Trance2MoveU

It's not often that I come back to a review but listening to this compilation again I felt like chiming in. Another go round with this has convinced me that while more experimental Kartuxo is also the weakest effort from Timecode in a long time. I'm with WJ in wondering how the D_Maniac track gets on here. It drags the Timecode legacy into the mud with it's insipid commercial sound. Send that sh*t to Terror Lab Industries. No wait, f*ck that. They're violent. Send it to Nutek. I've yet to hear a good track from this artist and am starting to wonder if he has incriminating pictures of some powerful people. The first two tracks were dark and reminiscent of what you would expect. However the rest is lacking the power and the mayhem. This label has an outstanding resume, but this isn't their brightest moment. Mdk

Artist: Various Title: Night Terrors Label: Terror Lab Industries Date: February, 2012 1. Kwaailight RUBIX QUBE 2. Dark Jungle (Smashed rmx) Z3RO 3. Where Ever ORCA 4. Shinra Tensei SINFUL REACTIONS, EYETEK 5. Night Terror IRON LOTUS, ABSENSE, STEREOPANIC 6. The Trouble Maker (H1N1 rmx) PANAYOTA 7. The Forsaken TRYAMBAKA 8. Articulator (Ironstein rmx) ZINX 9. Dopeman DAMAGE 10. Awaken CRITICAL MASS 11. We have explosive LOST AND FOUND 12. Immolation (Brain Driver rmx) SHEHOOR 13. War Dialing IRONSTEIN, ZION LINGUIST 14. Crank (Karmacrop rmx) DAMAGE 15. The way of the master TWISTED SYSTEM 16. Multiverse B55 17. Head Trauma (Conscious Chaos rmx) ZION LINGUIST 18. Dopehat SUPER EVIL, EMP 19. Out of control DELIRIANT 20. Amazing Simba (Z3ro rmx) REMOVE 21. Absolute Truth ORCA, TECHNODROME "I'm in the VIP, Surrounded by groupies, Drinking up me some Patron, And they keep on telling me that I rock...and roll!" Wow, you really went there. Ok, ok... It's easy to pick on this label with its severely over the top imagery. But besides catering to the mentally disturbed and half naked vampire chicks they have actually thrown out some pretty good music. I liken it to working with Woody Allen. Sure he's embarrassing and probably a pedophile, but a butt load of people still line up to be in his sh*tty movies. And in no way am I insinuating that this Mexican label is associated with pedophilia. Last thing I need is a little Mexican justice showing up unannounced on the doorstep in the form of...let's say a package the approximate size of a hat box. So as you can tell from the disturbed individual on the cover in which the word terror appears 3 times this music firmly plants itself in the darkness. In fact the first CD is called Out of the Night. And oh boy does it come out swinging. Full power berserker mode with acid flung in all directions. Even Orca put out a bit of grooviness which means I gotta go get the shovel from the shed and dig up the daisy blanked I had dumped on him. It only took 5 tracks before Ironstein & Co. had to assault my ears with those ostentatious buildups, which for this label is a win. And the cheesy samples didn't begin until The Forsaken. No big deal. That's why God invented the skip button. The entire first disc is intense and will tire you out. By the end your mosh pit brutality will be little more than pinballing off other dancers. P*ssy. I know I should be embarrassed by listening to Dopeman. And I am. But I can also tell you that I've been singing that hook all morning. My groupies are ages 2 and 5 and they just kicked my ass in Candyland while sipping on apple juice. The second disc into the light starts with We Have Explosive...shouldn't that be explosives? Unless you just have one. Maybe they didn't let you finish...perhaps it's explosive diarrhea. In which case you go stand over there. Keep going. It's a slower track (as if they knew you needed concussion recovery time) but it still fits right in. Even though the second disc is on the lighter side it's not sleepy time. The problem is if this label isn't bringing the heat the rest comes off as rather impotent sounding stuff. Hardly worth being thrown in the cell with the anarchist on the cover. It seems like they did it this way to broaden their market share and catch those who don't like it as heavy whilst still appealing to the base. Psyshop Beatspace Mdk

Disgustingly bad call on the penalty shot. But Croatia didn't seem to have much offense anyway. Mdk

Artist: Various Title: Fahrenheit Project Part One Label: Infinium Records Date: 2001 01. 01'25" Atoi : Mystery School - Devotion (Intro) 02. 06'27" Jaia : L'Ivresse Des Profondeurs 03. 07'39" Asura : Amber Rain 04. 07'31" Toires : Lâalam 05. 07'12" Asura : They Will Come 06. 05'11" Hol Baumann : Another 07. 06'42" Solar Fields : Outlined Surfaces 08. 05'34" Chi-ad : Slide (Limited Version) 09. 07'19" Disortion Orchestra : Fire Maiden 10. 06'01" Aes Dana : Skyclad (High Frequencies Version) 11. 03'58" Mystical Sun : In The Sky 12. 07'10" Craig Padilla : Beyond Beta (Original Mix) 13. 03'58" True Frequencies : New Indigenous Religion 14. 01'14" Atoi : Mystery School - Devotion (Extract) "You will attain enlightenment." And I did. Don't I look f*cking enlightened? What a beautiful compilation. Jaia owns with L'ivresse des Profondeurs, a track that is super smooth and oozes character. Amber Rain makes good use of the slice function as Lalaam moves into more upbeat trancey territory. Get used to it cause that's where you're gonna stay for awhile. It's easy to get swept up in the break of They Will Come and Another has a militaristic terminator ascendancy of the machines feel. I absolutely loved the middle of Outlined Surfaces. So lush. After the so so dub track by Chi-A.D., Fire Maiden creeps in with something sinister. Skyclad is a mix of old world and space exploration. In the Sky has an American Indian mysticism to it and is very short. But it flows perfectly into the slow ambient of Beyond Beta. New Indigenous Religion treads lightly with gentle but eerie piano melodies over downtempo beats. Short again, but falls right into the futuristic outro. Wonderful beginning to a series that defined the downtempo compilation. Beatspace (Original I think) Psyshop Ultimae (2008 Edition) Mdk

Artist: CPU Title: Computer Error Label: 3D Vision Date: March, 2005 1. So It Begins 2. Computer Error 3. Skynet 4. Positronic 5. Third Planet 6. Deleted 7. Black Mamba 8. Last Nite 9. In The Future "Yeah, no if you want to go there...but do you really wanna get a slice of pizza where the mascot is a giant sweaty rat?" My wife took the kids to Chuck E. Cheese today. For those that are unfamiliar with this establishment, think of a video arcade with six foot tall animatronic robots, screaming kids with runny noses, and enough flashing lights to give a small town epilepsy. Kids running around clutching tokens and eagerly looking for the next machine to satiate their immediate need. Hold up...I think I just plagiarized Whitney Houston's wedding vows. My bad. Anyway it's like Vegas for people that still sh*t their pants. Yeah, I'm sorry I'm gonna miss that. Bottom line...there's only one thing to do in that situation. F*ck. Yeah. This gives me time to get acquainted with an album that I have always loved. A hi-tech jaunt down memory lane that is second in intensity only to Absolum's Inside the Sphere. It's full power with buckets of acid just raining down in a meteor shower of insanity. I can't comment on what happened to him these days, but back when he had his head screwed on straight he was making crazy tunes with raw power and none of the excrement found in his latest work. Positronic? Black Mamba? Scorching. He drags a bass line through the mud like a two-handed battle axe poised to strike. Heavy in hi-tech just the way I like it. Now let's be honest here. Listening to this all the way through is a headache waiting to happen. It's loud and noisy with some really great tracks and a few not so great ones. For example Last Night...it's a foreshadowing of the unfortunate direction his music would take. The good clearly outweighs the bad. So get this album and head on over to Chuck E. Cheese and punch some whiny brats right in the face. It'll do you some good. And bring back some sh*tty pizza! Mdk

Artist: X-Dream Title: Irritant Label: d.Drum Date: February, 2002 01. 08'25" Irritant 02. 07'45" Rewind 03. 08'00" No Process 04. 07'12" Thorazin 05. 08'35" Peters Hoover 06. 06'08" Fall Out (Dong Edit) 07. 07'31" Universal Chaos 08. 07'22" Intercorporal Stimulator 09. 05'14" Magic Moment (Rmx) 10. 04'01" All Rights Reserved Wait...X-Dream are Asian? Haha...they told us to f*ck ourselves! Want proof? Check out their post on the first page of this thread. "Nahh load of minimalist bollox really-appreciate their production but if you think this is better than the glory days of 97-99 you obviously wern't around and Im talking about Solipse and Vortex. Coming soon, and Brainforest were it, call this progression ??????????????" If that's really them then it's ingeniously funny. They did this on purpose. Had to. They knew it would be sawdust in the eyes of everyone's expectations. And if you were longing for the melodic and hypnotic goa sound of their past allow me to introduce you to a razor blade enema. This is very dark and industrial with a hard, metallic sound. More in common with tech trance than psytrance. Someone described it as very linear and that is spot on. Super repetitive sequencer left on type stuff. The thumping power is ever present with a crunchy presence and eerie synths that cannot be reasoned with. Robotic in nature it generates the fear of the machines taking over. Think of the harsh reality of the Matrix rather than the soft yet still sinister intentions of Blade Runner. Old school goa fans may be disappointed because this doesn't even sound like the same guys. It has a certain film noir appeal though because amidst the monotonous pounding are subtle cues that help bring out their story. Personally I liked the second half of the album more than the first. If you're in the right mood this could work, but leave your expectations at the door. Mdk

Artist: Various Title: Egorythmia - Remixes 2011 Label: Iono Music Date: October, 2011 1. Beyond Gravity (Aquafeel Remix) 2. We Can Fly (Hi-Profile Remix) 3. Night Sight (Flegma & Nerso Remix) 4. Eternal (Prisma Remix) 5. Eternal (Gaudium Remix) 6. Eternal (Optiloop Remix) 7. Eternal (Pop Tart Remix) This release is a perfect example of things going wrong quickly. Imagine you're a plane manufacturer and need raw materials to build your plane. Instead of using the trusted partner you've been in business with for years you decide to save a few bucks and go with the kids in the Thailand sweat shop to make the rivets and bolts and sh*t. They finish on time, under budget, and your plane looks shiny and new. Things are looking great and you appear to be the toast of the board of directors of your grandfather's company. But then your plane begins to have engine trouble. Seems to always be in need of repair. But hey man, you've got deadlines and stock holders can't make any dough with the bird in the shop. So against the advice of your head mechanic you schedule it for a flight. And what do you know George Clooney and his entourage has booked your plane. That's...unusual. But whatever. And just as you're settling in for a good nights sleep after a Tony Montana coke binge you get word that your lovely Thai manufactured plane has crashed. No survivors. That's right everyone dead including the most famous bachelor penis on the planet. There's an inquiry of course into what went wrong (as well as the obligatory in remembrance tribute to mister Clooney running night and day on the cable networks) and the relatives of your victims are lined up outside company headquarters screaming for your head and waving litigation angrily in their hands. But you have lawyers and spokespeople to insulate you from that crap. But a few months later the report comes back. Funny thing...apparently the 9 and 10 year olds that put the eyelets on Michael Jordan's shoes aren't really qualified to manufacture parts of an airplane. When it comes out how much money you saved the company (it ain't that much) and the ridiculously huge bonus you got well, now people are really angry. Media coverage is not stop and you are the lead story for all the talking heads on TV. You're painted as more of a villain than Donald Sterling and all he did was say racist nonsense in the hopes to bang a ho. You deprived young girls of Clooney cock. Eventually the harassment becomes too much and after the company's stock tanks accountants have to shell out multiple millions in lawsuits you receive a letter informing you that your services are no longer required. Things are looking bleak. The final straw is a video that is leaked by a bitter employee from the mail room that shows you blasting underage Thai girls and boys with your man seed. Yep, that's when Frosted Flakes just won't cut it so you step up your game and now it's bullets for breakfast. And that's what I thought about this release. I know, I'm either a genius or incredibly insane. The compilation begins beautifully with a stunning Aquafell remix in the Iono vein of melodic progressive trance. Then it begins to falter a bit with a couple of tracks that are not as lush and lacking depth. And then for some inexplicable reason it ends with 4 remixes of the same track. Did you just have an "aw f*ck it" moment? Even the promo guy just said f*ck it. And I quote... "With his extremely popular project Egorythmia, Boban Laszovski from the Republic Macedonia..." And that's it? It's not a f*cking novel with a cliffhanger, finish your sentence. They're great remixes on their own even if they sound very similar and I liked this release a lot, but I'm sure Mr. Egorythmia has more than a few tracks that could've been chosen. It's just not sinking in with you people. A remix album is supposed to sound different from the original work and definitely different from the other remixes. I'd rather listen to a weaker album with unique characteristics than a carbon copy with different track names. Stop churning out the same color by numbers bullsh*t, it bores me. Make me sit up and say, "Holy sh*t I didn't see that coming! Wow, that was awesome!" Instead it's the same bowl of cereal with 2% milk. And a gun. Psyshop Mdk

Artist: Various Title: Trance Experience - The Second Coming Label: Discobole Records Date: 1997 1 Sheyba -Trance Africa Express (9:07) 2 Millenium - Skywalk (9:03) 3 Elysium - Trancelestial Psychobabas (9:11) 4 Psychonauts - Cosmonaut (6:34) 5 Orion - Liquid (8:36) 6 State Of Trance - Alien Prophecy (8:18) 7 Dimension 5 - Purple Om (8:01) 8 Growling Mad Scientists - Commental (10:00) Much better than the first one! Which is crazy cause sequels usually get people fired. Exhibit A...Caddyshack 2. Not here though with strong efforts up and down the track list. Someone mentioned a tribal slant and I fully agree with that statement. Also the tracks aren't stagnant or locked into a pre-determined spiral. Lots of evolution to keep things freshy fresh. Sure GMS had too much guitar cheese for me, but tracks like Liquid, Cosmonaut, and Alien Prophesy really put their psychedelic imprint on things. Mdk

Artist: Various Title: Transient Six - Theory of Evolution Label: Transient Date: 1998 01. 07'49" Psychaos : Chaos To Order 02. 07'12" Lumen : Flooob 03. 09'12" Tim Schuldt : Mummy Machine 04. 06'35" Process And Slide : Creepy Crawly 05. 07'22" Spies : Ceremoniak 06. 07'04" Radiation : Barbequed Mind 07. 06'51" Tristan And Manmademan : Julz 08. 09'09" EON : Megabyte 09. 07'42" Coma : Eight Hole What really happened to Steve Jobs. "At this moment...you should be with us. Feeling like we do." Sinister, futuristic goa trance that has its feet planted in the ground with deep, dark techno roots. This is growing up with androids as part of your everyday life and then one day they decide to turn on you. A discernible shift away from melodic goa can be heard, but fear not...it's not totally abandoned. There are distorted leads and a heavy science fiction presence with tracks that you don't hear very often. Hell I've never heard of most of these tracks. Details solidify the atmosphere and make this true psychedelic goa. Couple this with the Kiss The Future compilation and you've got quite the potent punch. Mdk

Artist: Various Title: 71 Degrees North Label: DVSM Records Date: May, 2014 1. Phobium - Calyx 2. Bloomen - Echodroplets 3. Time For Slime - Apparater 4. Zoon - Dreamer 5. Scope - ElecTroll 6. Silent Horror - Itami 7. Terratech - Crystal Cascade 8. Paranoiac - Peace From Other Space (Part II) 9. Sundance Kid - Tesla 10. Yggdrasil - Ratatosk 11. Phobium - Bulb "Today we talked about turning your daydreams into reality. Tonight I want each one of you to go home and do just that!" c'mon, c'mon, c'mon.... 71 degrees north? The parallel? Like the Arctic and sh*t? Sounds desolate. I can already hear the f bombs an alien would drop if that's where he crash landed. "Mother...f*cker! Why the f*ck did you drop us here? There's nothing! Zero! F*cking nobody! I swear if you weren't my sister's kid I would've vaporized you!" If aliens were so advanced they'd stop landing in the middle of nowhere and start prepping for splashdown in Bermuda. Let's see what countries inhabit that area...Norway, Canada, USA (Alaska of course why wouldn't is be?) Greenland (ain't no green there) and Russia. What could these countries possibly have in common? That's once you get into the parking garage. I mean really? This is a place where hard on's go to die and shrinkage is a perpetual state. A place that is denied the sun for 3 months straight, cut off from the outside world due to storms like arctic hurricanes. I mean what the f*ck those two words aren't even supposed to go together! But just when you'd think that all is lost and the vampires would rule the eternal darkness, the sun comes back and the people celebrate with hot chocolate. DVSM is back with their latest compilation and what a varied effort it is. You've got everything in here. Darkpsy, forest, ambient...and the artwork is a perfect partner to the music inside. Calyx- Cold and vast the tundra sprawls before me. I force myself to move a little faster as the sun slowly attempts to reach the horizon. Superbly descriptive opener. As I begin to hunker down for the night I notice a penguin remains close. Echodroplets- This track sounds like the artists name. Cool slow downs and synths that are in kind of goa motion. Apparater- Time for slime? Don't mind if I do. Over 13 minutes of delicious forest psychedelia. Not in a dark way either. Outstandingly done with sounds that tumble over each other as if they where water molecules in slow motion. Dreamer- Very BOTFB hallucinogenic goa trance. Scando-goa if you will. And that's all right by me. Pretty intense and dripping like a Salvador Dali painting. Dali-goa I guess. Electroll- This is what happens when you don't make it back to base camp before sundown. Stuck in a thick forest with only the northern lights for illumination. Every sound makes me jump as the sound of tortured souls break the silence. Well layered bubbly stuff of horror movies. I can't find my penguin friend at all. Itami- I just need a window in, something to make the darkpsy more accessible and the lush detail here provides it. Echoing tones and eerie melodies make this my absolute favorite track from Mr. Shah. It's otherworldly and bursting at the seams with effects. Crystal Cascade- Another rapid and pummeling darkpsy track where tones sound like tumbling crystals as the bass rumbles and hammers away at your sanity. This is darkness incarnate. The wind is still blowing and you begin to question your decision to outlast the arctic hurricane. Those two words together are still frightening. Peace From Other Space (Part II)- After the last track has flayed the sinew from your body the aliens with a poor sense of direction arrive and well, I guess it's time for the probing. This is not as mind numbing with a little more melody work. Harsh sounds of machinery screech above the deep bass and yeah that big pointy thing is about to enter your business end. But it's definitely on the lighter side. Tesla- We are in the much softer portion of the album with glacial pads. I survived the hurricane and looking forward to the hot chocolate. Light and airy, but ultimately not that interesting to me. Tatatosk- Dubby beats to let you drift away. Staring at the horizon sipping my hot chocolate I can't help but wonder if my penguin friend made it out ok. Bulb- A wary closing bit of ambient reminding you to not underestimate nature's power and the 71st parallel. I'm not a darkpsy guy, but I appreciate the talent and skill it takes to put the mass of sounds and detail together into a cohesive structure. And this was some of the most enjoyable dark stuff I've listened to. The Phobium tracks are also some of his best work for me; as lush and moving as I've heard from him. The flow of the album really stands out and it's very fluid. Even though I may not have liked every track,without being partially mixed this was smooth. As I mentioned you get a little bit of everything and it's the closest you can come to being in this fascinating ecosystem without strapping on the cold weather gear and snowshoes. Well done guys, it's not perfect, but I believe this to be your best release yet. Hey what's that? *sees penguin with one wing tucked into Kate Upton's bikini bottom* You sonofa... DVSM Bandcamp Mdk

Artist: Alienn Title: Follow Your Bliss Label: Mechanik Records Date: January, 2014 1. Follow Your Bliss 2. Everything Is Energy What he said. I'm talking to you mister! This is so far beneath you. Did you get tired of seeing your friends party with all the hot chicks that commercial brainless music provides? Did you make a deal with the devil? Madonna did that and it ain't workin' out so well for her. "Like a virgin..." Is this what you want? Tiresome buildups and all those f*cking stops and starts? What's that? Oh, all your friends are doing it. If your friends jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge does that mean you'd do it too? This is subpar pablum and hopefully just a phase you're going through. Prom Queen? Prom Queen of the damned maybe. Are you on drugs? Look at me when I'm talking to you! Are you doing the crack! Or the tweeds? No? WELL GET THE F*CK BACK ON THEM SO YOU CAN MAKE SOMETHING CREATIVE! I sincerely hope we don't have to have this conversation again. No get up to your room and make something productive. Beatport Mdk

Artist: Carbon Title: Dream EP Label: UAF Date: February, 2014 01 - Shangri-La (142 BPM) 02 - Bergamot (143 BPM) 03 - Jupiter (Green Elf Mix) (149 BPM) 04 - Dream (100 BPM) Longtime Psynews memberand festival leggings wearer Imba is back with a release on his Underground Alien Factory label. Carbon is from Slovakia (a psytrance/goa artist from the Balkans? Stop me if you've heard that one.) and he delivers something pretty nice. Shangri La has lots of evolution with some bubbling and intense fury. The layers are nice and this sounds very raw. Bergamot is old school gritty with popping 303 sounds. Another track that makes a sharp directional turn. Well put together. Jupiter was very spacey, but not my favorite. He closes things out with the downtempo Dream. Homie put a bluesy saxaphone in there! Not afraid to travel the untrod path I see. I think I like the variation and changes in direction the most. The tracks are fast and bring the power with very nice layering. Free at Ektoplazm Mdk

Artist: Orichalcum & The Deviant Title: Orichalcum & The Deviant Label: TIP Records Date: March, 1997 01. Wicked Mille 02. 3 FM 03. Mururoa My Love (10 Million Dead Fish Mix) 04. STC 05. The Curse Of Uqbhar (Nasty Mix) 06. Where Are You? 07. Alien Homes 08. Dawn Of Epsilon Hmmm...a release such as this deserves a proper thinking hat. Lessee...where's that hat? *sits on knees and rifles through boxes in the closet.* iPhone...check. Starbucks...check. Stupid hat that you know is f*cking stupid, but think you can get away with it because you may be famous (I don't know who you are)...check. Douchebag transformation complete! "No, no,no man. It doesn't make you look gay." *looks away* "Your pouty face and unshaven chest do." Bingo. To be a dick you must think like a dick. Or, 14 dicks. You just counted them didn't you? Ah there it is! Yep to properly review this album I needed some old school haberdashery. A hat say like the kind you would wear to a Zion604 or Anjuna event. Although this was made in 97 it's not like the stuff you're used to from that year. Nosir, this is like two lesbian strippers with dildos showing up to Princess Kate's baby shower as...the entertainment. "I had a strange wang right in my palm." Bonus points if you recognize that movie reference. Chunky and sometimes abrasive this can be a tough nut to crack. It's not the easiest goa trance to get into unless you're of the need something really different mindset. Loud? Sometimes. But always different. Alien Homes is a distorted goa track in the Artifakt mode. The tracks are long so sometimes with the lack of evolution it can get tedious. I believe the latter half of the album to be superior, but it maintains its dark vibe throughout. Interesting, but far from a classic. Mdk

Must...commence...kickstarter campaign to finance trip...from...USA. Mdk

10 years with Channing Tatum. Well there it is...in print on the internet. My shame now lasts forever. Mdk

Artist: Morphem Title: Out of Focus Label: Tunnel Records Date: 1996 01. Montage 02. Nothing Left 03. My Plan 04. Love Is An Ocean 05. Something Liquid 06. Magma 07. How Can U Be So Sure 08. Brigers Of The Dawn 09. Closed Sector "My plan is to stay here until I die." Where are you, DMV? I don't think this album is underrated, but rather sits where it should in the greats of goa conversation. First off it is crystal clear with different moods. Dark, floaty, powerful...it has all of that. It's a good album with a couple very strong tracks that range from blasters to downtempo moody goa. Sometimes however I believe it to be a little sparse in places, requiring a little more depth. It's close to being great, but just needing to take that next step. While not IFO or Live in Athens 1996 it's still good in its own right. Mdk

Artist: Various Title: Limitless Label: Koyote Records Date: 1997 1. Menis - Fluff Killer 2. Virtuart - Time Cruncher 3. Encens - Venus Zen 4. Semsis - Mind Games 5. Miranda - Timeless Worlds of Space 6. Xenomorph - Nevrotoxin 7. Underhead - Unify Feeling 8. Miranda - Concorde (Transportation Mix) 9. Encens - Spirit It Transgression 10. Ominus - Sunimo Signs of the coming apocalypse couldn't be any clearer. Of course you have your plagues, famines, and earthquakes. Those are easy to see. I mean they were written down. It's in print. But I invite you to dig a little deeper. Clearly 8 full seasons of Full House angered the powers that be. Ugh. Normally I wouldn't want to punch a toddler because they sh*t their pants and that's enough punishment, but... I believe Snoop's introduction of izzle to our lexicon and every white pre-teen's adoption of it thereafter is cause for concern. *Thumbs thru bible* Where's that in the back somewhere? The Hilton-Kardashian-Lohan triumvirate, also known as the 3 stooges principle has wreaked more than its fair share of havoc on our innocent planet. By the way can we all agree that the video camera has become the lighted movie theater floor to our downfall? Now that it is readily available mothers of three and sleeveless git-r-done hillbilly's are unleashing torrents of sex tapes in hopes of becoming the next trio of idiocy. Sorry Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama...didn't mean to rain on your GDP. But most importantly it's how this compilation never got reviewed. It's comprised of some of the biggest names in the goa trance genre with blistering tracks laden with acid and melody. 303 sounds are the rule here and it is old school all the way. Every track is stellar with absolutely zero filler. Is it because these tracks are readily available on other compilations? I will concede that it is not essential for that reason, but to not have it's rightful place on the review board is unacceptable. So if the world is gonna end and I still have electricity in my bunker underground, this one is coming with me. Mdk

Artist: Various Title: The Encroachment Label: Timecode Records Date: November, 2003 1. Artifakt - Drugged and Base 2. Phyx - Cro-Magnon 3. Stralia - Airlock 4. Shift Vs. The Slug - Apocalypse Cow 5. Twisted System - Vile Substance 6. Rabdom L - The Decoy 7. Tickets - Terminal Personalities 8. Rastaliens - Troll 9. Ghreg On Earth - Output Device "Fantasies...have to be unrealistic. Because the moment, the second that you get what you seek...you don't, you can't want it anymore." This one. This was the one that saw Timecode begin to emerge from solely being just a label of screeching leads and dark overtones to something that forced people to take notice. Their sound was blossoming, becoming more substantial. The melodies began to appear and they were far from cheesy. The big beat and deep throbbing bass line remained as they found their calling. A new subgenre of psytrance began to scream from the dark and this label perfected it. From the classic Apocalypse Cow and impending explosion of Vile Substance Timecode became a force to be reckoned with. They weren't at the pinnacle of their success yet...but it was coming. Timecode Bandcamp Mdk

Artist: Various Title: Future Cuts Label: Timecode Date: October, 2007 1. Twisted System - Psychopath 2. Concept & Scorb - Dissident Factions 3. Phyx - Kansas City Shuffle 4. Multistate - HQ Part 2 5. Mantis - Blood Red 6. Xatrik Vs. Kid X - Wild Card 7. Lost & Found - ScannerV2.0 8. Outer Signal Vs. B-55 - Unstoppable 9. Hydraglyph - Cigarettes & Silver Bullets (Multistate Remix) 10. Artifakt - The Pole To say that Timecode was the king of South African psytrance during the last decade is like taking swim lessons in Mississippi. 26 people drowned last year which is down from 45 the year before the sign was posted. Timecode delivered the whole package with dark melodies and booming power. But it was more than the king. King doesn't adequately describe them here. Let's see... Ah, got it. Timecode was like the Godzilla of South African psytrance. Brutal force and acidic fire he doesn't care about your city your house whatever this thing is and well... Your car is a bucket anyway. It's one of their best and captures the label at the height of their game. I highly recommend it. Timecode Bandcamp Mdk

Artist: Hardfloor Title: The Art of Acid Label: Hardfloor.de Date: April, 2014 1. Tweakend 2. Necessary Roughness 3. The Art of Acid 4. Dark Shadow 5. Rwndrb 6. P.E.L.F. 7. Analogue Bubbletea 8. Bubble & Sqeak 9. Swag My Glitch Up 10. TB Continued I like art That sh*t's funny. Whether it's sculpture, painting, musical, Or whatever the f*ck this is, it will always be subjective. Some will love it and some are gonna despise it. Having discovered Solar Quest and their album Acidophilez I've been digging some acid trance. Goa fans will no doubt be drawn to the use of the 303. I sure was. Hadrfloor is a German duo that seem to be the gods of the genre. My lord knoweth how to get down! Their style is a heaping helping of 303's followed up by more 303's in repetitive phrases that can be funky as hell. Each track delivers bouncy beats along with that hallowed sound that can go from bubbly to dangerously acidic. This is their latest album and tracks like Necessary Roughness will get you all twisted up like a pretzel. The break beat on Rwndrb and Analogue Bubbletea are so head noddingly delicious I never wanted them to end. Bubble and Squeak is so wobbly Thailand better put up new tsunami warnings. Look it's not rocket science. Percussion and a bass synthesizer. Well, maybe six of them. With such a limited sound palette you'd think it would get old very quickly, but no. Either they come out with guns a blazing or they build up that tension until you're caught up in the euphoria. By that time it's too late. They got you bro. The beats are designed to shake what yo momma gave you and each track is meant to be blasted at a party. They must be armpit deep in slutty groupie tail. Magnificent bastards. Got a few lb's to lose? Know some hot chicks? Make a run to the liquor store and let's get this party started. Bad. Ass. Beatport Mdk

Artist: 2Minds Title: Wave Shell Label: Geomagnetic.TV Date: October, 2013 1. Vintage 2. Blue Magic 3. Mission to Mars 4. Goa Land 5. Wave Shell 6. Hindu 7. Deep and Warm 8. Viber 9. Eclipse 10. Blood Connection 11. Evil Echo 12. Ethnic Demonstration 13. Half Moon 14. Magic Carpet 15. The Last Travel I try not to make assumptions or jump to conclusions. I said I try. But I think we can all agree sometimes you're just stupid. In that vein I suppose I owe this project an apology. Two Israeli brothers making psytrance? Stop me if you've heard that one before. Paid them zero attention. Why do I wanna waste my time with cheesy full on? That horse has been beaten to death. I haven't been this wrong since, well... F*ck I just turned my kids room into a gay disco! And it's still too damn hot in here! Now I haven't heard the first album from these guys, but their second one is something you should be paying more attention to. It was a gift from the label Zion604 when I ordered their latest release. No cover, no case, just the music burned to a disc. Normally that would find itself buried amidst all the other music that I would probably never get around to. But something told me to give it a go. Good call. The first disc is psytrance oriented with midtempo rhythms and an eye for detail. Changes of direction are abundant as are the hopscotching of between genres. And I believe that to be their strength. The similarities to old Infected Mushroom are many and while none of these tracks are blasters they are fun to dive into with lots of evolution. Their brand of psytrance is nothing special (aside from a few tracks the first disc is rather weak), but throw in their penchant for variety and things get more interesting. Disc two is the prize for me, full of downtempo grooves that combine vastly varied rhythms in a detailed menagerie of sounds. The layers are thick with slow, cinematic thumping beats that don't flirt with goa, but engage in a full blown dry humping session on the new family couch. You're doing it wrong. Hump first then eat. Thick with changes in direction , it's like getting lost in a maze where treasure is around every corner. The who shebang is produced very well with all sounds being crystal clear. They seem to love long tracks and while that can be involving sometimes it feels as if they're lost in the woods and every tree looks the same. "No you go on ahead. I'm gonna...take a look at...something." *sound of fly unzipping* So the psytrance yeah it's all right, but the downtempo disc is really good. Thanks for the gift! Psyshop Beatspace Mdk

Artist: Acidlab Title: 303 Label: Adodisc Date: 1998 1. Aelectric 2. Jelly Babes (101) 3. Sonic Juice 4. Ugly 5. Jelly Babes 6. Loco 7. Happily Damaged 8. Champagne 9. Neuroanarchy Who the hell paid $50 for this on Discogs. Who was it? Stand up for your public shaming. And on to my next question...What's the record for the fastest listen then delete ratio? I think I am the world record holder now thanks to this mess. From the guys who brought you the underwhelming Cwithe project comes another entry in the disappointment hall of fame. How you gonna call yourself Acidlab and title your one and only album 303...and then sh*t all over the rug and try and blame the dog? Where's the f*cking acid Waldo? Where's the power? Where's anything that makes someone want to hear this again? Maybe the 303 itself decided not to appear on this generic bore fest. A protest if you will. Joseph wrote a good take on this album on Discogs and it's a lot nicer than I was. Mdk

Can we see the artwork yet? I need to add it to my ever growing list of you taking my money. Mdk

Artist: Various Title: Close Encounters - Psychedelic Trance From Worlds Unknown Label: Hypnotic Date: 1997 "Tell me something my friend. Ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?" Oh Hypnotic. Only you could make a 2 CD compilation of two artists. Sure there are multiple artist names, but it's still just two guys. Martin Nielsen and Michael Kjeldgaard. Apologies Martin I've never heard of you. But Michael...ah, Psygone by any other name is still Psygone. This is a compilation with acid trance, techno, dream trance...basically Hypnotic took all the sh*t in their pantry and made a f*cking casserole. And let me tell you there's a lot of generic sh*t (most of it from Martin) to be found here as if they got their hands on a Roland MC-505 and recorded the preset sounds and patterns. Believe me when I say my finger was constantly hovering like a Japanese tiger mom over the skip button as a lot of this is really terrible. Even Michael recycles sounds on his tracks, but by Hans Christian Andersen he still shows why he's Psygone. That snap crackle pop of his 303 is the real deal on tracks like Tasmania and Stripped. But if you're looking for Optimystique then get your sad face on because you will be disappointed. Even the goa nature is tempered by house or dream trance. Flow? You better take that cohesive idea somewhere else. But for those of us on the hunt for the elusive white whale of storming goa that hasn't been fished out of the ocean of mediocrity this is a boot at the end of your fishing line. Mdk

Artist: Lost Buddha Title: Untold Stories Label: Phototropic Records Date: March, 2011 1. Transfiguration (Anti-Gravity mix) 2. Lost in a crystal sphere 3. Psyramid (Live mix) 4. Tabernacle 5. When the universe was created 6. Southern Oracle 7. Ataraxia 8. Lost in paradise 9. Mysteries of the women "If you want a job done right I have to do it..." All right, f*ck it I'll do it... Lost Buddha is Filipe Santos as well as a truckload of other aliases. Some would add asshole. Perhaps crazy motherf*cker. But I'll throw another one at you. Genius. F*cking genius. Yep, he's alienated a boatload of people with his destructive attitude and erratic behavior., but he also made some of the best goa and acid trance around. It seemed like it was effortless for him. And you wanna talk prolific? He was everywhere. And he gave away the vast majority of his work. Just gave it to us. Like this release. Well the first iteration of this collection of tunes released as 320 mp3's on Metaphysic Records back in 2007. The one I'm reviewing is the most recent in which you had to throw down some coin. The one where only the first three tracks hadn't been released. Concerning Filipe, I don't know if he was on drugs, an alcoholic, or just a raging douche pickle. I had nothing to do with him so his actions never affected me in the slightest. People that knew him and worked with him will probably tell a different story. If they want to speak of him at all. There is no excuse for being a dick or acting hurtful and if he did that (pretty sure he did) then he deserves his pariah status. You cannot rub everyone the wrong way especially when they are trying to help you. But in the end every artist will ultimately be judged by his work and when it comes down to the music the guy was just brilliant. Layers upon layers with a powerful boost. His compositions were forever evolving and imminently danceable. His sound was full of lush atmospheres that seemed to always be in attack mode. This entire album while not the most varied goa trance is straight ahead spectacular. This comes with my highest recommendations. Beethoven was beaten and exploited by his father which led him to self medicate with drugs and alcohol. Famous playwright Tennessee Williams who wrote A Streetcar Named Desire and the Glass Menagerie was also an alcoholic and a drug user who just happened to have a sister with schizophrenia that underwent a lobotomy. Hemingway was another raging alcoholic depressive who committed suicide. Like his father. And sister. And brother. And granddaughter. Now I'm not equating what Filipe did in our little corner of the world with the colossal achievements of these gentlemen, but sometimes it is the demons, the mental illness with which the person does battle that can foster those periods of creativity. I hope Filipe was just young and immature and hadn't figured out how the world worked. But if he does have a mental illness let's hope he gets the help he needs so as to not follow the path of these unfortunate gentlemen. I don't know you enough to miss you Filipe. But I certainly miss your music. Psyshop Beatspace Mdk