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Compilator : Mr. Vasta Title : The Rising of Kukulkan Format : Compilation Genre : Goa Trance Label : Timewarp Records Release date : 03/26/2021 This is me when I first stumbled upon this compil while browing the Timewarp bandamp : "Hmmmmm... Let's check that new compil with an awesome cover. So it reads : The Rising of Kuklu.... What ???" Then I realised it actually reads Kukulkan and I pretty much felt like this : So apparently, Kukulkan is just another name for the Feathered Serpent. Nothing to do with... sensitive issues. So, no, Timewarp Goa has nothing to do Nazis. Unless... it's part of the plan. A kind of subliminal message to influence our brain and prepare our weak minds for the next race war. After all, Timewarp is a South American based label. And do you know where Nazis escaped after losing WW2 ? Bingo ! South America. Coincidence ? Well, in order to check this out, I had to review this album. And this is what I found. Cactus Arising - Quick Draws is the first track of it all. It's a Greek project that has been active for quite a few years now. The track is pretty average. Not so bad, not so good. Big full-on bassline, bubbling acid, the usual melodies. You can do better than this. You can... rise ? Lectro Spektral Daze - More than 3 Dimensions Guys ! LSD is back. And he's in good shape ! Expect what you can expect from LSD : bouncing bassline, kaleidoscopic meldodies, progressive elegance with a bit of funk into it. Very good moment at 02:57, giving the impression of massive volumes shifting in space and folding into new kinds of dimensions, fitting with the track's title. I also like the subtle melody at 04:57 : it's light and powerful at the same time. Now, this is a track that he can be proud of, faithful to the Goa spirit yet creative and sounding like it's 2021. This is most nice. JIS - The Point of No Return I have a special love for JIS considering that Illusions of Reality is one of my favourite album ever. And this track is pretty much what you can expect from it : it's good, it's mellow, it's progressive. I also think that, as it's the case for most of his tracks, JIS relies too much on the classical Goa sound (you know, the kind of eastern feeling), because he's really better at exploring Fantasy sounds, crystalline melodies with a more 'western impression', just as in Blessed Unconsciousness for instance. It's a bit of a shame that he gives into the more classical approach when he really has a potential to explore new territories for which we are craving. Now, don't get me wrong, the track is good. But it's only good. JIS should attempt at making out-of-this-world tunes, he has it in himself. Unleash the Kraken bro. Make us wonder and dream. Please realize that you have a huge talent and that you can achieve masterpieces. Somnesia - Pyramidal Dimension Ah, Somnesia. The guy and I lived in the same tiny city for years but he never agreed to meet me, even though he played in the bar that's just under my grandma's flat. Hey Somnesia, are you afraid of meeting your fanbase's warm embrace ? Somnesia eluding his fanbase : As for the track itself, it's pretty good, but a little bland. As other reviewers have already pointed out, Somnesia's track suffer from a certain lack in power and creativity. The guys needs to add more muscle to his game. However, the melody at 08:11 is really sweet and interesting. It's the best part of the song. Proxeeus - Kukulkan Wow, the other tracks sound bland compared to this one. Really the hilight of this compil. Stomping bassline, multiple acid layers, euphoric hypnotic melodies, internal diversity, and a vague feeling of ominous-ness that's typical of Proxeeus' style. Again, this is what Goa Trance in 2021 should sound like. I think it's safe to say that Proxeeus is now one of the rising of the 3rd Goa generation alongside with Atlantis and Median Project. Clementz - Overcoming Fear This track is OK, but it's too formulaic, too predictable. Median Project - Behind Closed Doors As expected, a solid track with a lot of energy and melodies. There's this echoing sound at 01:44 that repeats itself a few times and that I like very much. However, Median Projects' songs tend to resemble one another too much IMHO, and I don't hear in them the kind of perfection you get when listening to Artifact303 (the project that's closest when it comes to the style). It's still a young project, so I believe that they have not yet reached full maturity, but when they will, it's gonna be something. Anyway, it's already way above average, so keep it up. Neogenia - Memory Modulator (Modulated mix) The track is built around a big bassline and the rest is pretty much filling up. However, there's a cool distorted melody at 04:38. Spectrum - Panic in El Marrow It's my first time listening to Spectrum. This song is Goa trance with Night Full-On influences. It is creative, the atmosphere is twisted and uncanny. But something feels amiss, because even though it's not too formulaic, it somehow feels bland. It's not a bad track, but there is room for progress. Ion Vader - S19 This is a guy who used to make some very funny and enjoyable Nitzhogoa songs. This time it's like a blend of Goa, Forest and Full-On. The intro is efficient. The bassline is not very original, but it's well made and reminds of Dohm. I really like the dark climax at 07:09. It's not a masterpiece, but it's quite enjoyable. The Rising of Kukulkan is a nice compilation that gathers some of the most interesting projects. These guys know how to make Goa, but they often stick to pre-defined Full-On and Goa formulas that prevents them from releasing the full potential of their imagination. However, the compil also displays how it's possible to renew the genre with tracks such as #2 (LSD) and #5 (Proxeeus). Median Project and JIS are creative but still a bit inclosed within the ordinary sound and shall aim at getting even more distinct, pushing their already unique style further away from what's already existing, and become more cosmic and dreamy. I feel like the others are behind. They all have good ideas, but the creative parts in the track only last for a few moments, while the rest of the sound is too predictable. They all make good Goa trance, they know how to do it. Now, you can be better than good and shoot for the stars. Also, this artwork is amazing. It looks fresh and adventurous. We need more of these. Keep it up. Bandcamp link : https://timewarprecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-rising-of-kukulkan-by-mr-vatsa-timewarp156-timewarp

1. Luminescence 05:28 2. Walking on a wire 08:36 3. B Movie 06:34 4. Into the mist 07:20 5. The moon rises 09:40 6. Shaped caterpillar 07:58 7. We have arrived 07:16 8. The moorish trail 08:16 9. Flashback 09:39 Ankrosado is André Rosado from Portugal, he was known to me after I listened to this compilation https://www.discogs.com/fr/Various-Celestial-Transvibrations/master/805350 and his track was one of my favorites so I was curious to listen to this album. The music is simply goa trance: melodies supported most of the time by a soft bassline, some twisted sounds here and there and climaxes coming at the right time. Track #1 is slow and short, in my opinion it is a little empty and dull, but you should not get turned off by this track, it is almost like an intro and the following tracks get more interesting. Track #2 and #3 speed up nicely and have more ideas but still lack direction, so we are not quite there yet. With track #4 we are granted a cleaner sound with better energy, the music is very morning oriented and I enjoyed the beautiful key changes. The highlights come from track #5 to pretty much the end of the album. Ankrosado's style remains very humble in an elegant way and it keeps floating. The attention to detail is good, sounds are nicely delivered and the more variation the more pleasure. Some parts immediately reminded me Blue Planet Corporation, with synths floating and swirling, that put a smile on your face. We have some slower sequences, built in an euphorically melancholic way that please my ears. My opinion: the first half of this release is decent but sometimes boring, the second half delivers something uplifting, I can certify that this album sounds very old school and yet fresh, melodic and passionate. You will not have to go through these big walls of arpeggios or aggressive spirited sounds, so if you like your goa trance soft and laid back you should definitely give it a try. Favorite tracks: #5, #6, #7, #9. Rating: 7/10. Listen / buy: https://ankrosado.bandcamp.com/album/luminescence

Artist: Pleiadians Title: Pyramid Label: EtnicaNet Date: November, 2019 1. New Dimension 2. Virtual Reality 3. Pyramid 4. Alien Artifact 5. X-Files (Pleiadians Remix) 6. Magnetic Fields 7. Spacecrafts 8. Cosmic Trigger Oh come on. Why would you do this? Why? You guys are f*cking legends of old school goa trance. There's you at the top and then... the rest. You could spend your life playing the old stuff for hippie burn outs at any club you want. Knee deep in 20 year old girls with daddy issues and an insatiable will to please. Live on the beach and be drunk all day and eventually become a shaman. I mean I get it. You're artists. You like to create and you still feel you have more to offer. So who the hell am I to tell you to stop making new stuff. Just because I don't like it I'm sure there are some psytrance fans can look past the tepid full-on bass lines and weak melodies. Surely there will be people out there that will buy it just cause you slapped your moniker on it. Legendary artists like these are always in a sh*tty no win position. Keep doing what made you a sensation and they'll say you can't evolve. Do something different and people will say, "Damnit, the old stuff was better." But...wasn't the old stuff better than this? It's like you jumped in a time machine and instead of going back to 1997 you said, "Aw f*ck it, 2004 had the Incredibles and Martha Stewart went to jail, it was lit!" I even tried to pretend it wasn't you. Like maybe if I take them out of the equation the music could stand on its own mer- F*CK NO IT CAN"T! This is snoozetown. Simple, uninteresting full-on. But hey, I will never stop thanking you for IFO. 15E for a digital album. You're joking right?

Sonic Loom 01. Muscaria & Malice In Wonderland - Black Lotus 06:32 02. Polyplexer - Let It Flow 08:02 03. Dark Elf - Veta Madre 06:59 04. Yann - Voyager II 06:25 05. Simia & Leso - Swamp Meeting 08:36 06. Thos Grol - The Magician's Hat 06:41 07. Antonymous & Biophotons - Uncertainty Principle 07:22 08. Tromo - Labyrinth of Madness 07:24 09. Algorithium & Ektomorph - Unplugged 08:49 10. Biohacker - Fantasy Corner 06:32 What you can expect through this compilation is powerful rhythms together with dark, blissful and strident sounds, electric and intense atmospheres. Of course if you are into forest, you will be curious to go through this experience, and while this compilation is loaded with all the goodness necessary to please the most experienced forest fans, I want to emphasize the fact that it is particularly dark and energetic. You will not hear a lot of melodies or breakdowns, these ingredients that usually work well on dark psychedelic trance are rare, but we have spooky pads as a nice substitute. It is a matter of taste, I reckon this type of music is very effective for underground parties. I also want to praise: Veta Madre by Dark Elf, a mysterious gem of the genre Voyager II by Yann, a very hypnotic and trippy number, more ethereal than the rest Uncertainty Principle by Antonymous & Biophotons, a very creative track reaching high proportions of psychedelia Unplugged by Algorithium & Ektomorph, same as above basically :-) a great intense and spooky track. Not to sound cliché but if you are into Derango, Ajja (Tulpa album), Dohm or Shivattva, just get this release now :-) this is brilliant underground food for the brain. Favorite tracks: #2, #3, #4, #7, #9. Rating: 8.5/10. Listen / buy: https://sonicloom.bandcamp.com/album/v-a-collective-intelligence

Thank you very much for your review I will work more on the design in the futur Happy that your favorite is Brainwashing, it's surely something different and new, we enjoyed a lot to produce this one togheter Keep trancing