shahar@isratrance

A new young label based in England and ran by DJ Shane Gobi from South Africa. Good vibes here, and mostly good full on morning sounds. Bent sentinent, a first South African group I hear with a great driving morning tune full of uplifting power. I want more from them. Mumbo Jumbo with a nice psychedelic yet clubby tune, nice grooves and an hysteric finish. Still, not the best of the duo. We also have a new discovery here- Miraculix with two full on energetic scratchy and melodic killers- Energise (T3) & Blow Your Mind (T. I haven't connected to this kind of music for a long long time, and it's nice for me that it happens again. This is a name I'm gonna follow. I understand there's a full length expected in Alchemy soon, he just has to work on the sound. We have Neuromotor with a sample from his crazy chaotic trance, just as the name suggests, he delivers the goods. A.F.R.O.E. with a mash of blips and scratches that somehow doesn't melt into something complete. Then Sinister Funk, here Ofer with Bansi, with a nice track, great scratching sounds that really do it to me but the build is not overwhelming. Deviant Species with their amazing Carrier, a fast powerful track with a happy driving bounce, toyish sounds, and a totally psychedelic atmosphere. Dark Soho finish the story and deliver a scary massive track with great rhythm games and the expected scary gothic feel. Bottom Line: Good dancing material, the right amount of power, and a nice start for a new label. They just released their second release, I'll look it up. Favorites: 1, 3, 7, 8, 9.

V/A - Intelligence Artist: Various Title: Intelligence Label: Starsound Date: 2001 Track listing: 01. 07'32" Insane Creation : Gefrliche Flasche 02. 08'08" Tegma : Charus (Malmo Rmx) 03. 06'32" Deforlder : 10 Ms Of Itch 04. 07'41" Triplex : Underflow 05. 06'42" Yumade : Jungle Breeze 06. 08'43" Colours : Hexenschuss 07. 06'06" Reefer Decree And Asian : Squid 08. 07'30" Paste : Pastard 09. 08'57" Stuntman : Savages Review: A second compilation from Starsound, after the very good debut with Dynamic Features, that didn't get the respect it deserved I feel. Intelligence is much more together and mature. We get here a blend of mostly minimal tech-trance stuff, yet with different feel to the track and enough color and interest. Insane Creation, a new Swiss group start with a minimal progressive track, very percussive with a lot of drumming and rhythm games. Nothing exciting but a very nice groovy opener. The second track is a little surprise from Tegma, their usual drive is present, but it's toped with nice darbukas and an uplifting and even a housey feel, powerful melodies included. I would lose those hail samples in the end though. Veteran DJ Sangeet with his Defolder project continues (T3) with what I can only describe as a trance party inside a pinball machine- check it for yourselves. Then Triplex does it again (T4)- starting in toyland, pretty much where the last track left- it's all little groovy percussion mind games sure to hypnotize the dancefloor. This guy's music makes me happy. Jungle Breeze (T5)- Well... a Yumade track I really like, that didn't happen for a long time already. Different, original- the book of the jungle a-la-Yumade. That's one weird jungle, but definitely worth a journey through- just be careful, eh? Colours are another Swiss group, which I've seen in some top tens already- Hexenschuss is a strong dark one, but the build is a little empty and the sound is weak, things just don't sit well. Shows promise but a bit immature. Reefer Decree continue with Squid (T7), another toyish track, happy and bouncy morning track with nice psychedelic splashes, short and to the point. Paste, well, they sound like Paste, exactly like most other Paste tracks I've heard. Bored me. Stuntman, another new Greek act finishes things off with a full on technoidic track, that will rock the floor. Bottom Line: Good stuff. Very enjoyable and fresh, and with a good variety of music, while sticking to one style. Favorites: 2-5, 7.

V/A - Footprints Artist: Various Title: Footprints Label: Digital Structures Date: 2001 Track listing: 01. 07'32" P-Woland : Secrets 02. 10'58" Son Kite : Air Play 03. 07'33" Vibrasphere : Out Of My System 04. 08'30" Qlap : Puck El Pisto 05. 08'01" Tegma : X-Calibur 06. 08'12" Ticon : Shaken Not Stoerd 07. 06'53" 12 Moons : Bad Pets 08. 06'37" Bigwigs : Wodny Prezes 09. 09'04" Etnoscope : Flosiploskan Review: The label of the year, no doubt, comes back with its second compilation. Not an easy job they have here after releasing two of the best artists' albums of the year, they've set themselves a very high standard. They make it on one aspect, fail a bit on another. All the tracks here are great dancefloor material, it's a groovy CD, with great percussion work, very powerful and with great sound and production. P-Woland, the next promise from the DS gang opens with a hypnotizing airy slow tribal piece, which is definitely one of my favorites here and leaves me with a taste for more from this guy. Then it's the Kites themselves. Air Play gives the usual irresistible Son Kite percussion mayhem in that huge crisp clear sound of theirs, for 6.5 minutes. Than it opens up into a melodic clubby build up, which is beautiful but somehow losses it. Vibrasphere hits hard next with Out of My Systems (T3) that shows their harder side, though those typical dubby sequences are still here. A killer. Qlap's Puck el Pisto (from the latest Qlap vinyl on DS) starts the heavier part here, no-nonsense in yer face kick and bass, with powerful drive and great grooves. Be warned- this can make a porridge of your brain! Tegma hits next with the great X-Calibur (T5), an already established raw power dancefloor scorcher. Go for the ride- simple and great. Then Ticon ease up a bit with a solid Ticonish track that hits the mark, but somehow fails to excite me. Here also I think the compilation looses the story line and gets lost a bit. After that, 12 Moons will surprise those waiting for his known morningish transient tunes. Bad Pets (T7) is a hard tech-trancey track, totally psychotic with an on-the-edge feel and qute dark in atmosphere. Excellent stuff. Bigwigs follow with a totally groovy piece with the Polish weirdness factor working hard- the happy jumpy kind of weird- beautiful morning sounds. Etnoscope caught my ear with the recent Dus Fug 12", these guys manufacture total tribal madness, Flosiploskan is no exception, fast tribal drumming full of surprises and a great energetic and happy ending to this CD. Bottom Line: This is a collection of 9 blasts for the dancefloor, all will work wonderfully, no doubt. A definite must for every DJ. As a compilation it somehow looses the story on the way. Still it's one of the best compilations of 2001. Favorites: 1(!), 3, 4, 5(!), 7(!), 9.

V/A - The Playground Collective - Holidays In Kosovo Artist: Various Title: The Playground Collective - Holidays In Kosovo Label: Psylofant Date: 2001 Track listing: CD 1 01. Kein Traum (Kopfuss Resonator Rocky Horror Rmx) 02. Substanz T : Unique 03. Klangwelten 04. Human Brain Circus : Om Al Ferno 05. Diary / Tagebuch 06. Stefan Ludley And Kayan Gunes : Lunay 07. Shutka / Mazedonia 08. Who Are You ? 09. Elektrohandel : New York, London, Amsterdam 10. Tsunami Feat WNC : Hymna E Sasquetbollistave E Pejes 11. Peje 12. Elektrohandel : Uber 13. Casey Johnson : Tired 14. Gracias A La Vida 15. Lover 303 : Gjacove 16. Outside In 17. Lover 303 : Scorpio's Day 18. Subhuman 19. Scott Fair : A Little Weird 20. Nova Drive : Too Close (Live In Burg Herzberg) 21. Kosmopath : Goldi Horn 22. War Strategies 23. Scott Fair : Song Of The Strutzi 24. About Nato 25. Macona And Kosmopath : El Cuervo 26. Sessions CD 2 01. Serbian Village 02. Michael Kohlbecker : Eastern Wish 03. Small Things 04. Solar Reporter : Mondkind 23 05. Casey Johnson : Dancing On The Battlefield 06. The Toms : Riverman 07. Hidden Wars 08. Lover 303 : Tempelfest (Eargear Production) 09. Steet Und Kids Party 10. Sonnenvakuum : Zucken 11. Frami : Moonwalk 12. Volxmusik Mescla 13. Streetparade (Near Prizen) Gong 14. Hanf : Hashimoto 15. Klopfgeist : Kosovo Angel 16. Wie Ein Mensch 17. Mushroom : Let's Have Sex (Remixed By Quntus Kannegieber) 18. Tranceformer Feat Mani Neumeier : Marie Johanna 19. Ging Dubby : Melodica Dub (A Reflexion Rmx) 20. Session 21. Bosnian, Albanian And Roma Kids And Casey : Ode Yavo 22. Lover 303 : The Volunteer (Finkenbach Cut) 23. Gracias A La Vida Martina And Davide Review: First of all I have to explain that I bothered to write all 50 tracks, because it matters. It'll help you get the feel of this release. This is probably the most special release to land in my stereo for a long long time. It's the first time in years that I play a CD and feel the true Goa spirit. Not because of the music- just because of the Spirit. Holidays in Kosov@ is a very special project of few people that decided that we can matter, we can make a difference- here is the product of people that do not only talk about the spirit, feel the spirit, or even live the spirit- they made the effort to spread it to others, to others in great need. A group of artists- musicians and jugglers, went on a journey in ruined Kosovo, a place where humanity failed, to try and bring happiness to people who needed it. This CD is all about that journey, it's a musical diary, thoughts, words, stories melted together in music. It really takes you there and all together it manages to convey a very clear message- we're all in this together, things are fucked big time, and yes, we can do something about it. The music is varied and has everything in it- psytrance, progressive, techno, ambient, trip-hop, psychedelic rock, dub, and more. Mostly very good stuff and anyway there's no point in listening to individual tracks here. There's even an Israeli song of a very special band called Sheva, that makes amazing world music with a message of peace. The song is called Salam (peace in Arabic) and is sung here by Casey & a lot of kids that survived the war- my freestyle translation: Peace will come upon us Peace will come upon us Salam- upon us and the whole world Salam, Salam, Salam. Brought tears in my eyes. Thanks to all the people involved in this, keep it going. Bottom Line: Buy this. It's a bit hard to track, but worth it.

Waterjuice - Hydrophonics Artist: Waterjuice Title: Hydrophonics Label: Vaporvent Date: 2001 Track listing: 01. 07'26" Pandora's Box 02. 08'43" Purge 03. 09'26" Highly Experimental 04. 05'40" Captain Nemo's Secret Chamber 05. 06'35" Vog 06. 06'33" Glymph 07. 07'31" Didjerigoo 08. 07'46" Inversion Layer 09. 05'44" Radiofree Vaporvent 10. 07'23" Dubloopy Review: A real delicious surprise from San Francisco- a totally twisted refreshing freestyling psychedelia with a lot of feel and chill, showing that The US can do more than bomb. Since this CD arrived in my mailbox it has been working overtime. Waterjuice deliver a totally diverse and non-formulated journey through sounds and rhythms, and it's all very visual and very innovative. You have touches of everything here, and no doubt that a touch of genius as well. It start with Parndoras's Box- tablas hard at work in a tribal twisted psychedelic and hypnotic piece of music. Then it's distortions and rougher times- purge yourself! Highly Experimental (T3) might not be that experimental, but it brings more tribal feel, and alien sunrise trancey sounds. Captain Nemo's Secret Chamber (T4) is one of my favorites here- just close your eyes and you see captain Nemo entering his secret chamber, closing the thick door with that submarine's wheel handle, hitting his secret stash sitting back and watching the weird sea life 20,000 feet underwater through the little round window. Brilliant- one of the most visual track I heard. Vog (T5) has real chilled morning sounds, exactly what I'd love to hear on my way out of a nature party back to my car. Glymph (T6) is funky tribal stuff with a bit of a spooky alien feel. And Didjerigoo (T7) is my favorite here so far- dramatic, bouncing between dark and light, full of twists, totally hypnotic and definitely sticky- beware!!! A real musical treat. Inversion Layer (T8) is an oriental funky track with a sampled Muslim prayer praising the strength of god. My least favorite here, but still nice. Radio Free Vaporvent is as weird as it can get- some dialog in Asian language, beautiful twisted melodic line that grabs you completely, great drive, and a lot of surprises- a real complex piece of art. I just wish it was longer. And it doesn't end here- you get a hidden bonus in the end, getting dubby, but in a real twisted way, with a lot of flying sounds all around- cute. Bottom Line: Waterjuice- real liquid music, this stuff flows through your mind. Surprise CD of 2001. Do yourself a real favor and get it! And also a high score of that great cover from Naomi@vaporvent! Favorites: 1-3, 4(!), 5, 7(!), 9(!).

Strong massive tribal trance- definitely it's all around the rhythms here. Love the percussions. A totally dancefloor oriented release. As to Mahoney's remark about the MPDQX guys beliefs on melody/rhythm- I think you're wrong. Just check Ooze, Chillosophy and when the time comes- Son Kite remix to Cosma's Out of Range.

V/A - Nada Masala 2 Artist: Various Title: Nada Masala 2 Label: Dakini Date: 2001 Track listing: 01. 09'27" Sveda : Veil of Illusion 02. 07'39" Masala : Lucid Dreams 03. 04'54" Professor Trance : Inner Horizon 04. 10'00" Makyo : Erzulie (Phantom Rmx) 05. 07'04" Blue Planet Corporation : Mangrove 06. 11'56" Makyo : Behind The Veil (Rmx) 07. 07'24" Ochi Brothers : Sandhiprakash 08. 09'32" Jaia : Le Chant Des Sirenes 09. 09'57" Ishq : Yu Review: A second volume to Sky Dancing from Dakini, the best chill-out label for me today. And yes, Gio does it again. Sveda, a new project of Gio & friends open up with Veil of Illusion- Great hypnotizing drumming, beautiful oriental singing, great break coming back with beautiful Darbuka work and great opening strings. All create a mysterious sense of longing that touches the heart deep down inside. Perfect. Masala continues in the same atmosphere with relaxed, flute-like keyboards with an almost Bedouin feel to them. Ecstatic Arabian nights in jazzy interpretation layered on fast drum'n'bassy percussion work in the background. I was expecting a lot from Professor Trance after the amazing Medicine Trance on Nada Masala vol. 1. I was disappointed- expectation are bad for you people! Anyway, after I cleaned myself and listened to Inner Horizon (T3) with clean mind I found a nice soft peace of music with powerful vocals. Not the best here, but nice. Than it's time for Dakini's main Skydancer, Makyo with Erzulie (T4), a weird blend of funky jazzy chilled lines layered rhythmic tribal drumming, African-like chants and shouts, caressing vocals and psychedelic squeaking. All sitting together perfectly somehow and sounding totally coherent and just waiting for your mind to immerse in them. BPC doing something I wasn't aware he was doing, and doing it well. Mangrove (T5) starts with a weird consciousness intro and than slides through a slow drumming & percussion break/build up into a very atmospheric and open vocal track slowly rising up. Very Dakini in feel. Great. Behind the Veil (T6) demonstrates again that Makyo makes real trance music. In the sense that it can induce in your mind a trance state without you moving from your sit. This is another great melodic chilled journey. Ochi Brothers with Sandhiprakash (T7) a beautiful dreamy track with enchanted soundscapes. Jaia follow with my favorite here, Le Chant des Sirenes (T8), a track that has it all, the subtle melodic lines that touch your soul, the rich world of sound built around you, a magical atmosphere, powerful, yet subtle, energy, and a real built up story that will move your mind and even your body. Absolute Jaia. Ishq end the journey with Yu, a kick-less piece with great atmosphere, as usual in Dakini's CDs. Bottom Line: I feel like a broken record, but this is another great chillout release from Dakini. Highly recommended. Favorites: 1(!), 2, 4-7, 8(!), 9.

V/A - American Rotation Artist: Various Title: American Rotation Label: Spectral Concepts Date: 2001 Track listing: 01. 08'48" India Drop : Superfudge Chunk 02. 08'12" Penta : Zeynep 03. 06'58" Wormfood : UG 04. 07'11" Bufo : Smokin Feet (Night Mix) 05. 07'42" Nuclear Ramjet : Evolution 3.3 06. 07'37" Phosphene : Axiomatic 07. 06'25" Data Entry : Grey Area 08. 08'41" Tendril : Changeling 09. 07'53" Minimalanimal : Close The Line Review: Spectral Concepts (the people behind Spectralpsy) take a step forward to lively up the psytrance community in North America and release their first compilation with only North American artists. It's very diverse, a bit raw at times, but on the whole, refreshing, very dancable and quite psychedelic. Sinister Opher on his own as IndiaDrop opens the CD, with something completely different. Hmmm.. how to say it.. Astral doing progressive trance??? Forget it. Progressive with that scando clubby sound, yet full on and very very emotional morningish tune that I'd love to hear with the sunrise outdoors. I like it lots. Penta is a new one, and this is quite a respectable debut- Zeynep (T2) is a full on crazy morning track with total alien transmissions all around it. Very powerful and very psychedelic. Wormfood starts Ug (T3) with a minute of weird noises to be followed by a dark farty kick, a lot of hi-hats and a general noisy commotion in a mechanic rhythm that is quite absorbing, and builds up nicely. A bit too much on the hiss factor, though. Bufo with Smokin' Feet (night mix) (T4)- a very suiting name for a full on hard and fast percussive stormer on the rough side of things. I like the whistling, but it gets too much for me pretty fast- would probably work just fine on the floor. Canada's Nuclear Ramjet clean the atmosphere with Evolution 3.3 (T5)- gotta love that straight-in-the-stomach kick, just jump on it and ride on! Nice minimal atmospheric and psychedelic piece- things are happening there! One of my favorites. Phosphene takes things into darker realms with Axiomatic (T6)- dark driving mechanic bass and kick, great little percussion mind-games and a good solid atmosphere. It even opens up nicely in the end- perfect piece for the night. Another favorite. Data Entry, the second Canadian representatives here, continues with Grey Area (T7), A real weird chaotic piece of music with simple rhythm and totally distorted singing and melodic lines on top. It all comes out highly psychedelic. I think it needs a little work on the mix, 'cause it doesn't all sits together well enough. I'll follow these guys for sure. Tendril is Ed, which I've been sharing the 604 list with for 4 years now- it's good to see he's out there making music. Changeling (T8) has a very indoor sound to it, industrial atmosphere is strongly felt. I'm not sure it will get people dancing too much, still it is funky and is fun to listen to at home, if you haven't got a soft brain, that is. Minialanimal is Jeremiah the Spectral man himself. First congratulations on the name- gotta love it. Close the Line closes the compilation- a soft percussive minimal track with strong atmosphere layered on a rough metallic bass line. I love those alien horn sounds, and all the percussion and stereo sound games. Beautiful, just gotta work on the sound!!! Bottom line: There's nothing new here, BUT it's all a little different than we're used to, which gives it a fresh taste. A good and very welcomed start from America. Recommended. Favorites: 1, 2, 5, 7, 9

Where did you dug that one out? I thought I was the only one still remembering it ;-) Classic POF stuff, the beginning of the French sound. Tri-Cid rules, the original is even better. A rarity for oldies.

V/A - First Step Artist: Various Title: First Step Label: Parvati Date: 2001 Track listing: 01. 06'49" Droidsect : Supernatural 02. 06'48" Mic : Electro Jump 03. 06'17" Neutral Control : Space Pigz 04. 07'47" Color Drops : Corner Dog 05. 07'44" Droidsect : Poltergeist 06. 08'48" Dark Nebula : Vulcanized In Rubber 07. 07'22" Psilo Cowboys : Keyboard Cowboys 08. 06'57" Mic In The Bush : Dada 09. 07'05" Nightshade : The Game Review: So here is the second of my chaotic trance compilation reviews, and this one is more challenging (not always on the positive aspect). Parvati is a new young label from Denmark, most names here were unknown to me. Droidsect with the first track (one of two), Supernatural. Hmmm... shame these guys broke up, they really had something going in there- total chaos, yet, it stays together, and the story holds. The sounds catch the mind, and the rhythms are doing it. I like. Mic follows in tune, a lot of scratches, straight on the brain. Nice groove, cute break, a fun nutty track- I think this name should be memorized. Neutral Control's Space Pigz (T3) fails to do it to me- nothing that I haven't heard before, and the sound is bad. Two minutes of light near the end- should have worked with that. Color Drops follow- "Earth man! What a shit hole!"- Quite an opening statement. It feels as if behind all the squeaks and distorted scratches, hides a lot of defiance and some loneliness. Nice percussion sections and grooves. Droidsect are back with Poltergeist (T5)- more full on, 3D-Vision-like, spookiness conveyed, but nothing too moving in this one. Dark Nebula are the Ozzie connection- fast, hard, dark, hectic, lots of sawing sounds- a lot of mess. Too much for me- the story is totally lost on me. And is there some Oompa Loompa craze downunder? What's with all these Charlie and the Chocolate Factory samples? Psilo Cowboys continue with Keyboard Cowboys (T7)- a lot of scratches, robot whistles, computer droppings, and a very cute name (though the sample doesn't sound too good). Than Mic is back, this time in the Bush, with Dada (T8), happy nutty sounds, great samples, constantly changing and evolving, layering in and out- this guy makes the kind of music that puts a silly smile on your face with glints of madness in your eyes while you dance crazily in a party. Nightshade end with The Game- A bit of a different tune here, and a nice surprise in the end of the CD. Great tribal percussion, crazy drumming, a lot of maddened scratching. Again the sound and mix need some work, but this is really a good one. Bottom Line: The sound of the crazy underground, a bit immature, but very fresh and shows some new directions. Again, needs more attention in the sound department. I'll follow Pravati in the future as well as Mic & Nightshade. Favorites: 1, 2, 4, 8, 9.

Makyo - Suzhou River Artist: Makyo Title: Suzhou River Label: Uplink Date: 2001 Track listing: 01. 18'27" Suzhou River (Underwater Dub Mix) Review: Well, Gio does it again, another long composition that will take you to a magical journey if you just leave your body and immerse your mind and heart in the music. This track has a whole world inside to discover. Float on that opening airy sound, till the slow hypnotic beat starts and immediately sets you in motion- it's just irresistible. Beautiful rain-like piano drops join in, radiating optimistic sadness, over a whispered dialog in Japanese which I don't understand but feels like a some kind of a breakaway. Delicate dubby touches, spacey psychedelic sounds, breaking the surface water, and so much more. This is so complex, so musical, so full of sounds and emotions to discover, which are way beyond words. All that on top of that hypnotizing repetitive rhythm (this is TRANCE!) makes me find myself listening to this so many times repeatedly without getting tired. When I press play again after the long beatless, yet still hypnotizing, outro, and after awhile the beat comes in again, my mind and body just falls back into the rhythm, like coming home again into your natural life beat. Bottom Line: Have it- another amazing ambient creation from Makyo.

Acidance take the 3D Vision/TIP World rough full on style to the extreme- want a genre name? Chaotic trance will do? Logic Bomb start the mess (in the positive meaning of it) with a happy jumpy tune with great opening, that just hooked me up. It's a real energetic one, will make you jump around, and definitely makes me smile. Ninja Traxx follow with Compromise Yourself (T2), and immediately you understand it's serious business time, an overpacked dark piece with a dark massive kick, a lot of percussion work, rhythm changes, plus lots of crazy noises everywhere. Good drive, but a bit too much at times. Labyrinth (Mark Xenomorph and a friend) with yet another track called Imprint (T3) calm things down a bit. A more open sound with more space, all in a dark heavy atmosphere filled with an infinity of electronic crickets. A bit too much on the highs. Nothing special. The first sign of Parasense activity comes with Microwave (T4), a real cute track, happy and bouncy, with a lot of surprising shifts and deformed sounds. First Parasense track I really like, just wish they'll drop that hollow kick. Nuromotor with a first track out of his new album to be released soon on Acidance. Dunno what's with the name, but the track is a crazy stormer with the French full on touch topped with tons (literally) of flying sounds. Crazy for the sake of crazyness, to the point when the story is lost. Heard other stuff by this guy, which I guess will be on the album and which I found much more appealing. Than it's Xenomorph again, on his own, with murder intentions, as usual. My drawing to dark black murderous stuff ended with Black Sabbath & some gothic stuff long long time ago. Didn't like the music really either. Fungus Funk is another new talent from mother Russia, and Space Things Are on the Move (T7) is a real refreshing piece of music- fast happy bounce, full of scratches from outer space, and totally distorted semi-melodic sounds. It all sits very nice together. Great. BUT... Mr. Funk- slow down, and work hard on your sound. An older name- Domi Pastor together with Earthling from the GMS gang follow (T8 ). Not an extraordinary track, but the rhythm section is just gripping. For work on the floor in the morning. Aerodance end the CD with another cover version to an old melodic song, this time a French pop tune, the name of which eludes my mind. Cute, especially the applause to Jaques Brel. A very well done trance cover, much better than their Russian folk songs ones, but I still prefer original melodies. Bottom Line: Chaotic psytrance with no remorse, some really good refreshing tracks, some fillers (as always these days). A harder hand on the sound department would be nice. Favorites: 1, 2, 4, 7, 9.

A surprise from this English-Bask duo- 2 levels above their first album, Hatch. I put this on the speakers in some friends' roof party- and everybody started asking questions. A lot of percussion doing overtime, raw sounds, fast, floor oriented, with a lot of psychedelic dripping sounds. It's starts with the relaxed groovy introish Balojax, a real nice entrance. Then things get hectic with the spooky entrance of Druidic Endeavours (T2)- a crazy nightmarish driving track with crazy and highly psychedelic percussion and sound games- definitely some crazy ritual is going on here. My favorite here. From here things start going faster. The Forge (T3) is "horse-ride-rhythm" track, these usually make me want to jump around. Some nice spooky sounds, cool percussion, but the track is just not interesting enough. Carrier (T4) is another favorite here, a fast powerful track with a happy driving bounce, toyish sounds, and a totally psychedelic atmosphere. Spiritual Being in Fluoroshirts (T5) is a cool minimal percussion & rhythm based track with dirty sound, and crazy flying psychotic sounds. Locust (T6) just doesn't do it for me. Geb the Cackler (T7) is a fast robotish happy naughty tune with nice old Goa touches- fun & funny. Only track I?ve heard ending with a build up! I Squid leads the way out with nice slow percussion work sketched with light psychedelic morning sounds. Bottom Line: Fast, bouncy, moving between the minimal and full sound, dark and light. Grows on you. Support the independent sound! Favorites: 1, 2(!), 4, 5, 7.

Ah, those nutty people from Funland... A joy!!! Trance it's not, at times it's not even psychedelic, but it's delicious electronic dance music, and it's nutty as only the Finnish can make it be. It all starts with the Ozzie-Finnish connection (has anybody figured that one out already??), with AB, Nick Taylor & friends in an AB remix- a funky breaky psychedelic tune to shake your ass to. We go on with Kiwa, the only track here that can fall into my very broad definition of trance, still funky and mad as hell. Squaremeat Do it Square (T3), which means funkadelic with a big F and psychedelic with a big P. The 70s are back- spray your afros with UV colors! When the track ends you think: what now? Can they go further? Well, they can. Pelinpala with Oota Ei Oo (T4) with another 70s jazzy funky piece- Acid Jazz is what they call it. I think Ray Manzarek would have liked this one. This is so hot, it would defrost an Igloo in Lapland!!! Overflow's Thingamajig (T5) is a naughty knotty jazzy track with caressing funky Zappa-like melodic lines, sprayed over crazy rhythms. Texasfaggott with a nice little one, but the sound... The fact that people are having fun doesn't penetrate my brain if the sound is bad, if you get my drift. Didn't like this one. The sound remark goes for Spaztech (T7) as well. It's a nice drum'n'bassy track with some flashes of brilliance, but the sound is so low-tech that I just can't listen to it. A shame. But if you go through these two, you'll get a real treat- the cream on the top of the hot pie- Possible Apple's Daddy- a sexy funky piece of music that will make Austin Powers wet his pants (and I'm not talking about drinking too much beer baby)!!! Need I say more? Well, I'll just mention these old Deep Purple keyboards- I'm in love with this one!!! I want more!!! Bottom Line: The funky Finns will buttrock ya!!! For everybody with a butt to move and an open mind- buy this one NOW! Favorites: 1, 2, 3(!), 4(!!), 5, 8(!!!).

V/A - Sub Science Artist: Various Title: Sub Science Label: 3D Vision Date: 2001 Track listing: 01. 08'09" Absolum : Push 02. 07'18" Droidsect : Invasion From The Outer Space 03. 07'57" Skazi And Manitu : Survive The Trip 04. 07'55" Wizzy Noise : Wizzy On The Run 05. 08'24" Polaris : Serious Trouble 06. 07'31" Total Eclipse : The Crucible (No Mercy Rmx) 07. 08'14" Logic Bomb : Frequent Flyers 08. 07'35" Bamboo Forest : Electrotoy 09. 07'38" Ultra : Engage Review: 3D Vision keep doing their thing- full on, full power, on the verge of aggressive, with a lot of psychedelic scratching stuff inside. Haven't been listening to this kind of music for a while, and actually I had fun with it- I did find it hard to listen to the whole CD in one go after the first two times. Christof, the man himself, opens with Push, which just all I said in the opening sentence. In one word- relentless. Droidsect (T2) with a bit of a different angle, driving groove, constant changes, and basically full on psychedelic chaos, but with the right touches, and never becoming too much, though walking on the edge. Skazi & Manitu follow (T3)- quite boring till the break, but than things get much better, and pretty crazy as well. Wizzy are on the Run (T4), and that run starts too much like Sandman's great ambient piece Storm Clouds (from Life Is...), and sounds from there are present in different places around the track- weird. The track itself has no similarity- it has a pounding technoish beat with huge atmosphere and a lot of breaks, eastern singing, and a bluesy singer flashing a line that only black women with enormous hearts can sing, haven't decided yet if it's great, or out of place- catches your ear- that's for sure. Polaris with a nice track, starting funky and turning after a frightening break to more dark scratchy full on realms, only to come back full on and funky. Fun track. The Crucible (T6) is well... not doing it for me, and I love scratching sounds. Logic Bomb are Frequent Flyers (T7) for sure, and it feels like they know what are they talking about- great morning tune that catches your body immediately, sure to fly a party around- beautiful subtle melodies, and great little sound games always running in the back. Bamboo Forest popping up again with a more relaxed track, comparing to the rest of the compilation. They're still doing their thing, and this is my second favorite here. Nice breaky psychedelic tune, keeping the power in a subtle level. Ultra are Christof and Dimitri with a more technoish track, nice breaks and a lot of little rhythm games, open sound (as the sample suggests) and the right kind of scratches that just do it to me- a real good surprise for the end of this CD, and my favorite here. Bottom Line: 3D Vision on the run- doing their things, with some surprises. Favorites: 2, 4, 5, 7-9.

Well, trance from Oz is apparently not just Demon Tea/Psyharmonics? weirdness, or Edgecore breaks- here?s a new Ozzie label with full on classic goa trance- I?m proud to present: the melodic backlash- Oz style... get ready to travel back in time. Starting is Cosmosquad from France- a cross between MFG and SUN Project would be a quite accurate description. As full on as it can be, just as the name suggests, and great work with samples as well. Simple and straight to the point. We go on with the French connection with Talamsca?s Friendly Squid (T2), an ordinary Talamsca tune- nothing special but with Cedric?s usual energy, and irresistible exploding build-ups. Mr. Peculiar, starts representing the Ozzie side, with the really cute Charlies? Trip- great samples from the Wili Wonka?s factory, psychotic flying sounds all around, a lot of energy, ever changing rhythms, and also great work with the melody. A shame about the sound though- it definitely needs an upgrade, but I think this guy should be watched after for some delicious stuff in the future. His trance version for Hot Butter?s Pop Corn- Pop a Cell (T8)- is cute and fun as well, but I would be interested to hear original melodies from this guy. Olli Wisdom & a friend as Space Fly (T4), hmmm, I thought that Goblin stole the kingship of samples from Olli, but this track might change my mind. The 60?s are back here... gotta smile... but the track just doesn?t stands up to it. Could it be an old one that escaped releasing? It sounds a bit like that. A full on packed tune, Olli-style. Fractal Glider, another full on Ozzie, with two tracks here (T5 & T7), one together with Benza- nice for those who missed the old full on melodic Israeli sound, here dipped in a lot of flying psychedelia with an oriental flavor. A travel back in time for me, sound-wise as well. Lestat & Matt with yet another track that uses the Samuel L. Jackson Ezekiel speech (T6), and not in the best way. Nice explosion after the break, though, and then it gets better. Benza with Just Ask the Axis (T9) gives us a more relaxed emotional open track. The track is nice, and the melodies caressing, but the sound is neither. After you go through all that full-on-ness a very nice chilled surprise awaits you. A very nice drum?n?spacey relaxing track from Orbit Construction, with real psychedelic atmosphere- I wish it was longer, though. Gonna search for more from these guys. Bottom Line: The French-Australian full on goa trance connection- for those who missed that- don?t miss this one. If you?re over it, leave it be. Favorites: 1, 3, 10(!).

He he, a goodie and oldie. Nice trance and breaks- interesting weird ozzie stuff that sounds less groundbreaking today after 3 years from it's release. Metamorphin is one of my favorite tracks ever.

V/A - Dynamic Features Artist: Various Title: Dynamic Features Label: Starsound Date: 2001 Track listing: 01. Deforlder : Experimentations On Mutants 02. Paste : Troll 03. Yumade : Kitch Head 04. Triplex : Q6 05. POTS : Peanut Tube 06. Tegma : It's A Case Of ... 07. Suria : Protoss Smoking Weed 08. Source Unknown : Cutting Edge 09. Sonic Fusion : Firedance Review: First compilation for this new Greek label run by Jhon, ex-partner in ZMA. Technoish sounds, not too psychedelic, with nice grooves and moves. Defolder (DJ Sangeet) with a nice opener, a bang-your-head groovy track that definitely moves the butt, with nice technoidic breaks and good suspense. Paste follows with a lot of electric whips, and quite a spooky and psychedelic atmosphere accompanied by a massive bass assault. Yumade (T3) with their usual- a mechanic kick (that sounds dead to me) and great hi-hats games- I think this is too recycled already- nice one, but nothing really excites me in this track. Triplex with Q6 (T4)- my favorite track here, a real surprise from a Greek guy that used to make totally different music. Great groove games, a lot of driving power and pure energetic aura, dipped in minimal psychedelia, and basically a pure fun track. POTS follow with a very percussive track with little simple melodic lines- again nothing exciting, but very much in tune with the story here. Then it's Tegma, the new guys from the MPDQX talents case- it doesn't stand up to their amazing Doppelganger from Creamcrop's Folded View. Strong percussive mechanic techno that doesn't hold enough interest for me for home listen, but will rock the floor for sure. Suria (T7) with a hard one- relentless pounding and altogether too much sounds for my delicate old ears. Source Unknown with pure intense techno, no psychedelia, housey feel and not too alive. The sound is not good enough for me- which is necessary in a track like this (see Authentik for a good example), and it's too long as well. Sonic Fusion ends the CD with something completely different, doing his tribal thing, a lot of chants, nice fast bounce, and a very organic sound- I like it. Bottom Line: Tech-trance lovers shouldn't miss this. Good work for a first compilation, very much together, with a strong clear line. A bit more variation would be nice. Favorites: 1, 2, 4(!), 6, 9.

Ambient releases are always hard for me to review- I like to write about each track, and ambient tracks usually have a lot in them. This CD especially was hard to review, still as I listen to it more and more, I find more and more layers to peel. I'll try to anyway, but it'll be an unfinished job- just the tip of the iceberg. This is a real deep and mature creation, varied in sound, texture and vibe, yet very much together- a real journey for the soul, with so much emotions, and food for the mind and heart in it. All that, in crisp clear sound and amazing production. It's what electronic music is all about. Quintessence (which also opens the Chillosophy compilation), is a soft ambientish track in a mysterious dubby atmosphere with a traveling story inside. Very vivid and lively sound, painting a world around you in an optimistic mellow atmosphere, which in a way characterizes the whole CD. The mellowness continues the journey with What's Up, which also reveals more of another side of this album- amazing twists of sounds, taking your mind to other dimensions. Great vocal line which evokes in me a great longing for something unknown, and a powerful kick that moves the body while the mind drifts. From here we move on to Restricted Flow (T3), things get a bit more energetic, though still in a spacey and relaxed atmosphere. There is something pulling forward here, to some undefined destination. Get it Done (T4) that follows has some of Son Kite's Aiwanna (downbeat mix) in it, twisty blooming sounds, very organic and alive. Meeting with Strange Species (T5) is the masterpiece here- a 13-minute journey in various soundscapes, grooves and beats. A much happier and optimistic track with a crazy jazzy start, and then things just go in all sorts of unexpected directions- words won't suffice- just dive inside- and no expectations! Trying Outward is a deserving follower, and the other real standout here- the optimistic mellowness returns, with some of the sounds here penetrating deep down into the soul. This track is like an exploding fractal with all the colors of the world inside- so visual! I wish it would go on! Delicate Passage (T7), is constructed around powerful percussion, circling you in a very hypnotic way. This is a real track to dive into- it's like moving through liquid. Searching Inwards brings the journey to it's end- more minimal and psychedelic, with thick and sparky atmosphere. Close your eyes and follow the squeaks to another dimension till the deserved ending. And then? Well? press play again. Bottom line: The more I listen to this CD, the more buttons in presses somewhere deep down inside my concouisness. This is a magnificent creation driven by emotions, and dipped in sounds from other realities. One of the 'wholiest' releases of the year- a must have. Favorites: 1, 2(!), 5(!!), 6(!!), 7, 8.

A first chill out compilation from Digital Structures with the deserving name Chillosophy. They stand up to the expectations, and my expectations from these people are high after releasing two of the best artists albums in 2001. The chill starts with two tracks of the Kites themselves, each on his own, in a very very relaxed atmosphere. Seb as Ooze opens with Quintessence (which also opens the Ooze album released in Spirit Zone- another quality chill journey), a soft ambientish track in a dubby atmosphere with a traveling story inside. Very vivid and lively sound, painting a world around you. The ending pianos lead well to Aqua Sleeping from the other Son Kite half, an almost loungy track, with a lot of moving piano lines, charming, but at times too much. At some moments, especially the last 3 min., honey drips out of the speakers. Then starts the vocal section, first with Duality (T3) that thickens the atmosphere from the first note, and introduces rougher sounds. A more rhythmic track, dubby lines and caressing female singing. Very nice. A smooth move to Son Kite with a vocal downbeat mix to the closing track of their album. Starting and ending with a heartbeat, this is a completely different interpretation to the sweeping tribal morning frenzy of the original- "mass emotion of the beat"- fascinationg tale with amazing sounds giving me goose bumps, and great vocals- one of the highlights of this journey. Than it's Karl-Axel Bissler, with the first of his two tracks here- Laid Back (T5) is a hypnotic funky yet mechanic piece, with a lot of hissing hi-hats and a dark-big-city-pub-give-me-another-drink atmosphere. If you wanna clap your hands- clap your hands. The cut to Mason Groove (T6) is a bit sudden, a spacey-dubby piece that doesn't really talk to me, and frankly I would skip it. Breath Taker (T7) on the other hand I really like- a deep funky technoish tune, hypnotizing and penetrating. Another real favorite. Aztech follows with Death Wish (T8 ), a scratchy-catchy drum'n'space tune opening up with airy moving sounds. A Polish guy hits us next with the amazing X-Moll (T9), dirty hissing jazzy sounds, cigarette smoke and alcohol fumes, and a lot of funk, topped with some psychedelia- delicious! D.P.O.D change direction to the more relaxed and spacey realms, typical of them, but topped with some weirdo jazzy sounds connecting well with the flow. Ending is Bissler again, with Floating Castles- another hypnotizing hallucinative minimal and monotonic track- I love good things made of less. I would love to hear more from this guy. Bottom Line: A very diverse trip through chilling realms (maybe too diverse)- an interesting journey from soft airy ambientish soundscapes to jumpy funky beats, ending in a mysterious note- excellent CD to wake up with! Highly recommended (and amazing cover!!!). Favorites: 1, 4(!), 5, 7, 8, 9(!), 10, 11(!).

Well, after the 3rd Order Odonata I parted ways with this legendary series of compilation, to come back now and find it still on the right track. More clubby, as seems to be the case with all UK trance (and not only...) these days (get out to nature ppl!!!), but still psychedelic, moving, interesting and fun to listen to. This compilation has been a favorite with me the last few weeks. It opens with a very clubby, almost housey tune, but very groovy as usual from Saiko-Pod. Not my cup of Chai. Vibrasphere dub us with the groovy crunchy Nino Loco (T2)- happy and loony jumpy one. Aphid Moon (T3) continue into darker realms with a lot of percussive joy and irresistible groove, and an atmosphere and sounds that remind me of old wild psytrance of few years back- a gem. Than it's Kiwi time with another goody from Pylon (T5)- an atmospheric driving dark groovy and percussive tune. Another favorite here and another name from New Zealand to remember after Pitch Black and Antix. Noma Follows with an in-between Noma track (T6)- that is, in-between his dark minimal stuff (like the album) and penetrating emotional dawnish stuff (like his Medium releases). Nice one, but could use a global cut. Then it's veterans' time when Zodiac Youth (T6) meet with Yoad Nevo (one of Israel's trance pioneers that disappeared and one of the best sound technicians in Israel) with a trippy tribal tune colored in nature morning sounds. Some old fashion hectic psychedelia in today's cloths. Enter Sandman! and with a surprise- Jungle Rock is a hysteric morning anthem- still dipped in loony toony out-of-this-world psyeffects that only the Sandman can make. I love those Siam-like sounds (for those who know old 80's Israeli new wave sounds) opening the track. Mr. Shakta is next with No Conspiracy, nice sounds, but no interesting story. Anyway I would put this track before the Noma track. Ending the CD is Prometheus with another crunchy psychotic morning tune to match Sandman's one. Bottom Line: Very nice one from Dragonfly, interesting psychedelic danceable fun compilation with a nice blend of artists and music. Favorites:2, 3, 4(!), 6(!), 7(!), 9.

Short one this time. I'll just say that this is great club music- very innovative and very interesting- but to call it night and day? Well... I think the Transient ppl should go to a few outdoor parties again- you know, dance in nature a bit. Great home listening though, don't get me wrong. Favorites: CD1- Dallas Kiss, Hopefiend, Electric Tease (!), Mumbo Jumbo, Slid. CD2- 12 Moons, Filur, Fabel, Dab Screen (!).

Look people, this is as uncommercial as it gets- or to be more excact- this was uncommercial- this is how trance started in 89-93- it was so uncommercial that only in 1998 (not 99 as written here) they could release it. You can find here old industrial techno layred with some simple melodies (the older trax) and some early Astral stuff. We Are Controlling Trasmissions I remember well from the early 90's parties. I had tears in my eyes when I first heard it again on this CD after 5 years.

First I have to say, that apart from a few tracks, this is my first journey into the Son kite realm, I never got to dive into Minilogue, their first album. I guess there's just too much good music around. Well, I've wandered around this album quite a lot, and had good fun. Digital Structures (which the Son Kite guys are part of) proves again that it is a real quality label. This CD is interesting & diverse- it has technoish, dubby and tribal touches, and also an abundance of changing sounds. It is also atmospheric, very hypnotic, and very danceable- partly because the fluent and original way in which the kites are using the very basic and essential tool of breaks & build-ups (that seemed to be forgotten lately), and also due to the very strong drive imbedded in the tracks and CD as a whole. Collection starts the journey with more than 2 minutes intro, broken into by a massive no-nonsense kick- I would start a set just like that- intro included. Hypnotizing track that has a little of everything, a kind of introduction to the album itself. Than comes a sudden yet fluent break in line with (W)Holy Road in Monterrey (T2). We're on the technoish side of things here. A fast tune with a hypnotic metallic technoish feel, very monotonic, but with a great jumpy groove. It builds up slowly to a fast, frenzied mechanic climax- I like it lots. Where's My Drum (T3) is an electronic-age shamanic tribal ritual. A more hectic and psychedelic rhythm-based tune, accompanied with a shamanic muttering chant and a strong tribal feel, very full on with a strong drive. If Ashtrays Could Talk (T4) relaxes things a bit, before we get too excited too early. A nice cyclic track, starting and finishing the same- with a freestyling trippy into and outro. This is a slow and minimal one, very percussive, tribal with a real minimal groove, accompanied by little atmospheric synth touches. Real cute. Bitter Sweet (T5) has them typical Swedish clubby-dubby floating sequences (with a very dubby atmosphere in it) and flying psychedelic effects splashed on trashing technoish line and a driving groove. Great morning-at-the-forest tune, makes me see little lights in the air. After 2 tracks that are more on the relaxing side of things it's party time- Driveshaft (T6). The name says it all- hard monotonic techno-trance tune opening with a powerful fast and driving repetitive drumming- this is pretty much the story of this track, that is until those sneaky crafty breaks and little buildups in the end- sure chaos on the floor. Hi-Fi Stomp Session (T7) has THE DRIVE and is full of chaotic swishes & scratches. Electric-whips are flying all around in this massive highly psychedelic stopmer. Probably the most powerful dancefloor material here, will sure cause chaos in every party, in any stage. One of my favorites here. Clockwise (T8 ) is the only track here I don't really like, it's nice, but not more. Aiwana has that metallic tribal Son Kite feel to it, great darbuka sections, and a beautiful levitating melody in the back, the break and build up are there, and done just beautifully- will sweep you for sure. A great emotional tribal morning track with a lot of happiness and a great finale for this album. Recommendation: A very dancefloor oriented release with enough interest and diversity to serve as a good and continuous home listening experience. It has a lot of music in it- something which a lot of dancefloor oriented albums lack. Also it is a must for every DJ. Another quality release for Digital Structures. A definite "get it" from me.

Amazing psychedelic ambient, like all of Gio's stuff. Amazing sounds, unbelivably imaginative story, tolally alive soundscape- great as background and to lie down in a dark room and dive into.