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Artist: G-light Title: The Final Element Label: Deja Vu Records Date: November, 2003 1. Deja Vu 2. Skyline 3. Dance of The Morning Sun 4. Pitch Black 5. Positive Motion 6. Final Element (Rmx) 7. Circles 8. Planet 604 9. Storm This was one of the first psytrance CD's I purchased way back when so the nostalgia value was fairly high for me. Until I listened to it again. I don't recall it being this...mediocre. Context is important and when this came out in 2003 full-on was a new genre, an explosion of power from the subdued tones and atmospheres of minimal. 13 years on however that power is like dial up compared with broadband. Smartphones vs. my old candy bar Nokia. His breaks are still nice, but the compositions feel like they are lacking. The album no longer holds up (no matter how many lasers he puts in there). Even the photoshopped cover is dated. As much as it pains me to say it (it really doesn't pain me) this album shall merely be a footnote in psytrance history.

Artist: Various Title: The Encroachment Label: Timecode Records Date: November, 2003 1. Artifakt - Drugged and Base 2. Phyx - Cro-Magnon 3. Stralia - Airlock 4. Shift Vs. The Slug - Apocalypse Cow 5. Twisted System - Vile Substance 6. Rabdom L - The Decoy 7. Tickets - Terminal Personalities 8. Rastaliens - Troll 9. Ghreg On Earth - Output Device "Fantasies...have to be unrealistic. Because the moment, the second that you get what you seek...you don't, you can't want it anymore." This one. This was the one that saw Timecode begin to emerge from solely being just a label of screeching leads and dark overtones to something that forced people to take notice. Their sound was blossoming, becoming more substantial. The melodies began to appear and they were far from cheesy. The big beat and deep throbbing bass line remained as they found their calling. A new subgenre of psytrance began to scream from the dark and this label perfected it. From the classic Apocalypse Cow and impending explosion of Vile Substance Timecode became a force to be reckoned with. They weren't at the pinnacle of their success yet...but it was coming. Timecode Bandcamp Mdk

Artist: Aes Dana Title: Aftermath Archives of Peace Label: Ultimae Records Date: November, 2013 1. Aftermath #1 2. Aftermath #2 3. Aftermath #3 4. Aftermath #4 5. Aftermath #5 6. Aftermath #6 7. Aftermath #7 $450.00 Are you f*cking kidding me. Must be Canadian dollars. Nope, still too f*cking high. What do they use in Poland? Zloty? Even that's too high. Got it...Iraqi Dinars. 450 Dinars = ...32 cents. All right that's too low, but we're getting closer. Obviously that seller is going to retain possession of that used copy of this album. Unless Beyonce decides she's into ambient in which case Jay-Z is going to f*ck it all up. Is there anyone who is more identified with quality downtempo and ambient music? Who is Vincent Vilius? How about co-founder of arguably the best downtempo label, founding member of Asura, contributor to H.U.V.A. Network, and of course electronic activist. What the hell does that last bit mean? Does he travel to exotic locations and protest acoustic festivals? Demand more government spending on electronic bass line research? I'm being silly of course as he has made his mark and become an icon in the genre. This was his second album as Aes Dana and there seem to be those that think this is better than chocolate sex. Not me. I love chocolate. This is now 10 years old and while it still sounds fresh as the day it was made, I believe that he has gotten better with age. Recounting a tale of life after a great cataclysm it is one of those that demands a straight through listening to fully absorb its message. He weaves through vignettes of ambient and downtempo with floating pads and melancholic textures putting the listener in a relaxed state. The story is expertly told and I think it is a great piece of work, but there were times I found it less engaging than it could've been. It was good ambient, but this is Aes Dana we're talking about. I want better than good. I want great. It's my opinion that with successive albums his productions became deeper and more challenging. Then I realized I was judging this album based on his later works and where he's taken his music. And that's not fair. Like anything else he has grown and matured with time spent perfecting his craft. Each album is part of the puzzle and the picture cannot be completed without it. That's all you can ask of an artist. So with repeated listening I found myself enjoying it more and more. The beatless ambient is supremely ethereal and while I still believe he has gone on to produce better albums I can appreciate this album for what it is. Mdk

Artist: Juno Reactor Title: Zwara EP Label: Universal Music (Japan) Date: November, 2003 1. Zwara (Sleepwalker) 2. Teahouse 3. Komit 4. Guardian Angel I don't know the first thing about Juno Reactor. Don't know how this ended up on my hard drive, but there it was so I gave it a listen. The reviews given by our own PKS and Jikkenteki here will no doubt be plenty informative for fans of this project. That ain't me. This will be a brief review for those not in the know. Zwara sounded very noisy and as if I was watching an exorcism while a female voice screamed Zwara over and over. Teahouse was more tribal drum banging. Apparently that's it for the new tracks. Komit I gather was on the Matrix soundtrack, but this is a much shorter version that didn't stay with me. Guardian angel was referred to as a classic by these two reviewers, but I guess you really have to like Juno Reactor to believe that. Juno Reactor seems to be a group of musicians that are very eclectic and dabble in a lot of styles of electronic music. While I didn't care for this, I bet their live show would be awesome. It has that theatrical sound that is probably better experienced than heard. Mdk