draeke

@dhollmusik that's not the video, it was a party in a forest and the footage was in 1080p super high quality, but it's lost as it became private for some reason. Too bad nobody downloaded it!

2022 was an interesting year and it was cool to read what you all have been up to. I have also disconnected for quite some time, but I have worked in other sectors other than music and that was the main reason, I had to have a better job as you all know how hard is to make a living with music. Last year also saw the release of some interesting albums, that you have already cited in a number of posts and it was indeed refreshing to hear the remake of Indoor classics with modern technologies. Speaking of which, I found very interesting that a number of old school producers embraced a mixed style of production, with modern mixing and technology but with a bit of an old school nostalgia, it seems that it finally caught with them that making boring full on with triplets wasn't the best way of producing music, perhaps that, perhaps they rediscovered the love for melodies and scales and more variety in production, but that is just my point of view. I have restarted djing in 2022 after almost 2 years of pause (well we also had a pandemic in between) and it was great. I recently met a bunch of you guys, including Joske in Goa and that was an amazing experience, it seems there is a ferment and that there is a chance to play old school goa in Goa again, after so long. It was very interesting and we all had a great time. This 2023 seems promising already and there will also be more releases on the labels I work with ^^.

great selection MM ! some top killer tunes of that era

I'd like to revamp this topic announcing what is one of the most imporant release that was published on the UGR label, the release of Splendor. Splendor - Celestial Ancestors Unreleased Goa Records is honored to release the prodigious music of Splendor, a Goa Trance project based in Kalamata, Greece. Nikos Moundreas started DJing at the age of 16, mainly breaks tracks from Prodigy and other famous bands. He soon demonstrated impressive skills on mixing vinyl, in the form of a storytelling. He then founded a party team called ‘The Future Sound’, that organized events every Sunday afternoon at the Glam Club of Kalamata. The name of his party organization was also used for a radio show he successfully hosted on Melody FM. An established DJ, Nikos had access to a lot of classic Goa Trance releases by Transwave, Etnica, Psychaos and others. When Nikos attended a party with Tsuyoshi Suzuki and Sid Shanti in Athens he heard for the first time the track ‘Whipbird’ by Kopfuss Resonator, which made a lasting impression on him. He became increasingly attracted by more heavy techno sounds, Scandinavian and forest music released on Nephilim, Spiral Trax, Atomic Records, Psy-Harmonics labels, and got in his hands a number of vinyls from Noise Records in Thessaloniki. This motivated him to produce Goa Trance music under the Splendor moniker. In 1999, at the age of 20, Nikos composed all ten tracks featured in the present album. Being very passionate about production, he "locked" himself inside his studio and spent unlimited hours on these tracks using Cubase and the Re-Wire plugin of Propellerheads (TB-303, TR-909, TR-808). Initially he only used a MIDI and later added some synths that he acquired. His first tracks were sent to Greg Staikos, a famous radio DJ from Athens, who got very enthusiastic after listening to them. ‘Celestial Ancestors’ and ‘Third Eye’ were subsequently featured on Greg's mixed compilation ‘Psychedelic Tunes’ for Lemon Magazine in 2000. Nikos mainly performed as Splendor at small local venues, before he transitioned to techno and house music. Unfortunately, Nikos lost all the tracks he produced at that time after a hard drive crash, except three that were copied on a Demo CD-R. Miraculously, the other seven tracks were retrieved from secondary sources. However two tracks of the CD-R were found in a very deteriorated state and therefore versions copied on Mini Disc were preferred so as not to compromise the quality of the release. Unreleased Goa Records would like to thank deeply Hlias Kouroupis and Despina Astralfairy Kanellopoulou without whom this release would have simply never happened. Tracklist: 01. Ethereal Entity 02. Genetic Benefit 03. Third Eye 04. Away From Everything 05. Genetic 06. Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde 07. Celestial Ancestors 08. End Of Everything 09. Untitled 10. In 10 Cities (B.R.R.) credits released February 28, 2022 Credits : All tracks written and produced by: Nikos Moundreas Mastered by: Kobi Harosh Audio restoration (all tracks) by: Federico Draeke Artwork by: Papier rouge Executive producers: Hlias Kouroupis, Despina Astralfairy Kanellopoulou, Federico Draeke, Vas Cosmogenesis Catalogue number: UGR 029 For anyone who just notices this post, UGR has been releasing as digital outcomes some very important albums that were not possible to release otherwise and we have been really happy of our releases and the feedback we have had, especially on special releases such as Tranquence, Psychogen, Todra, Quadra, Insearch, Cybercraft, O.V.N.I., Captain Unplugged, Skarma, Opale, Moses, Peyote People, Liquid Sun, Nemo (yes our beloved Nemo from psynews)... and more. So please do yourself a favour and check the label out, we have some true gems there! https://unreleasedgoarecords.bandcamp.com/music

Infinite Zen album has been a project in the works for many years and this release is a dream come true. A long time has passed since the truth was revealed about this talented producer from Greece. Some of his tracks were traded among DAT circles and misnamed on purpose as they were so good that people would believe that some very famous producers had made them. But the truth is that behind those swirling psychedelic melodic patterns the hand of a single producer was hiding, Nikolaos, hailing from Greece. We are so proud to finally launch this release that was supposed to be an EP but transformed into a real album as more music was unveiled from secret stashes of DAT tapes. We are really happy to finally celebrate the music of Infinite Zen with you all, hoping that you will be able to dance to those memorable and classic goa productions for years to come. We continue with our mission to preserve the best creations from the heydays of the Goa Trance scene, the magical 90s, years in which all the tracks contained in this release were produced. The booklet features an equipment list courtesy of the artist and some background information, as we like to share with you what the artist told us, and for the occasion, he even contributed actively to the creation of the artwork with his beautiful photographs. Enjoy Tracklist: 1. Goa Generator 09:46 2. Friends From Tau-Ceti 07:47 3. Nebula 10:02 4. Nomads Of Time 06:51 5. Andromeda 07:35 6. Panspermia 08:24 7. Love Nebula (Live Mix) 09:52 8. Goa Generator (Live Mix) 06:51 9. Abyss (Helios Mix) 10:25 Bonus Track, Bandcamp exclusive: 10. Sungate 3001 08:26 Credits: Written & Produced by: Nikolaos Mpitsimeas Artwork By: Federico Draeke Photography: Nikolaos Mpitsimeas Mastered By: Cydelix https://datuniverse.bandcamp.com/album/goa-generator Please support and enjoy this historical release that took so many years to finally happen!

Infinite Zen - Goa Generator Infinite Zen album has been a project in the works for many years and this release is a dream come true. A long time has passed since the truth was revealed about this talented producer from Greece. Some of his tracks were traded among DAT circles and misnamed on purpose as they were so good that people would believe that some very famous producers had made them. But the truth is that behind those swirling psychedelic melodic patterns the hand of a single producer was hiding, Nikolaos, hailing from Greece. We are so proud to finally launch this release that was supposed to be an EP but transformed into a real album as more music was unveiled from secret stashes of DAT tapes. We are really happy to finally celebrate the music of Infinite Zen with you all, hoping that you will be able to dance to those memorable and classic goa productions for years to come. We continue with our mission to preserve the best creations from the heydays of the Goa Trance scene, the magical 90s, years in which all the tracks contained in this release were produced. The booklet features an equipment list courtesy of the artist and some background information, as we like to share with you what the artist told us, and for the occasion, he even contributed actively to the creation of the artwork with his beautiful photographs. Enjoy Credits: Written & Produced by: Nikolaos Mpitsimeas Artwork By: Federico Draeke Photography: Nikolaos Mpitsimeas Mastered By: Cydelix Released: May 27, 2022 https://datuniverse.bandcamp.com/album/goa-generator ------------------- We truly hope you'll be happy of this one, as much as we are !!

Yes it will be available on Bandcamp around Easter, not much time missing and sorry it has not been planned to be on vinyl. Beatspace was informed and I believe they should have removed the digital edition from their Bandcamp store. There have been some talks of a vinyl for another release though, more info soon-ish. Thanks for the support!

So many interesting live sets, through the years. If I have to recall the best gigs I have attended , live or otherwise, I cannot but mention the rare chance I have had to hear a dj set of Doof in London in 2000 which is probably one of the very last times he played the genre, and it was mindblowing. That night after him Tristan closed the party and it was also absolutely stellar, he played a ghostly track that haunts me to this day aha! The same year I also attended Astral Projection at the Brixton Academy, Infected Mushroom at Cloud 9 and Technossomy, all in London in the winter of year 2000, amazing shows. Then of course I cannot but mention the multiple times I have seen Simon: in London both as Hallucinogen and Shpongle (both twice) in Zurich where he played live as Hallucinogen in a real castle and then at ZNA as Shpongle in 2019, where it was a pleasure to finally meet him personally as he worked with us and licensed a track for the official compilation. In a completely different style I cannot but mention the absolutely epic and fantastic vs. of Ka-Sol and BOTFB in Romania at the first Apsara, that was absolutely wicked, and a set to remember. MWNN always stole the show at ZNA and it was epic both in 2017 and 2019, a memory to treasure. At ZNA was also a fantastic experience to see both Ree-K and Masa and hear Masa in an epic dj set where he played proto goa and ebm as well. And last but not least, I am SO SO happy to have heard Ubar Tmar at ZNA 2019 which was the wildest craziest funnier and most original artist I have ever heard live, hands down. In the hopes of someday be able to have him release somewhere, I am so happy to have woken up and danced like nuts at a very difficult hour! And quoting mars who answered a while ago, the liveset he mentioned as being one of the best he ever attended of Total Eclipse in Bordeaux in 1997, well, you can now experience it first hand, as if you were there as DAT Universe just released a marvellous 3CD featuring the complete live and many other unreleased tracks.

Hello again, so we are very proud to announce the release of the first instalment of DAT Universe, Total Eclipse - Live in Bordeaux 1997. DAT Universe is pleased to expand on a release that showcases one of the most foundational and unique projects in the global Goa scene: Total Eclipse. This fabled band has been active since before the term ‘Goa Trance’ came into use and has been an innovative influence on the evolution of this musical language. In their halcyon years in the 90s, the trio of French musicians produced an unparalleled volume and variety of music that embodied the incredible versatility, creativity, and expansiveness that was the heart of the scene, from growling cyber-rock stormers and energizing psychedelic numbers to playfully quirky productions and ethereal morning music. Regardless of the flavour of a given work, each was masterfully crafted, with impeccably balanced harmonic, rhythmic, and melodic elements. No band created as much music with this much variety, including the volume of both released and unreleased productions - something that this DAT Universe release will reveal as some long-secret tracks are made available for the first time. The 3-CD set ‘Live in Bordeaux’ features both live and studio productions in an array of styles that showcases the project’s astounding originality. The first disc centres around a superb 1997 live set that captures the incredible energy that the dynamic trio brought to their live gigs, a performance supplemented by three more numbers from another thrilling live appearance. The second disc features a selection of unreleased tracks by these innovative musicians, both alternate mixes of well-known classics as well as original compositions. The final disc is a fascinating exploration of the trio’s early work as they were forging their unique sound signatures: in an array of tempos and styles, these early productions provide a glimpse into the evolution of this unique band’s distinctive music. A stunning release that is sure to be prized by collectors and fans of the best psychedelic electronic music of the 1990s! Available June 23: https://datuniverse.bandcamp.com/album/bordeaux-live-1997 Hopefully this will please you all and get back on track with the regular flow of news and music related comments. I really appreciate the intervention of DJ Sunborn and Imba who contributed sapiently to the discussion Cheers!

Well, it seems that if I disappear for a while to actually finish the transitional work and don't come here, you guys really miss me ! So one thing at a time please: First of all this thread is about the work we have been doing as a team for years and I believe we did some great releases, which were always praised, especially by some of the members here as well. A forum It's not really my favourite place to come to, I'd rather work on facebook where updates are posted more often and where we have also Mark curating some awesome flashback Fridays every week. If that is not being active, as we were finished preparing an incredible release, I don't know what is I am really pleased to announce the 3CD of Total Eclipse has been finally sent to the press last week. By the way, just as a side note, the music and artwork were ready in January but there was a delay with the booklet, which features the history of Total Eclipse that was acquired through different interviews that our collaborator Cosmogenesis took at different times with the band. After the transcription there was a revision and then an accurate check and revision courtesy of Mark (DJ Solitare) and Pavlos who always help creating wonderful booklets. Then, there was the hard work of finding the right photos for said booklet and all this process took months, so, that how we arrived to June this year. Finally we also launched DAT Universe the new label which will include other genres and sub-labels too, so yes, we all have been pretty busy and frankly coming to comment here was not a priority. I also have a real job to attend, which is not related to music, so there's that. Also, in the meantime we continued to release almost monthly with UnreleasedGoaRecords, I worked on those releases as well, through the whole time, so it's not really we have not done antyhing. Finally, I am not on a tropical island, unfortunately, and cannot really see the point of messages about a work I did for a compilation, which was agreed with the label owner. If someone wants to discuss anything with me, should do so on facebook and privately, not on a forum. I thought the work we did as a collective was something appreciated and if a label takes time to make things in a diligent way, gets accused of disappearing. Bandcamp will be launched at the end of the month when the Total Eclipse CD will be released, and hope that this message covers everything. I probably should have this thread closed at this point because I don't really like the vibe going on, will have a new thread about the new label which should be better.

@Penzoline, it's one full liveset on the first cd, one full cd of studio material and one full cd of their early years (proto goa), and yes everything is unreleased and from the 90s :)!

@Grayling : your albums have not disappeared at all, you can access all that you have purchased before, it's still available in your bandcamp profile, look for them. And of course when we re-open the page they will be there as well.

Hello everyone, we can share some more news now, in all these months we have worked actively to the reorganisation of the label and we are almost done, we have recently received some papers and we are getting ready. During this whole process we had to close everything down and that is exactly what we have done. When we can, we will re-open the website and bandcamp of course, but this still needs to wait a little longer. What I can instead announce is that we have reached an agreement with Total Eclipse during the last ZNA and we have worked since then to a fantastic release that will bepublished on 3CD, we are practically ready to go to pressing now. We are super excited about this and very happy to be releasing this historical release. Happy New Year :)!

Hello Everyone, OK, let's all take a breath and address a few things. First of all, I can see that me just taking a pause from the goa trance scene was interpreted as basically any possible interpretation ever. But let's then answer about some of the things that were expressed on this thread: A number of DAT releases expired past the original contracts with the artists after X number of years, and so we are renegotiating to continue to make remaining copies available as possible. Meanwhile, Covid also put a big halt to several planned releases for the year, which we are continuing to prepare for the time when we can move forward (in one case, mastering is done, artwork and booklets in preparation). And you will see that our Unreleased Goa sub label continues to release every couple of weeks. I realize how the no-notice suspension of our bandcamp while we undergo updating logistics and preparations could lead to speculation but the rumours being spread here are simply not true. Thank you for staying tuned while we update the website, catalogue, and new releases. About me logging in and not commenting, well, I have been a lot of time offline and a few times I connected I have read a few things but did not feel like writing explanations on how I run this venture and the choice we made in the meantime. I was more preoccupied with the global crisis, the pandemic and also the fact a lot of people have lost their job and are in difficulties, so actually we wanted to halt all operations to see how things were looking and about to be globally. I am sorry someone feels like our records are only good as frisbee and I'd like this person to write me privately and tell me exactly what were his concerns and what releases he has bought, if he feels like. Oh and lastly, I had to change my password twice, and a couple of times i got banned for retrying to log some times, so i did not feel really at ease and it might be someone tried to hack my account. In the meantime I have been living in the countryside to be safe from a terrible infection that in italy was very strong, so to be safe. And with less internet we slowed down but we indeed worked a lot on the UGR sublabel to show we were still active.

@psyhoe, we had asked for some gatefgold as large as the ones used for the Etnica 3LP but it turns out they printed them 1mm narrower, hence it's a bit more tricky to insert the vinyl. However, if you open the gatefold entirely, and insert them one by one, they actually fit correctly but I agree we need to use some gatefold that are a bit larger on the spine, next time.We don't like the trible gatefold though, but we'll see in the future. Glad you love the result, we are really happy of them! @denstrow, unfortunately we were not given the rights to distribute said track in digital format, as we had a deal for the physical copies only of the ZNA compilation, I do hope you'll find a way to get it ripped, maybe ask a friend? So sorry about this but it was already a privilege to be able to release it at all!