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Artist: Dimension 5 Title: TransAddendum Label: Suntrip Records Date: February, 2013 1. Altair 2. Zarkon 3. Strange Phenomena 4. Return To The Source 5. Caprica 6. Symphonic Switch 7. Alpha Particles 8. Deep Space 5D (Thai Remix) de·vi·ant - deviating especially from some accepted norm : characterized by deviation (as from a standard of conduct) <socially deviant behavior> I think I'm a deviant. Me peeking into Joske's window seeing what he's got up his sleeve. I mean, what he's listening to. Yeah, what he's listening to. What did you think I meant? Whoa, whoa hold on...he's way older than me. It's not like I comb the elementary schools for unsuspecting prepubescent boys in hopes to lure them away from the twisty slide and ask them if they will fart on this sandwich I've got in my bag. That's messed up. And a waste of a perfectly good sandwich. Suntrip: "What the f*ck? We asked him for this?" Ok, so I'm not a deviant, not even close. But you will see why I might be exhibiting deviant behavior. Here we have a release by one of if not the greatest Goa Trance acts in history full of stuff you've never heard before. Their album Transdimensional was one of the most superb goa trance albums of all time with more melodies than you can shake a stick at. All wrapped up in some thick deep space atmosphere. Now I'm still not over my man crush on the Mindsphere and Etnica releases and Suntrip goes and drops this gem on me? Oh well, like a dutiful Mormon I just smile and say the more the merrier. But carrying on a relationship with three people may cause some to label me a deviant. Moving on from one album to the next like the goa whores we are can be signs of deviant behavior. Or the greatest party of all time. Said every single guy ever. Now I believe that with Patience From Heaven and Live in Athens 1996 the bar has been set in the modern era. Again. Ok first things first the artwork (by Fabián Arturo Jiménez Gally) is light and beautiful. Nice enough in fact that I would love a poster of it on my wall. Except my wife would probably tell me to take my hippy sh*t to the basement cause it clashes with whatever motif she's currently got going on. I swear all my sh*t is down there, it looks like a hoarder lives there. Secondly there are going to be comparisons to Etnica's Live in Athens 1996 and that's understandable. Both artists are legends and two great labels are releasing tracks that have never been heard or are ridiculously rare. The difference is that this is a single disc of unreleased tracks. To be followed by another disc of rare tracks that were only on obscure vinyls. Pretty smart too cause the minds at Suntrip know that some people already have those tracks so why jack them for some stuff they don't need and make 'em buy a double album? But you know you're gonna get it, so just set aside the 20 euro from your part time job as a fluffer and don't think about it. Look it up. So how is it? The most important label in today's goa trance has an incredible track record consistently releasing quality album after quality album. For some perspective, in the big leagues if a player hits .400 he is phenomenal. I think only one player in the history of baseball (not sure, I hate baseball...so f*cking boring) has ever had a batting average like that during his career. Well this player averages near 1000 over their 9 year run. Melodic goa trance is what they do and they do it better than anyone else. Now I could be the fanboy that I am and just tell you that this is their greatest release to date, and everything else pales in comparison. But that's not how I write. This is a great album with 8 tracks that you've never heard before. Melodic and old school to the bone with more of their trademarked atmosphere you crave. At times it hits hard and during others track lengths are measured in trippy light years not minutes. It sounds great which is another feather in the cap of Tim Schuldt. And there is no question that if you're a fan of D5 or goa trance than you should most definitely buy this. Maybe I got spoiled by the Etnica release, but I missed having an insert detailing what the story was behind the tracks. But that has nothing to do with the quality music so who cares? But it's not Transdimensional 2. How could it be? When you've reached the mountain top how much higher can you go? There's a reason these were unreleased and the ones on Transdimensional made it to the album. That album is an absolute classic. So much so that Suntrip (damn these guys are good) already re-released it. They knew. But they also knew that we as fans of goa trance have a hunger for unreleased stuff. If there is a possibility of good tunes out there that we haven't experienced then why not let them see the light of day? But please don't call these b-sides, because I think that title demeans what they are. Whether they made it on the album or not, we wanted them. We needed them. Good on you Suntrip, this is a fantastic release. Suntrip Psyshop Beatspace GoaStore Mdk

Artist: Talamasca Title: Psychedelic Trance Label: Dacru Records Date: February, 2013 1. Psychedelic Trance 2. Cosmic Company (Talamasca rmx) - Digicult 3. Day Dreaming 4. Nightmare (Talamasca feat. Lucid Rmx) - XSI 5. Take Control - Talamasca Feat. Mesmerizer 6. Super Hero 7. Winter Tale 8. Fallen Angel 9. Time Simulation (Live version) "Psychedelic trance originated at the parties on the beaches of goa. The sound is more modern created on the latest electronic equipment." Someone forgot to tell Cedric. This is blatant false advertising. And Dacru, what the f*ck were you thinking? "No Cedric, No! Bad Cedric!" Once a master of the genre that has now seemed to pass him by, Cedric Dassulle continues his epic freefall into generic full-on and dated music production. This might have sounded great a decade ago, but listening to this album has me questioning whether or not you give a sh*t any longer. Sickeningly sweet melodies abound and it wouldn't surprise me if you slept on a bed of sugar underneath cotton candy blankets. Do you get paid by the sample? Because the tracks here are bursting with them. Cringeworthy cliches are everywhere as this leas common denominator full on train barrels into what were you thinking town. I'm embarrassed for you Cedric. Please tell me that your 10 year old nephew got into your Cubase and submitted this to the rocket scientists at Dacru. That's the only logical explanation. A countdown? Really, a countdown? This actually happened. From 10. He continues to make albums like this and further throws dirt on what he did in the past. The message is obviously not getting through. This is as cheesy and uninspiring as it gets. Cedric, you are this close to becoming a punchline. Stay away from this unless you want tooth decay or diabetes. P.S. US customers if you pay 15 bucks for this before shipping you should have to turn in your citizenship. Goastore Beatspace Psyshop Mdk

Artist: Trancient Title: Energetic Flow Label: Flatlife Psy Global Date: February, 2013 1. Investigating My Consciousness 2. Ajja Ojjo 3. Before Time 4. Mood Morning Magic 5. Resinating 6. Shamaans Passings 7. Xmind 8. Space Cosmonaut 9. Magier I'll be totally honest with you here...I'm not 100% sure where I got this from. Sure I linked to Beatport, but it could just as easily been shoe horned into some malware after someone who definitely wasn't me visited all those porn sites. Damn shame. Originally I was attracted to the psychedelic cover art and that's how they get you isn't it? Please it's how thousands of horror movies exist on Netflix. I'd actually been meaning to review this for a couple of years, but it's so vanilla that I simply could not make it through to the end. Every time I would try I would ask myself what the f*ck I was doing and feel shame. Like my mom caught me masturbating. Track after track of non-distinguishable sounds and psytrance stereotypes. If the track was 8 minutes long then it was...about 7 and a half more than I could take. And it's not even terrible it's just...generic. It's like looking at the face of that Lego guy. The label had a short shelf life so maybe it's for the best. "Hi. I'm Trancient."

Artist: Various Title: The Fractal Effect Label: Fractal Records Date: February, 2014 1. Braindriver - Black Candy 2. Geko Vs. Technodrome - Mathematical Models 3. Tryon - The Answer Is The Power 4. Iliuchina - Play Time 5. Alienn Vs. Zinx Vs. Wired - It's About Time 6. Karmacrop - Interplanetary Origins 7. Shuumat - Harmonic Therapy 8. Frozen Ghost Vs. Selective Hearing - Operation Thunderbolt 9. Orca - Never In A Million Years Fractal Records you confuse me. At times you have released some awesome stuff. But then on the other side of the coin I want to push you in front of traffic. This release is an example of both. The playlist looks great with some of the top names in the twilight genre, but there is the unmistakeable stench of that shiny, triplet heavy, weak full-on. I wrote this awhile ago so let's see if I can clarify. Black Candy- "Seems almost a message coming from space!" Yeah and that message is nobody likes the black licorice. No offense, but when you want some sweet candy you're not looking for some Ouzo. It's the red headed stepchild of candy. It started off sweet with some power and the dark atmosphere, but then went the commercial route. Mathematical Models- Geko and Technodrome? This has the potential to go awry very quickly. And that triplet I was talking about? Yeah it's here. Felt like I was riding a motherf*cking horse. The Answer Is The Power- "A secret fraternity..." Only the very stupid can call this man brother. The best yet, but that's not saying much. I've heard far superior stuff from you Telmo. Face it...you mailed this in. Play Time- "Play time is over." Yes, clearly as play time is supposed to be fun. Generic twilight that has been watered down like some stinky herb is an inevitability I suppose. The lead that resembles a homogenized electric guitar wins no points with me. It's About Time- Alienn or as I like to call him twilight Jesus paris up with Zinx and Wired for the heavy hitter on this compilation. Lasers and acid go together like chocolate and anything and you'll get your fill here. Pretty intense. Interplanetary Origins- Khopat + Sidhartha = a pretty good team. You get futuristic sounds and I know they're out there samples over a punishing acid shower. And that's about it. Good enough for you? Harmonic Therapy- "What's your feeling when I say drugs?" Get back on them. This track needs a serious shot in the ass. Not terrible, but you're playing with the big boys now. Kinda. Operation Thunderbolt- "All things being equal this one's my favorite." It could've been. Acid, great sample placement, and that twitter that gets the backfield in motion makes this a treat. Those leads are intense so if you've got a headache or even the beginnings of one steer clear of this. Not his best work either with too many stops and starts, but it's one of the best ones here. Picture scratching your dad's records and instead of worrying over it you say f*ck you Dad wanna share these mushrooms I just got? Never In A Million Years- Did you happen to hear Orca's latest album Redefined? And this guy talks to empty chairs. It was one of the worst efforts I've ever heard and redefined how maybe I've been too hard on dogsh*t. Luckily this predates that and is actually isn't as much of a clusterf*ck as I thought it would be. I like the juxtaposition of the old corny song with the intensity of today. Kinda like what Jay-Z did with Hard Knock Life. The acid deluge at the end helps prop up some of the weaker sections of the track like the buildups and the...well you know. Remember back in the mid 2000's when labels like Timecode, Nexus Media, and Yabai were just wrecking sh*t with their music? Twilight music that was rough and powerful with dark atmosphere. Acid aplenty and not just for acid's sake. Tracks that would lead somewhere instead of just vomiting everything they've got right onto your plate? Well this isn't that. There are spots where it's good and I imagine it would get the job done on the dance floor. But it's marred by too much polish, too much commercial shinyness that seems more concerned with fitting into today's algorithm of what the twilight sound has become. So I guess I'll say not bad, but not great. Beatport

Artist: Various Title: The Kingdom Label: Zion604 Records Date: February, 2013 1. Kalika Inana (Live Version) - Eat Static 2. Howling At the Moon - Cosmosis 3. Tri Kay - Shakta 4. Mars Supial - Moonweed 5. Scirroco - Lunar Asylum 6. Mass Connection - ManMadeMan 7. Ants 4 Breakfast - ECT & Mass 8. Harold Eben D'Owld - Nervasystem 9. Spiked (Remix) - Double Dragon Zion604 is a label dedicated to keeping the old school spirit of goa trance alive. Run by veterans Roy Sason, Stephan Spivak and Masafumi Hoshida they have also released several other compilations. I reviewed their virgin effort Flight 604 and that had some really good moments. Their latest is a 2 disc compilation of new and old school artists called Phoenix and I am eagerly awaiting my copy. Till then this one caught my eye. Don't see many old school compilations these days and hold on, what's this? Unreleased stuff from back in the day? Finding unreleased stuff from the goa masters is like finding a Lexus under the Christmas tree. Driven by a busty pornstar with money coming out of her... Ewww....I'm not touching that. No, you keep it sweetheart. Put it toward your, ahem...medical school tuition. Eat Static begins with a track that would appear in the morning after a cleansing rain. Sunbeams shining down and reflecting the moisture with a tribal and slow opening as if welcoming you to nature's kingdom. Deep chants groan over bubbling electronica in a hypnotic dream of progressive goa trance. Normally I wouldn't care for this, but it's well produced and captures the feel of an ancient culture perfectly Howling at the Moon- Who doesn't know this classic beast of a track? Now remastered it's barely restrained chaos of screaming leads and rampaging acid lines. Hurtling the listener through the galaxy at ludicrous speed it is crystal clear. Non stop insanity and one of the greatest goa tracks of all time. Tri Kay- Shakta delivers one that somehow got away. It was put out on vinyl but not on CD. I've never heard it so it's new to me! The layers are delicious and eerie, but at almost 10 minutes it repeats itself quite frequently until the break. All the excitement at hearing this lost gem was tempered a bit as it came on like a lion, but left like a lamb. Still good though. Marsupial- Nobody loves a good didgeridoo more than I and that's how this begins. The leads dance in the sky and then come back to Earth. There is no mystery here just an all out goa assault. Scirroco- You say Scirroco to me and I'm thinking of an old Honda. And this track sounded old. Like it was something they were messing around with and never got back to. It seems more of an electronic sketch that isn't very strong. Mass Connection- Loved the atmosphere in this one. More psy than goa in the beginning they put effects in the right places to create an uneasy feel. When the goa gets going it becomes a stormer. Chunky and distorted that lead melody is all consuming. Ants 4 Breakfast- *Checks to see if this isn't Shamanic Tribes on Acid* By far the loudest and most experimental track on the compilation, this one is made for headphones. With rich bass sounds, darkpsy lead rips, and frenetic percussion it's constantly evolving. Full of skittering effects and at first I hated it, but with repeated listens this actually sounds like what having ants for breakfast would sound like. Aggressive and powerful and in a state of perpetual motion. You couldn't wring more out of a lead than this. Suomi meets goa in an insane track. I don't know if I love it or should perform an exorcism on it. Harold Eben D'Owld- There is nothing special about this track as it ambles its way through, but there is a high level of detail. Computer whirrs buzz amidst bubbly synth leads as this has a constant bounce. Clearly we're out of the melodic portion and now it's about setting a mood. Like industrial goa, but less aggressive and at a progressive pace. Spiked (Remix)- This final track was only released on vinyl so it might as well been an 8 track for me. It's from 2001 so clearly the focus at the time was taking goa in a different direction. Lots of percussive pot banging and sounds to create the atmosphere. Sounds like the needle scratching a record. Not dark, just is. This is a very varied compilation with different goa styles represented. It's all over the map from blistering to experimental madness. They mostly sound great so kudos to those responsible for mastering and recovery. I listen to all of my music on headphones so I can appreciate the finer details. This is like a goa market showcasing the directions in which goa can be driven and it's up to the listener to explore. The final 4 tracks mark the line where the compilation shifts from the melodic to the more...daring. What this has shown me is that while layers of melody are great there is much more to discover. Congrats Roy on a compilation that has a little something for everyone. Bandcamp Mdk

Artist: Orca Title: Computer Action EP Label: Planet B.E.N. Records Date: February, 2013 1. Computer Action 2. Fizzy Lifting Drinks Orcas...pfffft what do they know about computers? Mr. Fists of Fury Alon Lifer is back with a brief 2 track EP. I liked his album, but that was 5 years ago. In this hectic what have you done for me lately world...what have you done for me lately? Well he showed some love for the Beastie Boys as the first track is full of samples from the famous project. But the rest of the track is a commercial waste amidst stops and starts and galloping bass lines. Fizzy Lifting Drinks takes a great sample by Mr. Gene Wilder (Willy Wonka) and then makes a tune that the scene has unfortunately been overly saturated with. Boring full-on with build-ups. Throw it on the pile with the others. Back to the drawing board. Psyshop Beatport Mdk

Artist: E-Clip Title: Sacred Science Label: Echoes Records Date: February, 2013 1. Sacred Science 2. Mr. Fix (E-clip Remix) - Vertical Mode Marko Radovanovic is responsible for one of the greatest progressive trance albums all time for me with the release of Shuma back in 2011. He makes tracks that have it all...layers of melody, rhythm, and epic atmosphere. His storytelling ways continue with this short 2 track EP. Still thick with atmosphere as effects echo into the darkness Sacred Science leans a little toward the psy-gressive category. Multiple brief breaks allow the tension to hang in the air and he lets gentle synths just float before you. I didn't care for the speed increase in the Mr. Fix remix, but it was brief so a minor concern. Good progressive trance, but not his best mind you. I could've done with more melody. Beatport Mdk

Artist: Outer Signal Title: Psy Fi Travel EP Label: Mechanik Records Date: February, 2013 1. Invasion 2. Space Travel 3. Z3ro Signal 4. Psy Fi Outer Signal are Gil Stoler & Lior Yosha and are 3D Vision artists. They specialize in the acid drenched psychedelia that makes me smile. They released their one and only album (Fabric of Space) back in 2009 and have produced music for labels such as Timecode, Sonic Motion, Yabbai. And you get more of the same. The compilation gets more detailed and acid heavy as you get through the tracks. The dark atmosphere is ever present and tracks like Z3ro Signal shreds. The only problem I have with it is that it's 8 bucks for 4 tracks. I realize that is only 2 per track, but 2 more dollars and that's what I would pay for a full album. Still, it's very good twilight psytrance that should get you your acid fix. Beatport Mdk