"V/A - Tales of Heads"

[Trance2MoveU]

 

Artist: Various

Title: Tales of Heads

Label: TIP Records

Date: October, 2010

 

 

1 Troglodyte / Eat Static vs. Lucas

2 Dirty Tackle / Dickster vs. Lucas

3 Mind Cockpit / Laughing Buddha vs. Lucas

4 Stinkin' Warehouse / Avalon and Lucas

5 Magic Umbra / Tristan vs. Lucas

6 Hooked On Machines / Lucas

7 Hat Trick / Aphid Moon and Lucas

8 All In The Mind / Raja Ram vs. Lucas

9 Far From Home / Prometheus vs. Lucas

 

 

Legendary. Classic. Iconic. Well, as much as the music and images in our little scene can be I suppose. Looking at the cover, true psy heads know that lurking within is nothing short of the highest psychedelic quality. Here, let me show you...remember this?

 

 

Everyone who loves old school goa will see what they did here. It is a who's who of the greatest names in the genre. I won't name them because if you don't know them then you really need to do your homework. How about this one...

 

 

or this one...?

 

 

They even went all phosphorescent on your ass!

 

 

 

The Shiva head cover is known for bringing out the best in psychedelic music regardless of your favorite. So now we have a new release with the famed cover on the scene. Put together by Lucas (Former Flying Rhino label manager, now TIP.World persona) who is also responsible for the great God Save The Machine compilation. Oh, in case you were wondering, it looked like this...

 

Sense a theme?

 

 

 

Troglodyte- Eat Static have been around a long time and are just not my type of music. It's abrasive, harsh, boring...IMO. I even mentioned on the GSTM comp that I didn't like their track. The Eat Static contribution is all over this as it is more of a breakbeat techno piece. A lot of chopped up vocals and alien samples. So I guess you could call it psychedelic, but it felt more like, been there done that. Average track.

 

Dirty Tackle- Soccer reference? Seen plenty of those. This is Dick Trevor who has been on a lot of good compilations. I like the smooth pads and soft percussion to start, with a smooth vocal to add smoothness. The bass bounces along as a melody crawls out of the slime. This track builds in steps and the leads create a juicy feel, very liquid. There is a nice bit of depth here and it is very psychedelic as synths bubble and gurgle. Love that. This is what I was looking for. Great track!

 

Mind Cockpit- "Welcome to the center of the braiiiiiiiiiin. You may enter the cockpit of the miiiiiiiiiiind. Only after you have answered this question."

 

Laughing Buddha just released his album Sacred Technology and I cannot wait to give that a listen. Here he teams up with Lucas with a great track. It isn't long before it starts to hit its stride with some funky bass and effects. The percussion hits relay a sunshine feel, and the leads are rhythmic as hell. I would also classify this as an old school production, as the lead after the break has that vibe that just hypnotizes and carries you. Synths scramble all around, but it really delves into the old school as a 303 begins to growl with an acidic grudge! Super groovy and a fun listen. Loved it!

 

Stinkin Warehouse- "Now about these hallucinations...what are you seeing?"

 

Avalon is Leon Kane and his debut Distant Futures on Nano Records was pretty damn fresh if you ask me. Thumping bass and scientific samples give this track some delicious depth as acidic synths pepper the sky. More groove heaped upon laser stabs as the layers are spread out before you. Absolutely juicy old school sounds ride the bass and make this a bouncy ride. The break allows a new lead to flower amid a 303 and puts it all together at the end. Great track.

 

Magic Umbra- "What I loooooove.....is the fact that I am watching the mechanics of the solar system work."

 

Tristan has been around so long that if you want to see all he has done, you should go to his Discogs page. That sample was twisted and extended to bring you here. The lead climbs to the surface amid cool breakbeats as the bass darts in a zigzag pattern. More sounds are added to the palette as the leads begin to build upon each other. At 4 and a half minutes one synth takes over as it becomes filtered into a break. More twisted sounds? Why yes, thank you. And if you could add some lasers that would be great. Thank you. I liked it, but it wasn't as strong or as deep as the previous 3 tracks.

 

Hooked On Machines- "I'm hooked on machines." "Well...then you'll enjoy this."

 

Lucas is gonna handle this one all by himself. He starts with the sample and some liquid synths and this track feels spacious. The bass line rambles as atmospheric synths rain down like a drizzle, but the star is a delicate lead that is super nimble and has plenty of company. Layers on layers, so delicious! The darkness is all around us as soft synths drape us in their hypnotic stare. Old school feeling once again and the break is awesome. I felt like a cork bobbing up and down in the sea of groove. This is a very deep track and demands multiple listens.

 

Hat Trick- "It's actually very scientific."

 

"My hat is deep and full of magic. I got rabbits, handkerchiefs..I got smoke machines, bubble machines...I even got love marines...and still the hat goes deeper."

 

You say hat trick to me and all I think of is hockey. I love the way these guys combine sounds. There is no empty space to allow the track to become boring because there are things happening all around you. Synths come, some faster than others, and then they vanish all in a dance of hypnotic rhythm. Swirling, bobbing, weaving...the leads are sometimes chopped up and fired in a rapid machine gun pattern. The break is another item that though short, allows smooth transitions to the next phrases. More liquid goodness adds to the psychedlic flavor and I am buying into this. The second sample came out of nowhere, but it was cool to hear. Great track.

 

All In The Mind- "LSD an acid derived from a fungus... is colorless, odorless, tasteless, and undetectable. Once swallowed it is all in the mind."

 

Here is one of the Godfathers I suppose, Raja Ram (TIP records creator, quintessential hippie, and yes, one time envelope salesman) has really done a lot for this scene. The beginning starts off psychedelically tribal with a gong and a...you guessed it, an LSD sample. He loves those! His trademark chopped up voices combine with a very spacey melody as the bass churns. Then bam out of nowhere the 303 kicks you in the face. It gets filtered and the groove intensifies, with effects adding to the mystery. The second break brings back the intro and then the track thickens with a new lead. Nicely done!

 

Far From Home- "I am delighted to meet you. But we need your help. We are far from home. After we have replenished ourselves and shared with you what we can, we will leave."

 

I recently reviewed the latest Prometheus album Spike, and while not impressed, I await to see what he will bring to the table. With a percussive crawling the track begins as the bass joins in. It's kind of odd to have that percussive element there the whole time, but it is growing on me. Another deeper lead spreads its filth as yet another gargles underneath. Funky. More so when the hi-hats kick in and the layers begin to stack. At the break, a soft, plunking melody blends well with the filthy lead. This one is all about groove which it has aplenty. Good track.

 

 

 

Lucas has a keen eye for what psychedelic trance should be. Most of the tracks follow the same roadmap. The intro, and then it does its thing. Break, go a little further down the rabbit hole to another break, and then end furiously. It is a recipe that works and they do it well. The tracks are very hypnotic and have enough twists and turns to maintain interest. I don't think the Eat Static collaboration fits with the rest, but I don't care for them anyway, so take it with a grain of salt. This compilation provides plenty of trippy sounds and groovy rhythms while at the same time giving a big wink to the old school sound. If you like what I just said then this cd is a must for you. Highly Recommended.

 

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Mdk

[@reyu]

 

Lucas has a keen eye for what psychedelic trance should be. Most of the tracks follow the same roadmap. The intro, and then it does its thing. Break, go a little further down the rabbit hole to another break, and then end furiously. It is a recipe that works and they do it well. The tracks are very hypnotic and have enough twists and turns to maintain interest. This compilation provides plenty of trippy sounds and groovy rhythms while at the same time giving a big wink to the old school sound. If you like what I just said then this cd is a must for you. Highly Recommended.

 

This.

 

Nice review.

 

Didn't like the Laughing Buddha album btw, it lacks the depth that this album provides.

[Sawfly]

Pretty solid stuff.

[MattMan]

Yeah a pretty good one.