DoktorG

Haha Tsotsi, you cracked me up with this classic line: "Goa is the best thing this bunch of self-assured incompetent primates have ever created". Nice one geezer! Great stuff from Global Sect again, this time on an Astral Projection kind of trip. Lovely dreamy cosmic vibes and production skills that show that the works of Astral Projection were studied in detail; Centavra Project present us with audiophile sound without harshness or screaming leads. The production is quite restrained in a tasteful way, but with plenty of detail and texture. The result is a very good sound with an impressive amount of detail on offer - a sonic scape with endless fractals hovering in multiple dimensions. Overall the feeling from the album is quite positive and ecstatic, very different from the drone trance of Katedra on the same label. There is no shying away from minor chords or psychedelia, but this is generally an uplifting album in a spacey kind of way. The space theme is consistent throughout and the melodies reflect that in having a floating or flying quality. Let us not forget that the 90s that birthed light-hearted Goa trance was a decade rife with environmental devastation, plague, war, nationalism, authoritarian tyranny, paranoia, media frenzy, and conspiracy theory. Could it be that such appalling contexts create a powerful need for escape and transcendence. This can lead to a sense of transhuman, transcorporeal, intergalactic belonging. This is what we have seen over and over in our often baleful history. As James Joyce had Stephen Dedalus say in Ulysses, "history is the nightmare from which I am trying to awake". Welcome Centavra Project to the pantheon of Goa trance! This album deserves to be ranked alongside Artifact 303's Back to Space as a worthy inheritor of the Astral Projection sound. Congratulations to all the artists involved! ~*~

Various – Suntrip Classix Vol. 1 - Titan Suntrip Records – SUNCDLP04 Country:Belgium Released:Oct 1, 2022 Tracklist A1 Psylent Buddhi – Moksha Written-By, Producer – Kasper Weensgaard 11:49 A2 Triquetra – Forget About The Earth Written-By, Producer – Elric Reinartz, Jurian Reinart 7:01 B1 Ra – Crossing Planet Written-By, Producer – Christer Borge-Lunde, Lars W. Lind 11:09 B2 Clementz – Spirit Dance Written-By, Producer – Hans Henrik Clementz 6:14 C1 Shakta – It Was Not Human Written-By, Producer – Seb Taylor 7:38 C2 Celestial Intelligence – Celestial Beings Written-By, Producer – Branislav Dimkovski, Dalibor Anastasovski 8:55 D1 Goasia – Love & Peace Written-By, Producer – Balint Tihamer, Vladislav Radulovic 8:16 D2 Mindsphere – Tears Of Goddess Written-By, Producer – Ali Akgun 8:10 A1 Psylent Buddhi – Moksha Quite an intense and busy track with very good production values - sounds stunning on vinyl with pan-potted sounds flying around the room. There is a super rhythmic sensibility in this track and it builds and builds. Decent track that does not stay static for long and has good story telling structure but feels a little short and could have more melodic interest. A2 Triquetra – Forget About The Earth I love Triquetra's old school acid and fun sensibility; very retro and reminds us not to take our genre too siriously. Kinda Eat Static outlook. This track is typical of their style and features an acid bass 303 that sounds very reminiscent of Josh Wink's classic "Higher State of Consciousness" from 1995. Fun, bouncy, silly, delightful, what is not to like? I don't like this track so much when I'm grumpy - it is a bit too repetitive and simplistic in its "aving it" rave attitude, but could kick up some dust on the dancefloors. Not my favourite Triquetra track, but fun all the same. B1 Ra – Crossing Planet Ra is one of my favourite Goa artists and I freely admit that I am not very objective about his work; I love it all! Is there a more floaty artist than Ra, better able to summon up transcendental Kailash feelings? Maybe Martin Cooper aka Asia 2001 (rip )? This track does not deviate from Ra's transcendental vibe and does not disappoint this listener. I read some nit-pickers going on about how Ra's high hats are too linear - pffft! Forget about the nay-sayers, this is pure luxury in aural form. Those delicate psy synths and minor key Eastern melodies - delicious! A 9/10 track for me - I'm only subtracting a point because it stopped when I wanted it to carry on forever. B2 Clementz – Spirit Dance Clementz comes with another floating, bubbling track with uplifting vibe courtesy of Hindu-style vocals. This track has an hypnotic simple bassline that I really like and overall the synth work is super with fairy tale melodies and a gentle feeling. Very, very nice. My only criticism is that it is rather short and could have been further developed. 8 out of 10 from this listener. C1 Shakta – It Was Not Human Shakta breaks the gentle upliftment with his signature breakbeats. Slam dunk da funk - Shakta is another one of my all time favourite artists and he brings the acid funk here full of rattling percussion, gurning attitude, and alien gonzo whackiness. Predictably good stuff, I love it that Shakta has not changed his style at all; this track could easily be from Silicon Trip. C2 Celestial Intelligence – Celestial Beings We return to gentler vibes with Celestial Intelligence and this track meanders along pleasingly, but lacks distinction and memorability. D1 Goasia – Love & Peace Goasia's "Love & Peace" is a bit tougher and features some big ascending arpeggios that uplift us beyond the head-nodding stomping rhythm. Good stuff. D2 Mindsphere – Tears Of Goddess Suntrip saved the best for last - a stunning track from Mindsphere closes out the compilation. "Tears of Goddess" walks the proverbial Razor's Edge between driving rhythm, acidic heaviness and fragile beauty. Spiritual bliss - excellent work. So is this compilation of "Goa Classix" Titanic, or does it sink? Well, needless to say, it hardly ends up at the bottom of the ocean in a hubristic disaster. Nevertheless, for me it is not as successful as the excellent Gamma Draconis because it doesn't have as many great tracks on it. Ra and Mindsphere bring the magic here; Shakta, Clementz and Goasia are good; the other tracks are not quite in the same league. I also have a question about the flow of the album; I'm not sure that the acidic Triquetra and Shakta tracks fit in amongst the more ethereal tracks of the rest of the album, not that I think that a compilation has to be uniform at all. Nevertheless, a worthy compilation that is highly enjoyable and sounds fabulous on vinyl - Tim Schuldt's masterful mastering is as reliable as ever. Chalk up another success to the ever-reliable Suntrip Records. ~*~

Astral Projection Let There Be Light (12", 33 ⅓ RPM, EP) SUNCDEP02 Tracks: Filteria–Filtertraces (Astral Projection Remix)10:08 Astral Projection–Let There Be Light (Filteria Remix)8:55 Astral Projection–Enlightened Evolution (Morphic Resonance Remix)10:21 Astral Projection–Another World (2017 Remix)9:21 I'm reviewing the vinyl 12" edition of this fine ep. Really excellent sound on this 12" courtesy of the masterful mastering of Tim Schuldt. A good quality pressing. Filteria–Filtertraces (Astral Projection Remix)10:08 Astral Projection's remix of Filteria's "Filtertraces" sounds so classically AP that Filteria seems neither here nor there - a very sweet epic track that hovers on the edge of the saccharine towards the end, but in the right mood is a bomb. The masters of melody do not fail to deliver. Astral Projection–Let There Be Light (Filteria Remix)8:55 Filteria returns the favour with a remix of "Let There be Light": this is altogether tougher and faster with the bigger bass of nu skool Goa. The lead melody is perhaps a bit forward in the mix, making it strident - this spoils part of this remix, which I can't fully rate. Astral Projection–Enlightened Evolution (Morphic Resonance Remix)10:21 The Morphic Resonance remix of AP's "Enlightened Evolution" doesn't have shrill leads or cheesy modulations, but it can't really be said to add much, if anything, to the original, which I prefer. Two not such great remixes from the nu skool guys then. I notice that neither of them has the perfect sound that Astral manage; their production is just not as subtle. Astral Projection–Another World (2017 Remix)9:21 Then it is the turn of Astral to remix their own track "Another World" from the album of that name. Ahhh, sweet bliss. This is almost indescribably awesome: pure spirituality in aural form. I felt my body dissolving into a sea of pulsating pixels to this track. For me "Dancing Galaxy" and "Another World" are their best albums, and that this track seems to attain another level of beauty in this remix seems miraculous to me. Wow! I'm afraid I have no choice but to conclude that the old school masters showed these Johnny-come-latelies a thing or two. I am not suggesting at all that Filteria and Morphic Resonance are less than very good, but I am suggesting that Astral Projection's production values are on another level of mind-bending subtlety. Two great remixes from Astral Projection, the other two are not as memorable. ~*~

Here is what I wrote on Discogs. Maybe I should revise my review and post it in the reviews section? Doctorg Jul 23, 2021 referencing Let There Be Light (12", 33 ⅓ RPM, EP) SUNCDEP02 Really excellent sound on this 12". Good mastering and pressing. Astral Projection's remix of Filteria's "Filtertraces" sounds so classically AP that Filteria seems neither here nor there - a very sweet epic track that hovers on the edge of the saccharine towards the end, but in the right mood is a bomb. The masters of melody do not fail to deliver. Filteria returns the favour with a remix of "Let There be Light": this is altogether tougher and faster with the bigger bass of nu skool Goa. The lead melody is perhaps a bit forward in the mix, making it strident - this spoils part of this remix, which I can't fully rate. The Morphic Resonance remix of AP's "Enlightened Evolution" doesn't have shrill leads or cheesy modulations, but it can't really be said to add much, if anything, to the original, which I prefer. Two not such great remixes from the nu skool guys. I notice that neither of them has the perfect sound that Astral manage; their production is just not as subtle. Then it is the turn of Astral to remix their own track "Another World" from the album of that name. Ahhh, sweet bliss. This is almost indescribably awesome: pure spirituality in aural form. I felt my body dissolving into a sea of pulsating pixels to this track. For me "Dancing Galaxy" and "Another World" are their best albums, and that this track seems to attain another level of beauty in this remix seems miraculous to me. Wow! I'm afraid I have no choice but to conclude that the old school masters showed these Johnny come latelies a thing or two. Two great remixes from AP, forget about the other two. ~*~

I can't speak for Kali Earth, but this is what is on their page: oCeLoT - Sliced Soup [The Dust Album] XxX x VINYL Prints Record/Vinyl + Digital Album More info coming soon as soon as it is clear Includes unlimited streaming of Sliced Soup [The Dust Album] via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more. ships out within 30 days Buy Record/Vinyl €300 EUR or more This is on Discogs about this album: Artwork – Erland Yildiz, Ida*, Due* Compiled By [Track Arrangement] – psytones Mastered By [Levelling Mastering] – Dr. Spook Written-By, Producer, Mastered By [Original Mastering] – Aaron Peacock Notes Ocelot's unreleased material with production years ranging from 1997 til 2007; made into 1 album-ride by 'psytones' who used about 2 years in all shapes & forms with short and long breaks to truly complete the track arrangement. ---Production years: 1997/98/99: Tracks 24, 25 2000: Track 1, 30 2001: Track 29 2002: Tracks 3, 8, 20, 21, 23 2003: Tracks 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 14, 2004: Tracks 15, 16, 17, 18 2005: Tracks 19, 28 2006: Tracks 2, 10, 22, 26, 27 2007: Track 12

Just to let you know that Kali Earth records has a couple of vinyl titles at, erm, bracing prices. I personally won't be buying these on principle, let alone wallet, but I'm just the messenger: Escaping Escapism EP – The White Whisper Record/Vinyl €50 EUR Sliced Soup [The Dust Album] – oCeLoT Record/Vinyl €300 EUR https://kaliearth.bandcamp.com/merch

For S.U.N. Project fans, this is new 12" on Suntrip is quite exciting because it is unreleased mixes on dat discovered by Matthias Rumoeller. It includes one of their best tracks "Crazy Stories" - I have the original 1996 12" of this on Spirit Zone and the problem with with this track, indeed the whole ep, is that the recording and/or mastering has quite dull and compressed sound. That is likely to change with this Suntrip release which has a 41 seconds longer remix of "Crazy Stories". It sounds a lot less dull online, but I will only know for sure when I play the two vinyls back to back. Here's the cover:

If the gimmick is good, it will become highly collectible in time. New Order had a sort of similar thing with the first vinyl edition of "Low Life" where there was a kind of waxy grease-proof paper folded over the cover - not removable but sorta similar. I wondered if the removable section could not be like a lyric sheet or suchlike which could be stored inside the sleeve and not thrown away - I dunno, just a thought. "slowly slowly better better" - I like that. Evolution is nature's way.

Thanks for sharing your idea. Gimmick covers and so on have been a part of the visceral appeal of vinyl all along. I think of the infamous Rolling Stones zip cover, or the reverse direction play of the Younger Brother 12". This, similarly, is a nice gimmick idea - but what will be done with the peeled off covering? Not very green just to throw it away...

Apologies for the name dropping, but I did just want to mention the dark releases in "progressive trance". Some of the minimalist prog that came out after the millenium was dark: Noma "Navigator" album Tegma "Werewolf" & "What's Akabar" 12 Moons "Hunting Demons", "Back to Basics" & "Into Oblivion" Echotek Holeg & Spies Beat Bizarre Planet B.E.N. Special mention of the Beat Bizarre remix of Tegma's "Werewolf" - what a superlative dark track!

Many complaints on discogs about this, particularly in relation to vinyl colour: lots of comments like "this doesn't look anything like the colour in the promo material" etc. A mock up with x number of tracks shown is misleading, but of little import; a mock up that shows 1 vinyl when it will be a 3 vinyl album is substantially misleading and has already lost them potential customers on this forum alone.

The picture of the vinyl lp on the Bandcamp page shows black vinyl with 5 tracks on one side...

logic bomb vinyl and cd's and merch https://logicbomb.bandcamp.com/merch Thanks for letting us know Technosomy. $79 for "Unlimited 2002". This is for a single vinyl lp. It includes 2 tracks that were not on the original 2xlp - "Unlimited" and "Hund", which were released in their own stand alone 12" by Tipworld in 2002. There is nothing on the page about special remastering or improved sound or anything else, but the package does include unlimited streaming from Bandcamp and flac download. I'm a big Logic Bomb fan. I have the original Tipworld 2xlp for which I paid $15 in 2002. I also have the original "Unlimited/Hund" 12" for which I paid $8 in 2002. For me this is a classic release which features the usual Bomb awesome sound quality and arguably their greatest track "Datalinks" (though I prefer the incredible remix, presumably by Logic Bomb themselves, of "Datalinks" which appeared on Tipworld "Red" compilation in 2004 - this remix is one of the greatest Goa tunes ever made imo). That's some inflation, particularly as a single vinyl is unlikely to have sound as good as the original 3 vinyls, unless there's some very special remastering by Bernie Grundman or suchlike. I see that Logic Bomb have a new album "Dreams", which I'm listening to now - sounds promising.

I went to Goa a couple of times in the early 2000s and two cd albums that caught my attention because they were just everywhere for sale were MFG "The Prophecy" and Rastaliens "Freestyle". No other cds were as available as those two in Anjuna. I guess that someone, probably slightly obsessive and with good taste, just copied tons of each. This might be relevant because Goa, especially early on, crosses over with techno, trance, acid etc and has been seen as fluffy or cheesy. Just one example in the form of a question to make the point: was Technossomy a Platipus band or a Goa outfit? For every hands in the air Goa anthem, there is a darker minor part of the track, or another darker track, or another outfit making more introverted sounds. Darkness has been part of Goa from the beginning is what I'm saying. This is inevitable with a Dionysian cultural movement, because every euphoria has its come down or shadow. In the Shiva trance dance you have to navigate the darkest hour before the dawn when you are tired and the music is at its most intense. Moreover, as Magus so rightly observes, how could a space-themed style not be full of the infinite darkness between the stars? Whilst "The Prophecy" is not dark exactly, its main theme is ominous and MFG's industrial roots come through in the music. Rastaliens always lurked in the shadows. Goa in the 2000s was not the Goa of the late nineties, but I think the point still stands. What I like about this is that like any good art form Goa has its salt and pepper, its light and dark. It makes sense that we'd be more attuned to the dark side now, given the darker times in which we are currently living. Do we see more eco-apocalypse, conspiracy, horror, and so on, in contemporary trance? But forget all that, in the true spirit of darkness there can only be one dark lord: X E N O M O R P H muaaaahhhhahahahaha

Rastaliens "Freestyle" - an old favourite with a dark melodic sensibility and killer basslines. Sits poised on the cusp between Goa and psytrance, a bit like "Classical Mushroom". Yet another wonderful trance album with bad cover art. I wonder if it is worthwhile to distinguish between dark and hard, though of course there is much fertile crossover between the two. For me, Darshan are more on the hard side than the dark. They tend towards science fiction rather than horror, if that makes sense. Either way, Darshan are indeed excellent, though I prefer the first album.

Will this be titanic? https://suntriprecords.bandcamp.com/album/suntrip-classix-vol-1-titan?from=fanpub_fnb

What an interesting project. It makes apparent Posford's compositional genius as one rhythm/melody flows organically into another with consummate ease, just in case that was not already obvious. The deep woody sounds of clarinet, oboe, and cello also add to my appreciation of this wonderfully whacky track. At times I felt the conventional rock/dance drum kit was overused and that the beat could be implied rather than stated. I also felt that it stuck a little bit too closely to the original and a bit of extemporisation might have added something. Imagine hearing a full symphony orchestra playing this live. A worthy project - thanks for posting! ~*~

I guess as you guys are gamers, you know this: Anyway, this notion that limitations are always and necessarily a problem is disproved by music in the last 10+ years. Limitations can be enabling, can encourage creativity. Pushing against, or otherwise surmounting and subverting, a boundary is a significant part what artists do.

Dear Patient It is always gratifying when a patient is keen to take their medication; all too often a rarity in the world today. These mycological spores may not work immediately as understated non-invasive long term palliative care is their aim, but let us know what you think. Hope you're feeling better soon... Dok

Devolution and the Soft Organic Edge One problem with "cutting edge" as a phrase is that it suggests the trendy, the sharp, the new, the hip. But what if the new is ancient, organic, soft? To pick up on Wadax's comment about the "evolution" of jazz and how after the cul de sac of extreme tempos in bebop we got Kind of Blue, I feel that Goa reached a kind of dead end with hyperfast hi-tech machine gun psytrance with this as an early example (ag, no man, I just wanted an opportunity to post this fantastic cover art): For me, the "cutting edge" is in fact a blunt edge that goes back to the roots of Goa in slower and more organic music. I think it can be found in the slowed up, dark, and extremely psychoactive swampdelica of Battle of the Future Buddhas, Katedra, Proxeeus. This is the opposite of showy music for the festival (which will continue). It abandons humanity's magpie love for shiny stuff, manifesting Goa's original love for nature in a more organic music and sound for the darker era in which we now live: I doubt that this will much appeal as there is no rap, no trap, no dubstep, no hyperbole. It feels ancient rather than new, but for me this is a step forward in Goa. ~*~

"There are two kinds of fool in this world: one says 'this is old and therefore good', the other says 'this is new and therefore better'" John Brunner I find it hard to disagree with Anoebis' and Magus Knight's comments above which question the idea that the "cutting edge" is necessarily evolution and progress. I agree that many find uniform galloping horse rhythm and telephone line storytelling to be devolution. For others, the "low rez" sounds of analogue synthesisers are archaic and unevolved. Darwin's concept of evolution (or the more contemporary synthesis notion of evolution) does not contradict or discount entropy, the reality of disorder and decay. There are many twists, turns, dead-ends, accidents in evolution. Devolution is always a possibility. PS - I want to personally congratulate all the artists old and new, quite a few of them on the Suntrip label, who make other basslines than the galloping horse. PPS - I cannot resist making fun of contemporary "enhancement": cheap, shiny, plasticky tupperware is indeed everywhere in evidence today.

Astral Projection "Into the Void" - AWESOME! I completely love this beautiful track with its apt samples, clear and direct structure, subtle bubbling details, harmonic pads, and chill-inducing melody - all leading to a powerful emotional and psychedelic experience for the listener, whatever their state of mind. For me, this track feels like being sucked into the void on a tractor beam of inevitability, suggesting that the artists integrated form and content. The sense of inevitability can come from lack of innovation, but in this case it arises from a zen simplicity that is deeply elegant and sophisticated, hiding the patient craft of decades. Almost all great art has this feeling of inevitability about it. Hence I appreciate the fact that Astral Projection have not changed their style; this track could easily be from 95. Change is good, but so is continuity if you have a winning formula. We can call this generic, but these guys created the genre. We travel into the void in the hands of the masters... ~*~

Ok, thanks for the information. I'm not entirely convinced; I have 2 glow in the dark t-shirts from Suntrip and they were E15 each on cotton (probably not organic). But thanks anyway.

Thanks for the heads up, but 34 pounds is a bit on the steep side considering that band t-shirts in different genres typically go for 10-20 Euros. This is double, if not more, that kind of price. Is this the fashionista ideology of paying/suffering to be fashionable?

I've been a fan of E-Mantra since his awesome debut album "Arcana", which is still his best work. I've tended to prefer his up-tempo stuff to his chill out, mainly because it strikes me as more original, whereas some of the downtempo material has seemed a touch generic and predictable. At times the downtempo tracks seem like Goa played at 33 instead of the 45 it was pressed at, if you see what I mean. Nothing necessarily wrong with that, but it can seem slowed up as a result. Now he's back with "Drifting", a downtempo album released on vinyl as well as other formats. This is generally a chill album with a serene atmosphere and gentle melodies admirably captured by the marine cover art. It is quite different to the more complex and psychedelic downtempo of a Shpongle or an Androcell. One of the things I really like is the way this album builds from chill tracks towards more uptempo stuff towards the end - it is quite carefully structured. The latter more uptempo tracks seem a bit better than the slower early tracks, suggesting that E-Mantra is better at trance than chill. The melodies in the slow track "Returning Home", for instance, are on the predictable side. However, when things speed up a little towards the end, so does the quality and interest. The breakbeats on "Sea of Eternal Gloom" are noteworthy and a welcome refreshment in a genre dominated by 4/4; this track reminds me a lot of Electric Universe psybreaks songs. "Farewell Philae" is also a noteworthy track with gloomy bass synths. The final track "Depth of Nothingness" is probably my favourite: steady pulsing beat, sawing synths, sprinkles of dewdrops - lovely. Another thing is how good the album sounds on vinyl. When I listened to it online initially, sometimes it seemed just a bit too chintzy and smiley for me. I've gradually become jaded with bright, shiny, plasticky software sounds. However, listening on vinyl now, that feeling has dissipated and instead the scale of the sound creates compelling mystery. Well done to Ensancha El Alma for a good mastering job. In conclusion, you get exactly what is written on the tin with this album. If you want to drift, this is the record for you. "Drifting" at times seems to be E-Mantra on autopilot, but in the right mood is soothing - who in this world does not need more of that? If only Suntrip Records would release "Arcana" on vinyl. Anoebis, are you listening? ~*~