yerg Posted March 14, 2019 Share Posted March 14, 2019 Label: Biijah Records Country: Guatemala Released: 08 Feb 2019 Style: Psy-Trance Bandcamp Tracklist: 1. Ritualtool - RustyBass 08:18 2. Propagul - Alien Seeds 08:44 3. Full Face - Coconutrees 07:00 4. Mubali - Fu, Interrupted 07:26 5. Smuds - Turn A Sphere Inside Out 07:33 6. Ohmpapa - Mutchi Swutchi 08:48 7. Shivattva - Samurai Lifestyle 07:45 8. NoizeBug - Underground Religion 10:37 9. Scope vs PsyVader - Bluemoon 07:54 Biijah Records, although a relatively unknown label from Guatemala, is a long-running imprint that has been releasing some fantastic darkpsy material since 2010. This is the second compilation titled Alien Seeds that gathers some very talented producers that deliver real goods. It takes a lot to make me enjoy darkpsy, as it isn't my favorote branch of psy-trance, but Alien Seeds 2 has some amazing productions and I've eventually decided to write a full track-by-track review. REVIEW 1. Ritualtool - RustyBass 08:18 The opening track of the compilation is quite good. In the first half it plays with some spooky voices, and then switches gears to more traditional psy-tools. What I like about it is that it always stays subdued, which kind of works here pretty well. 4/5 2. Propagul - Alien Seeds 08:44 It takes some time before Propagul puts something edible on the table, but even then this track tends to get a bit dull. I like some of the parts though. 3/5 3. Full Face - Coconutrees 07:00 Here's an unusual number. The track follows an unconventional structure and is in a constant flux. The way its built makes it really interesting, because you never know what's coming next. Usually, I don't like tracks that have no clear path, but in this rare case it works in the favor of the piece. 4/5 4. Mubali - Fu, Interrupted 07:26 "Who the hell is interrupting my Kung Fu?" - the phrase that literally interrupts the track in the middle after a strong start. Then, it sort of rejects everything that it had built and throws everything out the window opting for a different path. The mood changes in the second half, it gets more disturbing, but no less interesting. Mubali is a well-known name in the darkpsy scene, so I'm not suprised to hear another great piece from him. 4/5 5. Smuds - Turn A Sphere Inside Out 07:33 Ooh, love the beats on this one, chunky and metallic. No really, the rhythm drives this whole track, and it's really amazing. The bassline changes throughout as well, and the rest of the track is set up in such a way that it complements the kick and the bass. This is a fascinating piece of psychedelic music. 5/5 6. Ohmpapa - Mutchi Swutchi 08:48 There are glimpses of fun in this track, but not by much. 2/5 7. Shivattva - Samurai Lifestyle 07:45 This track is teasing me with good moments, but never reveals itself entirely for me to enjoy it properly. 2/5 8. NoizeBug - Underground Religion Underground Religion starts with a hindu chant, which reminded me of EU's The Prayer. I'm not sure if it's the same one, but it really sets a certain mood for a track. It gets really freaky by the middle point, and I'm not sure I like everything that I hear. It's a 50/50 for me, so I'll go with the rounded up score on this one. 3/5 9. Scope vs PsyVader - Bluemoon 07:54 The last piece is quite unusual in a good way. the second half sounds especially cool and original with its prominent sound effects and melodic snippets. Overall, a great finisher to a solid compilation. 4/5 --- Alien Seeds 2 is by far the best darkpsy compilation that I've heard recently. It's got tracks with different levels of intensity, and there are some real gems here. Not all the tracks worked for me, but most did and that's more than enough for me. The best piece on the compilation is Smuds "Turn A Sphere Inside Out." I like tracks that work both in your bedroom and on the dancefloor, and that's what Smuds achieves here with excellence. 3.5/5 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KER Posted March 17, 2019 Share Posted March 17, 2019 Great releases from this label, i tip my sumbraro. Got no review to give on the OP release, but I just really wanted to comment this (push play from start) on the Full Face track Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juril Posted April 11, 2019 Share Posted April 11, 2019 Dropping by to thank you for writing the review for this compilation and the VA - Fleinheim. Nice to see darkpsy get some more attention around here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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