Trance2MoveU

Artist: Various Title: Smashed - Remix - Ed Pt. 2 EP Label: Dropland Recordings Date: December, 2012 1. Damage (A-Mush Remix) 2. Physical Matters (Magneto Remix) 3. Physical Matters (Brain Driver Remix) So this is part 2 eh? Smashed gets other twilight artists to remix his tracks and puts them on an EP. The first one was outstanding so the bar is pretty high for number two. Let's see...Damage was on the Synthetic Alchemy and Another Dimension compilations whilst Physical Matters...hell I don't know where that track came from, but the two remixes here make a total of three that I know of. The A-Mush remix is such a bad ass acid banger that I don't even mind the very cliched build up. C'mon man, use your imagination. You were this close to detonation. Magneto had an album called Scope that was another acid ripper and he continues that trend. Layer upon layer of the sticky icky whilst the bass line pounds away like a relentless migraine. Brain Driver tackles Physical Matters as well with a good break and sounds that make you think you're walking through a hallucination. Good acid monkey poo flinging with thumping bass lines. Couple that with dark atmospheres and you've got a nice EP on your hands. Yes I used whilst twice in this short review. I don't know if it's correct English. I'm not from England. Beatport Mdk

Artist: Mindwave Title: Enlightenment EP Label: Iono Music Date: October, 2012 1. Enlightenment 2. Surreal 3. Somnium The geniuses at Iono very rarely stumble so it was with pleasure that I picked this up. Mindwave is Israeli Anton Maiko who has released 3 albums. Haven't heard a one, but that's going to change. Enlightenment is a smooth progressive rumbler with an ethereal vocal touch and long, distant melodies. Surreal doesn't present anything flashy, just a quality dream experience that is very relaxing. Somnium borrows that same vocal from the opening track and adds a nice break producing more mellow vibes. While not as melodic and deep as some of their releases, this one shouldn't disappoint progressive heads looking for a little downtime without dropping the bpm's below 130. Give it a try. Beatport Mdk

Artist: Mindblaster Title: The Collapse EP Label: Pyrethrum Records Date: December, 2011 1. The Fall of Empire 2. Other Worlds 3. Disorder I've neglected the releases from our friend over at Ektoplasm lately so since he performs a vital service for our community I thought I would put a few of his offerings under the microscope. Mindblaster is Ukrainian Andriy Tykhonov and I was quite impressed with this 3 track EP. It's powerful with punchy bass and orchestral touches that are very evident during the breaks. The atmosphere is dark (looking at the track titles will tell you that) and the melodies will have you thinking of warring clans from the dark ages. Some spots were a little sparse and maybe went on a little long, but there is most assuredly talent here. My favorite was Disorder with its swagger had me be-bopping all over the place. Recommended. Free at Ektoplazm Mdk

Artist: EsP Title: Mystical Revelation EP Label: Space Tribe Music Date: November, 2012 1. Mystical Revelation 2. Mutant Genes "They want to create a new species...a better species." The sum is greater than the individual parts. Peanut butter is great. So is chocolate. But together is awesome. Just like this. I like EU. I like Space Tribe. But together they strike an acidic chord within me that never fails. They've released two albums Electric Space Phenomenon and Sensory Overload both of which were really good. While I wonder sometimes (f*ck it, oftentimes) if Boris still has the knack for psytrance I know that with Olli watching his back things will be ok. At least I think he'll be watching the sequencer to make sure Boris doesn't throw any cheesy sh*t in there. While they haven't outgrown their need for drug samples I don't mind it here. Boris can't help himself as there is some guitar, but it's really well done. Bucket loads of acid are on the docket with some of their patented groove. This type of music makes you want to drive very fast. Personally I liked the ordered chaos of Mutant Genes better with its darker tone, but they're both pretty damn good. If you liked their previous albums then this will fit in nicely. Beatport Mdk

Artist: Bell Size Park Title: The Truth is There Label: YoYo Records Date: 1996 1. Aqua Darkness 2. The Bell Files 3. Spiritual Evolution 4. The Roswell Factor 5. Horizon 6. Mission Accomplished (Part 1) 7. Moonlight Abduction 8. The North Sun 9. Warp 16 10. Dive In Blue 11. Mission Accomplished (Part 2) "In three centuries of space travel we have only charted 11% of our galaxy." That's Val Kilmer?!? What the f*ck man, you're one happy meal away from needing an intervention. Show some f*cking pride Iceman! And did you know you have a flacid penis on your shirt? What happened to you bro? Speaking of things that didn't age well this is the first (and last) full album by thus project which is actually still current, but down from a trio to a solo act. The production sounds extremely dated and the melodies are not very inspiring. Goa trance? Hardly. There are loads of recycled sounds and everything sounds so...clinical. No emotion. Well, I did like the breakbeat in Warp 16, like the sample said it's got a funky beat. But most of it reminds me of that generic trance stuff that you would see on ZYX records. "Aw right 2 Cds for 5 bucks? Awesome!" After listening to the first disc "Why the hell does all this sh*t sound the same?" Pass. Mdk

Artist: Aural Planet Title: Part: Second Label: Planet Rec. Date: 2000 1. Secret Garden 2. Samadhi 3. Reminiscenter Incorporated 4. Lunarplanetarium 5. Trip To Nowhere 6. Psi Generator 7. Semirotation 8. Eternal Totem 9. Prayp 10. Polar Valves When you say Poland to me three things come to mind. "Get your hand of my sau...no, no...that's good, that's good. Keep it there...yeah, just like that." "Yeah I'm looking for a size 9 extra wide?" Good God I need boundaries. "Here you go father, take this...Nah, go ahead take it. Get yourself a new gym at the Vatican." But ladies and gentlemen I'm here to tell you there is something else. Goa trance. You may know some of these fine Polish gentlemen as the project Sundial Aeon making all that nice floaty downtempo smoothness, but with their second album they stuck you with a hot poker that you'll not soon forget. If you heard it that is. This is very underrated goa album that isn't mentioned often. It's got some bark starting with the Secret Garden. Sharp and snappy that cut up vocal is the stuff of angels. Reminiscenter is full of bubbling sounds and good goa flavor. Semirotation has some nifty knob twisting that reminds me of my teen years with that chick when I thought I knew what I was doing. Drifting with some great melody work away from the beat. Prayp...*sigh* You best take that 4 minute weak sh*t somewhere else son. Call me when it's finished. They end with Polar Valves (also on their Chilling Cuts Vol. 1 album) which is a futuristic downtempo piece with some dnb influences. Very metallic, but doesn't really fit with the rest of the album at all. Dude on the cover is really shiny. Made of gold or rubbed it down with a few sticks of butter? Your call. Far from being a perfect album, they do manage to put some stormers in there. The last few tracks though made me think they were bored with the whole thing and went back to doing what they do best. The shorter track times also reinforce that thought. Not to sound like a bad Blues Brothers take, but I wouldn't mind if they tried to get the band back together. Mdk

Artist: Psygone Title: Organique Label: Rebeat Date: August, 2011 1. Slammer 2. Kashmir 3. Kothoga 4. Unborn Destiny 5. Organique 6. Monotomic Master 7. Mentism 8. The Drill 9. Rising Hearts 10. Exstatica Michael Kjeldgaard is a name that all goa trancers should know as he was the mind behind the Psygone project which gave us Optimystique, one of the best hyper goa trance albums of all time. Many were sour that he only produced one album, but then there was some light at the end of the tunnel with his 2nd effort A Second Breath. Indifference was rampant. At least from me. It was ok, but surely a letdown after the long wait. Then following some internet snooping I discovered that he actually released an album after Optimystique called Organique. It was ready to go in 1998, but for whatever reason it never saw the light of day. Until recently. This might as well be called Optimystique 2 as you will recognize all the same sounds that he used before. His knack for putting the groove in goa trance was still there (where would it go, this was only made a year later) as was his layering of melodies and that distinct Psygone sound. Now most of these tracks were all released on compilations as he like a lot of you creative people liked to use different names. For example, DJ Driller (that's him) made the track The Drill, which can be found on the compilation This is Goa Trance. This compilation is where you will find 70% of the tracks released on Organique. Hell, this guy went so far as to release the same track under a different name on different compilations. Several f*cking times. Now normally I would call bullsh*t and label it for the obvious cash grab it was, but with Organique you actually get the full track (not some bizarrely abbreviated crap) and it is remastered. That alone is worth it to me. If you loved his debut you'll really enjoy this with its racing melodies funky ability. Beatport Mdk

The standouts for this one I believe to be Point of No Return, Insect & Insect Bite, and Neurobic (a very trippy mid-tempo dream). Really good goa trance, but there are also tracks that don't hold up well at all. Tribal Oscillation? Only if it's the Prana remix. Space Interface and Orientallic are an acquired taste if you like the housey type stuff. So a few great tracks and some that could use some new paint. Mdk

Artist: Shakta Title: The Enlightened Ape Label: Dragonfly Records Date: August, 1999 1. 07'10" The Future Is Now 2. 05'41" Human Life 3. 07'04" Spaceflowers (Dirty Guitar Mix) 4. 06'42" Of The Essence 5. 07'25" Zevel Boy 6. 07'14" Between Worlds 7. 07'20" Life Circles (Samsara Mix) 8. 08'04" The Enlightened Ape 9. 08'36" Brainwash Nation "Everything is within this and this is within everything." Let me first state that like almost everyone I thought Silicon Trip was an absolute classic of goa trance. For the longest time I thought this album was just an afterthought and could no way be a worthy sequel to his debut. You know listening to it with one ear closed. And while this isn't quite as good, it's a close f*cking second. Goa stormers? Yep. Tracks like The Future is Now, Spaceflowers and Zevel Boy tear the roof off with acid leads and crunchy guitar support. Of The Essence thumps with thick bass and alien gurgling before erupting with life. Between Worlds is an evil mixture of eerie leads and bubbling bass sweeps made for twisting and turning. Life Circle is one of my favorites with its mid tempo swirling of melodies and tribal like banging. While his debut will always be superior, this is nothing to sneeze at. I fully agree with Penzo in that there is no dip in quality. If Silicon Trip was a hot blonde with big boobs and Daddy issues, then this is her twin sister who on the board of a major corporation. Either way you're going home with a smile on your face. Mdk

Artist: Orion Title: Metamorpheus Label: Phantasm Records Date: 2000 01. 07'37" Spider Monkey 02. 08'51" Pot Alert 03. 08'10" Solid 04. 08'23" Metamorpheus 05. 10'22" Future Funk 06. 09'03" Lamfighter International 07. 09'52" Area 51 08. 07'46" Blue Point 09. 08'21" Neu Ever been so sick that you didn't know whether to sit on the toilet or pray to all that is holy in front of it? And have it go on all night? Happened to me a couple of days ago to what I attribute to food poisoning. Damn you improperly cooked chicken! Delicious and deadly. This is the 2nd album for the Orion project which many of you will recognize as Jean Borelli. It took awhile for me to absorb the complexities of their first Futuristic Poetry, but once I did I was a better person for it. Snow seemed whiter and flowers smelled sweeter. This follows in the same vein as did the debut in that it's not a pure goa trance album per se. There are touches of the goa vibe even though at this time goa was almost all the way out of the picture. Mainly it's all about the intricacies of psytrance being dark and futuristic with layers of effects heaped on top of each other like a fat man's hamburger. Of particular interest to me was the juicy (getting hungry) Pot Alert with it's thick acid blasts and evil nature. Future Funk revives the goa with a 303 and dark pads as does Lamfighter. There are a lot of metallic dare I say industrial machinery type effects which give it that steampunk kinda vibe. The tracks have some minimal qualities as well and this is where I think it loses some steam as sequences tended to drag on a little long. But there are great moments in every track which made this a great listen. Just like with the debut it's quite creative and I believe it can be really appreciated with headphones. You won't find any stormers here, but you will find some sinister creatures lurking in the shadows. Mdk

Artist: Logic Bomb Title: Unlimited Label: TIP World Date: May, 2002 1. Datalinks 2. Unlimited 3. Neighbour of the Beast 4. Marauder 5. Future Uncertain 6. High Density 7. Normalised 8. Compact Living 9. Hund 10. Drop By Anytime 'You humans, sometimes it's hard to believe how you made it this far.' Stupid alien. If you set the bar low then everything is an over achievement. But let's start with the cover. What the hell is that? Psychedelic skyscraper? TV aisle at Best Buy? World's largest eyeshadow kit? There are certain covers that stand out and this one does it for me. This project is composed of Swedes Johan Krafft and Jonas Pettersson and this is their 2nd album. 2002 was a year when minimal still ruled the airwaves and you can hear some of it here. Mostly though, this must've been like an exploding star in the deep space. Datalinks- One of the previous reviewers called this a "progressive rocker". confused tiger say what? As was typical at the time this neither progressed nor rocked. Unlimited- "We shall be flying at an altitude unlimited." The bass line is nimble and makes for an involuntary ass wriggling experience. Gentle effects are so clear I feel I could taste them. Still on the minimal side, but the way they construct a track it feels full. Good one. Neighbour of the Beast- This is a remix of X-Dream's Panic In Paradise. And it was about as substantial as a donut hole. And as you know a donut hole is good for practically nothing. But you can't go wrong with that eerie little melody so it's not a total loss. Almost nothing. Marauder- Now we're getting somewhere. This is much better with greater detail. I love the early break with the breakbeat that is a launching pad for a more aggressive track. This was exactly the turning point of the album where minimal tendencies were left in the rearview. Future Uncertain- 'A soap bubble is round because it is the most energy efficient configuration.' This one was dark and groovy and had the above famous Kevin Spacey sample from K-Pax. What the hell is a bubble saving your energy for? You're just gonna pop. Go out with a bang I say. "You want the job?!? Do you want it?!? Hey, hey...where you going! Oh c'mon, everyone likes bubbles!" High Density- Scratchy leads, alien mutterings, and a futuristic vibe make this one a joy to listen to. It's a window into their later style that will come on albums like Sonic Algebra and The Grid. Lots of changes in direction here. Normalised- "There were incidents involving high altitude metallic machines flying in formation." A sample heavy track about possible hostile aliens with a mid tempo swagger? Sure, shovel it in. The sounds are so clear, definite ear candy that floats above the noise. Hardly psychedelic, but bright and cheerful. Compact Living- Excuse me while I get my freak on. Soft kick + funky percussion + warm vibe = dreamy. This was made in 2002? It's so clean and fresh sounding that I believe it would fit into a set today no problem. Hund- "All these thoughts kept coming." Man I wish I was high listening to this. It's like getting trapped in an old school video game. Loaded with more of their crystal clear textured work. Motherf*cker what level was that on?!? Drop By Anytime- "The world has changed. I feel it in the water. I feel it in the Earth. I smell it in the air." Sorry, that was me. With a great LOTR sample the eerie tone is sett as bass sweeps and leads give this a lush soundscape. Me again. Jesus, light a match or something. For something that was released in 2002, this still sounds very fresh. There are still minimal elements, but they are augmented by quality effects and samples making it sound very rich. These guys are adept at layering sounds in a way that nothing gets lost. On headphones it's spectacular and you can pick up each individual sound. Groovy stuff and quality atmosphere. This is music in HD. Mdk

Artist: Doof Title: Let's Turn On Label: TIP Records Date: 1996 1. Let's Turn On 2. Mars Needs Women (96 Remix) 3. Youth of the Galaxy (Final Demand Remix) 4. Double Dragons 5. Sunshrine 6. Secret Sun (Sunbeam Remix) 7. Angelina 8. Destination Bom 9. Star Above Parvati (Bijli Mahadev Mix) "We've checked and double checked. It keeps coming up the same thing. The message is...Mars.Needs.Women." Doof. What a stupid name. World is full of stupid names. See this chick? Hot right? Know what her name is? Krystal Ball. Seriously. No she isn't a stripper, but with a name like that she could've been nay...should've been. What were her parents thinking? The job as a dad of a daughter is to keep her off the pole, so why the hell would he give her a leg up (pun intended)? She actually ran for Congress (don't know why I capitalized that, they aren't worth 2 f*cks) but didn't win. Know why? Pics came out of her fellating Rudolph the Red nose reindeer's nose. Not the real one, some guy in a costume. She's actually very smart so don't judge this book by its cover. Back to Doof, it's Nick Barber and he gets credit for one of the best goa trance albums around. At least that's what all the glowing reviews would have you believe. Beginning with a track that was written by Nick and Simon Posford, Let's Turn On would've fit perfectly on Simon's Twisted album. Mars Needs Women is another great track with great leads and that iconic sample. I used to like YOTG, but nowadays I just don't think it goes anywhere. Double Dragons however has a lot of heft to it, getting more growly as it goes on. The only way I can explain Sunshine is that he wrote it after he got laid. Only an act that wonderful can fill you full of smiley emoticons and rainbow hemorrhoids. Very pretty, but I wonder what it's doing here. Because he comes right back with Secret Sun and once it gets going it sounds nice and crunchy. Kinda mellow and kinda rough at the same time. Angelina is a ripper of a track with an aggressive lead that picks up some friends becoming quite massive. Destination Bom is a weak track that makes a lot of noise and not much else. He ends with a dubby remix of Star Above Parvati. which I felt was overly long and boring. Kinda makes sense considering the direction his music took. So I believe this is a great album, but because of a few tracks falls short of an absolute classic. Still, highly recommended. Digital Download from Twisted Records Mdk

Artist: MFG Title: The Message Label: Phonokol Date: February, 2001 1. Have A Nice Day 2. Wonderland 3. Brainwaves 4. Walking On Ice 5. Feels Like God (New Version) 6. Rise & Fall 7. Welcome To The Edge 8. Dark Waters 9. The Message "Hi. A sinister flying pod has just entered the Earth's atmosphere. Seconds remain before certain death rains from the heavens." Said every Pakistani villager. Yeah we call those drones. I'm piloting one from my basement right now. "Learn your geography Michael, you'll need it some day!" they said. Whatever. Joystick - $10 Monitor - $100 Ensuring that generations of Muslims despise America for all eternity - Priceless. Aharon Segal (no relation to Steven) and Guy Zurkel (no relation to...your mom. Maybe) have played second fiddle to the eternal procrastinators known as Astral Projection for as long as I can remember. Justified or no, these guys are masters in their own right. Their previous 3 albums were as goa as it gets, but with this one as this thread has illustrated is a bit of a departure from that direction. Sure there is still a goa flavor, but they morphed their style due to the direction that psytrance had taken at the time. Melodic? Of course, but don't break out the camel to make it across the Sahara as this isn't that kind of goa. First off these guys know how to use a sample. Ben Stein's deadpan delivery on Have a Nice Day to THE Matrix sample in Wonderland that even my na-na used in a home movie is well placed and adds to the tracks. The beats hit with power in a more full-on style and give an insight as to what they will do on 2006's Message From God. While not as cosmic in scope as Astral was, I appreciate their ability to set a tone. The whole album is dark and brooding with plenty of acidic leads and moody synths. My favorite? Dark Waters and Welcome To The Edge. While it may not be a true goa album it is certainly a fantastic psytrance classic IMO. MFG should stand for Mutha F*cking Gangstas. Bombs away! Oh. Uhhh...*drops joystick, crawls out Mom's basement window and hauls ass down the street* "Not my fault! New Jersey was already like that!" Mdk

Artist: Orion Title: Futuristic Poetry Label: Symbiosis Records Date: 1997 1. Nazca Spider 2. The Source 3. Rooster 4. Funkadelic 5. Caracol 6. Akeru 7. The Source (Remixed by Elysium) 8. Highway 9. The 8th "I am the source of your salvation." Enough time has gone by that I've changed my opinion about this album. Unquestionably the star remains Nazca Spider with it's dark goa atmosphere. It's simply a journey to a hostile alien world with loads of effects to make the hair on the back of your neck stand up. But so is the rest of the album. Sure it is more psytrance than other stuff that came out in 97, but Penzo was right when he said it was bubbling over with creativity. They never waver from that eerie theme although the sound of a rooster will always be cheesy to me. Unless bacon and sausage are on the table. Aside from that minor gripe there is a lot to love about this album. Detail heavy it creates a futuristic framework that had me looking for the next unexpected moment. There are a lot of breaks that flood the ears with scary changes in direction. A lot of the sounds have less to do with layers of melody and more with placing you firmly into what they were trying to create. And that's what took me so long to appreciate this. Once I finally accepted it for the psychedelic ride it was instead of what I presumed or hoped it would be, then I was on board. A clever and brooding mix of goa and psytrance in a nice tidy package that is available today thanks to Avatar records. Also with a nice bonus track. Win win people. Psyshop Mdk

This may be a first, but I have absolutely nothing to add. Nothing. The reviewer above nailed it. Mdk

I remember when this came out back when there were very few goa trance releases. Suntrip was just starting out and this label already had the Blissful Moments compilation as well as the outstanding Anima Mundi by Ethereal. This was when the melodic, storytelling tracks were making a comeback and you definitely get that here. I mean no offense to Alien Project, but after I heard this stuff there was no going back. David Lilja and Patrik Rydberg, two Swedes whose long track times and floating melodies allow the story to unfold at your own pace. Sometimes I feel like there should be more happening in spots or some further twists and turns, but if your looking for an outerspace trip this will definitely do the job. I hear they are attempting a comeback of sorts, releasing a few tracks on their own. Might have to check that out. Clicky clicky for their new stuff. Mdk

Artist: Cydonia Titlle: Lightning Rods EP Label: Blue Room Released Date: 1999 A. Lightning Rods B. King of New York "New York is boring." Well of course it is since Guiliani cleared out all the peep shows. Now it's like Disneyland. Only with a lot less profanity. Another EP by the authors of dark goa trance. For me their album In Fear of a Dark Planet was a classic and a must listen for every goa fan. Nah, f*ck that you need to own that b*tch. Just like with the Mind Hunter EP you get one track from their album and one that you probably never heard of. Lightning Rods is the former and it is a thick beast of goa trance. Darkness at level 11 with an evil smirk that is part Matrix and part FLA. It's got bounce and bubbling acid ready to scald. King of New York is an example of the direction the goa movement seemed to be heading in 1999. A little on the minimal side and more psytrance than goa. Still, it's a good track with a storming bass line. Good EP by this trio that I can recommend. Mdk

Lots of interesting opinions and good advice. Makes sense to EQ for the room if possible. Thanks everyone! NFL

Artist: Cydonia Title: Mind Hunter EP Label: Blue Room Released Date: 1997 1. Mind Hunter 2. The Kiddy 3. Chrome Android One of my favorite projects was Cydonia with their delightfully dark take on goa trance, they pulled off a monster of a debut album with In Fear of a Dark Planet. Shame they only made one album, but I recently came across this EP and couldn't wait to hear it. Mind Hunter was of course featured on Planet and is an evil evolving tale with sinister effects creating a symphonic nightmare. It was the other two tracks that I have never heard before that had the 'ol dander up. The Kiddy has its share of sharp leads and eerie atmosphere making it a track that would've felt right at home on their album. Chrome Android is a heavily techno influenced track that has its fingers in the psy and goa pie. Metallic melodies are present though as if the dark force responsible let a few get away. Or maybe it's a trap. Their dark style reminds me of Syb Unity Nettwerk and goes down very smoothly. While the title track steals the show, the others are great as well. Mdk

Artist: Hallucinogen Title: Space Pussy / Thugs In Tye-Dye / Trancespotter EP Label: Twisted Records Date: 1996 1. Space Pussy 2. Thugs In Tye-Dye 3. Trancespotter Everyone likes a little pussy. Yes even the gays. Oh not the real thing, but rest assured I'm sure they have 2 or 3 cats at home named after obscure 17th century artists or exotic possessions they wished they had. C'mon "Brad"...you named your cats Salieri, Tiara, and Lexus? You really are gay aren't you? I can tell that I've matured (only slightly) because I won't throw the P word around. Having 2 kids (one of them a daughter) will certainly force you to look at your behavior and make some changes. But I like me some Space Pussy EP. Created by Simon Posford who at his psychedelic best can do no wrong this was made when he was at the height of his goa game. The title track would've fit nicely on The Lone Deranger with it's sharp leads and thicker psytrance sound. Guy's always experimenting and this shows how far ahead of the game he was. My favorite though is Thugs with its tension building and smack yo momma acidic goa. It's a tidal wave that you're trying to stop with an umbrella. Trancespotter was of course on TLD and that was a window into how he would go on to use vocal manipulation as his calling card with his Shpongle project. Tribal, experimental, and some good crunchy goa with attitude. With all the past shamans of goa trance releasing albums this day I would love to see him return with his Hallucinogen project and just shove a stormer of new material down your throat. DAT Records, the ball is now firmly in your court. Mdk

Artist: Hallucinogen Title: The Lone Deranger Label: Twisted Date: September, 1997 1. Demention 2. Snakey Shaker 3. Trancespotter 4. Horrorgram 5. Snarling (Remix) 6. Gamma Goblins Pt. 2 7. Deranger 8. Jiggle of the Sphinx "There is a...an area of the mind which could be called unsane, beyond sanity. Yet not insane. Think of a circle with a fine split in it. One end is insanity, you go around the circle to sanity. And on the other end of the circle close to insanity, but not insanity, is unsanity." This is only the 2nd time I've heard this album. Yeah I know, how can I call myself a true goa fan? Life happens and life's events get in the way. I listened to it once long ago and knew I didn't like it as much as Twisted (his first album). And that seems to be the prevailing feeling among the masses. I don't blame him, I mean how do you follow a legendary debut? I'm sure everyone was waiting for Twisted Part II. Think of this as a step in a more psychedelic and less melodic direction. While Twisted was chock full of goa stormers that strung out melodies like kids with taffy, there are less twirling opportunities here. At least for me. But by no means is this a dip in quality. It's just...different. It's more thumping with an aggressive edge. And you know what? The more I listen to it the more I believe It's still a classic in its own right. Demention kicks the door in with it's loud and forceful way and immediately you know that this isn't Twisted. Gone are the twirling, long spirals of melody, but the goa vibe is still there. I wasn't as moved by Snakey Shaker as the majority, but taste is taste as they say. Trancespotter seems to find the correct balance between garbled psychedelia and melodic intensity. The laugh and rising electronic wave before the gibberish is evil as this track regroups and keeps firing on all cylinders. How did you like the fluid tempo change in Horrorgram? Goes nicely with the effects that's for sure. Snarling displays pumping nastiness as if someone threw you a lifeline composed of barbed wire. Gamma Golblins Pt. 2 has a wicked clowns thing going on and is pure psytrance. I love the liquid sounds along with the goblins a la Talpa on Trust No Goblin. Very psychedelic. Deranger is so twisted (see what I did there) with heavy cyber overtones and some of those long melodies that were on his first album. A bridge if you will. And Jiggle? Everytime I hear that Celtic crap I wanna smash his hardware. Which is a shame because I enjoyed the track up to that point. I've come to realize that comparing this to Twisted is like comparing chocolate to ice cream. Both are awesome, but they are different. All the tracks have a depth that cannot be appreciated after a few listens. Simon is an electronic head case that bends sounds to his will getting maximum points for creativity. I understand when people say that while they loved Twisted they just can't get into this one. Unlike the debut, this one isn't as user friendly or accesible. Once you can get past the fact that he didn't make another debut album, you set yourself up for quite a psychedelic experience. Mdk

Artist: Hallucinogen Title: Twisted Label: Dragonfly Records Date: October, 1995 1. LSD 2. Orphic Thrench 3. Alpha Centauri 4. Dark Matrix 5. Shamanix 6. Snarling Black Mabel 7. Fluoro Neuro Sponge 8. Solstice 8a. Angelic Particles (Remix) "I believe with the advent of acid we've discovered a new to think... and it has to do with piecing together new thoughts in your mind. Why is it that people think it's so evil? What is it about it that is scares people so deeply? Even ... and if one is ... because they are afraid that there's more to reality than they have confronted. That there are doors that they're afraid to go in and they don't want us to go in there either because, if we go in, we might learn something that they don't know. And that makes us a little out of their control." Wow. 8 pages. The last thing I'm gonna do is ramble on and repeat what people have said for, what is it? 18 years now? I'm just gonna do what I do boo. If there was one album that you had to have in your collection this would be it. Well...maybe this one also. It's the sh*t! Simon Posford is arguably the master of all things psychedelic whether it's with any one of his other projects or his flagship Hallucinogen. This was his first album as Hallucinogen and instantly a storytelling classic was born. It doesn't get old. Just doesn't. It sounds like he coulda made this yesterday. You know when every track on your debut album is featured on compilations that you've cemented your legend. The first track LSD is perhaps his most famous and ushered in a tidal wave of music replete with drug samples in an attempt to capture the feeling and awe inspiring curiosity generated with that sample. Often imitated yet never duplicated it set the standard for drug samples, if there is such a thing. I've never taken LSD, but the crunchy leads and long drawn out melodies on tracks like Alpha Centauri and Dark Magus must've been a match made in heaven. I can only imagine what that was like all the colors and endless twirling. Acid affects people in different ways that's why I always went with what I knew. Ahhhh.....that's the stuff. The whole album has a flow to it that is continuous and the psychedelia never wavers. The tribal vocal manipulation in Shamanix is dream inducing and a platform he will experiment with throughout his career. I see hippies dancing in the dirt with no shoes in mismatched clothing and I'm just trying to get my parking validated. Little help? I used to think Snarling Black Mabel was not as potent as the rest, but tonight it hit me like a senior citizen backing out of a handicapped spot. Juicy psychedelic froth at its finest! It gurgles and sh*ts razor blade rainbows, but I can't help trying to catch every bit of color. Fluoro Neuro Sponge has so much going on that it is a testament to his ability to create such a cohesive masterpiece. What you didn't see was a familiar sponge suffering through possibly his worst trip. Ever. find your happy place Squarepants. Your happy place. He ends (kinda) with the gentle (kinda) Solstice, and even that takes out the 303 barb wire. But then there is a little ambient surprise. The remix of Angelic Particles comes in after 6 minutes of silence (I hate that sh*t, just make another track) but it is a haunting and spiritual dream making for a perfect ending. Like I said, I'm not rehashing what the world has said and already repeated ad nauseum. I'll give my take like this. If Christianity has it's bible, Islam has the Koran, Mormons have whatever the f*ck they have...then this is the psytrancers book of life instruction. Mdk

I used the search and didn't find a topic although I could swear I had seen it before. So sorry if I missed it. I'm listening to music on my computer (as always) and have a 10 band equalizer. How should I set it to get the most out of the awesome music? I realize that a lot of it depends on how the music was produced and probably what format I'm listening to. For example, I'm listening to Temple of Chaos and the bottom end sounds a bit rumbly and distorted. Anyone else experience this. IIRC someone mentioned it in the TOC review thread. What I'm looking for is a visual answer b/c I'm kinda visual. Mdk

Artist: Kundalini Title: Kundalini EP Label: Flying Rhino Records Date: 1995 A. Placebo B1. Rasa B2. Interzone This is James Monro & Matt Evans, but perhaps you know them better as Technossomy. They didn't produce much under this alias, but instead went for quality over quantity. Placebo vacillates between goa trance a la Synthetic Flesh and a more positive and uplifting style. As Drake said on Discogs it's pretty impressive considering this track would be starting his freshman year in college. Rasa has a slight tribal lean with its percussive scribblings and is of a harsher tone, but it does have a little bounce to it. The final track Interzone while juicy in places does show its age with some periods of thin production. But hey, it was 95 so you work with what you've got. I wouldn't listen to it often and it's far from essential, but there have been a lot worse EP's that claimed to be goa trance from 1995. It is not without its charms. Mdk

Artist: Prana Title: Geomantik Label: Matsuri Productions Date: January, 1997 1. Geomantik 2. Alien Pets 3. Primal Orbit 4. Boundless 5. Scarab (Snake Thing Remix) 6. Scarab (Green Nuns of the Revolution Remix) 7. Starchild (Total Eclipse Remix) 8. Kiba (Tristan & Process Remix) 9. Taiyo (Chakra Remix) Prana are Tsuyoshi Suzuki and Nick Taylor based in London and this is the 2nd album released under the Prana name. What you've got are 4 new tracks and 4 remixes of tracks from their first album Cyclone. But it's not like they're remixes from Joe Blow off the street. No no, they got some very reputable artists to ply their trade for these tracks. Geomantik uses their penchant for percussion with the great mix of electronica and breakbeat. Alien Pets and Primal Orbit are goa stormers that have that hard edge. Boundless brings more of their trademark alien textures to collide with abrasive and fluid leads. The GNOTR remix is the better of the two Scarab remixes (surprise surprise) and what a track. Thick with the menace of a predator combined with the chaos of a live wire the track seems to pick up speed as it unleashes a violent 303 leaving destruction in its wake. Starchild is another one with a liberal helping of 303 acidity and bubbling goodness. Kiba to me is average made all the more so by following the previous two tracks. Taiyo brings a little guitar crunch to the party complete with more breakbeat and 303 goodness. You can argue whether this is one of the greatest albums in goa trance, but if you are a collector of the best in the genre then you must have this in your collection. Melodic, thumping, aggressive...it's got it all. Avatar Records re-released it in 2004 so you can (and should) add it to your collection. Avatar Records Mdk