Trance2MoveU

Artist: Various Title: Siesta Label: Phonokol Date: October, 2002 1. Earthling - Chill or Be Chilled 2. Water Spirits - Jah Feedback 3. Earthling - Helix 4. Spacedrifters - Reverse (Vocal Version) 5. Orion Vs. Alien Project - Cryptic Aliens 6. Earthling - Kilamanjaro 7. Earthling Vs. Alien Project - Fantasy Island 8. Etnica - Trip Tonite (Playa Mix) 9. Alien Project Vs. Astrix - Crystal Skulls (Long Version) 10. Logic Bomb - Normalised I'm gonna go on record here and say this was one of the best things Ari Linker (Alien Project) was involved with. Smooth downtempo tracks with laid back grooves. Earthling or Alien Project are on most of the tracks which are full of deep bass. Some of the beats are grimy, but they all have a floaty feeling. The samples speak of alien landings and government coverups. Unlike other downtempo comps this one ends with two upbeat numbers heavy on the psychedelia. To be honest it's kind of dark with melodies that can make you think about past decisions. The only one I didn't care for was Kilimanjaro which broke the flow of the album. Otherwise this is really good stuff. Mdk

Artist: Space Tribe Title: 2000 O.D. Label: Spirit Zone Recordings Date: 1999 01. 08'57" Out There In The Universe 02. 09'01" So Deep 03. 08'05" 2000 OD 04. 08'21" The First Trip 05. 08'07" Loopy Loo 06. 07'54" Turn Of Your Mind ... Relax ... Float Downstream 07. 08'51" Genetically Modified Human 08. 07'13" Telepathic Contact "Whether you experience heaven or hell, remember...it's your mind which created them." Well this was a lo-fi chunky affair wasn't it? While most other artists were making layered melodic goa (not in 99 I suppose) Olli was making whatever the hell this is. Metallic distorted sounds are rivaled in number only by the twisting of samples. I will give him high marks for the track evolution as there are many changes which give it some good depth. But even with the high level of psychedelia and variation I think it's missing lots of power and melody to put it on the shelf with the big boys. SOme of the tracks sounded like jumbles of noise. And he uses that guitar scrape on several tracks that makes my skull hurt. Having said that I still like digging into some of it. Even the Electric Universe Meteor sound alike title track. And that cover. Imagine swallowing a palette of watercolors and then chugging three pints before you hit the local McDonalds and wolfed down 2 Double Quarter Pounder Meals with fries. Right before you run a 5k. Boom there's your cover. Planets, a deity, crystals, and an abundance of colors. Pretty much nailed the psychedelic cliche didn't he? Missed it? Head on over to his website and you can get a wardrobe to match to cover. Yeah it'll be great....wear it to your next job interview. Mdk

Artist: Sjellos Title: Transmission Lost Label: Cryo Chamber Date: April, 2013 1. Excavation 2. Chamber of Reflections 3. Awakening 4. Flesh Spirit 5. Past Recognition 6. Broken 7. Necrobiosis 8. Life Left 9. Struggling 10. Her Dark Shadow 11. All Hope Gone Simon Heath is the head of Cryo Chamber Records and is probably best known for his dark ambient project Atrium Carceri. This is the type of music the label wants. It's in their mission statement. Sjellos is German Tibor Knopf and he constructs 11 vignettes of dark beatless ambient about a deserted freighter traveling through deep space. If you like spooky movies that make the hair on the back of your neck stand up then here is your soundtrack. It's a tale of ghosts while slow eerie sounds echo off the metallic hull with booming reverberation. There is an evil, supra natural presence here; dark and forboding. Effects usher in chilling cold as ancient relics sit beside the hum of modern machinery. Very dark and scary. The album is more a collection of sounds and effects than musical instruments. The melodies that are present are twisted and distorted to further exacerbate your fear of the dark. It's slow and best listened all the way through to get wrapped up in the horror he creates. I think he does more with less. Like all dark ambient you have to be in the mood for it. Probably need, oh I dunno, some darkness to get the full effect. Listening to this on the beach with the sun blazing is missing the point. We love to be scared don't we? And those whispers in Her Dark Shadow scared the sh*t outta me. Bandcamp Mdk

Artist: Various Title: Timecode Anestetic Label: Timecode Records Date: December, 2013 1. Rinkadink - Elements of Water 2. Deeper In Zen Vs. Mad Maxx - Rainbow Body State (Mekkanikka Mix) 3. Android Spirit - Scarface 4. Iliuchina - No Turning Back 5. D_Maniac - (Es)Cape Town 6. Orca & Shameless - Step Back 7. D_Maniac & A-Mush - Music & Fire 8. Phyx & Tryambaka - Item 9 9. Tickets - Deep Blue Ocean 10 Sick Addiction - Masked Addiction 11. Deedrah - Reload (Tickets Remix) "All I have in this world is my balls and my word and I don't break 'em for no one, you understand?" This explains a lot. I like visiting old friends. You get to see how they're doing, relive past experiences, and see what's going on in their lives in the now. Timecode is just such a friend to whom I've been listening for about a decade. This label burst onto the scene with what we now know as the South African sound. Darkly atmospheric, laden with acid and bursting at the seams with bruising power. Revolutionary psytrance that continues to be copied today. Their latest is a digital release and we see some old friends as well as some new ones. What you get is a mixed bag with equal parts fingernails on a chalkboard along with flashes of what made this label so iconic. Rinkadink combines a house gro ove with Artifakt techno t hat grew on me with repeated listens Mekkanikka continues to offer his brand of sanitized ultra shiny f ull-on, but this one wasn't bad and actually grew on me as well. Scarface of course samples the movie and is one of those flashes. No Turning Back is also a powerful standout along with the too short Deep Blue Ocean by Tickets. What was once the high school quarterback banging all the cheerleaders is now the balding middle aged guy selling insurance in the town he never left. There were some good tracks here that began to approach the label's heyday, , but they were offset by equally bad tracks that slammed that window shut. Some of the tracks were more of the commercial Nutek variety with incessant buildups and that whole increased bpm wind up thingy. The bombastic take no prisoners twilight insanity that they created is lacking on this compilation. Other labels seem to have surpassed them in delivering that night time craziness. Far from bad and being on life support, you might still want to look into some life insurance. I know a guy. Timecode Bandcamp Mdk

Artist: MFG Title: Magnetic Activity EP Label: Transient Records Date: 1996 1. Magnetic Activity (Remix) 2. Overlord (Remix) Silly black man. Plastic on couch means a bad ending for you. This is what I'm talking about. Old school goa trance that is in a continual state of flux. More ethereal than physical it is evolving, spiraling, and twisting. Overlord is I believe a typo, and should be Overload, the same track from their 1996 album The Prophecy. Both are bad ass. Mdk

Artist: Mindfield & Baraka Title: VD Massacre EP Label: Phantasm Records Date: 1999 1. VD Massacre 2. VD Massacre (ManMadeMan Remix) "According to my source the end of the world will be on February 14th in the year 2016." "Valentines Day. Bummer." Holy sh*t that's right around the corner. But other than that cool sample from Ghostbusters 2 not a lot to see here. The remix could be more annoying than the original. Like stepping in cow sh*t is worse than trodding through dog sh*t. You still f*cked up your Jordans. It's definitely louder and heavier with the samples. So it's got that going for it. Mdk

Artist: Morphem Title: Montage / Bringers of The Dawn / Loving Spirit EP Label: Tunnel Records Date: 1996 1.Montage 2. Bringers of the Dawn 3. Loving Spirit Who the hell is this guy? Short answer? Frederik Stehn. Long answer? Some guy that's pretty damn good. I was aware of his album Out of Focus, but I've never heard it. Saw the Ambrosia cover as someone's avatar, but never heard that either. After getting my first delicious taste if the Morphem sound with the Magma EP I'm eagerly searching for more. Montage has a strong goa melody and I like the little Jawa voices here and there. Bringers of the Dawn is fairly unremarkable with it's laid back almost progressive feel. Loving Spirit has some bubbling percusion and a percolating 303 that wobbles. The whole track has some bouncy appeal. While not as intense and captivating as Magma, there is some value here. Mdk

Artist: Morphem Title: Magma EP Label: Tunnel Records Date: 1996 1. Magma 2. Closed Sector 3. Nothing Left "This sector is closed to ground traffic." Man they don't make 'em like this no more. Magma (also on the Out of Focus album) is the definition of a blistering goa track. Such energy! If you can't twirl to this there is no hope for you. This must absolutely wreck a dance floor. Closed Sector is more in depth with a futuristic vibe. Nothing Left is more psytrance I suppose. Still the EP is worth searching out for Magma alone. It's volcanic! I'm sorry, that's on me. Terrible. Mdk

Artist: Various Title: The Truth of Communication Label: Matsuri Records Date: September, 1996 01. 09'59" Pleiadians : Time Dilation 02. 08'46" Astral Projection : Time Began With The Universe (Another Time Mix) 03. 09'22" Quirk : Robotised 04. 09'45" Nervasystem : Whirling Dervish 05. 08'05" Inscape : Sedom 06. 08'04" Typhoon : Overture 07. 07'03" Endora : Endorian Gravity 08. 07'37" Kailash : Higher (Original) "Let me show you something...that will make you feel young, as when the world was new." This is a classic compilation that actually earns the high prices asked for on Discogs. Beginning with an absolute classic from the Pleiadians that will give goa trance fans more wood than a lumber yard. Hmmm...that gif up there seems even more relevant now. Astral's track is also brilliant (please come back we miss you). Of course Robotised is a perfect example of why there are no stop signs on interstates. It's a total letdown after the first two melodic gems. And 9 and a half minutes? A kick to the groin would've been less jarring. Whirling Dervish has Zion604 re-release all over it and the last track is quality through and through. The only other one that they should get a mulligan on is Overture by Typhoon. Don't let the presence of MWNN and the Antidote fool you. This blah train was on autopilot from the get go. If you can find this gem do not, I repeat do not hesitate to steal it and blame it on the old lady with the oxygen tank. Mdk

Artist: Various Title: Cryptology Label: Timecode Records Date: April, 2006 01. 07’29” Hydraglyph – Mind Fuck 02. 08’46” Species – Digital Chaos 03. 06’34” Artifakt – The Idiot Song 04. 07’08” Phyx – Seventh Sword 05. 07’48” Multistate - HQ 06. 08’27” Twisted System - Razor 07. 07’47” Seroxat – Twisted Image 08. 07’20” Inner Action feat. Danger - Halloween 09. 06’45” Tickets - Babushka "What's that smell?" Oh come on! It's not that bad! One bowl of Indian curry and everyone is Mr. Clean all of a sudden. It's natural! A few of these tracks messed up a compilation that had all the makings. Take out the Digital Chaos track first. Don't know how that momentum killer made it here much less into the coveted 2nd track slot. The Seroxat one gets away from the South African goodness so with that gone we are now twice as strong. Remove the Inner Action and Babushka track (weakest Tickets track I've heard) and now we're talking. Addition by subtrak...subtracksh...f*ck it. Of course that's close to half the album so perhaps this coulda been an ep. And what a kick ass ep it would have been. Mind F*ck and The Seventh Sword are blistering. Follow that up with Razor and HQ and end with the Idiot Song. Bam, a scorching ep that might set off your smoke detector. I should work for Timecode. Psyshop Beatspace Mdk

Artist: Menog & Iliuchina Title: Dirty Passion EP Label: Spectral Records Date: May, 2013 1. Menog - Boom Festival 2. Menog & Iliuchina - Illusion of Reality 3. Iliuchina - You Drive Me Crazy 4. Menog & Iliuchina - Black Hole Not you Daniel. Get outta the way. *pimp walks up to Iliuchina* "Hello baby how you doin?" *licks finger and touches shirt and then proceeds to touch Iliuchina's shirt* "How bout you and me get outta these wet clothes and do...what we really wanna do?" *spits out tooth and wipes blood of lip* "What'd I say? Menog (Daniel Bernardo) and Iliuchina (Veronica Iliuhin Loren) team up for a powerhouse of an ep. Daniel has been holding it down since forever, but Veronica is relatively new to the scene. Underestimate her at your peril. Boom Festival certainly brings the boom along with acid wipes and futuristic laser barrages. The opening LSD sample creates the atmosphere as if I were waking up groggy from the operating table. Illusion of Reality is another eerie entry in this twilight spectacle. Maybe a little too heavy on the sample, but the significant bump of the kick and bass line will make that seem like a minor complaint at best. You Drive Me Crazy sees Veronica on her own with a high energy track (and that's different from the others how?) that once again isn't short on thump. There is no story here. It's just get the f*ck out of the way. Black Hole is blistering mayhem that isn't afraid to go into a break and wind you up again. Daniel once again shows the young bucks how to devastate a dancefloor. Iliuchina shows that she is someone to be reckoned with and capable of carrying the twilight torch. If Daniel ever decides to let go of the f*cking thing that is. Get your intensity on. Beatport Mdk

Artist: Lunar Asylum Title: Reefer Madness EP Label: Transient Records Date: October, 1996 1. Reefer Madness 2. The Crawl "That is quite the quantity of marijuana gentlemen." It's uh, for my cataracts. Yeah cataracts. "Don't you mean glaucoma?" Yeah I got that too, My country didn't always have such a puritanical attitude towards the sticky icky. Many can and do point to the hypocrisy of the government by keeping weed illegal yet alcohol which is responsible for an exponentially greater amount of deaths is readily available to any kid with a fake id. I used to smoke it and all it did for me was make me grin like a mental patient and put a whooping on a bag of funyuns! Drunk driving? Terrible problem and inexcusable. On weed? Nobody ever died in a car going 10 miles an hour. Sure it seemed like the trip took forever, but what a ride. Ever watch cartoons high? I used to wonder why that big chicken was so f*cking angry. When some people drink they immediately turn into assholes and want to fight the room. I don't even think it's possible to fight if your high on marijuana. It would be the worst slow motion video ever seen. I'm not saying make alcohol illegal (we tried that, didn't turn out so well), but why criminalize something that can help so many people? Epilepsy, MS, people suffering from Cancer...hell it even works for migraines I'm told. On top of all that you could fill your Rx at Wal Mart. It would end a lot of the violence and cripple the drug cartels all the while increasing tax revenue. Sure you'd still have to go into a Wal Mart, but here's one reason why you should. You ain't gonna find a back rack like that at Target! Think of the art community. Bob Marley smoked weed and he was the greatest reggae singer ever. Think this world could use a little more Marley? It also could have governmental applications. Stunning compromises could arise when opposite sides are chilled out. Terrorism? Hard to fire an RPG when you're smiling all the time. Besides if it's good enough for the Hobbits... So what's the f*cking problem? I realize this is more of an infomercial for weed than a review. Just had some things to say. As far as the music goes it's all right. Nothing spectacular, but I bet it would sound much better if I was high. Mdk

Artist: Various Title: Spectral Circuitry Label: Ektoplazm Date: December, 2011 01 - Xamanist - Restart (140 BPM) 02 - Magic & Witchcraft - Erotic Nightmares (139 BPM) 03 - Ekoplex - Elewa (143 BPM) 04 - ManMadeMan - Technoid Energized (142 BPM) 05 - EvsY - Headbanger’s Wall (145 BPM) 06 - Planewalker - Sine Qua Non (143 BPM) 07 - Rigel - Crying God (145 BPM) 08 - Amygdala - Wintermute (140 BPM) 09 - Sound Field - Technological Terror (Jikkenteki Remix) (138 BPM) 10 - Phobium - No Longer Current (90 BPM) "I am insane...and you're my insanity." This is the 2nd compilation released by the Ektoplazm label, the first being Organic Circuitry back in 2008. You've got your Ekto regulars as well as a few newcomers. Couple things... One, Ektoplazm does a great service for the psychedelic community in releasing tons of free, legal, quality music. I think we can all agree that the scene would surely suffer without his efforts. Second, this is a pretty interesting compilation. There are a multitude of styles which should appeal to many listeners. And I think that's it's strength and weakness. While the tracks were entertaining none of them were outstanding or particularly memorable. Personally I found the first four tracks rather unremarkable and it kind of put me off listening to this compilation. It was mentioned that the album would start with "humble beginnings", but just couldn't get into it, you know? The sound quality however is excellent as usual. Amygdala and Phobium were my favorites. That said, it's still not bad and I'm glad I gave it a listen. Free At Ektoplazm Mdk

Artist: Various Title: The Fractal Effect Label: Fractal Records Date: February, 2014 1. Braindriver - Black Candy 2. Geko Vs. Technodrome - Mathematical Models 3. Tryon - The Answer Is The Power 4. Iliuchina - Play Time 5. Alienn Vs. Zinx Vs. Wired - It's About Time 6. Karmacrop - Interplanetary Origins 7. Shuumat - Harmonic Therapy 8. Frozen Ghost Vs. Selective Hearing - Operation Thunderbolt 9. Orca - Never In A Million Years Fractal Records you confuse me. At times you have released some awesome stuff. But then on the other side of the coin I want to push you in front of traffic. This release is an example of both. The playlist looks great with some of the top names in the twilight genre, but there is the unmistakeable stench of that shiny, triplet heavy, weak full-on. I wrote this awhile ago so let's see if I can clarify. Black Candy- "Seems almost a message coming from space!" Yeah and that message is nobody likes the black licorice. No offense, but when you want some sweet candy you're not looking for some Ouzo. It's the red headed stepchild of candy. It started off sweet with some power and the dark atmosphere, but then went the commercial route. Mathematical Models- Geko and Technodrome? This has the potential to go awry very quickly. And that triplet I was talking about? Yeah it's here. Felt like I was riding a motherf*cking horse. The Answer Is The Power- "A secret fraternity..." Only the very stupid can call this man brother. The best yet, but that's not saying much. I've heard far superior stuff from you Telmo. Face it...you mailed this in. Play Time- "Play time is over." Yes, clearly as play time is supposed to be fun. Generic twilight that has been watered down like some stinky herb is an inevitability I suppose. The lead that resembles a homogenized electric guitar wins no points with me. It's About Time- Alienn or as I like to call him twilight Jesus paris up with Zinx and Wired for the heavy hitter on this compilation. Lasers and acid go together like chocolate and anything and you'll get your fill here. Pretty intense. Interplanetary Origins- Khopat + Sidhartha = a pretty good team. You get futuristic sounds and I know they're out there samples over a punishing acid shower. And that's about it. Good enough for you? Harmonic Therapy- "What's your feeling when I say drugs?" Get back on them. This track needs a serious shot in the ass. Not terrible, but you're playing with the big boys now. Kinda. Operation Thunderbolt- "All things being equal this one's my favorite." It could've been. Acid, great sample placement, and that twitter that gets the backfield in motion makes this a treat. Those leads are intense so if you've got a headache or even the beginnings of one steer clear of this. Not his best work either with too many stops and starts, but it's one of the best ones here. Picture scratching your dad's records and instead of worrying over it you say f*ck you Dad wanna share these mushrooms I just got? Never In A Million Years- Did you happen to hear Orca's latest album Redefined? And this guy talks to empty chairs. It was one of the worst efforts I've ever heard and redefined how maybe I've been too hard on dogsh*t. Luckily this predates that and is actually isn't as much of a clusterf*ck as I thought it would be. I like the juxtaposition of the old corny song with the intensity of today. Kinda like what Jay-Z did with Hard Knock Life. The acid deluge at the end helps prop up some of the weaker sections of the track like the buildups and the...well you know. Remember back in the mid 2000's when labels like Timecode, Nexus Media, and Yabai were just wrecking sh*t with their music? Twilight music that was rough and powerful with dark atmosphere. Acid aplenty and not just for acid's sake. Tracks that would lead somewhere instead of just vomiting everything they've got right onto your plate? Well this isn't that. There are spots where it's good and I imagine it would get the job done on the dance floor. But it's marred by too much polish, too much commercial shinyness that seems more concerned with fitting into today's algorithm of what the twilight sound has become. So I guess I'll say not bad, but not great. Beatport

Artist: Virtuart Title: Sacred Drop EP Label: DAT Records Date: April, 2014 1. Virtuart feat Chronomyst - Madagascar2depeut 2. Virtuart feat Chronomyst - Sacred Drop 3. Virtuart - L'Arome De La Solitude (Batur Mix) Ohhhhh....yeah that's the stuff. Let the newly remastered old school goodness cascade over you. Allow the dark energy to penetrate your insides. Open yourself wide to the... Whew. I need a cold shower. Draeke and DAT Records are back with another EP release from the days of yore. Virtuart is Oliver Abitbol and he is somewhat of an under appreciated artist. Two of the three tracks see him collaborate with Chronomyst. His name is also Oliver so I can only assume he cloned himself for double the awesome. If you've got a better explanation I'm all ears. But the chances of a country like France having two people named Oliver are really...well, they're actually pretty good. In fact I actually know someone from France named Oliver. Sh*t it must be like John over here. First let me tell you this sounds delicious so kudos to messieur Abitbol for doing the remaster. Spiraling melodies soar over angelic pads as the music cradles you through the clouds. The lead in Sacred Drop dances like something one would hear from Colorbox so maximum points there. But the best is saved for last, a storming beast of a track with a melody that seems unending. Fantastic! DAT you've done it again! Now if you'll excuse me whilst I put my pants back on. Oh btw, Draeke did you get the van yet? Those mysteries ain't gonna solve themselves. And I'm running out of pockets for these sloppy kidneys.* *read Symbiote review to get in on the joke. DAT Records Psyshop Beatspace Mdk

Artist: Brainforest Title: Remastered Label: Zion 604 Date: November, 2012 1. El Dorado 2. Story Teller 3. Spider Hands 4. Beyond Earth 5. Brain Forest 6. Impulsive Waves 7. Descender of Evil 8. Astrology 9. Goby Desert "What are we dealing with some type of new outbreak or a plague?" I wouldn't call it a plague. You make it sound so dirty and...diseasey. Fact of the matter is we are currently living through a time where everything old is new again. We've got a taste and brother we like it! Brainforest was Roy Sason with the chap from Illumination. He's solo now and this album was originally released back in 98 as Mr. Trance on Typhoon Records. Then Total Trance by...Total Trance. But don't forget about Total Trance Music released by...you know what? Seriously guys what the f*ck? This reminds me of when Stephen King puts out the same book with a different cover. Well the version I have is the brand new remastered version released by Zion 604. A label not coincidentally run by Roy. Their mantra? Keep the goa spirit alive. And like labels Anjuna and DAT Records that is just what they do. Sure this has been released three other times, but it ain't like I've ever heard. It's a mix of goa, psy, and nitzhonot and it's intense. Smashing to the accelerator to floor melodies fly fast...and...furious. Too soon? His ghost would like this. I know it would. Although maybe if he listened to something like Simon and Garfunkel he would still be alive. On second thought he'd probably kill himself. Synth riffs twist and turn in a blur of psychedelic haste. Going from bubbling to screaming and back again. It's a pretty deep release and under appreciated based on the lack of chatter on these forums. Sometimes it does those cheesy nitzho key changes, but they're brief so don't take points away for that. Spider Hands is when the sh*t begins to hit the fan. Goa with a heavy dose of electronic weirdness. But he kicks it up a notch with Brainforest as that is a storming track. Astrology is another barn burner. It really is a nice mixture of goa with a psychedelic edge. I imagine it will really appeal to those who feel goa trance these days has gotten itself into a formulaic mess. Zion604 continues to release quality stuff and I enthusiastically recommend this. Bandcamp Mdk

Artist: Various Title: Goa Trance Revolution Label: Goa Trance.com Date: May, 2013 1. Afgin - Goa Head 2. Goasia - Sundance 3. Indoor - Bom Shankar 4. Radical Distortion - Asinar 5. S.U.N. Project - Out of my brain (Old school mix) 6. Liquid Flow - Subconscious Minds 7. Laughing Skull - The Shine Side 8. Omnivox - Corona 9. Blue Planet Corporation – Alidade (Classical Mix) I can't do it. "Don't feel bad. I'd guess that the majority of 5'4" men can't dunk a basketball." What? Not that. "Then why don't you just go up to her and ask her? She might surprise you." Are you serious? Have you seen my wife? She's a piece man. No that's not it either. "Then what dude?" I...I can't, I cant... *takes deep breath* I can't pay $20 for this CD. Just can't do it. I mean...I want it. I wanna buy it. After listening to the samples it sounds great without a bad track. Melodic, powerful...hell everything you could want in a goa trance compilation. Even a remix of Alidade. But the days of paying 20 bucks for a CD are over. No matter how much I want to support the scene. Know what the irony is? "That you are a total pussy." Funny. That I have an order with Psyshop and Beatspace each totaling about $100. I just can't justify spending 20 on one disc. "Quit being a b*tch and just pay da man. Pay him! It's 20 bucks yeah, but you would just spend that on burgers and fries anyway. This way you get something you collect that will continue to bring joy." I guess you're right. All the tracks are good. It sounds great and it seems kinda silly b*tching over 20 bucks when I'm spending 200 elsewhere. Ok, I'll do it. "Cool. And I will only charge you $10 not to tell your wife you're spending $20 on a CD." F*ck you! Bandcamp Mdk

Artist: Various Title: Forensic Science Vol. 2 Label: Iono Music Date: January, 2014 1. Sad Paradise - Super Junkie 2. Skyfall - Triplet 3. Ritmo - The Way We Are (Lifeforms Remix) 4. Zyce & Aquafeel - I Am The Sunlight 5. Ace Ventura & Darma - Acidcore (Egorythmia Remix) 6. Darma - Paradigma 7. Roger Rabbit - Single Snapshot 8. Egorythmia & E-Clip - Time Travellers 9. Sonic Entity - Mental Universe "There is more to reality than meets the normal eye." I'll always have a soft spot for Iono. No, that's not it. That either, look stop touching me. Just...stay over there before I have to get human resources involved. Iono has been top dog for quite awhile in the lush melodic progressive market very rarely taking a misstep. Their music doesn't just make you want to dance...it involves you. Catches you up in a detailed vortex as effects resonate at every turn. It really is all about atmosphere with this label and in particular this compilation. When you call out the forensics team it means a terrible crime has been committed. So not really the time for light heartedness. Some of the tracks pack a heavier punch resembling psytrance more than progressive, but they all have one thing in common. The rich compositions take you from your world to their dark and intricate one. As usual it's melodic and effects heavy with the overall vibe of malice lurking in the shadows. The music breathes and crackles with futuristic energy. Zero bad tracks and an experience that is greater on a full listen through. Several other labels have challenged their supremacy recently perhaps sensing the old dog could no longer hunt. But with this outstanding release the rumors of Iono's demise have been greatly exaggerated. The names may change, but the quality remains the same. Highly recommended. Psyshop Beatspace Mdk

Artist: Various Title: The Sound Syndicate Label: 3D Vision Date: 2004 1. Synergy -The One Eye Man 2. CPU -Thinking Machines 3. Absolum vs GMS -The Therapy 4. Theoreme - Wagama 5. CP Tribe - Single Dose 6. Sesto Sento vs Gataka - Reflection 7. CosmoChaos - Danceroid 8. Safi Connection - Human Lights 9. Vibra - Extraordinaire rmx "It's like my daddy used to say...in the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king!" See ladies. Penis rules. Wow. Please take a closer look at this monster. You'll be glad you did. The first 5 tracks on this compilation are f*cking beastly. They lay a smack down that is pretty epic with a take no prisoners attitude. 10 years on it still will split your wig and is one of the best compilations from this label. The 2nd half isn't bad either, but not in the same class. It's like they ran outta steam. Still love this compilation though and just got it off of Discogs.

Artist: Various Title: Travelling Label: Visionnary Date: 1996 CD 1 01. 10'48" Rainbow Spirit Feat Sangeet : Sirius Shuttle 02. 06'40" Man With No Name : Lunar Cycle 03. 07'35" Quartermass : beyond Sunrise 04. 07'13" Etnica : Spheric Koncept 05. 06'35" Glass Walker : Celestial Body 06. 06'51" Psychonauts : Shadows of The Moon 07. 07'53" Arcana : Axiom 08. 08'03" OOOD : Silence 09. 07'20" Man : Movers And Shakers 10. 07'22" Cosmosis : Deus (Agnostic Mix) CD 2 01. 00'41" Jens Zygar : Planet Gongs 02. 03'31" Pollution Volume 3 : Industrial Waste (Rmx) 03. 04'40" Evolution : Bullet 350 04. 04'04" Lasard : Ulysses 05. 05'15" Bass Chakra : 230000 Miles (Initation Mix) 06. 06'03" Deviancy : In Too Deep 07. 06'19" Electric Universe : One Love 08. 05'28" Disco Volante : Forbidden 09. 03'46" Sheyba : Ganesh 10. 06'40" Satori : Razor 11. 02'43" Star Power : Nothing Can Save Us, London! 12. 05'30" Prana : Future Space Travellers 13. 05'51" Transwave : Cycles of Life 14. 05'10" Green Nuns Of The Revolution : Atomic Armadillo 15. 01'45" Star Sounds Orchestra : ICP (Ramamurti Mix) 16. 06'33" The Auranaut : Hear The Rich Body (Just Passing Trough) "Welcome to the wonderful world of meditation." Am I the one that has to point out that the title of the album is misspelled? "Actually if I may interject...Both spellings are accepted. Traveler is more common in the US whereas traveller is what is said in the UK." Man get the f*ck outta here! Why don't you suck my 12 cm dick you metric system mother f*cker. Wait...is that small? Ah, damnit. F*ck the whole genre is rife with misspellings. It's gotten to the point where I think it's done on purpose. God forbid you should proofread your work or actually ask somebody that speaks f*cking English. But then again, I don't think it's because the rest of the world cannot spell it's more likely that my language just likes to torture people. Like when you stare at a word and swear that it isn't right. A word like...receipt. Look at it. Something...just...doesn't... ... WHAT...THE...F*CK IS THAT P DOING THERE!!!! So...Traveling. A two CD compilation where the second disc is mixed. The first disc is fairly decent with tracks that maybe haven't been on every f*cking compilation ever produced. The mixed CD...meh personal taste really. Personally I'd rather have the whole track instead of getting pumped up over a snippet only to have f*cking Lucy pull the football away from me. "Yeah, you like that? You like that? How's it feel? Now apologize! Make with the I'm sorry! I could do this all night!!" Even though the 2nd disc is mixed I liked the tracks way better. It was just one twisted belter after another. Mdk

Artist: Ra Title: Unearthly Label: Altar Records Date: December, 2012 1. Floating Shrine of Inanna 2. Rain No Water 3. Ascend 4. Shift 5. Lifethread (Serene Mix) 6. Lightspark 7. Unearthly 8. Celestial Slice "Everything you see around you is what you create. And all you can do is experience this ascension process as it unfolds. Lived in the now." Sun Gods Christer Borge Lunde and Lars Linde are back at it with some fresh downtempo and ambient goodness. This is galaxy viewing on an Imax as a sun creeps from behind an anonymous moon. Lush pads and melodies that are part Vangelis Blade Runner and part Kitaro Silk Road float gracefully between colorful nebulae. Rain no Water is a majestic journey full of melancholy and beauty. Shift is crystal clear bouncy goa trance while Lifethread slows it down as acid rips across the cosmos. Unfortunately once past those tracks the quality of the album dips a bit. Lightspark is pretty good deep trance that maintains the galactic feel and so is the mid-tempo title track which reminds me a little of Jean Michel Jarre. They're not bad tracks, but they're also not where their strength lay. Celestial Slice has a classical vibe to my ears and is very genteel. Emotional with some great layering. All in all a great album that is worth getting where the project shows a facet of their music that perhaps will surprise some. Altar Psyshop Beatspace Mdk

Artist: sHiFt Title: Excession Label: Crystal Matrix Records Date: April, 2005 1. Stretch 2. Moonchild 3. Closer 4. Toxic Shake 5. Da Business 6. Skelm 7. Push It 8. Plug In 9. Cerebral Cortex 10. 10th day "May I direct your attention to the spot over there marked with a red X?" Why is he interested in my old high school tests? Ladies and gentlemen you are now witnesses to what scorched earth really looks like. With his second album Chris Hoy's star was on the rise as he showcased tighter and more complex production. For those that love the acidic and barely restrained chaos of the South African psytrance sound have a little hair of the dog that bit ya! It's darkly melodic with deep, rumbling basses and is carries a big chip on its shoulder. Imagine for a moment if instead of pizza Dominoes delivered punches in the face. There in 30 minutes or less or it's free! The power is undeniable and it's everything you could want in twilight music. It's Absolum Inside the Sphere insane...loud and in your face. I think perhaps the previous commenter was looking for Dostoyevsky where he would only find a good old fashioned book burning. And the acid and brutality found here will definitely take the paint off the f*cking walls. At almost a decade old this thing still slays and in my humble opinion is a benchmark in South African psytrance that doesn't give a sh*t what you think psytrance should sound like. Psyshop Beatspace Mdk

Artist: Various Title: Dead Can Dance Label: One Foot Groove Date: May, 2014 1. Iliuchina - Brain Magic 2. Biorhythm - Sunquake 3 3. Dark Nebula & Tantrum - Neophyte 4. Sub-Zero - Ego Killer 5. Zion Linguist - Bam Bam Thea (Ironstein Remix) 6. Glitch - Dirty Game 7. Tryambaka - Dead Can Dance 8. Sick Addiction - Scooby Groovy Boo 9. D_Maniac - Dragon Tribute Zombies. "Dig thru the ditches and burn thru the witches...!" Brainless Zombies Walk...Dancing Dead. Movies have taught us that zombies are mindless creatures, hungry for brains or at the very least very competent in synchronized dance. Which makes this the perfect soundtrack for dead people. Loaded with samples and embarrassing stops and starts only the brainless or those so high as to act brainless could enjoy this. It's a perfect example of an attempt at quality twilight music gone horribly wrong. Very wrong. It was tough to choke this moldy cheese down let me tell you. Like a constipated grandfather who wolfs down prune juice in search of relief there's an awful mess waiting for those who choose to swallow this. Cornball melodies and just outright boring and uninspiring music is what this compilation is all about. Every one of the artists (at least the ones I'm familiar with) have produced waaaay better stuff than this. I tried to find one redeeming quality to this sh*tshow, but only found salvation at the end of the delete key. You're dead to me! Dead!! "Dude, look at the cover...we're already dead." DEADER! Beatport Mdk

Artist: Hux Flux Title: Cryptic Crunch Label: Koyote Date: 1999 01. 09'26" Calculus 02. 08'01" Tripple Nipple 03. 08'42" Nemo 04. 08'43" Experimenting With Potions 05. 08'34" Cryptic Crunch 06. 08'47" Short Circuit 07. 08'03" Elixir 08. 08'06" Alkaloid 09. 08'31" Nervoservo And with this review Jon Coco has just demolished and undercut his rating system. That's a lot of A's Jon. A lot of A's. "...Life is but a dream." Talk about sucking all the air out of the room. This is your definition of a classic? Something you would not want to be without on a desert island. I can think of 10 albums I'd rather have than this. Sure it's outstandingly produced with some pretty damn good layers and sound manipulation, but then what? Psychedelic? Ok, I guess if you like squelchy leads and copious amounts of weird noises. There is absolutely nothing to grab hold of, just a long, winding road of electronic fiddling. And guess what? Most of the tracks sound the same with the same bass sound making repeat appearances. I kept looking at the time waiting for them to get to the f*cking point. The whole thing sounded like a bass line with effects and that's one of the reasons it's so easy to rip on darkpsy. I did like Alkaloid though as that had a fuller sound. I used to absolutely hate this, but I've come around to acknowledging it's a decent album. I can appreciate it's complex nature, but a classic? No I don't think so. "No Yeah, of course...it's great. Great." Avatar Records Mdk

Artist: Sound Strider Title: Intrepid Travels EP Label: La Briche Records Date: February, 2014 01 - The Stakes (115 BPM) 02 - Menlo Park (115 BPM) 03 - Childhoods End (115 BPM) 04 - Limit (130 BPM) 05 - Betoniere (105 BPM) Gritty beats, juicy bass, and samples aplenty is what you get here. Throw in some turntablism and the recipe for nasty in a good way is there. Sometimes the percussion is off beat on purpose which is kinda cool. I feel they do themselves a disservice though with the extended length of their tracks at this slow bpm. What's that? They're not that long? So why the f*ck did it feel like I was running through pudding? Childhood Dream sounded like a slow depressive spiral where they were just f*cking with their machines. Betoniere was random messing about to my ears. The whole thing didn't have enough variation to fill the space. It's an...interesting break from the everyday I would say... In May... On a stack of hay... If you're...gay? *phone rings* "Hello? You're with who? Ah, human resources. Yes, I understand, I'll...I'll be right up" Damn, that's the third time this week. They must really like me. Free at Ektoplazm Mdk