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Artist: Narcose Title: Panda Eyes Label: Mystic Sound Records Date: January, 2017 1. Gathering Clouds 2. Gonzos Last Ride 3. Smoke Signals 4. Panda Eyes 5. Inuit 6. The Shores of Idaho 7. Nighthawk 8. Floating Through Space Anyone who doesn't like pandas ranks right up there with being a member of Isis. They're so cute and adorable! Mystic Sound records has carved out a solid reputation for releasing some great downtempo music that you can find all over Ektoplazm including this release. This is Graham Roberts from the UK with a very smooth and relaxing downtempo foray. Funk is applied lightly in a track like Gonzos Last Ride which was quite enjoyable even if I felt it went on a tad too long. The percussion is realistic sounding as if he recorded it live. Listen to the epic title track and it sounds like the drummer is in the room! The slow beat and bass music combine to create a level of eerieness, but again...sounded like a 5 minute song stretched to 10. The breaks allow a new direction and sound quite interesting. While not groundbreaking it certainly is mellow and relaxing. Recommended. Free at Ektoplazm

Artist: Various Title: Goa Trance Legacy 2 Label: Spacedock Records Date: January, 2017 1. Artha - First Element Is Gone 2. Hypnagogia - Launching Green Lights 3. Omegahertz - Ecliptic Conjunction 4. Power Source - Goaway (2016 Mix) 5. M-Run - Trans Our Way 6. Goasia - Secret of Nazak 7. Prana - Derwish (Funky Gong Remix) 8. Total Eclipse - Blade Runner (Remix) 9. E-Mantra - You Are Empty Spacedock is sort of an outlier when it comes to the more well known labels, doing more with digital eps. That isn't to say they are a throwaway by any stretch with releases like the first in this series as well as Fragments of Evolution by Omnivox. With the second album of this series they have assembled quite the track list. The cover sports the same Matrix-esque style as the previous iteration just in blue, but let's see what's inside. First Element is Gone- Wow, why does Artha save his best stuff for compilations and Ep's? I wasn't thrilled with his latest Dream Telepathy, but this was absolutely brilliant in every single way. It evolved and twisted the whole way through. The more I listened the more I liked it with its crazy leads and M-run groove. Stellar opener! Launching Green Lights- This was sci-fi goa with sparkly and nimble lead sounds. There was a period where it seemed to lose steam, but still pretty good overall. Ecliptic Conjunction- Omegahertz took a giant step forward with the release of his last album Stax and this track also has some good 303 screech and bark. Good stuff. Goaway (2016 Mix)- Perhaps the most famous track in the Power Source catalog so it baffles me why one would remix an already fantastic track. I really can't tell that much difference between this and the original. Did you make it louder? See, and maybe it's just me, but ideally you take a track that is a bit on the weak side and attempt to make it better. It's a great track, but putting a remix label on it seems a bit disingenuous. Trans Our Way- His album Some Run Just For Fun is an absolute favorite of mine and I've been waiting for the next one with much anticipation. This is light and bouncy with a pretty simple bass line that I would consider good. Not great, and nowhere near his epic stuff from his album. What happened here? Secret of Nazak- This is another track that I felt was good, but not great. I felt my mind begin to wander half way through. New school through and through that could've used some more variation. Derwish (Funky Gong Remix)- I have never heard this track before so this is found money. This is a remix by Minoru Tsunoda who also remixed another Prana track Boundless on the Prana Remixes album from Suntrip. It's kind of eerie and has some really great bounce. He did a lot with a little. Blade Runner (Remix)- Any time I see Blade Runner I expect a grand science fiction atmosphere. I remember that the original was pretty good but had annoying sounds like the descending aliens from Galaga. Now those are still here (damnit!), but the rest of the track is more subdued with gentler sounds. Sounds less harsh, but also a little less interesting. Anyone else think of Jaws when you heard this? You Are Empty- An E-mantra track that is smooth, dreamy, uplifting...Can't go wrong! A good album that disappointed in a few spots, but was pleasantly surprising in others! Spacedock Records Bandcamp