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Artist: Toxic Title: Mind Poisoning Music Label: Sonic Motion Records Date: March, 2011 1. Back I Am 2. Dissorder (Remix) 3. Overdose 4. New Order 5. Go Head 6. Check It Out 7. El Diablo 8. Distortion 9. The Godfather 10. Total Control feat. Abomination 11. Destination Unknown You realize to be poisoned is a bad thing right? Therefore you've just, you know, insulted your own album. Any of this sinking in? Look I've never been the biggest fan of this project, but for some reason this found it's way to my hard drive. Since I don't download illegal things I have to assume it was merely part of some malware from some Russian porn that I also most certainly didn't download. And it is mal. Muy mal. Loud. Harsh. Build-upy. Stop and starty. Overly guitar friendly. F*cking hell this should come with an aspirin bottle. I'm thinking this is one final projectile vomiting fit, the last gasp from this project. And if it isn't...well it should be. But you never know. Take some time off, climb mountains, help the poor, and then perhaps come back and reinvent yourself. I'd link to it, but...you don't want that kind of midget monkey porn.

Artist: Lost Buddha Title: Untold Stories Label: Phototropic Records Date: March, 2011 1. Transfiguration (Anti-Gravity mix) 2. Lost in a crystal sphere 3. Psyramid (Live mix) 4. Tabernacle 5. When the universe was created 6. Southern Oracle 7. Ataraxia 8. Lost in paradise 9. Mysteries of the women "If you want a job done right I have to do it..." All right, f*ck it I'll do it... Lost Buddha is Filipe Santos as well as a truckload of other aliases. Some would add asshole. Perhaps crazy motherf*cker. But I'll throw another one at you. Genius. F*cking genius. Yep, he's alienated a boatload of people with his destructive attitude and erratic behavior., but he also made some of the best goa and acid trance around. It seemed like it was effortless for him. And you wanna talk prolific? He was everywhere. And he gave away the vast majority of his work. Just gave it to us. Like this release. Well the first iteration of this collection of tunes released as 320 mp3's on Metaphysic Records back in 2007. The one I'm reviewing is the most recent in which you had to throw down some coin. The one where only the first three tracks hadn't been released. Concerning Filipe, I don't know if he was on drugs, an alcoholic, or just a raging douche pickle. I had nothing to do with him so his actions never affected me in the slightest. People that knew him and worked with him will probably tell a different story. If they want to speak of him at all. There is no excuse for being a dick or acting hurtful and if he did that (pretty sure he did) then he deserves his pariah status. You cannot rub everyone the wrong way especially when they are trying to help you. But in the end every artist will ultimately be judged by his work and when it comes down to the music the guy was just brilliant. Layers upon layers with a powerful boost. His compositions were forever evolving and imminently danceable. His sound was full of lush atmospheres that seemed to always be in attack mode. This entire album while not the most varied goa trance is straight ahead spectacular. This comes with my highest recommendations. Beethoven was beaten and exploited by his father which led him to self medicate with drugs and alcohol. Famous playwright Tennessee Williams who wrote A Streetcar Named Desire and the Glass Menagerie was also an alcoholic and a drug user who just happened to have a sister with schizophrenia that underwent a lobotomy. Hemingway was another raging alcoholic depressive who committed suicide. Like his father. And sister. And brother. And granddaughter. Now I'm not equating what Filipe did in our little corner of the world with the colossal achievements of these gentlemen, but sometimes it is the demons, the mental illness with which the person does battle that can foster those periods of creativity. I hope Filipe was just young and immature and hadn't figured out how the world worked. But if he does have a mental illness let's hope he gets the help he needs so as to not follow the path of these unfortunate gentlemen. I don't know you enough to miss you Filipe. But I certainly miss your music. Psyshop Beatspace Mdk

Artist: Elysium Title: Various Works 1994 - 2005 Label: Self Released Date: March, 2011 Discogs I'm too lazy to list them...there's over twenty. F*cking hell, is everyone named Andersen in Denmark? Denmark's own Kristian Thinning Andersen is a polarizing figure that was the subject of several lively threads here on the forum. Like him or not he's responsible for a big part of our scene's music and was quite prolific. This was released by the artist a few years ago on Ektoplazm, but has since been removed. It's a collection of his work over 10 or so years with music that is tough to box in. Is it goa? Tribal? Downtempo? Yes, all of the above. A digital only release there is a 21 track edition from 2011 and a remastered (what the hell?) 15 track version that came out a year later. One was in wav form and the other in mp3, but most were found on his previous albums. Personally I've never been a huge fan of his style as I think it goes on far too long without sufficient evolution. There are great parts on most of his tracks that unfortunately don't fulfill their potential. But that's just me. If you're a fan than you probably already have a lot of this. If you don't then this is certainly a treat. Even though I didn't like all of it he didn't have to give sh*t away so I would just thank him and stop being an ungrateful b*tch. By the way, I'm super keen on hearing his newest album that is on the way. Mdk

Artist: Audiomatic Title: Weekend Society Label: Spintwist Records Date: March, 2011 1. Asprovalta Calling 2. Windows of our soul 3. Give them free (Audiomatic rmx) - NEELIX 4. Deep and pumping sound 5. Exchange - AUDIOMATIC AND VAISHIYAS 6. Flipping Switches 7. The city in the city - AUDIOMATIC AND PHAXE 8. Twin Peak (Audiomatic rmx) - DAY.DIN AND ALFREDO GARCIA 9. Synthesized 10. Q-Factor I've seen some dumb sh*t in my time. Wow, that's pretty stupid. Thought you were gonna win a million instead of going home with a year's supply of Kraft Mac and Cheese. There's tax on that you know. "Dreams...are windows of our soul. Every human being dreams. If you think you're not dreaming, you just forgot your dreams." Say hello to the dumbest sample I've ever heard. This was in the second track and with it's modulated sound during a break which I assume was meant to be poignant and deep, came off as some moldy cheese. Oy, give me a break. The real shame is that the track itself was pretty awesome until that verbal diarrhea splattered my ear canal. The third album from Benjamin Halfmann has some pretty good moments in it. Smooth progressive textures are easily found and a lot of the melodies are quite dreamy. The Twin Peak Remix is a fine example. Good floaty music. Unfortunately it seems to be relegated to a bench player only coming on in extra time when the game is well in hand. There are stretches where it could've used some more sounds to thicken things up a bit. I've heard all this before and there ain't nothing new under the hood. This could just be the "Spintwist" style, but compared to a lot of other progressive out there this gets boring rather quickly. Bright spot? The final track Q-Factor is a liquid space downtempo effort with some real world instruments that sounds very nice. Psyshop Beatspace Goastore Mdk

Artist: Various Title: Extrasensory Perception Part 3 Label: Mikrokosmos Records Date: March, 2011 1. Galactic Mantra (Liquid Soul rmx) OVNIMOON 2. Beat it EARSUGAR AND DOUBLE CLICK 3. Phantasy MA'CO 4. Dark Matter (Egorythmia rmx) ACE VENTURA 5. Outer Space NERSO 6. Psy Tribe E-CLIP 7. Wide Awake EARSUGAR 8. Unity Consciousness AQUAFEEL 9. Ages of history (Human Element rmx) MIDIMAL This is the 3rd installment of the Extrasensory Perception series compiled by Martin and Liquid Soul. Don't know much about the label, but they seem to have assembled quite an impressive tracklist with all well known names. Both of the previous parts had some really good tracks so I'm liking where this is going. Besides, after the excellent Forensic Science and Future Nature 2 this could shape up to be a natural hat trick. You see a hat trick is when All right, all right...keep your shirt on. Galactic Mantra (Liquid Soul Remix)- Not this again...a 10 minute remix and you leave this in there? The first two minutes is a robotic voice telling me all that it is. Liquid Soul tackles a track off the Ovnimoon album Geometric Poetry or, the one with that jellyfish on it. The rest of the track is fine with a break composed of some delicate synths that grow louder and more distorted. A good track that would've been better without that annoying crap in the beginning. Beat It- Yeah that's not in here. I've never been a fan of Earsugar, but that descending bass will get your backfield in motion. Nobody was more shocked than I when I found my kid's babysitter was this talented. It changes to a more common galloping bass line and then goes on to lose all the originality it once briefly posessed. The break is nice as a lead shimmers across its surface but for a track to come out so strongly it certainly did exit with a whimper. Phantasy- While nothing stands out, it's a solid progressive track with plenty of stabs ripping across open space. Good effects and soft synth touches. Dark Matter (Egorythmia Remix)- Because nothing says I can do anything better than you like a remix, Bob Lazovski comes correct with a remix of a track by Ace Ventura from the 2nd part of this series. If artists think of their tracks as their children, is remixing a track from someone else like spanking someone else's kid? It's definitely dark sounding and pumping just like the original. But where it tops the original is in the bigger bottom end and thicker effect set. There is a lot more going on and it comes off as a stormer with a sinister smirk. Like the guy who banged your wife and it was so good, she left you for him. Can you imagine if remixes were like that? If someone remixes your track and it's better than the original, they get the rights to it. Nasty business that. You don't mow another guy's lawn! Outer Space- The Dragon is one of the best progressive trance producers around. Period. Did you hear Exploration of Infinity yet? You should. His tracks are loaded with effects that create big wide open spaces and make for great storytelling. This is a smooth jaunt through space that has a drifting quality. Deep, rumbling sounds provide a backdrop as effects ring off the ship's hull. There isn't one big melody to grab on to, just small ones that act as guiderails. Good stuff. Psy Tribe- Geez having this guys go right after one another isn't even fair. Marko released Shuma which is one of my favorites this year. He and Dragan make the same type of stuff. Hugely lush, melodic soundscapes stuffed to bursting with effects. This one is more aggressive than anything else on the comp, crossing into that psygressive area. Wait...they're twins aren't they? That would explain their similar sounds. "Dragan what's with the sour puss? And Marko...damnit you couldn't find a clean shirt?" Wide Awake- Earsugar is back for another go and I still don't feel what he's trying to do. I guess his minimalistic style doesn't appeal to me. I like big melodies and huge soundscapes, and that's not what he makes. We can try pounding a square peg into a round hole, but it won't ever fit. He's the atari 2600 to my PS3. Unity Consciousness- This is Vladislav Koumpatidis who was brought up in Greece but was born in Siberia when I was a senior in high school. Dick. He brings the galloping bass line to the table and loads up on effects. The break is pretty wide open as he introduces a new lead and the bounce is maintained. I like it, with it's shimmering quality and acoustic guitar touches. Ages of History (Human Element Remix)- This is why nothing is more important than the Human Element. I loved the original from the Sunday compilation (very good btw), with its massive scope it was like standing on top of a mountain. This is DJ Martin with the closer and it has a bit of a sleek house groove. Imagine floating through a dream where everything is just out of focus with minimal interference. The break is an ethereal bit of cloud surfing where you're feet never touch the ground. It's smooth and far from intrusive. Superb. This is the definition of a strong finish. The first three tracks were ok if a bit on the light side, but from the Egorythmia remix to the outstanding Human Element Remix, this was a great ride. Well, minus the Earsugar tune, but I don't care for his music anyway. Quality melodic stuff with lush atmospheres. While not as good as Forensic Science, it's still a worthy addition to my collection and a worthy sequel to the last one in the series. Good stuff Mikrokosmos! Psyshop Beatspace GoaStore Mdk

Artist: Various Title: Encoder Operations Label: Uxmal Records Date: March, 2011 1. Deep Connection - Sensogram 2. On Beat - Stratil 3. Sugar Rush - Synesthetic 4. Blue Bottle - Woodwise 5. Not amuse - Elecdruids 6. Human Extinction - Helber Gun 7. Time Code - Pakman 8. Circle of eight - Natural Vibes 9. Flow Control - Twins "We wouldn't be the first lifeform to wipe itself out...but what is unique about us is...we did it knowingly." This is the third physical release by the fine gentlemen from Mexico. Most of the artists are new to me, but like a blind date it could work out. Compiled by co-owner Zonka it begins with a very dreamy and flowing track from Sensogram. Powerful and melodic, great way to start. On Beat is slightly stipped down, but crackles with energy like a downed power line. Good use of effects. If the next track was the Sugar Rush, then how I felt after was the power nap. Wasn't a bad one, but nowhere close to the previous two in terms of interest. Woodwise keeps the nap alive with some filler. ZZZzzzzz.... Not Amuse forgot the "d" but remembered to bring thick atmosphere with an absolute gem of a break. It becomes more aggressive as it comes out of said break as well. Trying to lighten the mood (not really) is Helber Gun which is a project worth watching. They bring more of the lush outer space atmosphere that was found on their From Another Planet EP. The break has that awesome sample and is one of the stars on this compilation for me. If I wasn't staring at the computer I would've said that Time Code was part of Human Extinction. Same bass line, same gallop...did somebody fall asleep at the wheel? It's drifting but lacks the lush feeling of the track before. Circle of Eight has it's groove shoes on with a funky popcorn arpeggio and reminds me of clubs I wasn't cool enough to get into. The last track...meh. Having listened to their releases, I must compare this label to second string players. Sure they have some good tunes on occasion, but they're not yet there in terms of giving you quality minutes like Iono or Tesseract. Now it could just be that they are shooting for more of a minimal pumping vibe and I'm more on the layered melodic frequency. As always taste is subjective. But let's focus on the positive, because there were some really good tracks here. A tip of the hat goes to Sensogram, Elecdruids, Helber Gun, and Natural Vibes. Not bad, but a compilation I would pick and choose from. Psyshop Beatspace GoaStore Mdk

Artist: Various Title: Antimateria Label: Nuuktal Records Date: March, 2011 1. Into Coma - DURS 2. There is more inside - EROTIC DREAM 3. Smooth by (Sideform rmx) - VERTEX 4. Deeper - STRATIL 5. S.S. Ishimura - F-ZERO 6. Many Questions - PROTOACTIVE 7. Morning Sensations - ECHOACTIVE AND SYNCHRONEYES 8. Technical Elements - OJOS AND F-ZERO Mexico scares the crap out of me. I've never been there, but my government would have me believe that you should you choose to go there, make sure you say your final goodbyes to your family. You know...just in case. So much negative press surrounds Mexico. Questionable tourism bureau illegal border crossing pet peer pressure Stripper vampires I mean, it's like the final frontier out there. A lawless and ungodly land. But perhaps there is a ray of hope. Nuuktal Records delivers a compilation with an impressive lineup. Artists that have produced some very impressive tracks. They offer it on CD and digitally, but if you get the CD you get an extra track. Into Coma- This is Jesus and far be it from me to question the almighty, but I wouldn't name my track Into Coma when it's so boring. Nothing exceptional except the funky wood block percussion. Groovy for that fact, but rather weak track in all other aspects. Wish he woulda banged on that wood some more. So... a few hail mary's? We good? There is More Inside- "Thousands of years... philosophers and poets have told mankind... that there is more...inside." Don't know much about this project, but this track has a little bounce to it. It's not very detailed by any means, but there is a groovy appeal to it, especially after the quasi break. A little above average. Smooth By (Sideform Remix)- Vertex had one of the best progressive albums out this year with Ocean and now one of his tracks gets the remix treatment from Sideform. It's moderately paced with a very mack daddy groove. Synth leads dance over echoing effects and a very large kick. The break has some chopped up synths and the end finishes strong with some nice rushes and more up in the clouds leads. Good stuff. He's on some old Dukes of Hazard smoothness! Deeper- This seems more grumbly, organic if you will. The bass is pretty fat and there are plenty of effects to thicken it up. Foresty even. I like that there wasn't one particular melody that you could hang on to, but lots of little ones. Pretty ominous and very good. S.S. Ishimura- "Unable to comply. Password required for access." The compiler himself delivers a track that picks up effects as it goes along. But there still isn't much going on. This doesn't get the blood pumping. It's not bad, but it does leave me feeling empty. Many Questions- "I have many questions." Me too. Like, when is it over? Did you save the good track for another compilation? Did you set out to make a boring track? Cause...ya did. Morning Sensations- Synchroneyes...get it? Clever. This is futuristic with chopped up leads of the bass and alto variety. Nice break that was full of emotion and brought a new lead to the surface. Yep, I liked this one. Technical Elements- This is a chunky track with whizzing effects and chopped up synths coming at you in waves. It wasn't outstanding, but it was solid and kept things interesting. I thought one of the better ones on the compilation. Well, that could've been better. This wasn't close to the best progressive trance out there and I'm afraid can't be considered much more than generic stuff. The promo said "8 tracks that makes your blood starts pumping" Ahhhh....no. A lot of the tracks were the kind that went on without a lot of variation, which made it kinda like background music. Not minimal, but far from detailed storytelling. Average compilation for me. http://www.goastore.ch/product_info.php?products_id=4326 http://www.psyshop.com/shop/CDs/nuu/nuu1cd002.html http://www.beatspace.com/6160/Nuuktal+Records/Various/Antimateria++/detail.aspx Mdk

Artist: Dark Nebula Title: Gateway EP Label: Planet B.E.N. Records Date: March, 2011 1. Steel Dawn 2. Supernatural 3. Three Dimensions of Sound This is Richard Rutter who has released a bunch of albums and countless tracks for compilations. His style was, you guessed it, dark with some melodic elements. It's been awhile since I have listened to his music, but what I do remember are his cool album covers. Wonder what he's up to these days... Steel Dawn- "There's something..very dangerous uh, unsustaining about the desert and this place, yet things live. Why?" This is a change in style for the Nebula that's for certain. What was once a darkpsy chaotic psytrance outfit seems to have mellowed in his old age. This has an almost progressive feel but still maintains that spacey vibe he is known for. It had some nice parts like most of his music, but nothing really stays with me. Supernatural- "You believe in premonitions? Do you believe that there is order and genius in a hundred thousand million galaxies similar to our own?" I believe that I'm not a big fan of your new style Richard. It's bland. This isn't you. What are you trying to impress a girl? Nah, I'm just playing with you. If this is the direction you want to follow then more power to you. Ah, I see you have a little goa sensibility in you, why don't you run with that? But the rest of this is just boring stuff that other artists have tripped over. See that? Yeah, that's my sad face. Three Dimensions of Sound- "Let's now explore the very front imagery...the first dimension." I don't know how much exploring I want to do with this new style. It sounds like a return to the 2001-2003 years of sparse layers and thin tracks. He brings a spacey, wavey synth, but I'm just not feeling it. At almost 9 and a half minutes you really don't get that much bang for your buck. So Richard has reinvented himself, but the results are rather vanilla and disappointing I'm afraid. Gone is the acidic craziness, the dark feeling and the layered music. This comes off as just average stuff that he appears to be messing around with. Far be it from me to criticize the direction an artist wants to evolve, but don't expect me to follow you if I don't like it. And....I didn't. Holy crap...did I just unfriend you? http://www.beatport.com/release/gateway/348367 http://www.psyshop.com/shop/Downloads/pbr/pbr1dw002.html Mdk