WJPorter

Hight-tech trance at its best. But I have to say I'm a bit weirded out about this being released on TimeCode; it sounds way too 3D Vision. Not that there's anything wrong with that... I just find it a little off.

And it turns out there are two bonus tracks on the digital version: Seraphim featuring Slug (I love that combination) and Lostism. Seraphim reminds me of CPU's Stupid Play (Vision of the Future, Apocalypse Records), which is a good thing. It has an eerie female voice floating around, some key changes here and there, and it's intense without being overwhelming. Lostism is quite hypnotic: it builds up and drops over and over again without losing its flow. Maybe not as hard as the average expectation for a Lost and Found track, but it definitely works. http://www.beatport.com/release/decoder/823722

"Do you really think C# C# C# C# is music?" That came from a lousy bass player, so his argument is invalid. And we're back into the total misunderstanding of what electronic music is all about. Nonetheless, I know quite a bunch of psytrance loving metalheads. "The best psytrance artists come from Israel: Astral Projection, Infected Mushroom, Hallucinogen..." Besides the obvios, this bird needed to upgrade her playlist; we had this conversation in 2008. But I agree, there's a certain Israel-psytrance connection. I've never had someone say to me "Psytance? Wow, I bet you're into the English morning thing". And my favorite stereotype is "white guys with dreadlocks". It's kind of funny, admit it.

I have to agree: it’s a solid album from Kode Six. His first album had a nice, thick distinctive sound in terms of production, but it wasn’t very dynamic; the tracks seemed stale. Perfekt World has a lot more going on; the tracks grow, evolve, and are richer in terms of story telling. The word “mature” fits well. I particularly enjoyed Simulakra (it’s also nice to see that Kalan has been reading Baudrillard). That track has more of an “intense, extremely potent” morning sound, as opposed to his usual night-time & twilight style. Within that style, I like High Frequency Vibrations (We Are One compilation, Central Dogma Records & Biomechanix Records ) better but I still appreciate that he included something like this in the album. As a matter of fact, I would love to hear Kode Six exploring and exploiting that style a bit more.

The 2009 SSD-EP was good. Not amazing, but good. I though Fundamental Game was good enough keep that EP afloat. Human Technicians was just dull IMO. Nothing says "this artist has seen better days" than releasing an updated version of a former hit -Techmology in this case-. No further comments. It's a shame because I really dig both Rinkadink & Alchemy Recs.

Shehoor, act from France. I got to see them a few weeks ago and I had no idea who they were. Keep an eye on them; pretty darn good dark and brainy trance. Well, let's hope their releases are as good as their live act.

Yep, disappointing indeed. Too watered down for full-on, too much of "those bass lines" to be proper prog, nothing close to Tesseract stuff (you know, that cool Serbian full-onish prog sound). Did you get a chance to check Motion Drive's album? If so, how does it compare to this?

I've heard the track probably 6 times in the past hour. It is just unbelievable. It requires some big ones to release a track so shameless, tasteless, immense, and complex all at the same time. Only Cedric could do something like that. And in no way am I implying that he pulled it off nor got away with it. The track is as lame as its producer. Thanks, it was absolutely worth listening to. It was amusing and entertaining if heard with an open mind. Now I'm gonna go wash my ears with some descent full-on before I get the urge to listen to this abominable perversion again. BTW, to the people complaining about older psytrance producers making crap, I suggest you look for newer artists. There's some great stuff out there. No point in crying over spilled milk or Talamasca's new release when there's Nexus Media, Nano Records, Tesseract Studios, etc.

The city I used to live in had one goa-psy-whatever store. The place sold tickets to gigs and parties, which was the main reason to go there. As far as the music goes, their stock was terrible. I could never find anything I was looking for so I would ask the clerk for recommendations. The guy’s trademark was to make up terms to assure his status as a connoisseur, which meant saying things like “this release follows the current post-progressive trend but with a methaminimal rhythm section reminiscent of the early works of –artist I’ve never heard of-“. Sounds familiar? The scene became un-treandy and so did the store. To me, ordering CDs online was the most reliable option; the meticulous selection process and the thrill of expecting a package. I’ve bought tracks online and there is absolutely nothing exciting about that. Plus, I like having the actual CD, the case, artwork… And I think I will have to get used to it because I'm afraid Depths/No Hitz's prediction is more than accurate. But still today I love to go into a psy record store (whenever I'm in a place that has one), browse through the records to realize I have no idea of what I'm looking at, have the clerk recommend something, and feel frustrated because the overprized t-shirts are unavailable in my size. To me, the local store is a reflection of the scene, that’s where the nostalgia resides.

I have to both agree and disagree with you: something found in previous albums is not here. However, I don’t thick it’s madness; it’s intensity. Phyx’s track is good, but I didn’t hyperventilate while listening to it. Something’s going on here. But that is not a bad thing. I love this album because it’s highly experimental. It explores the melodic side and gives the producers a chance to show off their formal musical background. Just listen to the Artifakt track, it summarizes everything I just said. Even the tracks by Posion have interesting harmonic compositions. BTW, those guys are ill. One of the best new TC acquisitions. As for Principles of Flight, they might not have the TC “sound” production-wise, but they make very good trance and have a very distinctive sound. POF is talented enough to be on TC. I thought their track was an excellent display of technique and music theory, although it was ridiculously long. On the other hand, no words can describe how much I loathe the D_Maniac track. It should have been released on Chemical Crew. Yes, it is that horrid and lame. And the very fact that a TC album includes this song worries me. Not every tracks released in a TC compilation has been good, but this is the first time I hear a cheesy track in a TC album. That could be the real demise of one of the most respected labels out there. The Brethren song kicks too much ass. It reminded me of Dirty 80s (Psysex & IM) with a South African edge. Anyway, I’m sure you already heard Tokoloshe. I am more than satisfied with that album. I mean, I need a cigarette and a shower after listening to it. I don’t think it’s fair to compare the two since they have different purposes. If you are after intense chaos, go for Tokoloshe. If you are looking for something more experimental and melodic (in a creepy medieval way), Kartuxo does the trick.

Various Artists - Sonica Vol 2 (Sonica Recordings) 1. TRISTAN - Bombscare (Perfect Stranger's small vagator mix) 2. PLEIADIANS - The Pleaides 3. BURN IN NOISE - Time Warp 4. RINKADINK - The Thermal Tempest 5. ETNICA - Lunar Contact 6. GAIATECH - Burning Heads 7. LIFTSHIFT - Nothing Less 8. M-THEORY - Rising the Bar 9. FEARSOME ENGINE - The Path "This new compilation produced by Gino, is a tribute to Sonica Festival paid by some of the greatest artists from the past and contemporary psytrance scene." When I saw the track listing on this record, I wanted to hear it desperately. I finally got my copy and I got pretty much what I expected. Lets begin. Tristan - Bombscare (Perfect Stranger 's small vagator remix): As you might know, Perfect Stranger is producing songs in the minimal techno area nowadays. The new album is absolutely delicious. This song, conversely, is not. Yuli can do so much better than this. First, I see no resemblance with the original song. Tristan is kind of a big name to throw in the back cover of a compilation. In this case, it was unnecessary and poorly done. Second, the track has absolutely nothing –I mean NOTHING- to do with the rest of the album. I don’t know what this was all about. Lets move on. Pleiadians - The Pleiades: Things get more intense as the beat increases to 145 bpm. Thanks to some oldschool type melodies, the track has a persecution vibe while maintaining a stable bass/rhythm section. It achieves to be intense without recurring to clutter, build-ups, etc. It’s got quite a mean edge in a tasteful manner. I can hear some tricks and melodies I haven’t heard since 2002 but with contemporary production. Nice! Burn in Noise – Timewarp: What I like about Burn in Noise is that he has a very unique and easily identified sound, characterized by one hell of a fat bass. However, I find his tracks sometimes lack substance. Not in this case. I have to admit I was blown away by this track. It’s Burn in Noise at his most majestic best. It’s groovy, it’s funky, and it’s got tons of that “in-your-face” attitude that made me fall in love with psytrance in the first place. The sounds are wisely used, while providing spacious atmospheres and mischievous leads. I could praise this track for hours. Rinkadink – The Thermal Twist: I was so excited to hear a new Rinkadink track. I am pleased to say that there is nothing new nor innovative about this track. Yes, I found that to be a good thing. It is just plain, old-fashioned Rinkadink; just like I wanted to hear it. The expected wackiness is there but on this occasion it’s accompanied by some exploration of Rinkadink’s bittersweet melodic side. Moody and playful. Random enough to be psychedelic yet it doesn’t get obnoxiously demented. As a Rinkadink fan, I am more than satisfied. Etnica – Lunar Contact: Once again, we hit oldschool territory. Persistent melodic themes set the mood while the bassline maintains the energy levels. The buildup is very “trancy” – over emotional key changes – but that is the point. In someone else’s hands, this track would have been utter fromage. However, Etnica did a really good job in pulling off a song in this vein. Gaiatech – Burning Heads: By now, I feel my qualities as a reviewer suck because I can’t come up with adjectives I haven’t used so far to describe this track. It can also be inferred that this is a consistent compilation. The bass is pounding, the leads stab hard, and the energy is flowing. It’s a bit more aggressive than other tacks in the album. The bassline never changes, providing something to grasp to in the riptide of escalating sounds that goes on. Quite a powerful track. Liftshift – Nothing Less: The name “Liftshift” might ring a bell to those familiar with the psy-progressive scene (or whatever that type of semi-proggy-but-not-entirely-full-on-trance is called these days). “Nothing Less” is a straight forward morning full-on track and it is wonderful. The progressive background can be heard in the sharp and sophisticated loops in the rhythm section. The quality of the production is astonishing. Atmospheric, vast, spacious, and pounding with catchy hooks here and there. There are a constant mood swings that alter the intensity of the song, giving the narrative some complexity. It’s a well-thought and nicely crafted piece. Definitely one of my favorites. M-Theory – Raising the Bar: A nice comedown after the previous display of peak time stuff. Although it’s a refreshing track, it is not M-Theory’s best work. In fact, I don’t thing the song works on its own; it only has full effect when contextualized with the rest of the album. I’ve heard these guys raising the bar and this is definitely not it. I mean, it’s not a bad track; it’s just doesn’t deliver. Bad choice of a title. M-Theory has made my jaw drop several times, so this was a bit of a disappointment. Breezy yet ‘meh’. Fearsome Engine – The Path: Now we’re talking! It's quite imposing for a 137 BPM piece. Groovy rhythm section and plenty of psychedelic glitch to entertain the ears. The sound selection is impressive, particularly when paying attention to how rhythms are constructed form apparently random bits. Not much melody and, frankly, it’s not needed. These guys seem to be on top of their game. Awesome track. There’s absolutely nothing new about this album. Well, there’s a new approach to oldschool psytrance, but that contradicts the definition of new. The strength is definitely not in the innovation department, but rather in the orthodoxy of the style. The tracks successfully accomplish what the listener expects from the names involved. Very tasteful compilation: no cheese and no nauseating clutter; just fluid, well-crafted trance. I can't pick favorite tracks because all of them are great (except for track 1). I got my long-waited fix of Rinkadink, the Burn in Noise song was an amazing surprise, and Pleiadians and Etnica amazed me with their bag of vintage tricks. I can’t give this compilation a 10 since it did not knock my socks off but I am way pleased and remarkably satisfied with what I got. Is it worth spending money on this album? Absolutely.

Holly crap! This is very darn good! I thought Chaos Opera was quite good although it failed to give me the shivers I get when listening to Oblivion (New Blood 2 compilation). But this is a whole different level. It sounds very oldschool yet strangely avant garde. I'm out of words. The bar has been raised. I really hope other talented producers understand this and do tracks in a similar style. Absurdly good.

Once again I’m late for the discussion, so I’m just gonna throw my 2 cents and leave. The very artists that once made the scene big are tearing it down. Let’s start with Spun Records. Seriously? So these people turn the scene into crap and then they try to “innovate” because, thanks to them, no one likes full-on anymore. BTW, I do like full-on and the machinegun bass everyone seems to hate. I am thankful for Time Code, Nano, and artists like Fromem Ory who can make good old fashioned full-on as it is meant to be. Anyway, admitting to like full-on nowadays is an embarrassment thanks Chemical Crew, Spun Records, Phonokol, and other crap&cheese factories. What’s the outcome? The very people responsible for this are either migrating to techno (Riktam and Bansi, Beatkrush aka CPU), where they will eventually wreck things and move somewhere else again, or “re-inventing psytrance”, like Krome Angels (Dado, Dino Psaras and Shanti). Not interested in either. On the other hand, the full-on formula has been mastered perfectly: melody and clutter, the louder the better. And we end up with the newest Phantasm or Materia compilations. I can see this stuff making people go crazy, but it has no substance to it. Although I have to admit this has a very good backlash. Artists like Zen Mechanics and Tron are doing great stuff that follows the opposite principle: smooth and steady trance that doesn’t abuse melody nor buildups. That’s my humble opinion. Don’t mind if I go check the newest Zenon compilation because everything else pisses me off. You may now proceed to bashing Darkpsy.

On a similar note. I am a Nano and alchemy Alchemy kind of person. However, I am currently looking for "tasteful and moderate cheese". Melodic build-ups but without overdoing/abusing it and rather discrete basslines. Here are two examples. Scoofy- Coral (Network: Nano, 2005). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3LkuNcLJ5Y Hyperception- Shake (Release N Attack: ORB, 2007). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIVGwnS7gd4 Protoculture and Pop Stream are too corny for my taste. Any suggestions?

Safi Connection G.M.S. - possibly even more than Skazi. Sesto Sento - They simply piss me off. Nomad Polaris Dino Psaras - I seriously fail to see it, hear it, etc. To me, the most overrated name in the psytrance catalog. Needless to say what I think of Krome Angels.