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Various Artists - Acidum Influxum Suntrip Records – SUNCD77 What an exciting gem of a compilation we have here from Suntrip Records! If you love old school acidic Goa trance you may have been frustrated by a dearth of quality tunes from the big names in recent years. If so, I am pleased to tell you Suntrip and the artists have exceled themselves in putting this compilation together. My mind was blown by acid lines the like of which I had never imagined before. 1. Etnica - Golden Era 08:53 2. InnerZone - Heavens Gate 09:46 3. Hypnoxock - Magma 08:13 4. GoaD - Slayed303 06:35 5. Fiery Dawn - Fluoro Acid 07:20 6. Antidot & DICA - Soulbinder 07:50 7. SETI Project - Psychedelic Acid 08:08 8. Battle of the Future Buddhas - Tenderlion (Anthem Remix) 08:01 9. Binary Bliss - Analog Ascent 09:36 1. Etnica - Golden Era A stunningly good and hard track and it delighted me that Etnica are still releasing such classics today! 9/10 2. InnerZone - Heavens Gate We have eastern singing with a lovely wobbly acid line that goes great with the hard kick and bass. Then the acid goes wonderfully crazy, even more so towards the end where we get at least 2 or 3 acid lines simultaneously with lots of delay yet somehow it all fits together perfectly! 9/10 3. Hypnoxock - Magma This is very old school, hard acid with a slightly technoish feel. 8/10 4. GoaD - Slayed303 Another hard, driving track from a Danish newcomer to Suntrip. As the acid lines combine, this has a somewhat rougher, almost cacophonous feel which is nevertheless enjoyable. 6.5/10 5. Fiery Dawn - Fluoro Acid This one, from another newcomer to Suntrip but not to Goa trance , has an intriguing, hypnotic and quite dark beat with some wild, urgent sounding acid. 7/10 6. Antidot & DICA - Soulbinder Suntrip tells us these acid techno artists have recently been making Goa. This one is really trippy as synths wash over your ears in waves and some awesomely mean sounding croaky acid is let loose on your brain! 9/10 7. SETI Project - Psychedelic Acid Suntrip found an unreleased 90s track here. It sounds good now but remember what kind of impression this kind of music made back in the 90s! The acid is back to basics but nice, but that manic beat is fantastic. 7/10 8. Battle of the Future Buddhas - Tenderlion (Anthem Remix) I'm a fan of Battle of the Future Buddhas and really like the extra 303 treatment they gave this remix. 8/10 9. Binary Bliss - Analog Ascent Quite melodic acid here to end with a track which builds and builds and feels uplifting and yes euphoric as Suntrip wrote. 8/10 This is one of the best compilations I have heard in years. Well done, Suntrip. More of this kinda thing please! 9/10 https://suntriprecords.bandcamp.com/album/acidum-influxum

Artist: Union Jack Title: Two Full Moons & A Trout EP Label: Rising High Records Date: 1994 1. Two Full Moons & A Trout (Caspar Pound Mix) 2. Two Full Moons & A Trout (Original Mix) 3. Two Full Moons & A Trout (Union Jack Mix) 4. Two Full Moons & A Trout (FLF Mix) If you held a gun to my head...jeez I guess I would say my acid journey has been a little disappointing. Reading online there are those that would deem this not only one of the greatest trance tracks of all time, but one of the finest pieces of electronic music. While taste is certainly subjective I'm not seeing it. I've read people describing how epic the Caspar Pound (RIP) remix was and while beautiful in places it also comes off as a bit pretentious. Sounding epic, just to sound epic ain't cool bruh. Over 12 and a half minutes and I was waiting for the hammer to drop or for him to bring me to the clouds and it just never happened. Great look at what I did. I sh*t talked a dead guys work. That's gonna earn me a few extra hail marys. The original is more acidic and for me more enjoyable even though that break in the middle was fairly unimaginative. The second half of the track picks it up with the vocals and especially with the chopping effect. The second break though...Poor transition and it comes off as two different tracks stuck together with duct tape. No it doesn't fix everything. The Union Jack Mix is a shorter version that lacked any fireworks and the FLF mix had me stifling yawns. Look anytime you put mixes of the same track on and EP you run the risk of fatigue. Throw in two of those mixes being almost half an hour long and you're asking for trouble. I didn't hear enough great things to make me want to listen to this again. Perhaps in 1994 this was a classic, but I doubt it.

Artist: Benji303 Title: The Advent of Acid Label: Acid Test Pressings Date: June, 2015 1. The Advent of Acid 2. The Advent Of Acid (Acid Ted vs. Matt Acidic Jah The Mind Remix) Best thing I've heard so far. This is approaching if not colliding with the insanely high bar I set for myself in my search for great acid trance. Benji303 is an Acid/Techno DJ & Producer from Manchester in the UK and these two tracks are ultimate powerhouses. If you want to lose yourself in the music then this is for you. Must be how the metalheads feel when they wanna break some sh*t. The original sets you up with some chunky hi-hats and booming kicks until he unleashes the acid less than two minutes in. There's no story to tell, it's just hammering percussion and a rising acid tide. Blistering. The remix gets growly as f*ck and the 303s get filtered to death. The break let's 'em keep rolling as they continue to rise in intensity. Whew! Beatport

Artist: Various Title: Digital Extacy A Mindtravelling Trance Experience Label: Hypnotic Date: 1998 1. Radar - Interference 2. Latex Empire - The Trip 3. LV-426 - The Frame 4. Donut Junkie - Tr-Drill-09 5. Bloque - Tweak 6. Johhny Mnemonic - Viruz 7. Aerial Servant - Son of Mastermind 8. Brannon Beer - Skyride 9. Cellblock X - Climax 10 10. LV-426 - Press Machine Press 11. Pissle-Whistle-Party - Bonusbajer (Bonus Track) "This is the new reality." Then I want to go back to the old reality. I've been dipping my toe into the acid pool as of late and have come to realize several things. The similarities between acid and goa are numerous. Both genres love the little silver box (303) and feature it prominently in their work. And like goa acid has a lot of weak stuff interspersed with the really good tracks. Now the bar I measure a great acid track with is very high. Ain't nobody got time for less. And that bar is Acid Air Raid by Solar Quest. I know, really high. It's just that that track had it all. Power. Insanity. Groove. Atmosphere. Will this album approach that greatness? Not even f*cking close. It shows me that just because you put a bubbling 303 in there does not an excellent track make. The tracks here are shorter so they don't have the time to grow and expand. And the ideas that are here are very linear. If you listen to the first one or two minutes then you know what you're gonna get. Honorable mentions? Well, I suppose the first track was ok. And Climax 10 was super growly. Rotten tomatoes go to the f*cktards who just tried to hold a whistle for 30 seconds for the last track. Just leave it blank and maintain some dignity. Bottom line, the search for the perfect acid trance album continues over this speed bump.

Artist: Solar Quest Title: AcidOphilez Label: Entropica Date: 1998 a:\warez\ 1. Arambol 2. Acid Baba 3. Acid Crumble 4. A Jig Or Wot Next 5. Acid Air Raid 6. Acid Nation 7. State Ov Now 8. Kristy Cried 9. N2DerMatsheen 10. EnTranz b:\warez\ 1. BioPolitik 2. Red Shift 3. One Nation 4. KarmAcidyl 5. PosPhase 6. ChakrAcid 7. MegaWurdz 8. Globoscope 9. AcidOphile George Saunders. Sounds like a regular Joe Schmoe that works in the cubicle right next to you. The type of name that belongs to a guy you wouldn't recognize if you tripped over him. But this guy is an electronic musician and his "brushes" so to speak are those shiny boxes like the TB-303,TR-909,606...and he is a virtuoso. This was his third album and I'll be honest I'd never heard of his work. His sound is a melding of acid trance, goa, and techno and he will get you moving. A hallmark of his sound is that growling and oftentimes screaming 303. The blisters he must have twisting that cutoff knob! The album is 2 Cds, mixed (I wish it wasn't so, but it still works) and the first one is an acid trance explosion. If you love those shiny boxes then I don't imagine you'd be disappointed in anything here. Maybe A Jig Or Wot Next as the melody is folksy in a corny way even though his 303 is screaming side saddle. But there is only one reason I'm writing this review. And that is Acid Air Raid. Over 11 minutes of mind expanding, face melting 303 annihilation. If you don't like that track I'll go ahead and tell you that I don't want to know you. You're probably a hipster douchebag with a soulpatch that only watches obscure french films and rides a novelty antique bicycle. Oh and you wear a bowtie. That track is the alpha and omega as far as acid/goa trance goes. It breathes, pulsates, and decimates. He should've ended the album with that track because everything afterwards pales in comparison. And it does. The rest of the music on the first disc (and the more experimental 2nd) is utterly forgettable. It's as if he created this opus and then said, "Ah f*ck it here's the rest. Just throw it in there." Aside from Acid Baba, Acid Crumble and of course Acid Air Raid, this album is actually a disappointment. But damn...we'll always have Acid Air Raid.

Artist: Hardfloor Title: The Art of Acid Label: Hardfloor.de Date: April, 2014 1. Tweakend 2. Necessary Roughness 3. The Art of Acid 4. Dark Shadow 5. Rwndrb 6. P.E.L.F. 7. Analogue Bubbletea 8. Bubble & Sqeak 9. Swag My Glitch Up 10. TB Continued I like art That sh*t's funny. Whether it's sculpture, painting, musical, Or whatever the f*ck this is, it will always be subjective. Some will love it and some are gonna despise it. Having discovered Solar Quest and their album Acidophilez I've been digging some acid trance. Goa fans will no doubt be drawn to the use of the 303. I sure was. Hadrfloor is a German duo that seem to be the gods of the genre. My lord knoweth how to get down! Their style is a heaping helping of 303's followed up by more 303's in repetitive phrases that can be funky as hell. Each track delivers bouncy beats along with that hallowed sound that can go from bubbly to dangerously acidic. This is their latest album and tracks like Necessary Roughness will get you all twisted up like a pretzel. The break beat on Rwndrb and Analogue Bubbletea are so head noddingly delicious I never wanted them to end. Bubble and Squeak is so wobbly Thailand better put up new tsunami warnings. Look it's not rocket science. Percussion and a bass synthesizer. Well, maybe six of them. With such a limited sound palette you'd think it would get old very quickly, but no. Either they come out with guns a blazing or they build up that tension until you're caught up in the euphoria. By that time it's too late. They got you bro. The beats are designed to shake what yo momma gave you and each track is meant to be blasted at a party. They must be armpit deep in slutty groupie tail. Magnificent bastards. Got a few lb's to lose? Know some hot chicks? Make a run to the liquor store and let's get this party started. Bad. Ass. Beatport Mdk

Artist: Filipe Santos Title: Goa - The New Generation Label: Submoon Records Date: August, 2015 1. Psydonym - Venusians 2. Beast303 - Beast 303 3. Liquid Jungle - High Toxicity 4. Mind Reset - Parasite Eve 5. Resistrance - Hypnolab 9 6. Sylica-X - Re-Search 7. Kunai - Ascendancy 8. Rainbow Islands - Sevens Heavens In an effort to be enshrined into the Guinness Book of World Records as the artist with the most aliases Filipe Santos returns to the goa scene and promptly reclaims territory. Kinda. All of these projects are Filipe so don't try to infringe on his copyrights. I know this because it says so on the inside cover. What I don't know is if these tracks are part of the "new" generation. And can it be a new generation when it's just one guy? Several (Beast303 - 2010, High Toxicity -2011, Re-Search -2012) have been released before when Filipe ran the acid/goa label Acid Chemical Plant Records. Although to be accurate and give Imba a shoutout, the Beast303 EP was released on Underground Alien Factory. We clear? So it's unknown whether he made these tracks awhile ago and just left them on the old hard drive. What is known is that the style of Filipe is well represented with driving rhythms and layers of those delicious goa sounds. As expected he incorporates the acid in several of the tracks, but they all have ripping leads and that attitude that the creator must carry with him. Love him, hate him, ignore him, acknowledge him, this guy is prolific and prolific with consistent quality. Some of the greatest artists of our time have also been the most troubled. Allow me to make an assumption based solely on an avatar. Perhaps Filipe has found inspiration and focus with his wife/girlfriend and new baby. All the other nonsense (justified or not) is background noise. Right now he is making some big boy noise. And this isn't even the best of his most recent output. Stay tuned.

Artist: Various Title: Close Encounters - Psychedelic Trance From Worlds Unknown Label: Hypnotic Date: 1997 "Tell me something my friend. Ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?" Oh Hypnotic. Only you could make a 2 CD compilation of two artists. Sure there are multiple artist names, but it's still just two guys. Martin Nielsen and Michael Kjeldgaard. Apologies Martin I've never heard of you. But Michael...ah, Psygone by any other name is still Psygone. This is a compilation with acid trance, techno, dream trance...basically Hypnotic took all the sh*t in their pantry and made a f*cking casserole. And let me tell you there's a lot of generic sh*t (most of it from Martin) to be found here as if they got their hands on a Roland MC-505 and recorded the preset sounds and patterns. Believe me when I say my finger was constantly hovering like a Japanese tiger mom over the skip button as a lot of this is really terrible. Even Michael recycles sounds on his tracks, but by Hans Christian Andersen he still shows why he's Psygone. That snap crackle pop of his 303 is the real deal on tracks like Tasmania and Stripped. But if you're looking for Optimystique then get your sad face on because you will be disappointed. Even the goa nature is tempered by house or dream trance. Flow? You better take that cohesive idea somewhere else. But for those of us on the hunt for the elusive white whale of storming goa that hasn't been fished out of the ocean of mediocrity this is a boot at the end of your fishing line. Mdk

Artist: Enertopia Title: Face Adaptor Label: Krembo Records Date: July, 1998 1. Oh Nurse Over Ring 2. If When What We See 3. Torn Between 4. Brain Spiders 5. Open Up (The Elevator) 6. The Guardian 7. A Little Tiny Pause 8. The Forehead Stories 9. The Treatment (A-La Family Way) 10. A Man of God? "The war between heaven and hell depends on the choices you make. And those choices require sacrifice." Enertopia is Emiliano Solazzi Griminger and this was his 2nd album. It's a combination of psy, goa, techno, and darkpsy. I'm still deciding on whether I like it or not, but one thing remains very clear... This is some evil and twisted stuff. First, I'll say there is a lot to get through. It is densely packed with so many thought strands it can be difficult to follow. As I mentioned it is a mixture of the styles above written in conjunction with the artist B.L. T. Loud and always dark this has more in common with Chaos Laboratory from GMS than Transdimensional. There are quite a few layers to enjoy with lots of thought provoking and moody samples sometimes to its detriment. It's a fine line between using a sample to enhance a track and beating you over the head with it like in If When What We See. That was oftentimes the style back then so it's not a dealbreaker for me. Because each track is so thick and similar in structure sitting through an entire album of music like this can be challenging. But like an octopus on LSD because it flails in so many directions I never find it boring. Lots of effects help to maintain the dark and atmospheric conditions as well as several instances where he pulls of some searing goa riffs. Torn Between and Brain Spiders are a psychedelic wet dream, but Forehead Stories and The Treatment loses me with its noisy repetition. Not your everyday goa, but if you devote some time to it I believe it will surprise you. Mdk

Artist: Various Title: The Sound of Goa Trance Label: SDR Music Date: 1995 1. Octopus - The Art of Trance 2. Adventure Trip One - Lords of Octagon 3. Uniform Planet (Orbit Trance) - GGE 4. It's Our Future - AWeX 5. Luna Music - Luna Music 6. Plastic Gourd - Quietman 7. Desert Sun - Adrenalin Drum 8. Pyramid Night - Silver Pyramid 9. Ultraviolet - Monosphere 10. New E-Volution - Adrenalin Drum I don't have any pants on. Sh*t. I work out. I mean I plan to, you know...plan to actually think about working out. But in the mean time. None. While that lovely image is swirling in your head I'll tell you why. For the first time in I don't know how many years I'm all by myself. Kids are at the grandparents, wife at work...I can do anything I want. There are things I have to do, but you just know that I will put them off until the absolute last minute. Never heard of this label nor most of the artists featured. I know Adrenalin Drum and the track Octopus. Well the MWNN mix anyway. So what you get is some cool acid trance (Adventure Trip One), acid trance with a bit of a house vibe (It's Our Future...they beat the hell out of that sample), exceedingly long and uneventful acid trance (Luna Music), some REALLY long and loud acid trance (Plastic Gourd), some sneaky and bubbly goa (Desert Sun), some progressive trancey goa (New E-Volution), and some filler. So...nothing really to write home about. I love the growl of a 303 as much as the next guy, but I need more. This was an album where the Discogs rating was close to spot on. Some good acid trance, but not the best the genre has to offer. But you'll always have that image of me with no pants. Your welcome. Mdk