VA - HODDMINE vol. 2

[Tsotsi]

 

Title: HODDMINE vol. 2
Artist: Various
Label: Kali Earth Records
Release: May 1, 2023

Tracklist:
1. Spindrift and Balcosmos - Baldrift
2. C-P-C - Bibro
3. A10n - Sanguine Ritual

 

Kali Earth Records is full steam ahead with their Hodd series.

Hoddmime is a representation of the enchanted woodland guarded by the Mime Troll, serving as a sanctuary for the remaining humans who weathered the storm of Ragnarok, it's not like the Nørse to hide from something like Ragnarok, that's some pussy British shit. But ain't that just why we love fantasy.

This concept went for the a sound leaning towards an authentically immersive Organic Forest Psytrance experience. When they say 'forest' they don't mean machine gun bam bams. No no, we mean something that was made to be played in the deep forests at a dance floor just to the left of a broken bridge that no human has crossed for centuries (Because of the troll obviously).

~

Spindrift and Balcosmos - Baldrift

An aptly named song for what I’m guessing is a first / new collaboration between artists. A mix of ethereal background atmospheres and bubbling flickers. It has a distinct Spindrift flavour with the hypnotic-technoid-forward-march. The 5 minute break is the most demanding section of the track snapping your mind out of itself and bringing your attention back to what is going on. 

There is plenty going on but at the same time the track develops at a slow hypnotic pace. I always find it hard to put Spindrift tracks into words as at one time they are foresty while on the other they are digital and full.

Oh look at that, I found the words.

 

C-P-C - Bibro

I’m not familiar with C-P-C but gather that he has a darker style. The track reminds me of BOTFB and Cydonia with it’s drive, pushed mostly forward by the background atmospheres. The bass is about as deep as bass can go with a heavy sub-bass rumble behind it. The dark low mids almost feel like part of the sub-bass creating a desolate soundscape where hope was lost centuries ago. Even the brighter lazor shots feel like they echoing off the dilapidated walls of a building that the humans left to ruin. 

A track for the dead of night and one that I bet is a lot of peoples favourites due to it's old school underground nature.

 

A1on - Sanguine Ritual

Ahhhhh A1on!

Is there an artist more deserving of international praise and attention? I’d make an entire review just on A1on if I had the time. When I move to Europe maybe I’ll be his unofficial manager (Pro-bono baby) whether he wants me to or not.

I’ve listened to a lot of modern psytrance and all of the new Goa. Some forest and a little bit of dark Psytrance.

Very few artists have the depth and width to their music that A1on does. No matter what system you listen to his music on, you get a giant soundstage full of lush and alive sounds. The kickdrums are full bodied and coloured to the max digging as far down as they can go and rising up with full power over and over again without ever disturbing the rest of the mix.

The mids and highs work together to create amazing rhythms, melodies when he wants them and his sounds act like strokes of a paintbrush that builds entire worlds of shifting nature. The tracks can be dark, uplifting, full, light, rhythmic, melodic and other adjectives too!

Who do I need to blow to get this guy booked at a festival? The crowd would lose their mind these tunes. They’d work at a forest gathering, a goa fest, a full-on party and a commercial progressive party. Just the power of his bass alone should have people 4 days into a drug fueled festival salivating with erections (A hard thing to do).

But he also has the kind of storytelling that pushed the most famous producers into the spotlight (Astrix, Menog, Psykovsky).

This track specifically is all of those things. Part tribal, part natural lushness, full bodied and a little bit emotional. While retaining the storytelling we've come to expect from the guy. This is the kind of organic forest sound that makes me lose my breath as the forest troll bellows his good vibes my way.

~

And that's that. Another successfully put together compilation from KER. Different from the darker harder and colder themes explored in the Vol. 1 with a more natural feel to this one.

There is a lot more to come from KER and their Hodd series so keep your eyes peeled. At this rate it will be all you can find in the 2023 review section.

 

https://kaliearth.bandcamp.com/album/hoddmine-vol-2

 

 

 

[Tsotsi]

On 5/24/2023 at 8:49 PM, Parasphere said:

Hehe funny stuff as usual @Tsotsi  Interesting concept and norse mythology theme. I like the idea of a fewer tracks for a EP compilation kinda format. 3 is a good number.

Thanks Para, agreed on the track amount. With my life at the moment 3 is the magic number. I sometimes can't get through one track without interruptions so this is great listening.