Rotwang

BTW: +1 +1 +1 +0. I don't think that darkpsy and melody generally mix - or maybe they can, but it's real hard to pull off, and I can't think of many exceptions (though KDD's Shivaya Voda springs to mind). +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 I don't know what you mean. Do you have some examples to hand?

Thanks. I put it down to having no life.

Which statement?

Of course not. Nor is there anything wrong with me pointing out when your thoughts are at huge odds with the actual facts of the matter. Really? Sure seems like it was. How the hell do you expect me to take it when you describe darkpsy listeners as "scum"? You're welcome to have your own taste, but you could try and share it in a less insulting manner. How so? If your point was that Ticon and D-Nox have very little in common with psytrance then I agree with you (and since those artists sell way more than big-name darkpsy artists, I can't for the life of me see how you think this fact somehow supports your accusations that darkpsy is killing the scene). What do my pictures have to do with that?

Sorry, Nemo, I know you don't want this discussion to continue, but I can't let this stuff pass without comment. Way to miss the point. Darkpsy doesn't sell more. In fact if you actually look at psyshop's chart like Ormion suggested you'll find very little darkpsy. Quite how anybody can claim that a subgenre which makes up a tiny fraction of psytrance sales compared to, say, progressive is killing the scene is beyond me. Uh huh. Like that noob Goa Gil. I bet he never even heard of psytrance before 2006. What utter rubbish. I don't know much about the history of psytrance, but it's nonetheless obvious to my ears that darkpsy has evolved continuously from old psytrance. Listen to this, by old-school favourites Etnica, and try telling me that doesn't sound like darkpsy. Listen to this by The Nommos and try telling me that you can't see how that's a natural progression from old-school psytrance. And it works both ways too - lots of modern non-dark psytrance incorporates dark influences. You gave a good review to OOOD's Durka Durka recently - listen to the last 20 seconds of that and try telling me that doesn't sound like it could have come straight off a darkpsy track. Much of it sounds pretty damn psychedelic to me. Perhaps you just don't get it? Where do people get this idea that darkpsy is all morbid emo stuff? A few artists use horror samples and themes, but loads don't. What the hell does the average Nommos or Kindzadza or Alien Mental track have to do with corpses or emo? My experience of the darkpsy scene is that it has a lot more in common with how people describe the early days of psytrance than any other scene at the moment. Have you ever been to a darkpsy festival? Look at this photo I took last year: and compare it to this photo from a Poona beach party in 1994: Can you tell the difference? That's right - the first photo is full of shanti people partying to trance, and the second is full of shanti people partying to trance, some of whom have since undoubtedly turned into grumpy old gits who like to moan about how much better it was when shanti people used to party to trance, and how darkpsy killed that. Seriously, this darkpsy-bashing stuff is beyond old, and beyond lame. If you're pissed off because your rose-tinted specs are chafing, find a new scapegoat.

I agree. Actually BPE was the first psytrance album I bought, and at the time I thought it was brilliant. But their first two albums gradually overtook BPE in the race for my affection.

+1

http://www.trishula-records.com/trishcd016.htm Download infosheet Samples here Sounds pretty interesting.

I'll add a +1 to most of the above. Great review, great album. I'm much more a fan of darkpsy than other psytrance but this is still one of my favourite releases of 2008, its quality transcends genres. Favourite tracks: 1, 4, 5, 7, 8

I don't listen to BP Empire much anymore. But Dancing with Kadafi is more or less the track which got me into psytrance in the first place.

"Downtempo" covers both pretty well IMO. I know I'm only supposed to mention one track, but I really want to say Ghostfriend - Moist as well as my last one.

As it happens I use the exact same definition. The track I gave above definitely falls more into "ambient" than "chillout" but I figured that the OP intended a more inclusive definition.

My experience generally (all genres, not just psytrance) is that there are a lot of good albums with good covers, and a lot of good albums with bad covers, but very few bad albums with good covers. Can't think of any examples of the latter at the moment.

Biosphere - Hyperborea

I don't know much about dark ambient, but I nonetheless feel like I should mention Orbit Constructions - Androneda. Before Ormion does.

At the moment my favourite tracks of 2008 list probably goes something like this (click track names for samples): Devic vs Bodhisattva 13:20 - Magnetic Monopole Wi']['ch - Fractal Generator OOOD - Watchers in the Skies Claw vs Paranoize - Access Denied Phobosphere - Separate Reality Fractal Cowboys vs Freaks of Nature - Space Ark OOOD - Apollo, Son of Rifa Orbit Constructions - Eye of Vecna Blue Planet Corporation - Earth Simulator Vegetal - Fast Food Issues That'll do for now.

e: NM

This is great! I like it more than Free Range I think - it has a more raw, trancey sound. This is also great. Very aggressive and trippy with lots of nice detail. Not much variation between tracks, but that isn't a problem when it sounds this good. This is very confusing, but in a good way. Weird, weird music. It will take me a while before I can form a reliable opinion of it, but first impressions are good, and it sounds like it could be a real grower.

Indeed. Still, I try to mention it whenever the opportunity comes up. Are they? Loads of people seem to have raved about this in the reviews (and I'm grateful they did - I passed over it after a quick listen to the samples when it came out, but gave it another look after reading the reviews. And it is indeed quite special). A few additions from me: 2003 Dark Nebula - The 8th Sphere: Nobody except me seems to realise that this is one of the best albums ever made. Trold - Once Upon a Time....: I'm surprised there aren't more Trold fans here, given how many fans of melodic stuff there are. 2007 Alien Mental - Mind Hack: This really is very, very good. Khooman - Is a Flexible Liquid: This has everything that good psy-chill should have, without the ethno-clichés. 2008 V/A - Raindrops in the Forest: Has anybody else bought this?

It's done that to me twice. Both times I hit the back button on my browser and pressed the "update avatar" button again, and it worked.

Well on vinyl you can see the tracks, so that would have been something of a giveaway.

By the way, does anybody remember the significance of October the 27th here on psynews?

I'll be getting it for my housemate - I promised him a copy as a present for his 26th birthday. He turns 28 in a few months.