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  1. Artist: Various Title: Freaky Forest Label: Troll N' Roll Records Date: December, 2011 01 - Total - Freaky Forest 2004 (144 BPM) 02 - Trance-Ingvars - All The Answers (146 BPM) 03 - Toxic Anger Syndrome - Trollskogen (149 BPM) 04 - Gubbology - Monster Quest (147 BPM) 05 - Aremakki - Cream Delivery (140 BPM) 06 - Oliveira - Wednesdays (147 BPM) 07 - RotSystem - Uven (146 BPM) 08 - Katastrof - Oiije (144 BPM) 09 - SEKT - Sleten Horunge (163 BPM) 10 - Varanta - Mystical Temple (148 BPM) This is the debut release from this Swedish label with nothing but Swedish artists. The cover is pretty cool. 4 fat trolls with f*cked up hairstyles and huge noses sit around an old Gandalf type while the ghost of Kenny G serenades them in the background. All in nuclear waste green. What the hell did I just walk into? Freaky Forest 2004- What the f*ck is this? Really, what the f*ck? Over 3 minutes of Buddhist chanting with tribal beats before the lead becomes even more twisted than Dee Snider. You don't know who that is do you? Sigh. He was a member of a hard rock band named Twisted Sister that had a flair for the theatric back in the 80s and now he is a goofy parody of himself. Can't believe parents were afraid of this clown. He looks ridiculous. Different time I guess. This undergoes a lot of changes and it has to at over 12 minutes, but it sounds less forest and more experimental to me. If it was made 7 years ago I can cut the guy a break. All the Answers- This leaves me with more questions than answers. When the ritualistic tribal percussion comes in I'm on board though. Hallucinatory synths rise and fall in the firelight like a record being played at the wrong speed. I know this was made by Swedes, but it's random enough to stray into Suomi territory. It's interesting, but at this point it's just a collection of sounds. While I like the funkiness of the guitar riff, it's not what I'm looking for in my forest. Trollskogen- Not to sound like a loud mouth American, but the Swedish language here sounds like something Adam Sandler made up. I realize I probably just offended and entire nation and for that I apologize. What are you laughing at Norway? Have you heard yourselves? More weirdness with bass line changes and goofy laughs. But unlike a lot of normal music that doesn't stay with me, I will be repeating Trollskogen over and over while my wife looks at me like I just smeared poop on the wall. This is weird. Bizarre. Do the "normal" forest creatures look over here and say, "Whoa...don't go over there. Those motherf*ckers are sick." Monster Quest- "The only way out of here is to try one of these doors." Got news for you they all lead to kooky town. It's almost comical, like it's making fun of itself. But damnit I kind of like it. Random sounds pitched up and down, wobbling synths, and a lot of changes which I think is cool. Think of a friend that would put you at ease, but instead he's a schizophrenic. Cream Delivery- "I'm a delivery man and I have some cream for you. Let us f*ck!" No he didn't just sample from Zack and Miri make a porno. It's so corny its awesome! Cool break beat intro and great use of the panning effect as a synth moves from side to side. This is a type of forest trance that I'm not used to. It's not dark, but it's odd enough to make you want to keep your distance from these people. I mean really, forest porn? "You want your cream now?" Wednesdays- "I'm sorry we seem to be having some technical difficulties." Who farted? It's a chunky lead with some goa atmosphere in the background. The most musical track yet and it doesn't rest for a second. Not as weird as the other tracks and that percussive hit had me looking all over the house to see who was banging on my door. Not bad. Uven- The weirdness and chaotic randomness is beginning to tire me out. Creature mumblings give way to cyber breakdowns and then it's off to the races again. Only you're going the wrong way dude! That's cool though, it's different. So many twists and turns, it's tough to follow them all. Like I mentioned, you won't be scared in this forest, but you will be pissed off because you can't get out of this b*tch! Oiije- You know what that is? I don't f*cking know either, but to me this is a representation of this track. Monkey, car, window, Darth Vader... Just tack a whole bunch of sh*t together and call it Voltron. Sleten Horunge- You know what this is? It's hyper mosh pit trance. It's Marge Simpson on speed. Metallic and squelchy sounds bubble over a bass line that obeys zero speed limits. Imagine watching a slasher film at double speed. Pretty funny actually. . "A little LSD is all I need." Mystic Temple- This is about as downtempo as it's gonna get. Piano and a hopeful melody? What the f*ck kind of forest is this? When did Yanni get here? A saxophone too? No, no...take your damn sitar and shove it. It's too late. Then the Doors show up with a hammond organ and pound out a gospel tune? When did this become and open mic jam session. Ain't nothin' mystic about this temple. Ok, first off this is not your typical forest compilation. When I think forest I think layers of intense music designed to scare and disorient you. Stories of old to be told where the acid sticks on you like thick carpets of green moss. This is not that. Nope, this is a bunch of phrases strung together that are both quirky and weird. At no time are you afraid of the denizens of this forest. You want to avoid them in the same way you avoid the homeless. Not because they are a threat, but because they make you uncomfortable. It has moments where it's enjoyable, but mostly it's so disjointed that I didn't want to bother with it. So do what I did. I threw 'em a few sheckles and my pastrami on rye and got the hell outta there. Ektoplazm Mdk
    1 point
  2. From my vantage point there was a bit of a rough patch around 2011 to 2014 or so when there was a lot of low-quality, derivative stuff coming out of this quadrant of the psytrance universe... but the style has definitely bounced back (if indeed there was much of a downturn at all) and Zenon itself continues to set standards and inspire. It takes some effort to sort through what comes out of their release cannon though; they've been extremely prolific and it's hard to keep up with the dizzying number of releases they've been pumping out, to say nothing of the dozens of other labels still probing the depths of this murky dark-light-psychedelic-minimalistic fusion space. Some projects worth checking out 2016 to present: Airi, Amortalist, ETN, Golikem, Gojja, Grouch, Ivort, Nangijala, Pspiralife, Sourone, Triforce, plus old giants like Sensient and Electrypnose (when he dabbles in this field). A few dark selections pulled from my crate: Finally, a palate cleanser, in the form of some good ol' slapbass-infused Zenon style murky morning tunage. There's a ton of great Zenonesque out there... get digging!
    1 point
  3. Artist: Various Title: Trollsås Label: Troll N' Roll Records http://www.trollnroll.com Style: Psytrance, Suomisaundi, Forest, Goa, Mastering: Johan Ohlsson Artwork: Oscar Bodin http://www.oscarbodin.se Release Date: 2015-09-15 Troll N’ Roll Records present their eight release, Trollsås, a fresh collection of free range psychedelic trance from Scandinavia. Double, double, boil and trouble! The trolls have gathered from all across the forests of the far north to conduct a ritual as old as time itself. Huddled around bubbling cauldrons they have mixed all manner of exotic reagents into a strange brew, whipping up a potent magic potion to bewitch the mortal world. Brought to a boil and then left to simmer, this enchanting elixir is known only by a name out of legend, the special troll sauce, Trollsås! Tracklist: 01 - Spuge H - SpugeStep (80/160 BPM) 02 - Nebula Meltdown - Mindgroove (148/153 BPM) 03 - Oliveira - Mystik (142 BPM) 04 - Bugswap - Stygian (146 BPM) 05 - Salakavala - Pigfoot (146 BPM) 06 - Scum Unit - Electricity, Vibrations & Frequencies (150 BPM) 07 - Trance-Ingvars - Maxad Finne (155 BPM) 08 - Anima Animus - Thank You Dr. Hofmann (155 BPM) 09 - Speedhawk vs Riktronik - Stranger Danger (190 BPM) 10 - Toxic Anger Syndrome - Underjorden (148 BPM) 11 - Gubbology - Brujo (150 BPM) 12 - Psypien - Return To Valhalla (150 BPM) 13 - iLmush - Apples Falling Into The Sky (152 BPM) 14 - Dr. Scapolite - Bizarre Noizes (160 BPM) Free download @ http://www.ektoplazm.com/free-music/trollsas
    1 point
  4. This is the thing that is destroyer of goa in our country, that I was talking about in another thread.. This creature, that grew out the forest WHILE listening to goa, had to feed on it, feed on the energy of the dancers.. us.. while listening to bliss like Lepton Head (deedrah) and stuff like that, it fead and it fead, until it grew, and released it self on the pour souls of the forest ravers. While some of us gladly escaped, you can see here - it still lives on. And it has multiplied. These... trolls! But they are just conjurers.. its an evil entity behind it... That took the souls of Goatrancers, and put them in that bubbly meltingpot to give birth to this ... soulless zombiemusic. Im just glad some of us escaped in time. With our lives. I literally never went back into those woods ever again, I even moved around alot and Im now forever afraid of the dark.
    1 point
  5. Artist: Various Title: Tales From The North Label: Troll N' Roll Records http://www.trollnroll.com Style: Psytrance, Forest, Darkpsy, Goa trance, Suomisaundi, Mastering: Johan Ohlsson Artwork: Oscar Bodin http://www.oscarbodin.se Release Date: 2015-03-18 Troll N’ Roll Records presents their seventh release, Tales From The North, a strong collection of darkpsy and forest music with hints of Suomisaundi and Goa trance. Scandinavia’s dark forests, deep lakes, and high mountains are home to a variety of mythical creatures. We do not see them unless they choose to show themselves but they make themselves constantly known. When someone mysteriously disappears in the woods, when you hear strange noises in the attic, when the milk turned sour overnight—it is the mark of the supernatural. In the past they were a natural part of our world, a way of reminding people about having respect for nature… Tracklist: 01 - Squees & Toxic Anger Syndrome & Gubbology - Tales From The North 02 - Oliveira - Shadowland 03 - Maan - Huldrehaug 04 - Gubbology - Chaku Hachi 05 - Squees vs Gubbology - Kråkestan 06 - Cut The Cheese - Trollsommar 07 - Trance-Ingvars - Den Sjunde 08 - Oginok - Fraxinus Excelsior 09 - Zoon - Monsters 10 - Captain Kirk - Midnight Carousel Ride 11 - Discolin - Shiokara Situation 12 - Toxic Anger Syndrome - Ragnarök Free download @ http://www.ektoplazm.com/free-music/tales-from-the-north
    1 point
  6. VA - Tales From The North Troll N' Roll Records Tracklist: 1. Tales From The North - Squees & Toxic Anger Syndrome & Gubbology 2. Shadowland - Oliveira 3. Huldrehaug - Maan 4. Chaku Hachi - Gubbology 5. Krakestan - Squees vs Gubbology 6. Trollsommar - Cut The Cheese 7. Den Sjunde - Trance-Ingvars 8. Fraxinus Excelsior - Oginok 9. Monsters - Zoon 10. Midnight Carousel Ride - Captain Kirk 11. Shiokara Situation - Discolin 12. Ragnarok - Toxic Anger Syndrome Weird, wild and hella fun, a groovy, drippy, trippy concoction of Scandinavian dark psy, forest, suomi and just a little bit of goa, all in one great, free compilation. "Tales From The North" is refreshing because of its suomi approach that often keeps the weird effects of its dark and forest psy feeling lighthearted and even celebratory. The three-producer intro on the title track finds Squees, Toxic Anger Syndrome and Gubbology employing some serious dancefloor grooves with a pleasant tempo that never gets overwhelming, all served up with a side of wicked forest effects and don't-give-a-shit suomi good-time vibes. A solid and hella fun beginning to the comp. Oliveira takes a much more normalized approach on "Shadowland," serving up a solid little full-on gem with a very pleasant and understated focus on goa effects. Fantastic job on this one, definitely one of the great highlights of the collection. It pairs very nicely with the melodic goa of Maan's "Huldrehaug," a track that, like most things on this compilation, rocks very nicely in its own subtle way. Sure, the energy is always there but nothing ever feels like it is trying to punch you in the head to let you know how important it is. Beginning with Gubbology's cool little groover "Chaku Hachi," an uber-funky track laden with forest effects that are fascinating because of how subdued and effective they are, the compilation goes in more for the weirder side of psytrance, sometimes on tracks that are spectacular, sometimes on tracks that are not. The out-of-control keyboard work on the unhinged energy of "Krakestan" is fantastic but the lazy forest grooves of Cut The Cheese's "Trollsommar" and too-trancey euphoria of Trance-Ingvars "Den Sjunde" don't quite make the grade. Oginok's "Fraxinus Excelsior" is one of the compilation's greats, constantly keeping things just a little off-balance with several direction changes through the first part of the track before settling into some great head-bobbing grooves for its second half. And, man, is it ever fucking easy to dance to. A lovely piece of work! The final four tracks get much deeper into the darker and experimental realms of sound and are best left to the subjective opinions of the individual listener in terms of quality. Sometimes those moments are daring and tantalizing (Zoon), sometimes forgettable (Captain Kirk), sometimes wilder than anything else on the compilation (Discolin), sometimes just plain dismal and angry (Toxic Anger Syndrome). In my opinion, the first half of this compilation is far better (and perhaps more accessible to the common psy listener) than its second half. Many of the finest moments come from Oliveira and Maan during those early tracks but be sure not to miss Oginok, the finest gem of the collection's second part. A quick Ektoplazm search shows a few other Troll N' Roll compilations available for download, many of those with several of the same producers that appear here. After "Tales From The North," you can be sure this will not be the last time this record label and I cross paths. I'm very much looking forward to discovering some other great gems off of those offerings. Available for free play or download at : http://www.ektoplazm.com/free-music/tales-from-the-north
    1 point
  7. I didn't care much for this compilation - I don't care much for this style of psytrance though so it may just be that. Overall the whole "ghosts-and-goblins carnival" sound lacks depth of emotion - there's no charisma to it or euphoric melodic breakdowns, but it's also not got the heavy hypnotic trance aspects of progressive psy.. I liked the 2nd and 12th tracks on here pretty well though, those seemed to have more depth and charisma..
    0 points
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