Tranquence - A​.​S. We Were

[Manuser]

Unreleased Goa Records

01. A.S. We Were  09:25    
02. Drop  07:38    
03. Distance To Future  08:57    
04. Floating Orbit  10:17    
05. Forever After  08:01    
06. Ancient Aliens (2002 Remix)  08:41    
07. Hey!  07:53    
08. Stoned Tribes  10:52    
09. Freaky Fungus  10:01    
10. Not Like Planet Earth  09:43    
11. The Ghost Of Darkness  07:34

Fifth release from this label founded last year, these eleven tracks were made by Finnish artist Aki Malinen in the early 2000s. It starts rather dark and shines more and more as the album goes.
First thing very obvious, the music is very creative and storytelling, it does not follow the typical formula of the genre. You can tell the artist was inspired by the golden era of goa trance and other kinds of trance music. Unfortunately it is impossible to ignore that the sound quality is not the best, it is like listening to a tape (muffled and low energy), the mastering crew did the best possible to restore these tracks but the original quality must have been pretty poor. However, back to the actual music, we have several gems in this release, the tracks have long, drifting pads floating above bubbling synths and it is pure old school, non generic but supremely creative and melodic. 

The best surprise for me was #2 Drop, this track is like a fairy-tale in itself, the artist created something very special with variations, twists, key changes and imaginative structure. Trance at its best. Another track really worth mentioning is #4 Floating Orbit, it sounds like a genuine tribute to Chi-A.D. - Exit Eternity (I said enough with this reference! :)). #5 Forever After and #10 Not Like Planet Earth are two other strong goa trance anthems offering bliss and storytelling with positive atmosphere. Great that such an excellent album got properly released.

Rating: 7.5/10.
Listen / Buy: https://unreleasedgoarecords.bandcamp.com/album/a-s-we-were

[Trance2MoveU]

The first track is a marvelous introduction to good, old fashioned, danceable goa trance.  My head was bobbing the whole way through.  Bot is more floaty, trance, but it has multiple levels to enjoy.  Floating Orbit twists and turns in a seemingly never ending spiral.  The melody in Forever After hits just right without pause and harkens back to the day of Etnica.

I didn't care for the rambling Hey! with its up and down key changes, but Freaky Fungus reminds me of Bypass Unit with it's bouncing melody.  The album closes with the almost obligatory downtempo goa track and it was everything you could hope for.  Dark, mysterious, lush...

I applaud what Draeke is doing with this sublabel allowing obscure artists and tracks we've maybe never heard of see the light of day.  It's true that the sound quality is not up to today's standards, but recall when the music was made and what equipment they had to work with.  Overall it's pretty solid and an enjoyable listen.