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Artist: JIS Title: Illusions of Reality Label: Timewarp Records Date: October, 2013 1. We're The Aliens On The Earth 2. Behind the Lights 3. Aldebaran 4. Blessed Unconsciousness 5. The Illusion of Reality 6. Factorum Spectre 7. Plan B 8. The Journey 9. Mind Therapy 10. Birdie "This is a journey into sound." Blue Planet Corporation. I would swear I was listening to Blue Planet Corporation. THE name in melodic trancey goa finally has a worthy successor. Who the hell knew he was hidden away in Hungary. JIS is Gabor Czellux and this is his debut full length album. Beautiful melodies are the cornerstone of this music that doesn't forget it's still goa trance. We're in a time now where just making melodic goa trance isn't going to set anyone's hair on fire. Past that. What Gabor does is take light and airy melodies and surround them with the signature sounds that scream goa trance. Layers? Check. Shimmering synths and reverb? Oh, yes. Tactile breaks and great production? You. Know. It. This isn't dark or acidic goa trance, but the hyper melodic stuff that reminds you why you liked trance to begin with. Can't be dark all the time...people will begin to shun you. "Look Gary, I like you. You're a nice guy and do good work, but people don't want their accountant to look like the walking dead. Makes 'em nervous." The opener sounds lush and combines all of the things I've mentioned. And he doesn't stop there. Delicious layers cascade over bubbling basses like maple syrup on a short stack. Blessed Unconsciousness is infectious and has a playful bass line that reminds me of Dark Waters by MFG. The Journey you will recall was released on The Call of Goa (*gives hi-five to Nova Fractal) and does everything right. If there was one complaint you could possibly raise it would be that it's an album composed of very similar tracks, but I was dancing so much that I didn't care. When I found out BPC was his favorite artist it made perfect sense. Gabor deftly navigates the sometimes blurred lines (I know you want me) between melodic and goa trance (I know you want me). Just like the artist he draws inspiration from. This is light and airy melodic goa trance that is quite vivid and well produced. One could even say gentle at times. None of the tracks are going to overpower you. Dark and acidic goa stormers won't be found here either. It's not that kind of party. But if you're a fan of melody and layers then this is for you. It's a digital relase, but shoot him an email and he might have a physical copy left for you. Beatport Mdk

Artist: Suduaya & Ancient Core Title: Sound Massage EP Label: BMSS Records Date: October, 2013 1. Ancient Core - Cosmic World Of Determinism 2. Suduaya & Ancient Core - Connection to Sound Massage 3. Suduaya - Sparkling Universe "Isn't that amazing?" Uh...no. Unfortunately the bar for stupidity has is so low that the word amazing has seemingly lost its allure. This is a collaboration between two projects that is chill and spacey. BMSS is a German label that is kinda all over the place with regards to what they release. Psytrance, progressive, psybient... Suduaya is Louis-David Roquefere while Ancient Core is the duo consisting of Mihai Cadar & Alexandru Bodochi. Slow beats and juicy synths with bass that is quite prominent, but not obtrusive. There is a cosmic atmosphere that is well represented and the layering is quite nice. Good pickup for under 5 bucks. Beatport

Artist: 2Minds Title: Wave Shell Label: Geomagnetic.TV Date: October, 2013 1. Vintage 2. Blue Magic 3. Mission to Mars 4. Goa Land 5. Wave Shell 6. Hindu 7. Deep and Warm 8. Viber 9. Eclipse 10. Blood Connection 11. Evil Echo 12. Ethnic Demonstration 13. Half Moon 14. Magic Carpet 15. The Last Travel I try not to make assumptions or jump to conclusions. I said I try. But I think we can all agree sometimes you're just stupid. In that vein I suppose I owe this project an apology. Two Israeli brothers making psytrance? Stop me if you've heard that one before. Paid them zero attention. Why do I wanna waste my time with cheesy full on? That horse has been beaten to death. I haven't been this wrong since, well... F*ck I just turned my kids room into a gay disco! And it's still too damn hot in here! Now I haven't heard the first album from these guys, but their second one is something you should be paying more attention to. It was a gift from the label Zion604 when I ordered their latest release. No cover, no case, just the music burned to a disc. Normally that would find itself buried amidst all the other music that I would probably never get around to. But something told me to give it a go. Good call. The first disc is psytrance oriented with midtempo rhythms and an eye for detail. Changes of direction are abundant as are the hopscotching of between genres. And I believe that to be their strength. The similarities to old Infected Mushroom are many and while none of these tracks are blasters they are fun to dive into with lots of evolution. Their brand of psytrance is nothing special (aside from a few tracks the first disc is rather weak), but throw in their penchant for variety and things get more interesting. Disc two is the prize for me, full of downtempo grooves that combine vastly varied rhythms in a detailed menagerie of sounds. The layers are thick with slow, cinematic thumping beats that don't flirt with goa, but engage in a full blown dry humping session on the new family couch. You're doing it wrong. Hump first then eat. Thick with changes in direction , it's like getting lost in a maze where treasure is around every corner. The who shebang is produced very well with all sounds being crystal clear. They seem to love long tracks and while that can be involving sometimes it feels as if they're lost in the woods and every tree looks the same. "No you go on ahead. I'm gonna...take a look at...something." *sound of fly unzipping* So the psytrance yeah it's all right, but the downtempo disc is really good. Thanks for the gift! Psyshop Beatspace Mdk

Artist: Reflection Title: Box of Chocolates Label: Fish n Trips Records Date: October, 2013 01 - Box Of Chocolates (137 BPM) 02 - Chocolate Bells (137 BPM) 03 - Tribal Chocolate (137 BPM) 04 - Chocolate Spiral (137 BPM) 05 - Chocolate Swamp (135 BPM) 06 - Dark Chocolate (140 BPM) 07 - Bouncy Chocolate (136 BPM) 08 - Chocolate Swirl (135 BPM) 09 - Liquid Chocolate (138 BPM) Saying I like chocolate is like saying Gollum likes rings. I f*cking love chocolate. And now Ekto offers me an entire album based on chocolate. If I could tongue kiss it through my monitor I would. You know those movies that take an ordinary childhood theme and turn it into something scary? That's this with a bass line. This is Gibb Tartaris from down under with some nice progressive trance that leans toward the darker side of things. Juicy basses abound as this groove fest makes good use of those eerie bells. The layering is well done and it makes it seem as if the music takes an actual breath. The multitude of effects don't hurt either. Yeah it's very samey and the tracks go on too long sometimes, but only evil vegans and the cursed lactose intolerant don't like chocolate. Go grab yourself a box. Ektoplazm Mdk

Artist: Psilocybian Title: Dreamtime Label: Ovnimoon Records Date: October, 2013 1. Altjira with Braincell 2. Balangurrk with Via Axis 3. Dance of the Antelope with HoTep 4. Rainbow Serpent with Audioform 5. Honey Ant with Wizack Twizack 6. Nibulin 7. Wutjbin 8. Kutu Kari 9. Lamang 10.Alterjinga with Deimos You know not all black people have rhythm. And surely not every Asian subsists on rice alone Stereotypes are usually not true. They are commonly born out of fear and ignorance and can be just... Ok so that one's pretty true. Jesus Conan you look like you're trying to work out a log. But you know there are exceptions to the rule in a lot of... Yes Mexican food will do that to you. But if I said the Balkan people are taking over psytrance, I don't believe that to be hyperbole. F*ck he even has a neighbor (Hotep) on the album. The only neighbor I have is a redneck that hates black people and I don't think he plays an instrument unless it's that jug with the 3 x's on it. Whether it's progressive or goa trance they seem to have their finger on the pulse of electronic music. Case in point, Psilocybian is Sasa Dukic with his 3rd and most recent album and boy is it a cracker. If you didn't get a chance to check out his 2nd, Brain Dissolver you will soon. There has been a steady increase in quality with his releases and he is certainly moving in the right psychedelic direction. This release is visceral. Primal. Futuristic. Echoing effects along an infinite strand of DNA that never seems to stop unraveling. Bubbling sounds that surf atop a sea of electronic froth. The layers are many and he puts the sounds together seamlessly atop thumping beats. Apparently he got the idea for this release from the Otherland book series by Tad Williams. I tried to read that book, but it got hard so I quit. More of a pictures kinda guy I guess. So Kudos to him for pushing through. Some of the track names are aboriginal which means that I can't make fun of them. Well played sir, well played. He wants you to compose your own dreams and this music makes it very easy. While I wasn't impressed with the cover from his last effort this one gets top marks. He did it himself and and it's a reflection of the myriad thoughts running through his mind. Cyclops with a tennis racket? Elephant riding a nuclear weapon? That's out there dude. I haven't seen that kind of mental depravity since Wizack Twizack. And oh yeah he makes an appearance with several other artists on some great collaborations. There are some that may say it can get a little samey, but for me it was all part of the journey. It's a quality album that may restore your faith in psytrance with it's dark vibe and outstanding production. Highly recommended. Samples Bandcamp Mdk

Artist: M-Run Title: Viral EP Label: Spacedock Records Date: October, 2013 1. Bastard Train 2. Viral After the massive praise Mario received for his debut album Some Run Just For Fun he's right back at it with a brief 2 track ep. This smacks of striking while the iron is hot so we don't forget about him. No worries my friend. Gone however is the complexity and ass wiggling goa grooves and in its place is 4 on the floor speed goa. It reminds me of Colorbox with its rapid pace like going through a mile long tube waterslide. Man, that would be fun as f*ck. 2 tracks are hardly a large enough sample size to really hold this against his album, but if you were looking for a continuation of Some Run, well this ain't it. If you're looking to spin and twirl to fast goa melodies this will get you there. BTW, don't sleep on the Ep barrage that seems to be Spacedock Records. They've dropped some quality goa goodies. Beatport

Artist: Blue Phoenix Title: Descent To Heaven Label: Ektoplazm Date: October, 2013 1 - Naive Joy (92 BPM) 2 - Tranquil Sunrise (85 BPM) 3 - One Last Breath (105 BPM) 4 - Descent To Heaven (95 BPM) 5 - Convalescence (100 BPM) 6 - Transmute (Various BPM) 7 - Sluggish Clarity (100 BPM) 8 - Unbounded Hope (100 BPM) Sometimes you have to fall to soar. Get lost in the wilderness before you find your true direction. This album is the story of one man's journey who supposedly had it all and only realized what was actually important when it was almost taken away. You can simply read the track listing to see the stages he went through. Naive Joy in thinking he had life figured out, did what was expected of him, did...all the right things. Tranquil Sunrise is just that, another beautiful day in a string of beautiful days. The kind that is so common we just take it for granted. One Last Breath is all he has left. A chance to end the pain, a moment to regret all that wasn't accomplished, an opportunity to see what awaits this life on Earth. His Descent To Heaven is rife with angelic paradigms, moving towards the light, a sense of peace and ease where he begins to be pulled towards the next phase. Convalescence is a long and difficult process. Full of dark days, thoughts of why me, and will I ever get back to "normal?" Transmute sees the true richness of life explode where it truly becomes what it was meant to be. Every touch, every smell, every experience heightened. Sluggish Clarity brings us to the reality that we are not alone. That we are just a piece of the puzzle being special in our own way and meant to interact with one another. Unbounded hope reveals that life without fear is the only way to live. Remove fear and the delicacies of life abound on your plate. This isn't an album that strives for psychedelia or darkness. It's not an album that is meant to pack the dance floors. It's just one man's story of discovering what is really important and it is brilliantly told. It comes with a pdf file explaining what led to this rebirth and I strongly urge you to read this before you listen to his tale. Normally I dismiss the comments on Ektoplazm as they are usually full of sycophantic drivel, but not here. Not because the music itself is so remarkable or it's a classic in the making. But because it meant so much to so many. The music isn't important. I don't ever have to hear it again. It's the message. The message is the take away and it's one that applies to anyone who has challenges in their life's journey to overcome. So basically everyone. Like he said, "from the fires of tragedy growth begins." Music means a lot to everyone and by revealing his story perhaps this may lead to others finding strength when attempting to conquer their own demons. I know this. After hearing this, I hug my kids a little tighter. Kiss my wife with more passion. And enjoy more of what this life has to offer with the wide eyed amazement of child. And there isn't anything wrong with that. Free at Ektoplazm Mdk

Artist: Siam Title: Sunset In Jupiter EP Label: Timewarp Records Date: October, 2013 1. Endless Sea 2. Amanita Dream 3. Sunset In Jupiter This was released on my wife's birthday, but sorry I didn't buy enough cupcakes. What? Ummm...no. Geez, are there no boundaries with you Greeks? Don't feel bad, I didn't get any either. Siam (John Pitsakis) is like the underground hot property these days. His style is quite intricate with layers that just seem to seep into place. The promo describes it as music with "deep emotional melodies." Yeah, I would go along with that. And melody is fully represented here. It's not unlike the recent offering Voyage In The Universe EP from Cosmic Dimension. There are plenty of outerspace themes with cosmic sounds that fully engage the brain. It flows from delicate sequences to long and trance inducing melodies. Amanita Dream is more trancey in a harmless sort of way, bookended by some quality goa trance tracks with some storming phrases. The title track has a juicy and sneaky goa melody that particularly sticks in the melon. Congratulations to John and to Timewarp for delivering yet another quality arrow in the quiver of goa trance. Beatport Mdk

Artist: Unikorp Title: World Traveller EP Label: DVSM Records Date: October, 2013 1. World Traveller 2. Low Gardens 3. India 4. A New Journey 5. Far Sight Thank God I don't have to be subjected to music from this assclown. There is no amount of nut punching that would allow me to atone for being a fan of his. Think his mom would mind if we tried to shove him back up her uterus? She could keep the money, but I'd say we'd have to weld that portal closed in return. I'm so glad that I listen to this music. I'd sooner crawl across broken glass soaked in the AIDS virus than have to be subjected to the crap that seems popular these days. Yeah this music has been kind to me. Not just for the music but for the incredible people I've "met" around the globe. I'm pretty good at geography, but let's be honest since that ugliness in what was once Yugoslavia occurred, I couldn't find Serbia or Croatia on a map if you pointed to it. Nonetheless, I have met more than enough people from that region and they've all been fantastic. Alex Ortegren is another one of those kind souls. Otherwise known as Kiriyama he's from Sweden and everyone knows where that is (thank you Swedish Bikini Team). Thanks to his album Reach Escape Velocity (one of the best forest/goa albums ever) I wrote him and we've kept in contact. Nothing but kindness from that guy. So when he sent me some tracks to give a listen I was only too happy to oblige. This is Renato Moreira from Portugal who also is the brains behind the LAB project. Check out his Clean Air Turbulence EP...good stuff. Now DVSM records is known primarily for the dark stuff, but this EP is a full 180 degree turn from that. I love seeing labels experiment with different genres. First thing you'll pick up on is the short track times. Aside from the 1st and third track nothing is over 4 minutes, so a sampling you shall have. World Traveller is all about the dub and the Indian chanting, mid tempo stuff. Low Garden picks up the pace and still has that dubby bass. India as you would expect has a female Indian vocal as well as instruments recognizable from that region. Near the end there is a slight flirtation with goa and that makes me smile. A New Journey has a cool break beat and clever percussion to go along with its moody atmosphere. Far Sight brings the DnB and even though I don't follow that genre at all it still sounded lush and very competent. My favorite is the bonus track called 3rd Generation as it seems nicely chaotic and warm. Totally different from what I was expecting from this label. Eerie at times, but not dark at all. He's all over the place on this one touching on numerous styles. Because of the short track times I'm not certain whether he's just experimenting with stuff to see what he likes or throwing stuff on the wall to see what appeals to people. The sound quality is top notch as it was mastered by none other than Colin "OOOD" Benunm. Another cool aspect is the interactive site which has a really good design. Thanks for the listen gentlemen. DVSM Records Mdk