DeathPosture Posted June 9, 2005 Share Posted June 9, 2005 V/A - Apsara Hi-res cover: front + back Artist: Various Title: Apsara Format: CD (jewel case) Label: Suntrip Records (France/Belgium) Cat. #: SUNCD02 Distribution: Arabesque Date: 6 June 2005 Track listing: 01. 07’22” Aes Dana - Digitalys 02. 07’05” Yesod – On The Edge of Time 03. 09’14” KhetzaL & Chaï (Avigmati) - Babylone Beach 04. 08’57” Lost Buddha - Metamorphosis 05. 09’01” Filteria – Tiny Universe 06. 08’31” Ka-Sol - Skraqp 07. 10’04” Ypsilon5 - Titanium 08. 08’18” Goasia – I’m Ready 09. 07’51” Radical Distortion - Communication .m3u-playlist: http://tinyurl.com/b6mxt (all tracks) Review: Full-blown goa-trance anno 2005! The 26 celestial damsels of Indra's court are known as apsaras. Well versed in the art of music and dancing, they are said to be able to change their shapes at will and sometimes lured men to their deaths… Girl power! Suntrip Records is the brainchild of Mars & Anoebis from psynews.org… They revolutionized the scene in 2004 with the extremely melodic Filteria debut album Sky Input… An album that got rave reviews and IMHO still holds a position as one of the best albums released in 2004… Now they are back with their second release – a compilation dedicated to bringing us more old-school melodic goa-trance made with modern production techniques… A look at the tracklist reveals a mixture of well-known names and upcoming stars… Let’s get up-close and personal with the apsaras… Let me take you thru the tracks… #01: Aes Dana – Digitalys [120 BPM] We kick things into motion with a nice chilled tune by Aes Dana… Vincent Villuis from France is still the undisputed world chill champion - and the Ultimae label boss has yet to disappoint me… This tune is beautifully executed – somewhere in between arpeggio ambient and blissful downbeat… The subtle melodies are made up by floating synths and a smooth rhythm section… The heavily cut-up female voice samples are dreamy and add to the overall feel-good atmosphere created by Vince… This cracked a big old smile on my face… ;o) #02: Yesod – On The Edge of Time [142 BPM] This is the debut by Yesod (Fredrik Ekholm) from Sweden… As the BPM counter indicates, it’s time to dust of the dance-boots and move towards the floor… The intro is swamped with bells, flutes and floating pads…Within the first minute the track is in full effect with twirling razor-sharp flute-melodies in the foreground – and a steady bassline in the background… Very, very melodic and very, very old school… It’s an instant flashback to the extremely naïve and uplifting melodies of the early 1990s… The breakdown rules and not since The Infinity Project’s Mystical Experiences and the first Shpongle album have I heard such a wicked flute-line… Nice! #03: KhetzaL & Chaï (Avigmati) - Babylone Beach [145 BPM] Avigmati consists of KhetzaL (Matthieu Chamoux) and DJ Chaï from France… KhetzaL already released tracks on Ultimae, Agitato and Kagdila – but until now I haven’t heard any of his work… Anyway, this track has a very spiritual intro… Reminds me of ancient TIP ambient… A deep, pounding bassline is soon introduced alongside one of many melodies… Twirling synth melodies are interweaved between harmonic pads in the background, soothing flute lines and a discrete bassline… The lengthy break/build-up/take off is nothing less than amazing and sends shivers down my spine every time I hear it… I’m guessing this will cream a few pants the first time people listen to it… Damn, it’s good! This is what uplifting, melodic goa-trance is all about… Brilliant! #04: Lost Buddha – Metamorphosis [139 BPM] “Next we have another kind of un-composed music”… As far as I know, this is the first released track by Felipe Santos from Portugal… Ahh, just listen to those ripping acid sounds in the intro here… Mmm… Tension is building from the first second and you just know this is gonna be good… And sure enough, before you know it we’re in the middle of a multilayered frenzy of melodies… Works absolute wonders in my living room – and I’ll bet my life saving this track can pack any trancefloor around the world in a matter of seconds… It’s very intense, very uplifting, very joyous and very good! #05: Filteria – Tiny Universe [143 BPM] “That means that our whole solar system could be, like, one tiny atom in the fingernail of some other giant being... That means, that one tiny atom in my fingernail could be one little tiny universe!” Filteria has become synonymous with the resurrection of highly melodic, multilayered, modern goa trance with a torrent of climaxes… Jannis Tzikas from Sweden released his highly acclaimed debut album Sky Input on Suntrip Records in 2004 – and ever since I’ve been eagerly awaiting more brain fodder from his talented hands… And finally the wait is over… Jannis takes a new path here, with a very original dubby intro… Tension is building, layers of FX are added and soon the track is in full effect… Highly uplifting, thrilling melodies are dancing around between spacey synth lines and analogue thrusters… Again the Pleiadians link is evident, but when it’s this beautifully executed no-one is complaining… Get ready to soil yourself again for the climax halfway thru… Fucking hell Jannis – I’ve missed your sound so much! I can’t wait for the second album… Stellar track! #06: Ka-Sol – Skraqp [142 BPM] HOLY SHIT! Finally a new track by Ka-Sol… Christer Lundström has released some of the most mind-blowing tracks ever on Schlabbaduerst RekKords… And sure enough, this is very hard, extremely twisted psychedelic trance… Raw and gritty – dark and distorted – trippy and immensely psychedelic… And simply massive! I find it really hard to describe this – you have to listen to fully understand what I’m talking about… Trust me! Though darkish, there are still loads of melodies here – exported straight from the deepest, darkest Swedish forests… This is mushroom trance if there ever was mushroom trance… Those demented acid-lines will scare away any non-believer! Grrreat! Monumental track! #07: Ypsilon5 – Titanium [148 BPM] When David Lilja from Sweden released his debut album Binary Sky on Tranceform Records in the beginning of 2004 it was such a relief… Old school melodic goa trance was back with a vengeance. Unfortunately he didn’t release anything after that… Until now when the Suntrippers are treating us to this super-fast track… David’s style still reminds me a lot of old Astral Projection/Man With No Name – with his rapid happy-go-lucky uplifting goa melodies and pounding basslines… It’s a very good track, but it’s not as good as the previous tracks here… And also it’s maybe a couple of minutes too long… Funny thing is, this would have been the stand-out track on any other compilation released in 2005 - but hey, the competition is fierce here… ;o) Ok track! #08: Goasia – I’m Ready [144 BPM] This is my first encounter with Goasia dance music… Unfortunately I haven’t heard the tracks Balint Tihamer made for the Kagdila compilation Pure Planet… I did however hear his very nice chill track on the Cosmicleaf compilation Chill On Ice… That was a pretty nice track, and so is this… The intro is übercool with very crisp sounds – and a digital bird! And then Balint takes us on a long journey – constantly changing direction, but never losing the overall focus which is leading us to the much awaited climactic ear orgasm… Highly melodic, evolving, melodic psytrance with rich goa influences… Nicey nice! #09: Radical Distortion – Communication [136 BPM] The sun has set and the apsaras are dancing like there’s no tomorrow! John Spanos & Nick Polytaridis from Greece have been in the game for years, but somehow I’m not familiar with their music... Anyway, this is more in the same vein – melodic, multilayered morning trance… Though a little less organized at times – and dare I say, a little cheesier also? It’s definitely very uplifting and super-super melodic… It’s not a bad track, but I could’ve wished for a little more edge here… Decent track! What a nice, long, nostalgic trip down Melody Lane… Just like the Filteria album, this second Suntrip Records instalment is like a breath of fresh air… Nothing like it has been released for quite a while and such is brings something fresh into our scene… Diversity rules! As you can tell, I like the middle part of this album the best… A few of the tracks sounded a little flat somehow compared to the rest… As DJ tools all tracks will work wonders I’m sure, and for home listening most of them are outstanding…. But rest assured, there are no fillers here – it’s all good! Also the cover-art deserves a special mention – it looks absolutely wicked! Well done! To conclude, this is a brilliant compilation – and very, very different from anything else released recently… When listening to this, you are constantly reminded of the good old glorious days of goa-trance… The style that so many of first fell in love with – and a style that obviously still is very much alive, evolving and kicking in 2005… I hope it never dies - and with visionary people like the Suntrippers, I’m sure it never will… I give this compilation my highest recommendations – and urge everyone with a healthy interest in melodic goa trance to give it a listen… You will not be disappointed! Enjoy! Favourites: 3(!), 4(!), 5(!!), 6(!), 8 DeathPosture External links: Suntrip Records: http://www.suntriprecords.com Trance Shop: http://tinyurl.com/8b5ft Beatspace: http://tinyurl.com/chp59 Psyshop: http://tinyurl.com/9z9ez PsySale: http://tinyurl.com/be9zg Unicorn: http://tinyurl.com/9t7h6 Saiko: http://tinyurl.com/77mt3 Juno: http://tinyurl.com/dshfr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amphiton Posted June 9, 2005 Share Posted June 9, 2005 A very nice review! But the track by Yesod is called "On the Edge Of Time"... I dloaded this track a couple of months ago from some web-site hosting mp3s @ 128 kbps... Couldn't have forgotten it Also the backcover says it's called "On the Edge Of Time". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anoebis Posted June 9, 2005 Share Posted June 9, 2005 woops, that my fault, I've send a promo and there was the wrong name on the back I've already informed DP now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delars Posted June 9, 2005 Share Posted June 9, 2005 about frikkin' time DP!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemmiwinks Posted June 9, 2005 Share Posted June 9, 2005 with a little bit of luck I'll be getting a copy in the following days... can't wait to hear it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeathPosture Posted June 9, 2005 Author Share Posted June 9, 2005 Track name corrected... Oops! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amphiton Posted June 9, 2005 Share Posted June 9, 2005 So... does this mean that Suntrip wanted to release "Biogenetic Toolbox" instead of "On The Edge of Time" at first? =) Anyway, I hope you continue like this in the future... the near future Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anoebis Posted June 10, 2005 Share Posted June 10, 2005 Nope, that means we had a promo from Yesod with several tracks and I just wrote the wrong name on the promo apsara cd I've send to DP The intention was to release "On the edge of Time", 100% Sure! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amphiton Posted June 10, 2005 Share Posted June 10, 2005 Offtop: Hm... It's also a wise way of knowing if DP is working for Psy-CZ or not just kiddin', of course Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemmiwinks Posted June 10, 2005 Share Posted June 10, 2005 woah man just got it today.. Took it from spacemunchi, popped the CD in my car, turned the car stereo to max and I was so absorbed in the music that I almost had an accident!! Will give a full review in about a week when all has settled down but for now I can say that this is one of the BEST CDs EVER!!! What I find astonishing is the QUALITY of the comp: the days when you bought a CD and EVERY track seemed better than the last are back Absolutley no fillers here, just insane melodic track after insane melodic track. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IAMbenjy Posted June 10, 2005 Share Posted June 10, 2005 i supported the only track i dont like that much is track 9 everything else is divine. good smurf . supprised to see aan aes dana track on it . very nice (best track on cd ) and suprised by tim schuldt's mastering love the thank you's . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemmiwinks Posted June 11, 2005 Share Posted June 11, 2005 what the hell, I've been listening to this comp almost contiuously in the past 24 hours so I can't wait longer for a full review, here it is: OK let me start with a little story here : once upon a time (around 1996 – 1997 to be exact) I had my first encounter with what I later discovered was called « goatrance ». Late at night I was watching a French music TV station on a Friday night and suddenly there was this insane track playing. Trying to compare it to the other commercial crap played was like trying to compare a stroll through the park with the first step on the moon… it was off the scale! I thought “This is it. The perfect track. It is impossible that a human being can create something better than this.” and then the next track came and woaaaahh it was even BETTER than the last! My heart was beating fast, I was litteraly shaking from the adrenaline rush and found it hard to be able to sit down. I thought “ok THIS is it. A track that is even better is simply inconceivable.” and then the following track came. OH MY GOD!! How is it possible? This is EVEN better than the last!! And so on, the show lasted till around 2-3 AM and abruptly stopped making way to the usual commercial crap… I was left with a very rapid heartbeat and shaking. Needless to say that it was almost impossible for me to go back to sleep afterwards... Anyway, fast forward a few years later and it’s a whole different story. Psytrance became something else, melodies were banned and when they made a comeback they ended up sounding really childish. The whole continuous adrenaline rush was replaced by a general feeling of boredom in the wait of hearing one track that would give you a certain jolt. Sure every now and then there was a new artist promising to “bring back the oldschool vibe” but let’s face it, the standards were set so incredibly high in the mid 90s that anything else simply faded in comparison… Buying a comp only to have one or two decent tracks has sadly become the norm these days… until now that is. I simply cannot remember the last time I listened to a comp from first track to the last feeling EVERY track is better than the previous one. Anyway, on to my review: Aes Dana opens this comp with a VERY nice midtempo track (which is kindof a surprise for me since usually Aes Dana is associated with very laid-back downtempo chill-out). What’s even more surprising is that he makes use of the continuous bassline drone that has become the trademark for fast-paced dark trance… but he manages to put it into a midtempo airy uplifting trance! Weird huh? well, it all works out very well. And with this the journey begins… (PS when’s the last time you referred at a comp as a “journey”?) Things pick up with Yesod . Now correct me if I’m wrong here but doesn’t the main melody (the one that starts around 4:30) sound a LOT like the one in Juno Reactor – Pistolero ? Although whereas Pistolero is a wacky track, here it all sounds very mystical and oldschoolish. I like this a LOT (but I’ve already told you that I loved every track here so…) and as a little treat, the flute melody is reproduced with bell chimes in the last few seconds. I really like that effect Then on to the next chapter of the journey… again some flute notes in the beginning which nicely links it to the last one. Oldschoolish melodies all over here and on top a slowly progressing flute giving it a very mystical atmosphere. Then a little 303 kicks in around the climax. Ahhh, it feels like it’s 1996 all over again Now on to Lost Buddha . I’ve heard him talk a lot on this forum about bringing back the oldschool vibe but I’ve never heard anything by him so I was curious about this… and I wasn’t disappointed, again, the oldschoolish vibes and very MFGesque synth presets certainly bring back some memories. And of course the use of that beautiful 303 will bring a big smile on your face. I’m definatley wating for more material from this dude. Ah and now comes Filteria . The first thing that surprised me is that this time around his sound is less “wild” and more dreamy. Sure it’s 143 BPMs but the “hurricane of sound that’s ready to tear the roof of your house” effect isn’t there anymore. It sounds less like Pleiadians – IFO and more like… Pleiadians – Boarding Pass to Balagan … hey I guess the dude really likes Pleidaians But again, dismissing Filteria as a Pleidaians clone is missing out on all the fun. Also the melody that comes in around 2:40 sounds a LOT like the one in Electric Universe – Transmissions … The dude really knows how to make great music!! I for one am happy to hear Filteria’s more dreamy side, it's a welcome change. So if Filteria isn’t the climax of this comp what is? Well it’s Ka-Sol !! First of all you might wonder just what the hell is Ka-Sol doing on a melodic morning trance comp? Well, believe it or not, Ka-Sol has become the MASTER of melodic morning trance lately! I was caught by surprise too when I heard him live a few months ago… His style is almost unrecognizable compared to his older stuff… but it is SOOOO good!! Actually I must confess that the main reason why I bought this comp was to finally be able to listen at home one of the killer tracks he played live. For me Ka-Sol represents the FUTURE of oldschool. You see, I don’t mean to point fingers and rest assured that I DO love and cherish each and every track on this comp… But one thing has been bugging me a bit: “newschool” artists stick a bit too close to the oldschool formulas (similar melodies, similar synth presets, use of the 303 etc…). Now I’m NOT saying that this isn’t a good thing… just that, well, it has been done before already. BUT with Ka-Sol it’s all different: he manages to bring the huge adrenaline rush and crazyness all by creating a 100% new sound!!! I remember his friend D-Dave from BotFB raving about “maximal” music… Well this is truly how I can describe this: MAXIMAL!! Swirling distorted synthlines (Schlabbaduerst represent ) on top of a deep deep kick with layers and layers and layers exploding in your face every minute!! And as if it wasn’t enough it all builds up to a HUUUUUGE climax at 6:20. Good God this stuff could give you a heart-attack!! The whole track lasts for 8:31 minutes… but in the end it seems too SHORT!!! Then things calm down a bit with Ypsilon 5 … not that the track itself is slower paced (actually it’s 6 BPMs faster than the previous) but because Ka-Sol’s climax was so powerful that it kindof eclipses this one. Still this is a very potent track on its own and for me it’s their best effort to date Now things really calm down with Goasia . Again, this track really feels like it was made in 1996 and the master tape was left in a drawer somewhere... But that’s how we like it Mystical goatrance is here once again. And then it’s back to Earth with Radical Distortion . The melody around 4:20 reminds me of the classic MFG Vs Astral Projection – The Sleeper Must Awake . nice And then it’s over… Conclusion Again, I must emphasize on the QUALITY of this release: I simply find it incredible to find a 9 track comp with 9 gems and 0 fillers in the year 2005. This will in many ways make you think that it’s 1996 all over again by the quality of the track selection, the mystical melodies, the use of the TB -303 and other very typical oldschool synth presets. But for me Ka-Sol really steals the show here… For a long time he has been setting the TRUE standards of dark trance (contrary to what Parvati and Goa Gil have been telling you for the last 4 years...) and he has apparently decided to set the new standards of morning trance now. And maaan this simply takes the very high level set by AP, Pleiadians, Transwave, MFG, etc. in the mid 90s and make them seem weak in comparison!!! But again, I like each and every track here, this is TOTALLY worth your money. If you are to buy but one comp this year then this should be it!! 10/10 PS one regret: if the people behind Suntrip decided to bring back the oldschool days then why not go out full way and make this a double-CD comp? maybe next time? 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seraph Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 APSARA 2005 SUNTRIP 1. AES DANA - DIGITALYS 2. YESOD - ON THE EDGE OF TIME 3. KHETZAL & CHAI - BABYLONE BEACH 4. LOST BUDDHA - METAMORPHOSIS 5. FILTERIA - TINY UNIVERSE 6. KA SOL - SCRAQP 7. YPSILON 5 - TITANIUM 8. GOASIA - I'M READY 9. RADICAL DISTORTION - COMMUNICATION ! So, it is finally here, first officially released Goa Trance compilation this year and it is MIND BLOWING ! I have no words what these guys have put together. This is the ultimate bliss of melodic sound this year and every single song is amazing here. The fresh old sounding is here, brilliantly mastered by incredible Tim Schuldt, wonderfully packaged and perfectly structured. There is finally so long waited Goa sound that we all missed for almost 5 years. After Ra's album back in 2000 and Dimension 5 - Second Phaze, we haven't heard any proper Goa sounding album with morphing melodies all around. This compilation is conceptually done as perfect journey. It starts with more gentle but very effective trance by Aes Dana - Digitalys, my first trance track I've heard from them and it is very good one. Hypnotical driving rhythm with oriental melodies and natural feel all around, perfect starter. Yesod - On The Edge Of Time is also very oriental influenced gentle psychedelic trance, perfect for the mornings, and very good for soothing your brain. It has very generic melodies and it might not be for everyone, dark freaks in particular. Khetzal & Chai track Babylone Beach is very oriental flavoured also but with harder edge than Yesod track. It has wild melodic lines perfectly followed by great voices, it is very driving goaish track, also very good and not for dark lovers. Now comes Lost Buddha - Metamorphosis, AMAZING work, Filipe, you've enhanced the song from before and took it on higher level. Now this is pure goa trance, heavily 96 influenced with very hypnotic goa melodies and great progression in the track. Perfect ( for me at least )... Filteria - Tiny Universe is another ultra melodic, cyber space epic track with morphing melodies all around and typical Filteria melodic structure. It is slightly different than the album but there are still same sounds, just slightly progressed structure...very good, one of the better ones on compilation. AND NOW.... Special introduction...The guy that needs no introduction...Ka Sol with his wicked, demented, hypnotic, wild, schizoprenik track that exactly describes primal essential feel of dark goa trance with the pinch of light somewhere in the distance. Here we have more dusty production, deliberately done for the better feel of subversion of the track. This is the best track on compilation and maybe the best track of the year by far. You have 8:30 minutes long track that seems like 11 from the richness and changings non stop. This is goa trance at its best with incredibly structured melodic lines. Ypsilon 5 - Titanium is another perfect track, also with oriental melodies and very hypnotic pads and harmonies, the longest here and very precise and to the point. Goasia - I'm Ready is incredible melodic song with very psychedelic edge and amazing effects and feel overall. Another pure goa trance song like all the rest here. Radical Distortion - Communicate ! is very good MFG alike old school goa song that perfectly finishes this wonderful compilation... I am gobsmacked...Suntrip, thank you for this platinum release, we finally got the real thing and of course thanks to all great artists that keep the spirit up...10/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinos Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 You didn't comment on the Filteria track. :/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seraph Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 Yeah, I fixed it now, I was too amazed by Ka Sol track that I completely forgot about second best track on compilation... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frontier Psychiatrist Posted June 18, 2005 Share Posted June 18, 2005 Filteria tune is sensational. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest al3xandar Posted June 19, 2005 Share Posted June 19, 2005 True master piece! I like the most Lost Buddha's track and Ka-Sol's track! WONDERFULL! Thanks sunTrip recs... didn't dissapoint me again! I hope never! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Cocco Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 V/A - APSARA SUNTRIP RECORDS 2005 Track list: 1. Aes Dana - Digitalys 2. Yesod – On The Edge of Time 3. KhetzaL & Chaï (Avigmati) - Babylone Beach 4. Lost Buddha - Metamorphosis 5. ilteria – Tiny Universe 6. Ka-Sol - Skraqp 7. Ypsilon5 - Titanium 8. Goasia – I’m Ready 9. Radical Distortion - Communication This is the strongest compilation I've heard all year. No track is less than pretty good. Most are good, great, and beyond. 01. Aes Dana - Digitalys - Aes Dana keeps impressing me with their dreamy, hypnotic trance, with feeling!, and the choice to get them to make a track here was both clever and a winning bet. The chopped up bassline and stuttering sounds create an awesome effect! The entire track is very catchy. This is a superb first track before the more energetic, melodic tracks to come. B+ 02. Yesod – On The Edge of Time - I'm not familiar with this artist at all, but those single melodies, leading melodies (or tunes) I call them, are very, VERY catchy. This is a really good track! B 03. KhetzaL & Chaï (Avigmati) - Babylone Beach - Another good track. I'm not familiar with this artist but like the last one, I am now. The part where the beat stops and just the melodies with the voice or violin that sounds like a beautiful hum is really catchy, reminds me of an emotional part in the music of the movie "Gladiator." Good melodies! Cool song! B 04. Lost Buddha - Metamorphosis - To date, this is the best track I've heard from Lost Buddha, and one of the best on the album! This is a very good song! I like the voice samples and those melodies that begin at around 1:25... yes! Catchy! This song evolves, becomes more involved, builds-up, with some really good goa melodies complimenting each other. I think the main leading one is really catchy! At 2:47, yes! This is great! Having heard several prototypes and unreleased stuff from Lost Buddha... tracks like this one are proof of how good an artist becomes over time; the spirit to make great music! I would really like to hear a whole album from Lost Buddha one day, hopefully with all tracks as well done and maybe by then, even better than this one! I like all these layers, melodies, the direction, where it goes, etc... its imaginative, interesting, engaging, fun. This song rocks! B+ 05. Filteria – Tiny Universe - This is a very good or great song! While more dreamy, and less full of layers of melodies as Filteria's Sky Imput album, this doesn't have to be, as this is a compilation. I really enjoyed this song, and it proves that Filteria is more versatile, at least it shows here as it did on the final track of Sky Imput. The changes, how the track evolves and the strong, catchy leading tunes (in beginning especially) and other melodies are arresting. The "one ... tiny ... universe" samples are a nice touch too! B+ 06. Ka-Sol - Skraqp - In the past, I never cared for Ka-Sol to date. I heard several tracks on "dark" comps and just found them very repetitive and noisey. I felt this track takes some time to build, as with its strong kick-drum. I wondered where it was going, or if it would morph into something entirely else. It gradually becomes a song that for once to date by Ka-Sol, (for me) I find really good. The melodies! The beautiful layers of melodies. I have never heard beautiful, uplifting (not cheesy at all) psy or goatrance from Ka-Sol until now, and I find it so much more catchy than the other stuff I've heard from them before. This is a good song to say the least. Maybe I've missed several other beautiful and flowing melodic tracks by them, and hopefully they'll make more like this again. The melodies are so dreamy. At around 5:00 or 6:00, YES!, this track becomes great; swimming in layers of dreamy sounds! This totally changes my perspective of Ka-Sol. The only thing I would have maybe slightly changed, was the force of the kickdrum. It's pretty hard in comparison to the other tracks. B+ 07. Ypsilon5 - Titanium - Good, really good, great! Not sure which word best sums up this track but it is surely beautiful, and from there last album these artist(s) are really moving up on many peoples leagues or "level" of what is considered good and great music. Where to begin. The melodies! Its not just the melodies but how they all flow together. Like many of the tracks before this one, the melodies here are so catchy and work so well together. A really solid, good, great song! B+ 08. Goasia – I’m Ready - This is the last good or great song on this album I feel. I like the simple notes in the beginning and as it picks up, the change... around 1:20... it just gradually builds nicely, the melodies! I like layers of catchy melodies in goatrance, hence goatrance, haha! I like the introduction of new melodies as the song moves forward, it develops more, changes, and this does that around 2:50 yet again... this is cool man! Good track! B+ 09. Radical Distortion - Communication - Certainly above average, but for me, just not up to par with the other tracks on this comp. I like how this one starts; just jumps right into the beat and has a nice melody, (although I prefer intro to songs because its fun to see where the evolve to) and then another nice melody comes in over the first one, and... well, it moves forward and doesn't really do anything that impresses me, as it seems to play it safe... but its a pretty good song. Maybe just not as detailed or imaginative, catchy or involved as the others, its hard to say really, as its how I feel and I'm sure some of you will feel different, or well, indifferent. Simply put, I think this track is just slightly above being decent when compared to the others. This does have many catchy nice parts, and I do like this song; its just somewhat less exciting, intriging, and engaging. Regardless, this comp has done virtually everything right, and this last track comment is more a nit pick than anything else... the only nit pick I can think of really. B- In conclusion, V/A - Apsara is the best Psytrance compilation of the year. This may very well be a cult classic one day if it doesn't feel like that already. All tracks are well done. When artists and a record label takes the time to produce greatness, it shows! We feel it. The overall sound production is very good too. Apsara is a great album in new-school, Psy/Goa-Trance. We like more like this!! Favorite tracks: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7 B+ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rain Posted June 22, 2005 Share Posted June 22, 2005 good release... no bad tracks, very indian spirit roots goatrance... mystique and uplifting... I already revieuwed it in dutch but I'm to lazy to translate it ... still apsara is indeed very good and pure goatrance... more like this is always welcome and again suntrip rules ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniël Posted June 22, 2005 Share Posted June 22, 2005 I bought the first one ever sold. hehe I listened to it a couple of times and it's not a bad release but it isn't groundbreaking either. I have the same feeling as with the previous release of suntrip, i can listen to one song and get completely dragged into it but i will never listen to the complete CD. There are some good tracks on it but what i miss the most is crazy playfull dark psychedelic tunes. But that's just because that's the kind of music i prefer these days. maybe i will someday get addicted to this release. It's great dance music though! Good point is that this one allready has more diversity then the first suntrip release. respect for all the work guys! Keep it up. You have my support. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ormion Posted June 29, 2005 Share Posted June 29, 2005 Very good!!! Trippy, melodic and GOA. All of the tracks are great. Even it had been released back in 1997 it would still be great. Avigmati track is really crazy. The Lost Buddha track is very good (the bassline reminds me the Age Of Love) Ka-Sol dark and trippy. Filteria always perfect Ypsilon 5 intense. Radical Distortion very good, reminds me the old AP. Gr8 stuff. 9/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost Buddha Posted July 1, 2005 Share Posted July 1, 2005 Thank u so much my friends!! Im so happy to read ur rewiews and it seems everyone enjoyed the compilation and specially my song!! It was worth the waiting time huh? Well ive been working very hard and somethings coming up, so maybe you guys will listen to my 2nd debut song in some next SunTrip release or somewhere... until then dont lose ur hope! GOA IS BACK. Hugs, Filipe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmmgeee Posted July 11, 2005 Share Posted July 11, 2005 I used to hate this kind of Trance back in the day, probably from ubiquity and lack of distinctive bass more than anything. It has only been the last couple of years that I have cultivated a taste for the melodic trance of Goan flavour, although I have always had a hankering for Koxbox/Psychopod which is probably the reason I eventually explored the music of their contemporaries. Against the backdrop of Full-On conformist, I am such a cool little hippy, don't you just love Skazi? drivel this is such a refreshing avenue of good party music, that begs for further investigation. I feel the Aes-Dana track is sooooo out of context though, I would've appreciated another bangin' track, perhaps even a collaboration involving Filteria. Get this because you miss the Pleiadians, it compliments them very well. I also hope the vibe of 97-98 (definetely my favourite period) is revisited with modern technology, where the Bassline is a teamplayer and not the main feature. I also hope AP kinda assess themselves and go, "Yeah, look at this, we have a place in today's trance scene" My Favourite track is track 3, that haunting pad does it for me against the other elements, really nice occupancy in the sonic spectrum, in that narrow band that causes the spinal shiva ;} also nice little distorted riff early on. Don't make the mistake of listening to this at work. The Filteria track is probably the weakest Aes Dana notwithstanding, but is still good. Someone send this to Raja Ram. 9/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moni Posted July 11, 2005 Share Posted July 11, 2005 Thank u so much my friends!! Im so happy to read ur rewiews and it seems everyone enjoyed the compilation and specially my song!! It was worth the waiting time huh? Well ive been working very hard and somethings coming up, so maybe you guys will listen to my 2nd debut song in some next SunTrip release or somewhere... until then dont lose ur hope! GOA IS BACK. Hugs, Filipe. 289121[/snapback] so .. you're the boss, huh? good job Filipe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Time_Trap Posted July 11, 2005 Share Posted July 11, 2005 Nice compilation all in all, my favorite is the Ka-sol track and then the Lost Bhudda - Metamorphosis follows. 8/10 from me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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