Rotwang

If I can be bothered I might vote for Laughing Buddha.

Vibraspirit 23 is probably my favourite comp, or perhaps Karmageddon which is what turned me onto darkpsy in a big way.

First psytrance track I heard was something off 1200 mics' first album, in a friend's dormitory in Oxford, in 2003 I think. My memory of the event is hazy, as was the room at the time (nudge nudge wink wink say no more).

Pretty much what I said: the cover has changed. Psyshop changes its images but leaves the URLs the same when that happens, but the old version can still be seen here. Though now that I look at it again, I think the old one is actually slightly worse.

It also deserves a repost because it's changed. To an uglier colour scheme.

I really like this one.

Indeed. One of the tracks is named after your avatar, too.

Short preview . I have high hopes for this: link

Really? I reckon they're the best three tracks on the album by far.

Sorry to hear that, hope it grows on you. I agree that it's mostly been done before, but seldom done so well IMO. I don't think you could really call those "underrated" - both have received a fair bit of publicity here on psynews. I'm surprised by this. I like Ukalen a lot, but I wouldn't say there's loads of variety between tracks - tbh if you played me an except at random I probably couldn't even tell you whether it were by Atriohm or Encephalopaticys. Perhaps I'm missing something.

I agree, but at the same time I don't think there's anything wrong with drawing people's attention to recent releases that they may have overlooked due to a complete absence of hype. This is especially true for a genre where CDs have a habit of going out of print within a year or two - it may take time to know whether something is a genuine classic, but by that time it's often too late to buy it (at least for a sensible price).

Also, my favourite album of 2009 so far is this: Not heard anyone else praising this album, though I expect it's too soon to know whether it's underrated or not.

Indeed. I've been taking every available opportunity to mention it, and I expect I'll be taking a load more. wat Where did you get that cool gif?

Did you know that the Chupa Chups logo was designed by Salvador Dalí? It's true!

(That says "M.M.C. - Worlds ID")

I do the same thing, though it's longer than 4 or 5 days for me - more like a few weeks. In my experience, if I buy more than one CD at the same time then I'll only be listening to one of them 6 months later.

@ Murphy: I listened to the YouTube vids you posted earlier, I thought they were pretty good. But... The second half of this really reminds me of something, can't remember what though. Anybody have any ideas?

Like it?

Elea - Stellar Connection (Space Tepee Music) Press Release: If you're anything like me, you probably think that "progressive" is a synonym for "dull". Why did I buy this, then? Well, whereas most progressive trance sounds cold and sterile, the progressive bits of Stellar Connection sound warm and organic. Even with the above borne in mind, it would be a mistake to dismiss this as simply another progressive CD - in fact the album covers a lot of territory, opening with some lush ethno-chill and gradually working its way to spacey old-school acid, and (almost) back again. Read on... Tracks (click titles for Saiko Sounds sample): 1) Elfic Mantra 9:23 As mentioned above, the album opens with some pretty straightforward chillout, albeit with a powerful bassline - think Life2, or maybe Spiral Empire if it were set on a tropical beach instead of in the vacuum of space. The most standout feature of this track is the vocals. Like many here I'm not usually a fan of vocals in trance, but these are actually really nice; breathy, hypnotic and mercifully incomprehensible, what with being written in Elfic language (it says here). 2) When the World was New 7:55 "Let me show you something that'll make you feel... young, as when the world was new." After a warm intro that sounds like the musical equivalent of a sunrise, this track largely revolves around a stomping bassline which demands to be played loud at an outdoor festival. It's also got some sweet melodies and long, drawn-out cadences. This is exactly what progressive trance should sound like. 3) Onyx 8:16 Onyx is built around an anxious-sounding repeated chord sequence of four chords. Apart from being liberally sprinkled with more samples from The Wrath of Khan, its most distinctive feature is the flute, both for the main melody and the great crescendo of trills which takes place during an extended break. 4) Selamat Pagi 7:19 Apparently, "Selamat Pagi" means "good morning" in Balinese. Although similar in ways to the preceding two tracks (in particular having the same tempo), the ethnic chanting and otherworldly noises give this track a more chilled-out, less dancefloor-friendly vibe. 5) Alderande 11:34 Another flute-heavy, atmospheric piece up next, and the Elfic vocals are back too, albeit sounding more forlorn than before. Despite being over eleven and a half minutes long, I tend to find that this track just sort of washes over me; it's pleasant, sure, but pretty forgettable compared to most of the CD. 6) Zion 7:18 And here we have the inevitable collection of samples from the Matrix films. Not the good one, mind, but the other two. Musically this is more progressive trance, less organic and more techy-sounding than what's come before, and repeatedly interrupted by snippets of sixth form pseudo philosophy. Not one of the better tracks in my opinion, but it's possible that I'm just prejudiced against it on account of the Matrix sequels being such steaming piles of cack. 7) Stellar Connection 6:12 Like Zion, the title track has fewer ethno-chill influences than earlier tracks, and has a more mechanical sound that's closer to most of the other progressive acts around. It still sounds better than most prog, but nonetheless fails to be one of the album's more memorable tracks. 8) Andromeda 9:34 This is awesome - a sprawling mass of complicated melodies, bleeps and acid lines, all held together by a funky bassline. My only minor criticism is that it goes on a bit longer than it should without introducing any new ideas towards the end, but given how good it sounds that's hardly a point against it. 9) Suns of Tatooine (Cell's Aeropulsar Remix) 8:48 Whereas had little hint of a recognisable time signature, Cell's remix of Suns of Tatooine is held together by a conventional four-on-the-floor beat, but there's still plenty going on to keep it interesting: loads of nice dubby effects, and the off-beat rhythms can still be heard around the half way mark. This is easily the best new chillout tune I've heard so far this year. Overall: Really, you should buy this. I can't imagine anyone who won't like it - progressive fans will like it, Goa fans will like it, chillout fans will like it, darkpsy fans will like it (or at least, I do), and your mum will like it. Because it's just great. 8.5/10 Favourite Tracks: 1, 2(!), 3, 8(!), 9(!!)

Yeah, I know it's going to be shit and all. Nice artwork though. Also, good cover and even better name:

Nope. Listened to lots of other stuff. I just don't think any of it is even half as good as Autechre. Autechre is two guys.

Third Drop Reflection - Realization (Electric Power Pole) Press Release: So what exactly is this? Hard to say. It has fullon-style basslines, but it's not fullon. It's every bit as melodically-driven as Goa trance, but it's not Goa trance - it doesn't have the same characteristic timbres or eastern-influenced modes. But whatever it is, what it does (and does well) is get your feet moving and your brain feeling good. It's full of morning-friendly, emotional peaks which it's really difficult not to enjoy. On the downside, this album has a tendency to overuse very harsh, almost hard trance sounds for its main melodies; they're present on almost every track. It's nice in small doses, but it becomes tiresome, even annoying, after a while. Tracks (click titles for Saiko Sounds sample): 1) Life 7:45 The opening track is dominated by a pounding bassline, while a sequence of pleasant if ultimately inconsequential melodies build up over the top. A decent enough track, but it doesn't really go anywhere; frustratingly, it spends a lot of time hinting at an imminent climax that never actually happens. 2) Locrian - Come the Dawn (TDR Remix) 8:54 After an atmospheric intro featuring some rather creepy children's singing, at around two minutes in we hear the first appearance of a slightly annoying main melody. Otherwise this is a very good tune, mainly because of some excellent and surprising developments in the final few minutes. 3) Ishta Grey 6:53 Ishta Grey opens with some nice ambient doodling before the track proper begins with a very cool major to minor key change and a lovely choral sample. Then a couple of minutes later the inevitable ear-stabbing main melody kicks in. It's pretty standard stuff from that point. 4) Morning Glory 7:42 Within seconds of the beginning of this track it has already become apparent that Morning Glory will be something of a highlight. And it is: the harsh sounds from previous tracks are still here, but whereas they usually stick out like a soar thumb, here they fit beautifully into a vast array of harmonies that keeps getting better and better. This is one of those rare pieces of music that makes one want to throw one's hands up in joy. 5) Droplicka 7:05 This starts out really well; the intro is haunting and atmospheric, and while the harsh main melody is still there it doesn't drown out everything else like it does on some tracks. The only downside is a bizarre and frankly pointless detour through "circus trance", but that's mercifully short before the good bit is resumed. 6) Tripsta Bee 7:37 Like Life this is mainly built around a thumping bassline, with a series of melodies and very little by way of harmony. Compared to the better tracks it's rather simplistic and repetitive, but it's enjoyable nonetheless. 7) Tripsta See 7:27 Apart from a relaxed intro involving a very nicely manipulated sample of a child talking this is more of the same, albeit one of the better tracks - it's more subtle and subdued than most of the album but it has lots of nice melodies which will get your brain dancing if not your feet. 8) Sin Eater 6:48 As the name suggests, Sin Eater sounds rather sinister compared to most other tracks. It starts out very well, with some nice choral samples and a darkish bassline, but when the main melody appears it pretty much overpowers everything else like the musical equivalent of way too much salt. 9) Taste of Colour 7:57 This opens with some nice darkpsy-style swooshing and a simple but effective pitch-bend melody, before any attempt at subtlety is thrown out the window once again and the main melodic line appears, which sounds like some kind of synthesized guitar. It's actually not half bad, though it gets repetitive after a while and the predictable key change doesn't help. 10) Erisian Fields 11:48 Now this is a real surprise - not only is it very different to the rest of the CD, it's also quite special in itself. The harsh, grating timbres that were used on every previous track are nowhere to be heard here, and instead we have something much softer and easier on the ear. This would not have sounded out of place on Braincell's first album, and if it had been there it would have been one of the best bits. It's every bit as epic as the twelve minute length suggests, but changes often enough that it never gets boring. Heck, there are almost as many ideas in this one track as there are in the entire rest of the album. Splendid. Overall:Third Drop Reflection has managed to develop a unique sound, and if you're looking for something that's both euphoric and psychedelic at the same time then you should probably give this a try, because I don't know of anyone else who's doing this kind of thing. However I fear that the overuse of harsh timbres will put many people off. I should also mention that the mastering on this CD sounds kind of wrong to me - the high end sounds seem overly loud compared to the basslines and percussion, which also sound kind of muffled; perhaps this is intentional but it doesn't really work. On the whole this is a good album, no doubt, but the occasional moments that are better than merely "good" hint that this artist has the potential to make a better one. 7.5/10 Favourite Tracks: 2, 4(!), 5, 7, 10(!)

1) Autechre 2) Autechre 3) Autechre 4) Autechre 5) Autechre 6) Autechre 7) Autechre 8) Autechre 9) Autechre 10) Autechre 11+) who cares?

Agreed. In fact the whole horror-sample movement (and especially its screaming-sample sub-movement) is lame as hell IMO. See also Horror Place's Hobyah for a load of good tracks ruined by shitty samples. +1. Also the "patience, understanding, love" bit in The Shen is cringeworthy. Regarding sample use generally, though, I generally think they're a good thing. Check out this for an example of how to use samples to good effect (and then check out the rest of the album). e. but for the absolute worst offender, I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Vegetal. For fuck's sake nobody wants to hear your fucking opinions.