DoktorG

Nervasystem Underground Culture Nervasystem – Underground Culture 7:54 Nervasystem – Perpendicular 7:50 Nervasystem With Virtuart & P2C – 3 Amigos 6:11 Nervasystem – Undercurrents 5:00 Nervasystem – Further 6:59 Nervasystem – ZipVelcro (BackTwoFront&InsideOut) 7:15 Nervasystem – Providence Of Fauna 6:20 Nervasystem With Process (2) – Discombobulator 7:29 Voodoo Voltage – VV777 2 x Vinyl, LP, Album, Limited Edition, Numbered UK Released: Jun 17, 2023 This is a difficult review to write. Why? Because I'm at a loss as to how to assess this album or what to say about it. Individual track commentary is almost redundant because the tracks are very similar to each other and none really stands out in any significant way. Nor is the aesthetic or style easily identifiable. Neither is it clearly good, nor obviously bad. I don't know how I feel about it either; I oscillate between thinking "faceless techno bollocks" and wanting to dance to some tracks. I'm not even sure whether this means that I should reassess my assessment criteria or undertake some other meta-cognitive revision. You see my quandary. What I can say is that the recording, mastering, and pressing is of good quality, though nothing exceptional. My copy had slightly dished vinyl and some surface noise towards the end of side 3 in "Zip Velcro", but otherwise was quiet and sounded well. The sleeve art is beautiful and is nicely printed on a very glossy gatefold sleeve. Generally this is a good quality production. I can also give a bit of background. Nervasystem is Mark Dressler from Brighton in England, a Goa veteran who produced some classic Goa tracks from the mid-90s onwards. I have the tracks that were pressed to vinyl and they are all really good, with the awesome track "Stardust" my personal favourite. Nervasystem also collaborated with Alexis Cousins as Nervasystem & Aether and produced 3 eps and an album on the obscure Elektrik Orgasm imprint and those are all also really good (though the mastering was somewhat on the bright side). There are a couple of defining features to these early 12" releases that are worth noting: from the start the beats were quite technoid and linear, though there could be breaky percussion, and indeed metallic percussion with great cymbal and hi-hat work was always prominent, with heavy 303 use. There was also a touch of industrial darkness in these releases, which were definitely not wave yer mitts in the air uplifting or positive. There was something grinding and hard about these tunes, tunes I grew to love. This tuff aspect has stayed constant throughout Nervasystem's by now storied career. Nervasystem's first album was only released on cd in 2002, 13 Amp Fusion, and is excellent. I don't know all the intervening albums so well, but 2013's Time Travel and 2016's Brainradio were also good. By this point Nervasystem had moved on from his earlier more Goa sound, creating even more technoish and linear tracks without much 303 use or percussive dynamism. Instead, they feature nice rhythm and subtle itchy twitchy noises and textures that are very or vaguely psychedelic. This latter is absolutely true of this latest album Underground Culture. This album is somewhere between trance and techno, with a linear rhythm section avoiding climaxes or build-ups and come-downs, zero galloping horse or machine gun one note bass, little by way of obvious melody, hardly any samples. This is anonymous music with little for the listener to latch onto, and that is its big strength and weakness. Anonymity. Due to this anonymous linearity the tracks do come off as sketchy, incomplete, not fully developed. I think that perhaps the most developed one is the last track "Discombobulator" with Sean Williams of Process (probably the best track on the album for me). So the album is danceable and most enjoyable, in an anonymous kind of way. I can try to sum up how I feel by saying that almost every track here seemed like it could carry on and develop further and would have been a great track if it had done so. In a word: unfinished. As you can no doubt tell, this has been a difficult review to write. I like this album, but it seems unfinished. It seems clear to me that Nervasystem can improve by taking more chances, being more experimental, embracing melody, and ensuring that tracks are fully developed. Maybe the next album will be a classic? ~*~

Thanks Mars. I see that Miranda's "Phenomenon" was highlighted at some point. These are all solid recommendations, though there are quite a few albums from the list that I personally would highlight in retrospect: Asia 2001 (most of them) Battle of the Future Buddhas "Twin Sharkfins" California Sunshine "Nasha" Cydonia "In Fear of a Red Planet" Deviant Electronics "Brainwashing is Child's Play" Dimension 5 "Transdimensional" Doof "Let's Turn On" & "It's About Time" Double Dragon "Continuum" Electric Universe "One Love" & "Stardiver" Elysium (all albums) Fractal Glider "Parasite" Galaxy Gal Sebbag & Gal Calmi "In Trance" Juno Reactor "Transmissions" Medicine Drum Orichalcum and the Deviant Ra "To Sirius" Reefer Decree "Sound Frames" Sandman "Witchcraft" Shiva Chandra "Spicy Moments" Sun Project "Drosophila" Transwave "Phototropic" UX "Ultimate Experience" Xenomorph "Cassandra's Nightmare" Of course, ymmv. I love it that back in those days there was not really much awareness or emphasis upon genre cubbyholes: there's old school Goa, techtrance, breaktrance, psydub, progressive trance, etc etc in this list. ~*~

Wow, Mark Petrick and Kristian Thinning with new work - oh happy day! There are no samples of the Xenomorph yet, but given how good the tracks that he contributed to recent compilations are, I have little doubt that the new ep is phenomenal. The sample tracks of this Vaporized album are just fantastic: old school heaven with Kristian's trademark slapping dynamic bass and acid. ~*~

I don't know this compilation, thanks for the heads up. I do like Prana for the dramatic sensibility and the percussion. Children's recommendations were mostly spot-on, but I complained at the time that he didn't bold Miranda's Phenomenon - in retrospect, I would say that most Goa fans would rate that album as a classic. ~*~

Does anybody remember Children's red bolded album recommendations in the early days? Those were not just red, they were gold to me at the time! Ever since seeing Tsuyoshi Suzuki at the new year's eve rave in Cape Town in 96 I had to have more of that wild alien music... 👽

As a tribute to the fallen; may they be at peace 🙏 https://www.discogs.com/release/74899-Atmos-Drums-Dont-Stop-Biorythm

I empathise with the discomfort of being forced to choose a side. No one should be forced or pressured into narrowing their sympathies (though I see no evidence of such coercion here). Nevertheless, I feel it is very important for us to understand that throughout human history art and creativity has attracted censorship of various sorts by those who see innovation as threatening and who are upset by the power of art to bring people together. Deviant artists must be controlled! I think of Shostakovich nervously smoking and fidgeting every night on the ground floor so that when Stalin's KGB came to take him away they would not take his family sleeping above. I think of attacks on the supposedly "red" and "communist" scriptwriters in McCarthyist America. There are so many other examples, it is hard to know where to stop. Unfortunately, this is true of trance culture too. Do not forget the UK's 1994 "Criminal Justice Bill" which attempted to outlaw any gatherings to "repetitive beats". The police have shut down many outdoor parties and "raves" in many different countries. Now trance culture is once again being attacked by those who are threatened by its dangerously sensual and decadent and free aspects (though they are superficially from the other side of the political spectrum). I wonder if they targeted it precisely because it is colourfully multicultural? Goa trance attempted to bring together east and west. I am sure you can see which "side" I am on. Along with my deep condolences for the many victims, I want to express my solidarity and support for music, art, creativity. I feel it is important that we never forget that there are those who will seek to turn the music off. We must not allow them to do that. We can use this dark hour to bring us together in a reaffirmation of beauty, inclusivity, and creativity. I believe that this is what our fellow dancers and dreamers who are no longer with us would want. Can we all agree that the drums don't stop? ~*~ PS - "Drums Don't Stop" is the title of a fabulous Atmos track...

There's dashcam footage of these terrorists looting bodies and rooting through bags: thieves as well as mass murderers, they hide their greed and jealousy behind resentment (for which, no doubt, many of them have good reason). Make no mistake this was a planned attack on music, just like at Bataclan in Paris not so many years ago, just like the Taliban burning guitars and drums and pianos as though a bunch of wood and wires is a threat. The self-styled pious, the self-declared righteous, the extremists, the fanatics, they all hate music because it gives joy to people without ideology. We should feel sorry for them in their silent hell. These extremists driven by hate can murder peaceful dancers, but they cannot stop music. THE DRUMS DON'T STOP!

Apparently the Israeli Defence Force are reporting over two hundred dead at the party - a massacre. This must be the darkest day in the history of trance music. Rip and condolences to all the survivors, family, and friends. 😭🙏 They will never stop the music!

Thanks Tsotsi. I probably should have mentioned "Human Control", which is for sure great, though in the past I preferred the first album for its infectious fun and spontaneity. I think this third album is the weakest so far, which is to say that it is still a solid work. I strongly agree that Triquetra is a talented act and I look forward to their future creations.

Haha hilarious! 😅 We know that the great Bernard Hermann, who composed so many wonderful film scores and was thoroughly immersed in the "western" symphonic tradition, was influenced by Holst and Berlioz, amongst others, especially in his work for Hitchcock. I don't immediately recognise the "Gamma Goblins" chords, but I'm almost willing to bet that they come from the symphonic and/or folk traditions. I personally am of the opinion that if you discover plagiarism it is best to say nothing as imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. For every finger we point, there are three others pointing back at us! 😉

What about Enya meets darkness? https://music.youtube.com/search?q=lustmord+karin+park+alter You won't like this if you are in the mood for upbeat music, but these glacial drones are like Dead Can Dance being crushed by tectonic plates colliding in slow motion, like Katie Melua drowning in molten lead, like the music of nature meets an impromptu blues church service, like Lustmord vs Karin Park...

Triquetra "Access Denied" 12" ep Suntrip Records 2023 Access Denied 12:32 Heliophobia 8:11 Out Of Reach (Alternate Mix) 6:55 The Reinartz twins return with a vinyl ep on Suntrip Records, a kind of accompaniment to their Myriad Vision album on the same label. I didn't find that album all good: I just don't think the Reinartz brothers are as good at the dark minimalist style as they are at old school acid Goa. Luckily this ep is in the latter style, so how did I find it? Access Denied The title track is excellent. Quite a long, epic track in truly old school acid Goa style; indeed, this reminds me of pre-1996 Goa in that the rhythms are quite straightforward and there isn't massive layering. The track uses the notion of access as the gateway to a new rhythm. The first half starts off with an "access granted" in the usual vocoded computer voice before the bass kicks in. The same conceit opens the doorway to the faster second half of the track, which goes in a more acidic and intense direction. So a clearly structured and signposted track that is fun and bouncy, reminding me of an old video game. The word I would use to describe this track is "kinetic". A- Heliphobia This is more straightforwardly psychedelic, building to a single melodic climax and then falling off from that. Starting off with a stomping beat and itchy noises, it evolves quickly via a stuttering bassline - wonderful bass, so different to the done to death single note bass characteristic of psytrance today, and for the last twenty plus years. Then gyrating synths create a swirling vortex and we are sucked in. This is a faster, darker, more psychedelic track than "Access Denied". B+ Out Of Reach (Alternate Mix) "Out of Reach" is a track from the second "Live" cd of the second Triquetra album Human Control. On Human Control the track is 13.44 minutes long and features angelic choirs and gently bubbling 303 - an epic outing indeed, suggesting precisely something very very far away and hence out of reach. The "Alternate Mix" offered here is much shorter, with wobbling bass and epic synths that interlace with gentle bubbles before the acid 303 melody kicks in. A frenetic and profoundly pleasing melody that lifts the track and couldn't have been done better in 1995. That is basically the highest praise that can be given. A So for me this is a more successful ep than the album. There were tracks on the album that just didn't suit the Reinartz style to my ears, but that is not the case here as we have only old school acid Goa tracks at which the twins are demonstrably good. A note on the mastering by Tim Schuldt: Super! Velvety sound is the result. Recommended. ~*~

One track to rule them all, one track to find them, one track to bring them all... 😅 But if we take the concept of "the best" seriously, is it too fanciful to imagine that most of the Goa heads would have experienced a transporting moment under the Anjuna stars and therefore a "stargate" track (like Etnica's "Astral Way") would be archetypal of that experience? Some might say this is too fanciful because what the Goa trip was all about was the long plateau of trance that was the all-night ritual and not really a peak moment. Or the third way, which is to say that there are too many best moments to count... 😉

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=G8I7neMUsRI It is a ridiculous question, but this is the way to the stars - from 5.25...

Triquetra Myriad Vision Intro 3:01 Waking Bliss 8:56 Dystopia 9:07 Escape From The Withered Temple 8:35 Astrophobia 7:01 Shadows 9:32 Cloud Gatherer 9:51 Metal Serpent 7:37 Myriad Vision 9:52 The twins Reinartz return with their third album on Suntrip, Myriad Vision. Darkness! This is apparent from the off with an ambient intro that could be an interlude on a doom/stoner metal album. Distorted guitar sounds wind in a dark ambience with spacescapes hulking in the background. From there we encounter a Triquetra we didn't know, or didn't quite know. This is quite a bit darker, less melodic, less acidic than their prior recordings, only gradually becoming Goan towards the end. One general comment: Triquetra have upped their production game and this is a good sounding record. Intro The intro with dissonant doom metal guitar echoing into the gloom announces the dark atmosphere of this album. A moody and intriguing introduction. Triquetra has left their acid Goa roots behind it seems. Waking Bliss It is a strange title for a restrained and dark track that is quite hypnotic and trancy and not full of blissful melodies. I like it, but this is more minimalist than their prior work. B Dystopia This track announces its heavy techno intentions from the outset with sweeping minor chords, becoming more and more acidic as it goes along. Lives up to its title, this one does. B Escape From The Withered Temple This charmingly named track has a really nice stumping beat and bass with more tribal and didge sounds than the prior tracks. Really good sound in this track, it can indeed suck you in to a temple in the jungle at night. Excellent drones in the background and nice percussion. A all the way for this track. Astrophobia What's with the names on this album? Astrophobia has heavy techno residue in its distorted bass and kick and stuttering eerie keys. One of the heavier tracks from the twins. B Shadows Shadows goes more Goa with propulsive bass and trippy warbles. Fluttering flute comes in later to delightful effect. I can't help it, I think Triquetra are better at these tracks than the heavier ones, though "Shadows" is a bit repetitive. A- Cloud Gatherer "Anticipated, exterminated" goes the sample in this track - another dystopian vibe. The track, however, later goes more Goa with some building pads and acid melodies - it ends up a bit more energetic and uplifting than most of the prior tracks. It reminds me a bit of Sandman or Green House Effect. Nice track with a beautiful ending. A- Metal Serpent This track is more traditional trance - ok, but a bit predictable. B Myriad Vision Probably the best track on the album for me, this is Goa all the way and has a beautiful epic lead melody that could play on all day and night. A+ Let me make it clear; for me Triquetra are one of the best things to happen in Goa trance in a long time. These guys channel the creative but atmospheric spirit of Goa like hardly anyone else today. Indeed, in terms of acid 303 frenzy, they are in a league of one. On this third album Triquetra challenges their audience with several dark and heavy tracks, before their love for Goa takes hold and the album ends on a classic Goa note. I personally think that Triquetra are better at the Goa stuff, but perhaps that is just me? For me, this album is a bit of a mixed bag. I salute the experiment, but I'm not sure it is fully successful. There is a clutch of good tracks here nevertheless: "Escape from the Withered Temple", "Shadows", "Cloud Gatherer", and "Myriad Vision" are all worth a listen or twelve. On a whim I put on Triquetra's first album Ecstatic Planet and was struck by the relative freshness of the more melodic and inspired tunes on this first album; I definitely preferred it, even if the production was not as slick. There's not a single track on this latest third album that compares with the epic "Gargantuan Tribes" from the first album to my ears. This does not mean that this third album is not good; it is just that here Triquetra embrace darkness. There's more - Triquetra have also released a vinyl 12" called Access Denied which I will review separately. ~*~

Good ep here from the one-off collaboration between Sandman and Chakra. "Magic Frequencies" has a Man With No Name bassline and then itchy little swirling melodies - a good, swirly track. "Whale" also features a Man With No Name bassline but goes more epic and features some choir pads and uplifting, climbing melodies as it builds towards a superb intense almost prog rock climax after the six minute mark with what is meant to be whale-song sounds. An outstanding moment in the history of Goa trance. What a pity these two fine artists didn't do more collaborations in the golden era because this is excellent. ~*~

S.U.N. Project "Crazy Stories" 12" ep vinyl Suntrip Records 2022 Crazy Stories (1996 Mix) 8:41 Space Dwarfs (1997 Mix) 8:49 Casio-Paya (1998 Mix) 8:14 Out Of My Brain (Acid Remix) 6:39 "Crazy Stories" was the first ep from German outfit S.U.N. Project, coming out on Spirit Zone in 1996. This first ep also featured the tracks "The Suburbs" and "Pink Bubbles", alongside the eponymous title track. In those days, up to and including their first album "Drosophila" which also came out on Spirit Zone the year later - 1997, S.U.N. Project were a Goa outfit. After this, they tended more towards psytrance and became well known for the relatively unusual use of guitars, often with a heavy metal flavour. "Crazy Stories" and "Drosophila" are both Goa classics and highly collectable. The problem with the "Crazy Stories" ep is that it was not very well recorded and/or mastered - heavy, booming bass and a lack of focus and clarity characterise the sound on this 12". In 2022 Suntrip Records re-release "Crazy Stories" on vinyl, remastered by the ubiquitous Tim Schuldt with different early S.U.N. Project tracks. According to Suntrip: "in 2021 Matthias discovered never before released versions of many of his tracks on old DAT tapes. This resulted in a digital only release on Classic Goa Trax. Because many people kept asking for a physical release of the best ones, we made this very old school looking and sounding vinyl! We took the 3 best ones and added 1 never before published track on top: the acid 303 version of Out of My Brain! Enjoy". Let us see how this ep performs. "Crazy Stories" An all out stone-cold classic in my opinion. From the epic washes of synth at the opening to the churning deep bassline and propulsive bass 303 to the ripping leads, this is hypnotic stuff. More importantly, this track really understands storytelling - a winding journey in set stanzas that builds to a storming climax. The sounds are quite simple, but they are sewn into a series of plateaus that really understand restraint and how that can lead to drama. A very, very well orchestrated track. Happily I can report that the remastering is great - the deep bass is retained but it is more defined and less of a mush than before. For me this is the best track on the ep and certainly one of the best tracks that S.U.N. Project did. A+ Space Dwarfs A more straightforward acidic track, which is nevertheless quite gonzo. It has a big and simple lead melody that goes into full acid frenzy after the 7 minute mark with shredding 303 that sounds remarkably guitarish. I didn't love this track at first listening but it has really grown on me and now I rate it. A- Casio-Paya This starts off with a stumping techno vibe that reminds me of X-Dream, even using some classic scratching X-Dream type sounds. Very nice tribal percussion comes to the fore after the 3.50 point and then we go into the heavy, ripping, shredding guitar-like leads that characterise this outfit. Good track. B Out Of My Brain Another acid stormer of a track, this time with guitars as well as 303. Intense! It could drive a dancefloor to frenzy, especially with the wailing guitar solo after 5 minutes. A love of metal is obvious in this track. Guitars don't always work in trance, but they do in this track, which is excellent all round. A S.U.N. Project were never going to win points with subtlety and intricacy. Rather like Green Nuns of the Revolution this is full on, in your face, intense Goa trance, with the emphasis upon INTENSE! For me this is a must-have ep because of its rarity, containing remixes not found elsewhere. Most importantly, the best track "Crazy Stories" appears here with better sound than the original. Indeed, the sound throughout is super and does not betray its age. "Drosophila" never came out on vinyl. Unsubtle hint to Suntrip records: please release it on vinyl! ~*~

Good point Technosomy. Black vinyl is sometimes recycled, but mostly not. Recycled vinyl does have a bad reputation as quite a bit of dirt, even labels, can be part of the melt and result in noise. However, whilst that used to be the case as recycling was often slipshod, done for economic reasons, that is less the case today where recycling is taken more seriously and is not just to press as cheaply as possible. These days some bands make a green point about recycled black vinyl - King Gizzard and Brian Eno, for instance. My copy of Brian Eno's "Foreverandevernomore" which boasts about the recycled vinyl is pristine and plays perfectly. Further, whilst coloured vinyl is less likely to be recycled, the dyes can be sonically troublesome, especially if several are mixed together as in the marbling, galaxy and starburst effects popular now. I love my coloured vinyls: most play fine and some are literally awesome to look at, but my ear is a bit different to my eyes. In my own collection of several thousand lps, I would say that black and clear vinyl is less likely to be noisy than coloured. So, as always, the devil is in the detail. What remains true is my statement that in audiophile circles, with which I have a 40 year acquaintance, black vinyl is regarded as king. I stand by my attempted support of Goa Constrictor; sure coloured vinyl can be pretty, but once you go black there's no going back... 😁

Don't be too frustrated Goa Constrictor; black vinyl invariably sounds better. Some theorise that it is the small amounts of carbon mixed into the pvc to make it black that lubricate the stylus as it travels through the groove, but as far as I know definitive scientific evidence is yet to be established. Nevertheless, it is consensus in audiophile circles that black vinyl generally sounds best and has the lowest noise floor. Of course there are many variables. The coloured pressings that are fashionable today do sometimes have collectibility factor, especially if the run of that colour is limited. Nevertheless, whilst they are often pretty to look at, they do tend to have slightly higher surface noise and other imperfections. I personally am in no hurry to get coloured vinyl pressings of "A Flock of Bleeps"; my black one sounds just great to me.

Thanks Draeke and Parasphere. This isn't my request - just one I received from Discogs. It is very frustrating to me as I know the track, just can't place it. I also thought of MWNN and Transwave, but then I thought Har El and California Sunshine - it is definitely an early track. I even searched for the sample "teach you to dance" on Psydb, but nothing. The crowd sounds seem to be in the track. Thanks again

Can anybody help identify this track? https://we.tl/t-hPVNlKtQPD

From the 1860s Wilhelm Bleek made a valiant attempt to transcribe the lifestyle and beliefs of the San people of Southern Africa, the so-called "bushmen", the oldest indigenous inhabitants of the cradle of humanity (according to current science at least). The Bleek and Lloyd archives are in a special collection at the University of Cape Town. According to these archives, the San believe that nature is female. That is right, the San believe that everything is female, including men. In their worldview, men are merely specially adjusted females, rather fragile and delicate creatures who need to be treated with kid gloves. I find it hilarious that so much contemporary science confirms intuitive traditional wisdoms, and this seems to be yet another case in point. PS - that "Into the Light" track is magnificent.

I have the Hallucinogen vinyl originals (which will be hard to improve on), but "The Mystery of the Yeti" is of course one of the psydub classics (alongside "Mystical Experiences") and has never appeared on vinyl before. Oh frabjous day! Awesome news! Let us hope the mastering engineer and pressing plant do us proud. ~*~

Thanks for sharing - Artha demonstrates his class again with this very good remix of the Hallucinogen classic. ~*~