Jon Cocco

+2

TWIST DREAMS VS. APSARA SUNTRIP RECORDS COMPARISON SCORES FOR BOTH ALBUMS FOLLOW-UP REVEW Apsara had more of an impact on me when it released back in 2005 than Twist Dreams did in 2007. Apsara was the first great Goa-Trance comp I heard in years so it was only natural for me to compare the second one they released. I was very impressed with Apsara. I was very satisfied with the follow up. I don't feel as though Suntrip really put energy into topping Apsara however and that would have been interesting because there were many great songs back-to-back on Apsara. Twist Dreams takes a hit here and there but there is no bad song per say. More solid Goa-Trance songs exist on it than any post 21st Century Goa compilation with exception to Apsara. It's far from perfect but in a sense it is impressive all over again, just not as fresh in concept or theory. I'd love to see Suntrip top Apsara and make a masterpiece compilation where every song is B+ to the A range spectacular but so would everyone. Excellence is not easy and Suntrip has proven to put much work into having such a great track record already. Here are my scores back-to-back for both Suntrips compilation' tracks. It's not that Twist Dreams is a level below. It simply lacks the "new" amazing new-school sound. It's now up to a new artist and sound that IS excellent to really impress people like myself once again to the level I was before. For a post 21st century Goa-Trance compilation however, Twist Dreams tops virtually all NEW-SCHOOL Goa albums with exception to Suntrips powerful Filteria and Khetzal debuts, Filteria 2, and the elegant Pyramidal Trancendence compilation. What other New-School Goa albums has there been to compete against you ask? Oh let's see here... Radical Distortion's Regenesis 2006 album (where they decided to begin with Goa before turning it into mostly weak Full On/Psy, Purple Energy Vol. 2 (excluding the solid Goasia tracks this sucked), Ka-Sol's debut (overall good but nothing spectacular), and few others I'd rather not add. The best stuff makes fond memories. I remember them. APSARA - [2004] Aes Dana - Digitalys - B+ Yesod – On The Edge of Time - B KhetzaL & Chaï (Avigmati) - Babylone Beach - B Lost Buddha - Metamorphosis - B+ Filteria – Tiny Universe - B+ Ka-Sol - Skraqp - A- Ypsilon5 - Titanium - B+ Goasia – I’m Ready - B+ Radical Distortion - Communication - B- B+ TWIST DREAMS - [2007] 01. Cosmic Silence – Psy Spirit - B 02. Aerosis - Contorsion - B+ 03. Red Gravity – Momentary 29 - B+ 04. Talpa – Till We Meet Again - B 05. Merr0w – Utopian Society - B- 06. Khetzal - Trancefuzion - A- 07. K.O.B. feat. Klara Steiner – Weight Of Oblivion - B+ 08. Afgin - Dimensional - B 09. Ra – Gates Of Triphareth - B B+ TWIST DREAMS- FOLLOW UP TRACK REVIEW: Cosmic Silence – Psy Spirit is pretty good, full of changes. It's a pretty starter, harmless, and pleasent to listen to. It's very well done... Actually I don't want to hear any bitching or I will come over to your country and... It's a decent. That voice in the end is very appealing and plesent. Enjoy it or skip it. Enjoy it or shut up and go to bed. Aerosis's Contorsion has a simple, catchy melody that is crucial for this thing to work and it does. This song is so sweet sounding from 3:44 to around 4:10. Just listen to the song from the beginning and be aware of this moment as it takes place. I wish they'd develop stuff like that because it's awesome. It attracts my ears like a magnet. To me it's like this uplifting, individualized climax but not. This moment involves a short build up in a sense which fronts this infectious cool chiming melody echoed. All else seemst to dissappear with exception to this engaging feat, accomplishment. It's short but damn it's nice. The song changes up about two more times as it progresses but I feel certain change up is to keep an otherwise not great song interesting. The listener is teased with what seems to be a second wind or climax but which soon becomes more anti climactic by it's reserve to let looose and let us really soar. The change is better than none however and I do like it. This is a good track, very danceable and energetic. Red Gravity – Momentary 29 is the first track that doesn't take its foot off the ignition when it comes to dancing, building up, climax and/or energy pick up. The melodies are good and develop. Ne ones are added as the track progresses; it becomes even more appealing. This may not be the most original or stunning song, but it knows how to pull off a solid beginning, middle, and end. A melody towards the end is very good or great, sound structures, more emotion and energy. Are you ready for the weakness? This song lacks the slam-bang freashness of what Talpa, Khetzal, and K.O.B. are about to bring. It utilizes its elements and melodies well but lacks having a strong, original character and personality. As opposed to building a house from the basement up as those mentioned artists did, Red Gravity took the common [build, layer, deepen, climax] formula and left it at exactly that. Fortunately they nailed all of their elements correctly even if this song stands out less than far more individual, successful risk taking as Talpa and few others here which sound very different and new to the ears. Talpa's Till We Meet Again is the first really stand-out, fresh and innovative style and track on the album to me. I've never heard Talpa this musical and playful before. It's more fun which is good, but less powerful and toxic which isn't what the song is going for. I like all three if one can pull it off. Here he has capitalized on a wonderful trick. This track doesn't strictly arrest my attention and pull me into its world. It sure is fun to listen to. Interesting for the most part, fast paced, and full of enough tricks and zipping, zippy change-ups to keep an A.D.D. kid entertained. This track does however lack lack that kickass, strong driving power that was existent on tracks via Art of Being Non album. Naturally it isn't going for the intense, dark ride. This is focused on being musically fun and stylish. It's so animated, dynamic, and catchy that I find this great. This is easily the best on the compilation relative to previous ones so far and arguably it's the best on the entire thing. Merrow's Utopian Society is a track that's made me wonder what Suntrip was thinking when they released it here. It's not that its bad. It's just so redundant and uninteresting in concept and execution compared to other tracks here. It's basically a leading Goa melody with little bits, melodies, and special fx. The leading melody is pretty good but the supporting sounds (with exception to a higher pitched minipulated whistle sound) don't support so well. The lead is driving and successful in a sense. The entire song comes across as lacking. It has that been-there, done-that feel to it. Now the other previous energized song here was track 3, Momentary 29 and just listen to how that song gets better as it progresses. If you're thilled with this leading melody and how it's utilized, great! I've heard this concept taken to the next level with old-school Pleiadians and new-school Filteria, and they had excellent supporting sounds, soundscapes, structure. For the record we've heard stuff like this so many times before. What lacks here is strong, catchy structure, ambience, atmosphere, backgound, and good, I mean GOOD supporting sounds and melodies. It has good elements and ideas, but the overall great energetic effect gets tiresome as it progresses, in my opinion, and I love Filteria and old-school Pleiadians. It's as if this artist got inspired as Filteria did and made another one of those songs, but why not get Filteria to make an amazing track here than? This one lacks layers and substance. It's definitely one the weakest songs on the comp because it's really nothing more than a leading melody. There is no innovation. Some more work and time may have improved this song, by spicing it up with all that lacking in being great support. Again, this isn't bad. I expected more. Khetzal - Trancefuzion is still my favorite song on the album. So what if it's less mystical/pretty than general songs on the Corolle debut? This song has beauty. It has energy, rhythm, evolution....and enough change-up to revive my relationship and make it feel new and interesting again! Sounds of light and dark melodies/sounds come together in an elegant, energetic fusion. The samples are more mad/chaotic than anything I've ever heard before from this artist. I wasn't expecting something with more intensity. I really like this...just the ideas and melodies (ethnic melodies) taking place here. It's loaded with energy. This is IMO the strongest, most energetic song on this compilation.I love the sound and feel of these fast Goa melodies. The voice compliments them and not over or under used either. Good intro sound too. The combination of light and dark is gripping. K.O.B.'s Weight of Oblivion track is evocative and I enjoy it more than I initially did. I like the driving rhythm the cork screw melody has grown on me. The female sound stirs emotion. This is a very cool song to drive to at night time, cutting in between cars at high speeds on the highway. Just watach out for the cops. I got pulled over three times in the last 6 months and the next one I get my license suspended. I think I was listening to psytrance on at least 2/3 occasional. Tell the officer the music made you do it and see the look on his face. Afgin's Dimensional is the song here that most frusturates me everytime I hear it. What the heck happened in the second half of the song? These artists had the whole strong Goa melodies sound and feel going until after that first transition. When the beat returns the strong, sweet Goa ride and feel is replaced by very little else to carry the track another 3-4 minutes. The track drags. Things go stale, fast. This could have been awesome if they kept strong with those melodies as they do in the first third and developed, added more, more change up without losing sight of the Goa vibes, only stregthening it while including the transition, not having two where the second bleeds over into and in part seems to take over the song for the last several minutes. I feel like they ran out of ideas in the last third of this song. Bummer. It had some great parts. Ra's Gates Of Triphareth track is very different, interesting, and visual to me. Very distinct and old school sounding. Definitely a track for older-school fans. It actually sounds slightly out-of-place for the newer Goa sound on this album but I like that they put it here because its presence really ends this thing with a sneaky wink of pure Goa, if even it is more down-tempo/ambient or whatever. It is what it is and it's catchy too. But if the new album is comprised of slower like this throughout I'm jumping through the window. I really hope there are some really, seriously NEXT LEVEL, AMAZING, New-School GOATRANCE super songs on RA's upcoming album. It's been a long, LONG time. Gates Of Triphareth is a very interesting, artistic in a sense way to end the album. Nice one.

AEROSIS - PEYOTE QUOTA (SONG) 2007 Review All of the above comments are very connected and well described to the weakness on Peyota Quota. When listening to this as a teaser, the short version on Aerosis Myspace page I had a piece of the song to critique. With the entire version, which is a pretty good track in a style that really showcases the uniqueness of Aerosis, I understand what some people have explained, the general concensus above. On the plus side, this is a real Goa song. It's smooth and warm with layers of pretty, lush melodies. The fusion of sounds can be described as beautiful. There is also a sustained melody that works very well with the melody braids. The transition is pretty good and the overall song involves few added sounds/enhancements into the second half. This is a traveling song. It isn't attempting to explode like your typical psytrance track on the dance floor. The track continues it's smooth path thoughout. The transition adds a nice touch, gently separates things without going off course. There is a nice melody and alteration change up just after 6:00 and another around 6:33 which is good before the initial sustained harmony sound appears again around 7:00. All of this connects it together quite well. There is such a nice, juicy combination of melodies, the rhythm created is very pleasent, maybe even ethnic flavored. I love elements in this song, the fusion of melodies, the unique, original sound. The problem or argument is that at nearly 9:00 minutes long, Peyota Quota loses allure and depth because it doesn't evolve enough past the 6:58 mark. It lacks something which could end the song in a powerful, amazing(!) way. The track becomes dependent on the good melodies/sound it initially began with and simply continues it through the end with such little addiction you'd barely notice. There isn't enough variety and invention to push it into greatness by the end regardless that the overall sound they have going here is good or great. Hearing it multiple (6-10) times as an entire track, I too feel like the song is moving towards something it never reaches. A second version of this song which lifts off, ignites in the last fourth or so to an amazing build up into a smashing kingdom of sounds climax, a powerful rush of spirit and explosion into the next level while in climactic form could this song very powerful and memorable. I think with some technical insight and direction from certain aware psy/goa people associated, this song could be what many consider great as a whole. This original version is currently a good Goa-Trance song with much flavor, catchy melodies, and some feeling. I'd love to see this song reach heaven in the end, should the artist attempt this. I think a good point to build or begin the morph and evolution is soon after the skipping at aroun 6:58. This space from 6:58 to the end can be replaced with something stunning. The quick da-da-da melody from 8:06 to 8:30 is forgettable. I know these artists have spent alot of time and devotion into making this song. Part of them probably feels it's near complete with mastering and little more. In a sense they're right! And I think some attention and further insight in the last few minutes this sweet Goa-Trance song can be turned into their best one yet. In conclusion, Peyota Quota doesn't cop out with a cheap climax in the end, but something more satisfying after we've traveled with the song for six or so minutes could be very special, catchy and conclusive if the artists somehow managed to make it happen. Something climactic and stunning could compliment this song if done in an imaginative, clever way, while giving it a boost of energy for dancing or in making the track more powerful as it progresses. This is just an idea. There is something very peaceful and traveling about this song. It's good. In a sense, it feels complete. I like it and I'm open minded to hearing any further touch-ups or variations considering it's already won my attention. B Update: (May 26th, 2007) Listen to Djaningar on the Corolle album by Khetzal from 6:18 to forward. The tempo really changes and lifts up. The entire song becomes climactic but it doesn't sell out to some cheap club trance sound. It retains the Goa spirit, energy, and sounds. This final two or so minutes evolve into a great final which compliments everything I heard before it. The idea of a climax may not be original but neither is the idea of a pretty goatrance song, you know? You take an idea and get seriously imaginative and creative with it, if it works out. There are no rules. Experimenting and impressing others is fun. Set this beautiful water fountain on fire if you will...just don't take away its spirit or core beauty. I mean, have a beautiful, stunning ending that integrates into the song and takes control while complimenting everything that took place before. Bring it to the next level if possible, an ending that is gorgeous, intoxicating, and unforgettable. Peyota Quota! :drama:

THE INFINITY PROJECT - FEELING WEIRD 2005 TIP RECORDS Track list: 01. 06'56" Telepathy - B+ 02. 07'07" Hyperspaced - B+ / A- 03. 07'00" Freedom From The Flesh - A- / A 04. 05'32" Stimuli - A- 05. 06'04" Cybertropic - B+ 06. 06'31" Uforica - C+ 07. 04'44" Binary Neuronaut - B- 08. 06'27" Noises From The Darkness - B+ 09. 06'21" Feeling Very Weird - B / B+ 10. 07'35" Noises From The Darkness (DUB) - C Few things are more interesting in Goa-Trance than an album created by Simon Postford and Martin Freeland. There are some excellent songs on this album. I like the opening song Telepathy but I don't find it anything spectacular like some people seem to. The melody isn't as accentuated and layered but the goa vibes are very strong. Freedom From The Flesh is maybe the most awesome track I've ever heard by The Infinity Project. I've heard Hyperspaced many times. It's a really good song. Stimuli is another one I find excellenet. It has two parts basically. Both are wonderful and I love how the first half correlates with the more dreamy rhythms of the second. It's awesome. Cybertropic is also pretty cool but it isn't as dynamic. It doesn't change much as it progresses a compared to the others. The way they match and mix over melodies together is catchy but it sounds more basic, melody-wise, than most songs on the album. The problem is that the second half of the album is generally weaker than the first. Track 6, Uforica is somewhat plodding and uneventful, lacking in an engaging melody, hook, or rhythm. Track 7 is not bad but it's too short! And I get bored to tears while hearing the dub closing track 10. It's so slow and repetitive, picking up during the last few minutes saves it from being completely squashed in my opinion. In Conclusion, this is an interesting album. Part of me expected more from artists like Simon Postford and Martin Freeland. There are some really great tracks on this album. The Infinity Project was never really my style. There music is a little more complex and sophisticated. I never liked cared for the cpu/robot altered voices in tracks like Feeling Very Weird. I found it distracting and dorky to say the least. Nonetheless, some rhythms, melodies, and tracks here are great, excellent. They're exceptionally well done. I strongly feel this album is two or three great, excellent songs shy of a superb album. This has held up well since 1995 and it's unquestionably one of the top Goa-Trance albums from that year below the fantastic release of Twisted by Simon Postford. Best tracks: 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9. Favorite Tracks: 2, 3, 4, 8. B+ For those interested, I found this album, a bunch of copies on amazon for under 5 US Dollars(!) cheap and in good condition. See below! www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B000024MFA/ref=pd_bbs_olp_1/002-5002077-2181626?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1178230448&sr=8-1

Flying Cookie sounds interesting, more so towards the samples end, where it evolves, the transition. When I initially heard the Flying Cookie song I heard a higher pitched phone ringing in the backround at around 13.5 seconds. I thought it was the song but it was actually someone's cell phone. Unexpected random moments blended/mixed in with the melodies could compliment a track or two when one least expects it. Moon Fishing has melodies I currently like more than Flying Cookie. The combinitions of sustained melodies with goa ones are cool. The flute stands out. It's good. Seq-uoia is also catchy. Again with the melodies. I like it. Pandemonium! is very different from the artist previous work but the strong goa-influence remain, and in a different style which seems less traveling and just as danceable. Based on the samples some will like this and others won't. It is different however so it will be interesting to see the different reactions.

Okay, I have officially opened the first review thread for Penta - Pentafiles in the 2003 review section!!!! What about the little known Goa-Trance album that came out in 2006 called ALPHA CIRCUIT - MODULE-Z ??! Samples for ALPHA CIRCUIT here: http://www.saikosounds.com/english/display...ase.asp?id=6166

Slow, moody, quality chill album. Carbon Based LifeForms have a sound all their own. I can see how some will be drawn into this while others won't give patience. Many thoughts seem to be provoked here even though it's generally slower than my preferred downtempo or chill album. I've only heard the samples. Based on those this is good music to close your eyes and meditate too. Good backround music and music to get lost into. The fewer instruments and layers work well creating and projecting feelings here. Unfortunately it's unavailable! http://www.saikosounds.com/english/display...ase.asp?id=3438

S.U.N. PROJECT - SEXPERIMENTAL 2003 SPIRIT ZONE RECORDS Track list: 01. Don'T Talk To Me - C+ 02. Neurologic - C- 03. Looking For You - C 04. Lonely - C+ / B- 05. Sexperimental - B- / B 06. The Record Deal - C+ 07. Psychotic - C 08. Flip The Raps - C+ 09. Function - C Generally boring, lazy, and uninspired psytrance album with guitars. I got this album back in 2003 and thought this was worth writing an entire review on. Sun Project's best (or one of their best albums) is Macrophage. Sexperimental on the other hand removes most of the melodies that made previous efforts worth while. Goatrance influence? I see hardly any here save a melody or two. Initially I bought this album because Microphage the well reviewed was unavailable. I had an urge to get some type of psytrance album with guitars and the several samples I heard sounded decent. Sure enough, the opening track Don`t Talk To Me, starts things off with a kick, but it's more like a kickdrum with guitars than anything else. To be fair there are several decent and fairly good tracks. Tracks like Lonely have more character, sounds, and movement. It's decent, meaning okay I suppose. The self-titled track Sexperimental is pretty or fairly good, groovy, due to a nice melody and sound carried throughout. Flip The Raps is another song with a fairly catchy stand-out melody which comes and goes. It creates a mixture of what seems to be altered animal sounds, voices, and melody which sound unique and different from other songs on the album even if that melody sounds like something ripped out of house, club-trance. The final track Function slows things down a bit and adds a decent, tech-mid-tempo/chill groove, though fair at best. It really isn't that good a song but the slower speed makes it stand out. Unfortunately, even these songs are quite minimal and missing something. Energy, power, melodies, having more of a personality?! They'll likely not stay with you long after the album is done should you make it through that far. I've heard this and done and done before so much better by the same artists. Tracks like Neurologic and The Record-Deal are about as interesting as watching paint dry. These are just very repetitive, lackluster songs. Actually, the female voice sample "We want a record deal" *repeat* in The Record-Deal song is irritating. It sounds out-of-place and distracting from the music regardless of the concept of the song. This is too bad because the actual music isn't bad per say, but it isn't that good regardless. In conclusion, I can't recommend this album to others outside of those few hardcore S.U.N. Project fans. Sexperimental as an album is a rehash. The general song here is repetitive and lacking in having strong hook, a reason to come back and hear the song over and over again. This isn't the worst album out there but it is inferior to previous S.U.N. Project albums. I want to add that I'm a collector of quality; I own several hundred psytrance albums and if I were to compile a top 10 list of psytrance albums to sell this would be one of the first to go. Save your money for something great. This group can do and have done so much better. There is MUCH BETTER music out there! HIGHLIGHTS: SEXPERIMENTAL (the song, NOT the album, and it isn't anything to get excited about) C = 3/5 = 6/10.

Yes, intriguing, cool cover, great artwork. But it would have been cooler to see a male and a female at the distance it appears these two males(?) are. And arabesque's 30 sec samples are just too short.

I agree with that. And I'm surprised if anyone judges or critiques anything if they haven't heard it yet. For the record, keep an open mind everyone. I can't say good work or not. I'll comment after I've heard it. Interesting track list btw. Yes. I thought Lost Buddha was releasing a debut full of goatrance songs. Maybe this was the debut by the same artist. Either way it sounds interesting. Innovation, new idea's and actions can only take place through change. So you heard part of the album already? Can you elaborate? Let's get some good quality and sized samples or the entire album up soon so we can hear it!

Where are you people hearing samples from the new album? From the bottem of page 1 to the beginning of page 2 I can't find the transition post where a link to samples would have been... the parts where people want to hear samples from the comments on Dance of the Cosmic Serpent. (?) It would be really awesome if Cosmosis made an album packed with post 21st century, masterpieces, new-school goa/psy trance songs back-to-back. That would be stunning. I hope this new album is a significant improvement over his one. I own Cosmology, Synergy, (and the 4th one) Contact. The first two releases are exceptional A-List albums. I never found Intergalactic to order to date and I'll continue to check on and off over the months, years. Contact was alright. I liked the introduction. It had one great song titled Inner Space. I loved that main melody and the supporting melodies, sounds, textures. There was much feeling to it. Little else stood out to me. It had few memorable songs but it wasn't a bad album, just nothing great. 2005's Trancendance album I avoided buying but now I'm considering getting it. The general consensus from what I general read throughout the internet and here was very mixed. It released at a time when other goatrance artists were releasing new, full-on album disappointments to what their music used to be, even if it was a psytrance success relative to sales, mainstream, clubs, etc. I listened to the saikosounds samples on Trancendance. Tracks 4, 5, 6, 9 sound pretty good. Some tracks seem to retain some of those Goa/Cosmo-touches and vibes. I like the final chill track but I hate that Re-Order track which is a psy-cover song for New Order - Blue Monday??! (!!) That's about the last thing I feel like hearing on a psytrance album, let alone one by Cosmosis. Stick to making awesome, original, tunes please. The overall album seemed to lack the powerful, enigmatic, free-spirited, deep, melody/delicious, Goa/Psy-driven psytrance, layers, leading melodies, and story telling element(s) that made the first two albums so amazing and classic. I'm not saying to make Cosmology or Synergy part 2, those days are past obviously. I simply love the melodies and psychedelics, rhythms created in his earlier stuff and would love to see that (add atmosphere, innovation, layers, depth) translate over into something novel and awesome for out time now. With exception to several good songs, Trancendance sounds too simple and basic, too gentle and lacking in power and depth, layers, and songs that make you go WOW...Holy Shit!! This artist is so talented and has so much potential. Cosmosis never made a masterpiece album since his first two albums, in my opinion. Also, if this artist not release a comp of his best songs until he's finished making awesome songs unless it's specific to a comp of greatest old-school Cosmosis classics.

I'm impressed with the atmosphere-filled opening and beginning several minutes. It's excellent. This song based on the 3-4 minute (around) extract has a lush, smooth, melodic, modern, energetic, unique sound to it. It's refreshing to listen to. If this song continued in this exact melody formation and style however I'd be less engaged; I'd say this was something that began great and over stayed its welcome or failed at being more than a drawn out version of its great initial several minutes. I didn't hear the rest however so I don't know. I think an excellent, atmospheric transition could benefit in the middle somewhere ... the way the greatest goatrance masters like AP and Transwave did before bringing the music back with an overall sound more varied, different, updated ... so it doesn't get too repetiticious and lose its draw to dragging on for too long... even if you bring part of the song back in the end, make it more deep and blissful than ever. Add new sounds, melodies, and create and build/develop at least one amazing leading melody is an idea. Doing some experimental, playful things is a good idea too, just to see what you come up with, and as long as it doesn't ruin the beauty and meaning of this song which has potential to be awesome. Take you time. As others said, play around. Aim for making the thing better as it progresses, like having two or three acts is an idea even if the last act is an amazing version of the first. Key changes? With exception to a potential transition consider making the song more dynamic and filled with juice as it progresses until near explosion, and I don't mean climaxes either. I mean an amazing, Goa-Rush masterpiece.

MFG - The PROPHECY 1996 PHONOKOL RECORDS Track list: 01. 07'28" The Prophecy - B+ 02. 07'31" Magnetic Activity - A- 03. 07'21" Alternate Dimension - B+ 04. 09'17" Overload - B+ 05. 09'25" Illumination - A- 06. 07'32" New Horizon - B+ 07. 09'11" Hypnotised - B+ 08. 10'48" Shape The Future (Future Rmx) - B- / B 09. 07'39" Mystic Dawn - A- Many of us compared MFG to Astral Projection in the 90's. The general consensus was that AP was more talented, and that MFG with in their shadow like a sibling without as much an identify or inventiveness to distinguish them. That said, the artists had to get through the experiment of their debut in order to graduate and transcend IMO, so to speak. And for the record, I don't think this sounds copied from Astral Projection. Inspired? Yes. I notice some similar SOUNDING synths, NOT arrangements for instance. Emulated or copied though? No. Now days MFG sounds more classic and nostalgic than ever. Despite being the least strong of the first three albums IMO, this is one of the most solid debut albums-- just after Pleiadian's I.F.O., Cosmos's Cosmology, Hallucinogen's Twisted, Miranda's Phenomena, AP's Trust in Trance, and a small handful of others. Constructive Criticism: Weakest tracks IMO include Hypnotised. Also, Shape The Future is fairly uneventful until a beautiful sunrise tune arrives in the third act. I find Act 1 forgettable. Act 2 is better (as they often are), yet a main synth sounds tinny. Thankfully Act 3's key changes shift the song into something quite elegant (with feels), lovely, and blissful. Other issues regard parts of numerous otherwise great songs for me. For example, and you can agree or disagree- Alternate Dimension which often sounds great I find, meanders at times between sheer excellence, for lack of better words. I understand if we're talking the last 30 seconds to a minute where the track cools down, but the last several minutes of Alternate Dimension is almost entirely void of inventiveness, imagination, complexity or ingenuity where it should be soaring to infectious degrees. Thankfully and not withstanding Alternate Dimension-- the artists would vastly improve on overall direction, composition, sound/melody work, and structure/storytelling on future MFG albums. The Prophecy [album] has some shortcomings in that regard, but it's also ahead of its time in numerous ways too! Conclusion I think we appreciate old-school Goa now more now because that time has past. So anything good we savor with every second of every bite. Not even MFG makes music this good anymore. This is a very nostalgic album. To me there are tracks substantially better than than others and while fairly uneven at times, more of the album's good and/or great IMHO than not. It just doesn't do justice to how far they'd blossom when you take into account the two albums would proceed The Prophecy, thanks to New Kind of World and Project Genesis, the latter being my favourite album by them. Cool cover too! Not sure what happened with the Independent Day rip-off looking one for Project Genesis which is an incredible beat of an album otherwise. 2022 Update: This is still one of the most solid debut album's in the genre. Favourites: 2, 3, 5, 6, 9 B+

I got all excited to here something different after reading the opening post here. Guys, Aerosis, please upload the long again. There are many sides to insight and feedback. I can't give feedback and criticize it, the link is broken when I go here. http://www.thekandieman.com/bobby/Aerosis%...%5Bpromo%5D.mp3 I listened to the extract of Peyota Quota. I like what I've heard from this song so far very much. It has a very new-school sound or production influenced by the old-school sound.

Excellent. Now when abouts is this thing coming out??

HALLUCINOGEN - TWISTED TWISTED RECORDS 1995 Track list: 01. 06'41" LSD 02. 07'17" Orphic Trench 03. 10'17" Alpha Centauri 04. 07'30" Dark Magus 05. 09'59" Shamanix 06. 07'24" Snarling Black Mabel 07. 06'54" Fluoro Neuro Sponge 08. 08'06" Solstice Twisted is considered by many to be THE definitive Goa album. I would not go as far as to say that. This is one of the first Goa albums that brought the entire world of Electronica/PSY to new heights. Regardless of what you think or how you compartmentalize things, this album continues to stand invulnerable and untouchable as one of the most groundbreaking and influential albums and achievements in Psychedelic Goatrance music today. This is how you innovate. By experimenting. By taking risks! I'm convinced drugs played a major role here along with developed skills, talent, passion, imagination, knowledge, and awareness. Twisted is deep on multiple levels. The listener can enjoy the album in muliple ways. All are highly effective and so this is a rare wonder as to how the artist ever gained the insight into its making. Impressive is that much of the cutting on this album seems to have been done in analog. I presume Simon Postford had not initially imagined what a success this would be for generations to come. The true masterpieces seem to be the ones that never had any intent being masterpieces to begin with. This is because the artists were too invested and focused on their work to care. 1. L.S.D. to this day remains one of the most wonderful songs in Goa. The opening sound I find indescribable to date. People throughout the world have been affected by this sound in various ways. There are elements of such beauty, emotion, and innovation throughout this song. It's magical. Furthermore, it's wonderful to listen to. The entire trip is both mind-expanding and beautiful in more ways than one. A 2. Orphic Trench is much more charged and aggressive than the opening. This is a high octane, driving piece loaded with excellent sound alterations, melodies, acidlines, and rhythms. It's storming and badass. Yes badass would be slang, correct word. When the sound changes around 3:40 things get interesting. This is when the world begins to deepen and evolve. Imagine going deeper, further out into intriging zones unexplored, and exploring them. This is a very imaginative and climactic number. I love the skipping effect during the beginning and end. Such sound alterations compliment the intro/outro. A 3. Alpha Centauri is the next song that most impresses me after L.S.D. The previous gem was excellent and this has more feeling and build up. It's elegant! The melody work here is some of the best Simon Postford has ever done. It's outstanding. The song is superb. A 4. Dark Magus is the deep, dark, and groovy follow up. It becomes increasingly more impressive as it progresses with chiming, more industrialized sounds (catchy!) and melodies mixed into the kick. Although the leading melody that arrives somewhere in the middle is less involved and intricate than leads on previous tracks, it's excellent. There are less layers of sounds here, but the delivery of what is used is strikingly groovy. Few people have felt this track is like a bridge to the more elaborate, thought-provoking songs. This is its own complete song however. The sound and style generated is captivating. Similar in the dark/driving concept to a song Chi-A.D. would later make called Path Finder (although different and totally fresh), Dark Magnus is a storming, evolving ride throughout. A 5. Shamanix seems to be the love it-or-hate it track on the album. It's a radical change from every other song on this album, and probably different from anything you'll ever hear. This song is like a a living, crazy, dance arena built from chopped up sound waves taken from screaming souls in Hell. This song is loaded with melodies mixed in and attached together by high pitched screaming sounds. I love the 52 second introduction pieced together by cut off voices. It's very original, artistic, and catchy. This is a very intriguing piece for the first several minutes. While listening to this in my car sterio the sound began grating on my ears and nerves unfortunately. From around 2:57 to 3:02 is an example of the "too sharp for some sound systems" sound I'm referring to. This thing almost sounded as piercing as a whistle during few points, as if the volume was raised too high on the screaming sounds during mastering/production. Then I listened to this song from the beginning, on my headphones, and things seemed less sharp in the negative sense at times. I have a great BOSE system but for some reason that wasn't working well with this song at times. I really like the risk taking work throughout this thing. A beautiful leading melody enters the world at 6:48 and everything snakes around at high altitude, intensity, and speed. I think this is an impressive part. The song becomes so dense and twisted with sounds, it's over-the-top nuts! Another part I really like is at 7:32 when a fast, unique, blazing, and skipping melody carries through the more organic sounding madness. This is one of the rare songs I hated until I switched music systems where that irritating sound had less advantage to irritate me. At times it poked it's head out but just briefly before I could be bothered enough to care. Regardless, this track could have been better tweaked with some attention to certain matters. Love or hate the song as a whole, Shamanix is one of the most original songs out there. A 6. Snarling Black Mabel is another rough and aggressive, melodic song like Orphic Trench and Dark Magus. This one however is not as groovy and engaging as either. Initially I wondered why few people seem to include this in their favorites and now I know why. It's an interesting and good, maybe great song. There are some sweet, waving, distorted melodies and sounds over lapping the percussion and bass lines and I can't say anything sounds like this track, even for Simon's work. However when you compare it to others here it just isn't on that higher, mesmerizing level. A- 7. Fluoro Neuro Sponge is a return to excellent, infectious melody and sound creation. It isn't chaotic and twisted like some other songs here. This involves more of that wonderful, energetic punch and depth, engaging melodies, rhythms, sounds, and energy. This is one of the best songs on the second half of the album. A 8. Solstice is comprised of beauty and aggression in the sounds department. Although I enjoy the opening more if I had to compare, this piece seems very connected to it relative to its power to convey feelings through melodies. The moments where the beat escapes the melody are gripping. Solstice means the time when the planet is furthest away from the sun. It relates to change, different times, and events. People interested should check the meanings behind and within all of the songs here. This artist made more than an album. Take Alex Grays artwork for example. It's more than just artwork because there is so much to identify and explore. It's deep. A Relative to the final track - Twisted is one of the few Goa-Trance albums I know (actually I can't think of any others) that has a bonus track. While Solstice ends at around 8:00 minutes in, it continues until 17:40 long. A new track begins around 14:01... and it's interesting, an ambient/chill piece but so short. Part of me prefers he'd have put this as a track right after Solstice as opposed to making us sit in silence or jump forward nine minutes. But it's no big deal. Some will enjoy to relax, the state, until this appears. A peaceful closing or something else that also seems to be a peaceful closing... In conclusion, an artist can have the most state-of the-art equipment in the world, but if he or she is unaware how to use it, it's useless. How well the machine is used, and who both knowledgable and aware the machine helmer is makes the delivery entirely different. Not only did this artist know how to use his equipment. He used it better than virtually any artist at the time, creating infectious, alien sounds, rhythms, melodic structures, and various other soundscapes that create an unforgettable experience. Simon Postford did a plethora of experimentation to a successful delivery and degree not yet accomplished in Electronica at the time. No artist could dublicate his style for some time either for the most part. The programming here is superb. The sequencing, mixing, melodies, and other various innovative sound coordinations are some of the best I've ever listened to. The now dated production confirms its classic sound and authenticity. The imagination behind this album lifted up Electronica, Goa-Trance and the world of PSY to a whole new visionary level. It showed what can be achieved when an artist invests his aware spirit into an album. Nothing has or will replace this album. It can be re-released and re-mastered a thousand times. The spirit remains, unconditional and free. A decade later artists have tried to emulate and copy the raw, organic work of Twisted. Many have achieved results and failed to sound close let alone original in relation to this album. More commonly, various artists have been inspired by this album to create their own styles and albums. In that sense this debut has had quite an impact in the PSY world. It released in 1995 with songs allegedly made between 1992-1994...(!!). Speaking of the score, it's difficult for me to place numbered decimals for the A scores (i.e: 9.3, 9.4) because all of the tracks here are more or less great, excellen, and superb. Several I find more catchy, engaging, and memorable than others. We all seem to have our favorites of course. On a deeper level, certain melodies and other various sounds seem to be alive or rather conscious throughout this album. I have never said that about any album before or after hearing this one to date. Goa lovers should have this wonderful release in their collection. It's superb and includes some of the best songs ever produced in Electronica, PSY, and GOA, period. Favorites: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8. A Samples / Order http://www.saikosounds.com/english/display...ease.asp?id=165

First, you need to type PYRAMIDAL TRANCENDENCE in ALL CAPS unfortunately in the 2006 review search box here on psynews in order for this review thread to appear. I didn't realize how case sensitive the search engine was or I would have put it in regular letters when I started the thread like most other reviews. It's no wonder I couldn't find it for several searches until I did this. 1. SINE DIE - THE SHAMAN TRIP 2. ASTRANCER - DZOG CHEN 3. MINDSPHERE - MOLOCULAR RESTRICTIVE 4. TRAVMA - ZAMAN 5. ETHEREAL - STREAM OF LIFE 6. AURA - WALK ON EARTH 7. LOST BUDDHA - LOST IN PARADISE 8. INFINITE DIMENSIONS - FAR BEYOND THE STARS 9. AFGIN - TRIBUTE OF THE SUN My favorite track on the album is by Astrancer followed by Ethereal, Aura, Lost Buddha, and Sine Die, in that order to date. I love the leading melody in Aura's Walk on Earth song. It's near infectious to my ears. Another song with an excellent leading melody is in Sine Die's The Shaman. One of my biggest gripes is actually the cover because of the man on it. The whole concept, pyramid, backround, and colors is great!, but the male character blended in with the pyramid looks angry, irritated, or depressed. They should have replaced this uncomfortable looking male egyption with the yin-yang symbol for starters... or something cooler like a beautiful female egyption or a tiger! Now that would have hooked and looked better than the expression on this guys face below. I didn't want to write this in my opening review in the Pyramidal Trancendence review thread but I had felt this all along. Pyramidal Trancendence as a compilation was one great song away from achieving a great "B+" score from me. There were several great songs. Several were good. The last song was decent. And one (track 8) mixed the mainstream club sound with goatrance which was initially interesting until the mainstream sound won out in the end. This left the song lifeless to what goatrance and the genre of the compilation is supposed to be. In that sense I felt one track on the compilation was unquestionably disappointing but the positive prevented it from being bad as a whole. There were no bad songs on this album per say. I hope some of the same artists who produced the some of the best of the best songs here return for the next. It would probably not hurt for Metapsychic Records to put their top future releases on psyshop, saikosounds, etc...even if they hook their fans while gaining support/feedback as artists here.

TOI DOI - TECHNOLOGIC 2000 ]AVATOR RECORDS Track list: 01. Star Shoot Trippers 02. D'Eden Space 03. Replicant 04. Enfants Sacrés 05. Ze Cosmos Trips 06. Spiral Dive 07. Nuage D'Encens 08. Updays 09. D Liss I'd describe Technologic as post apocalyptic Psy-Trance. More specifically this is Dark Psy/Tech-Trance fused with some Goa melodies and industrial sounds. You can also call this dark Goa-Trance because the tracks and overall album seem to tell a story; it's dark and those melodies... With exception to few songs, this isn't as Goa-melody driven as much Goa is. Toi Doi's Technologic is filled with acid and crunchy sounds. There are a decent amount of melodies. Less repetition would have been more impressive. It's very monotonous at times. I don't like that. Fortunately several songs really deliver. The short introductions lead us into to the desolate, alien world. These songs aren't beautiful and lush. They're rough and unhappy. The interesting thing about this album is its relentless approach toward the dystopian world it creates. There's rarely a transition or moment to chill, relax, or drift. I wouldn't call this evil psytrance by a margin. It's more angry and chaotic, like storming through another planet with some very unhappy visitors. Unfortunately without any stand-out buildups, climaxes and few if any twists, turns, or surprises, something feels ghostly missing or empty to the overall package here. The tracks lack change up, the sounds in the first half occasionally set you up for the loop in the second half. In short, more work could have been done on certain tracks to make them less predictable as they progress. The path stays one direction relative to one song, and builds. 01. Star Shoot Trippers starts interesting. You just know that what you're about to hear and experience will not be happy. An eerie, scratchy, industrial sound lifts up and down as hi-hats, some atmosphere, and a repetitive melody arrive. A more acid sound plays a harsh tune like a supporting sound. This song builds to a tough vehicle with thick, rough, and aggressive sounds and some zippy, distorted melodies.melodies. The artists choice to place a certain slower, distorted melody in the front of viewers ears is unique but distracting to me compared to the more driving melodies. This effects places them further away. I like when that initial sound is removed at around 5:30. It lets the song ride. A small burst of energy like a gun shot is given just over the six minute mark. You either like this rough, twisting, psychedelic style or you don't. For me it gets too repetitive at times but the cool, rough melodies work to its advantage. The song takes time to get to where I feel more engaged. This is a solid song nonetheless, in a angry, rough style and sound thta is definitely novel albeit less attractive to my ears. It's interesting. B+ 02. D'Eden Space has more acid lines. It's long at over 10:00 too. This is more or less a Psy/Tech-trance number. The song generally becomes repetitive at the 3.00 to 4:00 minute mark until a new melody arrives around 4:18. I don't care for it; it's something new at least. Nevertheless, this so-so altered melody grows monotonous. Of course the listener should just relax and let the music take control but their style doesn't grab me. As with the opening, this song has an industrial-metal sound playing a role throughout. Maybe around the eighth minute is as involved as it gets. Again I don't care for the lead around 4:18 but it's nice to see its return because it makes the song feel more congruent and conclusive. I found the first song far catchier in comparison. C+ 03. Replicant is the first track to absolutely win my liking and attention. This sounds less angry and chaotic but more playful and fleshed out, with a wider range of elements and a cool leading melody taking place. The drum speeds up and is even removed for several seconds as a good groove develops. This is another driving song, less drawn out and definitely more gripping than the last. I like the skipping scratchy crunchy/static sound beginning at around 4:28 but for some time I wasn't so sure. I more so enjoy the new leading melody and following melodic moments and sounds that arrive soon after the static that sounds like a hot or live wire sparking. Sometimes I admire these elements more than I enjoy them. Overall I find Replicant more fun to listen to than previous tracks. There're more focus on the melody and Goa work than previous songs and this I like. The melodies and the radio communication samples are good. B+ 04. Enfants Sacrés has less noises going on. This is the first song that feels less fast and involved with what takes pace relative to what we've heard so far. It's pretty groovy which I like. A sustained metal/industrial sound appears. I suppose it can be described as a distorted aluminan can or zipper, twisting, rolling, moving up and down, *Repeat*. It takes place throughout much of the song and really stands out. This artists seems to really like introducing these slow rolling metal sounds that are often placed in the forefront of the song. They establish a certain metal tune and feel. I most enjoy the initialy bass sound that carries throughout the song and accents the music. Layer upon layer of percussion, few melodies isn't enough to really captivate but at around 6:08 some aggression takes place which is very cool. The slower, more groovy tech-trance sound and how this artist used his style here is actually good. It may not be the most eventful or impressive song but it's generally catchy, a fresh change and I like it. B 05. Ze Cosmos Trips starts out with a barely coherent, nasty, evil voice sample. A very crunchy sound appears. Again is a slow rising and falling, metal-industrial sound but this one is higher pitched...like a stream of wind traveling through a thin filter. This ambient/industrial sound repeats on a kickdrum and a bass-filled accented sound similar but different in style than the previous track. One or two other distorted melodies enter but they're not really leading as much as sounds to support everything else. The overall sound repeats and repeats. For me I need more. I need some kickass melodies, not just some weird squeeky, chirpy sounds around the kickdrum and bass line. I need something powerful to carry this thing. It just goes on and on. I mean listen to it! It's so repetitive! Some speed collects at around 4:45 when the beat changes up but we return to the same damn sound. A slow distorted melody in the second half seems rather dull. I don't care for this song. It's psychedelic, sure, and dry. Not fun or memorable to me. C 06. Spiral Dive actually has a standout melody or two. This song is like a breath of fresh air compared to the last on but oh the repetition... Returning is the concept of having some good melody work and a stand out melody or several. One is more sustained and nothing great in the first half. Another is more catchy, like a female opera singers voice. It's pretty good. Those initial two main melodies are removed and two new, more aggressive melodies play against each other and create somewhat of a hypnotic, psychedelic effect that I only notice when my head phones are on for some reason. A lower noted male hymn sound (like a bunch of buddha monks during prayer or creating a frequency of sound via their deep voices) returns. After that arrives a fresh leading melody which isn't so great. However the opera-esque melody returns as well. I like that. And another leading melody is introduced. And soon everything developed from before that had been removed for change up is fused. This sounds good or great from 7:16 to around 7:36 I feel, however short lived it is. This song has grown on me. It's a good with enough going on to keep me interested but damn that repetition sinks in at times. Nevertheless I wish some of the other tracks had more going on as Replicant and I suppose this one so far on the album. B 07. Nuage D'Encens is a return to the more melodic sound I prefer on this album. That Goa sound around at 1:10 is very effective. The echoed, altered female-esque voice chopped-up voice to create a melody significantly adds appeal and the HOOK here. Certain main elements and parts didn't hook me on several of the previous tracks while this one has a good set-up. Other melodies swirl in distorted, chaotic psychedelica. The main melody that arrives around 4:18 is great. It's like a powerful missile on a battlefield in the sense it owns the track. Bring on the atmosphere sounds, psy-sounds, and all else that supports it and you have a strong rhythm and flow. The beat changes/tempo changes up and a cool psy-tech trance approach takes place from around the 5:45 - 7:10 mark. I really like the distorted leading melody on this album played to the second leading melody combined. The song retains its attraction longer because of the stronger foundation it's built upon. The voice and leading melody stand out, they're catchy and so all of the other psy-sounds and whirling wind special fx don't seem as large, strange, and less effective due to over use. They're present to support a solid, fun rhythm and melody and in that sense the track is more effective for both dancing to and general listening while not dancing. While nothing superb this is one of the best tracks on the album. B+ 08. Updays is my favorite song on this album. It's also more Goa driven than anyone here I imagine. I love the climactic streaming melodies and rhythm created. Initially I didn't care for the repetitive, stand-out, grinding metal sound throughout the track. The metal sound doesn't seem to correlate, line-up, and be in sync with the beat at times. I don't know if the artist did this on purpose, to make the track feel more organic, less-linear. To me it came across as irritating and distracting after the third of fourth minute. Sometimes it seems to loop too early or late. My perspective changed the more I put my energy into the streaming melodies and then focused nothing. I simply was and let the music work wonders with my mind as I tend to do with most Goa tracks. One thing about the melodies is that they aren't as juicy, accentuated, and widely distributed as they could be when coming through the speakers. They sound fairly crammed, as if being pulled through a narrow space. And yet there's something excellent about the whole thing. And the rolling industrial sound too! This whole thing is unhinged like a screaming runaway train! It's loaded with energy, catchy sounds and Goa melodies. It's climactic from beginnning to end. I've managed to appreciate the industrial sound although at times I wish to tune it out because I enjoy the melodies so much. In a sense the rough, twisting metal sound compliments while also distracting from the sweet sound of those streaming goa melodies. My advice is that you raise the volume and listen to this one on very good head-phones. For this more technological goa-influenced style, it's a slamming track. - A- 09. D Liss is one of the least psychedelic, dark, and/or storming tracks on the album. I actually think this is one of the best but it's no super song like the last. New melodies are introduced and they're pretty good, increasing louder in sound as the song progresses. This is a more musical song and while nothing spectacular I think it's pretty good. - B In conclusion, I've heard and enjoy many other dark psy/goa albums over this, but there is some very creative and groovy, good work here. Initially I found this style too repetitive, regardless of the Goa-Influence. It's no wonder this artist went on to make techno or tech-trance after this. Nonetheless several songs on Technological appeal to my more involved, dynamic taste and preference. Tracks like Replicant and Updays followed by Nuage D'Encens win my attention and liking. These songs peek my curiousity as to how excellent this album would have been had it involved more excellent, involved, and layered, melody-driven, and dynamic songs on it. Technologic has its own original sound and style. It's innovative in some ways and for that I give it credit but being different won't always give you hugs and praise. Compared to other dark Goa-Trance like Tandu's Multimoods, MFG's Project Genesis, Cydonia's In Feat of A Red Planet, Sandman's Witchcraft this isn't at their level as a whole to me. The general repetition here is evident, as is the case with BotfB which took me years to appreciate, understand, and even then I need to be alone, in a certain mood. I realize dark Goa/Psy isn't really produced and marketed anymore and that's no reason for me to find this album better than it is. Some songs take minutes for me to perceive a catchy melody, rhythm, or develpment. Some songs feel distant to my ears, like it's difficult to get into them or at times. Part of this may be related to a twisting metal sound this artist often puts in the front sound of the song or their parts. I wish the tracks were generally less monotonous at times because there's some great, maybe superb work present. I'm not dependent on big buildups, climax, or tons of melodies, but I'm aware what you do with them. Distortions and alterations are aplenty in cruncy, twisted psy-sounds for those into them. Those who have a stronger liking toward tech-trance may appreciate this more because basically is that with Goa melodies and influence. In short, I prefer songs like Up Days, songs that have more melodies, build and development, than what TOI DOI generally offers when it comes to Dark Psy/Goa. This is one of those albums that, regardless of how much you like Goa or Dark Goa, I'd recommend giving listening to the samples even several times to see if it's for you. Favorite tracks: 3, 6, 7, 8, 9. B+ Samples/ordering: http://www.saikosounds.com/english/display...ease.asp?id=957

Hmmm. I really want to hear that song. Also placing Blue Effect after one of the best songs on the album wasn't the best idea IMO. I wonder why your track list is different from the one on his site, which goes.. 1. Black Light 2. Blue Effect 3. Book Of Eden 4. Hammerhead 5. Liquid Neon Sky 6. Transparent Sea 7. X-Isle 8. Zero Barrier And both of those track lists above are different from mine as well, although I never had the original album. The track list below is how I've always heard the album over the years. I greatly prefer one of the best, most beautiful tracks being placed in the end even if this isn't the correct order according to this artist. 1. BLACK LIGHT 2. BOOK OF EDEN 3. HAMMERHEAD 4. TRANSPARENT SEA 5. ZERO BARRIER 6. BLUE EFFECT 7. LIQUID NEON SKY Seraph had the same track list I've had too for all these years. I wonder why they decided to addthat X-Isle track after all this time unless we never got the original track list to begin with.

Omg, haha. Aren't you presumptious! Suntrip brings out the magical cake after all these years. You haven't even eaten your first piece yet and already you're asking for seconds! Wow. Mars this is the first time I ever heard anything from off this album. I was frozen, without thought and to think clearly after longing to hear this after so many years. It sounds excellent. This re-release is going to be so special to so many people. - The 1996 mastered version clearly has that old-school production sound. Naturally both are old-school. The melodies seem juicy and the beat and bassline seems less strong. The music is awesome and the production has that aged but organic, classic goatrance sound. Most Goa-Trancers love this sound. However it isn't up to todays production values. - The 2007 mastered version sounds more clear, crisp. It's as if to be in a higher quality. The melodies appear to have been left alone. They still have that tasty, juicy flavor. This is all positive as you'd probably expect from Tim Schuldt. And here is my question. Is the kickdrum a little too strong or turned up for its own good? I continuously alternated back-and-forth between both mastered versions and very slightly felt a little bit of my attention go into the kick more from the 2007 verson as opposed to the 1996. Just slightly. Naturally this remastering has made the production new-school while leaving the music old-school so to speak. Production back then was no where up to what it is today... I believe the overall sound is better. I wouldn't go making the kickdrum any harder or raised or accentuated though. Doing this any more will likely take energy and "feel" away from D5's lush, classic sound. For both remasted versions and times I think both sound great and I trust your judgement either way. Edit: One last thing. You can always make a double album with the old and new version and fit it into one thin plastic container the same way Jikkenteki did on his 2006 "The Long Walk Home" album. I don't believe it costs that much more a copy to pull this off when so many albums are produced, ordered. It could be fun to have and listen to the classic old and new version of the rarest, most sought after goatrance album of all time. After all it's mostly goatrance collecters and lovers of goatrance who will be buying this.

PENTA - PENTAFILES 2003 SPECTRAL CONCEPTS 1. Disqusting Creatures 2. Leave a Message 3. 1190 4. Collaboration 5. Neurotic Call 6. Time Warp 7. Lost in Space 8. Every Machine I am shocked. Why? Because this album is considered by many as one of the best DARK PSYTRANCE albums. There hasn't been a review thread for this album here. Surprisingly I can't find one on Isratrance either! But it IS now available after being unavailable for all you sexy people who never had a chance to get it years back. What makes this album so good for dark psytrance? Two reasons: 1.) It's GROOVY as shit. 2.) It has melodies and they're very catchy. There are more reasons of course. I mean this doesn't have a ton of melodies. I won't lie, but it is so not minimal. Compared to most of todays dark psytrance, Penta has invested the time to find strong and catchy voice samples, sound fx, atmosphere, ambient, industral/metal influence without ever entering guitars or rock, and melodies! It isn't just these elements but how they're integrated, mixed, delivered. Penta has done a terrific job in locating, combining, altering, distorting, mixing, and playing around these elements. This album is not a bunch of songs raped in psy-sounds like much of todays generic, noisey stuff. You have a wicked, building rhythm with additional layers of sounds and melodies, sometimes a strong leading melody. These things and more are added, subtracted, mixed up to great degree such as in track 2 for starters. There is lots going on here and it flows. It's catchy! Although I find the opening track, Disqusting Creatures a bit more repetitive than I prefer, a fast and cool deeper melody and especially voice sample make it memorable! It stands out. Besides the sweet focus on melodies and groove present, what goes a long way is the delectible sounds and oh.. the mixing. THE SOUNDS - Remember in X-Dreams Radio. You'd be misinformed to forget. Well that album had some really really cool, distorted sounds like a zipper being ripped up on a jacket? This sound was echoed and pierced across the beat like a tornado skimming the roof shillings off a house. I don't want to exaggerate but their are some very catchy and accentuated echoed sounds here that spice up add spice up the album and give it style. More of the sounds involve another strong element here so I'll touch upon that with... THE MIXING - The sound of a siren will fade into the growing thick atmosphere. A car crashes to the sound of lightning or thunder. In Neurotic Call for instance, a passing car in the night will be altered and cleverly utilized as a melody, slowly shifting from one speaker to another, and to the rhythm. The drum speeds up to these sounds as a glass is filled with what sounds like soda following the sound of fizz or carbon dioxide. Soon after the music like stops with two echoed clicks and a pop, (music continues and a little something else. I mean, these things are minor details that may register to you as uninteresting but to the dark, occasionally playful mixing and music they add to the great, fun style. A phone dialing the wrong number fuses to the dark tone of the menacing rhythms and strong atmosphere. This is great when you're hooked to the groove. You won't be looking for the little details because you'll likely be enjoying the music. You won't care and yet there's all these cool things. So much of todays dark psytrance seems empty, void of substance where Penta succeeds because of character even when the story lacks depth. I barely even touched on all those cool echoed, industrial sounds, many creating melodies! I prefer songs where many actions or details seem to take place within the same song. In conclusion, Pentafiles IS one of the best dark psytrance albums of all time. I have words that come after good such as great, than comes excellent/superb, and than amazing or groundbreaking. Overall I seriously believe this is a great album with moments of excellence. I think the reason why many people love, admire this debut is because it wasn't as accepted by the general mainstream. This isn't to say you can dance to it because you can! It had its own innovative style, spirit, and sound. I for one imagined him taking this warped, twisted sound to the next level. Penta ended up changing his style and sound. Some of his tracks became darker and better for the dancefloors and mainstream psy crowd but they lost some of their spirit, groove. A classic is something that people love, generally return to on their own, and speak highly of ten, twenty, thirty-plus years later. Penta's first album is considered by many to be a cult classic and even a classic [already] in dark psytrance because enough people believe it is. Maybe that's a bit much for the producer/artist here to swallow but it is what it is because people generally like this album who are into dark psytrance. Pentafiles stands out. It has character, power, and it's fucked up enough too, in a good, fun, twisted, way. In conclusion, if I were to comprise a top 10 best dark psytrance albums list, Penta would likely on it. This is an album packed with catchy, cleverly mixed and compiled sounds, melodies, and atmosphere. Emotions are provoked such as suspense, anger, drive, insanity, being abandoned, and sadness! In Lost and Space for instance the artist did a very good job making it feel like the spaceship broke down and we as the listeners identifying with the characters in the story are stuck on some desolate, isolated planet. This works due to a great combination of voice samples mixed with strong melodies and atmosphere. This track alone involves one of so many elements that make this album interesting, build character, and substance. Pentafiles is one of my favorite dark psytrance albums ever made. I personally find this his best, most unique and original album to date. It has its own sound. It puts "emotion, feeling, and crazy" first without making it difficult to dance to too. I find this more enjoyable for home listening, driving. This launched Penta's career. There is actually some thought involved here unlike most dark psytrance today. It isn't as gritty and chaotic as Toi Doi and Menis. It isn't Dark Goa-Trance like Tandu, Cydonia, Sandman's Witchcraft, BofFB, Darshan's Awakening, and MFG's Project Genesis for top starters. Pentafiles is one of the best post 21st century dark psytrance albums, period. 1. Disqusting Creatures - B+ 2. Leave a Message - B+ 3. 1190 - B+ 4. Collaboration - B 5. Neurotic Call - B+ 6. Time Warp - B 7. Lost in Space - B / B+ 8. Every Machine - B Tracks I favor: 1, 2, 4, 5, 7. B+ = Great!! Samples: http://www.psyshop.com/shop/CDs/scr/scr1cd003.html http://www.saikosounds.com/english/display...ase.asp?id=3344

Yes. plus we're fucking way cooler coz....we like, we just are! There'd be no new-school without old-school. The mainstream is trendy. It's hard to ignore because it's the general IN thing right now. But NOW always changes so it's nice to have a real established non-jaded art like er.. GOATRANCE!!!!!!!! Okay I'm done. I'd like to thank my mom, my dad, my sister, and.. just kiddin. By the way, we SHOULD do simplify things and have two lists. BEST TOP 5 COMPS are in one. BEST TOP 5 MAIN ALBUMS in another. We can have a third list for best downtempo album of the year since DOWNTEMPO is literally another genre outside of psytrance even if it's related and connected in a sense. Think about this. Some or all of it makes sense, in my opinion. ROCK ON!!!!!!!!

CHILDREN OF PARADISE - URBAN ALIEN 1999 Track list: 01. 08'36" Z's Y - C+ 02. 09'25" Alien Nation 2 - B 03. 10'32" New Cop - B- 04. 10'20" El Nino - B+ 05. 10'58" Bloodsuckers - B+ / A- 06. 07'15" Alien Nation 1 - B 07. 08'19" Fairy In The Dragonforest - B+ 08. 08'15" Concrete Canyon - B- I took this one out of the collect. I've been listening to it multiple times throughout the last several weeks relative to this date. I think C.O.P. is better than I initially thought when I last heard this oh, I don't know... back in 2000-2001. Nonetheless, some weaknesses remain and are just as evident as they were before. On the plus side I really like the industrial, almost post apocolyptic introductions. The tone is dark and generally atmospheric throughout and there's melodies. There are definitely some very well done songs here, although I find none superb there are no bad ones either. My problem is that some tracks, such as the first one, start good. After the first several minutes I literally hear and feel the repetition. I'm less engaged due to the general monotony present on this album. Some tracks really start off well but they accomplish all or most of their tricks and treats several minutes into the song. This leaves the rest of the track uneventful and if the track isn't great to begin with, (as most here clearly aren't to me even if they're all above average) it begins to drag and go downhill. In conclusion, this a pretty good album but the whole does not equal the sum of its parts. Several tracks employ the more repetitive, uneventful sound in this darker style that bore the shit out of me. On the other hand tracks like Bloodsuckers, Fairy of the Dragon Forest, and El Nino are on another level entirely. X-Dream's The Delta side project may be better but I came back to this one more over the years. It's worth checking out for fans of X-Dreams post Radio dark style. There may be a reason why no one reviewed this album since 2002. It isn't bad. Some of the melodies mixed in with gritty soundscapes, textures, and atmosphere is no doubt intriguing at times. The tracks are generally dependent on the concept that you will be captured several minutes into them; captured enough to excuse the many sounds that loop for much of the second half. For example I thought the opening started off very well but by the third or so minute I began losing interest fast as the song repeats. It just grows thin on the senses. Some people will disagree because of the always potential trance-state existent or their biasness to this being a rare side-project of X-Dream or whatever. But I listen to every track tentatively and in different states. I'm a good listener. This album has several great tracks for this style and dark Psy-Trance in general and others are very forgettable and weak. A masterpiece this album isn't but it sure has it's moments. Another observation is that while writing this I decided to attach samples. I listened to them although I recently heard the entire album and based on the samples this sounds really great, better than my review consensus. The thing is that after 5-7 minutes some of the tracks lose allure and intrigue because they weren't as strong to begin with. Playing around more with adding and subtracting layers could have improved this dramatically at times. It isn't minimal and there is greatness on it. Don't let my review fool you however. While RADIO and the first DELTA were stronger and more memorable, Children of Paradise is X-Dream all the way. Side Projects by X-Dream like The Delta I found to have several cool songs but it was generally lacking in melodies, hard, and repetitive. Urban Alien is a solid release because of several really great songs. It isn't anything spectacular or excellent as a whole but when you hear certain tracks assuming you like this style ... they're so damn good you may think this album is better than it is. Favorite tracks: 4, 5, 7. B Samples below: For some reason they cut off like 45 sec's into the sample. http://www.saikosounds.com/english/display_release.asp?id=51

Always thankful that you're willing to do this Moni. I too hope that this year is a far more interesting and anticipated one, and that the database gets bigger too, more votes! This is Suntrips second home. This site makes it friendly and possible for me and others to sample, post feedback, and review their next release. In the big picture of things Suntrip puts together and releases solid, exceptionally well done (more or less) albums back-to-back. Mars and Aneobis got the goatrance thing down and I don't know any other label to date currently releasing goa or psy that is working this consistently solid, regardless that many labels sell or market more albums. Most of their music is generic shit that DJ's will even forget about sooner or later. These Suntrip releases are memorable to date even if one or two Ka-Sol tracks on the Ka_Sol album were ugh. I didn't think Filteria would win it initially. Where were some of these people on the review thread who voted? Heliopolis was on my top two favorite albums of 2006. Some of those new songs were so energetic, layered, and catchy. It wasn't all climax while being the most energetic, super-sonic psytrance album of the year. Less reviews seemed to be present in the review thread for Filteria's Heliopolis relative to Sky Input. I just didn't get it. I remember the debut had massive anticipation, buzz, and reception here leading up to it's release and notification on this site. In retrospect the hype was real regardless what you thought because the samples were released earlier on. The album was a fucking tornado on a large scale in underground music and goa/psy trance. It was amazing how climactic and how many climaxes were in his first album.. Actually it was too much for many people so I think they didn't buy the second cause they had enough, haha. Okay, there were other reasons but the follow-up was really well done. The first was more impressive for what it was but also very one-dimentional in a sense. The second was more thoughtful and well paced without losing the spirit or Pleiadians style and touch developed into Filteria's new songs. I'm surprised the Electrypnose album was so far down the list. That was in a good amount of lists I remember. I thought it would be in the top 10 at least. 05. KoxBox - U-Turn 06. Vibrasphere - Archipelago 07. Carbon Based Lifeforms - World of Sleepers 08. Androcell - Efflorescence I don't remember those albums getting many reviews but many it's because I didn't care for them to begin with. I therefore wasn't as conscientious of them. Hmmm..

double post: delete