mars

Tarsis - Melt Artist: Tarsis Title: Melt Label: Global Trance Network Date: 2000 Track listing: 01. 04'51" Brighter Than The Sun (Bullsrun Rmx) 02. 07'10" Interzone 03. 07'43" Zombi Cocktail 04. 05'33" Guilty 05. 06'51" Pure Energy 06. 06'00" Spacetrain 07. 04'45" Life (Instrumental) 08. 07'06" Deadly Deep Kickin 09. 08'15" Tomorrow 10. 05'37" Broken 11. 04'58" Mocean 12. 07'44" Melt (Vocal Edit) Review: On this album Tarsis provide us with an interesting approach: the first track had lyrics! There is also a good groove, a good bassline & rythm, guitar... This is an excellent intro. The next tracks are more usual, but each time, they remain cool. They keep in phase with the german style with the Tarsis touch, but there are always little cool arrangements & innovations that makes each track a good one. Uplifting tracks And calm tracks are alterned. this enables the listener to breathe..cool again. The last third of the album is really more atmospheric. The fast tracks always reflect an excellent expertise on rythmics. There are: - either long waves that puts tour mind on a good journey (02) - or buzzy sounds that makes you dance (05,08) - or repetitive samples And rythmic, that induce a kinda-tribal mood (03,06,09) The atmo-tracks (04,07,10,11,12) are really trippy, perfect for listening to them on the sofa. In fact the whole album has been prevented grom being overloaded with all sorts of sounds: the style is clear And intelligent. Eventually, it seems that Tarsis have reached their own style - not really psytrance-, but I easily imagine the killer session it would be in a live performance!! My favourites: 1,3,5,8,10. Mark: 7.5/10

Synchro - Drugs Artist: Synchro Title: Drugs Label: Liquid Audio Soundz Date: 2000 Track listing: 01. 06'43" Next Stop Oblivion(Y2K Mix) 02. 06'30" Drugs (Hard) 03. 07'41" Fowhunt (Gonzo) 04. 07'08" Coca Coma (Rock) 05. 06'23" Cyborg 06. 05'32" Drugs (Soft) 07. 05'44" F Buckets 08. 06'09" Coca Coma (Chrystal) 09. 07'39" Alcoholiday 10. 07'27" Foxhunt (Us Uk) Review: Contrary to many of you, I didn't like the Synchro style before. Now I like it! Briefly, all the tracks belong to a groovy line of style, very clear, with simple and efficient sounds. No full-psy style here. Sometimes you remind of the former album, but this is different in some ways. It's simple, and THE feeling is there. The goods sounds are always in the good places at the good time. A really good trip in your mind. Well well well. What else to say? Buy And listen. My favourites: 1,2,3,6,7 PS: At the first sight of the tracklisting, you could say: "what? 3 tracks are doubled?". Yes, they are but it's worth it. when a track has 2 versions, you really have 2 feelings expressed, and each remains accessible to the sofa or to the dancefloor. It's an interesting research. Those are definitely NOT remixes "to fill-in the CD". mmmh. good: 7/10

Lotus Omega - Recycle Bin Artist: Lotus Omega Title: Recycle Bin Label: Zillion Mental Anarchie Date: 2000 Track listing: 01. 07'49" Mastermind 02. 11'18" Kuru Kuru 03. 08'21" Renegade 04. 09'01" Flower Of Life 05. 09'13" Beauty And The Beast 06. 12'32" Diwali 07. 08'03" Deep Sea Review: It's obvious that the guys of Lotus Omega don't often go out of Ibiza island, and they dont perform live easily. So here you have a sample of their inimitable style. This is a very brutal one, but what a madness on a dancefloor! Always remember (before you read the rest of the review) that -I- found this album very good And creative, but I believe many people wont think the same... we'll see later. I forgot to tell you: If you happen to suffer from heart trouble, call an ambulance before listening to this album! Moreover it should be listened to at once, from the begining to the end, imo. All the tracks are quite the same. here, no fine instruments, no nice bassline, no dancefloor-oriented kicks: everything is fat And hard. the rythm is always the same: a fast "bom-bom-bom-bom...", and imagine a set of weird noisy sounds over this. The melody?: scratchy & wobbly samples! Just like a chainsaw butchery. What's good in this? Ok: in each track there is quite a sort of magic thing that makes it an original piece of artwork, something that makes you dance even if your ears sense it's horrible. Just lively! The tracks now: 1 "Mastermind" is one of the worst ones. Quite good, a good control of all the instruments, and a good moving transition at the end that's all. 2 "Kuru Kuru" is like a militray tune. Imagine you're crushed by a tank regiment. So many good wobbly sounds... Now you understand the sense of the title of the album. really excellent. 3 "Renegade" is a bit like Kuru Kuru minus the delicacy! You can hear twisting sounds everywhere, destroying breaking patterns full of noisy & computer sounds. a very good work on the drumloops. 4 "Flower of Life" operates a change in the rythm of the album: now you're on lightspeed. The rythm is vert fast & soft, still a bit military, but the sounds behind this are twisting everywhere, entering by one ear, coming out by the other....wow!! There is an excellent sequence of pure dancefloor atmosphere at 7:00. impossible to describe this piece...rhaaa...incredible. 5 "Beauty and the Beast" returns to the first style of the album, a bit like Mastermind. I don't understand this track although there are really good psychedelic souds sometimes. Maybe it's because the rythm is a bit shifted... 6 "Diwali" is a bit like Flower of Life. The kicks arrange nicely with the rest of the 'instruments'. some sounds are falling, as if the synths had bugged, and sometimes you remind of the little sounds you liked in Crop Circles tracks. 7 "Deep Sea" is amazing: it's ambient. but NOT ANY form of ambient: it's Lotus Omega ambient. this track consists in a cool melody that repeats everytime, with a very cool rythm compared to what you've listened to before. Sometimes there are remainings of the weird sounds from the rest of the album. At the end another cool melody adds to the first. It's refresing. Ok, it's not a masterpiece of ambient, but you can apreciate to end on this cool note. My final opinion is that if you like very hard psychedelic trance, without compromises, this album is for you. If you're more delicate...you'll die before the end. This album looks a bit like the Hux Flux one. As for me, i liked it a lot: 7.5/10>>express message to MM d'Amato & Scrimizzi: Stop smoking chillum on Beniras, guys! Come And perform live in France please!>>

I love this album. When i bought it in 1996 while Etnica wasnt as known as nowadays, it came as a revelation to me. Every track is worth it. Definitely a timeless state of the art album. The only drawback is that it's hard to find now. My favourite: Starship 101. Rating: 9/10

Exactly the same as I-Max...

Luminus - Hypnotica Artist: Luminus Title: Hypnotica Label: HOM-Mega Date: 2000 Track listing: 01. 02'17" Intro Active 02. 08'05" Hypnotica 03. 08'55" Anything Can Happen 04. 08'09" Total Consciousness 05. 07'06" End Of Space 06. 07'53" Sub Sonic System 07. 07'44" Diablo 08. 07'38" The Test 09. 06'42" One Step To The Moon Review: Amir Dvir is back! your opinion about Luminus wont change here. Those who loved the first album will love this one, those who hated the first will hate the second. the name Hypnotica is quite representative of the tracks themselves: many nice twisted hypnotic energetic repetitive mental melodies with a fast beat (nksssbom nksssbom nksssbom....). The Hommega site, comparing with the jouney into your Dreams states: "minus the cheese"...well not exactly as there are remainings of the cheese, but this is a good work. My opinion is just that this album should have been worked on just a little more. Globally the tracks are good, two of them had already been released (4:Total Conciousness, 7:Diablo), my favourites are nr: 2 (Feat Passenger as it just sounds like Passenger..), 4, 5, 7, 8. This is a special album, not really psytrance, not really pzatzot, something different. The only problem is that you are fed up with listening to it after a few times, so only 6/10

Yahel - For The People Artist: Yahel Title: For The People Label: Shiva Space Technology Date: 2000 Track listing: 01. 07'51" For The People 02. 07'38" Cosmic Waves 03. 09'09" Snap 04. 08'06" Flash 05. 08'11" La Esperansa 06. 09'26" ITN 07. 07'12" Angel Jonathan 08. 06'48" Rave 2000 09. 07'39" Bizarre Contact Review: This is a good debut album, full of nice melodies, not boring, something on the cutting edge, i think. Sometimes tracks are a bit like Luminus' ones (Max is going to kill me) , but you can feel something beyond this, less cheesy. each track has some kind of charm... I especially like tracks nr 1,2,4,6,7 Special distinction to the Angel Johnatan (trk.7) composed with Erez Mushroom & Jorg SST, which is very inventive (bagpipes rules!) 7/10

V/A - Order Odonata 4 Artist: Various Title: Order Odonata 4 Label: Dragonfly Date: 2000 Track listing: 01. 06'17" Luminaire : Duet Dub (Way Out West Rmx) 02. 07'36" Purple : Cascades 03. 05'51" Genetic : Electric Showdown 04. 08'56" Bus : Section 8 05. 08'06" Lotus Blue : Psychedelic Rock'n Roll (X-Dream Rmx) 06. 07'24" Semsis : Sound Vandal (Rmx) 07. 08'20" Noma : Tube 08. 07'12" Yumade : Das Hume 09. 08'16" Excession : Pulsar Review: This is obviously what Dragonfly calls their best tracks. Indeed, they are new, innovative, good grooves. the only issue is that there is not a unity on this compilation. the begining is -quite- melodic, while the end is really monotonic-bom-bom-bom-bom-... Please notice the trancey trippy dancing ambiance created by the tracks 1 (Luminaire),2 (Purple),5 (Lotus Blue with X Dream) The ways developped by Bus with section 8 (trk4) and THE remix of Sound Vandal by Semsis (trk 6) are excellent, to my mind. A good compil for those who like to listen to psytrance on their nailboard and then put some salt on theit cuts. 7/10

On a party last week-end I met Erez, and when he asked me if this new album was good to my mind, I just joined my hands, as if i was praying... subtitle: outstanding mind-blowing album - the hand of God!!!!!!!!!! 11/10