"V/A - Sadhana"

[Trance2MoveU]

 

Artist: Various

Title: Sadhana

Label: Neogoa

Date: June, 2015

 

01 - Room Full Of Eyes - Feasts Fires (145 BPM)
02 - Trikselos - Planet X (148 BPM)
03 - Pandemicus - Exit (145 BPM)
04 - Anumana - Distance To Goa (146 BPM)
05 - Celestial Consciousness - Insider (Katedra Remix) (130 BPM)
06 - Space Vibes System - Life Tomorrow (145 BPM)
07 - Sky Technology & Imba - Intergalactic Warlord (144 BPM)
08 - Spirit Medicine - Dark Matter Of God (135 BPM)
09 - Spacenode - Steel Shakti (145 BPM)

Has there ever been a movie that was the equivalent of a foot long propaganda hard on for the United States? I say yes. And his name is Rocky IV.

"I must make goa trance better than ever before!"

I like your enthusiasm Ivan (pun intended) and I'm just gonna pretend I didn't see all those nandralone bottles on the floor. I knew there had to be an explanation for the superb quality of all the releases Neogoa churns out on a regular basis. And now we know.

Ivan was on da juice.

We all know the story. Russia "creates" a super champion boxer through technology and steroids while Rocky trains the "natural" way. The pure and altruistic way. Forget the fact that Sly was on the juice probably longer than most of you have been alive. It also glosses over the fact that during a night out and a few too many, a Russian coach bragged to an American coach that they had been injecting their athletes with steroids. Of course the US complained to the ISOC and demanded the Russians be brought to justice.

Nah, I'm just f*cking with ya, they ran home immediately and concocted their own super patriotic cocktail blend for their own athletes. True story. So in the eighties Americans were led to believe that all things Russian were bad and shady. That the world needed a Rocky to set them on the right path and protect people from the evil red sickle of Communism. With that in mind I view this compilation with a sideways skepticism that's been ingrained into my mind for decades. But I'm an adult now and I see things a lot more clearly.

Frequent collaborator Sky Technology compiled a bunch of tracks from Russian and Ukranian artists (perhaps Drago was one of them, I don't know I wasn't in the meeting) with what I would call uneven results. Like steroids...yeah your muscles might get bigger, but there's the acne, back hair, and punch a grandma in the face cause it's Tuesday roid rage.

The first two tracks are forgettable; so forgettable that I think the compilation should've started on track three. It says he worked really hard on this compilation, but in two seconds I could've just saved him some time. Pandemicus is a name I haven't seen since the Dancing Mavka (there's a few of those on here) and the goa trance journey begins here. 4-5 years between tracks is a long time so I can only assume he was sent to Siberia for not cleaning up those steroid bottles. Worth it. For me anyway, don't know how he felt about it. He goes for the heart and doesn't stop until he rips it out mortal Kombat style.

Never been a fan of Anumana and this track didn't do a thing to change it. Full-on new goa style that wasn't interesting or innovative until the last third. The Katedra remix of Insider is a dark, sinister, entrancing track and easily one of my favorites here. There isn't a lot going on, but the atmosphere is palpable and it's full of rising and falling melodies. Space Vibes System returns with a nice track if unspectacular and Sky Technology and Imba's controlled chaos is well appreciated. Dark Matter of God has evil melody tendrils that snake and slither with wicked intent even with the galloping bassline. Closing things out is Steel Shakti, a track that takes zero chances and basically trips across the finish line.

It pains me to say this because this label is usually synonymous with quality, but for me this is just a pretty good release from the label. Too many mediocre tracks and not enough stellar ones. It's not a terrible album, by any stretch, but when you've set the bar so ridiculously high anything less than greatness is a disappointment. I have discovered that I even tire of the tracks on repeated listens. A victim of their own success I suppose. Not every album or compilation can be a home run and even though this one falls into that category, this label has earned my loyalty and I look forward to them dusting themselves off and getting back to the drawing board.

Free at Ektoplazm

[Neogoa]

Thanks for the review Mike

[Anu Katariina]

Finally a review! Thank you for it. I posted a request for a review of this release under two topics here in psynews because of my own urge to comment.

 

I remember the day this came out. It was Midsummer Eve in Finland (solstice with a special meaning to Finns) and I had been longing for new Neogoa stuff because Ektoplazm had a long break and Sadhana was the first one to be pushed through after the pause.

 

To me music is ALWAYS feelings. Numerous are the days I have been trying to explain to producers and DJ's that I don't give a flying fuck about the quality, e.g. bad mastering, if the music has something emotional to deliver. Sadhana is not a mastering issue; I brought the thing up just as an example for describing my way of thinking of music. Music has to make a difference: that's the criteria number one. I cannot stand mainstream, never did, never will (goa has it, too) + I need goosebumps to appreciate a track.

 

Sooo..I went to the forest cabin at midsummer and was amused about I had FOREST music in my MP3 player. I had never listened to the genre before (not even though I knew Anoebis somewhat likes/plays it and I trust his taste for sure ). And I was merging with the birds in Planet X and after that went back to Feasts Fires and then back to Planet X. And I thought Richpa was Santa Claus. Why? Because the Finns think there are only two national holidays worth a thing: Christmas and Midsummer. And Santa Claus had never visited me before with his gifts at Midsummer. I got a gift of discovering a brand new sub genre!! A million dollar thing. After I came back from cabin I searched all possible stuff about forest goa, got connected with Troll n' Roll Records's releases and the label and was like: I am converted. Who'd believe it? All initiated because of those two first tracks of Sadhana. Yes, the producers have got my thanks, so has bro Sky Technology. I am glad Richpa has the guts to do as he wishes and be experimental. Good that this compilation passed the filters. Hahaha..to be honest: a release is worth publishing even for one person in the world who loves it.

 

Even my signature picture is/has been here because of Sadhana . And this pic is our wood shelter at the cabin taken at midsummer as jumping around with Sadhana head set (art filter but actually nature was really green irl, too)

 

[Anu Katariina]

Happy birthday dear compilation. Still loving you

[Anu Katariina]

This thing still kicks, big time. Happy two-year old toddler Happy birthday Sadhana (on Monday June 19th)!