki - Raumklang Mars (125 BPM) 16 - Bandarlog - Excerpt (100 BPM) 17 - Jaja - Riga (EBE Mix) 18 - Yagya - Old And Slow 4 The promo here pretty much nailed it (shocker). Side 1 gives you short tracks of various branches of techno. Some were floaty and hey! They repeat sh*t over and over like we do. Some of them sounded unfinished like they had an idea and then went to look at some porn. What stood out to me the most was the absolute lack of samples. Our music seems to thrive on them so to not hear any was very noticeable. Not saying that's a good thing or a bad thing, just a thing. The second half sees longer tracks as well as the first sample that gives me the knowledge about thunder and lightning I obviously lacked. The track by The Mixing Chef was great and had tremendous cosmic appeal. And there are a couple like that here (Excerpt is a moody sumb*tch). In the beginning there is more of a lounge and beer on the beach feel so if that's what awaits after alien abduction sign me up. Honorable mentions; tracks by Yagya and Jaja have some HUGE nebula watching pads. It's nice to get a break from trance once in a while. In that spirit, the next album I plan to review will be Wu-Massacre featuring Method Man. I think there might be a lot of f word in that one. Free at Ektoplazm Mdk

Artist: Various Title: Ex-Gen - The Bankai Remixes EP Label: Dropland Recordings Date: March, 2013 1. Bankai (Mesmerizer Remix) 2. Bankai (Geko Remix) 3. Bankai (A-Mush Remix) 4. Bankai (Brain Driver Remix) Usually when you see a beatdown of this quality it ends with news cameras, a jury trial, and Jesse Jackson mumbling something about civil rights. "Get those people back now!! NOW!!!" We are all Trayvon Martin. "What kind of sadistic f*ck..." The lifeless husk filling the chalk outline is your inhibitions and self conscious feelings about people watching you dance. Forensics tells us that the murder weapon was a combination of lethal amounts of acid and pummeling bass lines. Witnesses say they saw 4 perpetrators beating the victims mercilessly with repeated blows crippling the fears in the wee hours of the morning. "I haven't seen mayhem like this since the Xatrik Baddass mutilations." These criminals are known to the authorities with all four having been involved in serious crimes previously. "Aw christ...the vic sh*t his pants." Put out an APB for the suspects who should be considered armed and dangerous. Under no circumstances should you approach them if spotted. We believe A-Mush to be the leader who is known for excessive violence and psychotic behavior. If anyone asks if you want to see his Bankai please alert the authorities immediately. We've already seen one dance floor massacre. "I said get back, now!!" Beatport Mdk

Th Thank you for that link. Used it this morning on a comment for 7even Sister7. Works great! Oh...and I wasn't kind. Mdk

How about some new school collaborations? Artifact303 vs Sky Technology E-mantra vs Portamento M-run vs Trinodia Crossing Mind vs Alienapia Just spitballing. Mdk

Artist: Pleaidians (Can't be...just can't be.) Title: 7even Sister7 Label: Harmonia Records Date: November, 2006 1. Dance With Me 2. I Believe 3. Atlas 4. Galactic 5. Vimana Pt 2 6. Starbase 11 7. Condition: Critical 8. War Of The Worlds 9. Out Of Time It's gotta be tough to be these guys. As a foursome they created some of the most magical moments in goa trance. Deeply atmospheric and psychedelic their first two albums showed you how it was done. Then two members left. Like someone in this thread said, half left and took 90% of the talent with them. I don't know if that's accurate, but...well results do speak for themselves don't they? I imagine in 2006 the final two members had a meeting in the studio that went a little something like this... Ouch. And it only became more awkward from there. So they make full-on now? Full-on full-on? Yikes. Look I understand how it's gotta suck to be one of the masters of goa trance. Sure you're legendary, but stay with the same style years later and people say you're living in the past man! Try a new sound (dear God why this one?) and you've betrayed who you are. It's lose lose all the way around. But this... "Umf hsss, umf hss, umf hss..." It's pure unadulterated full-on. You can rationalize it anyway you want to, but they brought this on themselves. They chose to sully the Pleiadians name by making substandard and unimaginative garbage. This isn't music that is evolving, this is taking the easy way out to make a few bucks. And don't tell me that it's not bad full-on if I take the Pleaidians name out of it, they f*cking put it in there! If I wanted to see two Italians struggle with their situation I'd play Mario Brothers. Starbase 11 with it's 303 is the lone saving grace here and they even managed to cheese that up with a Star Trek sample. And talk about going out with a whimper. It's like they scolded a puppy. You know what this is? F*cking new Coke. And I poured that sh*t right down the drain. Mdk

Holy sh*t did you read this thread? "mike dee may be the fattest gay in earth.." My my how times have changed. Disparaging the obese and the gay? Why not throw a few n*ggers out there and go for the bigoted hat trick? Unnecessary. I liked the Nitzhogoa style of Cyan, but Braindance was a little much for me. You can only eat so much candy before you're on the hunt for some meat. I guess they felt that way too because this is an improvement in every way. More power, more goa, and better production. They come out swinging with the awesome Space Cadet and Nibiru which seemed to have undergone a cheese-ectomy. Just storming good stuff. Galactica sparkles and has depth undergoing several changes while Another Level has a nice break with an Astral Projection feel. Pretty trancey though. The vocoded voice on New Galaxy is a little corny, but it continues with the cosmic presence and vibe of this album and sees more of the nitzho style. And then there's the rest. Daylight goes full on nitzho kick with glow stick melodies and the final track I suppose is their farewell. A mix of their various DAT samples and sequences taken from a live set it delivers over 23 minutes of Cyan-type nitzhogoa that can be a lot to take in one sitting. Think of it like the finale of a fireworks show where the tech guys just shoot their load and empty everything they have. It's a Cyan money shot! The first three tracks were superb I thought, with the fourth being very good. Mdk

Artist: Various Title: Consequences Remixes Label: Nexus Media Date: February, 2013 1. EMP Remix 2. Infektion Remix 3. Tryon Remix 4. Zezia Remix 5. Kill Theory Remix 6. Ecstarsis Remix 7. Phsiris Remix 8. Overthrone Remix Chris Hoy (Nexus Media head and acidic psytrance veteran) has been laying down the good twilight madness for over a decade with several albums to his credit. Lately he released the OMG EP (where this track originates) and it was the slamming style he is known for. I must admit that I'm a sucker for that aggressively melodic South African sound that seems to always take the music in a new direction. When I review a remix album or EP it helps to hear the original so I can hear how the remixes differ. I have the original, but I think it would be helpful to include it on the remix EP because some might not. Guess if you're a fan you already have it, and if you aren't yet...well seems like a good way to get you to buy 2 EP's. Touche Mr. Hoy. Unlike the OMG EP he invites other artists to have their way with his track. How dirty yet alluring. Actually there was a competition to remix Consequences and the winner was EMP. The original is short by psytrance standards, but it's laden with chunky acid and those eerie melodies. The first three are wonderful body movers in the typical SA style. Pumping, rhythmic, and layered with clever sample manipulation. I don't know who Infektion is, but his use of acid and the Fifth Element samples had me at D-Man! The Zezia remix is a bit less edgy and I'll be honest I'm looking for something a little different in a remix at this point. Kill Theory slows things down breaking it into its elements, but at almost 10 minutes it's a rambling mess that never seems to end. The Ecstarsis mix seems to play a little more with the dubstep sounds, but the Pulp Fiction sample comes off as a little cheesy. Not bad though. Phsiris...hold up. Is this the bacon fellateurs? It's not bad with a dreamy feel braced by a breakbeat. The final mix is the shortest, but also the most dubstep heavy of them all. If you like that style you'll love this as it did a good job of melding the eerie melody with the abrasive robotic metal dry hump that is dubstep. All in all pretty good. The strongest tracks are in the beginning, but I believe that if there had been more variety in the remixes I wouldn't have been burnt out on the track as I was. Even Bill Murray had a breaking point before he cold cocked Ned Ryerson in the face. Beatport Mdk

Artist: Various Title: Tempo Syndicate Label: Sentimony Records Date: September, 2012 01 - Boggy Elf - Dream Of Ashvattha (In) (80 BPM) 02 - ShizoLizer Gin - Kinder Pingui (115 BPM) 03 - Hypnotriod - The Sleep Detector (125 BPM) 04 - Unusual Cosmic Process - Insignificant Information (104 BPM) 05 - Flooting Grooves - Psydeburn (124 BPM) 06 - Irukanji - Ayalla (125 BPM) 07 - Sygnals - Among Others (110 BPM) 08 - Senzar - Nature Moves (121 BPM) 09 - Daoine Sidhe - Mindslipses (127 BPM) 10 - Wizack Twizack - Lejon (130 BPM) 11 - Primordial Ooze - Trial (120 BPM) 12 - Spectrum Vision - Time Out Man (Out) (120 BPM) Compiled by Irukanji he delivers 12 tracks that traverse the boundaries of several genres. From the clunky downtempo sound of Dream of Ashvattha to the noisy and very long Insignificant Information. Alas, I'm not thrilled with the result. All of the tracks draw from some techno inspiration and at times become too garbled for their own good. There was potential in a lot of them with dark effects and rumbly basses, but they seemed to just veer into aimless territory. Kinda like me when I'm in Victoria's Secret. Wandering around, not really doing anything and afraid to touch everything. I kept waiting for the interesting turn that never came. Reminded me of the minimal days. Lejon from Wizack was the lone bright spot for me. But that guys crazy. Free at Ektoplazm Mdk

Artist: Various Title: Compile Your Mind Label: Digital OM Productions Date: November, 2011 1. State of mind - RAOUL 2. Definitely Diabolic - MAGNETO 3. Walk through the portal - SIDHARTHA 4. Massive Dynamic - TRYON 5. Badass - ORCA 6. Bullzeye - TECHNODROME 7. Ice Queen (Zion Linguist rmx) - PITCH HIKERS 8. Just Scream - RAZ 9. Search for emotions - RAZ *Rubs temples and reaches for bottle of aspirin. Attempts to open, foiled by childproof cap and hucks pills across the room.* All the ingredients are there. Good track listing, acid, lasers...how did they manage to f*ck this up? I'll tell you how. They've taken what was once pure and tainted it. Twilight psy once combined the best of dark and light, moody atmosphere and melody that all rumbled with power. Now it seems that the depth and storytelling is gone replaced by buildups, hard bass lines and rampaging leads that lead, well...nowhere. It's commercial full-on in different clothes with samples that while cool at times tend to dominate where they should enhance. The whole thing feels too clean and white washed. It's screams, "Hey look at me! I'm hard and edgy!" Yeah, but you're doing it wrong. There are bright spots of course. Tryon continues to shred any obstacle in his path with deluges of acid and barely restrained power. Each of the tracks have positive moments only to be marred by cliches. This has all been heard before and no matter how many lasers and twilight presets you use it's still generic sounding. Instead of having a cohesive flow the tracks seem to have been thrown together like a hippies festival outfit. They seem like they would work on the dance floor, but this has the feel of a watered down genre trying to have it both ways. If you truly are hard and edgy, most people won't like you. Psyshop Beatspace Goastore Mdk

Wow thanks so much for the appreciation everyone! I had no idea the reviews were popular like this. Oh I find them on the web and don't have to do anything to them except find a site that will host them. Thing is, Photobucket keeps telling me that I'm close to my bandwidth limit. When I hit that, all the images go down until it re-ups each month. So I either have to find a new site that doesn't restrict me like that or find another way to put the images up. Hotlinking isn't an option. So because it seems like people like the pics, I'll keep doing it if I can find a alternate option where the images won't disappear monthly. Like Penzoline said if it really brings home the joke I will use it. Thanks so much everyone you made my day. Mdk

I've been reviewing albums for a long time. I started it because...well I don't know why. I do know this. Before I did the forum was dying. Reviews were boring lines of text in broken English without much appeal and becoming few and far between. So I decided to do some reviews throw some pictures up with mine. Educate as well as entertain. I figured if I could entertain people they would get a chuckle and more people would frequent the forum. You know they would tell their friends and so on. Maybe that has worked as there have been some others hopping on the review bandwagon. Good ones too. But more likely it has nothing to do with me. I enjoy doing this and I guess I feel it's my way of giving back to the music that has given me such great music. Well, most of the time. The way I've been doing reviews takes a long time. I'm not the greatest writer to start with, but the gifs take even more time. Gotta find them, make them fit, struggle with hosting...it's a headache that I don't need. So this is me saying that I won't use the pics or gifs in my reviews any longer. I apologize to the people that really liked them and am pretty sure those that didn't don't care anyway. I will still do reviews and requests of course, just without the pics. Was a thread needed for this? I feel a part of this community and felt like putting it out there. Mdk

Artist: Psy-H Project Title: Dance of Distant Worlds Label: Global Sect Music Date: January, 2013 1. In A Shade Of Dadrrount'got 2. Second Coming 3. Boloto Trip 4. Infernal Candyflip 5. Active Meditation 6. Chatlane 7. Ramayana 8. Infinite Freedom 9. Spiritual Experience First things first...look at that spectacular cover. LOOK AT IT! F*cking gorgeous. I can't stop staring at it. There have been times where I have bought an album without knowing how it was going to sound just because the cover was so kick a**. Of course that was before the interwebz when I didn't feel like dragging my a** to the listening station. It was done by Ahankara (real name surely) who also did the cover for the Tabula Rasa compilation. This is one of those cases where you should judge an album by its cover. Psy-H Project is Igor Kititsky from St. Petersburg Russia (yes I'm aware you cannot spell Kititsky without tits) and this is his debut. And what a f*cking debut it is. Cosmic goa trance is contained within people and should be purchased post haste. I haven't wanted to have sex with an album since M-run, but I'm getting all oiled up as we speak. Let that image sit with you for a bit. This is a deeply atmospheric journey into the cosmos with alien textures and exquisitely layered melodies. A goa album that in the beginning has some darkpsy elements. And let's face it it doesn't get any darker than Emily Rose reciting the multiple names of Lucifer on Infernal Candyflip. But it's not all dark. Hell, in the same track you have distinctive goa melodies as well as Buddhist chants. It's also not afraid to poke fun at itself evidenced by the growls and I presume Brad Pitt laughter in Boloto Trip. While the entire album is full of lush and detailed goa trance, the second half is brimming with stormers. Active Meditation shimmers and coalesces like melody quicksand while Chatlane sparkles like my toddler just threw glitter in the air. Maximum twirling potential, I'm telling you. And what did you think would happen when he teamed up with fellow Soviets Alienapia? Total bedlam ensues with more layers than an onion. So good I wanted to cry. I'm not one to tell you what to do, just a guy with an opinion. But buy this f*cking CD. Own it. Stare longlingly at it. Love it. Damnit, I'm outta baby oil. Goastore Beatspace Psyshop GlobalSectMusic

Artist: Infected Mushroom Title: Classical Mushroom Label: Yo yo Records Date: 2000 1. Bust a move 2. None of this is real 3. Sailing in the Sea of Mushroom 4. The Shen 5. Disco Mushroom 6. Dracul 7. Nothing comes easy 8. Mush Mushi 9. The missed symphony "This isn't real! None of this is real!" I try to stay away from anything infected. Some of that stuff is really nasty. My wife is a surgeon and sometimes she tells me some horror stories in the OR. Swollen erupting lesions, necrotic tissue... And then there's the smell... Which could be an analogy to describe whatever the hell these guys are doing these days. Sellouts, commercial, pop, noise...they've been called all these things. Having long left their goa roots behind them their sophomore effort still had some of that old magic. Of course it generated a lot of varying opinions, just look at this thread. But whatever label you want to attach to this project they seem to be unafraid to...go there. Nobody really knows where there is, hell I don't think they even know. Whether it's their awful singing (screaming) or melodies that have no direction they will put it all out there. And we continue to buy it. Like it or not they are icons in our little corner of music and unlike Astral Projection they are at least still producing music. Well, content in the form of an album. Classical Mushroom was a showcase for their talent and musical brilliance with eerie melodies, distorted leads, and power. Combining real world instruments with their brand of electronica is quite polarizing. You're either going to love it or hate it. Classical structures are present in many tracks like the piano riff in Bust a Move which may transport you back to the Renaissance. Probably not. Guitars in psy? The debate rages on, but I like the low crunch in None of This Is Real as well as the forlorn wail. The track is futuristic and dark and seems to be in perpetual motion. Sailing the Sea of Mushroom is more of a percussive exercise than a track and The Shen also doesn't shy away from the rhythmic stuff. But it also shows their affinity for what the f*ck moments. Somehow they manage to make that deep guttural sample work. The deeper you allow yourself to fall into this one the bigger your smile will be. Disco Mushroom is definitely not disco, but they sound like they lifted the Depeche Mode style for this one. Dracul combines the theatrical with the psychedelic. Melodies are everywhere as is the trademarked IM vocal manipulation. Nothing Comes Easy undergoes so many changes that it never fails to entertain. But that can be said for all the tracks. Mushi Mushi is a melodic journey that invites you to discover how powerful, magical, and yes evil these guys can be. By the time they finish with the Missed Symphony one can only shake their head with awe and appreciation. How high these guys must have been. I think this is definitely a classic bit of psytrance. They are on a whole other level of consciousness with this release. This album brings so many moods together with outstanding production. Changes in direction are standard and the detail is mind numbing. It obviously affected me; I mean, was it necessary to write so many words in a thread that already has 12 pages? A previous reviewer mentioned that this was tailor made for those with short attention spans and I can see that. Everything is in a state of constant evolution. Like that musical phrase? Don't get used to it, it'll be gone before you know it. The good thing is an equally varied and interesting one isn't far behind. Mdk

1) I use notepad on my phone as a draft. That way I can be anywhere and make edits. Sometimes inspiration hits me in the craziest places (like the crapper) and I always have my phone with me. 2.) If the album is really crappy you don't have to listen to it more than once. Talamasca knows what he did. Ep's are easier obviously with fewer tracks. 3.) I try to get to all the goa releases. I do requests. And there are some artists I follow. As you have seen I will pretty much review anything. 4.) I've tackled every track and I've written summaries. Depends on the music and the mood I'm in. And how lazy I am. If you go track by track it takes some time. 5.) All the time, but I don't use numbers. Mdk

He is quite the scoundrel. Alas, not a celebrity therefore your vote needs a revision. Mdk