Otto Matta

1. Love and value 2. Love and obsession 3. Love and immortality EA

Amon Tobin - Four Ton Mantis Oh my god. EA

I don't think "Nick Food" would've had the same ring to it.

Welcome Pajamas! EA

And what label is finally going to get their act together and release Mike Indidginus' music? Whoever does is sure to make a boatload of cash. EA

Keep coming back, soulhunter. Your higher power shall guide you to recovery. Now where are my cigarettes and coffee... EA

Orange Agent - There are several ways to listen to music, just as there are several ways to experience everything. For the first maybe 20 times I listened to Divine Moments of Truth I did not hear what was being said during that "DMTLSD" part, but I thought that the voice was one of the most beautiful passages of music I'd ever heard - by far the best part on that album, and one of those rare parts that gives me goosebumps when I listen to it, a feeling of pure love and bliss. I heard the way the voices interacted in counterpoint to each other and how the effects were manipulated, etc. Only after 20 or so listens did I actually hear what was being said. I listened to it again the other night for the first time in a long time (I don't really like that album very much), and discovered that there's a lot more being said, but I can't make it out. I love the kind of music that comes to me in subtle layers, like the peeling of an onion, like a good movie in which, during the 20th time watching it, you catch a joke you've never noticed before and you laugh your ass off. All good music seems to be like this, and I'm sure it's a different experience with every listener. I wouldn't be surprised at all if there were some passages that even you haven't picked up on whereas others have. But you will eventually, maybe, and then you'll be thrilled. EA

Tim Schuldt is mega mega. Despite the first few songs on his album. EA

I'm not just seeing double, I'm seeing quintuple!!! Auuuuuuuuuugh! EA

Well yeah!!! If the guy wants to get faced, you gotta to go with Spirallianz, Midimiliz or The Delta. But it's not minimal [imho]. It'll eff you up maximally. If they were corporations, they would have assimilated Ticon, MOS, Noma and Vibrasphere (XV Suckist) a long time ago. EA

Dark Soho = Not dark. hehe. My opinion. You want DARK?!! Seems you gotta get out of psytrance because the darkest stuff there is is The Delta or Spiralkinda spinoffs (though I agree that Cydonia is pretty dark, in that sort of Posford's evil little brother sort of way, but that's irrelevant!). Darkest stuff I've heard so far is ambient - Robert Rich. But not in that "I wanna sound scary 'cause it's cool" sort of way [cough cough Dark Soho cough cough]. More like dark because, well, it's dark - from the heart. EA

That about sums up each and every argument that occurs here. Nicely put, uh, XXX. EA

If you're going for straight-ahead minimal I'd personally go with Ticon, Noma and Vibrasphere. If you want a deeper, darker sound I'd go with The Delta and Zerotonine. If you want a somewhat more full-on minimal sound I'd go with new Shakta (Out of Sight) and new Etnica (Nitrox). EA

Polly - I don't have the track anymore so I can't check, but isn't that Hit and Run? EA

Those are albums, by the way, not tracks. EA

Congratulations on your discoveries! You've got a long road ahead of you as this stuff is addictive as hell. You're going to get a sh!tload of recommendations in the next few days from the people here. Seeing as you're starting the way many of us started - with Juno and MWNN, etc. - I'll give personal but mostly objective suggestions based on that: 1. Koxbox - The Great Unknown 2. Shakta - Enlightened Ape 3. Ra - To Sirius 4. Pleiadians - Identified Flying Object 5. Element - Transform Good luck, and happy trails. EA

To answer your question Pswede, I don't like Dark Soho because to me they try way to hard to sound dark and gothic (like many other acts in our genre), as if their personal "voice" wants to create something else. You know? I think artists need to follow their voice instead of trying to manufacture a different voice for whatever reason, because then it's not genuine and not from the heart - where real depth comes from. When I hear *real* darkness in music, I know it's real because I can feel it. EA

Yeah, I've got a Sony component CD player that was always extremely fickle about CDs. 25% of them would get that incredibly annoying repetitious static sound when played that would play fine on other CD players. They say, however, that 90% or so of problems are either due to a dirty lens or a dirty or scratched CD. Since its one of your decks you may want to take it in to be looked at by a professional. EA

Wow, I had no idea that Goa/Psy had only one choice for a direction in which to proceed! According to my ears, there are a ton of different styles being made, from melodic to minimal to ambient to tech to whatever you want to call that wacked out Aussie/Danish sound that Demon Tea/Psy Harmonics is putting out, to bands like Greenhouse Effect and Violet Vision - and that's just within our genre! Is it just me or does it seem that there's a sh!tload of great music out there for a sh!tload of different tastes? You know, if you're looking to take some misplaced aggression out on someone, might I suggest you go to the WWF or George Bush websites. Dammit, why do I participate? Perhaps the evil, no-gooder, Roopak has somehow managed to brainwash me with his Orbital Wave Transducer of Moronic Tendencies. EA

Wow, where to start... Not that I hate these, just that I don't quite understand the mayhem: Hallucinogen Muses Rapt IM AP Toi Doi Double Dragon Dark Soho Talamasca (haven't heard the new one though) But then again, there were several acts mentioned that I LOVE. To each his own. (The one I don't understand, however, is Mike D's Enlightened Ape. Mike - Listen to it again! Sheesh.) EA

"Evolution of Merkin"? Well if you like that song, I've got some wigs to sell you in Off Topic. EA

Dear Professor Mike, It appears that our plans have, as I suspected, been intercepted and foiled by the dauntless and mischievous Roopak the Okay, 13th in Line as Heiress to the Throne of Pseudopotamia where the one river meets itself, or continues, depending on how you look at it, er, um, but that's irrelevant! We must gather our units and coagulate at Sector 87 in Quadrant Epsilon. There we will join forces with a mighty, mighty ally of mine, decorated beyond her years, one of boundless creativity and craftiness, and undaunted in the world of incessant Americana - Martha Stewart. She alone can rejuvenate our task, while making our Christmases look pretty. If there is one to deceive and confound the unrelenting and smelly Roopak, it is she. I have recently received a dispatch from our ally, which reads thusly: Do your garden tools lack a sense of order? Inexpensive brass brackets and bamboo rods are an easy way to take advantage of the unused space between the studs in your garden shed or garage. Cut rods 1/4 inch shorter than the space between the members. Screw the female ends of two brackets to the inside of the studs, taking care to ensure that they face each other exactly. Cap the ends of each rod with the male ends of the brackets, then screw the bamboo rods into the brackets in the studs. The rods can be easily removed and slipped through spools of string or wire beforehand for easy dispensing. Common S-hooks and spring clips from your local hardware store transform the rods into a convenient place to hang tools and other supplies. In one word - Sassy! She'll surely be of great necessity to our movements forward, and stratagem against the Roopakian regime. Only she can suck the chrome from Roopak's exhaust pipe. Meanwhile, I've received a mysterious photo from an unknown source, perhaps from then enemy, for it is tainted in fairy dust. Does it mean anything to you?

You should all check out the new Goa remix album by Enya, including the title track, "Me loove, 'e 'as Rrroon Awee wi' Me 'orrrse Grrroomerrr, Rrriding Barrreback thrrew tha 'ills and Rrriverrrs of Autumn." It's a full-on, stomper, stormer, bomb track. EA

Cool, cool. I just think there's somewhat of a mix-up in styles going on around here. I don't want to try too hard to fix it, because perhaps I know nothing. Speaking of, who's Roopak? EA

Yeah, Mike - I read the title of this post and thought two things: Celtic Cross and Afro Celt Soundsystem. Which is your favorite? I have the third only, and like it. I'd say it's more downbeat/chillout, though. Ambient's a little extreme in description (there's LOTS of rhythm in that one). EA