Trance2MoveU

Artist: Various Title: Growling Acoustics Label: Spectral Records Date: July, 2010 1. Omnimac MENOG 2. Project Genesis CONCEPT 3. Brainalizer AUDIALIZE VS BRAIN HUNTERS 4. White Noise SHUUMAT 5. That Sound MENOG VS SHIFT 6. Smells like sin spirit SINFUL REACTIONS 7. We will fly rmx KHOPAT 8. Recover AUDIALIZE VS SHUUMAT 9. Shoot the messenger BRETHREN When I first saw the title of this disc, I thought this was something that GMS was involved in and was about to steer clear. Then I read the tracklist. Some pretty heavy hitters in there. Spectral Records has been bringing it for awhile now and they always manage to keep it psy when it seems that a lot of other labels have lost their way. Their music is harder with the focus on the beat and making you move. The melody is ever present and is awash in..well, washes and acid laden leads. Whereas a lot of the more commercial psy is full of tired buildups and predictable 8 bar refrains, this label steers clear of that nonsense and just hits you smack in the face. Along with the South African labels, I feel this one is a label that delivers. And this effort is no exception. All that I described in the above paragraph is here in spades. True to form there is plenty of acid to go around and heavy beats to get asses out of chairs. The samples are clever and add to the tracks instead of dominating it. Well, if you ignore the first tune by Menog. Loved the track but jeez, talk about killing the flow. Concept's "Project Genesis" steals the show with its relentless hammering away at your brain. Good to see a track from this artist again. Audialize and Brain Hunters bring the heat with an acid ridden beast. Very powerful. Shuumat who put this together continues with the aggressive style and bouncy rhythm. Good mover. Shift can do no wrong in my eyes, so this was a track I couldn't wait to hear. Strangled leads, massive beats and a sonic wall of sound at the end is a reward. Sinful Reactions is on the cusp of some really nice tracks, but as of yet haven't really gotten there yet. With "Smells Like Sin Spirit" they are definitely heading in the right direction. I know it's their take on the Nirvana classic, but it's not the cheesefest it could've been. Raw, powerful, if not very imaginative. I haven't been that impressed with Khopat in the past as I thought he had a lot of unrealized potential. "We Will Fly (rmx)" is him delivering a wonderful track. All the sounds come together to work perfectly with that heavy beat. "Recover" is a non-stop assault on your ears and is what I have been waiting for from Audialize. Brethren closes the compilation with a grumbling, evolving track that combines atmosphere and movement. So what you get is a compilation of very powerful tracks that will get dancefloor results. Not a lot of variation and the artists are not composing complex masterpieces. But in a scene where quality music is at a premium, this does a great job and comes recommended. Psyshop Beatspace Goastore Mdk

I had to bump this. Listening to it 2 years later, it still has that flow and that richness that doesn't get boring to my ears. Even the vocals don't perturb me and I usually hate that crap. Awesome. Mdk

Number one, who cares if anybody gives a crap about it, I don't think you make music for people's approval. Two, nobody doubts your talent and for me, I have liked almost everything you have done. So count me as one who would be interested to hear more. Mdk

Let's see if it has all the stereotypes of "psychedelic" music. UFO? Check. Alien Head? Check. Multiple appendages on God-like figure? Yep. Single all seeing eye? Oh yeah. Stringing together 2 words that don't belong together? You bet. I haven't heard any of it, but when you try this hard it usually ends in disappointment. C'mon, Olli, you should know better than this. GMS needs a cowbell around his neck to warn of his approach.

Just gave their latest a listen and it has a lot to offer. Remixes with a bit of everything. D'n'B, rock, and of course dub. My favorite was the Harmonia (Neon Stereo Mix). An electro trance track that was super delicate. Delicious. Mdk

Just saw this. You are so welcome. That track still rocks in today's scene. I think it was from 2004 so I guess technically it is new school. Mdk

Wait...so we now have to wait through this EP and then another 2 EP's and then the album will be released? Holy crap! See you in 2012...maybe. Mdk

So nice. I love those 303's! Perhaps an album by you cannot be far behind? Mdk

Yeah I don't care where it is from (although credit should always be given) is sounds great. And nice bringing out the Johnny Carson. Wow. Mdk

Top 5 artists: 1. E-mantra 2. Filteria 3. Antares 4. Liquid Flow 5. Khetzal Top 5 Labels: 1. Suntrip 2. Phototropic 3. Ezel-Ebed 4. DAT Records 5. UAF Top 5 albums: 1. E-Mantra- Arcana 2. Khetzal- Corelle 3. Amithaba Buddha- Goa Gate 4. Filteria- Daze of Our Lives 5. Liquid Flow- Presence Top 5 V/A: 1. Energy Waves 2. Goatronika 3. Alternative Colours 4. Human Hyperactivation 5. Twist Dreams Top 5 Ep's: 1. Lost Buddha- Psyramid 2. Sky Technology- Time & Space 3. Liquid Flow- Goa Terminal 4. Lost Buddha- Regeneration 5. E-mantra- Signals Top 5 Cover art: 1. Khetzal- Corelle 2. Anima Mundi- Ethereal 3. E-Mantra- Arcana 4. Radical Distortion- Psychedelic Dreams 5. Filteria- Heliopolis Mdk

I figured you were on top of it. Awesome site my friend. Mdk

Are you in the process of adding other albums to the discography? I didn't see the Crossing Mind on your wonderful album cover discography. Also the new Amithaba Buddha. Mdk

Artist: Various Title: Full Swing Label: Iono Music Date: August, 2010 1. Funky Dragon (Featuring Djane Betty) - Dancing Desert (8:32) 2. Timedrained - Vildmis (7:32) 3. Loopstep - Atmosphere Inspiration (9:01) 4. Egorythmia & E-Clip - Paralel Worlds (7:44) 5. Sideform - Elektrik (8:20) 6. Ovnimoon - Gathering Of The Angels (Analog Drink Remix) (6:48) 7. Motion Drive - Drop Out (Etic Remix) (8:18) 8. Liquid Space - First Taste (8:13) 9. Klopfgeister (Featuring Nachtalb) - I Am A Cowboy (8:08) Iono Music. Does anything else really need to be said? This German label headed up by Matthias Sperlich (aka Cubixx) and Olaf Mauer (aka Murus) has been extremely proficient in releasing top quality progressive trance music in a relatively short time frame. Artist albums, compilations, and EP's all done with superior sound that make this the best progressive trance label IMO. They now have a new website with a internet shop and a pretty cool player. I have reviewed a lot of their stuff and overwhelmingly it has been positive. In an age where psytrance has become stale they continue to drop albums that set the standard for deep, emotive music. Just when it couldn't get any better, they deliver this FOR FREE. An entire compilation that will cost the buyer nothing. Ladies and gentlemen, this is known as a steal. The first track is by Funky Dragon and it is not business as usual. The effects and small attention to detail make this a great opening number. Percussion, sweeps, and a wide open break take what seems to be a simple track on the surface and turn it into an elaborate ordeal. Wonderful. Timedrained's debut CD Dilemma still gets a lot of play in my deck. A nice bouncy tune dripping with more of the same detail. Nothing overly elaborate, but the delicate touches make it seem fuller than it is. Great track. This is the one artist I am not that familiar with. He had a track on Abstract Visions which wasn't bad. This is quite nice. Soaked in reverb and full of the nice Iono touches that just give a track loads of atmosphere. In this style there isn't one predominant melody, but a sum of all the effects that drive this tune. Awesome! E-Clip has been bowling strikes lately with his tracks and here he teams up with Egorythmia to deliver a dark track. It growls with a rumbling bassline and ominous clankings that speak of a post apocalyptic future. Very driving without a lot of melody but the ones that are there works very well. The Sideform track is thin, but I enjoyed it anyway. Not a lot of variation, but it moves along nicely. Ovnimoon is nothing if not proficient and lately he seems to be all over the place. I don't know if Analog Drink is a separate artist or not, but I wasn't that impressed with this one. Kind of boring, with some housey influences. Not my style. I like a track that can get down to business right away and that is what Etic provides with his remix of a Motion Drive song. It's another bouncy track which is pretty light. Nice. Liquid Space must have gone on sabbatical because they haven't released anything since 2005 and then exploded in 2010. Good to have them back because this track is worth the wait. A nice party number that is uplifting. Good job. Final track is house all they way. It has a cowboy motif and all I can picture is a gay after hours club with Village People. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but the track has a very "enlightened" feel. Not for me. I would say this effort was pretty rewarding. This compilation is a can't miss. Beautiful, rich progressive trance that will take the listener to far away places. Put the headphones on and drift away. The first half of the compilation is as described with the 2nd half becoming more house oriented. Having reviewed a lot of their stuff it must seem like I am on the company payroll. I wish, but I had to buy the CD's just like everyone else. I know times are tough and money is hard to come by; you want to feel like you're getting a good return on your investment. Once again this label leads the way and shows all how it is done. And let's not forget that this was free. So you literally have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Iono Music Mdk

Rereading this makes me happy that his album could be out this year! Mdk

So with your blistering track on Temple of Chaos how is your debut coming? Close to a release like 2010? And maybe a Cloudwalker EP? So greedy for goodness. Mdk

With the upcoming release of Amithaba Buddha's 2nd album, the comps Spiritual Rising, Protozoa, and Goa Overdose, I thought I would chime in to see how this project is coming. Any closer to an album release? You know the goa community always wanting more. Mdk

I do not believe that this gets the recognition it deserves. Perhaps a slight bumping. Mdk

Artist: Various Title: Goa Overdose Label: Underground Alien Factory Records (UAF) Date: August, 2010 01. California Sunshine - The Gate to the Past (Remix) (7:09) 02. Nolax - Bioavailability (6:54) 03. Hybrid FX - Higher State of Mind (7:35) 04. BlackStarrFinale - Rabbit Marker (10:51) 05. Celestial Intelligence - Real Worth (7:08) 06. Grand-Cheff - Dirty Trance (8:48) 07. Space Elves - Tribute to The Wonderboy (10:45) 08. SETI project - Space Invaders (2010 Remix) (6:46) 09. Dhamsuta - Lucent Venture (7:48) 10. Somnesia - When Kali Meditates (9:10) First off this cover is truly beautiful in every sun drenched hippie way imaginable. This netlabel is doing some wonderful things for the New School of Goa and the fact that they are releasing so much quality music for free is amazing. UAF is run by Imba pictured here Nah, just kidding...that's not him. He is a delightful fellow who emanates positive vibes and is an active member on our little piece of the internet. Every month or so, they release an EP with different styles of goa. It's like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get. And did I mention that it's free? This is UAF's 13th release and let me tell you the trend of dropping beautiful gems on the ears continues. With this release, Imba said we were going back to the old school and class is in session brotha! If you've heard of this label (and I'm assuming you have if you're reading this) then you will recognize all or most of the artists. The most well known is California Sunshine with Gates To The Past remix. It's an pretty good opener (I really didn't like it the first several times I heard it) that sets the tone that we are deep in the old school. It seems rather simple with arpeggios and the whispering of the title (cheese)but that's ok for an opener, and to be honest I didn't expect much from them anyway. Nolax is Christoph Mitsch from Austria who recently dropped his 2nd full length disc called Turning Point. This is another simple sounding track with nice melodies just not as dense and layer rich as most goa these days. Not bad. Hybrid FX (who?) and brings a strong melody right from the get go. There is a definite old school vibe here and it sounds very pleasant. This is one of the tracks that grew on me the more I listened to it. Luis Pabón is BlackStarrFinale and his track ramps up the intensity. And it is quite the sledgehammer coming in at almost 11 minutes! The high pitched sounds take some getting used to, but it gives the track a tribal feel. Once the breakbeat kicks in with a 303ish sound funkiness reigns. Very enjoyable! All the pieces come together near the end in some arpegiated madness. This guy knows how to do some goa! Celestial Intelligence is another unknown to me, but that is irrelevant. True to form, this joint sounds very old-school with melodies tumbling over one another. The track gurgles and whirrs, and just has that other worldly energy. Great stuff! Grand-Cheff has said in another thread that he likes to put silly stuff in his tracks and he succeeded by inserting a Dirty Harry sample in French into this track. I couldn't understand it so it didn't matter to me. This track is non stop and has no real break to speak of so strap yourself in. The next track is a group project called Space Elves which is comprised of Imba, CoaGoa, SETI Project and Arronax. I loved their track "Anjuna Beach" on the Energy Waves compilation by Suntrip. Once I get passed the cornball voice (3 times) telling Wonderboy to wake the crowd up I can somewhat enjoy this effort. The leads aren't very pleasing to the ear and seem abrasive. Not my favorite, but it's not bad. SETI Project is Paul Yelland and he had his album Tribal Trance re-released in better quality (by UAF of course!) so he's got that going for him. I like how the track evolves as leads vie for supremacy. You can tell that the tunes are becoming less hectic and intense as the compilation winds down. Dhamsuta put together a stormer called The Sitting Goddess on the compilation of the same name. This track is very melodic but subtle. Some of the leads can barely be heard amongst the pads and comes off as delicate keystrokes. Less frenetic but equally melodic. Very nice indeed. Somnesia recently released his Rainbow Source EP and he ends the compilation. Think of this as the downtempo (actually mid-tempo) closer back in the days of old. The melody is mysterious as effects clamor for attention. Very ethereal. Melodies are everywhere. When one vanishes another replaces it seamlessly. Ra could've made this track. It just shimmers. This is my 2nd favorite track and my favorite from Somnesia. Like a lot of releases this requires numerous listens to get the feel of what UAF is trying to do. He went old school on you and this sounds like a mix rather than just a collection of tracks. It's not mixed, but it has that feel where the deeper you get into the tracks the heavier and more psychedelic it becomes. Very nice touch. For my money (but I didn't spend any cause it was FREE!) BlackStarrFinale had was the belle of this ball. This compilation created a nice time portal to the past. Don't get me wrong, I love the new school and think its multi-layered facets are the things of dreams. Every now and then though, it's nice to get back to the roots of the music. Good job UAF. UAF Records Mdk

Artist: Sunstryk Title: Pure Essence Label: Plusquam Records Date: July 2010 1. ascending soul 2. leaving eden (album version) 3. killer-born 4. no surface (extended version) 5. love again 6. sacred place 7. pure essence 8. baby boom (Sunstryk remix) Ace Ventura I like progressive trance with it's rumbling basslines and melodies soaked in reverb. Throw in the effects and you've got yourself a good immersive listening experience. There are a pile of artists that can make such beautiful music so there is plenty to enjoy. Plusquam Records has quite the history and discography with artists like Haldolium, Liquid Soul and of course Sunstryk. Their music ranges from progressive to house and all that stuff in between. I have heard a few tracks of Thomas Vitali (who now runs the show at Plusquam) on several compilations and I will say one thing...he likes it long. Insert joke here. His tracks are routinely over 9 minutes and this disc is no exception. The tracks are dreamy and have a floating quality about them. There are plenty of melodies to taste and I would say his style is entrancing. With track lengths pushing 10-12 minutes on some the mind easily becomes submerged in what he is trying to create. Some say that too long of a track can be boring, but if you want to delve deep and be hypnotized this album will help you achieve that goal. The first couple of songs were good, not great, until the extended version of "No Surface." An absolutely blistering trip down progressive avenue. I believe him to be at his best when creating a somewhat dark or introspective track. What I mean by that is he excels in the not so bright and sunny business. Melancholy leads and pads are the name of the game and he is good at them. So I would recommend this to anyone who wants to lay down, put some headphones on, and experience some well made progressive trance. It is not without its flaws, but it gets the job done. Pretty well actually. Beatspace Goa Store Mdk

This really deserves to be bumped. Quality, quality, quality. Mdk

Sounds like it's a winner, but has anyone else experienced the problem that Digitoxin complained of? Goa trance needs good bass to help drive the music and it would be a shame if this release didn't have any.

Artist: Various Title: Noctopus Label: Electric Power Pole Records Date: July, 2010 1. Tres Bon SUNRUNNER 2. Imenja MELTDOWN 3. Hollows SOL CONNECTION 4. Sprog WIDESPREAD 5. Aftermath MELTDOWN 6. Bushwalking To The Moon SUNRUNNER 7. Nauseous Conspiracy WIDESPREAD 8. The Good Old Days SOL CONNECTION Electric Power Pole records is based out of Australia. This release is a progressive trance offering, and I'll be honest (the only way I know how to be) I have never sampled any of this label's wares. I've always wanted to go to Australia and maybe one day I will, but the reason I got this was because it is full of total unknowns. I have never heard of any of the artists nor anything they have produced. To see how the boys down under do progressive trance intrigued me. I'm not going to go through a track by track review of this for I have neither the time nor the energy, but I did want to let others now what this disc was about. I would call this glitchy, grungy,progressive trance. "Hollows" by Sol Connection has an uplifting melody but this is the minority. Nowhere to be found are the deep layered, effects driven soundscapes that I am used to. What is here is a more stripped down, bare bones approach. Low grumbly basses paired with tribal percussive ideas taking a more minimalistic approach highlighted by the track "Sprog" which slogs its way for an excruciating 10 minutes. IF that's your cup of tea, then this is worthwhile, but for me it is totally devoid of variation and melodies that make the music interesting. It is just mindless droning with none of the atmosphere that can make this music brilliant. I did like the soft barely there melodies of "Aftermath", but there was so much crap to wade through to get to it. For me music is supposed to be a great soundtrack for a mood. This was empty and depressing and made me realize I have to go outside and mow the lawn in ridiculous humidity. 2/5. Mdk Psyshop Beatspace

This is melodic trance at its most emotional. It's like trance for lovers, weathering the bad times but always coming up to a beautiful sunrise. A new beginning. Not goa, but beautiful. Nice work and thanks for the free music Afgin. You are still the man. Mdk

Hello, UAF Records? Yeah this is Filipe. I have another EP ready to release on your label. More old School deliciousness. Oh yeah, different name. I'm going for the record. Mdk

Maybe I just don't know the definition of "acid leads." This was intense, chaotic, melodic and groovy to my ears. There wasn't much variation, but for moving purposes, I thought it did quite nicely. Mdk