Lemmiwinks

hmmm... I may be splitting hairs on this one, but aren't you having it the other way around? I mean, various happenings can trigger a psychedellic experience, I have experienced that a few times: driving home at night after having done a lot of sport and listening to psy. Indeed, in those moments I feel like it's the first time I've actually LISTENED to the track (I had a wonderful such experience with some Tegma a while ago...). HOWEVER, for me, when I listen to oldschool psy (and trance for that matter) the music just seems to speak to me and that is WHATEVER the state I'm in!! Of course, if I'm in a more "sensitive" state I'll apreaciate it even more but even when "normal" the music seems to be telling me a story... With progressive (to give an example) I can find it AWESOME when high but dull when not...

I know Well, when I say this stuff I have a little idea in the back of my head. A few years ago I read RA Wilson - Prometheus Rising which was explaining Leary's 8 circuit-brain theory... of course, later on in life I realized it was a bunch of bull but there is one concept that stuck to my mind: the one where RA Wilson explains that music composers like Beethoven were so great because they somehow managed to transpose feelings "captured" by the 5th circuit into 3rd circuit logic. To explain this a bit: the main argument was that when we are having a 5th circuit experience it is often described as a mystical experience. Everything is beautifull but at the same time undescribable to others. The theory was that Beethoven could "transcibe" the "unexplainable" mystical experience into sound and music which everyone could hear and enjoy. Now for me (of course this is only a theory, it is possible and actually probable that I'm way off here, that's why I hesitated to write it from the start) what made old trance so great is that artists would have a psychedellic experience and then "translate" it into the beautiful genre called trance and since it was a mystical experience, music made 10 - 15 years ago still "talks to us" whereas the stuff made by "fiddling" a few months ago seems old and unfashioned... am I making any sense here or should I lay off the acid for a while?

again, I don't mean any disrespect to you Nemo, but when I read a statement like that an instant reply comes to my mind: "That's probably why 99% of electronic music sounds like crap these days..."

well it's not that is was easy or not, it was a question of knowing my gear +having the $ to invest in good gear. Here is my history with music making: I dloaded a demo version of Reaktor (back in those days, Reaktor was advertised everywhere as "the next best thing" and it was said that it could perfectly replicate any "hardware synth"... I later realized that it was a bunch of BS but that's another story ;-) ). So indeed, much like my experience with Photoshop, I took some software pre-set "hardware synth" immitations I've already heard loads about (101, Juno, 303,...) and started fiddling around. In about half a day I came up with some interesting detroit minimal techno and an interesting electro sample. But to go further than a 15 second-loop I needed Logic Audio or Cubase or somthing which I didn't have. In the end I just dropped my project all together, simply because I didn't have enough time and money to spend on gear. Indeed, it's hard to learn your plug-ins and know exactly what they do but IMO one could do that in about a year or 2. Now, the part which I found hard: even if by random fiddling I managed to make some interesting loops (I'm not pretending to be some sort of genius here, far from it), the hard part was having something in my mind and managing to get it to sound exactly that way when playing.

no offence Nemo but IMO that's a wrong aproach to creating meaningful music. For me, a true artist should have a vision of what he's going to create BEFORE even touching his gear. The gear should just be an "instrument", an extension of his creativity (just like a car is the extension of the fast reflexes of a good racing driver). For example, I don't know it for a fact, but I think that a classical musical composer has a pretty good idea of how his work should sound before he hears a single note being played. THAT is true creativity IMO because then the artist can really put something that was in his brain (and which possibly got from another plane/ dimension?) into music. When you just fiddle and tweak knobs in your studio, even if the end result sounds good, it's just something random, it doesn't "transcend" anything... Don't mean to criticize your work in particular Nemo, it's just that your reply kindof confirmed the initial hunch I was having. I mean, particularly with progressive I really get the feeling that the artist is just fiddling with random FX the same way I was fiddling with Photoshop a few weeks ago... But I don't mean to start a flame war, who knows, maybe what are to my ears the best and most "creative" tracks were done in that way also

I've never got the hang of music making but some recent work I've done with graphics got me thinking: how many electronic music producers actually CREATE something and how many just get a good result after fiddling around with their gear? Let me explain: I had to do some graphics for a website. I don't see myself as having any particular creative talent. So I just took some pics I had stored on my hard disk and started to fiddle around with Photoshop. After tweaking some filters and adding some text on top, the result was pretty nice. In about 2 hours I managed to get a pretty darn good pic that looked so "professional". I was happy about the result but then I thought that if I didn't have Photoshop with all the filters and all, I'd probably never have reached something coherent. So that made me think: with all the music that's coming out these days with random sounds, how many of those artists actually had a vision of how the track was supposed to sound BEFORE getting in the studio and how many just played around with random sounds and FX until getting something "good"? It really makes me wonder... Well, any artists around?

fully agree... for me "full on" is nothing else than what was called "minimal" before 2003 except it has a loud bassline and a breakdown- climax around minute 4 or 5... I've always found it odd that 2 genres that are supposedly diametrically oposite actually sound very much alike. And indeed, for me most "progressive" is basically club music... I honestly can't understand why most artists who were into goatrance in the beginning are converting to this sound... it just sounds so boring and lifeless compared to the old stuff.

well it's not that we're stuck on only ONE genre (I guess I'd be bored out of my skull if I only listened to oldschool that I already know by heart) but we prefer a certain genre. For instance, there are periods in my life where I like the new stuff that's coming out. I think "man this is EXCELLENT" but then I'd stick an old CD in my player and think "the new stuff in NOTHING compared to the intricacy of oldschool". That's just how I am

LOL he didn't say it was minimal goa, he said that he gave a minimal ANSWER! as for me... oldschool all the way!!!!

hehe that last track sounds good Don't know what it is though... That said, I highly doubt that Tim Schuldt was involved in the 1st 2.

thank you Rain Indeed, some albums sound good all the times while others sound good only at times and bad at others. I don't know if this makes any sense but to me that's just how it is. For example, I'd be happy to hear 1200 Mics - Hashish at day OR night but something like Vibe Tribe would make me wanna puke in the night but I'd like it at day... on the other hand, I'd like to listen to Parasense/ Penta at night but not at day It's not silly to rate stuff this way, I'm just rating it how it feels to my ears

just wanted to add that the downtempo tracks (1st and last tracks on the album) are growing on me more and more. Those flute melodies send shivers down my spine!! Shpongle is NOTHING compared to this!!! Today I must've listened 100 times to those 2 tracks (I hope my neighbours like flutes )

1. Vinyla sky 2. Spun 3. Funky 4. Albert Balbert (Album version) 5. Melodrama 6. Rearranged 7. Stringadelic 8. Frog N Roll 9. Bass Ratz 10. Adish 2004 has been an interesting year for psytrance... other than the continuation of past trends (full-on, progressive/ minimal,...) we have also witnessed more rare occurances like the comeback of oldschool ( Ypsilon 5, Filteria ) and the creation of yet some new sub-genres. They don't yet have an "official name" but I call the first "epic psy" ( Misted Muppet, Synsun ) because of the melodic parts that remind of what is described as "epic" in black metal and the second which I call "NES psy" because the melody structures reminds me that of old 80s NES games. Lani - Our Way to the Sun was the first one in that "genre" and now comes this: Vibe Tribe - Melodrama . So if full-on is described by many as "cheese" then I guess that this should be called "super-cheese"... But I should also warn you that for me "cheese" isn't necesarily a BAD thing, after all, old AP and Yahel were also described as "cheese" in their time and I liked them For me, track by track description is a little pointless... all the tracks sound alike: EXTREMELY cheesy melodies all over, although I found it sounded more "serious" than Lani . This stuff could work well if you played one or 2 tracks in a morning set, and is also a bliss to listen to in your car CD-player when returning home from the party, or simply for lying around your garden in summer... Conclusion: so it seems that Lani gave birth to a new genre: "ultra-cheesy psy" or "NES psy"... now it is followed by this. Personally I find this a bit more "serious" than Lani (and thus better). It might not be to the like of everyone but it IS nice to listen to for a change. I also should say that this kind of cheese is different from "full-on cheese" so if you're tired of "the full-on sound", that doesn't necesarily mean that you won't like this. Rating is hard because it's really a matter of context: 9/10 when listening in a car coming home from a psy party, 6/10 when listening to at night...

you must've been living in a cave then... you can see like TONS of this symbol on new age comps, tatoos, necklaces, and basically anything that is loosley related to spirituality... It's a shame that like 90% of the people who have this symbol got it just because "it looked cool" and don't have a clue what it's all about...

2 breaks that sent shivers down my spine lately: Talpa - The Moon (minute 4:30) Filteria - Stars (minute 4:50) beat those if you can

ROFL!!!

lol that Dana dude/ girl is still around? I remember the scandal it made in Israel back then

ah ok, thanks

... for me the "goa symbol" is the one with "604" written like it was "GOA" is that it?

funny, how many times did we listen to this track yet noone aparently thought about the meaning of the lyrics maybe it would help if we knew where they were taken from? BTW now that you mention it, it DOES sound more like protugese to my ears oh and Mr Alien, why not pop your Shpongle CD in your player and tell us what you think the words are? (maybe the dude who transcribed those lyrics didn't do it properly in the first place?)

So a few days ago I decide to pop in my Shpongle CD (it's been a while...). Dorset Perception still sounds fresh after all these years but I just realized that I never knew what they were saying!! I go on google and search, aparently it's: "Desafina(do) Canto mi amor Tu es fixe, es muito bom" since i don't know spanish, i ran it through an automatic translator and got... "Desafina (do) I sing my love You it is fixe, it is muito bom" ... not really helpfull... so anyone who knows spanish can translate this properly please?

first of all... how many times must I repeat that reviews section is for REVIEWS!!! You are welcome to speak of whatever you like in the General section (music-related) or the Off-Topic. So then... this is indeed one of the best 04 releases, highly original especially when listening to all the crap that's being released these days... HOWEVER I got this album the same day I got Filteria and well... it's kindof pale in comparison... I feel I would've rated this MUCH higher if I didn't hear the Filteria album the same day... Anyway, I'll try to be objective about this: it brings back that oriental mystical feeling. The intro track is something VERY wierd, it reminds me of Mystical Experiences but with an "angry" beat, some voices even sound a bit menacing. It's down-tempo but definatley NOT chill-out. It's the kind of track you listen to in the chill-out room which makes you get up and go to the main floor. And those mysterious synth lines kicking around minute 4... oh maaaan it feels like my brain is tickled. Reminds me of the first minutes from Orbital - P.E.T.R.O.L. My Kingdom sounds a bit "noisy" for me, don't really like it, the "melody" tends to give me a headache Trust No Goblin is more to my liking. Again those oriental influences although it's not oldschool, it's something else... No Place to Hide is again a bit noisy for my tastes... but there's a nice melody in the last minutes Dragon Tale is pretty average... but then comes People Are Animals oh baby that's the stuff!! Some freaky 1:30 sample on tripping, I'll try to give the transcript here (sorry if it's not 100% accurate, BTW if anyone knows where this was taken from, please tell me!!): "She says –quote – I was looking at my friend Linda… Suddenly feathers popped out on to her skin. Her nose curved into a beak. She had an eagle’s face. I looked at my boyfriend Johnny, he was turning into a bird too! So was Linda’s boyfriend. We were at Central Park zoo. I couldn’t move, I wanted to cry but no tears would come. “Oh God” I heard myself yell, “People really are animals!”. I started laughing hysterically but in the inside I didn’t feel funny. I started to run away from the others through Central Park until I stopped under a stone bridge. Johnny kept following me. After a lot of time I went up on the bridge. Johnny always had been my source of security. He said that LSD was brutal but that it wouldn’t hurt me. He said that I’d see beautiful colours and hear musical notes but I never did. Instead I saw awful things, people looked like monkeys, cracks in sidewalks became big crevasses you could fall into. Finally after about 8 hours the drug started to wear off. I was depressed for days afterwards." So after the freaky sample comes a very deep drifting atmosphere, which of course is on the dark side. There's a sound sounding like a woman's voice singing that seems to dig deper and deeper inside you. Then comes a "scary" melody which I find a little cheezy myself... anyway, the track continues and it just takes you further and further. Definatley one of the best tracks released this year!! Flybeereligion actually reminded me some old Cydonia but I didn't find it as good... The Moon is the best track here IMO. There's a woman's voice which is INCREDIBLE!!!!! It's not a vocal track, it just has a beautifull voice which kicks into key moments. Ohhhh maaan it sounds soooo perfect!!! And the breakdown around 4:30... BEST BEARKDOWN EVER!!!! (OK, maybe not THE best but should be among the top 5). Where's the girl who sang in that track? I want to marry her!! Rebirth is more on the minimal side of things. It's nice but sounds a little conventional when compared to other tracks here. Back to Dreaming brings back the oriental infulences. It's down tempo but again isn't really chill-out either, it sounds a little harsh. But I like it Conclusion if only I got this at another time than the same day I recieved the Filteria album... Anyway, I do like this one a LOT as well, I like those oriental influences comeback. I've heard people say that this is influenced by old IM but personally I've found more resemblances with Cydonia - In Fear of a Red Planet . That doesn't mean it's a copy or anything, it is a highly original release. I'm definatley looking forward to this guy's next release!! 9/10

fucking hell this is a KILLER!!! I must admit that I was kindof skeptical before listening to this one. I mean, basically the main promotion line of this album was that it sounded like Pleiadians - IFO ... and everytime I read that I couldn't refrain myself from thinking "yeah but why get a copy of something when you can get the real deal instead?". I also couldn't refrain myself from remembering all the artists promising to "bring the oldschool sound back" and failing miserably... So anyway I decided to get this anyway and try for myself and... and... it simply swept me away!!! The album hits you on the first 30 seconds and then you can't help turning that volume knob a little more then a little more again and then yet a little more!!! My heart beat steadily rised until I couldn't sit on my chair anymore and during some intense moments I actually got shivers down my spine! "Yeah OK, this is good on the first listen but maybe it'll wear off fast?" So I listen to it again and again and maaan it just sounds better and better every time!! In the end I had to turn down the volume because of my neighbours, well volum turned down it doesn't sound as good but still!!! Track-by-track commenting is a little redundant IMO... you all know how IFO sounds, right? Well, this sounds exactly like that. Same swirling melodies, same dynamic progression, same fast pace, even pretty similar synth presets and melodies all together. But rest asured, you WILL like it, you won't find it as some cheap-ass imitation, this is JUST AS GOOD as IFO , I'd even say better but to make that statement this would have to stay in my collection for a few years and see how it will age. And just like IFO I can't actually name a best track, they're ALL killers!! OK, if you put a gun to my head and forced me to pick one then it would be Stars . Just one regret... no Celaeno on this one (all tracks are full-tempo) Conclusion This one beats ALL of the other 04 releases hands down!! Yes it does indeed remind me of IFO , some melodies and synth presets actually sound VERY alike but it's a GOOD copy! And then, there only was ONE album in the style (even Pleiadians themselves moved over from the "hurricane of melodies that's gonna pull the roof off your house any minute now" sound) so why not have another album in the same vein anyway? OK if I MUST say something critical about this it's that it sounds TOO MUCH like IFO. I recomend Filteria to dig up some new synth sounds for the sake of originality (not that it bothers me...) 10/10 from me. All I can wish for is that this will be such a huge hit that other artists will want to do stuff in the same style

so-so album if you ask me... Eros is a nice dreamy track, lovely to listen to this one while sipping some coconout juice under a palm tree B.A.S. doesn't have a lot of melodies but has some interesting developments. Kindof a more dynamic minimal sound. Sharp is kindof a cross-over between the old Etnica sound and the new one... it's good but I miss a decent climax here... Photonic also sounds like some old Etnica with a "new Etnica" bassline. Too bad the melody doesn't develop much thoughout the track, but it is a nice track Fade is an average downtempo track... not particularly bad but not particularly good either. Other tracks don't sound good to my ears. Conclusion Etnica seems to have slowed down a bit with this one (old age? ) and added a few melodies (probably after hearing all the complaints of old Etnica fans). This might sound good on paper but when you actually listen to the CD you can't help feeling that something's missing... I would've like a more dynamic progression and a faster pace. Some tracks are good for chilling out in the afternoon sun but... this is Etnica we're talking about, come on! I probably would've rated this better if it was someone else but once you know "masters" Etnica made this you can't help but feel dissapointed 7/10 [EDIT: OK a few months later I popped this in my CD player again and I realized that the last 2 tracks grew on me a LOT. Photonic really manages to bring in that "going deeper and deeper" feeling carachteristic of the oldschool days although it sounds "modern" (read: less layers and complexity...). But it all works out VERY well, at first you don't hear much development in the melody so you end up thinking it's a pretty simple track... but then you start paying attention to the background and realize it's pretty intelligent after all And that catchy bassline just digs in deeper and deeper every time. Fade which is a remix of Fade to Grey also seemed pretty average at first but again, it just kept getting better and better. I don't know why but after a few listens those Fade to Grey elements seem to flow nicely into the track (at first they sounded like some lame add-ons). I actually ended up wishing that the initial Fade to Grey sounded like this Still, other tracks remained as dull as before so I raise my mark to 8/10. Now if only they made an album with tracks like Photonic... Oh yeah, that was supposed to be the upcoming Pleiadians album but now it seems hey abandoned the project ]

duuuude I honestly advise you to shut up and not drag yourself further down... Please, go to the Reviews section of this site, look at the years of the first psy albums and comps (mostly this one ) and then start telling us how it was... Yes, it IS amazing that at the time when "silly techno" as you call it there were such gems going around but psytrance DID exist!!