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Artist:Various Title: Under The Moss Vol. 2 Label: Forest Freaks Date: January, 2011 01 - Cookie Monster - Magic Drink 02 - DoHm - Yaga The Ring 03 - Re-Horakhty - Dungeon Keeper 04 - Schizoid Bears - Electronic Music 05 - P.Tale - Where Are You 06 - Cenotes - One Of Us 07 - DoHm - Technological Nightmare 08 - FungPung - Acceleration Deceleration Man they have some cool covers. Following up on the success of Volume One, the sequel aims to take you back to those dark, impenetrable forests. Where creatures scurry at the sound of your footsteps and the trees are as old as time itself. Some of the usual suspects are here like DoHm and Cenotes, but most are projects I have never heard of. One thing they all have in common however is their country of origin. Lithuania. Still don't know where that is. Probably next to Rhode Island if I remember my geography right. Magic Drink- The liquid sounds, the dripping, the eerie glass like pad... Oh yes this has all the makings of a big ocean of spooky. Throw in the fact it's made by "What the f*ck it this...oatmeal raisin?" Cookie Monster and all I see is epic win. Put your boots on and get your shovels there's lots of layers to dig through over the consistent bass line. There isn't one thing that stands out, but it's a brilliant way to start a comp. Feels like I'm being watched by ancient trees. Or a very paranoid muppet. I'm not gonna take your sh*t. F*ckin' psycho. Yaga The Ring- Oh DoHm...shaman of the forest...rain your deep bass sweeps and echoing forest creature sounds down upon us! Bubbling is a hallmark in this genre and this track has it covered. It's not an in your face track though, but one that serves as a sticky guiderail deeper into the mossy overgrown forest. Rather bengn actually. Mysterious yes, but not as foresty or dark as I was expecting. Dungeon Keeper- "Your dungeon floor is lovely...order your minions to jump up and down." Ummm...what? Unless his minions are all 38 DD's nymphos there is no reason to utter that sentence. It doesn't stop there. Because the sample offers the ever corny countdown. From ten. The synth is a metallic wall that is holding back the flood of fire with minute cracks appearing up and down it's expanse. The music itself isn't bad as it's nicely atmospheric, but the sample kills it for me. What is this...satan trance? This is what my dungeon would look like. Electronic Music- "At the moment there's certainly an increasing interest in electronic music." Yes there is. After the vomit inducing autotune craze, now every song on the radio is borrowing from electronic music. Schizoid bears? The gummy bear communtiy is a fanatical one of close knit allegiances. All it takes is one slip of the tongue and retribution is swift. This music is dark and fits the idea that something cute like a gummy bear actually are homicidal maniacs. Sounds bubble and waver and if you think these bears are just delicious, well... That's what the last guy said. If that is not their debut album cover then they need a new PR man. Where Are You- "Like a rainbow." Weird sounds like you would expect from this music start this track off and it's spooky like clowns are spooky. Sure they're all bright colors and smiles now, but after an afternoon of phoning it in at the carnival, it's time for some real fun. Nightmarish synths oscillate as voices speak from the blackness. Man this is a trip gone horribly wrong. It undergoes several changes and man each corner is trippier than the next with layers of bad dreams. This one gets stronger as it goes on and is my favorite here. One of Us- "Tonight...you will become one of us." This project is a forest staple and all that I have heard has been very juicy. No exception here as it bubbles and has bark scorching leads that lay bare untold eons of evil and deception. They move up and down as soft pads serve as a perfect contrast to what's actually going on here. Every where you turn there is nothing but sinister cadre. They even have their mark Holy sh*t...I think I just stumbled upon the universal symbol for a circle jerk. Technological Nightmare- "It is the responsibility of man to control science and technology. Intruding into another humans dream...is a technological nightmare." You can't stop DoHm, you can only hope to contain him. The nightmare he creates is full of squeaky synths, detuned sounds, and visions of the subconscious. This is wandering into someones mind and realizing they think of some f*cked up sh*t. Don't like that girl in your calculus class do you? A little harsh don't you think? Just drop the class.... Acceleration Deceleration- FungPung. Sounds like I stepped in something. It starts slowly as some twisted creature crawls from the mire then in the blink of an eye it rockets to ludicrous speed. Well, not ludicrous, but faster. Large synth washes and skittering alien footprints echo down a long hallway full of demented souls. Love the deep crunchy sounds. There are numerous changes in tempo to maximize it's descriptiveability. Also makes it feel twice as long. I had to listen to this one a lot to take it all in. I found the second half to be darker and more deeply detailed. It's still all good though. I hope they continue this series as it is some really good forest trance. http://www.ektoplazm.com/free-music/under-the-moss-vol-2 Mdk

Artist: Various Title: Space Forming Vol. 2 Label: Gliese581C Date: January, 2011 1 - Disia - ...I Still Don't Know Who I Am (65 BPM) 2 - Den Wave - Earth (111 BPM) 3 - Hello Mellow - A Passage In Time (90 BPM) 4 - Tara Putra - Error In Babylon (74 BPM) 5 - Globular - Squabbling Gods (88 BPM) 6 - Unusual Cosmic Process - Mission X (115 BPM) 7 - Divided Harmonics - Exorcism (Wrong Mantra Remix) (110 BPM) 8 - Wylhelm - Bem Sol (110 BPM) 9 - In Orbit - On A Train To East Malwern (97 BPM) 10 - Hyperwind - OneFreeMan (80 BPM) 11 - Sport & Music - Pazzle (Original Mix) (128 BPM) Discogs tells me that this is from 2010, yet Ekto's release page says it's from 2011. "If you can't decide in one day...you can't decide." Gliese581C is a Russian netlabel that is a mainstay on Ektoplazm, releasing loads of quality music. This is the 2nd part of the Space Forming series with artists that have also put out EP's. Most of them anyway. What you get is floaty ambient and downtempo music in a bunch of styles. From the short glitchy break beat of Disia to the floating sound of Den Wave. And that's just the first two tracks. Dubby beats make you feel at home whether sipping a cool one on the beach or drifting above the Earth. The bass on Squabbling Gods is indeed a window rattler. And the manner in which Mr. Bennett manipulates the vocals in his tracks brings to mind the work of Shpongle. The sample in Mission X is tasty as are the goa elements. The rest of the tracks are pretty good, but nothing to make me stand on the rooftops and demand that you pay attention to this. But you should pay attention to this. Because it only costs your attention. Free at Ektoplazm Mdk

Artist: Various Title: Binaural Beats Label: TesseracT Studio Date: January, 2011 1. Run Away ELEGANT FLOW FEAT. TISHA 2. Novembar PION 3. Frostwhisper EXTEND 4. Deep Love PROMID 5. Tune In VERTEX 6. Missing Chords ELEGANT FLOW 7. Morning Rain (rmx) FLOAT 8. Devotion THE RIDDLER 9. Streets FLOAT 10. Close to Me BIOLAB AND VERTEX You know when you find something you like, you usually stick with it. It's no secret that the Scots love the drink. And if you had to battle Shattner's ego on the daily I'm sure you'd crawl into a bottle also. What can I tell you Dino...the people love my beatbox And if you've seen this before, you obviously like to drop acid after a few mushrooms. "Hey...you gonna pass that bong or do I need to get a court order?" With our music we are fond of putting things in their box. We like this...we don't like that. TesseracT is a label that not only seems to nurture their artists (no idea though you would have to ask them), but also handles its own mastering, and design. That's a whole lotta bang for your buck. And the quality of their music shows. It's extremely well produced progressive with rich atmosphere and great melodies. Well they take a left turn here. Usually progressive mavens, they give you a taste of house with a little TesseracT flavor. Now normally when I hear house music, I'm praying for an orc in Nazi garb to stab me to death and just like the repetitive music I die over and over again. I mean, sh*t it's because of house that people make fun of psytrance and lump us all together in one big electronic sh*tstorm. But I shan't be closeminded. Even though the titles alone possess more cheese than a Packer game. Let's see what you've got. Run Away- Normally I would run away from house music, but this is so smooth that I warmed up to it. It's that party where you are grown up now. No more sitting around a campfire or tent, the locale is an expansive beach house where every guy is decked out in white linen and the ladies are in flowy dresses. The wind picks up slightly as the sunset is in full swing. It's like a tequilla commercial only you're not drinking to get sh*tfaced, only to get sexier. November- More sunshine and light as the party is in full swing. The house groove rumbles on as synths tap out a simplistic melody. Saying there isn't a lot to this is like saying fat kids love cake. But it's smooth like an ocean breeze with one melody weaving its way around the unchanging one. Frostwhisper- Tite sounds like what a chick would name her cat. I will say this...house music in its basic elements is some groovy sh*t. Deep bass rumbles as this has a Michael Jackson Thriller saunter but instead of trying to scare you, they want to get you on that couch. Echoing synths vibrate over wobbly bass in a groovy pattern and you feel yourself beginning to succumb. Not bad...I give it 4 out of 5 nodding heads. Deep Love- Wow, the first three tracks were obviously the warm up to this big chunky thing. It has the cheesy female vocal where she sounds breathless. What'd you do, run a 10 k before getting in the booth? Still floaty and smooth, but cmon...it is kinda cheesy. Tune In- Fresh of his dominant album Ocean, this guy proves he can still make a very uninteresting track. I don't want to say it was boring, but all the hot chicks left the DJ booth and high tailed it to the insurance seminar. The break at 5 minutes was pretty cool with a growing synth riff, but then it's right back into mediocrity. Missing Chords- The lounge feel returns with electric piano chords more echoing synth stabs. But it also has the cornball staple of house music, the female vocal. What are ya gonna do? House music is infected with this like treadmills attract stupid people. Wow, I wonder what's gonna happen when I step on this moving sidewalk... Morning Rain Rmx- This one sounds deeper with more sounds. Still groovy but there is more to focus on. Maybe too much, because it gets to the point where it sounds a little jumbled. Not bad, but what separates it from the thousands of other tracks in the genre? Not a damn thing. Devotion- Ok Goran, don't let me down. Your recent album Questions was a shining light and a revelation so I expect big things from you. Oscillating synth? Check. Layers of real time instruments? Oh yeah. Jesus, where did you record this Barbados cause that's what I'm feeling right now. I like the break a lot and if you're looking for a soundtrack for that pre-party cocktail on the beach that reeks of sunshine, this is it. Streets- At this point I'm pretty worn out. Who would've thought that would happen with a house compilation? But as most would tell you, it takes a lot out of you to listen to tracks that are a few tomatoes shy of a salad. What? Ok, groovy beat, but what else ya got? That's what I thought. Close To Me- This one had the potential to be the best on the disc, but then had to f*ck it up with that stupid sample that gets cut off. I got something you can feel. Maybe it's me. I just don't care for house music. It seems like this genre produces tracks that tell you everything you want to know in the first 2 minutes. If psychedelic music can be a novel, then this is a pamphlet. There is no tension, no evolution, no...no change that challenges the ear. Look I get it and I've admitted it. House music contains a very wiggle inducing quality, but that only works for so long. This is the same reason a lot of darkpsy doesn't sit well with me because it's just the same over and over. TesseracT I still love you as a label, but if you can't make house music appealing to me, then why would I bother with it? Just goes round and round.... Is this racist? http://www.psyshop.com/shop/CDs/tes/tes1cd006.html http://www.beatspace.com/6085/Tesseractstudio/Various/Binaural+Beats++/detail.aspx http://www.goastore.ch/product_info.php?products_id=4257 Mdk