Before I get into each track I have to say that I dislike the sound of the album, not the music but the sound. Its to me very flat, and the loudness is pushed too aggressively. So instead of complaining about this on every single track, ill just say this at the start. Its modern, sure, but its just too much. Theres tons of modern stuff thats also dynamic, so I cant see why AP couldn't keep themselves more dynamic than this. But, for whatever reason they decided that loudness was the way to go.. And its not just loudness either, its like, it just sounds off. 
For what its worth, this sounds very very "digital" compared to their other stuff that to me sounds much more "analog".

1. For all mankind
Classic bassline and kick. But polished, modernized.
Its the "Another World" or "Anything is possible" track of the album.
Very very meh. 2/5

2. Transform
Man I wish they used similar sound as Amen, and not this hyper-digital harsh and flat sound. 
Cause music-wise, this is pretty cool. That is until the 5 minute mark or so, then it to me becomes kind of boring. 2.5/5

3. Two Minutes
Cool sound. Clean and nice, Im like wtf? It doesn't sound off. It kinda sounds very crunchy and nice. But, still sharp hihats, and flat overall dynamics. But, cool sound nonetheless.
Music is boring though, its ok but man, its a shadow of their former selves. 
2.5/5

4. The Astral World
Decent sound. Very clean and processed/produced. A bit sharp again in the highs though.. 
Music is again very bland and boring to me.. sad.
2/5

5. Remorse
Cool. Reminds me of the old style. Another World-esque. Nilaya-ish.
But. Wtf. It doesn't go anywhere. its like im listening to someone trying to be AP, but its not AP. So damn boring...
1.5/5

6. Into the void
Probably the "hit" of the album. But its just alright to me. The melody gets boring very quickly. 
2.5/5

7. All Systems Go
Meh. 2/5

8. The Dream
Whoa, what is this now? Sounds almost like some sort of Artifact303 collab.
Does it sound like AP? Nope. Some sort of new Newschool artist on the rise?? Possibly. But, its AP. It just so happens that it doesn't sound remotely like AP. At least this track is somewhat interesting to me. First track of the album that I actually sort of went "hmmmmm this is pretty interesting".
3/5

9. Himalya
Trash!! 0/5
 

I dont think this is an Astral Projection album. I think this is some cocaine derivative version of what AP is. It certainly isnt AP as I know them.

And, to be sure, I welcome new things, new sounds, new formulas. Amen was one of those and I welcomed that more so than most AP fans did. 

And still do. But this I dont see what is Astral Projection about it. They shouldve renamed themselves into a new act, and released under a different name. Wouldve solved everything. 

2/5 on a good day. 

OCTOBER 17 - 2025 - RELEASED - SUNTRIP RECORDS

track list: 

1-1 Take My Hand 9:11

1-2 Children Of The Sun 8:09

1-3 The Path Of The Ascetic 10:11

1-4 Sacred Phase 10:50

1-5 Endless Ritua 10:43

1-6 This World Is Not For Us 7:40

1-7 Gone Like The Wind 8:03

1-8 We Can Never Go Back 8:54

2-1 Emptiness 10:09

2-2 For A Memory 21:05

2-3 Supplication 6:35

2-4 Everything Will Be Solved Today 7:15

2-5 Source Of Emotions 17:09

2-7 Heartfelt 4:52

2-8 Blurred Memories 7:55

3-1 Drifting Into Myself 8:13

3-2 Moment Of Decision 15:05

3-3 Longing For Something 11:18

3-4 Bottomless Pit 9:23

3-5 What Was Left Behind 5:30

3-6 Nowhere I Meant To Be 5:26

3-7 Impasse 4:16

3-8 Lasting Memories 9:36

3-9 Regeneration 6:05

Im not going to go thru each track. Ill just give an overall impression.

There are very interesting pieces of music here, on all tracks. So i recommend if you like Mindsphere and New School goa, you will like alot of this one. But, something is wrong with the sound. I cant pinpoint it, but its very sharp, annoying and doesnt feel good. I think the wrong files was sent for mastering. Or rather, the wrong files was sent FROM mastering.

Thats just my honest thoughts.
Because it sounds harsh, digital, annoying, and the bass+kick doesnt feel well defined or pleasant.

So while I might hear it in a technical problem area, you might not. But for me this reduces the grade ALOT. 
Cause, theres really no excuse for sounding bad anymore. Musically sure, but soundwise? no. 
Again theres tons of really cool tracks here, that I invite you all to check out. Maybe you dont hear the issues I hear. 

Afterall, Mindsphere is a great talent, so it saddens me that for me personally, this album goes into the trash just because of its sound. To me this music is WAY better than Astral Projection - For all Mankind. But the sound is even worse than it. Sadly. 

I cant understand what happened because his older albums did NOT sound like this. Again, sound only....

I hope I can come back to this later on , because i have lots to say about the music. But for now, unfortunately, the music will suffer due to unpleasant sound. And it is really sad, because the music deserves SO much better. 

2.5/5

The best thing about this massive album is that he reprises or remixes alot of famous melodies. Thats worth the listen alone.

I adore both Cosmosis and Filteria. Theyve made some of my favorite tracks. They are up there with the very best.
And they seem to be great peoples. I really love them alot, but this record is just cheese ontop of cheese. 
Not sure what they were thinking, as they couldve made it a true classic.

Albums like Cosmology and Daze of our lives are some of the very best the scene has ever heard. And this album is what they come up with? Nope, that doesnt work.

Imagine filteria and cosmosis. Well, you dont have to imagine. Here we are. But its bad, its boring, its bland.
Amazing that this is what we get when two legends, two artists I adore, make some music.

heres the full album on youtube

ULTRAVIBE - TRANSMITTER

i give it 2/5 
peace

Suntrip Records  – SUNCD81

CD 1: Dawn

1-1  Strange Fantasy   8:47

2-1  Broken Bass   7:53

3-1  Centurion   9:18

4-1  Chemical Imbalance   9:30

5-1  Flumerider   8:00

6-1  Magneto   8:53

7-1  Edge Of The Void   9:14

8-1  Datalabbsladd   7:45

9-1  Hymn   7:24

CD 2: Dusk

1-2  Messed Up And Wobbly   8:00

2-2 Attack   7:48

3-2 Evermore   9:34

4-2 Chrome And Silver   8:55

5-2 To Hell   9:44

6-2 Apex   9:21

7-2 Mega-City One   8:59

8-2 The King Of Kings   8:16

9-2 Requiem In Tenebris   6:34

https://suntriprecords.bandcamp.com/album/cause-principle-and-one-eternal

With this excellent double album, I would argue BOTFBs have perfected their signature style of somewhat dark, intensely psychedelic Goa trance.

At nearly 2 and half hours, I must confess I have not yet made it the end of this mammoth offering. Eternal is right.

In short, I really like this music a lot. The first thing that strikes me as I listen to the first few tracks is they have excelled at conjuring up exciting textures. It feels deliciously gooey, soft and a little bit scratchy. In their earlier music I was impressed by the spatial effects and the same is very true here. Some of the melodies drift around as you listen and seem to take on a kind of almost 3D depth.

This is very hard music, as even though the Dawn half of it is slower and mixed more softly, I feel a relentless drive in the looping patterns and continuous beats and there is a nice darkness even to the Dawn CD. The Dusk one is even harder, faster and louder.

It has some great voice samples as well. No spoilers here.

The only other thing is I don't totally get that cover art. Guess I need to stare at it for a while. Some kind of fairytale theme.

8.5 / 10

1. Far Side (Live Version) 07:25

2. Far Side (ReFractor RMX) 07:50

It's been 15 years since Digital Talk released their Audio Extremists in 2010, an album with some of the grooviest basslines ever produced. I missed so much these head banging, floor braking basslines, and Digital Talk was one of the best in the business. Since then, they released a few tracks in some compilations, and waited until 2023 to release an album that was made more than 20 years ago an lost! Dark Visions - The Lost Opus (2023) was such a dissapointment for me since I had been waiting for something new from the french duo for such a long time. It was good news when 'Str3tch' (Julien, one of the two) released 'Wild Side' in 2014 and 'Galactic Gymnastic' in 2024, which kept some of the groovyness and fun from the 2010.

While in my dreams I keep thinking a new full album with some new fresh stuff arrives, this was released a few months ago. A two track release with an update of an old track (I hope they stop doing this and focus on some new stuff... it's so dissappointing) and an amazing remix from Refractor, who brings the south african power to the track, with the mastering of Scorb. It sounds so good I can't recommend this track enough. Either if you like the track or not, which I think it's great, you should definitely give it a try to hear the amazing mastering and how clean everything sounds.

https://phonixrecords.bandcamp.com/album/tales-from-the-far-side-16-bit

Too Much Data  - T.M.D

HOM-Mega Productions – HMD220

One half of MFG, Aharon Segal has teamed up with Chen Shmuel a.k.a. Atmik for this new Goa trance project.

1. Too Much Data – Deep Happiness 6:54

2. Too Much Data – Breaking Rules 8:00

3. Too Much Data – Runing In Circles 8:23

4. Too Much Data – Do You See Stars 7:26

5. Too Much Data – Change Of Direction 7:45

6. Too Much Data – State Of Mind 8:25

7.  MFG – To Eternity (Too Much Data Remix) 8:32

8. Too Much Data – Circus Of Life 7:27

9. Too Much Data – Tmd 7:34

I am putting this up as a mini review for now so that others have a chance to listen and add their own reflections, as I am short on time currently.

I need to give it a few more listens for it to sink in but my initial impression is extremely high quality sounds, loads of nice acid combined with the trademark MFG slightly dark sort of robotic sound effects and some great melodies and hard beats and basslines.

When you have been saturating your brain with as much Goa as I have, it becomes difficult to rate new content fairly when 95% of it is slight variations of sounds and patterns you have heard thousands of times before. But paradoxically, if you are like me you will still find yourself seeking out these classic sounds over and over again. The way I rationalize it is someone who reviews classical music can't really complain about being sick of the piano, if that makes sense.

Anyway, this album has loads of the classic acidic Goa sound. I find it very easy to listen to. It does not at any point get irritating and even the more generic bits are not boring. If I listened to this with a fresher pair of ears I would probably rate it nine out of ten or higher, so it is good stuff.

State of Mind has some catchy synth melodies and voice samples and is one of the tracks I enjoyed the most. Circus of Life has a nice bassline, some lovely bubbly acid and a delightfully rough drum beat. I may add some thoughts on the other tracks when I get some more time.

Overall this is an exciting album and I will definitely be listening to it a lot more.

Provisional score:

8/10

https://hommega.bandcamp.com/album/t-m-d

Various – Suntrip Classix Vol. 1 - Titan

Suntrip Records – SUNCDLP04

Country:Belgium

Released:Oct 1, 2022

Tracklist

A1 Psylent Buddhi – Moksha Written-By, Producer – Kasper Weensgaard 11:49

A2 Triquetra – Forget About The Earth Written-By, Producer – Elric Reinartz, Jurian Reinart 7:01

B1 Ra – Crossing Planet Written-By, Producer – Christer Borge-Lunde, Lars W. Lind 11:09

B2 Clementz – Spirit Dance Written-By, Producer – Hans Henrik Clementz 6:14

C1 Shakta – It Was Not Human Written-By, Producer – Seb Taylor 7:38

C2 Celestial Intelligence – Celestial Beings Written-By, Producer – Branislav Dimkovski, Dalibor Anastasovski 8:55

D1 Goasia – Love & Peace Written-By, Producer – Balint Tihamer, Vladislav Radulovic 8:16

D2 Mindsphere – Tears Of Goddess Written-By, Producer – Ali Akgun 8:10

A1 Psylent Buddhi – Moksha 

Quite an intense and busy track with very good production values - sounds stunning on vinyl with pan-potted sounds flying around the room. There is a super rhythmic sensibility in this track and it builds and builds. Decent track that does not stay static for long and has good story telling structure but feels a little short and could have more melodic interest. 

A2 Triquetra – Forget About The Earth

I love Triquetra's old school acid and fun sensibility; very retro and reminds us not to take our genre too siriously. Kinda Eat Static outlook. This track is typical of their style and features an acid bass 303 that sounds very reminiscent of Josh Wink's classic "Higher State of Consciousness" from 1995. Fun, bouncy, silly, delightful, what is not to like? I don't like this track so much when I'm grumpy - it is a bit too repetitive and simplistic in its "aving it" rave attitude, but could kick up some dust on the dancefloors. Not my favourite Triquetra track, but fun all the same. 

B1 Ra – Crossing Planet

Ra is one of my favourite Goa artists and I freely admit that I am not very objective about his work; I love it all! Is there a more floaty artist than Ra, better able to summon up transcendental Kailash feelings? Maybe Martin Cooper aka Asia 2001 (rip )? This track does not deviate from Ra's transcendental vibe and does not disappoint this listener. I read some nit-pickers going on about how Ra's high hats are too linear - pffft! Forget about the nay-sayers, this is pure luxury in aural form. Those delicate psy synths and minor key Eastern melodies - delicious! A 9/10 track for me - I'm only subtracting a point because it stopped when I wanted it to carry on forever. 

B2 Clementz – Spirit Dance

Clementz comes with another floating, bubbling track with uplifting vibe courtesy of Hindu-style vocals. This track has an hypnotic simple bassline that I really like and overall the synth work is super with fairy tale melodies and a gentle feeling. Very, very nice. My only criticism is that it is rather short and could have been further developed. 8 out of 10 from this listener. 

C1 Shakta – It Was Not Human

Shakta breaks the gentle upliftment with his signature breakbeats. Slam dunk da funk - Shakta is another one of my all time favourite artists and he brings the acid funk here full of rattling percussion, gurning attitude, and alien gonzo whackiness. Predictably good stuff, I love it that Shakta has not changed his style at all; this track could easily be from Silicon Trip. 

C2 Celestial Intelligence – Celestial Beings

We return to gentler vibes with Celestial Intelligence and this track meanders along pleasingly, but lacks distinction and memorability. 

D1 Goasia – Love & Peace

Goasia's "Love & Peace" is a bit tougher and features some big ascending arpeggios that uplift us beyond the head-nodding stomping rhythm. Good stuff. 

D2 Mindsphere – Tears Of Goddess

Suntrip saved the best for last - a stunning track from Mindsphere closes out the compilation. "Tears of Goddess" walks the proverbial Razor's Edge between driving rhythm, acidic heaviness and fragile beauty. Spiritual bliss - excellent work. 

So is this compilation of "Goa Classix" Titanic, or does it sink? Well, needless to say, it hardly ends up at the bottom of the ocean in a hubristic disaster. Nevertheless, for me it is not as successful as the excellent Gamma Draconis because it doesn't have as many great tracks on it. Ra and Mindsphere bring the magic here; Shakta, Clementz and Goasia are good; the other tracks are not quite in the same league. I also have a question about the flow of the album; I'm not sure that the acidic Triquetra and Shakta tracks fit in amongst the more ethereal tracks of the rest of the album, not that I think that a compilation has to be uniform at all. Nevertheless, a worthy compilation that is highly enjoyable and sounds fabulous on vinyl - Tim Schuldt's masterful mastering is as reliable as ever. Chalk up another success to the ever-reliable Suntrip Records. ~*~

Vaporized Human Odyssey 2023

Digital Reprints

Human Odyssey 1

1-1Vaporized (2)–Return To The Source 12:51

1-2Vaporized (2)–Circle Of Dust 11:21

1-3Vaporized (2)–Solar Cycles 10:38

1-4Vaporized (2)–Human Odyssey 9:44

1-5Vaporized (2)–Full Moon 9:44

1-6Vaporized (2)–Silverbox 10:54

1-7Vaporized (2)–Enter The Circle 10:37

Human Odyssey 2

2-1Vaporized (2)–Return To The Source (Dig Deeper Mix) 12:51

2-2Vaporized (2)–Circle Of Dust (Red Rock Mix) 10:36

2-3Vaporized (2)–Solar Cycles (In Orbit Mix) 11:03

2-4Vaporized (2)–Red Dust 10:22

2-5Vaporized (2)–Silverbox (Acid Mix) 9:47E

2-6Kristian* & DJ Cosmix–The Vision (Vaporized Remix) 10:00

2-7Vaporized (2)–Artifact 12:22

This is a fascinating double album released in 2023 by Danish artist Kristian Thinning Andersen. He is most famous as Elysium, though he has a variety of other monikers. Andersen made some of the greatest Goa tracks ever in the 90s with a unique mellow, tribal, and hypnotic style. One of my personal favourites is the Sheyba ep on Flying Rhino from 1995:

Who can forget the wolf howls in "Ancient Lands" which take the listener deep into the ancestral past. Other notable releases include Spiritual's "Ride the Snake", Kaaya's "Ormazd", Kailash's "Higher", and the two Elyzium albums Dance for the Celestial Beings (1995) and Celestial Sounds and Neurotic Tribal Beats (1997). Evocative, storytelling stuff, more for the inner journey than for 'aving it on the dancefloor, though plenty potent on the dancefloor too. 

Rather than give a track by track formalist description, I want to try to sum up Andersen's artistic goal and the feel of his tunes, with which I'm sure many of you are familiar. Perhaps the most important thing then is to point out that if you are a fan of his work, as I am, then this is a must. Andersen has not changed his style. This is not to say that he is stuck or lacks variety or experiment or is narrow, but he simply has his own unique style that is instantly recognisable. And what a style it is - poised hovering in the liminal zone between the dancefloor and the chill out area with bpms seldom getting up into the 140s, its distinctive feature is hypnosis. In a sense, then, his music is the very essence of trance, which is a hypnotic state, a state of immersion if you will. There's a deep calm in his music, that is quite different to the ecstatic excitement, even freneticism, of a lot of trance and psytrance. It is more of a highlands plateau than the peaks and valleys of psytrance. It is likely that the Dionysian among us will not like this calm and will find this album boring. If you want high drama, crushing rhythms, major chords, frenzied build-ups, hardcore blastoff, then look elsewhere. For those who can enter this calm state, it provides the meditative bliss of relaxation and acceptance. This music creates the atmosphere in which it is best appreciated. Here are the words of the man himself: "I wanted to return to the way I think trance should be like. To me, trance is a slowly building journey on the dance floor by its hypnotizing patterns and deep soundscapes. Repetitively rhythmic to put you in a state of trance." Andersen emphasises his return to proto-Goa, which was slower and lacked the build-ups and galloping horse basslines of post-millenial psytrance. What I most appreciate about this relaxation is that it tends to grant the space for the mind to expand into fantasy - it is quite easy to be swept to far-off lands with these tunes. 

This does not mean that Vaporized lacks intensity. Intensity may be provided by tribal vibes through vocals, samples, percussion. Whilst I do miss the tribal vibes a bit on this latest album, they are still there in the background. Intensity is also provided by the microdynamics of texture and small changes. A master of texture, Andersen was always good at making sounds that ranged from silken smooth to ragged ripping. Many of his sounds, showcased by the relatively constant rotating polyrhythms in the background have more pixels per nanosecond than there are motes of dust in the Sahara (though you will need a good hifi to hear this). Part of the sonic magic is the recordings and masterings: no compression wars here and  sounds have space to breathe, do not blur together, dynamics are free. I checked out my vinyl and cds and the only information on the mastering I could find was "Prodam" and "Podam" - I searched but nothing came up. This is also true of this new work, which is also well produced. This high quality recording and mastering pays off in psychoactive sound with good micro as well as macro dynamics. This is crucial to Andersen because he is very good at small changes, subtle shifts of delicate percussion, unexpected time wobbles - small changes amidst heavy repetition that can tug at your ear, especially when you are in the calm and receptive state of trance. 

There, in a nutshell, I think you have the spirit of Elysium/Vaporized: hypnotic trance. It is relatively introspective stuff that eschews drama, performativity, grandiosity, hysteria, going instead for meditative calm. This, of course, does not mean that the artist is always so calm himself. Hypnosis is also invariably haunted by the image of the zombie: who is controlling the hypnotised is the question that typically arises. Is it a corporate AI? Perhaps it is the Soviet nostalgia hackers? No, it is definitely the aliens described by Cixin Liu. Whether you are concerned about being hypnotised or not, the questions that have historically accompanied the inner path do flutter about this introspective art. Of course, this means that this is more home music than for the main floor. 

If hypnotic trance sounds appealing to you, then you won't do better than this excellent album and the stunning back catalogue behind it. ~*~

Various Artists - Acidum Influxum

Suntrip Records – SUNCD77

What an exciting gem of a compilation we have here from Suntrip Records!

If you love old school acidic Goa trance you may have been frustrated by a dearth of quality tunes from the big names in recent years. If so, I am pleased to tell you Suntrip and the artists have exceled themselves in putting this compilation together. My mind was blown by acid lines the like of which I had never imagined before.

1. Etnica - Golden Era    08:53

2. InnerZone - Heavens Gate    09:46

3. Hypnoxock - Magma    08:13

4. GoaD - Slayed303    06:35

5. Fiery Dawn - Fluoro Acid    07:20

6. Antidot & DICA - Soulbinder    07:50

7. SETI Project - Psychedelic Acid    08:08

8. Battle of the Future Buddhas - Tenderlion (Anthem Remix)    08:01

9. Binary Bliss - Analog Ascent    09:36

1. Etnica - Golden Era

A stunningly good and hard track and it delighted me that Etnica are still releasing such classics today! 9/10

2. InnerZone - Heavens Gate

We have eastern singing with a lovely wobbly acid line that goes great with the hard kick and bass. Then the acid goes wonderfully crazy, even more so towards the end where we get at least 2 or 3 acid lines simultaneously with lots of delay yet somehow it all fits together perfectly! 9/10

3. Hypnoxock - Magma

This is very old school, hard acid with a slightly technoish feel. 8/10

4. GoaD - Slayed303

Another hard, driving track from a Danish newcomer to Suntrip. As the acid lines combine, this has a somewhat rougher, almost cacophonous feel which is nevertheless enjoyable. 6.5/10

5. Fiery Dawn - Fluoro Acid

This one, from another newcomer to Suntrip but not to Goa trance , has an intriguing, hypnotic and quite dark beat with some wild, urgent sounding acid. 7/10

6. Antidot & DICA - Soulbinder

Suntrip tells us these acid techno artists have recently been making Goa. This one is really trippy as synths wash over your ears in waves and some awesomely mean sounding croaky acid is let loose on your brain! 9/10

7. SETI Project - Psychedelic Acid 

Suntrip found an unreleased 90s track here. It sounds good now but remember what kind of impression this kind of music made back in the 90s! The acid is back to basics but nice, but that manic beat is fantastic. 7/10

8. Battle of the Future Buddhas - Tenderlion (Anthem Remix)

I'm a fan of Battle of the Future Buddhas and really like the extra 303 treatment they gave this remix. 8/10

9. Binary Bliss - Analog Ascent  

Quite melodic acid here to end with a track which builds and builds and feels uplifting and yes euphoric as Suntrip wrote. 8/10

This is one of the best compilations I have heard in years. Well done, Suntrip. More of this kinda thing please!

9/10

https://suntriprecords.bandcamp.com/album/acidum-influxum

RA - Visions

Altar Records - ARDEP79

Ever since Earthcall came out eight long years ago, to quote from this new EP I have had a Burning Love Desire for RA to release more music, so to say I was excited when I found out about it would be an understatement!

This is a downtempo release in a similar sort of style to the stunning album Unearthly (which has recently been remastered- not sure how they could improve on perfection!).

Whilst I would have to say this one is not RA's most complex material, as always it's impeccably produced, highly pleasurable and soothing to listen to and a solid addition to their catalog.

According to the credits, the Visions EP is a solo work by Lars W. Lind. I believe this is the first release from RA without Christer Borge-Lunde's involvement, so it is an interesting chance to hear Lars' influence on the project in isolation.

1. Enthralled  6:49

2. Mysterious Thing  6:51

3. Visions Of Touch   6:27

4. The Burning   7:18

1. Enthralled

A seriously mellow and chilled out opening track. The synths wash over you and seem to melt together in a delicious slow ambience. 7/10

2. Mysterious Thing

"The soul understands what the mind cannot conceive." a voice whispers enigmatically. This track turns the tension up just a notch with a more exotic flavor. 7/10

3. Visions of Touch

The textures on this title track are delectable to my ears and brain, especially with that bass. That texture of the sound evokes thoughts of the synesthesia suggested in the track title. It's more upbeat, even funky, compared to the opening tracks. At the halfway point we get intense layers of euphoric synths in a mesmerizing chord progression. Now we're talking! 9/10

4. The Burning

This has a trippier feeling than some of the earlier tracks with a pulsating ethereal voice and layers of gorgeous soundscape. It's simultaneously mellow, ambient, upbeat and psychedelic, which is a great achievement in itself, I think. We get a female voiceover with an American accent about Burning Love Desire. The theme of love, desire and romance is nice and I believe a change from the more purely spiritual or philosophical wisdoms we get in RA's previous tracks. I'll let you be the judge of how well it works here I think. 8/10

All in all, a great and extremely relaxing release and I hope with all my heart that we will be hearing plenty more from RA in the years to come.

8/10

https://ra-altar-records.bandcamp.com/album/visions

Artist: Veasna
Title: Providence
Label: Goa Madness Records
Release date: November 15 2023

1.Seed 10:09
2.Void 08:41
3.Marbles 08:09
4.Glade 08:51
5.Loom 07:56
6.Miraculix: Search & Destroy (Remix) 09:37
7.Shriek 07:27
8.Morphic Resonance: Bad Dreamer (Remix) 09:32
9.Karma 07:36

Veasna, aka Patrick Dinklage, already released 2 full albums on Neogoa: Energy and Spectral Flux. Still have to find the time to carefully listen to those two, but this third installment makes Veasna one of the great. I couldn't resist writing a positive review about this release.

The music is the kind that you don't hear at the start or end of a party, but right in the middle of the night. Just when everyone is in his/her own zone. Dark, badass and hypnotic. Pure 100% goa.
The mighty 10 min opener Seed sets the atmosphere for the rest of the album. Slowly building into a hypnotic monster of a track. Everything is so natural and organic, it's beautiful. Void is a gem. Deep, dark and so psychedelic. This instantly catapults me to 4AM at any goa party. Goosebumps! A showcase of trackbuilding and story telling. The magnificent Marbles continues in this atmosphere with a punchy basskick. Synths and acid are more prominent here than in Void. Glade is again more similar to Void, a perfect balance between spiralling sounds and deep bass. The acid undertone in Loom is spooky at the beginning, but the track majestically unfolds into a goa stomper no one can resist. Deep stuff right here. Search and Destroy adds more haunting synths. Shriek builds upon a chunky and crunching bassline and shoots acid. Bad Dreamer continues to push you deep into the night with almost an industrial feel to it. Glorious. Morphic Resonance's aggression is still palpable here with an overload of screeching synths. Very well done. The journey ends with the slightly less intense Karma, tunnel-vision like stuff. One that slowly builds, a bit of a mind cracker because of the non-standard bassline. But wow, it does build! And gracefully ends.

Providence is a dense pack of serious goa music that goes deep into the soul. Veasna has a story to tell here.
The dark overall touch, the heavy bass machinery and psychedelic spirals make this a unique experience.

A proper tribute to night time goa.
My winner for 2023 and maybe for many years to come.

Buy on bandcamp: https://goamadnessrecordsofficial.bandcamp.com/album/providence

Xenomorph Netherverse 2024

Suntrip Records 

1 Sinister Contours 9:17

2 Dying Sun (Sol Aeternus Mix) 8:03

3 War In Heaven 8:35

4 Negative Time (-L Di/-Dt Mix) 8:20

5 No Beginning No End 8:39

6 Nebula Of Souls 7:47

7 Subdimensional Anomaly 8:38

8 Abode Of The Damned 8:46

9 Netherverse  8:38

So Mark Petrick comes in 2024 with Netherverse, his fourth album and the one to accompany 2023's superb ep "Negative Time". Is it any cop?

"Sinister Contours" telegraphs Petrick's self-evident intention: he is for sure following the left hand path. This means a heavily arpeggiated track with a threatening minor melody. There'll be no easy upliftment on this album; and no cheese! But isn't the whole gothic darkness thing quite cheesy? Well yeah, if we are talking Twilight movies with aristocratic pretty boy vampires who bling in the sunlight, or perhaps campy Tim Burton style goth-lite. But we are not talking that here. No easy joy, no happy endings, on this sinister path, but plenty of eerie and other disquieting feelings. A 

"Dying Sun (Sol Aeternus Mix)" is probably my favourite track on the album. Here we seem to be on a space ship on a quest for a new home and we dive deep into a black hole, or something like that, indicated by the "our sun is dying... we are dust" sample and another spaceship sample (Petrick is a master of the appropriate sample - he really tells stories with his samples, which are carefully chosen). We sense here how cosmic Xenomorph's vision for this album is. The production quality on this track has to be heard on a good hifi to fully appreciate it - mindblowing. EPIC! A+++

"War In Heaven" starts off with a simple four-note melody that summons up fairy tale horror, but at the half way mark the track shifts up a gear and achieves take off with sawing synths. The "war in heaven" sample states succintly Petrick's apparent philosophy that the tension between good and evil is the propulsive force that drives the universe. A dance floor monster! A+ 

"Negative Time" is from the accompanying ep of that name. Plenty of pretty tinkles and juddering synth melodies here make for a track that is almost progressive trance - a more mellow track than the ones that preceded it, quite blissed out and dreamy. A 

"No Beginning No End" is an ourobouros in both concept and in big swirling melodies. These melodies do seem like spiralling nebulae. At 3.15 it turns darker with some delightfully chewy bass 303 and then the spiralling begins again, growing out of the darkness. Another epic trancer with massive melodies. Petrick has worked hard on making these melodies as echoing and big in scale as possible. A 

"Nebula Of Souls" - I love this slightly more minimal track. It features mysterious vaporous synths at the start, which are utterly beautiful and uplifting in a creepy way. There's a whap-whap sound that continues throughout, giving propulsion; it builds to a grinding climax and then ends on moody cello - simply stunning. A+

"Subdimensional Anomaly" starts with twinkling synths (lots of those sounds on this album) and then builds towards twisting leads against a stumping beat. There's a lovely sense of calm and observation behind this track. A

"Abode Of The Damned" is as dark as its title, beginning with a sample about a graveyard and its ghosts. There's a great climbing bass arpeggio that kicks things off and then we have minor key choirs so beloved of dungeon synth and black metal and used quite regularly on Cassandra's Nightmare. This track could easily have been from that first album. At the four minute mark the bass goes into double time and here comes the growly acid that slowly morphs into long pads. Yo party people, are you ready to chew your tongue off and lose your shit? I'd love to see what this track would do to a dancefloor. A+

"Netherverse" - the come down track. Vaporous spacey synth, twangy echoes, a slow beat, eventually builds to the expected long and melancholic pads. I'm a huge fan of sloa Goa, but this is not an especially outstanding example, coming across as an unfinished fragment, and is the least good track on the album for me. B 

So is it any cop? You betcha it is. What I particularly liked about this album is that Xenomorph has not stood still, unsurprisingly perhaps as so many years have passed. This is a unique lighter and more cosmic album in his discography. Terrifying, eerie, haunting, sinister, at moments, but also full of cosmic beauty, Xenomorph's vision achieves maturity here. It seems that his albums are all quite different, despite there being strong similarities (not least the superb production and sound quality of all of them). I characterise them like this:

Cassandra's Nightmare 1998: cinematic horror trance

Qlippoth 2003: spirit possession 

Demagoguery of the Obscurants 2007: the conspiracy album

Netherverse 2024: cosmic darkness and light

In this fourth album, it seems to me that Petrick goes scifi and reaches for the stars, seeing the dialectic between light and darkness, matter and antimatter, creation and destruction, as the cosmic turbine that powers all. His vision has become epic and fully realised by this point it seems to me in that it appreciates all, including the disgusting and repressed, and values all equally. A divinely balanced cosmic vision. Does such a vision appeal to you? It is a bit early in the year, but I have no doubt that this is already one of my records of the year. Actually, my only strong criticism of this album and the ep is the cover art - weak in both cases. 

Finally, I am inspired to look back over his oeuvre as the body of work that triggered an entire (sub-)genre: darkpsy. You could argue against this notion, pointing out the other great dark Goa albums that helped ignite darker psychedelic trance: Sandman's Witchcraft, Orichalcum and the Deviant Orichalcum and the Deviant, Cydonia Fear of a Red Planet, UX Ultimate Experience, and so on. This would be correct: all played their part. Nevertheless, nothing was nearly as dark and scary as Cassandra's Nightmare and it remains the keystone album. So Xenomorph's latest album deserves to be seen in this wider context as part of the genre that his first album kickstarted. Amazing what can come out of watching a few horror movies and being open-minded enough to meld trance with the gothic, industrial, and metal. ~*~

Rita Raga - Flowing Circle

Altar Records - ARDEP73

The Polish multi-instrumentalist Rita Raga is my favorite psychill artist (well, actually favorite after RA if you consider RA psychill artists rather than artists that sometimes make psychill). This new (last year ) EP combines blissful ambience with harder and more psychedelic moments.

1. Rita Raga feat. I.M.D. - Green Meadow 05:42

2 Rita Raga - Sea Of Fullness (Cabeiri Remix) 07:38

3. Mina & Rita Raga - Zywa Woda 10:50

4. Rita Raga & Fyre Ô - Wide Blue Sky 06:24

5. Rita Raga - White Blossom (Outro) 03:49

1. Green Meadow

Dreamy vocals and a trippy and funky guitar plucking sound over some lush pads make for a seriously chilled out and ambient feeling piece of psychill. 6.5/10

2. The Sea of Fullness

The mood starts off slightly darker and slightly more psychedelic here, a sharp pitch bending synth twangs into the foreground and a light sort of glitchy beat plays along with Rita's enchanting vocals. Some nice chord progressions and a bassy kick take over the last part of the track. Nice uplifting gated synths at the end are reminiscent of some of the best moments on her fantastic Mystic Melodies album. 7/10

3. Zywa Woda

A more tribal beat here and a more eastern feel to some of the vocals. Lovely bass accompanied by haunting whispering sounds. The production quality sounds great to me. This is my favorite track so far. At the half way mark we get a really nice kick coming in and we're into harder psychill which I found really enjoyable. 9/10

4. Wide Blue Sky

With a blissfully mellow opening, the track quickly picks up with the beat and introduces some very, very trippy patterns of sound. A hypnotic folky guitar melody takes over the foreground. This is great. I get a strong vibe of Irish folk music. We get a weird higher pitched voice-like synth picking up the melody and some quiet acidic sounds. If I had to give this a genre, it would be psyfolk. I'm reminded a bit of Posford's work with Celtic Cross and yeah some Shpongle but this is easily as good or possibly even better. It's so addictive I was really disappointed when the track ended. I would love it to go on for 15 minutes! Maybe Rita can give us some extended remixes of some of these tracks in the future? 10/10

5. White Blossom

The opening to this with waves of string sounds is so beautiful I could feel the beginnings of a couple of tears starting to well up. We get a gentle, slow beat, some quiet piano sounds, Rita's beautiful voice and a sparkly sound. And just like that this lovely EP is over. Again I wanted this track to carry on longer but it works just right as a gentle outro. 9/10

This is a beautiful EP which I am excited to listen to again, especially Wide Blue Sky which I am utterly hooked on! The first two tracks are closer to ambient / chillout than psychedelic to me, which is absolutely fine because sometimes that's exactly what you need to calm you down. I find all Rita's music incredibly soothing and comforting, a guiding light through any kind of mental voyage.

If you haven't heard much of Rita's music before I highly recommend you start with her Mystic Melodies album which is in equal parts soothing, groovy and extremely trippy and there are some harder full on remixes on it as well which were just great even for this old Goa head.

Flowing Circle shows she's definitely still got it and has some amazing collaborations. Wide Blue Sky though, wow I want to hear it again right now!

9/10

https://altar-records-europe.bandcamp.com/album/flowing-circle

Moon Tripper - Hypnotic Frequencies

Altar Records - ARCDA130

I hadn't heard of Moon Tripper before, the Dubai-based artist Brad Ashtar. I came across this album because I enjoy psychill and want to start posting reviews of new music here so I was looking over Altar Records' recent catalog.

1. Moon Tripper – Inside Your Head  13:03

2. Astral Waves – Black Panther Medicine (Moon Tripper Remix)  10:15

3. Moon Tripper – Mystical Realm  6:57

4. Moon Tripper – Transcendental  7:15

5. Moon Tripper – Arise  6:00

6. Moon Tripper – Hypnotic Frequencies  6:59

7. Moon Tripper – Dopamine  7:55

8. Moon Tripper – Spiritual Smiles  8:53

9. Moon Tripper – Elevated State  8:00

10. Moon Tripper – Earth's Consciousness  6:46

1. Inside Your Head: This has a lovely long build up with mysterious pads, slow flute, growly synth sounds, what I think is a sitar sound, tribal drums and later a nice kick and bass come in. A little reminiscent of Elysium to me but with the psy turned down and ambience cranked up I suppose. 6/10

2. Black Panther Medicine (Moon Tripper Remix): We start with some tribal voices and cool drippy sounds. The kick and bass makes it sound a little bit dark and we have some nice somewhat tribal percussion coming in then some really trippy melodic synths. Nice. 9/10

3. Mystical Realm: This track is harder and a lot more psychedelic than the earlier ones but still has a lot of ambience. A nice, slightly more irregular beat. 7/10

4. Transcendental: We continue the harder psychedelic theme with this one which is really nice with layers of squelchy synths and still little bits of ambience sprinkled in here and there. 8/10

5. Arise: A mystical sparkley opening with a female voice and some flutey ambiences. Then the driving kick and bass come in quite near the start and groovy synth stabs. It feels more ambient than the previous track whilst maintaining the pace and energy. 7/10

6. Hypnotic Frequencies: For the title track we're back to harder psy again with some really tasty acid lines. The production quality is nice and the pads envelope you with a real sense of depth and immersion. If you only have time for one track, listen to this one.  9/10

7. Dopamine: This sounds closer to pure psytrance to me. The light sort of synth-almost-a-flute melody is nice from about 1:40. Past the halfway mark I must admit I was losing interest a bit but the closing parts of the track were a bit better. As mainly a Goa fan I may not be the target audience. 5/10

8. Spiritual Smiles: It opens with chanting, then the standard kick and bass, and a fairly laid back mood with lots of weird ambient sounds and one meandering synth. Then from around 4 minutes we get nice acid coming in. A trippy breakdown where the chanting comes back. 8/10

9. Elevated State: This one is some crazy mind jumbling psytrance. Sounds to me a bit like darkpsy with the tempo turned down slightly. 6/10

10. Earth's Consciousness: We end with another serviceable psytrance track that's well put together but not really my cup of tea. 5/10

As primarily a Goa fan who also enjoys psychill and ambient but is less keen on modern psy, I find this album a bit of a mixed bag, but the good bits are great and the rest of it I certaintly wouldn't mind having on in the background.

I deliberately listened to this before trying any of Moon Tripper's older music. It will be interesting to see if that is more to my tastes.

6/10

https://moon-tripper.bandcamp.com/album/hypnotic-frequencies?label=3714585001&tab=music

Xenomorph Negative Time 2023

Suntrip Records 

Negative Time 8:20

Danger On The High Seas 8:27

Lost In An Old Junkyard (Tow Hook Mix) 8:08

First up a complaint - I wish Suntrip would use vinyl mailers with corner protection and a STRONG box - this is the third order that has arrived with battered corners. Still, the vinyl plays with rich, warm, powerful bass from Tim Schuldt's mastering for 45rpm. 

Mark Petrick is Xenomorph, the first horror trance or darkpsy act. I wonder who had the guts to play out Cassandra's Nightmare (Koyote Records, 1998) in the late 90s? Oh boy, there may well have been some E'd up or acidified hands-in-the-air ravers chundering in the loos if someone put on any of the tracks from this album or the 12" that accompanied it. Sure, there were also UX, Orichalcum and the Deviant, Cydonia, and Planet Ben back then, but they didn't go for the jugular in the gothic fashion of Xenomorph. Influenced by metal, industrial, darkwave, classical, film, he was a unique artist and that is invariably inspiring. How many artists have the distinction of inaugurating a whole genre? 

"Negative Time" features midrange 303 fluttering and weaving, and then a simple 5 note melody towards the end. Nice subtle track and quite mellow for Xenomorph, verging on progressive. It reminds me of a lesser-known track called "Inner Spirits", a once off collaboration between Mark Petrick and Dominic Sangeet (not to be confused with DJ Sangeet) on Organic Records in 1998. Both tracks are quite chilled, but have an epic quality from spiralling melodies that culminate in an uplifting explosion towards the end. Petrick can easily do Goa bliss, though he is not at his most original doing so.   

"Danger on the High Seas" is darker, featuring a chewy bassline, and reminds me of Xenomorph's brief incarnation as the Brighton Trash Department, which was a short-lived collaboration with Dara Lee of Koyote Records. Brighton Trash Department did one 12" in 1998, featuring the awesome track "Costa del Goa" which is a dark sea shanty featuring a wonderful spoken word sample. "Costa del Goa" summons a spectral shipwreck through swirling mist and features clanky, twinkling sounds building to a massive minor key melody. "Danger on the High Seas" is nearly as atmospheric, which is saying something. It achieves this by similar salty sea dog samples, but also by carefully chosen sinister synth sprinkles. As "Costa del Goa" has it: "this is some spooky shit we got here".

"Lost In An Old Junkyard (Tow Hook Mix)" is my favourite track on the ep. This track has such a great industrial rhythm section with the metallic percussion and foursquare beats that Xenomorph is well known for. Then sulky bass moog creeps in stealthily. Then the eerie treble melody rains from an empty sky. Then comes the haunting ghostly acid. Moody voodoo from the master. 

So there we have it: another devastatingly great dark Goa trance production by the ever-reliable Xenomorph. It is a wonder that Mark Petrick continues to make great tracks that barely glance at fashion ("fashion is something so hideous that we need to change it every six months" Oscar Wilde). He just continues in the forever-now of timeless trance. For me, this is apparent not only in the notion of "negative time", but also in the uncompromisingly uncanny Xenomorph sound - any of these tracks could have been on Xenomorph's first album. Don't you go changing now Mark, y'hear. ~*~

PS - I would be keen to hear about people's favourite Xenomorph tracks. I would include the aforementioned "Costa del Goa", "Antimatter", and "Dying Sun", but my favourite may be "Malkuth Temple" (not that I've ever heard a less than very good Xenomorph track). 

Artist: Lunar Dawn
Title: The Purge
Label: Neogoa Records
Date: July 31, 2022

Tracklist:-
1. Being Into The Trance
2. Divisive
3. Loose Me
4. Self Aligned
5. Liquefactive Neurosis
6. My Faith
7. Volatile
8. Being In A Trance
9. Out Of This Place

Well

Well

Well.

That didn't take long and I'm not surprised. Of course Neogoa came back, they had Lunar Dawn to release. It's essential and necessary and sometimes that means that you put your life aside for a moment for a higher purpose. . . Filthy Goa Trance

The musical styling of this release was a surprise. The cover gives it away but still, when I think Lunar Dawn I think tribal Eastern European melodies n rhythms'.

Well not no more, this sounds like the creation of hanging Lunar Dawn in a cage with UX over the volcanic pit of our past and our future for 3 years.

That changes a man.

As always, if you want people to keep making this music for our sweet little minds then giving them money for their work is a pretty good incentive.

https://neogoarecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-purge

Suntrip Classix Vol. 2 - Mars

2023

Battle Of The Future Buddhas – Into Heaven 8:45

MFG – Pure Energy 9:23

Denshi-Danshi – Mariposa (Live Remix) 7:56

Morphic Resonance – Psychedelic Hell 8:13

Radical Distortion – The Dreamer 7:34

Khetzal – Gather Your Herds 9:12

Nebula Meltdown – Alnitak Sunrise 7:29

Asura Vs. Aes Dana – Elie 9:58

Super compilation from Suntrip, the second in their Suntrip Classix series. I can sum up my feelings on this one by saying what a bliss it is to have Battle of the Future Buddhas on vinyl, but plenty of other great tracks too. I feel that this compilation is better than Vol 1, mainly because the tracks are all corkers, but also because it is quite carefully curated and has flow.  

Battle of the Future Buddhas "Into Heaven" - What can I say, Songs From a Forgotten Memory is a titanic release and the best album of 2021 for me, so this is just a beautiful track that sounds incredible on vinyl. Please Suntrip release the whole album on vinyl. A+++

MFG "Pure Energy" - I'm also a big fan of MFG and rate The Prophecy as one of the greatest Goa albums. Happily "Pure Energy" does not disappoint. Once it gets going after a dreamy intro that modulates between the pretty and the eerie, this track has a slapping rhythm section and bubbling synths leading to the main 303 melody that rips along with, you got it, pure energy. This is quite a blissful track very much in the Israeli tradition. A

Denshi-Danshi "Mariposa (Live Remix)" - That Denshi-Danshi's "Mariposa" is probably the weakest track on the album shows just what a quality compilation this is. A swirly track with a memorable pixie-like main melody, I have nothing critical to say about it. A 

Morphic Resonance "Psychedelic Hell" - What a storming track. Now we see that the 3 openers, excellent as they were, were just an extended bubbling build up and we reach boiling point with Morphic Resonance's heavy duty stomper. This track comes from City of Moons, still Morphic's best album in my view, and takes no prisoners - there's a relentless, pummelling, punishing heavy metal quality to this track that whilst dark in a sci-fi way bursts with energy and confidence. Great track. A+ 

Radical Distortion "The Dreamer" - The segue between "Psychedelic Hell" and "The Dreamer" is perfect, both tracks are in a similar tempo so djs can very easily mix the two together. I love the slight waver on the lead 303 melody - o'er am I getting the psychedelic shivers? A 

Khetzal "Gather Your Herds" - We come down from the peak of the Morphic Resonance and Radical Distortion tracks to the blissed out Khetzal track. This track features one of those melodies that once it gets lodged in your head won't get out - a joyous ear-worm melody that reminds me of the happily naive days of Platipus Records. Luckily this bliss is balanced by the fact that this track is quite long and unfolds in an epic, almost stately, fashion, or else it might have been a nursery rhyme. A 

Nebula Meltdown "Alnitak Sunrise" - The revelation of the compilation for me as I hadn't heard it before. What a flipping great track this is. The production values are superb and it sounds just glorious on my system on vinyl - an audiophile experience. Featuring a slapping beat and gated choirs, this is a very old school track that also reminds me of Platipus Records. A+ 

Asura vs Aes Dana "Elie" - The comedown is this beautiful track with Indian chanting and an epic quality. Classic track. A+ 

Not a single track that I don't rate at least A - impressive. Just as impressive is how carefully curated this VA album is, slowly building towards a peak and then slooowly coming down from that peak into relaxation. If you want a party at home, you can do a lot worse than just putting this compilation on. It is also noteworthy how old school this compilation is - it even has Platipus Records style vibes towards the end and it doesn't get more old school or more childishly happy than that! Good job Suntrip Records! ~*~

Nervasystem Underground Culture

Nervasystem – Underground Culture 7:54

Nervasystem – Perpendicular 7:50

Nervasystem With Virtuart & P2C – 3 Amigos 6:11

Nervasystem – Undercurrents 5:00

Nervasystem – Further 6:59

Nervasystem – ZipVelcro (BackTwoFront&InsideOut) 7:15

Nervasystem – Providence Of Fauna 6:20

Nervasystem With Process (2) – Discombobulator 7:29

Voodoo Voltage – VV777

2 x Vinyl, LP, Album, Limited Edition, Numbered

UK

Released: Jun 17, 2023

This is a difficult review to write. Why? Because I'm at a loss as to how to assess this album or what to say about it. Individual track commentary is almost redundant because the tracks are very similar to each other and none really stands out in any significant way. Nor is the aesthetic or style easily identifiable. Neither is it clearly good, nor obviously bad. I don't know how I feel about it either; I oscillate between thinking "faceless techno bollocks" and wanting to dance to some tracks. I'm not even sure whether this means that I should reassess my assessment criteria or undertake some other meta-cognitive revision. You see my quandary. 

What I can say is that the recording, mastering, and pressing is of good quality, though nothing exceptional. My copy had slightly dished vinyl and some surface noise towards the end of side 3 in "Zip Velcro", but otherwise was quiet and sounded well. The sleeve art is beautiful and is nicely printed on a very glossy gatefold sleeve. Generally this is a good quality production. 

I can also give a bit of background. Nervasystem is Mark Dressler from Brighton in England, a Goa veteran who produced some classic Goa tracks from the mid-90s onwards. I have the tracks that were pressed to vinyl and they are all really good, with the awesome track "Stardust" my personal favourite. Nervasystem also collaborated with Alexis Cousins as Nervasystem & Aether and produced 3 eps and an album on the obscure Elektrik Orgasm imprint and those are all also really good (though the mastering was somewhat on the bright side). There are a couple of defining features to these early 12" releases that are worth noting: from the start the beats were quite technoid and linear, though there could be breaky percussion, and indeed metallic percussion with great cymbal and hi-hat work was always prominent, with heavy 303 use. There was also a touch of industrial darkness in these releases, which were definitely not wave yer mitts in the air uplifting or positive. There was something grinding and hard about these tunes, tunes I grew to love. This tuff aspect has stayed constant throughout Nervasystem's by now storied career. Nervasystem's first album was only released on cd in 2002, 13 Amp Fusion, and is excellent. I don't know all the intervening albums so well, but 2013's Time Travel and 2016's Brainradio were also good. By this point Nervasystem had moved on from his earlier more Goa sound, creating even more technoish and linear tracks without much 303 use or percussive dynamism. Instead, they feature nice rhythm and subtle itchy twitchy noises and textures that are very or vaguely psychedelic. 

This latter is absolutely true of this latest album Underground Culture. This album is somewhere between trance and techno, with a linear rhythm section avoiding climaxes or build-ups and come-downs, zero galloping horse or machine gun one note bass, little by way of obvious melody, hardly any samples. This is anonymous music with little for the listener to latch onto, and that is its big strength and weakness. Anonymity. Due to this anonymous linearity the tracks do come off as sketchy, incomplete, not fully developed. I think that perhaps the most developed one is the last track "Discombobulator" with Sean Williams of Process (probably the best track on the album for me). So the album is danceable and most enjoyable, in an anonymous kind of way. I can try to sum up how I feel by saying that almost every track here seemed like it could carry on and develop further and would have been a great track if it had done so. In a word: unfinished. 

As you can no doubt tell, this has been a difficult review to write. I like this album, but it seems unfinished. It seems clear to me that Nervasystem can improve by taking more chances, being more experimental, embracing melody, and ensuring that tracks are fully developed. Maybe the next album will be a classic? ~*~ 

Triquetra

Myriad Vision 

Intro 3:01

Waking Bliss 8:56

Dystopia 9:07

Escape From The Withered Temple 8:35

Astrophobia 7:01

Shadows 9:32

Cloud Gatherer 9:51

Metal Serpent 7:37

Myriad Vision 9:52

The twins Reinartz return with their third album on Suntrip, Myriad Vision.

Darkness! 

This is apparent from the off with an ambient intro that could be an interlude on a doom/stoner metal album. Distorted guitar sounds wind in a dark ambience with spacescapes hulking in the background. From there we encounter a Triquetra we didn't know, or didn't quite know. This is quite a bit darker, less melodic, less acidic than their prior recordings, only gradually becoming Goan towards the end. One general comment: Triquetra have upped their production game and this is a good sounding record. 

Intro 

The intro with dissonant doom metal guitar echoing into the gloom announces the dark atmosphere of this album. A moody and intriguing introduction. Triquetra has left their acid Goa roots behind it seems. 

Waking Bliss

It is a strange title for a restrained and dark track that is quite hypnotic and trancy and not full of blissful melodies. I like it, but this is more minimalist than their prior work. B

Dystopia

This track announces its heavy techno intentions from the outset with sweeping minor chords, becoming more and more acidic as it goes along. Lives up to its title, this one does. B

Escape From The Withered Temple

This charmingly named track has a really nice stumping beat and bass with more tribal and didge sounds than the prior tracks. Really good sound in this track, it can indeed suck you in to a temple in the jungle at night. Excellent drones in the background and nice percussion. A all the way for this track. 

Astrophobia

What's with the names on this album? Astrophobia has heavy techno residue in its distorted bass and kick and stuttering eerie keys. One of the heavier tracks from the twins. B

Shadows 

Shadows goes more Goa with propulsive bass and trippy warbles. Fluttering flute comes in later to delightful effect. I can't help it, I think Triquetra are better at these tracks than the heavier ones, though "Shadows" is a bit repetitive. A-

Cloud Gatherer

"Anticipated, exterminated" goes the sample in this track - another dystopian vibe. The track, however, later goes more Goa with some building pads and acid melodies - it ends up a bit more energetic and uplifting than most of the prior tracks. It reminds me a bit of Sandman or Green House Effect. Nice track with a beautiful ending. A-

Metal Serpent

This track is more traditional trance - ok, but a bit predictable. B

Myriad Vision 

Probably the best track on the album for me, this is Goa all the way and has a beautiful epic lead melody that could play on all day and night. A+

Let me make it clear; for me Triquetra are one of the best things to happen in Goa trance in a long time. These guys channel the creative but atmospheric spirit of Goa like hardly anyone else today. Indeed, in terms of acid 303 frenzy, they are in a league of one. On this third album Triquetra challenges their audience with several dark and heavy tracks, before their love for Goa takes hold and the album ends on a classic Goa note. I personally think that Triquetra are better at the Goa stuff, but perhaps that is just me? For me, this album is a bit of a mixed bag. I salute the experiment, but I'm not sure it is fully successful. There is a clutch of good tracks here nevertheless: "Escape from the Withered Temple", "Shadows", "Cloud Gatherer", and "Myriad Vision" are all worth a listen or twelve.

On a whim I put on Triquetra's first album Ecstatic Planet and was struck by the relative freshness of the more melodic and inspired tunes on this first album; I definitely preferred it, even if the production was not as slick. There's not a single track on this latest third album that compares with the epic "Gargantuan Tribes" from the first album to my ears. This does not mean that this third album is not good; it is just that here Triquetra embrace darkness. 

There's more - Triquetra have also released a vinyl 12" called Access Denied which I will review separately. ~*~

Triquetra "Access Denied" 12" ep

Suntrip Records

2023

Access Denied  12:32

Heliophobia  8:11

Out Of Reach (Alternate Mix)  6:55

The Reinartz twins return with a vinyl ep on Suntrip Records, a kind of accompaniment to their Myriad Vision album on the same label. I didn't find that album all good: I just don't think the Reinartz brothers are as good at the dark minimalist style as they are at old school acid Goa. Luckily this ep is in the latter style, so how did I find it?

Access Denied

The title track is excellent. Quite a long, epic track in truly old school acid Goa style; indeed, this reminds me of pre-1996 Goa in that the rhythms are quite straightforward and there isn't massive layering. The track uses the notion of access as the gateway to a new rhythm. The first half starts off with an "access granted" in the usual vocoded computer voice before the bass kicks in. The same conceit opens the doorway to the faster second half of the track, which goes in a more acidic and intense direction. So a clearly structured and signposted track that is fun and bouncy, reminding me of an old video game. The word I would use to describe this track is "kinetic". A-

Heliphobia 

This is more straightforwardly psychedelic, building to a single melodic climax and then falling off from that. Starting off with a stomping beat and itchy noises, it evolves quickly via a stuttering bassline - wonderful bass, so different to the done to death single note bass characteristic of psytrance today, and for the last twenty plus years. Then gyrating synths create a swirling vortex and we are sucked in. This is a faster, darker, more psychedelic track than "Access Denied". B+

Out Of Reach (Alternate Mix) 

"Out of Reach" is a track from the second "Live" cd of the second Triquetra album Human Control. On Human Control the track is 13.44 minutes long and features angelic choirs and gently bubbling 303 - an epic outing indeed, suggesting precisely something very very far away and hence out of reach. The "Alternate Mix" offered here is much shorter, with wobbling bass and epic synths that interlace with gentle bubbles before the acid 303 melody kicks in. A frenetic and profoundly pleasing melody that lifts the track and couldn't have been done better in 1995. That is basically the highest praise that can be given. A 

So for me this is a more successful ep than the album. There were tracks on the album that just didn't suit the Reinartz style to my ears, but that is not the case here as we have only old school acid Goa tracks at which the twins are demonstrably good. 

A note on the mastering by Tim Schuldt: Super! Velvety sound is the result. 

Recommended. ~*~ 

S.U.N. Project "Crazy Stories" 12" ep vinyl 

Suntrip Records 2022 

Crazy Stories (1996 Mix) 8:41

Space Dwarfs (1997 Mix) 8:49

Casio-Paya (1998 Mix) 8:14

Out Of My Brain (Acid Remix) 6:39

"Crazy Stories" was the first ep from German outfit S.U.N. Project, coming out on Spirit Zone in 1996. This first ep also featured the tracks "The Suburbs" and "Pink Bubbles", alongside the eponymous title track. In those days, up to and including their first album "Drosophila" which also came out on Spirit Zone the year later - 1997, S.U.N. Project were a Goa outfit. After this, they tended more towards psytrance and became well known for the relatively unusual use of guitars, often with a heavy metal flavour. "Crazy Stories" and "Drosophila" are both Goa classics and highly collectable. The problem with the "Crazy Stories" ep is that it was not very well recorded and/or mastered - heavy, booming bass and a lack of focus and clarity characterise the sound on this 12". 

In 2022 Suntrip Records re-release "Crazy Stories" on vinyl, remastered by the ubiquitous Tim Schuldt with different early S.U.N. Project tracks. According to Suntrip: "in 2021 Matthias discovered never before released versions of many of his tracks on old DAT tapes. This resulted in a digital only release on Classic Goa Trax. Because many people kept asking for a physical release of the best ones, we made this very old school looking and sounding vinyl! We took the 3 best ones and added 1 never before published track on top: the acid 303 version of Out of My Brain! Enjoy". Let us see how this ep performs. 

"Crazy Stories"

An all out stone-cold classic in my opinion. From the epic washes of synth at the opening to the churning deep bassline and propulsive bass 303 to the ripping leads, this is hypnotic stuff. More importantly, this track really understands storytelling - a winding journey in set stanzas that builds to a storming climax. The sounds are quite simple, but they are sewn into a series of plateaus that really understand restraint and how that can lead to drama. A very, very well orchestrated track. Happily I can report that the remastering is great - the deep bass is retained but it is more defined and less of a mush than before. For me this is the best track on the ep and certainly one of the best tracks that S.U.N. Project did. A+

Space Dwarfs

A more straightforward acidic track, which is nevertheless quite gonzo. It has a big and simple lead melody that goes into full acid frenzy after the 7 minute mark with shredding 303 that sounds remarkably guitarish. I didn't love this track at first listening but it has really grown on me and now I rate it. A-

Casio-Paya

This starts off with a stumping techno vibe that reminds me of X-Dream, even using some classic scratching X-Dream type sounds. Very nice tribal percussion comes to the fore after the 3.50 point and then we go into the heavy, ripping, shredding guitar-like leads that characterise this outfit. Good track. B

Out Of My Brain

Another acid stormer of a track, this time with guitars as well as 303. Intense! It could drive a dancefloor to frenzy, especially with the wailing guitar solo after 5 minutes. A love of metal is obvious in this track. Guitars don't always work in trance, but they do in this track, which is excellent all round. A

S.U.N. Project were never going to win points with subtlety and intricacy. Rather like Green Nuns of the Revolution this is full on, in your face, intense Goa trance, with the emphasis upon INTENSE! For me this is a must-have ep because of its rarity, containing remixes not found elsewhere. Most importantly, the best track "Crazy Stories" appears here with better sound than the original. Indeed, the sound throughout is super and does not betray its age. 

"Drosophila" never came out on vinyl. Unsubtle hint to Suntrip records: please release it on vinyl!  ~*~

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

Artist: Various
Title: Hoddmine
Label: Kali Earth Records
Release: April 1, 2023

Tracklist:

1 - ShivaOm - Mine

2 - Yamarāja - Different Planet

3 - Sab Kuch Milegator: Data Scream

~

I like the idea of a mini VA and I like a label like Kali Earth Records putting them together. I have to admit I’ve seen the Hoddmine/Hoddmime/Hodder? series be promoted over the course of months and am still clueless as to which release is which, which album cover (or album cover landing page) is for which release and what the deal is in general.

Are the album covers complete? Is there a cover to come? I have a distant memory of a similar cover being a place holder for previous releases yet to receive the cover art treatment. 

Let’s pretend it’s neither here nor there, let’s look at the music.

3 releases starting with ShivaOm who I’ve heard on plenty of recent Goa focused compilations. Normally using big Blasting kickdrums and some solid acid melodic work.

This track is a lot smoother but just as full as other works that i’ve heard from him. Going for a forestry rhythm instead of melody attack with plenty of psychedelia sprinkled over the top. A dark-psy intensity and background sweeps underline the track giving it that haunting atmosphere. The lower mid tones and melody separate it from the other tracks in that it hits the most frequencies which I personally find absolutely delightful. The final 'melody' is sublime and sweeps through my brain causing more delight.

Next we have a name that’s new to me. Yamaraja with Different Planet. A more dark psy kick and bassline that is still presented with a softness rather than a sharpness. It’s fast but has a warm signature and a good sense of space throughout the track. The Kickdrum goes deep and causes plenty of eye shaking wobbles, the low end is the star of the show for me as I just bask in the solid power of it all.

A deep night track with some sparkles up top and distant eerie wails. It does what night psy does by pumping along without any serious breakdowns or builds but presents itself hypnotically. 

The final track was full on anticipation for me. Sab Kuch Milegator is simply one of the most unique musicians out there, every track of his has the potential to surprise and wow you, sometimes that comes 9 minutes into a 12 minute track and sometimes it’s the entire journey. 

Data Scream has a brighter coldness to it, with a lot of focus in the upper treble of the track but never reaching into sibilance territory. But that's data for you, a cold binary truth that occasionally screams at us in pain. The track is true to it's title and you gotta respect that. SKM has a knack for building tracks around a series of sounds and he smashes this one out of the park.

The excitement comes in at 6 & ½ minute mark as the psychedelia is picked up a notch and the soundstage begins to open up even more. As the background noises get louder and come closer to the front of the stage the groove increases tenfold. I wish that part lasted longer as it’s the most arm waving danceable part of the track. But we don’t get to decide what artists do and overall the track has a nice build to it but I think could have focused on that build a bit better.

~

Three decent tracks with my favorite coming from ShivaOm as it feels like a strong mix of the two tracks that comes after it.

Worth a listen and then deciding for yourselves if it is worth a purchase. I always like to support KER and their unique releases. I would suggest creating some more distinct differentiation between the series or throwing a (Vol 1) / (Vol 2).

KER releases have felt a little more erratic lately, sometimes dumping several similar albums on us at the same time as several similar looking upcoming releases which makes it harder to sort through and organise.

But Tsotsi is here for us so don't worry.

Here to organise

https://kaliearth.bandcamp.com/album/hoddmine

Various – Classic Goa Trax

Suntrip Records – SUNCD74

Previously Unreleased 90's Goa Trance CD1

1-01 Color Box–Conky Knoll 8:24

1-02 Bypass Unit–Grumpy Ra 5:56

1-03 Nada–Travel In Space 8:09

1-04 Mystica–Thai Express 7:21

1-05 Virtuart–Nacht Und BoulesQuies 8:07

1-06 The Infonaut–Attractors 7:17

1-07 GAD–Out Of Square 9:47

1-08 Syrinx–The Relief 7:39

Bonus Track:

1-09 SUN Project*–Space Dwarfs (1997 Mix) 8:48

Previously Unreleased 90's Goa Trance CD2

2-01 Syrinx–Mindless Fun 7:52

2-02 Twisted Travellers–The Tesla Chant 7:47

2-03 Xploring Inner Space*–In-Flux 7:49

2-04 Andromeda (51)–Lifeform 7:21

2-05 SUN Project*–The Awakening (1996 Mix) 7:41

2-06 Goefly–Mindworms 5:59

2-07 Osmos–Planisphere 7:46

2-08 Atomas 303*–Cartesian Space (Sagittarius Remix) 6:30

2-09 Underhead–Nameless Booster 9:40

2-10 Dreamweaver–Cosmic Resonance (Tribute To Astral Projection) 5:58

All right trainspotters, here is one to test you: how many of these tracks do you know? 

Are you feeling like Amelie, finding buried treasure:

"Only the discoverer of Tutankhamen's tomb would know how she felt upon discovering this treasure" (Jean-Pierre Jeunet Amelie)

All credit to Suntrip for putting out this compilation of unreleased lesser known Goa tracks; a pleasant antidote to the greatest hits that have cropped up already on many compilations. A worthy exercise! 

For me the great tracks are Color Box, Mystica, Sun Project, Twisted Travellers, XIS, Underhead, Atomas 303. These tracks are all genuine discoveries and worthy additions to the canon of Goa trance. 

What a genuine delight and surprise to receive golden age music some 20 years later, with not a single familiar track. This is like finding the love poetry of obscure teens decades later: a unique historical window into the power of the trance dance ritual. ~*~ 

Here is a few well made reviews that should give the general idea on how an informative review could look!

https://www.psynews.org/forums/index.php?/topic/54539-solar-fields-movements/
https://www.psynews.org/forums/index.php?/topic/56930-fragletrollet-playground-of-spirit-shaman-film-records-media
https://www.psynews.org/forums/index.php?/topic/54395-crop-circles-tetrahedron
https://www.psynews.org/forums/topic/73083-martian-arts-giant-locusts-tip-records/

7. Personal grudges against artists or reviewers are not welcomed and will be deleted and might lead to moderation so try to use your brain before posting. If you have anything to say to the artist or another reviewer you can always PM (Private Message) or e-mail them.

8. When you open a thread please include Cover Art, Tracklist(preferably with track lengths), release date, label etc. relevant information regarding the album you are reviewing. Also it might be a good idea to include links to shops that are selling the release.

Moon Beasts – Unexpected Turn Of Events

2022

Alexandre Cohen & Jerome Lesterps

Real Externality

La Petite Porte

Escaping The Plague

Walking A Tightrope Towards The Unknown

A silvery ray of darker Goa from Moon Beasts (I'm not too convinced by this name), which features Jerome Lesterps of Proxeeus.  The mastering and pressing are solid on this white vinyl issue and the sound is generally excellent (unsurprising since the mastering is from Tim Schuldt). I'm tempted to pronounce some pretentious nonsense about this ep being appropriate to our darker times, but I will avoid that (largely).

Real Externality

There's Goa psychedelia on offer in the storming track "Real Externality", which has enough sawtooth and 303 madness to get any dancefloor moving to its screeching hectic intensity. Good track. Make that a very good track. I appreciated the vocal sample from Lovecraft, which really set the mood.  

La Petite Porte 

"La Petite Porte" has a stomping techno beat and some spooky synth lines; there's a bit of haunted forest flavour in this track, which again features some 303 madness towards the end. A darker track, though it is a bit spoilt by the knees-up faster beat at the very end - it seems that the musicians did not know how to progress or end this track. Basically, I thought it a good track that should carry on for another few minutes and found it ended prematurely.

Escaping The Plague 

The darker vibes continue on "Escaping the Plague", which may be a reference to coronavirus? This track features wailing siren synth work which works well, but again I feel that this track could have been developed further and gone on for longer. Nevertheless, I enjoy the crossover with darkpsy and darkwave/ebm in this track, which does succeed in conjuring an apocalyptic ambience and feeling.

Walking A Tightrope Towards The Unknown

The last track "Walking a Tightrope Towards the Unknown" is downtempo and has a head-nodding beat that is infectious. There's a "Bladerunner" style moody Moog ripping sound that gives a dystopian quality to this track, but yet again it seems still-born and ends too quickly. Super track nevertheless, probably my favourite on the ep. 

My take away: one dancefloor stormer and three good tracks that seem unfinished to me. What this suggests is that I was really enjoying the tracks and didn't want them to end! A promising ep and it would be great to see more by these guys, especially if pressed to vinyl, not to mention Proxeeus on vinyl - I would love to see Proxeeus on vinyl! ~*~

Artist: Suduaya
TitleL SoulQuest
Label: Self Release
Date: June 17, 2022

Tracklist:-

1. SoulQuest Opening
2. Mulhadhara
3. Svaddhistana
4. Manipura
5. Anahata
6. SoulQuest Interlude
7. Vishuddha
8. Ajna
9. Sahasrara
10. SoulQuest Closing

You gotta love Crowdfunding. It gives us the opportunity to purchase things without any idea of how it’s going to turn out. All based off a singular pitch. Shark tank for the proletariat. And no you don’t get to share in the profits of the product. But you get to share in using the product to drive profits, like the good little workers that we are.

Recently while surfing the campaigns for the next pair of dress shoes that feel like sneakers or another pair of the best sounding true wireless earbuds ever I came across a diamond. A sure thing. Ol faithful Suduaya securing funding for his next project before it is released. What an idea. I’ve seen it before with other artists and it’s a great idea. When someone like Louis-David Roquefere does it, it gets even more exciting.

So what’re ya going do but back a sure thing. I had more confidence in this than the time I put my life savings in the crypto market in April 2022. A SURE THING

Sometimes the only thing safer than the most volatile market ever known to humans is trusting an artist that has never let you down before.

In this album you find beautiful introductions. Multi-instrumentalism, jazzy instruments, bassy moments, emotional story lines, cloudy atmospheres, uplifting melodies, tracks that twist and shift direction before you see it coming, rumbling sub-bass, soft delicate melodic tones that feel like they could snap if they were just touched the wrong way, songs overflowing with love and positivity, downtempo hypnotic trance mixed in with hand beaten drums, vocals, flute clicking, you’ll find joy, harmonies of electronic and natural layers Do i need to go on?

I’ll go on

There are myriads of elements creating symphonic adult only bed-time tales that fine, would also be alright for small children but only small children with a good taste in music, other children can get fwarked. there are gentle moments of  eastern string plucking and dense layers of synths sifting over the airwaves like a thick. There is a goddamned interlude, Clapping, clicking, tapping, 

OH MY GOD I’M SO FUCKING RELAXED BY THIS MUSIC! 

How are you not supposed to be put into a state of bliss by it, how are you supposed to not find yourself surrounded by a calm sense of understanding towards the pains of the universe. Are you a demon? Are you a demon from hell? Is that what you are? Well I’m not because I paid for the extra tier on indiegogo that said “Not a demon from hell” it’s cheap and easy not be a demon and damn it feels good.

Audio mastering has been done by Aes Dana which simply means high quality resolution and depth given to each track. I've listened to this on cheap plastic true wireless headphones and a high iem. It works either way but the higher the end the higher the pay off.

I don't know how many chakras I have. But each one is vibrating to a higher plane as tracks like Manipura rumble away. The perfect track for flying through clouds or crossing the Bifröst.

It feels good to listen to this album from start to finish, it feels good to skip around randomly, it feels good to force your friends who like heavy metal to listen to Sahasrara as you lecture them on the Baghavad Ghita like they’ve committed a hate crime. It feels good to fall asleep to Ajna as you’re driving on a busy highway. And it would feel good to fall asleep to Soulquest Closing if it didn’t mean that album had ended and there were no more beautifully dreamy tunes to soak every single one of your clavicles in. That actually, that feels bad.

But it's 17 minutes long and I love a long goodbye.

Hey whats this button do?

Repeat album continuously?

IT FEELS GOOD TO LISTEN TO SOMETHING SO GOOD.

Life, aint so bad.

https://suduaya.bandcamp.com/album/soulquest-album-2022

Artist: Centavra Project
Title: Antigravity
Label:  Globel Sect
Date: July 1, 2022

Tracklist:
1. Antigravity
2. Strange Objects Part 2
3. Dark Abyss
4. Alien Presence
5. Pulsar
6. Back In Space
7. Long Way
8. Starry Sky of Sakhalin
9. Interstellar

I love Russians.

Is that ok to say?

Let me be more specific, I love Russian people.... mmmm, I love Russian men? There we go, getting closer, I love Russian men who make trance

Not specific enough?

I love Russian men who make Goa Trance. There. We got there.

It’s Goa Trance baby and Centavra Project and Global Sect are here to deliver it to us.

Centavra is the man of the hour. It’s Dmitry Gutsu, a Russian gentleman who has been creating Beautiful tunes since at least 2007. And he didn’t just wake up one day and say I’m gonna start making Goa Trance. No no no, he must have listened to it for years before that and been in love with it for just as long.

Before this release it was kind of up in the air what the future of this label would be as it was going through all of the bullshit of the war situation that humans are and have always been responsible for. Just people, making bad decisions. It’ll never end. And thankfully Global Sect decided that their mission for this music shouldn't end either. So they found a way to release more if it.

Well done space-fuckers and let me just say that is was a good choice to put precedence on Goa Trance rather than the never ending turmoil of our species. Because let’s be honest. Goa is the best thing this bunch of self-assured incompetent primates have ever created

A style that’s hard to beat, a style that draws you deeper into it’s soundscapes as you search for every bit of the track, and as it sucks you in you start to lose yourself as your enthralled by the gases of the nebulae of this style

Music of the past few years has become louder, more bombastic and has a certain edge to it that has felt like it has tried to assert itself into the universe. I’ve enjoyed every second of it. But it’s been a while since we got to delve deep into the deepness of the lulling attractiveness of deep cosmic Goa Trance.

Oooooh I’ve missed this kind of music.

The album is deep in every sense of the word and devoid of a single negative emotion. No aggression, no pain, no judgement, no message other than the glory of the cosmos and every wonder of this universe that we get to experience for a painstakingly short period of time.

Sure we could figure it all out as species and find a way to prolong our existence, but not this current iteration of us. This iteration is fucked and has absolutely nothing figured out.

But don’t fear, because there are people like Dmitry out there, people who kind of have figured things out. People who understand what’s important in this world. This music right here, the right to enjoy our lives. Which is exactly what he was doing during Alien Presence until the dreaded key change fucked me up (You people and your key changes).

But even that didn’t stop me from basking in the glory of this track…..Well until the next key change that hit even harder. (What the fuck is going in with that)? At first it was 2 too many, but as I've listened to this track over the months it has become one of my favourite tracks.

I mean it’s unbelievable.

The relentless golden shocks and groove and rhythm that pound down on you making the thought of doing anything other than moving your self around is amazing. The second half is psychedelically psychotic and considerably astronautic.

And the more I listen, the less I care about the abrupt shift in direction brought on by key changes and the more I find myself wrapped up in it. It's close to a favourite. 

Oh yea, we in the review now.

The track before it Dark Abyss gave us an equivalent explosion of gentle hydrogen gases of the universe and it did it with less but less is more, so he really did it with more. More boldness and danger, some extroversion, and a little bit of confidence. What a well rounded character to find in a song.

And the opening track, yes, lets go to the opening track: Antigravity

We float we soar, we fly and we charge into the stars and the nebulas and the moons and the weird planets along with unidentified life of every sort. It has that patient Global Sect deepness to it that doesn't come out roaring or flip a switch into a nightmare of explosions. It is soft, thoughtful, gentle and smooth. It's a precursor to the rest of the album (Spoilers alert) with it's satisfying build of euphoria, sparkling final break and illustrious sounds.

Speaking of unidentified objects, lets talk about the second track Strange Objects Part 2.............. If you insist

Centavra Project ends each segment of the track with it leading into a distant explosion which births something new and more intense than the last. Each melody is euphoric, each act is gripping, impossible to look away from and each moment is full of the beautiful sparkling bubbles of space. The drive is harder and more pounding than the opening track with a bit more intensity brought into the mids with layering and all of the symbol clashes up above. Still each sound is smooth and silky and easy to fall back into.

We've been through track 3 and 4 (Alien Presence & Dark Abyss) so let's just move along to Pulsar.

Pulsar was one of the early release tracks. I tried not to listen to it to much leading up to the full release, but naturally, just like the human desire to create boring problems, I couldn’t help myself.

None of those listens changed a thing, this was a cool track then and it a cool track now. He has created a whole bunch of sounds and used them strategically to spearhead themselves into drops and melodies and new acts of progression in the storyline.

This song is built exactly like some of the best tracks of this genre in the way that it already had everything it needed to be a great track, but then goes ahead an adds another layer of power over it all along with a stellar final act to drive it home. Honestly when I hear a track like this I wish for more of them, but let's be real, a full album of this would be overwhelming and take away from the greatness of this track. If every track was über-charged then no tracks would be über-charged right?

It's a favourite from the album and quite possibly the year of 2023.

I’m still lost in the fog of the last track by the time im a few minutes into Back in Space which is opportune as the artist is probably aware of the effect of his power, so good thing Back To Space gently propels us forward back into the cosmos. The last track was just a stop over and it’s time to continue.

It hits us with perfectly pitched sounds and tuned layers giving us time to dream and float. All before he hits the button for hyperdrive which is purple button for some reason and speeds us into the karmic thunder storm of the universe eating it’s self.

I guess we really are children of the universe huh?

Long Way is the same starry skied, cosmi-fied banger wearing different garb. A silky smooth, Opal encrusted, violet garb. With a little extra sparkle and lustre than the other tracks but the same smoothly textured melodies I can't help but sit back, close my eyes and feel like everything is just right. 

After his little trick at the end of track 3 (Dark Abyss) i was hesitant to believe he was really going to build that last break of Long Way into another act. But the crazy cosmonaut does it making it the coolest moment of the album. One of the great things about this music is feels like artists aim is give you pleasure and enjoyment and when they do something like that, it feels extra nice because it’s like they are saying ~ “No, I am not done giving you pleasure and enjoyment just yet! I’m going to give you more pleasure, pleasure with my mind and my hands."

And I like that goddamned it.

Just like in Pulsar the track could have ended at the 5 & a half minute point, but he gives you a build that sits just under a minute (Time well spent imo) and a final act of glorious melody.

The Starry Sky of Sakhalin comes in to catch us from all of that. It has some cool beat change ups and a sparkly soundscapes, the final melody opens up it’s trench coat to reveal galaxies of gaseous testicles full of all of the beauty of the universe. *Nice vocals too.

The final track Interstellar is a downtempo contemplative track. A track that's good for long walk while you think. About, all of the stuff and the things, the movement and the direction of this world, the force and the motion of this existence, And what the fuck is up with Crypto Currency?

Very dreamy and very nice, reminds me a lot of that Katedra style that is downtempo yet full of energy and movement. 

Every track really is written so well. Each break spirals into this kind of sweet oblivion and then drops into a new act that gives each track new life.

Centavra’s Music is weird. It’s loud and very forward yet incredibly deep and hidden.

*Moving on

He also does this thing that i’ve really only consistently noticed in Arronax’s music where it feels like he is drawing back a cosmic arrow on a cosmic bow made out opals from the planet zenon b 352, Which is weird, because their opals are buried six hundred and thirty five thousand and 2 kilometres under the molten surface. How did he get them? Did he force the local population of tribal Marglarks to dedicate their existence to building the infrastructure over generations in order to dig further and further into Zenon b 352 all so he could get some opals? Did he create generations of mythos and worship around the importance of these opals leading the simple Marglarks to focus on their digging above their own families and tribal conflicts?

Did he enslave Marglarks? What did you do Dmitry!

Forget the poor Marglarks for a moment will you? Back to the bow, he draws and charges before letting it go and having it come right at you with this intensity and speed.

It’s cool ...... and cosmic

But Dmitry differs from Arronax in that the incoming attack is less of an attack and more of a happy pill that makes everything feel as if it's in the place it's meant to be. For a moment the world feels whole.

Each track has at least 1 incredibly euphoric and fantastic moment which is all i really ask for. But most tracks are either full of fantastic euphoric moments or just one big fantastic moment all the way through.

What Dmitry and the team over at Global Sect are doing is miraculous. 

I give it 5 out of 5 Super Hadron Colliders

https://globalsect.bandcamp.com/album/centavra-project-antigravity

Artist: Filteria
Title: Live With The Lag
Label: Suntrip Records
Release: 29th April 2022

Things change, the world changes, we change but one thing we can be sure of is Filteria's powerful, crazy and beautiful symphonies. If someone had of asked you about the expected changes of the world 5 years ago another solid Filteria Release might have actually been the only thing you got right. Is that because Goa trance is the truth? HUH? Is it?

Yea, that is why.

This album is easily my favourite of his albums. And to be perfectly honest the only one I've really found myself getting fully immersed within. Much softer undertones and more uplifting floating moments than seen in previous albums but on the same trajectory. From Sky input, to Heliopolis to Daze and Lost in the Wild, this has very much been the direction Filteria is heading. Is this the Apex? Who knows, there is more time and trance seems to live in this sweet man.

The stock markets have crashed, the housing markets have crashed, the crypto markets have crashed - But Filteria keeps us soaring to the Moon and beyond!

Anyway, this is surprisingly the most concise review i've done yet. Enjoy

https://suntriprecords.bandcamp.com/album/live-with-the-lag

Artist: Ohm Mind & Adam Shiva
Title: Donut Space Walk EP
Label: Self Release
Release Date: Feb 16, 2022

Tracklist:-

1. Onion Rings of Saturn
2. Supreme Black Hole With Cheese
3. Donut Space Walk In The Pizza Nebula
4. Lost Shaman Toast

Well Look who it is. 

Ohm Mind back with another friend.

This guy must be cooler than Virtuart and all of his friends.

What’s next? Ohm Mind and resident Cool-Dude Open Source?

A man can dream,

Well today he has found his way into a studio with Adam Shiva, the shit-hot new guy on the block.

Two charismatic gents

I maintain that Ergot Pulsing is one of the greatest newschool tracks out there and The Nature of Life EP was hot shit.

So these two little freaks together can only be a good thing and if the cover art is anything to go by, you can tell they’re here for a good time. 

Track 1: One of the best things about an Ohm Mind & friend track is that you know they’re having a great time behind the sounds. Onion Rings of Saturn makes that blatantly clear and boy was I right about this combo being a good thing.

These two have such an array of sounds at their disposal and use such a beautiful amalgamation of them together.

The closest I ever got to losing my marriage was Tandem Bike Riding in Sweden in front of her family for our first holiday... That's not the look.

Well these two would have my father in law go out to get adorned into the protestant church just to give away his blessing. That mid-break charge-up-drop into chaos was enough to make me think that to maintain that kind of energy would involve a couple of spells and some adrenochrome.

The following act of explosions shows you exactly how and has the balls to slowly build into another giant mess of anti-matter and chaos. Before shutting it down… We’ve had our fun.

Supreme Black Hole With Cheese is full of the open soundscapes of space. I’ve never gotten a solid idea of what ‘Cheese’ is in tracks. That being said, and maybe it’s just a name, but this track melts and drips it's tribal cosmicism all over your coveralls and into your crevices.

The vocals were bad-ass and unexpected as they launch a rocket full of Gruyère right into hyper-drive.  Completely fun and completely twisted.

Track 3: Ah yea, the rock and roll track. The big promo, They hold the guitar for the entire first act bringing it in and out when other big bits of acid come to the front of the stage.

I always think that if your gonna have a big guitar in a track you gotta really riff and treat it the same way you treat all of your other sounds. The boys don’t do that and hey, maybe they just didn’t want to. Instead they use it smash other sounds against it to create big symphonies of chaos that draw you in for a lil’ hypnosis.

It sounded for a second like they were gonna start twisted the guitar at the break into the final act and then they finally go ahead and get a lil extra crazy for the last couple of bars.

I don’t wanna sound hungup on the guitar, the song was gangsta poppin and a straight rock sesh

Lost Shaman Toast gives me visions of Goa Nyan Cat flying around all the fun parts of space meeting aliens.

It holds the wacky energy right from the beginning of the track and feels like a true and complete mix of these two skills. The space phaser melody turns a trick and floats right into a green jungle melody Which leads into bringing all of the jungle to space. Leaves, Anacondas and Nitrogen everywhere. Straight gas.

Another successful release from both of these guys. The music is rockin' and it's even nicer to know people are out there collab-ing and having a good time. I know social media ain't showing us all of the lowlites, but it's felt like Jérémy has danced through it all it all and thank fuck someones doing that.

I love listening to these guys try new stuff and add new repertoires into their styles.

Musically I really appreciate this release, it ain't always easy to find the right Goa for hot days in the sun, generally I like that dark vibe for this music. But every now and then someone comes along and drops some wild energy like this. Window down, arm out tha window, glasses on, chewing tobacco, Donut Space Walk on the record and 3km's over the speed limit. This is living.

https://ohm-mind.bandcamp.com/album/donut-space-walk-ep

Here is a few well made reviews that should give the general idea on how an informative review could look!

https://www.psynews.org/forums/index.php?/topic/54539-solar-fields-movements/
https://www.psynews.org/forums/index.php?/topic/56930-fragletrollet-playground-of-spirit-shaman-film-records-media
https://www.psynews.org/forums/index.php?/topic/54395-crop-circles-tetrahedron
https://www.psynews.org/forums/topic/73083-martian-arts-giant-locusts-tip-records/

7. Personal grudges against artists or reviewers are not welcomed and will be deleted and might lead to moderation so try to use your brain before posting. If you have anything to say to the artist or another reviewer you can always PM (Private Message) or e-mail them.

8. When you open a thread please include Cover Art, Tracklist(preferably with track lengths), release date, label etc. relevant information regarding the album you are reviewing. Also it might be a good idea to include links to shops that are selling the release.

(UPDATED 2021) 9. For color or size codes please do not over-do with them and remember this forum has 2 skins so the color white won't show up on another very well and color black won't on the other. Also remember to clean up font formatting that may be carried over when copying your review from one site to another. For Image usage, it is allowed to post images or gifs in reviews but for images try to keep them relatively small in size so it won't make the review look cluttered and cause problems for readers.