Scandinasia

What a lengendary album. Perfect from beginning to end. I have a special love for Apex and Summer Storm.

I agree 100%.

I see you, Party Droids.

Omnivox also made a song entitled Corona back in 2013 :

?

Projects : JoYfull NaTives & Ohm Mind Title : Maitreya Aum EP Format : EP Genre : Goa Trance Label : Ohm Vibrations Release date : 02/17/2021 Based on a true story... I still remember the events of that day as if it was yesterday. It was a beautiful summer morning and I had just taken place aboard the train. I leaned my back against the seat and in a moment of nostalgia, I took out my wallet and opened it. I always keep a picture of my daughter inside of my wallet. Since I divorced her mom, our relationships always had been... complicated, to say the least. But she was a big girl now, and she was getting married. I still couldn't believe that after two years of near silence, she sent me an invitation to the biggest day of her life. She was living in Philadelphia and I was living in Boston. Since my car was under repair, I had to take the train, so I had chosen to travel with this company, the Maitreya Aum express. It was a two-step journey with a stop in the middle. There was the Ohm version that would take me from Boston to New York, and the Joyfull version that would take me from New York to Philadelphia. No big deal. And the pilots were personal friends of mine. Three pilots were sharing the locomotive's cab : Jérémy Cambon, also known as Ohm Mind, who was a fine Belgian man with a taste for acid, and a lovely couple of Portuguese citizens, Joana Osório and Nelson Conceição, who used to play together in jazz clubs under the name JoYfull NaTives. These guys were professionals. I knew I could trust them. The train has started to move. Put in motion through a classical, yet very nice introduction that lasted for about 35 seconds, it started to move itself forward along the rail. I was finally going to see my daughter. The heavy train was heading pleasantly to New York city. As it moved, it produced a flavoured newschool vibration and I was getting pictures all over my head. As I moved my gaze towards the window to look at the landscape passing by, I could see colourful multi-layered music made more delightful by a carefully chosen throat-singing sample that was neither too cliché nor too loud. As we passed by 02:38, i started tapping my left foot in rhythm. I was in a good mood, and I loved these kind of nervous Goa vibrations. My pleasure was only dimmed a little by a strange synth melody that started at around 02:54 and that i remember thinking that it was odd. Anyway, it was now 03:33, and I was having a great time. At the thought of the upcoming wedding, I was feeling happy and younger. Everything was going to be OK. But then, at 04:27, I heard it again, but louder : the weird synth melody. An ominous vibration ran accross the train, and for about a minute, something felt wrong. The other passengers seemed to have felt it was well. It was at the moment that a voice arose : "Tickets please !". As I handed my ticket to the middle-aged train inspector, I couldn't prevent myself from asking if that shaking was normal. "Yes it is, Sir. Do not worry. It is just a psychedelic synth melody. Nothing unusual when it comes to Goa trance." I started to feel reassured, and as the track went on, the eerie feeling that had been dwelling in my stomach for a few minutes started to dissipate. It was now 07:00, and the song was blasting some good quality 604 with a sharp bassline. Little did I know that my earlier feeling was only the prelude to a tragedy that would be on first page of most newspapers on the day after. The track ended gently as it arrived to New York station. After a ten minutes stop, it was now time for the second part of the journey : Joyfull version. The distance between New York and Philadelphia was shorter, lasting only 7 minutes. It had started so well. The intro was a sharp pinched harp melody followed by a strong bassline that sounded like an enhanced version of the previous track. It was clearer, more encompassing. And then there was this awesome build-up that started at around 01:50. God damn, they don't make of lot of these these days ! The track was boucing, grooving, gaining speed and quickly ascending toward excellency. There was again that strange, eerie melody at around 02:09, but at that point I did not really care. I was taken by this fiery song into my own Filterian realm. The bassline was stomping, the melodies were kicking, there was power and beauty. I was totally enjoying it. Everyone in the wagon was getting dancy. Who could have guessed what would happen next ? Life is a strange thing. One day you are rich, and the next you are poor. One day you are happy, and the next you're not. It can take everything from you, and there's nothing you can do about it. Unless you have gone through this yourself, you have no idea how much your world can change in the span of the second. Oh, how I wish I had been there at 03:00 in the locomotive with my pilot friends. What would I not give to go back in time and be transported just next to them, even for a fraction of a moment, just enough time to scream : "No ! Don't don't this ! It's dangerous you fools !" Sometimes I see this in my dreams, before waking up drenched in sweat, screaming all alone, in the middle of the night. Do you remember that strange, bizarre melody at 04:27 on the previous track ? Well, Joyfull's version was about to cross this version of the mix. Their original intent was, I believe, to add even more craziness and energy to it. But they were going too fast, way too fast, and as the train approached that dangerous curve, everything changed within the blink of an eye. All I know is that at 03:05, I was having a Goa blast, and the next second, I had entered a nightmare as the train started veering aside. In that fatidic 03:06 second, the whole train derailed at full speed and went crashing down on the side. As tons of heavy metal rolled over my head, crashing against each other in a rain of broken glass shards, the collapsing train emitted a loud, horrible shriek that I will never be able to forget. It sounded like an insane 12 years boy attempting the chiptune remix of some heretic OST right from the circus stage of some forbidden B-rank 2-bit game. It was as if some disillusioned man was ironing their laundry and suddenly mistook their ironing board with their keyboard synth, melting the keys with the red hot iron. It was horrible. All had started so well. How did we come to this ? When I woke up, lying on the grass, 36 people had died and I had lost my legs. What had begun as a benign incident ended up as a tragic accident. Since then, I've been dedicating my life to warning artists about their use of synths. Do not let this happen to you and to your relatives. Some melodies can be dangerous. Bandcamp link : https://ohm-mind.bandcamp.com/album/maitreya-aum-ep SCAN !!! IN MY OFFICE ! NOW ! Yes, Mr Jameson ? I've read your last review. It's pure crap. But I, errr... Boy, people hardly read reviews these days. Do you really think that I'm gonna sell papers when your reviews are all about obscure releases that you, with your crazy brain, have turned into train-wreck fan fictions ? Are you a moron or something ? But Mr Jameson err... Don't waste your saliva on me boy. NOW GET OUT OF MY OFFICE WITH YOUR GOD DAMN REVIEW !! to be continued...

Hello. Has this been updated ?

Compilator : Mr. Vasta Title : The Rising of Kukulkan Format : Compilation Genre : Goa Trance Label : Timewarp Records Release date : 03/26/2021 This is me when I first stumbled upon this compil while browing the Timewarp bandamp : "Hmmmmm... Let's check that new compil with an awesome cover. So it reads : The Rising of Kuklu.... What ???" Then I realised it actually reads Kukulkan and I pretty much felt like this : So apparently, Kukulkan is just another name for the Feathered Serpent. Nothing to do with... sensitive issues. So, no, Timewarp Goa has nothing to do Nazis. Unless... it's part of the plan. A kind of subliminal message to influence our brain and prepare our weak minds for the next race war. After all, Timewarp is a South American based label. And do you know where Nazis escaped after losing WW2 ? Bingo ! South America. Coincidence ? Well, in order to check this out, I had to review this album. And this is what I found. Cactus Arising - Quick Draws is the first track of it all. It's a Greek project that has been active for quite a few years now. The track is pretty average. Not so bad, not so good. Big full-on bassline, bubbling acid, the usual melodies. You can do better than this. You can... rise ? Lectro Spektral Daze - More than 3 Dimensions Guys ! LSD is back. And he's in good shape ! Expect what you can expect from LSD : bouncing bassline, kaleidoscopic meldodies, progressive elegance with a bit of funk into it. Very good moment at 02:57, giving the impression of massive volumes shifting in space and folding into new kinds of dimensions, fitting with the track's title. I also like the subtle melody at 04:57 : it's light and powerful at the same time. Now, this is a track that he can be proud of, faithful to the Goa spirit yet creative and sounding like it's 2021. This is most nice. JIS - The Point of No Return I have a special love for JIS considering that Illusions of Reality is one of my favourite album ever. And this track is pretty much what you can expect from it : it's good, it's mellow, it's progressive. I also think that, as it's the case for most of his tracks, JIS relies too much on the classical Goa sound (you know, the kind of eastern feeling), because he's really better at exploring Fantasy sounds, crystalline melodies with a more 'western impression', just as in Blessed Unconsciousness for instance. It's a bit of a shame that he gives into the more classical approach when he really has a potential to explore new territories for which we are craving. Now, don't get me wrong, the track is good. But it's only good. JIS should attempt at making out-of-this-world tunes, he has it in himself. Unleash the Kraken bro. Make us wonder and dream. Please realize that you have a huge talent and that you can achieve masterpieces. Somnesia - Pyramidal Dimension Ah, Somnesia. The guy and I lived in the same tiny city for years but he never agreed to meet me, even though he played in the bar that's just under my grandma's flat. Hey Somnesia, are you afraid of meeting your fanbase's warm embrace ? Somnesia eluding his fanbase : As for the track itself, it's pretty good, but a little bland. As other reviewers have already pointed out, Somnesia's track suffer from a certain lack in power and creativity. The guys needs to add more muscle to his game. However, the melody at 08:11 is really sweet and interesting. It's the best part of the song. Proxeeus - Kukulkan Wow, the other tracks sound bland compared to this one. Really the hilight of this compil. Stomping bassline, multiple acid layers, euphoric hypnotic melodies, internal diversity, and a vague feeling of ominous-ness that's typical of Proxeeus' style. Again, this is what Goa Trance in 2021 should sound like. I think it's safe to say that Proxeeus is now one of the rising of the 3rd Goa generation alongside with Atlantis and Median Project. Clementz - Overcoming Fear This track is OK, but it's too formulaic, too predictable. Median Project - Behind Closed Doors As expected, a solid track with a lot of energy and melodies. There's this echoing sound at 01:44 that repeats itself a few times and that I like very much. However, Median Projects' songs tend to resemble one another too much IMHO, and I don't hear in them the kind of perfection you get when listening to Artifact303 (the project that's closest when it comes to the style). It's still a young project, so I believe that they have not yet reached full maturity, but when they will, it's gonna be something. Anyway, it's already way above average, so keep it up. Neogenia - Memory Modulator (Modulated mix) The track is built around a big bassline and the rest is pretty much filling up. However, there's a cool distorted melody at 04:38. Spectrum - Panic in El Marrow It's my first time listening to Spectrum. This song is Goa trance with Night Full-On influences. It is creative, the atmosphere is twisted and uncanny. But something feels amiss, because even though it's not too formulaic, it somehow feels bland. It's not a bad track, but there is room for progress. Ion Vader - S19 This is a guy who used to make some very funny and enjoyable Nitzhogoa songs. This time it's like a blend of Goa, Forest and Full-On. The intro is efficient. The bassline is not very original, but it's well made and reminds of Dohm. I really like the dark climax at 07:09. It's not a masterpiece, but it's quite enjoyable. The Rising of Kukulkan is a nice compilation that gathers some of the most interesting projects. These guys know how to make Goa, but they often stick to pre-defined Full-On and Goa formulas that prevents them from releasing the full potential of their imagination. However, the compil also displays how it's possible to renew the genre with tracks such as #2 (LSD) and #5 (Proxeeus). Median Project and JIS are creative but still a bit inclosed within the ordinary sound and shall aim at getting even more distinct, pushing their already unique style further away from what's already existing, and become more cosmic and dreamy. I feel like the others are behind. They all have good ideas, but the creative parts in the track only last for a few moments, while the rest of the sound is too predictable. They all make good Goa trance, they know how to do it. Now, you can be better than good and shoot for the stars. Also, this artwork is amazing. It looks fresh and adventurous. We need more of these. Keep it up. Bandcamp link : https://timewarprecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-rising-of-kukulkan-by-mr-vatsa-timewarp156-timewarp

Thanks for making us discover this new label. I hadn't hear about it. It seems they're all Israelis (wow, that's a whole new bunch of people, the future is bright). I'm less convinced than you by Quantum Dynamics' Apollo Feels which i find too formulaic. But i agree with your comment on Sykespico's song. I usually don't like their style, but this one tune is a very nice suprise. Laughing Skull's song is also massive. And yes, Event Horizon definitely has something. Rising new talent. They have several releases on Timewarp and Parallel 303. That's for future reviews. Also, the dude asks for feedbacks so it'd be good if he sees this thread.

Project : Dominant Space Title : Imagination Format : EP Genre : Full-on, Uplifting, Hard Trance Label : Otographic Music Release date : 03/29/2021 Otogragraphic is a Japanese label specialized in high quality Uplifiting and Hard Trance, so I was surprized to see that they issued a psy-oriented release. However, we shall notice that the Japanese EDM scene is very versatile and many projects can produce their music in all sorts of styles. So, let's talk about this EP. Dominant Space was formed in 2017 by progressive house artist Yuji Ono and DJ masa8. Their style is a blend of European uplifting trance, hard trance and psytrance. There are only two tracks in this EP : an original track, and its remix. Imagination is a song without an introduction. It's a direct full-on blast with a massive full-on bassline similar in style to the current-day Perfecto Records releases and other British-based labels. The psychedelic build-up leads to an enthralling Goa moment at 01:48 that is well appreciated. Then it becomes pure uplifting trance with an exciting and passionate atmopshere preceding a flow of acid loops. The track ends as abruptly as it starts, but it doesn't need an intro or outra. It's a powerful piece of trance that's convincing both on the psychedelic and uplifting side. It is very satisfying to listen to. Taishi's remix is more of a psy-influenced piece of hard trance. It is a bit slower and more progressive, and the track is noticeably shorter, but the special effects are heavy, being very raw and loud. Taishi's remix brings at the same time more brutality and subtlety to the track, by deepening the atmopshere and using screaming synths at the same time. The drop at 03:15 is absolutely insane and its like a tsunami of madness. This is exactly what i like about the Japanese EDM scene : they are very passionate and overflowing with energy that they push to the limits. (Early Jikooha is a good example of that.) That's the kind of daring spirit that we in Europe shall get inspired from, so the more that the Japanese are massively influenced by our own scene that they emulate at perfection, and in fact, they are often better at what we do than ourselves. It's a nice, well-made EP that'll fill you up with energy. Beatport link : https://www.beatport.com/release/imagination/3301077

Nice drawings guys. Keep them coming.

Projects : Ohm Mind & Proxeeus Title : Beyond Our Dreams Format : EP Label : Omh Vibrations Genre : Goa Trance Release date : 04/21/2021 Dear Lord, that cover art is ugly. It looks as cheap as a counterfeit EDM album printed in a obscure Chinese warehouse by fake producers. I mean, the guys just typed « forest » and « nebula background » on Google Pictures and mashed it together before stamping two pics of the Moon onto it like kids stamping stickers on a fridge. You've got to be damn sure of your musical content to not give a fig about your presentation. And oh my, the music does it. It makes you forget about their lazy taste in visual art. It just works. This EP is a collaboration between Jérémy Cambon aka Ohm Mind, from Brussels, Belgium, and Jérôme Lesterps aka Proxeeus, citizen of Orléans, France. They share the same taste for acidic Goa trance and have been in touch for quite a few years already. It is written on their Bandcamp page that this EP was conceived as a well-kept surprise. Now, what's inside the package ? Inside you will find three very groovy Goa songs that will make you happy. Alien Intelligence can be described as simple and efficient in design. The melodies, the intro, the climax are all very common, but they do the work. However, the bassline is terrific. It doesn't sound that different from your average neo goa sound, but there is a subtle difference that makes of it something special. It sounds more like a fat piece of techno noise rather than full-on or Goa. It is a heavy, heavy bassline that gives gravity to the whole song, and the melodic elements are more like salt and pepper. It's pumping relentlessly like some sort of heavy machine. I like it very much. Beyond Our Dreams has a nice acidic intro, and it also has a magical tech-ish, dirty bassline. There is not much to add to the commentary, since it greatly resembles the previous track, if not that they made more efforts on the melodies. There are nice distorted, twisted riffs and raw acidic effulgences that are all pretty nice and effective. Brainwashing is the hilight of this release. It's more full-on-ish, but also darker and more twisted. It succesfully creates a cyberpunk atmosphere that goes well with its track title. A cold bassline, sinister ambient layers, acidic modulations all depict a dark rusty place full of misery and digital dreams. It's like the feeling of being trapped in the depths of some hive city and paying a dubious guy to have some weird psycho memories implemented into your sick brain or something. I will not go as far as saying that this is a masterpiece, but it's the kind of track that make the genre evolve, or at least, still alive and kicking. As I said above, it's simple and elegant. The bassline is the very good point of Beyond Our Dreams, and Brainwashing stands out with its special cyberpunk atmosphere. Solid. As they say in France, c'est de la bonne. Now, you can have it for the price of your regular French pastry, and it's just as fat, so go buy it. Bandcamp link : https://ohm-mind.bandcamp.com/album/beyond-our-dreams-ep

There are some good ideas here and there (like the second half of B-Movie), but it is too bland and disorganized, and some melodies do not seem to work. Ankrosado seems to be looking for their own style and experimenting, and the whole album gives an unfinished impression. However, there's some good effort on creativity, as he tries not to copy paste existing formulas and to come up with something new. He also masters the basics of Goa trance. Indeed, the oldschool feeling is nicely emulated. The Moorish trail has some interesting folk atmospheres. I do not think that this album is a success, but Ankrosado deserves our attention. Maybe that he shall come up with a more precise artistic concept and focus on a more humble project like an EP instead of an album. So, don't let criticism be an obstacle and keep it up.

Project : Chi-A.D. Title : Arcadian Dream / Alpha Omega Format : Singles Label : A.D. Records Genre : Goa Trance, Morning Full-On Release date : 08/05/2020 (Arcadian Dream) ; 10/09/2020 (Alpha Omega) Human beings dream of landscapes : open fields, mountain ranges, unobstructed horizons giving way to our true nature. For countless millenia, mankind has lived in nature, until it crumbled under the very weight of responsibilities. Deprived of air and space and silence, we have forgotten that we mourn for new worlds devoid of technology. But burried deep within, the arcadian dream lives on. A few years ago, the sorely missed SF writer Terry Pratched came up with a series of books in which he imagined that mankind finds a way to escape to an infinity of parallel and unpopulated versions of planet Earth. Migrating to unsoiled versions of Asia and America, the settlers soon abandonned their former lifestyles to enjoy complete freedom in a seemingly unending space. What if it was given to us to get access to new lands and forget the shackles of time present ? It is hard to conceptualize such as answer, but it is not entirely impossible that this would be the kind of music that would play in my mind at such occurence. Chi-A.D. is Hannah Mai Young, formerly Dave Young, a veteran Goa trance champion who has left an indelible impression of the genre as one of its foremost and more audacious project. We haven't had news for about 12 years, since the release of Eyes of Gaia back in 2008. Alongside most 90's era projects, Chi-A.D. was at that time aiming at adapting their musical signature to the evolution of both the technology and the scene, which proves to be very challenging to every oldschool projects. Being a good oldschool project does not guarantee that you will be good at newschool, and vice versa, and indeed, Eyes of Gaia has been described as generally disappointing and "lacking something", even though Chi-A.D. has, contrary to countless oldschool Goa projects, stayed loyal to the original Goa sound, which is something to be saluted for. Nonetheless, let us point out that the scene has been a bit severe, and that it was a well-crafted album overall. More recently, they have started released fresh new singles under the newly created A.D. label. So, how does Chi-A.D. fare in 2021 ? Arcadian Dream is a surprising track in the sense that it is clearly Neo Goa, but not in the way we are used to, as it does not emulate the usual patterns. It is a very lovely, enthousiastic song full of high-octane, uplifting vibrations. It is made of uncompromisingly positive energy and blasting radiance, but is still imbued with typical Goa melodies. There is a good balance between the feeling of mystery and that of happiness, between creativity and tradition. Arcadian Dream is technically impeccable and makes you want to dance. Also, the intro is epic. Besides the quality, what makes me like it is that it somehow tries to re-create newschool on a completely new basis, borrowing from Hard Trance and Full-On to foster a sort of cinematographic feeling, which hints at new possibilities of making modern-day Goa trance. It is a solid good track, and Chi-A.D. is onto something with this. It displays good amounts of energy and creativity, making it a succesful experiment. In my humble opinion, this style is a good beginning for promising new releases. It may however needs some more depth, some more silence to aquire a more unique feeling that would make it unforgettable. I do not grade tracks anymore, so i would label this one as very nice and encouraging. We hope for a bright future of Chi-A.D., and it's good that this project is still around. I would however make a side remark : there is an orthographic discrepancy on the cover, which writes Archadian whith a H, which is little bit confusing. The label needs to be more careful with that kind of things, given than the very title writes Arcadian in another way. Now, Alpha Omega is a single that can be described as a fun and carefree piece of Full-On. Like Arcadian Dream, it is well-made, even though some interesting acid lines are almost inaudible, noticeably around 04:50. These acid motives would have made the song more enjoyable. Anyway, Alpha Omega is way better than most of the pseudo-full-on that is being produced these days, even though i enjoyed it less than Arcadian Dream as it is too generic. The style, as well as the rhythm, is good, but it lacks subtlety, and yes, it also lacks "something". It would not make sense to compare this with ancient releases, but similar tracks in the same style are good terms of comparison. This is Autobots by Marian Closca, released in 2015, one of the best full-on track of that year : I cannot explain why, but when i hear this, i feel twinkles in my stomach. It sounds like adventure and is full of conviction and innocence. For some reason, even though Alpha Omega is pretty good, it doesn't speak to my stomach. Yet another track, but this time it's some melodic Goa from Timewarp Records : It is not as good as the one above, and i think it is technically inferior to Alpha Omega, but its spirit is somehow brighter, as it automically makes me smile. As a conclusion, let us say that this series of singles are welcoming and refreshing surprises. They are rhythmical, energetic and creative and can be considered better than most modern-day progressive and full-on. When it comes to sructure, they are almost perfect, especially Arcadian Dream. A lot of full-on tracks are bland at times, and it's not the case here. On the other hand, Chi-A.D. seems to keep exploring for a new magical signature to make her newschool songs unique, and there seems to be a hint of that in Arcadian Dream, but not in Alpha Omega. Overall, i would say it is promising for the future. Buy Arcadian Dream : https://bandcamp.chi-ad.com/track/arcadian-dream Buy Alpha Omega : https://bandcamp.chi-ad.com/track/alpha-omega