Sonica Vol. II

[WJPorter]

Various Artists - Sonica Vol 2 (Sonica Recordings)

1. TRISTAN - Bombscare (Perfect Stranger's small vagator mix)
2. PLEIADIANS - The Pleaides
3. BURN IN NOISE - Time Warp
4. RINKADINK - The Thermal Tempest
5. ETNICA - Lunar Contact
6. GAIATECH - Burning Heads
7. LIFTSHIFT - Nothing Less
8. M-THEORY - Rising the Bar
9. FEARSOME ENGINE - The Path

"This new compilation produced by Gino, is a tribute to Sonica Festival paid by some of the greatest artists from the past and contemporary psytrance scene."

When I saw the track listing on this record, I wanted to hear it desperately. I finally got my copy and I got pretty much what I expected. Lets begin.

Tristan - Bombscare (Perfect Stranger 's small vagator remix): As you might know, Perfect Stranger is producing songs in the minimal techno area nowadays. The new album is absolutely delicious. This song, conversely, is not. Yuli can do so much better than this. First, I see no resemblance with the original song. Tristan is kind of a big name to throw in the back cover of a compilation. In this case, it was unnecessary and poorly done. Second, the track has absolutely nothing –I mean NOTHING- to do with the rest of the album. I don’t know what this was all about. Lets move on.

Pleiadians - The Pleiades: Things get more intense as the beat increases to 145 bpm. Thanks to some oldschool type melodies, the track has a persecution vibe while maintaining a stable bass/rhythm section. It achieves to be intense without recurring to clutter, build-ups, etc. It’s got quite a mean edge in a tasteful manner. I can hear some tricks and melodies I haven’t heard since 2002 but with contemporary production. Nice!

Burn in Noise – Timewarp: What I like about Burn in Noise is that he has a very unique and easily identified sound, characterized by one hell of a fat bass. However, I find his tracks sometimes lack substance. Not in this case. I have to admit I was blown away by this track. It’s Burn in Noise at his most majestic best. It’s groovy, it’s funky, and it’s got tons of that “in-your-face” attitude that made me fall in love with psytrance in the first place. The sounds are wisely used, while providing spacious atmospheres and mischievous leads. I could praise this track for hours.

Rinkadink – The Thermal Twist: I was so excited to hear a new Rinkadink track. I am pleased to say that there is nothing new nor innovative about this track. Yes, I found that to be a good thing. It is just plain, old-fashioned Rinkadink; just like I wanted to hear it. The expected wackiness is there but on this occasion it’s accompanied by some exploration of Rinkadink’s bittersweet melodic side. Moody and playful. Random enough to be psychedelic yet it doesn’t get obnoxiously demented. As a Rinkadink fan, I am more than satisfied.

Etnica – Lunar Contact: Once again, we hit oldschool territory. Persistent melodic themes set the mood while the bassline maintains the energy levels. The buildup is very “trancy” – over emotional key changes – but that is the point. In someone else’s hands, this track would have been utter fromage. However, Etnica did a really good job in pulling off a song in this vein.

Gaiatech – Burning Heads: By now, I feel my qualities as a reviewer suck because I can’t come up with adjectives I haven’t used so far to describe this track. It can also be inferred that this is a consistent compilation. The bass is pounding, the leads stab hard, and the energy is flowing. It’s a bit more aggressive than other tacks in the album. The bassline never changes, providing something to grasp to in the riptide of escalating sounds that goes on. Quite a powerful track.

Liftshift – Nothing Less: The name “Liftshift” might ring a bell to those familiar with the psy-progressive scene (or whatever that type of semi-proggy-but-not-entirely-full-on-trance is called these days). “Nothing Less” is a straight forward morning full-on track and it is wonderful. The progressive background can be heard in the sharp and sophisticated loops in the rhythm section. The quality of the production is astonishing. Atmospheric, vast, spacious, and pounding with catchy hooks here and there. There are a constant mood swings that alter the intensity of the song, giving the narrative some complexity. It’s a well-thought and nicely crafted piece. Definitely one of my favorites.

M-Theory – Raising the Bar: A nice comedown after the previous display of peak time stuff. Although it’s a refreshing track, it is not M-Theory’s best work. In fact, I don’t thing the song works on its own; it only has full effect when contextualized with the rest of the album. I’ve heard these guys raising the bar and this is definitely not it. I mean, it’s not a bad track; it’s just doesn’t deliver. Bad choice of a title. M-Theory has made my jaw drop several times, so this was a bit of a disappointment. Breezy yet ‘meh’.

Fearsome Engine – The Path: Now we’re talking! It's quite imposing for a 137 BPM piece. Groovy rhythm section and plenty of psychedelic glitch to entertain the ears. The sound selection is impressive, particularly when paying attention to how rhythms are constructed form apparently random bits. Not much melody and, frankly, it’s not needed. These guys seem to be on top of their game. Awesome track.

There’s absolutely nothing new about this album. Well, there’s a new approach to oldschool psytrance, but that contradicts the definition of new. The strength is definitely not in the innovation department, but rather in the orthodoxy of the style. The tracks successfully accomplish what the listener expects from the names involved. Very tasteful compilation: no cheese and no nauseating clutter; just fluid, well-crafted trance. I can't pick favorite tracks because all of them are great (except for track 1). I got my long-waited fix of Rinkadink, the Burn in Noise song was an amazing surprise, and Pleiadians and Etnica amazed me with their bag of vintage tricks. I can’t give this compilation a 10 since it did not knock my socks off but I am way pleased and remarkably satisfied with what I got. Is it worth spending money on this album? Absolutely.

[Lemmiwinks]

I basically got this one because of the Pleiadians and Etnica tracks... Pleiadians was a HUGE dissapointment, after a promising intro it just turns into 100% generic full-on, I don't know where the hell did WJPorter hear any oldschool influences in there. Etnica's Lunar Contact on the other hand DOES have a nice oldschoolish melody going on through the song, but it gets a bit repetitive in the end, there is the exact same loop played over and over again, I would've expected more variation, although this is one of the better psytrance tracks I've heard so far this year. Other than that, Tristan's Bombscare deserves an honorable mention for making a nice funky tune using 303s, it's pretty good. The other tracks are just pure generic fodder that I wouldn't even bother describing... 2/5

[Penzoline]

I agree with Lemmi's words on this one.

[Trance2MoveU]

I thought the "Bombscare" remix was ok, but felt that it could've been fleshed out more.

 

The Pleiadians track was disappointing aside from some interesting bass work.

 

Mdk