Trance2MoveU

Artist: Various Title: Hocus Pocus Label: Mimoza Records Date: 1999 1. Goldenfingers - Let's Go Beitar 2. Goldfingers Vs. Kintaro - Tamegol 3. Kintaro - Chance To Trance 4. D-Zager - Burekas II 5. Kintaro Vs. Goldfingers - Yello Up 6. D-Zager - Vodka 7. Paranoize - x-Plode (Remix 99) 8. D-Zager - Aleira Sky My mother was Jewish and while I was raised Catholic I enjoyed some of the Jewish culture. Ok food. Ok let me stop right there. The only thing that could be considered Jewish about me is my love for bagels and let's be honest that ain't gonna get me into Heaven. Hardly a pillar of the Hebrew faith, you knew it was going mainstream when Food Lion was selling bagel six packs. In the South. But what other food could you enjoy that could be considered Jewish? Ever had matzos? Might as well eat the box it came in. Yuck. Lox? It's fish that is put on bagels, but fish for breakfast? No thanks. So with that weak minded spirit I decided to listen to a nitzhonot compilation and see if I could get into it. Ummm...no. Too much. Too frenetic. I think nitzhonot is an acquired taste (like Lox) and with all the Hebrew being spoken on this disc I felt like an outsider. Ok not that bad, but you get the point. All I could think of was a bunch of fist pumping rich trust fund kids at an all night rave in Brooklyn. But by Passover they had their yarmulkes and side burns and resumed their place at the wailing wall. Mdk

I'm not the guy that's going to sh*t all over the early work of such an important artist in goa trance. Not gonna be me. But this does sound dated in the year 2013. Sounds thin...like it needs more ingredients. But what they did was stick to a futuristic alien theme that is palpable. There are a few great tracks to be found here. Por ejemplo...Buddha Compation is a good old fashioned 303 beat down that screams the whole way through. 7eme has a dark eerieness in it that made me feel like I was lost in a foreign land. Lokayatikas is the star with that instantly recognizable section in the middle and the title track is also worth mentioning. Not their best output, but this project had yet to hit their stride. Mdk

Artist: Various Title: Singularity Label: Flying Rhino Date: 1998 Track listing: 01. Sheyba : Ancient Lands 02. Slinky Wizard : Lunar Juice (Original) 03. Technossomy : Pyramid 04. Slinky Wizard : Slick Witch (Slink Rmx) 05. Unconscious Collective : Fluorostani Transcendance 06. Darshan : Accelerator 07. Green Nuns Of The Revolution : Ring Of Fire (Eat Static Rmx) 08. Process : Internal Horizon Rhino's should not be encouraged to fly. "I wash myself with a rag on a stick." But since I control nothing but my kids (how long's that gonna last) this rhino is going to fly. Goa trance compilations in 1998 started exploring new directions leaving behind the stacks of melodies for a more...psychedelic approach. Flying Rhino being one of those labels that led the charge. See what I did there? Rhino...charge...these are the jokes people. Ancient Lands- "I wish I could hand out world peace and unconditional love." Jean Borelli and the irritable Kristian Thinning make up the underrated project Sheyba with what I like to call the wolf track. Tribally goa at it's core it slinks in the shadows with native chants and doesn't get too melodic or fast. Like it? Yeah I do. But I have to be in the mood for it. Clocking in at almost 12 minutes is a f*cking investment. Lunar Juice (Original Version)- "Hang on boys it's all downhill from here!" I love juice! Bad OJ! Bad! Murder is not funny. The wizards are back at it with a clunky effort that let's be honest...not their greatest achievement. Still good though. And that lead synth...a throaty growl to be sure. Ever hear the Hallucinogen Moon Strudel mix? That's better. Seems Simon might've been holding back the good stuff from his boys. Pyramid- Yeah this track has been on a few compilations eh? But there's a reason for it. Now that's juicy! Hear those leads? It bounces and echoes through space as the liquid layers blend into each other. It doesn't have stacks of melodies, but it has a constant flow that doesn't let you get off the train. Calm down, calm down there will be another Starbucks in 2 minutes. Place is rotten with 'em. Slick Witch (Slink Remix)- What is it with these guys and that lead that gets you right in the throat? Lots of percussive diddlings and it's not your normal goa trance. Experimental and very techno heavy to my ears. Liked it, but not as the original I heard on Aliens Disco. Fluorostani Transcendance- This was on Aliens Disco as well. Hey Oood...don't think I don't see you. And I really have to be in the mood for this one but what mood that is I don't know. There are leads that go right through me like nails on a chalkboard and then there are parts I really like. Accelerator- Ok we've really left the goa reservation since Pyramid. This is just effects and noise with a psytrance undercurrent. Did.Not.Like. Hit the accelerator to...naked, oddly hairless Asian speed! Ring of Fire (Eat Static Remix)- "Prepare to hurtle through the cosmos!" I never could understand what the big deal was about Eat Static. But you know why I like this? Cause it sounds absolutely nothing like the original. Nothing. Their breakbeat and clanging lead sound good together. And I guess sometimes you need a little techno. Internal Horizon- We get back to the goa here, but it's still the dark experimental type of goa. Meh. I wouldn't buy this. Not my type of goa and with a few tracks it just descends into noise to my ears. But if you think 1998 had this sh*t on lock wait until you get a load of some of the stuff from 1999. Mdk

Artist: Various Title: Cellar Door Remixes Label: NeoGoa Date: February, 2013 1. Cellar Door (Sunbeam Genesis Remix) 2. Cellar Door (Whirlin Merlin Remix) 3. Cellar Door (Imba Remix) 4. Cellar Door II "Do you know anything about time travel?" Um no, but I do know that people love the idea of remixes. Sure they may not all be improvements or even sound different than the original (my personal pet peeve), but the possibility of endless possibilities is very alluring. Who is going to take a great track and do something totally different and make people sit up and take notice? Take it in a unique direction that gets the posthumous thumbs up from senor Ebert. Cellar Door by PharaOm certainly appealed to a lot of people when it first appeared on the Dimensional Gateway compilation. Since then there has been the Nova Fractal Mix, the Nova Fractal Sun thingy mix, and I think Britney and Gaga did one also. So a lot of noise about a track has led Neogoa to invite artists to submit their remixes in hopes of appearing on this EP. There will be no money involved, but on their deathbed they will receive total consciousness. So they got that going for them. I'm glad they kept this to only a 4 track EP because by the time I got through it sufficiently I was pretty burned out on this track. The first one was a progressive track in the Iono mold with effects adding to its already outer space feel. Second was a little harder with feet in both the psytrance and progressive camps that was also quite good. Imba once again proves that you either go big or go home with an 11 and a half minute goa stormer that seemed to never end. And I mean that it a good way. Finally Cellar Door II sounded so similar to the original that it had me wishing for a downtempo version to keep things interesting. So the answer to my question in the opening paragraph was nobody. No remix here was totally unique. All in all some good versions, but when you offer the same track multiple times it tends to have a limited shelf life. Still, they all sound great (good job Stryder) and Neogoa continues to deliver treats for our ears at the deliciously low amount of zero. Not to mention the jaw droppingly good artwork by Ivan. Free!!!!! Mdk

Artist: Various Title: Chemical Playground Label: Chemical Crew Date: 2006 1. Attack SKAZI 2. Highway To Hell VOID 3. Vilderness EXAILE 4. Go Crazy TUBE VS KOX-BOX 5. Dangerous SKAZI VS TUBE 6. Time Split PSYCHOTIC MICRO 7. Psycreoes PARANORMAL ATTACK VS EXAILE 8. Be Real STAR-X 9. Gioto ROCKY 10. Breath MAFIA "Chemical Crew is back with a compilation of 10 unreleased bombs!"- quote from Psyshop promo. Toilet bombs maybe. That basketball goal hit the rocket boosters to leave post haste. I knew this was gonna blow meat chunks when I saw it. The track list confirmed it as Chemical Crew and their artists have a knack for...underachieving. Attack- I've never heard a Skazi track before, but man have I heard people sh*t all over his music. I'm here to tell you this is less psytrance with guitars and more hair metal masquerading as psytrance. And bad metal at that. Guitars have their place in psy like pig anus does in hot dogs. We know it's there we just try not to bring it up. And uh...I smell pig anus. Wheeeeeeee!!!!! Highway- This is very shiny and polished. But you can do that to a turd also Vilderness- More buildups and guitars. This is getting sad. Go Crazy- Tube has crafted some pretty good tracks in the past and we all know what Koxbox was capable of back in the day. I can't tell you that this is a solid return to the glory days, but so far it's the best track here. And that's not saying much. With some techy warbles it keeps with the futuristic vibe. But I dare you to keep an accurate count of how many times the word "crazy" is uttered. What an unfocused mess. Dangerous- Skazi and Tube? That's like g etting herpes and gonorrhea from the same chick. Guitars in 3...2...1. Galloping bass line? Yep. Buildups with more guitars? You KNOW it! If only there was an annoying repetitive sample...ah, there it is. Time Split- Dare I hope that we might get some twilight goodness amidst this sea of refuse? Don't throw away your Timecode CD's just yet. Somehow he managed to neuter any power this night full-on might've had. Ewww...it's got Chemical Crew stink all over it. Psycrepes- Choosing a more annoying sound is patently impossible. If a sinking ship is used to signify that things have gone awry, then this vessel started out underwater. Be Real- "What do I need to do?" "Be Real" Uh, Ok. This sucks. Gioto- Meh. Just more crap to throw on the junk heap. Breath- How I made it this far is beyond me and it didn't end well. Commercial nonsense that just has me shaking my head. Congratulations if you purchased this CD for you are now the proud owner of the worst collection of tracks I've heard in quite some time. A Discogs rating of over four? Not for long. Can someone please help Chemical Crew? They seem to have fallen and can't get up. Only if you want to punch your ears in the face. Mdk

Artist: Atrium Carceri Title: Void Label: Cryo Chamber Date: July, 2012 1. Dear Diary 2. Humanity's Cradle 3. A Curved Blade 4. Reselected 5. Victorian Meltdown 6. Passage 7. Endless Deep 8. Debt 9. Trembling 10. Slower 11. Ancient Past 12. Reap Simon Heath is back with another entry into the macabre. If you like the dark side of ambient and horror movies are your thing then this is for you. With eerie melodies and a heaping dose of serial killer mystique this is sinfully delicious. We love to be frightened and the effects used will conjure up every movie you've seen where the dumb b*tch trips and allows the monster to gain ground. Where Jack the Ripper paralyzes an entire city with fear. Most of the tracks are bite sized morsels which helps maintain the shiver quotient, but even the long ones drip with regret. He is the master and if you put this on at 3 am in the dark you will see some sh*t. *rubs arms and looks around nervously* I need to go wake up my kids and play some Candyland in this motherf*cker. Check out all this guy's scary releases. Mdk

Is there a project that receives more scrutiny than this one? It's easy to pile on with the criticism of Astral and have done so myself. Once the Led Zeppelin of goa trance, Astral has now become a parody of itself. With an album people think is going to be more mindless full on there have been more delays and postponements than my country coming up with a budget. They now have more in common with Limp Bizkit. You know back in the day you were doing it all for the nookie. Thing is, as uncool as it may be to like the tired sound of the Bizkit, at least they're still releasing music. I don't care what the excuse is after awhile it becomes tiresome and people stop caring. This is now 11 years old and to my ears is a great listen. Goa trance with a new coat of paint that while it doesn't have their once upon a time complexity and depth, it is still floaty and enjoyable. Maybe they're victims of unfortunate timing as only a year later the masses were ready for a goa trance resurgence. These were minimal times when this came out where you had to blow someone to get a melody. It remained totally within their style with shimmering synths and stratosphere reaching melodies. Anyone disappointed with this release may have had unrealistic expectations. Astral at their finest was a snapshot in time that was so mind altering that it could never be recreated. Like rap. I would love to go back to the time when rap was smart and edgy and relevant before this simple verbal diarrhea we get today with every schmuck pretending to be a gangsta banging away on a Casio. Times change and peoples tastes do as well for good or bad. How would you like to be stuck in the disco era? So take this for what it is...a good album that has all the Astral touches that made them great back in the day. Snag yourself a copy right here. Mdk

Not a bad compilation. Really liked the Shakta and Pleiadians track, but the best hands down was Alien Earth Activity. Just superb. Mdk

Truly a shame. He was very polite and convivial with all the conversations I've had with him. Always seemed level...never too high nor too low. RIP. Mdk

The prices that are being asked on Discogs are often times an indication of either how good or how rare a CD is. This one falls into both categories. Three tracks from the Pleiadians, two from Transwave, and quality throughout. A really nice psychedelic surprise for me was the Hiscore Xor track. Very psychedelic. It can be yours for the low asking price of $180 bucks on Discogs. Let's see, feed my kids or get this CD...that's a tough one. Mdk

He seems to have really lost it. Such a shame. His FB posts have been becoming increasingly...bipolar. Won't be the first talented artist to go bonkers. Let's just hope he doesn't cut off his ear or something. Mdk

Artist: Various Title: Aliens Disco Label: NMC Music Date: 1997 1. Rhythmystec - Cathexis 2. Slinky Wizard - Slick Witch 3. Unconscious Collective - Fluorostani Transcendance 4. Tranceplant - Dying Planet 5. Tranceplant - Inverse Population 6. P. Cok - Em Em 7. Zouk feat. Transcendental E - Vicious 8. P. Cok - Ta Koli Oh look, you can get a mint copy of this on Discogs for only $80! Buy this if you like throwing your money down the toilet. Homie doesn't have a rating and still wants you to trust him to send you the CD after you fork over the 80 bucks? Yeah, that might happen. There is a better chance Salma Hayek will call me to give her a breast exam. "I realize this is taking a long time Mrs. Hayek and I appreciate your patience, but we must be absolutely sure." 80 f*cking dollars. I wouldn't pay 80 dollars for I.F.O. Ok maybe I would. Just uh, don't...don't tell my wife. Aside from that tremendous leap of faith there are a few good tracks here. Cathexis and Slick Witch are juicy favorites that spread the 303 love around. The Vicious track and Dying Planet were nice surprises as they also gave 303 lovers something to move to. P. Cok gives us both sides of their creativity with the sneaky Em Em, but then decides to see what it would sound like if they made one riff and then went to McDonalds. But 80 dollars? Are we even sure there's a human at the other end of that Discogs account? Mdk

Artist: Various Title: Chakra Red - A Psychedelic Trance Compilation Vol. 1 Label: Nova Tekk Date: 1998 1. 09'27" Chi-A.D. : Astral Warior 2. 07'29" Green Nuns Of The Revolution : Rock Bitch 3. 06'23" Hallucinogen : Shakey Shaker 4. 07'29" Killing Joke : White Out (Johann Rmx) 5. 10'22" Chakra And Avi : Insignificant Form Of Life 6. 06'37" Mandala : Utopia 7. 08'42" Christof And DJ Mael : KLM (Rmx) 8. 09'36" Oforia : Why Not On Mars? 9. 09'45" Astral Projection : Flying Into A Star "First batches of the "Chakra" series came with a small flacon of perfume inside the spine of the jewel case. Each edition with a different color and fragrance. The label later stopped adding the perfume because there were too many accidents reported. Some people believed the perfume to be alcohol and actually drank it. Hence no more parfume flacons in further pressings." How much of a f*cking addict do you have to be to attempt to drink something you find in a jewel case? Didn't you smell it? Suppose it could be Kool-Aid, but if you want Kool Aid go to the damn supermarket. Did they think labels had money to send booze samples out with a CD? F*cking burnouts. Aside from idiot consumption, I think this is another quality compilation from the golden era. There isn't anything new here and chances are good that you already have these tracks. But man are they good tracks by the masters. It's not without its flaws of course. Astral Warrior repeats that sample way too many times and I'm not a fan of the sounds used in Rock Bitch. The White Out Remix of course has that screaming in it and I don't want to be screamed at. Other than that though there is plenty to be excited about. Great tune after great tune that you've heard before all on one compilation. Oforia before he turned into Eskimo and back when Astral made actual music. And the cover has an alien on the front so you know this is outer space music. Discogs Sellers Mdk

Now that is a lot of colors. Like someone took My Little Pony and twisted it as if it were a wet towel. Or maybe it was a skittles sh*tstorm. Not your every day melodic goa trance compilation. Oh there's some of that of course like Phoenix from Dimension 5 and KLM known for it's many Pulp Fiction samples. Sometimes it gets chaotic (Van Halen, and BTW where are the f*cking Van Halen samples?) and quirky and squelchy(Atom Bom). If you like chaotic, loud and squelchy then you'll love Radiant Knowledge. Vesuvius by Deviant Electronics had a nice little breakbeat amidst the wobbly bass and shimmering synths. Really cool with it's numerous rhythm changes. Floating Point sounded too...what's the word...pop to me. I know that it isn't, but compared to all the other chunky goodness found here, I just couldn't get into it. Colin shuts the door with Other World which is very psychedelic like everything he does. So you get a little bit of everything. And all of it is top notch. Discogs Sellers. Mdk

You know what is most interesting to me about this release? It was compiled by none other than... wait for it... Alien Project. Yep, before he was annoying the masses with his generic full-on he had a hand in the goa age. And it was a pretty good hand if I must say. MFG, Elysium, Shakta...pretty good track list. The cover? Well, the cartoon has aliens coming to Earth in search of the only ones they can communicate with. Obviously they left Ari behind. This is pretty good goa trance. High speed in some places, always cosmic, but not your regular run of the mill stuff. Space Intimacy has a bit of a techno feel to it while Bells in Space bubbles and sounds like...well, bells in space. It's a good one that has a lot of atmosphere as well. The Shaman is a progressive type of goa and they end with the Great Dane and his tribal midtempo effort. Love that last one as it's very organic. Discogs Users have a couple to sell at a nice price. Mdk

The more times I listen to this beast the more I'm convinced of it's elite status as a classic. Just track after track of pure brilliance. It's powerful, it's atmospheric, it makes you smile and move...you cannot ask for more than that. The 303 in an Expert on Humans? Magic. I'm throwing down the gauntlet right here with my next statement... Kapala is the greatest new school goa trance track of all time. It's an 11 minute sonic orgasm that he is going to spend the rest of his life trying to recreate (He did an awesome job on his album). Mysterious and masterfully produced it's a shock and awe awakening for all senses. If I could eat it I would. I can hear it and I can see the music. Smells delicious and I can definitely feel it. This is what I would point to if I were to attempt to introduce goa trance to the uninitiated. Great job Cronomi, I cannot wait to see what's cooking in the kitchen for your next release. Mdk

Artist: Various Title: Flight 604 Label: Zion 604 Date: May, 2012 1. Enlightenment (Oforia Remix) - Loud 2. Goa Visions - Adrenalin Drum 3. Spirit of God - Qlipadelic Rhythm & Jikooha 4. Enoch - Aurax 5. Physical Reality - Computer Controlled 6. Narrow Vision In A Wide World - Cymatics 7. Analogue Sunrise - InnerZone 8. Gate To The Past - California Sunshine 9. Evil Echo - 2 Minds Sitting at home with nothing to do but surf the net is dangerous indeed. Add Zion 604 to the labels that I've cleaned out. Damn you Paypal and your incredible ease of use! If you don't know, Zion 604 Records is a psychedelic trance record label formed in March 2012 by Roy Sason, Stephan Spivak and Masafumi Hoshida. An Israeli/Japanese tag team if you will. This is their first release as a label and a first step in their main goal: preserving the Goa culture by spreading Goa music. That can't be a bad thing right? But they say that this is Pure Israeli New School at its best. That word...I don't think it means what you think it means. I recognize some of the artists as being old school, so are these new tracks? But there are new schoolers hear as well. I see you Jikooha. Don't try to hide. Enlightenment (Oforia Remix)- Ofer's back in play with a remix of a Loud track. Noun, not adjective. I was stunned at how unremarkable it was. Zero twists and turns just straight ahead. Where are the layers? Where's the acid lines? Answer me that Mr. Pigs in Space!?! Don't come in here with that weak shit Ofer. Goa Visions- "If you haven't heard of LSD, you will. It's a safe bet that this drug will make headlines in this country as it has for some years in America." You hear those 303's? Those dogs are barkin! It has a swagger that doesn't hit you at once, but prefers to strike from a distance. I was hoping for a nice climax that would bring all the elements together, but that didn't happen. Spirit of God- Now this is some good new school. It thumps with ever changing leads and arcing pads. Not overly lush with tons of layers, but again straightforward. Twinkling sounds and electronic whistles add to it's nature. For those that are sick of the floating style you'll probably enjoy this. Enoch- Old Schooler Aurax gets things chunky about halfway through with some guttural goa sounds. It pumps and rises to a pretty good climax. One of the most unintentionally sexual things I've ever typed. Physical Reality- "It only comes into existence when it bumps up against some other piece of physical reality." That's what she said. You had to be there. You might not recognize the name here, but this is Eitan Rider (half of Loud) and one of the label heads. This track sounds pure old school with a melody that I swear I've heard before. It builds and bubbles over with maximum twirling potential. Eitan should make more goa, he's pretty good at it. Narrow Vision in a Wide World- "What do you mean? What do you think when you say the word I? I...myself." Either this guy is an old schooler that never made anything or he is fresh as a daisy cause he comes right out and stakes his claim. New guy makes massive old school track. Screaming leads echo throughout as it combines the floating power of sunshine with the aggressive swagger of the dark side. Can't wipe the smile off my face. Analogue Sunrise- Another unknown artist to me with a very busy track. Pumping surely, with noisy sounds and drug samples that tumble over like a waterfall. Some good layering in there and it gets into attack mode at the end. Gate To The Past- If you've read my reviews (and how could you not I'm everywhere...see, look at my profile. Look at it. It even says so) then you know my utter disdain for California Sunshine. For my ears they haven't produced anything worthwhile in over a decade and just seeing them on a tracklist makes me want to send rockets into Israel. Now I know this is a track from 2009 so they can't add to their pile of refuse, but it still stinks. The cornball "The Gate to the Past" sample with that accent and the loud clap is like nails on a chalkboard to me. So cheesy. What's a matter, couldn't fit any guitars in here? I swear I want to start a petition to get them to drop the California from their name. They're ruining it. Gate to the past? Yeah, you wish. Evil Echo- Brothers you say? Hmm...a very cool downtempo track. The melody wavers and speaks of ancient times and deities. Deep bass hums as the trip deepens and you descend into the underground of the Middle East. Old meets young with some glitchy elements and banging percussion. Very impressive maiden voyage Zion. Throw out the CS track and it's even better. You got some old school artists and some new ones making old school. I like your philosophy and I just recently ordered your catalog so you can expect more reviews in the future. Recommended. Suntrip Records Beatport Mdk

This is an absolute masterpiece. Drifting, spiritual, melodic, atmospheric...for me it's a perfect album. Never intrusive, always a gentle hand to help guide you through this trip. This is how layering should be done. Mdk

Artist: Various Title: The Sound of Goa Trance Label: SDR Music Date: 1995 1. Octopus - The Art of Trance 2. Adventure Trip One - Lords of Octagon 3. Uniform Planet (Orbit Trance) - GGE 4. It's Our Future - AWeX 5. Luna Music - Luna Music 6. Plastic Gourd - Quietman 7. Desert Sun - Adrenalin Drum 8. Pyramid Night - Silver Pyramid 9. Ultraviolet - Monosphere 10. New E-Volution - Adrenalin Drum I don't have any pants on. Sh*t. I work out. I mean I plan to, you know...plan to actually think about working out. But in the mean time. None. While that lovely image is swirling in your head I'll tell you why. For the first time in I don't know how many years I'm all by myself. Kids are at the grandparents, wife at work...I can do anything I want. There are things I have to do, but you just know that I will put them off until the absolute last minute. Never heard of this label nor most of the artists featured. I know Adrenalin Drum and the track Octopus. Well the MWNN mix anyway. So what you get is some cool acid trance (Adventure Trip One), acid trance with a bit of a house vibe (It's Our Future...they beat the hell out of that sample), exceedingly long and uneventful acid trance (Luna Music), some REALLY long and loud acid trance (Plastic Gourd), some sneaky and bubbly goa (Desert Sun), some progressive trancey goa (New E-Volution), and some filler. So...nothing really to write home about. I love the growl of a 303 as much as the next guy, but I need more. This was an album where the Discogs rating was close to spot on. Some good acid trance, but not the best the genre has to offer. But you'll always have that image of me with no pants. Your welcome. Mdk

Since this album Boris has been on a steady decline. He knows it. You know it. The guy that sleeps on that park bench over there knows it. But this album was a bull in a china shop. Acid, groovy, and a little bit of the goa sensibilities to let you know he hasn't forgotten how. Some of the tracks were filler, but most still sound great today. His EP's lately have have given glimpses of a return to his glory filled past so fingers crossed he remembers his way. Mdk

This is a kick ass old school goa trance album. While I don't think the album itself is dated I will agree with Sneila that the sounds he uses may be. Blistering in places and bubbling over with 303 liquid in others. I don't believe there are any epic melodies that make the tracks exceptional, but just good straight ahead goa. If I could find a copy of this I would buy it in a second. Mdk

"You know you're own future. Which means you can change it if you want to." This was kick ass back in 2004. Even today it's a lot better than a big chunk of the full-on being produced. It has clever samples and acid galore. There are some portions where it just does its full on thing and can sound like a lot of the run of the mill stuff, but Olli has a style where he seems to squeeze every ounce of psychedelia out of the leads he uses. Tall Poppy Syndrome is a good example. IMO he is one of the legends of the genre still putting out quality albums today. But that cover. While recognizable it has to be one of the worst thrown together and random examples of artwork ever. Mdk

Artist: Various Title: The Technosopher's Stone Label: Glitchy.Tonic.Records Date: August, 2011 01 - Xenoscapes - The Fern Dimension (128 BPM) 02 - Brujo's Bowl - Techno Trousers (135 BPM) 03 - Psilocybe Vibe - Rhododendron (130 BPM) 04 - Dharana - The Pit (135 BPM) 05 - Radioactive.Cake - Human Body Part Industry (132 BPM) 06 - Loagsta - Delivery (132 BPM) 07 - Carnivorous Vuduist - Nebel Des Krieges (125 BPM) 08 - Nikroma - Forest Freq (128 BPM) 09 - Sporangia - Endospore (134 BPM) 10 - Zeitgeist - Technokrates (130 BPM) 11 - SourOne - Neurosynaptic Malfunktion (126 BPM) 12 - Paracozm - Acid In Wonderland (127 BPM) "I think you'll find this present a valuable addition to our modern lifestyle." This was a nice surprise. Think of it as darkpsy atmosphere with minimal structures and some techno sensibilities. All the tracks are moody with a simplistic kick and loaded with effects. The sounds of alien creatures can be heard constantly with lots of bubbling and electronic wheezes. Sometimes it can get very lush and descriptive and sometimes it can go on way too long. I like effects tumbling over the kick, but when there is not a lot else it can get tiring to listen to. My favorite was Techno Trousers by Brujo's Bowl. Get it free at Ektoplazm Mdk

Artist: Vertex Title: Dream Architect Label: TesseracT Studio Date: March, 2013 1. Dream Architect 2. Astral Travel Man it seems the whole world has gone progressive. TesseracT has garnered quite a name for itself in the progressive genre with quality releases such as Questions by the Riddle r , compilations like Subfuse and the Future Nature series and n ot to mention the dreamy debut of Vertex Ocean. This duo (Nikola Kozić, Slobodan Gaćeša) have put out the melodic jams that helps make progressive trance popular. The first track doesn't really show their talent as it's quite minimal. It still has some dreamy pads fading in, but it's a far cry from what they did on their album. Astral Travel is better with a fuller sound picture but still seems like they went in a different direction. So it's decent progressive trance. Nah it's good. But I would still have to call it a disappointment. They've done way better than this...they even mailed in the cover. Does that look like the stuff of dreams? Does that make anyone want to buy it? So that means one of two things: One, they're riding on their name and expect you to blindly buy it or two they just don't give a f*ck. And for their final nut punch, they're asking $2.50 for each track. Either way...Iono is cracking a little smile. Beatport Mdk

Artist: E-Clip Title: Sacred Science Label: Echoes Records Date: February, 2013 1. Sacred Science 2. Mr. Fix (E-clip Remix) - Vertical Mode Marko Radovanovic is responsible for one of the greatest progressive trance albums all time for me with the release of Shuma back in 2011. He makes tracks that have it all...layers of melody, rhythm, and epic atmosphere. His storytelling ways continue with this short 2 track EP. Still thick with atmosphere as effects echo into the darkness Sacred Science leans a little toward the psy-gressive category. Multiple brief breaks allow the tension to hang in the air and he lets gentle synths just float before you. I didn't care for the speed increase in the Mr. Fix remix, but it was brief so a minor concern. Good progressive trance, but not his best mind you. I could've done with more melody. Beatport Mdk