abasio

Well the cover looks good. Might get it if I solve my financial woes Nice cover! Nice music?

Tandu - Multimoods

Yo!

Bastards Just when I have no money :pissed:

shpongle - behind closed eyelids

even those aren't beatless! subtle beats are very nice. I like nice floaty ambient with subtle beats that come in a nd out but aren't the focal point of the track.

Dimension 5 - Flow

I have no idea! I play a lot of CDs on CD players and it doesn't record how many times I play them I also recently deleted everything off my ipod so all that info is lost too! I'd guess TIP - The Answer Tripswitch - Deer Park would both be up there though

Nice! Any chance of showing us the cover art? I'm sure Kuba + Chillcode = beautiful music, beautiful cover!

Various Artists Mainspring Motion Par-2 Productions 2007 Psychedelic Trance Okay, so Par-2 productions is a fledgling label in the early stages & this is only their 3rd release so far. Luckily for me these guys seem to have the exact same taste in upbeat music as I do. On the 1st comp, A Walk Through Neptune's Garden & on Jikkenteki's masterpiece of a double CD album I had finally found new music being released that reminded me of the good old days of goa, but with a modern touch! There are many out there that say that goa is dead or has evolved into some non-psychedelic crap that sounds like it has been cooked up by some 13 year old in 5 minutes on his days PC. Either that or that people are just rehashing the same old sounds from the past with nothing new to involve the listener. Well, Par-2 seems to have evolved the music in a way that is true to the true roots of goa but modernised. Think suntrip but in a slightly different direction, a little crazier 6 more psychedelically twisted. 1. Amygadala - Oxylerator II So we open with a semi dark atmospheric ambience but it's quick to introduce a pounding beat. Minimal at first but soon accompanied by a lot of psychedelic sounds. I'm put in mind of Flying Rhino circa Velocity. The pre prog, prog that was so much more than than prog we have nowadays. More minimal but less boring! Maximal with the sound effects & ambience. A good opener to the compilation. 2. Anakoluth - Vaporizing Glares I've seen this guy on psynews but I never even knew he was an artist, let alone an artist who made music so much to my taste. I feel with this track that Goa lives, psychedelic to it's roots, so many weird noises making up this tune, driving but not speeding. Not a lot of melody just weird and a lot of psychedelic sounds, ambience & twists & turns along the way to keep it interesting. I'll be looking forward to more releases from our friend here! 3. Prosect - Tribalogic (Amygadala Remix) A beaty but minimal intro with trippy (but maybe a bit too much if you're too far gone) sounds but quickly the empty space fills out and we are left with a fat track! I'm really looking forward to hearing this on the dancefloor as wherever I am I want to move my body. Around 2:30 a beautiful wet synth comes in and gives this real energy, I'm actually disappointed when it leaves but it teases back in without quite making it. It is replaced later by an amazing evolving melody that just makes my brain ejaculate seratonin all over the place! 4. Zekazy - Inspiration Drainer This guy's track on A Walk Through Neptune's Garden was definitely one of the highlights & this track has a similar energy & feeling without being too samey or recycled. Undefinable audio signature. heavy beats, drum rolls, layers of weird sounds with secondary melodies that are oh so enjoyable but that I can't recall later so they manage to stay fresh the next time I hear them. 5. Symphonics vs 11 - D.B.S.S. We are getting into fullon territory here with a rolling baseline & structures very reminiscent of a lot of forgettable & crap fullon. It still has the random noises & psychedelia of the previous tracks but the baseline is far to prominent! I can see a lot of people hearing this one track on a sample & branding the whole CD as shit, which is a real shame. This track would actually be really good if you took out the baseline, maybe that's becasue I'm more of a home listener these days. I know that this kind of baseline works well on the dancefloor but it reminds me too much of shitty tracks that have used the same one. If I'd never heard this particular baseline before then maybe I wouldn't mind it but unfortunately it's too prominent & for me takes over the whole track which is a real shame because the rest of the track is great, just totally ruined by this one baseline! 6. Fizzy - Hymn in Honor of Symphonics I'll forgive the lazy spelling of Honour in the title & say that this is much more like it! Yes there is a baseline again but this time it fits in much better with the rest of the track, I don't feel like I've heard it a million times before & it makes me want to move & most of all it's not the main focal point of the entire fucking track. It's great to see someone nowadays who is able to make a 12+ minute trance track & have the skills to keep it interesting throughout. A slight breakdown followed by a sample "Hisashiburi dane" It's been a long time. Then it kicks in proper with such an angelic melody, random though it is a first it gains cohesiveness as it goes along and manages to melt my brain each time I hear it! After the melody comes driving synth lines that just poke red hot acid into my already melted brain! When an artist you've never heard of with such a silly name makes a piece of music good enough to put a smile on your face and give you optimism for the future of the scene it has to be a good thing. I just hope he becomes more well known within our small scene! 7. Jikkenteki vs Symphonics vs 11 - 3 Blind Mice Straight in, no intro, no pretense, just up front & upbeat with atmosphere. Nice glitchy melodies, a reserved background baseline & a more upfront synthline all adds up to good good good! The baseline is a little more prominent in some of the more minimal parts of the track but when the proper sounds are flying about it's not too in your face & just drives the track like a good baseline should do. Especially when the acidic 2nd synthline comes in, you barely notice the baseline anymore. 8. E-Mantra - Crop Circles The intro is almost orchestral, almost sci-fi too but it doesn't take long for the beat to take your mind off of whatever you were thinking (or is that just my poor short term memory?). anyway this track, for me, manages to be dark without being crappy dark psy! In the vein of MFG when they were dark. Quite an achievement I think. It's a bit harder than MFG's earlier stuff & less fullon than their later stuff. It's nice psy trance hinting at darkness rather than trying & failing to be dark! 9. Prosect - Dr. Ivan & The Mad Peyote With a track title so unbelievably shit you know that the music is either going to be undeniably shit or so fucked up & crazy that you just can't get enough.....so....which way is it? Well, the answer is thankfully the latter. This is some crazy psychedelic, technological madness. Trippy, acidic, strange, fun, weird, better make sure that nobody's watching you dance to this crazy stuff are all worthy adjectives. I've not heard this on the dancefloor but I'm sure it would be a challenge. It stops & starts without any constant rhythm but it keeps going. I don't see any psy lovers leaving the dancefloor when this comes on but I don see a lot of confused bodies at least from those not entirely wasted! Crazy craziness with a degree in crazology from the university of south madsley in craze london! The only thing I would change about this CD is is the baseline that Rapes track 5! Otherwise it's pretty much perfect according to my taste. It has left me eagerly awaiting new albums from Amygdala Anakoluth Zekazy Fizzy & E-Mantra & it leaves me really wanting to check out the recent prospect album. At $10 how could any psy or goa fan pass this up? Anyone pissed off with the state of psychedelic trance today should give this listen before they complain any more. Get of your high horse that whispers to you that everything is shit & actually give something post 2000 a proper listen. If you start here you might just have faith again. If you properly listen to this & really don't like it, then don't bother to recommend me and psy trance again!!! Buy it here!

Thankfully have the FR release but I'm curious about the unreleased or new stuff! They should look into releasing that before re-releasing music people already have!

Shpongle - Around the World in a Tea Daze

I'm listening to this right now, good innit?

Aerosis - Contorsion

The Infinity Project - Noises in the Darkness (Dub)

That's how it starts

Boom Devil - Call Her Name

Western Rebel Alliance - Fly

Robert Rich & B.Lustmord Stalker Fathom 1995 Dark Ambient Tracklist 1 Elemental Trigger (6:06) 2 Synergistic Perceptions (10:59) 3 Hidden Refuge (9:36) 4 Delusion Fields (9:33) 5 Omnipresent Boundary (15:00) 6 Undulating Terrain (5:36) 7 A Point Of No Return (11:35) I had heard that this album was the cornerstone of dark ambient. That it summed up the whole genre managing to create dark bleak soundscapes. After hearing all this I knew I had to see for myself so I ordered it off of amazon.com & waited patiently for it to arrive. When it arrived at my house late one saturday night I quickly ripped it onto my ipod & went outside to take a dark midnight walk. The setting was perfect to be accompanied by this album, I went through a dark forest then stumbled upon an industrial graveyard full of old broken down cranes & steam rollers & big big holes in the ground. This album was the perfect soundtrack to that walk & I was instantly in love. I'm scared of the word dark in music, usually it's used to describe some cheesy cheese fest trying way too hard to sound evil but just sounding like something that accompanies a disney villain. This album isn't scary, it's dark, it's bleak, it's desolate & it's really quite beautiful. Well it is if you like bleak, dark desolation. 1. Elemental Trigger Starts off with dark bubbles popping on the surface of the music. These remain in the background but at the forefront is a big oppressive atmosphere. Long dark drones, non-human wails & sci-fi bleakness make up this black hole of an opener. 2. Synergistic Perceptions There is a hint of malice lurking beyond my senses. A deep dark baseline & wind like drones complimented by big watery plops in a puddle of despair. Almost inaudible whispers lurk in the background like a conversation you shouldn't be witness to and a long wail like suffering in silence. This is dark in it's own deep way, no dark cliches, nothing obvious just bleak desolation. The non-human voices towards the latter part of the track just some up the dark beautiful suffering of Synergistic Perceptions 3. Hidden Refuge There is a melody hidden in this darkness. It's surrounded by strange glitchy sounds and a deep bass but it's there and screams to be acknowledged. It pushes itself out while remaining insular but it kicks up the power in a desperate attempt to be heard. This creates an amazing atmosphere filled with panic, slow panic with no source. Eventually, inevitably it loses & all we are left with are the broken shells of forgotten promises echoing in the smoke rings clouding the back of our minds. 4. Delusion Fields With the clearing of the smoke screen, things seem much clearer now. I can see far across the wastelands & now must try & make my way across. Into this soundscape are many random visitors brought on the droning of the wind. The visitors themselves seem harmless enough but even the sound of the wind seems menacing. Lurking just beyond my immediate perception is a malice I'm not fully aware of. I feel hopeful yet fearful unaware which is reality & which is my delusion. 5. Omnipresent Boundary Whispers in the wind, dark promises of chaos drone through the start. The night wind blows here & there and brings with it the cries of the damned. You can hear their voices clearly lost on the wind. Quickly though the voices are stifled & all you can hear now is the sound of their forced labour. Pushing, Grinding, Lathes & Steel. When this forced labour ends we are left listening to dark thoughts. A simple soundscape with no direction or theme, just dark & continuous with no purpose you can fathom until the wall come crumbling down in a quietly destructive fashion leaving only an uncomfortable serenity! 6. Undulating Terrain The soft flute breaks the bleakness but keeps the oppressive atmosphere. They hint at signs of life which is good but the dark edge behind it gives unease a door into your soul to slip through. The false promise broken only serves to deepen the feeling of isolation & loneliness. 7. Point of no Return This is it, there is no going back. If you have managed to make it this far you must be hooked & in need of more. It's addictive, even if you don't want it, you need it. The darkness, the bleak desolate atmosphere, the depressed feelings of long lost joys are all things you don't want but when put into a musical soundscape the quality of this you can only crave more. This track almost makes me want more things to go wrong in my life so I can understand it better. It's different from the rest of the tracks because it has less direction but the randomness just adds to the aura of confusion that is built & makes you feel lost in your own mind. Perfect way to round off the album. To summarise. It's proper dark, no cliches, no attempt to sound evil just pure unadulterated darkness. The atmospheres come so easily, so unforced that you come away with the feeling that this is the true essence of darkness! There is no try, there just is! An essential album in any open minded persons collection. It's definitely not for everyone as it is dark ambient in the truest sense of the words.

a glitch in the forum has made me accidentally post the same review twice. Sorry! delete one please

Matt Coldrick & Matt Hillier Elemental Journey - Absolute Ambient.com Volume 2 Green Nuns Music July 2005 Ambient Tracklist 1 Terra Firma (12:08) 2 The Band From Atlantis (12:21) 3 Fire Dance (14:17) 4 Where The Evening Meets The Sky (7:24) 5 Air (23:27) I picked this up cheap a few years ago, gave it a quick listen & instantly relegated it to the not good enough to listen to again pile. Then there was a load of hype on this site & I decided to give it another whirl to see what all the fuss was about. Once again I found it boring, it just lacked the energy to grab my attention & I found my mind wandering away on to other things like food & what was on TV & before I knew it the CD was over & I hadn't really listened to it at all. I was once again left unimpressed. Then earlier this year (2007) I went hiking one thursday, I walked long & far and came back to my house very very tired physically but so mentally alive. I came into my house grabbed an ambient CD to take me on a journey & collapsed on the bed! That CD just happened to be Elemental Journey an album I had been disappointed with twice before. This time however I was totally blown away by the intricacy, atmosphere & whole journey of this music. It took my mind away and then brought it back again. This is definitely a distraction free album, it should be listened to alone in a darkened room preferably horizontal! 1. Terra Firma We start off floating over the ground. Long ambient drones in the background, some tuneless tribal flute here & there. Around 2 minutes in soft beats appear and a short earthy melody which is very mystical & eastern sounding. Although an earthy track it still has a very floaty feel to it. Floating not among the clouds or over the sea but flying low over the land, low enough to see the people, the animals & the individual trees. A beautiful visual track full of eastern vibes, floating atmospheres & earthy sounds. 2. The Band From Atlantis If the last track was earthy then we must have reached the shore becasue the band from atlantis is very wet. You can here the waves lapping against the shore, distant sea gulls barely make there presence felt but are unmistakable. You can hear the ocean breeze melt into a pseudo melody. Guitar cords randomly placed manage to fit in perfectly but it's the subtle baseline that breathes extra life into this track. It's so subtle that it is easily missed but once found it's unmistakable. The band comes to life around the 7 and a half minute mark. The drummer drums, the bassist strums, the guitarist plays his subtle cords and the guy with the sound effect machine is watching Dr. Who? This track doesn't have the floatiness of the 1st one, it's more like sitting on the beach half watching the tide come in & half watching the band perform in the distance. 3. Fire Dance Instant Energy. Not energy that will make your body move but energy that will make your brain shift. The word undulating comes to mind & the whole track seems strangely alive. The string melody is phenomenal & I'm surprised every time when it leads into the beat. The beats seem big & powerful without actually being so. It's just such a contrast from the ambience that precedes it that it seems so, much. More life, the track seems to evolve as it twists & turns but carries on in the same direction. As the beats leave the 1st time it seems that the fire in the belly has been extinguished but the spark that is left gives birth to a nice tribal sound. Tribal beats & a nice bassy synth are in the driving seat now. The atmosphere is all about power. It's a big track, tight & growing, evolving throughout. When the energy dissipates it remains the same yet different from itself. 4. Where the Evening Meets the Sky We are floating again but now we are up among the clouds where we deserve to be. When the beats come in & the melody I can feel the clouds racing past, brushing my skin, giving me goosebumps. Every strum of the strings sends a shiver down my spine & into my stomach. Like being on a roller coaster when you fall down & lose your stomach. When they run into the melody & the brief vocals it's not my stomach that is lost but my ability to think coherently. The only problem with this track is that it's too short. 5. Air Happily keeping with the floating in the sky feeling. At over 23 minutes this track can really take it's time, knowing there is no need to rush & so we can get an ultra relaxed, peaceful feeling. A slight indian vibe is introduced as if we're going home but even though we are nearing the end of our journey there is no rush for the finish line. If we are floating high amongst the clouds then that beautiful female vocal must be a goddess. Beautiful enough to be disappointed when it leaves, as if I wanted to go back. Maybe it's a psiren & better left behind. She returns though, very tempting to lose myself in her but thankfully as she fades away the music more than fills the void she left. I'm put in mind of travelling through a black hole with Flash Gordon but instead of landing on an inhospitable alien world I end up right where I started, high among the clouds breathing deeply the fresh air. For such a long track the time does sure pass quickly, without much energy it manages to stay interesting until the end, evolving as it goes, finally finishing with a feeling of softly falling down out of the sky to land nicely on the freshly cut grass. So then, not bad for an album I found boring & uninspired on the 1st two listens. This album is definitely a mood album. To enjoy it & to appreciate it fully you need to be in the right frame of mind, the right place and without any distractions from other people or your PC. Just you & the music is the way to go for sure. If you have this & you don't like it, don't sell it or trade it away, keep it & one day it just might hit you & enter your list of favourite ambient gems!

Matt Coldrick & Matt Hillier Elemental Journey - Absolute Ambient.com Volume 2 Green Nuns Music July 2005 Ambient Tracklist 1 Terra Firma (12:08) 2 The Band From Atlantis (12:21) 3 Fire Dance (14:17) 4 Where The Evening Meets The Sky (7:24) 5 Air (23:27) I picked this up cheap a few years ago, gave it a quick listen & instantly relegated it to the not good enough to listen to again pile. Then there was a load of hype on this site & I decided to give it another whirl to see what all the fuss was about. Once again I found it boring, it just lacked the energy to grab my attention & I found my mind wandering away on to other things like food & what was on TV & before I knew it the CD was over & I hadn't really listened to it at all. I was once again left unimpressed. Then earlier this year (2007) I went hiking one thursday, I walked long & far and came back to my house very very tired physically but so mentally alive. I came into my house grabbed an ambient CD to take me on a journey & collapsed on the bed! That CD just happened to be Elemental Journey an album I had been disappointed with twice before. This time however I was totally blown away by the intricacy, atmosphere & whole journey of this music. It took my mind away and then brought it back again. This is definitely a distraction free album, it should be listened to alone in a darkened room preferably horizontal! 1. Terra Firma We start off floating over the ground. Long ambient drones in the background, some tuneless tribal flute here & there. Around 2 minutes in soft beats appear and a short earthy melody which is very mystical & eastern sounding. Although an earthy track it still has a very floaty feel to it. Floating not among the clouds or over the sea but flying low over the land, low enough to see the people, the animals & the individual trees. A beautiful visual track full of eastern vibes, floating atmospheres & earthy sounds. 2. The Band From Atlantis If the last track was earthy then we must have reached the shore becasue the band from atlantis is very wet. You can here the waves lapping against the shore, distant sea gulls barely make there presence felt but are unmistakable. You can hear the ocean breeze melt into a pseudo melody. Guitar cords randomly placed manage to fit in perfectly but it's the subtle baseline that breathes extra life into this track. It's so subtle that it is easily missed but once found it's unmistakable. The band comes to life around the 7 and a half minute mark. The drummer drums, the bassist strums, the guitarist plays his subtle cords and the guy with the sound effect machine is watching Dr. Who? This track doesn't have the floatiness of the 1st one, it's more like sitting on the beach half watching the tide come in & half watching the band perform in the distance. 3. Fire Dance Instant Energy. Not energy that will make your body move but energy that will make your brain shift. The word undulating comes to mind & the whole track seems strangely alive. The string melody is phenomenal & I'm surprised every time when it leads into the beat. The beats seem big & powerful without actually being so. It's just such a contrast from the ambience that precedes it that it seems so, much. More life, the track seems to evolve as it twists & turns but carries on in the same direction. As the beats leave the 1st time it seems that the fire in the belly has been extinguished but the spark that is left gives birth to a nice tribal sound. Tribal beats & a nice bassy synth are in the driving seat now. The atmosphere is all about power. It's a big track, tight & growing, evolving throughout. When the energy dissipates it remains the same yet different from itself. 4. Where the Evening Meets the Sky We are floating again but now we are up among the clouds where we deserve to be. When the beats come in & the melody I can feel the clouds racing past, brushing my skin, giving me goosebumps. Every strum of the strings sends a shiver down my spine & into my stomach. Like being on a roller coaster when you fall down & lose your stomach. When they run into the melody & the brief vocals it's not my stomach that is lost but my ability to think coherently. The only problem with this track is that it's too short. 5. Air Happily keeping with the floating in the sky feeling. At over 23 minutes this track can really take it's time, knowing there is no need to rush & so we can get an ultra relaxed, peaceful feeling. A slight indian vibe is introduced as if we're going home but even though we are nearing the end of our journey there is no rush for the finish line. If we are floating high amongst the clouds then that beautiful female vocal must be a goddess. Beautiful enough to be disappointed when it leaves, as if I wanted to go back. Maybe it's a psiren & better left behind. She returns though, very tempting to lose myself in her but thankfully as she fades away the music more than fills the void she left. I'm put in mind of travelling through a black hole with Flash Gordon but instead of landing on an inhospitable alien world I end up right where I started, high among the clouds breathing deeply the fresh air. For such a long track the time does sure pass quickly, without much energy it manages to stay interesting until the end, evolving as it goes, finally finishing with a feeling of softly falling down out of the sky to land nicely on the freshly cut grass. So then, not bad for an album I found boring & uninspired on the 1st two listens. This album is definitely a mood album. To enjoy it & to appreciate it fully you need to be in the right frame of mind, the right place and without any distractions from other people or your PC. Just you & the music is the way to go for sure. If you have this & you don't like it, don't sell it or trade it away, keep it & one day it just might hit you & enter your list of favourite ambient gems!

Cool! I think I will too!

IDM mix