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Artist: Phobium Title: Oort Cloud Label: Omnitropic Date: September, 2013 1 - The Cloud At A Distance 2 - Drifting Past Comets (105 BPM) 3 - Crossing The Heliopause (145 BPM) 4 - Into The Interstellar Medium (99 BPM) 5 - Towards Proxima Centauri (101 BPM) 6 - Distant Sol Gimme a minute, I'll get there. I'm not smart enough to get into the details of what an Oort cloud is, but think space, chunks of icy matter, and comets. Got that? Then you are now floating untethered through the cold blackness of deep space. Slow drifting ambient somewhat reminiscent of Kitaro if he joined NASA. Phobium is Henning Ottesen from Norway and he presents the story of the first manned mission to travel through this massive cloud surrounding our solar system. The ambient sounds like what you would expect the soundtrack to the far reaches of space would sound like. Take an arpeggio, surround with pads, repeat. At 17 minutes it felt like it took forever to cross the Heliopause. My mind wandered. What am I going to make for dinner? Is John Travolta really gay? How come cows don't tip over when they're on a steep hill? Can I just microwave 3 day old coffee or should I stop being a lazy f*ck and just brew another pot? I poke fun, but he's got talent no question. Into the Interstellar medium is a vivid cross section of a slow motion tumble amongst the stars where you should be freaking out, but it's so calm and serene relaxation is the only response. Towards Proxima Centauri speeds things up as he rediscovers his software has a beat function. This is deep trance where time is rendered meaningless as I try to take it all in. This could be what the outcome would sound like if you locked Tangerine Dream and Vangelis and they spent all their time comparing dick sizes. Distant Sol is an isolating drone that will help you appreciate just how vast space is. So vivid and simple it moves unbelievably slowly like an old lady in the left lane. So yeah slow as f*ck but deliciously ominous. The crew of the Event Horizon has been slaughtered and the freighter is left to drift into deep space for eternity. Alone, so alone. Three tracks over 13 minutes of a very repetitive style is a lot to take. F*ck you Phobium for making me think about gay John Travolta drinking 3 day old coffee. But thank you Phobium for presenting that scary as hell last track. Free at Ektoplazm Mdk

Artist: Ekoplex Title: Discovering The Ancient Label: Omnitropic Date: January, 2012 01 - Turtle Island (120 BPM) 02 - Hip Shiva Wigga (100 BPM) 03 - Follow The Music (100 BPM) 04 - Shamanic Drumz (110 BPM) 05 - Before The Sun (110 BPM) 06 - Aya (110 BPM) 07 - Shapeshifter (112-119 BPM) 08 - Crossroads (114 BPM) 09 - End Of The Cycle, Beginning Of... (110 BPM) Where the f*ck did this come from? It's Ray Vincent from Canada with his third album but instead of full-on or morning trance he vaults into the downtempo arena. I never payed much attention to his releases because I've heard so much full-on that I am sick to death of it. But that changes now. Just read the comments on his album releases at Ekto. Absolutely glowing with people falling all over themselves to praise this project. So without experiencing any of his previous work I dove head first into this. Reasons why this is different...well, first off it's free. Second, it is a digital release with liner notes. Well, a link to liner notes. Nice touch as he gives you waaaaay more information than you are used to receiving in this genre of music. On every track. He talks about his tuning method, his trip to Nepal, and the samples as well as live instruments he used. So right off the bat that was greatly appreciated. Just reading how he feels about tracks and things in general makes me feel about as deep as a puddle compared to his ocean. The music itself is marvelously detailed and frothing over with depth. Let's just get it out into the open, it's not a true downtempo album, but psychill or deep trance with lengthy storytelling parts. Turtle Island has to be one of the most atmospheric and involving tracks I have heard in quite some time. Incredibly massive, I just kept hitting the repeat button. Most of the other tracks were in that same intricate style with real world instruments and mid tempo rhythms. Sometimes I felt like I was at a Phish concert where I didn't know where one track ended and another began. That's called good flow. The last track gallops along at over 20 minutes and is so full and varied that it has to be heard to be believed. Did I feel the transition to the sitar at the 13 minute mark could've been smoother as it felt like two different tracks? Sure, but minor quip aside it's still melodic and groovy as hell. Congratulations Mr. Vincent you have accumulated another fan. I cannot recommend this highly enough with its varied storytelling and beautiful musicianship. It's got a little bit of everything from progressive to tribal and of course downtempo with plenty of real instruments. All done with layer upon layer of melody. This is an example of the sum being greater than its parts. Take the time and go for a walk or a hike, but get outside and enjoy this. The fact that this is free leaves no excuses not to hear this. It's like a guy (me) that has only had a PC, but wandered into an Apple store and the ghost of Steve Jobs came up to me and said, "No, you know what? F*ck it, just take this iPad." "Can I get an iPad 2?" "I said iPad. Now beat it." You know, I normally reserve this happy full feeling for a great dinner out, but...you've earned it. Chicka chicka chick... Ektoplazm Mdk

Artist: Radioactive Sandwich & Globular Title: Sorbet For the Soul EP Label: Omnitropic Date: March, 2013 01 - Globular - Lemon (97 BPM) 02 - Radioactive Sandwich - Lengo (97 BPM) 03 - Radioactive Sandwich - Mango (95 BPM) 04 - Globular - Mamon (91 BPM) Mix dubby beats, glitch, reggae vibes, and a healthy dose of vocals chopped and manipulated behind turntables and you've got an ep that can out Shpongle Shpongle. It certainly is a busy digital ep with lots of sounds thrust upon the ears at a frenetic pace. An interesting concept where both artists began with the same sounds and built their tracks. Globular did Lemon and The Sandwich created Mango. They then traded tracks and made their reinterpretations. The tracks are good and if you like that style then you will love this. The combination of an ethnic feel and funky rhythms is infectious. My favorite tracks are Lemon and Lengo with their slow downs that don't lose any smooth appeal. Sometimes it can get garbled as they attempt to sonically wring all they can out of the vocals, but that's minor. Get to downloading, you won't be disappointed. Free at Ektoplazm

Artist: Hinkstep Title: Sunrise From The Treetops Label: Omnitropic Date: October, 2011 1 - Sunrise From The Treetops (126 BPM; 9/4) 2 - Moonwalk On Mushroom Street (80 BPM) 3 - Dreamland Dub (120 BPM; 6/4) 4 - Medusa (67.2 BPM) 5 - Aldrig Mer (130 BPM; 6/4) 6 - So Beautiful So Strange (75 BPM) 7 - Sleep Again (120 BPM) Good God Beyonce is hot. Oh, are we on? I'm always on the hunt for great music and boy did I stumble onto a winner here. Are you bored with 4/4 music? Would you love to hear an artist stretch some boundaries without making the music unlistenable? How about spending an evening alone with Sasha Fierce? Yeah me too. But I can help with two of those. Hinkstep is Jonas Tegenfeldt from Sweden and he fucking knocks it out of the park with his debut. It's brimming with excellent musicianship bringing psychedelia together with spiritual and tribal elements. When was the last time you heard a trombone in psychedelic music that didn't seem out of place? I'll tell you...never. Uncountable gentle melodies take you over the mountaintop in a slow glide, never rushing. Vast as a Montana sky it sometimes reminds me of the path taken by Kitaro on the Silk Road with more ethnic variables. I cannot choose a favorite because they are all awesome tracks. I even liked the cheesy vocal in So Beautiful when he got all auto tuney. This is a stairway to heaven created by the sun's ultimate warmth perfect for relaxing or embarking on a journey of self discovery. And it's free. Spectacularly epic. Ektoplazm Mdk