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Middle Mode Rising Shamans Digital Om Productions Tracklist: 1. Rising Shamans 2. Over Reality Middle Mode is the rare progressive project that immediately grabs my full attention. This Serbian duo are imaginative, detailed and extremely engaging music makers. Of my favorites from these guys, "Click & Fly" is vintage psytrance and a clear indication of the early sounds from where they draw their inspirations. Their co-production with Nerso & Zyce on "Full Moon" is exceptional progressive work with very memorable melodies and soundscapes. Often, though, I've wondered how much better those two excellent tracks could be if the BPMs were raised and the works were brought a bit closer to full-on territory. Rising Shamans shows exactly how the duo fare in the full-on realm, and they do fare quite well, meeting that line between progressive and full-on with their usual assured sound production, never dipping into a moment that is dull or repetitive, always exhibiting a very keen insight into how to keep a track moving along at an engaging pace. "Rising Shamans" is great tribal full-on with progressive touches, a very enjoyable groove works throughout the track while the primal, tribal rhythms are very easy to dance around to. The tribal chant samples are also very imaginative and highly effective. "Over Reality" is a bit more on the reckless side of full-on without ever going completely mental - it's a track that is extremely brisk in its pacing while the ridiculously good synth keys growl with fine full-on power. There are also key moments in the track when the synth becomes lithe and airy harkening back to the vintage days of psy and giving the track a lovely bit of morning vibe among its full-powered energy ravings. An excellent track! The weak point of Rising Shamans is it is only two tracks long. The duo already have several EPs out to their credit so it would be nice for these chaps to get a bit more ambitious and unleash a full-length at some point. However, despite how short the EP is, it is also very educational. It shows these dudes are just as adept at making quality full-on as they are at creating quality progressive. Truly gifted these two are and, incidentally, that album art is fantastic. Great work on this one, worth shelling out the $3.98 Beatport is asking for. Beatport

Djantrix Twisted Reality Digital Om Tracklist: 1. Twisted Reality 2. No Side Effects 3. DNA - Djantrix & Spirit Architect The two great tracks on Twisted Reality should be paired with the three great tracks from Spirit Architect & Djantrix's Liberation EP (reviewed here). Stylistically they are absolutely identical, five tracks from three guys who are obviously having a whole lot of fun just fucking going-for-it. The lead-off track can be disregarded, it is nothing special, just common full-on where the same effects, delays and sound structures are used, making it on par with so much that is out there from lesser producers. "No Side Effects" shows Djantrix has some good talent of his own and the awesome power of Liberation was not just the result of the talents of the Spirit Architect duo. "DNA" is a fantastic showing where Djantrix and Spirit Architect team again for another winner. If all you pick up is this EP, well, great. Two out of three here are pretty damn good but it seems almost foolish not to pick up the other EP and increase the number of quality tracks by just over double. Spiritually, neither of the EPs have much to offer. This is just pure body music, intense and wildly energetic full-on. If that's appealing then you won't want to miss these two (or five) tracks. DJ Djantrix

VA - Rolling Stoners Label: Digital Om Tracklist: 01. Groove Addict Vs Treavor Moontribe - Shiva's Melt 02. Ital - Fresh Vibes 03. Spinal Fusion Vs Mad Monkey - Nirvana Sky 04. Space Vision - Dank 05. Eclipse Echoes Vs Woodstech - Freak Revolution 06. Mental Broadcast Vs Technology - 2 Worlds 07. Earthspace - Modulated Pathway 08. Mental Control Vs Nevermind - The Green Spell 09. Beyond Repair - Trichome Army 10. Samadhi - Rolling Stoned 11. Ajja Vs Jovis - Dopaque 12. Gaspard - Sacrilicious 13. Dust - Mantra 14. Whiptongue Vs Smokeship - Back To 50's 15. Headworks - Doodlebug 16. Drumatik Vs Airi - Scary Doors 17. Electric Mirror - The Human Form 18. Bubbleguns - Earth Kid 19. Entropy - My Pink Salad 20. Babagoon - 420 Not sure I'm a fan of the album title - likely a drug reference or maybe a play on the old adage of "a rolling stone gathers no moss". Not so sure I'm a fan of the album art, either. But where it matters I happen to be quite happy with the results. Beginning with some pleasant early evening psytrance and working its way later in the collection to some peak-hour full-on and igniting brightly with some twilight sounds, this lengthy 20-track compilation offers up quite a few sturdy tunes, a couple of genuine gems and only a minimal number of duds. Of the sturdy tracks, of which there are many, Ital offers up his typical brand of above-average full-on, Eclipse Echoes vs Woodstech offer up a rowdy rumbler, Beyond Repair is blissfully beyond funky and Electric Mirror is, well, electric. Mental Broadcast vs Technology offer up a great one, Mental Control vs Nevermind are spellbinding and Headworks is rock-solid. Of the duds, Samadhi samples The Doors in ways that are overused and cliched at this point in psytrance history, the usually great Ajja is quite underwhelming and, in a complete travesty, the best sounding track on the album, from Whiptongue vs Smokeship, is annoyingly undone by cheesy Jerry Lee Lewis samples. With the gems, "Rolling Stoners" (still don't like that title) starts off on the excellent work of Groove Addict vs Treavor Moontribe who fascinate with catchy tribal vocals and delicious early evening psytrance on "Shiva's Melt," a track layered with just the correct levels of progressive. Great track! Space Vision's "Dank" is beautiful and trance-inducing, like a gorgeous lightning storm stretched out on the horizon. Dust is his usual, excellent, super-well-produced full-on self on "Mantra." Earthspace makes a triumphant return to full-on, rediscovering every great element that made his Ovnimoon Records EPs so damn good, leaving behind him, perhaps only for now, the misguided psygressive style he has until recently been focusing on. With "Modulated Pathway" this very gifted producer celebrates and delivers every characteristic that makes full-on great - wicked good tempo, slick and invigorating effects, hard and funky melodies. This one crackles! My vote for top-dog in this solid collection goes to Drumatik Vs Airi for their twilight brilliance on "Scary Doors," a track that moves with frenetic energy and fascinates with delicious atmosphere. Of several great tracks, this is the one that deserves to be heard above all else. Sure, I dislike the title (if a "rolling stone gathers no moss" where does that leave the forest freaks? Or, if it's a drug reference... really? Rolling stoners? That's the best you could come up with?) and I'm still waiting for the album cover to grow on me but I'm afraid it may not. But to use a different adage, it's best not to judge this book by its cover. There's a lot of exciting tunes to be missed by doing that. Props to Jafar for compiling this massively good compilation.