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Declaration Of Unity Luminescent Revolution Goa Records Tracklist: 1. Obliteracion 2. Hypnotic Awakening 3. Luminescent Territory 4. Urban Jewel 5. Canadair 6. Jamaicalien 7. Magick Droplet 8. Prime Consciousness 9. Vista Point 10. Aqua Spirit Of the great full-on albums of 2015, Luminescent Revolution is my favorite. Staggering to think I was unaware of these guys until a few short months ago, staggering to think that of the trio one has a primary focus on making goa, another has a focus on making forest, yet here is a debut full-length where the vibe is warm and wonderful morning full-on. No reason to have seen this one coming which makes the impact of the thing that much more affecting. Of their history here in 2015, DoU member Ion Vader released a good goa EP entitled Expansion through TimeWarp Records. Declaration of Unity themselves then released their Optical Delusion EP through Ovnimoon and showcased an adept skill at blending forest, goa and full-on in one intriguing package, but nothing quite like Luminescent Revolution. The only piece of work similar to this full-length comes on their awesome "Rivershack" track from Mysteries of Psytrance Vol. 4. Both are released pretty close to each other, though, and hardly offered up enough time to register the direction these guys would be heading in here. And, of course, if you're unfamiliar with Declaration of Unity then all of this is pretty new to you anyway. Unfortunately, "Rivershack" does not appear on this album but it should have. It's beautiful, catchy, melodic and would have been one more shining jewel on a sterling album. Perhaps unfortunately, too, is the absence of Ion Vader's goa sounds, much more prevalent in its chirping and synth solos on Optical Delusion. The most one will get of goa on this album is the depth and emotion of the tracks themselves, and maybe that isn't such a down point. Interestingly, among all these full-on basslines and warm and relaxing morning-time vibes, more of a focus is put on the forest effects which quite often adds a lot of moodiness and atmosphere to the music. Sometimes, as on "Vista Point," things get too far into the murky forest sounds and the warm vibe of the album itself gets lost. Meanwhile, on "Luminescent Territory" standard and ultimately uninteresting full-on fails to captivate. Those are the down points. Everything else here is great. The energetic gems of "Canadair" and "Jamaicalien" are afternoon outdoor gems, ready to fill a dancefloor while offering up depth and emotion that has quite a bit of fire in its step for the at-home listener. "Magick Droplet" is a psychedelic masterwork, a track that offers up something new and impressive on each listen. "Hypnotic Awakening," "Urban Jewel" and "Prime Consciousness" are great filler tracks that would likely outshine many other tracks if they were offered up individually on a compilation to be compared against the work of their peers. The centerpieces of this album, however, the truly shining moments, are the introduction and the conclusion. The stunning and hypnotic "Obliteracion" enraptures and entrances the longer it plays on. There's quite a bit of transporting magic in this one made all the more impressive because on repeat listens the effect is replicated each and every time. "Aqua Spirit" offers up a bit of techno and progressive vibes while the full-on bass keeps everything moving along at a brisk pace. The addictive vocal samples add a lot of bounce to the track and makes this one of the more celebratory of the bunch while it offers up a bit more attitude than found elsewhere on the album. It's a great closer, definitely, but to these ears it's more of a fantastic one. Three greek producers walk into a studio and it sounds like the beginning of a bad joke. The punchline here is more funny-weird, though. Goa and forest producers, one would think, should come up with something more weird and experimental when they put their heads together. Luminescent Revolution is anything but. It is excellent full-on with a morning vibe so nothing goes about beating the listener over the head. That warmth in its sound makes it a very special listen while all the melodies, depth of sound, production values, direction changes and loving attention to detail assure this one is a keeper and a very strong listen for a great long while to come. I did not see this one coming. But knowing what I do about these guys now and how good and unpredictable they seem to be at what they do, I probably won't see their next one coming, either. And I look forward to that. Psyshop Declaration Of Unity

Ion Vader Expansion Timewarp Tracklist: 1. For Deg 2. Ajjna featuring Root 3. Trip To Nowhere A very solid EP with some great ideas, some great energy and some great results. "For Deg" gets very old-school for its first three minutes. Actually, the track gets pre-old school, with Ion Vader playing around with some distorted echoes that sound like they could have been sampled from a Third Eye or FSOL album. When the track gets down to business it does so on a driving, dance-friendly full-on bass that works ridiculously well with all the fun goa effects and layers that are being pieced together. A great opener that never loses its focus despite how many different ideas and approaches are being utilized. "Ajjna" is more a slow-burner but no less effective. Chirpy goa effects and intermittent crow calls (and one pretty cool lion roar at the very end) crop up between some fascinating chant samples, good tempos and more delightful layers. Nicely done when Ion Vader takes the brakes off late in the track and lets the energy spill forth for a moment or two. "Trip To Nowhere" is a misnomer - this a trip to somewhere very fast! As conclusions go this one is a blazer, pure goa excitement through-and-through. Props again to the producer for keeping things very interesting as layers and elements are constantly delightful while the energy just inspires pure, blissful madness. A great wrap-up to a great three-tracker. The Timewarp stamp always promises quality and "Expansion" does not disappoint. Not a single moment goes by where time is being wasted and while an initial listen is very easily understood and danceable, multiple listens make these three beauties very intriguing to study and savor. ()