Jon Cocco

V/A - Earth Altar Records 2010 1. Vibrasphere feat. Iz - Tierra Azul (Vocal Version) 2. CJ Catalizer - 2012 3. CJ Catalizer vs. Zymosis - I'll Be There 4. Tentura vs. Zymosis - Unity of Cultures 5. Zymosis vs. Tentura - Magic Species (Kadasarva rmx) 6. RA - March of the Lunar Priests 7. Lab's Cloud - Raining Over The Sun 8. Chronos - Ants World 9. Asura - An Talamh 10. CHI A.D - Lost Island Earth is the first Altar Record's compilation of 2010, and the fourth in the elemental series after Air, Water, and Fire released in 2009. As with the others, this is a Psy/Chill down and mid-tempo compilation. 1. Vibrasphere feat. Iz - Tierra Azul (Vocal Version) begins with gentle piano keys, running water. This is a floating, meditative downtempo track. I really like the instruments (piano, guitar), subtle distortions, pads; the female hymn's are nice too. Somewhere in the middle, the track reaches an elevating interlude. I simply wish more of an evolution took place past this center into the last third. This is a pretty good number. B 2. CJ Catalizer - 2012 is more interesting than the last, beginning with strong ambience. The song has an emotive feel early on, developing well over the first minute. I like how the songs take time to develop, and the distorted, psy work around 2:00 as the beat picks up. An interlude transitions a progressing evolution with more movement. Coupled with catchy psy sounds, varied melodic elements, and a rumbling, downbeat backdrop, the ambient notes enhance its direction in the second half. Although the melodies could have been stronger, the song has a psychedelic edge. Good track! B+ 3. CJ Catalizer vs. Zymosis - I'll Be There is one of my favorite tracks on the album. Although what appears to be an echoed baby's voice close to the beginning is a little strange. It soon ends. The song begins and develops extremely well. The first realization and energy pack is uncovered around 3:31. The slowly trekking music remains mysterious, yet gradually revealing. The speed picks up at 4:33; it sound great. But the melody that arrives at 5:12, combined with strong supporting work, is wonderful. It soon enters a romantic transition, before evolving into an even more awakening spirit. There's moments when I feel like this song could have been inspired by Solar Fields - Movements album, along with previous songs via Altar Record's compilations: Air, Wind, and Fire. The melody lead from around 5:14 forward is arresting, and compliments the floating backdrop. Beautiful number! A- 4. Tentura vs. Zymosis - Unity of Cultures is one of the more psychedelic (Shpongle and/or Younger Brother in fair comparison) tracks on the album. The alluring entrance develops nicely with startling and/or distorted nature-esque psy sounds. Prior to the first minute, a bright melody appears, and is soon comforted in a blanket of ambient. A dribbling touch of water joins an interlude as a catchy, psy industrial/machine sound emerges. Halfway into the second minute reveals that this is a mid-tempo number. There is a cool, foreign sounding build up; a strong melody lead arrives around 3:05, and the entire song break out around 3:15. The song is terrific past this developing moment, becoming more psychedelic, touched up, until around 4:30 at least where a female vocal enters. The excursion flows smoothly as ethnic melodies swirl around a psychedelic backdrop. The beat and rhythm return at 4:48 with a twist/catchy melody lead supported by another intertwining lead. This is an intricate, evolving cocktail of flavors, cleverly fused together as an elaborate psy/ethnic influenced downtempo gem. Excellent track. A 5. Zymosis vs. Tentura - Magic Species (Kadasarva rmx) starts out more ethnic, primitive, and atmospheric. Sounds of flute, drums, and various other instruments set the backdrop, coupled with psy segments. This stream soon emerges into a back beat, at 1:50, that is really catchy. The music picks up around 2:12; it's fluid and flows well, and soon approaches a beat-free interlude. The music becomes more psychedelic as it returns and crosses the fourth minute. It's here that I find its swishing, background, and distorted sound alteration/direction less satisfying. I feel like I need something more musical to balance them out. Nevertheless, the song has interesting moments. Some may like its rougher approach. A hard drum combination enters around 5:55. This parts really good, and provides more of the tribal trance influence that I like. Beyond the catchy, thumping segment, there's little that hooks me, but the song ends soon after. This is a fairly good. I liked the others more so far. B 6. RA - March of the Lunar Priests begins with a wonderful, warm, and slow melody that reminds me in concept of Transwave's classic Land of Freedom number. A surprise takes place around 1:48; the song forms an emotional dragon, awakening into mid-tempo. I wouldn't be surprised if RA was inspired to make the beautiful harmony after hearing the the wonderful Sugar Rush (Kanc Cover) from Altar Record's super Fire compilation. Maybe not, considering their known for strong melody work in general. A dreamy, floating interlude takes place. The song evolves to some degree past this, remaining strong with varying melodies, rhythms, and its beautiful harmony lead's return. I feel that the song's a little repetitive sounding, but its repetition works to its advantage here. The mid-tempo approach was unexpected after the dreamy opening, and compliments the track. Great number! A- 7. Lab's Cloud - Raining Over The Sun takes place as if moving over a vast cloud or horizon. The song has an interesting, atmospheric entrance, and builds nicely. This seems to balance well various psy elements in combination with more stand out melody work. The rhythm picks up around 2:42, forming a crunchy, layered texture. It's great. A gentle, ethnic, female voice enters around 3:22 and the beat chills to accommodate a floating segment, as if being suspended in motion. The beat returns at 4:25, along with the crunchy movement. I love the echoed part from 5:20 to 5:50, and find it extremely gripping. I think the song could've become more powerful, had it built upon this beat-driven section a little more before the elegant melody returned. Brought back as well is the female voice, albeit skipping a la Aes Dana's Lysistrata. This is an interesting, psychedelic number with a good rhythm and beat. I found that the melodies stood out more in the previous track, but this develops a cool balance between psychedelic and harmony, and concludes in a wave of peaceful atmosphere. Another solid track! B+ 8. Chronos - Ants World has an interesting beginning, pulling the listener into its building, musically delving sound fusions, like a star moving across the universe. I feel like we're in space, surrounded in blackness. This is a very different number from Chronos' other songs. A melody emerges around the first minute, combined with slow, catchy ticking sounds, and a sense of optimism. The beat kicks in around 1:45 and is coupled with tasty, echoed psy effects, various other melodic elements, atmosphere, and ambient. There seems to be a really unique combination of sounds taking place here, though the track has an experimental edge. Different layers move in and out at times like colors being added to a canvas. The song shows more of its individuality throughout the third minute as it develops, shows more of itself. Female hymns work nicely over the floating, developing backdrop, and the galaxy arrives at an gentle interlude. This took time to grow on me. A stand out instrument however, throughout the fifth into sixth (stopping around 6:14) dragged further than I would have preferred. Other than that, I liked this track and found it more innovative in ideas than the previous number. This worked more in the first half than the second, but still the song's quite different from anything I've heard. That said, I enjoyed Chronos' Deep Unity number far more on V/A - Fire. This is a good song with some curious, experimental elements. B 9. Asura - An Talamh I have one issue with. I'm going to briefly discuss it right away because I love this thing after that. The song starts off well, with a spacey, floating introduction. But does the part from 1:37 to around 4:00 (not right away but as it passes the third-minute mark) not a little too drawn out? I felt like the song got stuck for too long there, although the introduction hooked me right away. Once the music fades around 4:13, well from 4:20 forward, it's magical. The spiritual beauty begins to show as this light moves towards its celestial energy pool, and ignites to take part with the phenomenal whole. The second half of this number is on par, if not arguably better than some of the best work on 2009's Solar Fields - Movements album. It's that wonderful relative to its enlightened evolution, from 4:19 forward, as it lets go of form to be reborn at 6:42 forward. The second half of this track is stunning! I simply wish the first half was better constructed (maybe take out the emphasis hits starting at 3:38) and didn't feel as repetitive due to such strong "emphasis" sounds repeating (after the solid intro). Because otherwise, this is one of the most wonderful tracks. A- 10. CHI A.D - Lost Island is a passionate and emotive downtempo number. It took some time to grow on me due to its slower, more contemplative, provoking feel. I really like it overall. The opening is mysterious, sounds organic with elements of wind, sky, air, and various other elemental sound. The ambient around 1:02 is very pleasent, coupled with various instruments and a strong bass line (that which begins at 1:39 I believe). The gentle female vocal hymns work nicely too. This has a fantasy, dream-like sound to it. I find it interesting at times how the artist integrates a deep, meditative element while keeping me engaged. The song has a beautiful elevation/interlude around 4:50; I just wish that the continued to develop that beautiful opening a little longer, or have that as an opening to a wonderful final third (as opposed to returning to its general, pleasant ambient, strings, etc). The strings are a nice touch and provide a harmonious feel. CHI A.D is one of the most solid artists in the Psy genre. I'm glad to see he's getting some attention here. This is a good/great and mature storytelling track with some beautiful elements. B+ In conclusion, there's a handful of great tracks here. Earth is much better than Air, and I enjoy it almost as much as Water and Fire. The several vs tracks are well done too. I'll Be There excellent. And Unity of Cultures is like a tasty cross between Younger Brother, Shpongle, and something else. The only vs. track I don't care much for is Magic Species (Kadasarva rmx), but it's above average. Add to that, new and exclusive numbers by Asura, RA, Vibrasphere, and CHI A.D., and more. Earth is one of the better Psy/Chill compilations of 2010. Favorite tracks - 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9 10 B+ Samples / Order http://altar.fonderieart.com/earth.html http://www.ultimae.com/en/distribution/456/index.html

I don't think I can pick a single top favorite. Too many movies. In 1989 it was Batman, then Terminator 2, then The Crow, then The Matrix. If I were to seriously shorten my list, my top favorite(s) would include (in Alphabetical order). Akira Avatar Braveheart The Crow The Dark Knight District 9 Fight Club Goodfellas Jet Li's Fearless Le Femme Nikita Terminator 2: Judgement Day The Matrix (first one) Requiem For A Dream

I liked this film. It was slow at times but poignant. Sure, the survival scenes closest to the beginning, such as the guy pissing and cannibal scene were most intense, suspenseful, and horrifying. But that didn't stop me from caring about the film. The pacing was fairly slow. More energy could have been injected into the second half. But I believed the father and son relationship, and felt that the boy did a good job. It would have been nice to know WHAT happened for the world to become so post-apocalyptic. Obviously a major, cataclismic event occurred, either war, virus, plague or otherwise. This film reminded me (to some degree) to Children Of Men which I found more engaging overall, but the characters were more developed in The Road (which I preferred) relative to characters. The Road has an even narrower sliver of hope than Children Of Men, which could have taken place after (Children of Men). It travels into a world where the economy is destroyed. Money is non existent. We lose these perceived things such as oil, gas and electric, things that are just things that we often take for granted. It strips these perceptions down to the bone and shows what many people would really care about: Food. Survival. Shelter. In that sense I felt the film did a good job depicting a reality that we're not far from if we continue down a path filled with growing deficits, war, and self-absorbed behavior. 3 out of 4 stars from me.

Some of the samples sound pretty good. I just don't understand why they named these tracks after some of their most classic songs. It's kind of misleading. Some people may buy this album thinking they're getting a "best of" compilation when in actuality (some of) the songs appear to be Psy, Full On versions of classic Psychedelic Goatrance songs. I love their earlier work (Helium, Phototropic, Backfire albums) so much, have been listening to it recently. Their earlier stuff is beautiful. There is so much heart and soul in it. Maybe I'll give this one a chance some time. My reluctance is in part that I don't want it to take away from my wonderful impression of the classic tracks that these are based on. Nonetheless, I found this album for a more reasonable price via Amazon MP3 download (below). I imgine that after all these years I'll find some tracks I like on it. Thinking of buying it via download on there. Truthfully I wish they hooked up with Suntrip Records and released a super New School Psy/Goa album. Or at least went the more open, wild Juno Reactor (unconventional route) and developed a novel, new sound that blows people away (in a good way). That would be truly amazing. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=frontfire&x=0&y=0

Both the Introduction and Still Alive track (the latter by) by Lisa Miskovsky are beautiful. What a talented artist (Solar Fields) and voice talent (Lisa). Thank you both for creating such wonderful, free-spirited music.

Great compilation. V/A's Water and Fire are included in my top 5 Chill compilations of 2009. Hopefully the last two will be as good. These two are a big step up over V/A - AIR in my opinion, though Air had some good work too.

Nice review Helios909 (rx7style). I hope the forth and the fifth are great too.

Someone wake me up when the wait is over. This is ridiculous. The group should return with a wonderful Psy/Goa-Trance album like their first 3-4. Since that's the music so many of their longest running fans love the most. Something juicy and spectacular and for out time now, something better than Amen. I really love TNT, Dancing Galaxy, and Another World. Now THOSE are memorable albums.

Holy crap. I just realized that Toï Doï - Technological came out in 2000!! Just go back over the "review thread years" people. See my post above for updates. Btw is Toi Doi - Technologic (2000) releases considered post 2000 stuff?? I always considered "Technologic" old skool.

Hey wait, those are (almost all of) my favorite tracks. I agree that the album is great fun. But why don't some of you post a comment in the review section? My review is now up and (around classes) almost finished!

This album has some great tracks, but also many similar sounds. I seldom listen to it straight through. I want a sequel nonetheless. Take the time. Raise the bar. Maybe in a year or two? Or three? Update: Merr0w's track on Temple of Chaos is SUPERB ! Quality over quantity. WOW.

Filteria - Remixed and Unreleased Suntrip Records 2009 1. Filteria - Operation Mind Expansion 2. Filteria - Latch 3. Filteria - Poem 4. Filteria - Speech Module (Filteria Remix) 5. Filteria - Rotate To Vibrate (Ze Remix) 6. Filteria - Unfiltered (Sun Remix) 7. Filteria - Reflected (Blinded Remix) 8. Filteria - Total Planetary Being (Filteria Remix) 9. K.O.B. - Multiple Disorder (Filteria Remix) 10. K.O.B. - Weight Of Oblivion (Filteria Ambient Remix) Remixed and Unreleased is a digital download album. Included are remixes of some of Filteria's best tracks (from his older, more intense Sky Input and Heliopolis albums). The artist even included several new (unreleased) Filteria songs and a few rare KOB (Filteria) remixes! A full review ensues. 1. Filteria - Operation Mind Expansion appears to be a remix of the opening Operation Pulse track from Filteria's debut Sky Input album. The beat arrives early on; I found the original's lengthener, opening buildup more powerful. The first several minutes are okay here, not much anticipation as displayed on the original version, nor greatness. Until around 2:46. That's when this thing takes off like a rocket! This climactic, chorus-like segment is fantastic. Unfortunately, that's almost all the song seems to have going for it. Key changes enhance the psychedelic backdrop; they're good. The song has numerous alterations, changes from the original. Hearing them back-to-back, I notice various difference including a shorter opening, less emphasis on melody/sound echoes. The song is still good if not great. This version sounds a bit cleaner from the original, i.e: less flooded layers possibly due to toning down the echo effects. Overall I was blown away the first time I heard the original in 2004. However I love how the climax ignites at 2:46 here. It sounds more exciting and fun than that on the original. Furthermore, this gem in the song's crown seems like an entirely refreshing, different re-arrangement. The song continues with tasty, psychedelic energy, though the best has come and gone, quality listening exists throughout. Overall the song is solid, but nothing extraordinary. Now lets check out the new ones. B+ 2. Filteria - Latch incorporates delicious sonic sounds and thick liquid (like water) background elements a la the Earthrise track from 2009's Daze of Our Lives album. The song sounds less loaded than the first, and surprisingly more focused, metallic, and psychedelic. I love the distorted Halluciong-esque sounds. They compliment the song and balance out the heightened sounds. It's cool to see the artist experimenting, building such rhythms and grooves with a different tasty ignorant list incorporated into the spirit of the original restaurant. If I had to compare it to Earthrise, I'd say that I was more impressed with Earthrise. Nonetheless, this is great, psychedelic fun. Latch is a creative, unconventionally solid, previously unreleased track that seems KOB influenced. A- 3. Filteria - Poem is a completely new (non-remixed) track from Filteria and a huge, high surprise. The song has tasty, novel, and more evolved melody/sound work as we saw at times on 2006's Heliopolis album. But this is better. Melody leads stand out. The ambient notes are wonderful. They give the song heart and feeling, and redirect any close energy away from various layers potentially cramming themselves. The middle interlude produces time for the track to collect itself before introducing a second wave of adventurous, ethnic landscapes and colorful waves. Just wait until 6:00; that's when the song evolves into one of the best numbers by Filteria (and in Goa-Trance - yes, you heard me correctly) yet. Was the intense, Sky Input-esque additional melody at 6:26 really necessary? I'm not so sure. Jannis decided to add aggression with beauty, and I loved the way the song was going before that. The aggressive addition temperately takes away from the beautiful movement that ignites via 6:00. Fortunately, the cool albeit typical (relentless) melody exits around 7:08, providing the body with more room to breath. The skipping melodic elements are great too. However, the song's best part seems to peek in the middle. It would have been cool if Jannis reprised and refreshed the wonderful movement, beginning at 6:00, without simply adding a generic (by now via Filteria) rough edged line to it. Poem almost sounds like it could be on the next Filteria album, which says a lot. Overall this is an excellent, beautiful track, my favorite on the album so far. A- / A 4. Filteria (feat. Red Gravity) - Speech Module (Filteria Remix) is a remix of a track I was never in love with from Filteria's second album. The original I felt was lackluster, messy even, involving little more outside of its Pleiadian-esque melodies. The remix improves upon that by rebuilding its structure to some degree and adding a variety of dynamic additions. The approach here is more smooth, textured, and enjoyable. It's better developed, more focused than the original. Overall, I find this a big improvement over the first version. It's nicely placed in between two bigger, more intense numbers too. Great work. B+ 5. Filteria - Rotate To Vibrate (Ze Remix) is a remix of my favorite track on the Heliopolis album, my second being Reflected and Unfiltered and/or Pyrogen, and then the downtempo closing. The original was no doubt impressive, a surfing wave of oceanic acid, a fireball leaving trails of flames; I to this day find Rotate to Vibrate impressive. So what's the difference and is one better than the other? While I can't say which one is better (both are very similar and keep the high octane spirit and sounds intact), this remix has a less chaotic opening and closing, Incorporated are echoed voice samples in the beginning and end. They're pretty cool. The song seems improved, production wise too. Lastly, there are times that seem the song has went through a dynamic metamorphous. The artist appears to have added startling unpredictable tricks and elements that create little hills, areas that were less (to not) present on the original. The music will occasionally change up, and feel like its going through a composure lift. Similar, but newly mixed sounds with accompany moments, some of which existent to remind the listener that this isn't the same song you've heard before. It's one where the artist spent some time to improve upon its muscles (physique) and mind. I can't say it sounds drastically different from the original and I suppose in some ways, that's a plus. in other ways however, I feel like I'm hearing a fairly tweaked version of the same song, whereas some of the other remixes seemed more refreshing to my ears. The remix is great nonetheless, regardless of its obvious (and less risk taking) similarities to the original. A- 6. Filteria - Unfiltered (Sun Remix) is a track whose original I often felt could have been improved upon. The original had an abundance of layers, dynamic elements, yet aside from the great drum work and change ups, the song lacked key changes and various other under current alterations that some of the later songs incorporated. This remix adds key changes. More surprisingly, the song, like some of the others here, seems less busy and exhausting to listen to. This may be due in part to the toning down of echoed, parallel melodies. While going back and forth, I notice that the original sounds more loaded and to some degree noisy than this one. Yet many of Unfiltered' elements are present. In that regard, I think this track is more enjoyable (albeit less shocking and innovative) than the original. The artist seems to have acknowledged that some of his original songs, while great for high octane Psychedelic Goa Trance, lacked an approach at times for us as the listeners to distinguish between sounds, since there were to many of them. Whatever Jannis did here, I can hear hear some of those catchy sounds once fallen beneath the swimming waves; they've come up for air to breath. What I notice less though, is the drum combos, as well as the strong and chilling ambient notes once we move past the second minute. Maybe he changed very little. I think the eerie ambient was (and still is) great though; I would have loved to see more development in that throughout the song. Fortunately, the original's great melody lead that arrived at 2:01 is reprised here around 2:19. Add key changes and a clearer production overall, and you have an arguably improved upon (as opposed to stripped down) remix from an attention grabbing opening original. That said, I always felt that the melodies on this song, past the first several minutes at least, were less addictive than some of the other songs. This is another solid remix. B+ 7. Filteria - Reflected (Blinded Remix) is the forth and final remix from off the Heliopolis album. As with Rotate To Vibrate, little seems to differentiates upon the first several listens. On the original however, after a gentle interlude, the beat and music returned around 3:58; I found this part on the original in this regard catchier than the remixed segment here. Reflected was such a strong track on Heliopolis that I initially wondered how the artist could improve upon it. To its advantage, Blinded Remix has a wonderful subtle background sound, beginning around 6:00 that I couldn't hear on the original. Do to the layer/echo abundance, such complimentary details may have been washed out or not existent. Here such sounds produce clean, driving movement, like animals trekking along side the beat. It removes my focus from an ongoing melody and groups it with other, gifted animation present throughout the song. The after eight minute climax has been both added and improved too. It's strikingly more layered and harmonious now. This is a great remix because for the most part, it seldom touches what needed not touching; the remix manages to improve upon the musically dynamic fluidity of the original. Great work. A- 8. Filteria - Total Planetary Being (Filteria Remix) is the first track on the album (since Latch and Poem) that is a remix of a track whose original I never heard. Maybe this was unreleased. It sounds like a Filteria song that could have made Sky Input and was cropped at the last minute for time restrants. So how's it different? It's generally less intense, and that's about it. The track begins spacey; the beat enters around 0:18, and soon added to by those PSY tasty, bubbly sounds as if a thick soaked suds washer is running adjacent to the driving pulse of the beat. The first melody lead arrives at 1:21, supported by numerous sounds that seem like cool, rushing melodies successfully keeping up with the main one. A short transition takes place around 2:45, where the healthy stream stands out more. The song is like a thick, fairly atmospheric Goa stream, with a decent lead for the first several minutes. Another appears around 4:00, and at 4:35, the song returns to its less melody heavy zone in order to introduce new material. A short buildup sends off a greater lead around 5:08. Variation soon after is solid, and the song's background elements produce an absorbing, vibrating core that enhances the ride. Yet another interlude takes place from around 6:30 to 7:00, a musically gripping area. The beat/music returns like a rush of blood into the brain at 7:02. This time it's more varied, psychedelic, and gripping. This is a song that continuously recollects itself into something more constructed and developed as it progresses. If I could list weaknesses or less strengths, the song's formula becomes more predictable as it progresses, though the results are fun. Also, the melodies here aren't as memorable as a handful of Filteria's other tracks, though psy-scape work is well crafted. At 9:50, the music returns one last time; this last hurrah is excellent, cleverly enhanced by a subtle skipping, "vibrating" sound. Though this moment is short lived, it's great, and I wish that the artist maneuvered more clever tactics like these. Another great track. A- 9. K.O.B. - Multiple Disorder (Filteria Remix) is the first KOB track on this tasty, downloadable album. The first noticeable element is the chopped up, psychedelic (Hallucinogen-esque) sound-sentences (for lack of better words); they're fantastic. The first several minutes involve little to no buildup or climax. They involve a delicious, driving concoction of superbly crafted psychedelic Goa Trance. I could go on and on with all of the other cool elements taking place here, and then there's the melody lead that arriving around 3:50 and is AMAZING. The ongoing electronic, undercurrent sound as well is capturing in the same way the clever the "liquid swashing" sounds infected Latch and Total Planetary Being. This is an extremely interesting track that gets stronger, both power and in intelligence as it progresses. It's as if the artist attempted to top himself, unless the original version isn't far off. I am not sure what album or compilation the original song to this is on. This entire song is superb, with amazing climaxes that directly reflect some of Goa's in its most wondrous, breathtaking moments! I am stunned by this track and consider it a masterpiece. The best uptempo track on the album IMO and can we please get a KOB album in this nature?! Tracks like this are INCREDIBLE. They remind me what a third Hallucinogen album could sound like, to some degree, if Simon Postford faithfully updated his original Hallucinogen sound/style for our time now. Amazing track! A 10. K.O.B. - Weight Of Oblivion (Filteria Ambient Remix) is a wonderful way to end the album, with a Goa/Downtempo Ambient version K.O.B. Weight Of Oblivion from the Twist Dreams compilation. This entire song has gone through a re-development so to speak. It's harmony has been raised several layers to compensate for its fast, unique bottle-cap twisting sounds on the up-tempo version. The beautiful, chopped up singer's voice is here, and sounds great. The ambient notes add feeling to the psychedelic elements, and unlike the closing track on 2009's Daze Of Our Lives, this HAS the seamlessly edited beginning and closing that Float Away and Disappear lacked. This track, whether made years before 2009 or during that year, is a clear sign how wonderful and talented this artist is in producing Ambient influenced downtempo Goa/Psy music. This is a beautiful, closing number! A In conclusion, Remixed and Unreleased is a great digital download release for fans of both Filteria and those into HIGH octane Psychedelic Goa-Trance. For those who wondered what it would be like hearing remixed, unreleased (and new) tracks today regarding Jannis's work before 2009's Daze Of Our Lives album, this is a highlight. Sky Input initially blew the roof off my house; I was in awe. So I was more prepared this time. While I love (and prefer) how Filteria's work has grown over the years, I would add to that the new tracks here, which are wonderful. A part of me misses at times the intensity most present on pure GOA madness albums like Sky Input and Heliopolis, and for those who feel the same way, such intensity has returned here. Remixed and Unreleased is the most intense "remix album" I have heard in my life to date. And while it can be exhausting to listen to straight through (depending on your mood), such words were said for both Sky Input and Heliopolis' risky energy. The sheer level of layers, sensation here is once again huge, but Jannis has improved upon his work by reducing heavy echos that over flooded his previous layers at times; such technical improvements make for a more enjoyable, fluid, and dynamic experience. And the unreleased (new to me) tracks like Latch, Poem (the latter a marriage of both styles old and new), and the last two numbers are like experiencing a brand new, raw album. The other tracks are great too, but it's the unreleased Filteria songs and KOB (Filteria Remixes) that mark a rich distinguishing flavor seldom heard and achived on his first two albums. Several numbers here make up some of the best tracks of 2009, and the last ambient Goa track is gorgeous. Why can't we have a whole album by Filteria in this amazing, chill Goa downtempo style? The artist was never one to end his albums lightly anyway; his expression of harmony shown on the closing track is wonderful. I just wish there was more work like this, though there's a potential other album for that. All in all, those who enjoyed Sky Input and Heliopolis will likely enjoy Filteria - Remixed and Unreleased. And those who didn't should probably stay away (unless you like the KOB work, which is terrific btw). It is that simple. Total Length: More than 90 minutes! Favorite Tracks - 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10. A- Scroll down for Samples / Download it for €6.00 (around $8.50) here in excellent quality. http://www.suntriprecords.com/shop/item/SUNDG01/

This 15 minute b&w one, Validation is one the best short films I've seen. Great message, very positive! I love it. http-~~-//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cbk980jV7Ao

I didn't think the story was weak. It was good, and the guy not having legs gave me more appreciation to see the look on his face once he got legs via his Avatar, more so than when Peter Parker got his abilities in Spider-Man. Because the guy in Avatar was paralyzed. So much took place that in Avatar that was interesting, developed, and thoughtful. The whole military backdrop felt extremely present with the world today, and the CGI animation was the best I've seen yet in a film. But the story was well done, in my opinion. A few reviewers have criticized the story, possibly in part because Cameron sets the bar so high visually, that are groundbreaking. But my friends and I loved the whole film. It really wouldn't be a great film IMO if the story, script sucked. "Strong visuals, weak story" is what the general consensus was with the Transformers sequel. I generally don't care for films with all sensation, no (or weak) story or substance, which is why I haven't seen the sequel to Transformers yet. I feel that The (first) Matrix had a good story, but amazing visuals (in its time) too. So I would compare Avatar to The Matrix in that regard, a great film overall. Both films are so different, save the essential "free your mind" theme I suppose, which was less subtle in The Matrix.

I agree. I also imagine Hux Flux - Cryptic Crunch and BotFB - Twin Sharkfins being in the top most psychedelic old school albums. Having said that, many have learned that one's perspective of "what he or she considers psychedelic" can drastically (completely, at times) change under the influence of various stuff.

This album is a blast to listen to. It's so playful, dynamic, catchy, and refreshing. And it has great beat work, something that Goa/Psytrance seldom innovates. A follow up in this style would be awesome.

Total Eclipse - Violent Relaxation 1996 (Re-Released in 2003) CD 1 01. 07'19" Virtual Terminal Energised 02. 07'36" Area 51 03. 09'01" The Furnace 04. 08'14" Tecknophobia 05. 07'46" Chaotic Circus 06. 07'43" Absolute Zero 07. 07'41" Pulsar Glitch 08. 07'27" Space Clinic 09. 08'19" Blue Galaxie CD 2 01. 09'22" Espanolizer 02. 09'33" The Pendulum 03. 08'21" Black Body Radiation 04. 10'01" Diamond Ring Effect 05. 07'31" Time Drops 06. 08'12" 51 Pegasus 07. 09'40" Gravity Mirage I'm surprised that I never wrote anything about this release earlier. The double album was re-released in 2003 which is when I bought and first heard it. Each time I listen to this, I'm enamored by how gripping, deliciously textured, fluid, and psychedelic it is. The Furnace is one of the best tracks I've ever heard, and it's surrounded by great, excellent numbers, a handful of which are extremely characteristic more memorable than some of the others, still great. I don't know what more to say that hasn't been said. Sometimes I hear an album and have a moment of clarity, then a sense of frustration, because more people should hear this album. It's so underrated and strong. This is what I consider a classic in electronica, not just Goa. It's a wonderful double album. A-

Great idea and thread! So much better than "Best Albums Ever" which I've seen enough. Btw you realize that over the next several decades, these may change, right? My Top 10 Goa of the 00's 1. RA - 9th A- 2. Filteria - Daze Of Our Lives A 3. Chi A.D. - Earth Crossing (Unreleased) A- 4. Khetzal - Corolle A- 5. Transwave - Backfire A 6. Filteria - Sky Input A- 7. Dimension 5 - Transdemensional (Re-Mastered, Re-Release) A- 8. Crop Circles - Tetrehedron (Re-Mastered, Re-Release) A- 9. RA - To Sirius A- 10. Chi-A.D. - Infinitism - A- 11. SynSUN - The Full Power Of Goa - Underrated A- 12. Torakka - Far Out Express - Underrated A- 13. Radical Distortion - Psychedelic Experiences A- 14. Filteria - Remixed and Unreleased A- 15. Merr0w - Born Underwater B+ 16. Goasia - From Other Spaces B+ 17. Astral Projection - Amen B+ 18. Filteria - Heliopolis B+ My Top 10 Downbeat of the 00's 1. Phutureprimitive - Sub Conscious A- 2. Jikkenteki - The Long Walk Home (Chill Side) A 3. Solar Fields - Movements A 4. Asura - Code Eternity - A- 5. Distant System - Spiral Empire B+ 6. Shpongle - Tales of The Inexpressible A- 7. Shpongle - Ineffable Mysteries From Shpongleland A- 8. Asura - Life2 B+ 9. Electrypnose - Subliminal Melancholies A- 10. Aes Dana - Memory Shell B+ 11. Younger Brother - Flock Of Bleeps B+ 12. Younger Brother - The Last Days Of Gravity B+ 13. Tripswitch - Circuit Breaker B+ 14. Asura - Lost Eden B 15. Ott - Skylon B 16. V/A - Fahrenheit Project 2 B+ 17. Abakus - That Much Closer to the Sun (fairly dry album IMO with some very good highs i.e: moments and tracks) B My Top 10 Psytrance of the 00's 1. Fractal Glider - Parasite A- 2. Jikkenteki - The Long Walk Home (Uptempo side) A 3. Infected Mushroom - B.P. Empire A- 4. Infected Mushroom - Classical Mushroom A- 5. Talpa - The Art of Being Non B+ 6. Xenomorph - Demagoguery Of The Obscurants A- 7. Jikkenteki - Flights Of Infinity A- 8. Space Cat - Power Up (2002) B+ 9. Dark Soho - Sunspot B+ 10. Mantrix - Universal B+ 11. Violet Vision - First Sign Of Communication B+ / A- 12. Four Carry Nuts - Mechanical Age B+ 13. Juno Reactor - Labyrinth - B+ 14. Dark Soho - Combustion B+ 15. Penta - Horn Please B+ 16. Psychoz: 2012 There Is No Return B+ 17. Talamasca - Beyond the Mask B+ 18. Miranda - Asynja B 19. Nystagmus - The Immaculate Perception B My Top PSY Other of the 00's 1. Electrypnose - Funked Up B+ / A- 2. Infected Mushroom - Converting Vegetarians CD2: Other Side) B+

1. First of all, thank you Mars for doing this. It seems like a ton of work that I hope in the future is made easier for whoever does it. Possibly there can be a system where someone writes "Artist - Album" in that sense, and the coded program will atomically count such titles in their respective order. I'm no computer programer though, just imagined the idea if workable one day. Since tracking down every release sounds overwhelming to me. 2. I feel voting should be publically shown. Showing people's names with their "Best Of" choices (as done in the past where we were able to change our original post anyway) gives less people incentive to anonymously hype or push up a release just to give it attention. While kind people are always welcome, many of us know each other on here and just by our names. We've grown a greater understanding, trust over the years and I'm not concerned in the least bit for others to see my votes. I'd like everyone to see my picks, just as I'm curious to see what a handful of other people (who've given solid recommendations in the past) choose as Best Of. Either way, I'll vote.

I have never seen CGI performances so strong in a film before, though Gollum in LOTR I felt was great at the time. This felt more humanistic. It was great to see the actors not only say, but do virtually all of the movements physically (as I now saw on the link below). The general concept was like the movie 300, but this had not just great action but strong character development, emotion. The story was good, just nothing groundbreaking like the visuals. I actually loved the story, how it was executed in the world of Pandora. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within on the other hand I found disappointing because it lacked substance. I really cared about the characters in Avatar, and what happened to them, and the story. I like films where the characters grow and develop. The antagonist felt real, relentless. James Cameron married elements from Terminator 2 (relentless villain) with Titanic (love story), and this was a great idea I felt that worked wonderfully. Naturally I realize not everyone will love/like the movie. I thought Avatar was a beautiful, awakening film and I hope it wins best picture. Caught this link on page one, posting it again here, thanks. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7c4kNLz_4E8&feature=related

I'm listening to the samples right now on Suntrip (below). For those who miss Jannis' more intense work, he remixed a handful of his very best intense, high energy tracks! The samples sound AWSOME. The remix album also seems to be close to 100 minutes long based on the track times on Suntrip's site. And track 3, Poem appears to be a new song in the Sky Input meets Heliopolis style?! http://www.suntriprecords.com/shop/item/SUNDG01/

This is a great release and deserves more attention. That is all.

I also thought that the film was excellent. It was interesting, aware, and innovative. A- Just wait until you see Avatar though. I just opened a thread, posted a short review in this section! My favorite films of 2009 are as follows... Avatar District 9 Star Trek The Road Happy Holidays!

AVATAR 2009 I just saw Avatar the other night. Have any of you seen it yet? My friend's and I absolutely loved it. My take... The movie is superb. I loved Pandora (their planet). It's amazing. Watching this movie was like a dream come true. It's such a beautiful, powerful, and potent, and meaningful film with elements of harmony, unity, love (deep connections), freedom, and more. Before we walked in, I was a little reluctant on the characters because they're CG (computer generated) and blue, and I heard very little about the story. Once the film began however, any uncertainties melted away. The characters (played by real people throughout, then CG'd) look and develop wonderfully. I cared about them very much, especially the man and woman as the story progressed. The story isn't groundbreaking; it's very well done though. I didn't know this is a love story! Director James Cameron took some of the most classic elements from a handful of the best films and married them together here, through his vision, which is awesome. The visuals are groundbreaking. Score and sound is excellent. Action sequences are imaginative. They're more effective because they have substance, a good story/plot, characters to back them up. The film is passionately produced, at times magical, and made me fall in love with movies all over again. At times I wondered, how did they do that?, it's so beautiful, creative, impressive on so many levels. Avatar is, in my opinion, one of, if not the most visually absorbing films to date, and one of the most important (meaningful) films ever produced. I highly recommend seeing it in theaters, 3D or otherwise. Both have gotten great reception. Chances are you will really like and/or fall in love with this movie. Highly Recommended. PG-13 A Other films I enjoyed in 2009 include District 9, Star Trek, The Cove, The Road and Taken. Avatar is my favorite film of the year to date. Trailer http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox/avatar/ Critic Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes / Yahoo Movies http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/avatar/ http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809804784/info Where it stands in the All Time Box Office http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/world/

SynSUN - Full Power of Goa Phototropic Records 2009 01 - Clinical Experiment (6:50) 02 - Purgatory (1:23) 03 - Spider's Llullaby (12:01) 04 - Hoffman's Delivery (10:57) 05 - Diver (9:54) 06 - Deep (7:56) 07 - Dancing Shiva (6:22) 08 - Sun Downward (6:58) 09 - Ambient Sun (7:19) This is a great Psychedelic Goa-Trance album. Produced in 2000 and not officially released at the time. The album has been Re-Mastered. It is also SynSUN's best Goa album album to date IMO. I will add more to the tracks soon. It's Christmas Eve and I'm trying to do many things in one day. 01. Clinical Experiment has many nice sounds, a well crafted braiding rhythm, and more. Little sound particles meet others; a dynamic, little Goa particle dances for attention around numerous other attractive ingredients. The work is fairly subtle, without sonic streams or an individual melody that stands out so much. My only gripe is that the melody/sound work isn't that memorable. It has some really nice sounds that blend together extremely well. I just wish there was more zest, evolution to it. Pretty good track. B- 02. Purgatory is a tiny interlude to the next track. It's so short, I can't even rate it. 03. Spider's Llullaby improves in melody/sound work from the opening. It's great, very catchy, and has numerous, tasty rhythms that develop as the song progresses. B+ 04. Hoffman's Delivery starts off pretty good. Suddenly in the third to forth minute, the track becomes excellent, and maintains its strong direction for the rest of the track until the wonderful evolution towards the end. Awesome work. A 05. Diver is another strong vehicle, filled with upbeat, zip-lifting melodies, sounds, creating a sweet and playfully fun rhythm that becomes more emphasized as the song progresses. It's not a masterpiece, but it's great nonetheless. A- 06. Deep is one of the darker tracks on the album. The first several minutes are superb, like a powerful dragon let loose right out of the demon's gate. As with Hoffman's Delivery, the song has strong and dynamic melody/sound work. The tone here is more aggressive, intense than virtually all songs on the album. The last few minutes seem less refreshing than the first two thirds, but the artist adds enough ingredients to keep this one on interesting, driving, and engaging. Excellent number! A- 07. Dancing Shiva is my least favorite song since the opening. It sounds less complex than the other tracks, a bit older, production wise than the others too. Nonetheless, the song has a stand out sound, melody emphasis, and drive. Incorporates are nice, ethnic Goa touches. A decent to pretty good track. Nothing superb. B 08. Sun Downward appears as if it is (or could be) a remix of one of the song's from SynSUN's debut (the album with the big, red devil on the cover). This is so much catchier I feel. The bass line, altered sound/melody work is superb. A- 09. Ambient Sun is a great mid-tempo ending. It doesn't have the most memorable melody lead, but the overall song is enjoyable, smooth, light, and upbeat from start to finish. Strong closing track. B+ In conclusion, this is one of the most solid post 2000 Goa albums to date. No track is less than good. Track 1 and 7 are decent, pretty good at best, and they alone don't come close to have great this album is. I ordered the album online for around 10 dollars, brand new, reasonable, and it took about a week to receive. This is one of the best albums of 2009 and a rare gem in Psychedelic Goa-Trance. I wish SynSun produced more music like this now days because it's so much fun to listen to (colorful, psychedelic, catchy), rather than Full On, which has basically done nothing innovative for years IMO. Full Power of Goa is a colorful, creative, psychedelic, and fun trip that tastes better as it progresses. The only thing I wish is the artist included a Goa-influenced downtempo number in the end, but the Mid-Tempo closing number is good/great. This album is highly recommended for Psy/Goa fans. Favorite tracks - 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9. A- Sample / Order / Buy Click on the track title to sample it here: http://www.phototropicrecords.com/synsunfullpowerofgoa.php http://kunaki.com/msales.asp?PublisherId=114152 (Kunaki Credit card payment) http://Kunaki.com/MSales.asp?PublisherId=114152&PP=1 (Kunaki Paypal payment) http://www.neptunwave.de/product_info.php?products_id=1028 Wow. It's only $6.99 on Amazon MP3 downloads?! I just saw this now. They should be 99 cents a track IMO, and even I try to save money. The cover's very cool btw. I bought the actual album. http://www.amazon.com/Full-Power-Of-Goa/dp/B002Z3PDNE/ref=dm_ap_alb1