10 tunes from 2006 you'd be daft to miss

[Basilisk]

Hey all, since we're on the subjects of 10s around here I pinched a few words from some reviews I've written this year to highlight ten tunes you really shouldn't miss...

 

Astrix - Oranda (Xerox & Illumination's Final Mix) from XI

The final remix of Oranda by Astrix is up next, surging up from the deeper section into morning territory. The original was a memorable anthem with an innocent lead melody, the beauty of which is preserved here preserved amidst all the numerous changes XI have made. The tempo has been raised, and the energy levels are distinctly higher in this version. In comparison to XI's existing remix, this one has a better sound and more power, and is undeniably superior. While this remix may be a fast-paced dancefloor stormer, XI's pattern of manifesting deepness with this style, known for being only marginally psychedelic at times, continues unfettered. There is such a richness to this production that even amidst all the huge drops, rapid changes, and filter trickery, one can still tune in to deeper layers of sound and subtle touches that make for a quality production. The final build is simply over-the-top, returning with some of the most powerful synth lines heard on this album yet. It flows nicely into the outro, dispelling tension like a deflating balloon. Excellent material to rock the dancefloors of the world, and it's bound to be fun at home as well.

 

Prisoners of the Sun - Pole Position Club

Prisoners of the Sun deliver a slice of their darker side with Pole Position Club, another hypnotic vision that drags the listener deeper into the labyrinth. The artists are experts in percussive manipulation and manage to show a lot of class with the arrangement of the beat in this one. There is a slick and confident power at work here, chunky rhythms with an easy grace that punch through the speakers with a satisfyingly dirty slapping sound. In the introduction a preview of a key atmospheric droning sound is made - it later returns close to the fourth minute to impose a grim mood that elegantly compliments the tribal-textured drums. Pole Position Club possesses the rare tech noir sound that I have a particular fondness for, elevating it in my view to a great piece of melancholic music.

 

Neoris - Last Mission of Atomic Submarine from Refresh

Neoris consistantly amaze me with their unique productions, and I have been waiting quite some time to hear Last Mission of Atomic Submarine receive a commercial release. Massive throbbing rhythms like those of Spirallianz provide a hearty foundation for thick thematic atmospherics and melancholic underwater effects that adeptly manifest impressions of the abyss. The producers manage to soak great swathes of seething synthetic soundscapes in rich emotional overtones, making this an excellent companion piece to the stellar Land of Tears released last year on The Dissidents. The storytelling angle in combination with the appealing production technique renders this song one not to be missed by any psytrance fan.

 

Kerosene Club - Lost Souls Depot from Lost Souls Depot

Kerosene Club open the CD with what is indisputedly the greatest track here. What a bomb! Too bad it’s the only one. The title track Lost Souls Depot is a brain-scorching epic, loaded with chaotic sounds and a very original sound. Sadhus greet you on the way in, haunting groans that probe with tribal overtones even as the shake-a-leg drum riffs are kicked into high gear. The percussion is fantastic! Irresistable is the word for the sharp and cutting rhythms that wiggle amidst scattered particles of bubbling protoplasm. Two minutes in and the tribal voices reach a climax, leading straight into a wild sequence of convoluted notes right out of bedlam. Off it goes with layer upon layer of imaginative psychotic sounds that scratch at the window of the mind’s eye like some forlorn creature from another dimension. Reaching the last third a bunch of funny samples crop up from Killer Klowns from Outer Space - how cool is that! Another huge kick-laden rush enters and the wiggly melodics return as the track hammers out one last sequence of maddening riffs and wicked rhythms. Easily one of the more psychedelic tracks I’ve heard in this killer style!

 

Lani & Stella Nutella - A Different Colour from Waldfreakquenz

Lani and Stella Nutella make for an explosive collaboration with the high-energy track Different Colour. Here is a song driven almost entirely by guitar riffs, a pathway to trance that is often fraught with questionable content. This particular fusion is a sure success however - the heavy chords express a substantial amount of feeling while integrating beautifully into the full-on groove. Big trance melodies harmonize as the track develops, and a very suitable female vocal sample makes an occasional entry. The breakdown is naturally huge, as befits a summer anthem of this calibre. The song continues to satisfy with catchy riffs, massive morning atmospheres, and a satisfying beat that doesn’t fall into the usual full-on trappings. Undoubtably the best I’ve heard from Lani, and a clear favourite from the compilation.

 

NRS vs Tenzing - Dealing With Morons from Symptoms of Compliance

NRS and Tenzing team up for a twisted romp through demented sonic landscapes on Dealing with Morons. This is the real deal: aggressive and gritty, with a sense a humour! Undead hoovers should incite wry chuckles as a staggering blend of distinct noises creep along with the development of the pounding rhythms. All the drops are sick and original, sure to leave dancefloors a drooling mass of protoplasm. This is the Invader Zim of psytrance: stupidly amusing, as the title would suggest. It’s ballsy and original and it totally works!

 

Genetic Spin & Silicon Sound - Nature from Love Sound Devotion

The opening song, a collaboration between Genetic Spin and Silicon Sound, is a great success. The introduction is an epic two-minute build, featuring a gorgeous panpipe sort of sound which is sprinkled infrequently throughout the track as a whole. Once the beat gets going, it is clear that the styles of the two artists meld nicely. Mobile liquid bass lines and well-balanced beats are texturized by numerous psychedelic sounds and effects throughout the track. The use of layering here has a powerful effect - this is a key ingredient to any great piece of psytrance, and the artists are really showing their skill with a delicate arrangement of soft melodies. The lead melody is so startlingly simple yet works wonders as it slowly emerges through the first big break. Nature is seriously one of the best morning tunes I’ve heard all year - luscious like a fertile rain forest, and a beautiful compliment to the rising sun. I really hope these artists collaborate again, as it is a great match-up.

 

Dark Soho - Fairy Tale from Urban Awakening

Dark Soho provide the gem of the album with Fairy Tales, a track that sounds as if it were a lost track from the album Combustion. Last year’s Light in the Dark was met with wide disappointment for failing to contain a track just like this one: raw, emotional, and adorned by excellent guitar work. The arrangement is fantastic, with several minutes of smooth beats that set the mood, followed by the sublime break out of the sick melodies and killer riffs that make this song so great. The lead is so bloody catchy, dripping with gothic flavour, that it should burrow its way into your head and stay there for weeks. The transitory bridge introduces some very sweet acoustic notes on the guitar, soon joined by more work on the electric. The last half mirrors the first, with another smooth build back towards the soaring heights of the sinister vision that Dark Soho has so magnificently created with this killer song. It isn’t all that structurally complex, nor does it break any new ground, but Fairy Tales deeply satisfies nonetheless.

 

Ticon - Reflections from Lime Light

Ticon delivers an incredible summer anthem with Reflections, the fastest piece on the album at 135 bpm. It is a curious metamorphosis this act has gone through, emerging with an appealing blend of electro sounds and epic trance vibes, all while retaining their trademark production quality standards. The carefree atmosphere developed here is inviting to the listener - layers build with delicate slowness in the beginning, slowly unwrapping a serene soundscape filled with beautiful shimmering noises. Bass key changes and snare rolls euphorically signal dynamic new changes in the storyline, leading into harmonious rhythmic sequences which are sure to conjure wide smiles everywhere. The breakdown is pure class, taking more than a few influences from the halcyon era of trance with a backing tone that keeps you hanging while hints of melody unravel one by one. The last half is just as good, with a coherent replay of sounds and techniques first exposed before the break. I’ve personally seen this tune work some magic on the dancefloor - it’s just what people want, come summertime. Overall, a brilliant piece of work!

 

Phony Orphants - I Want to Feel from It Cetra

I've not finished my review for this one, but I wanted to throw it in anyway, to round things out... here we have a wickedly subtle progressive composition in the Danish style merged with Underworld-style vocals that provide energetic transitions and surges of emotive qualities in all the right moments... as sexy and soulful as trance is gonna get!

 

So, with that, I wish you all a very psychedelic new year.

Peace.

 

[Guest The Journey Man Project]

I only have the POTS track, it is nicey nice... like having really filthy sex... in a good way...