abasio

Emanuele Errante Humus Somnia April 2008 Ambient Tracklist 1. Fecunda (6:31) 2. Lucus (8:55) 3. Ros (3:56) 4. Humi (9:59) 5. Radio Hopes (6:40) 6. Leaves (1:45) 7. Aquatic (7:48) 8. Primo Tema (3:23) 9. Ant's Trail (4:29) 10. Magic Wood (5:32) 11. Ultimo Tema (3:14) Another release on Evan Bartholomew's ambient label Somnia is the first not by himself. One Emanuele Errante offers us up some sleep inducing ambient and I'll admit that at first this album bored me a little. It took time for its eloquence to unfold and for it to successfully insert images into my head. It did help me sleep though and in the times I was really listening to it, I started to understand it more and more. 1. Fecunda A nice classical feel to the opening track here, with soft strings and an olde worlde feel to it. I can picture foggy European countryside in the mornings as I listen to this, the drones feel surprisingly musical as if they are themselves a new type of string instrument and the brief smatterings of melody sound like flutes or bells and sometimes I can hear both at once. Very nice modern classical ambient. 2. Lucus The deep bass sound rumbling downwards right from the start instantly sets a darker atmosphere. The feeling is still that of the olde worlde but we've gone from romantic mornings in unspoiled countryside to gray castle towns with the hustle and bustle of a non busy market and the looming presence of a dark keep overlooking everything. Deep dark drones, frantic flute and a myriad of little noises give this a sense of accustomed unease. 3. Ros A short track that feels like the build up of psychic energy. The drone is high pitched like the air might explode should its intensity increase. The sharper synths sound like ritual slicing through the air and it all gives me a sense of sorcery. 4. Humi Humi paints a picture in my head of aftermath. Like the aftermath of a great battle. There is no action, no commotion just peace and a certain sense of emptiness in a crowded place. The long fluctuating drones combined with little lightly pitched sounds make me imagine souls rising up into the sky whereas the dark but gentle bass that comes in midway feels like the same thing but descending to who knows where. Imagine a field on which was fought a battle of titanic proportions but which is over, the victors having moved on leaving the dead and the dying to litter the ground. Listening more closely I can hear flies and carrion feasting on what remains and listening intently I can see the souls of those now departed on the next step of their journey. 5. Radio Hopes Dark and scratchy is how this starts out as if the radio is acting up again. Slowly there comes more sounds. The lone piano note struck loudly, the sweep of a synth short and sharp. Still the scratchy static continues. More sounds come if you really listen but they are extremely subtle and easily missed. With this I picture a soldier in the trenches trying to get his radio to work, struggling but gaining ground little by little as he eeks out the sounds. Finally he gets the music to play and there are beats for a time just briefly though before it cruelly cuts out. 6. Leaves A very short track with just smatterings of clicky sounds, deep keyboard melody and mystical ambience. All in all a short but quite spacey track. Would have liked it to continue. 7. Aquatic Water sounds at the start as if something is wading through calm waves. A strong melody and prominent high pitched notes wailing in the top side. It feels all the way through like it's going to kick of with some percussion with a slow bass note plodding along and the slight fluttering of mechanical wings with what could be beats many miles distant. The beat never materialises though however the mechanical sounds take over like there is an alien craft hovering over our Aquatic seascape. All manner of glittering sea life comes for a look at the craft but it fades away with all the attention leaving us once again with just the sea. 8. Primo Tema A short glitchy track with static like synth mixed with piano played almost into a melody. The atmosphere created is one like a small vortex looking like it should disrupt the world around it but somehow leaving everything unscathed. 9. Ant's Trail A crazy melody seems to have no plan but just plays randomly what comes to mind which is generally hitting a few keys at once repetitively and sliding up and down the scale. The other constant is little clicks like sporadic movement of a beast just learning to walk. There are drones here and there starting sharp and fading away like voices lost on the wind. By the time these voices become more stable there is another half melody vying for attention. Interesting track if not the best for a headache. 10. Magic Wood More percussion here with a just about steady beat. Dark twisted drones cover the slight piano and hide it under a blanket of buzzing insects. But it is there, put you ear to the ground and concentrate and you can hear it as if it's far away but as all the noise and percussion stop so does the piano and I realise it is not a sound covered by the rest but more a sound made by the rest, soft and subtle and fitting in perfectly. 11. Ultimo Tema Single notes on the piano played over slight glitchy mist and sparkles of light, the briefest of drones floating up and out and vague percussion may not sound like much but it's incredibly engrossing and as the piano slowly becomes a few notes the drones become longer only for the album to sadly end. Well this turned out to be a very nice ambient album. Easily dismissable as boring if you don't give it a chance. Distraction free and with a clear focussed mind. Each track has its own little story and although the album kind of feels like a story it also feels like it jumps from scene to scene with no explanation of what happened in between. That though just adds a chaotic feeling to such a relaxed album. I like that, chaotic chilled out music. The opening track remains my favourite on the album and one of the nicest tracks this year.

Opium - Watercolors

Pan Electric - Conscious Pilot :posford:

Ra 9th Suntrip Records 16 May 2008 Goa Trance Tracklist 1 Intro (1:21) 2 Octagon (7:48) 3 Predator (7:58) 4 Other Self (8:54) 5 Ultima Energica (7:41) 6 Time Current (8:13) 7 Spirit Complex (9:04) 8 Transcendent (9:13) 9 Expand Consciousness (7:04) 10 Light Receiver (8:20) 11 Untitled (Bonus Track) (3:10) Everything Suntrip releases seems to touch my Psy appreciation buttons and with the long awaited Ra album 9th they have taken a much loved artist still winning praise for the debut To Sirius. The risk is always too fold with situations like this. One, it could not be as good as the debut and people would be disappointed or Two, it would be too much like the first album and people would complain that it's stale and unoriginal. So how did Ra manage the difficult second album? 1. Intro A soft goambient intro with light melodies and a deep dark vocal sample sets the mood straight away of spacey Goa. 2. Octagon Now we really get going. A nice energetic party track with strong beats, light trippy synths and subtle melodies rising and falling. For some reason I get the feeling that I am in Total Recall. There's no sample like from the 1st album but I keep expecting one. A nice old Goa feeling with a slicker more polished edge. 3. Predator Predator picks up the energy level in that it really gives me the impression of a chase. With small trippy sub beats under the main kick very audible, a quick bassline melody pushing along and synths always on the rise the feeling of rapid horizontal movement like a race is very apparent. The slight touches of melody always put in mind of police sirens in a very different world. Different sound, same feeling. I picture a car chase through a city of gleaming gold stretching far above yet the sun still illuminates everything very brightly. 4. Other Self Lots of Energy again but with an altogether different feeling. A very old school feel for me in this track. The beat really takes me back as does the melody which although seems quite simple and repetitive at first, has enough movement in it to hold the mood and my attention. A very spacey atmosphere reminds me of my early love affair with Dragonfly Records, images of parties in long forgotten temples, forests and alien worlds spring to mind. 5. Ultima Energica Long drawn out synths creating a floating atmosphere before the beat kicks in creating an overdrive atmosphere helped on by little stabs of melody, faster synths and squelchy sounds. A common enough hyperspace feeling but somehow this track gives me the feeling that I am still but the universe is a maelstrom rushing all around me. Personally I could do without the sample but it's not in there for long and the rest of the music is so good. 6. Time Current This is another one of those tracks in that I am always expecting a sample to jump out at me. The music is very reminiscent of older Goa while still holding Ra's modern style. The production on this track is great and everything seems to have been put together perfectly. The progression of the track, the introduction of simple melodies intertwined with more acidic synth stabs. The melodies all sound at once the same and different and as they twirl together I'm left almost breathless. When the sample does come it's nothing like I was expecting adding to my pleasurable feeling of listening to fresh new music mixed with nostalgia. Great atmosphere, great energy, great track. 7. Spirit Complex With Spirit Complex we start to calm down a bit. There is less pulsating energy and more a steady movement. The beat remains quite quick but the other aspects, synths, melodies and random sounds seem to have streamlined into a smoother ride. In the second half the melody that comes in is high pitched and adds a little more energy to the atmosphere but the breakdowns pulling it back make me feel like we've reached the apex and are on our way down. 8. Transcendent Another track that seems to have lessened the kinetic energy. It's still pretty fast though like the last one and I have this feeling of going down hill. The music has time to breathe and take in the scenery. Lush melodies, nice synth work and lots of little noises make it a very enjoyable track. A slightly too long break down for my taste kind of breaks up the smooth flow I was enjoying and it never really gets back on track afterwards. 9. Expand Consciousness Another notch off the accelerator. If it wasn't so deliciously Goa in its feel I could almost be tempted to call it prog. The sounds are much too Goa for me to ever really think that though. Eastern sounding melodies, sharp synths, bubbling melodic scales rising and shuffling sub beats all create one of those lush goa tracks half way between the really stomping stuff and the goambient. 10. Light Receiver This is a really great track. It makes me crave a full downbeat album from Ra. Soft beats just trip along while the melodies glide effortlessly through the soundscape. The chanted voices fit in nicely giving an almost mystical feel accentuated by the Eastern melodies and foggy atmosphere. A very nice track. 11. Untitled This little ambient number tagged on at the end is really nice. Almost beatless with a nice warm sample assuring me I'm not alone. I'm sure I'm not alone enjoying this album. The slight beats are so soft and the atmosphere created is so nice that I am actually sad it's so short. So with this album I think Ra has managed to craft out a sound that is nostalgic in that it really has great old school atmospheres but also fresh with nice clear production and original ideas on how to make a record psychedelic. I don't think this is the best Suntrip release, I liked this year's Opus Iridium more but it is still a very good album that I think any Goa lover would enjoy and it is another example of why I am happy with today's scene.

Jealous? What is there to be jealous of from a thieving pikey scumbag?

Enterprise - Eniac

Enterprise - Eniac The best track on Chiller Vol. 1 IMO

Various Artists Future Memories Interchill Records 22 Feb 2008 Dubby Downtempo Tracklist 1 Eat Static - Sands Of Time (8:42) 2 Ultimax - Noir (6:25) 3 Radiate - Witchkraft (6:36) 4 Phutureprimitive Ft. Alyssa Palmer - Deeper (7:22) 5 Mauxuam - After B4 (6:15) 6 Tripswitch - Lyra (7:57) 7 Solar Fields - Jeezlh (9:09) 8 Snakestyle - Neutral Buoyancy (6:56) 9 Carbon Based Lifeforms - Reaktion (5:55) 10 Cell - Spinning Whale (7:09) Looking at the tracklist for this compilation I suddenly became very excited. With artists such as Solar Fields, Eat Static, Tripswitch and Cell expectations were high. So how did such a great tracklist work out in reality? I've been disappointed in the past by so many great artists on the one CD but still, it's hard not to get excited. 1. Eat Static - Sands of Time Eat Static start us off with a typical Eat Static sound. That's not meant to say it's boring or uninspired but that it just has that delicious Eat Static stamp of other worldliness that they manage to put in even in their summery and loungey tracks. The track is in fact quite unique with a spine tingling middle eastern melody, phat beats non sci-fi samples that manage to still sound extra terrestrial. Pretty much like the whole track, non sci-fi but sci-fi. Go Eat Static 2. Ultimax - Noir Ultimax, an artist completely unknown to me has produced one of the best tracks on a compilation full of very talented artists. They manage to get a nice blend of melody, glitch, beats and atmosphere. The whole feeling is warm and relaxed yet somewhat expectant as if something is about to happen. There is a break down with glitchy sounds, Japanese ramblings but with the English sample "It gets claustrophobic down here" everything kicks back in and all expectation has been reached. Interesting and enjoyable stuff. 3. Radiate - Witchkraft Another artist unknown to me delivers a nice smooth bassline driven track. The style reminds me of a cross between Massive Attack and Off The Sky. Massive Attack's bass and the curious glitch that Off The Sky does to make it sound smooth and enjoyable get rough around the edges. Not too obvious samples don't really add anything for me but don't get in the way either. The track manages to pick up energy throughout with kicking off, venting the pressure just before it would have turned into non-chill. 4. Phutureprimitive ft. Alyssa Palmer - Deeper The vocals of Alyssa Palmer add a kind off cheesy element but it's within my acceptable levels of cheese. The rest of the track is exactly what I want from dubby psychill, fat basslines, busy yet relaxed synths. Trippy beats and a near floating atmosphere. I'd prefer a vocal free track but this could be one to enjoy with non psy mates. 5. Mauxuam - After B4 An excellent if slightly forgettable track by Mauxuam. It's not the sort of track I think about if I'm creating a playlist or doing a mix but it's a really enjoyable track to listen to. It's got big bass and lots of glitch. I'd love to hear a whole album from this guy as I know I'd love the album without being able to pick out favourites. Another benefit is that whenever I listen to this compilation I'm always pleasantly surprised when I get to this little number. No melody, no hook so it stays fresh. 6. Tripswitch - Lyra This was definitely one of the tracks I was anxious to hear. Tripswitch's tracks on compilations since his outstanding debut album Circuit Breaker have always left me wanting more and this track does not disappoint. The dark underlying bassline, smooth percussion and glitchy tech sounds give of the impression of an enormous machine seen and heard from the inside. When the melody comes in it's almost magical. So soft and seemingly comes out of nowhere but lays down the foundations so the piano can come in and feel integral. Lush track. I need a new Tripswitch album. 7. Solar Fields - Jeezlh Solar Fields continues to amaze me not just with the quality of his music but also the variety of styles he makes so well. A lot of artists excel at sounding like themselves and sticking doggedly to one sound but while Solar Fields has a definite style of his own the variation in his tracks is great. This track has more of a vinyl static feel to it mixed with an odd tribal feel, mainly from the percussion, along with some spacey goodness and down to earth basslines. The melody sounds like it is played on a flute adding an ethereal quality to an already atmospheric track. Solar Fields manages to twist the sound though so sometimes it sounds more like a keyboard and others like a flute. Solar Fields never seems to disappoint and he hasn't disappointed here. Great track. 8. Snakestyle - Neutral Bouyancy A much more relaxed track with minimal sporadic beats, long ambient synth drones and lots of random stuff going on. That is the first half, the second half however takes all there elements and weaves them into a more cohesive track. The melody comes in like glue and the beats become steady. Nothing mind blowing here but pleasant enough music. 9. Carbon Based Lifeforms - Reaktion Melody right from the start. Short stabby acid synth melody followed by a lush melody that sounds serene and beautiful. The bassline plays a melody and there are little melodic blips all around. Under all that is a nice trippy beat creating another very nice CBL track. 10. Cell - Spinning Whale Steady beats and hints of atmosphere only for the first two minutes but after the first sample the melody kicks in and at the same time the atmosphere of the track gets much deeper. After an unassuming start it quickly turns into one of the best tracks and a great way to round off off the compilation. This compilation is somewhere between good and great. There are some great tracks on it and even the not so great tracks are still pretty good. It doesn't flow brilliantly though. Whereas an artist album and well compiled compilations give me a sense of traveling on a musical journey, with this I just feel like listening to good music. I feel like the compiler has taken his favourite tracks and just slapped them down. The music in itself is all good but recent compilations on Ultimae, Aleph Zero and Chill Tribe seem to have been crafted into a journey that I just don't feel here. Worth the money but not essential.

Evan Marc + Steve Hillage - Dreamtime Submersible 28 Entheogenic - Kashmir Day Trip (Kuba RMX)

Not much of a journey is it? Are you usually the sort who brags about stealing? Are you chav scum?

Evan Marc + Steve Hillage Dreamtime Submersible Somnia 2008 Ambient Dub Tracklist 1 Intention Craft (10:56) 2 Hypnagogue (8:49) 3 Alpha Phase (9:34) 4 Theta Phase (8:48) 5 Delta Phase (8:04) 6 Hypnopomp (10:04) 7 Resurface (10:43) This is one of those albums that can easily slip by unnoticed. For me at least it was not instantly accessible. My first few listens were too casual & it came across as boring & monotonous to me. I am glad I blindly bought it as probably the samples would have put me off. After more listens though & giving each listen more time & focus, getting rid of any distractions helped, the beauty of this album really unfolded & I was enraptured. 1. Intention Craft Straight in with a spacey atmosphere powerful yet mellow bass melody and light funky beats. For such a light bouncy track it manages to keep its aura of deep spacey ambient very well. Such contrasting moods play well on the senses and while the elements that make the head bob remain pretty constant, the brain stuff evolves nicely with melodies that are light and sharp over the deep drones and the bassline complementing them brilliantly. Lots of nice little touches in the background like the soft stabs of synth near the end that only became noticeable to me when I really focused on the music. 2. Hypnagogue A more cluttered track is Hypnagogue. The bass once again sounds really funky like the chill out room at an underground 70's club but the atmosphere seems tighter, less spacey and more chaotic. Ordered chaos mind you because it never descends into unbearable noise nor does it even get annoying. It just seems busy in a relaxed way. Like when you look at someone who should be really hectic but they seem to glide around serenely and wonder how they cope so easily with so much to do. Cool stuff all round, I especially like the relaxed alarm sound that sounds through the latter part of the track. 3. Alpha Phase So smoothly into this track that it could almost be a continuation of the previous offering. The slightly danceable rhythms are a little quicker, the atmosphere is less cluttered and more scratchy like old worn vinyl. Quarter of the way in the beats become sharper and more involved giving us a more acidic feel, the emergence of a bubbly sound actually puts me in mind of a science lab experiment with beakers full of boiling acid. A strange but powerful image that melts back into my darkened lounge with people slumped on sofas involuntarily tapping their feet and nodding their heads. 4. Theta Phase The beat doesn't let up on the transition to Theta Phase but the sharper sub beats have receded only to be replaced my lighter, quicker and stabbier ones. More of a spacey atmosphere now with some long drawn out sci-fi sounds that start in the foreground but then oscillate further and further into the background. I find myself losing my conscious thought listening to these, following them as they disappear and just as I lose them they appear back in the front in a slightly different form. This is one of the trippiest tracks I've heard in a while. The way the sounds move around, grab my mind and slowly pull it away from me is great. It makes me feel like I've smoked too much weed and I'm kind of losing the plot. Very impressive for just a piece of music to achieve. Definitely one of the best tracks this year. 5. Delta Phase For me it seems like the trippy subtlety of the Theta Phase has become more obvious and up front in Delta Phase. It is not without its own subtlety though and while the foreground has a lot of sharp acidic synth drones scything down and down, the background has subtle versions of what has been up front in previous tracks. Little plodding bass and tiny rings of treble. Semi melodious drones and ore electronic. I think this fluid changeover is so well done that it speaks volumes of just how well made this album is. 6. Hypnopomp The bass deepens and the synths are soft and warm. I'm reminded of Disco Suns by Bus and they add an almost summery quality to the music. Not scorching temperatures on the beach summer but more 6am in the morning, already light and already pretty warm. The rest of the track tries its best to keep this feeling with warm melodies and warm little sounds coming in and out. It is at once different from the rest of the album and most definitely an integrated part of the whole story. 7. Resurface Resurface starts with a sound that climbs and falls like its running up and down stairs. The ambience underneath it gives me an impression once again of being in space and I'm left with this odd image of stairs running up and down the cosmos. Much more ambient with no beat but running rhythms and playful melodies. Its a nice way to round off such an intricate album with a really intricate ambient track that accumulates energy throughout without letting it build up to any point where you think it might blow. A perfect example of this whole album, smooth and unclogged. This is a really impressive release. The strength and depth of every track is amazing as is the variety of the music that all fits into to the puzzle perfectly. The intricate soundscapes that lie underneath funky rhythms is fantastically done. On the surface this may even appear dull, monotonous and boring but once delved into it is in fact one of the most varied and interesting albums I have. Fantastic work by these two guys I urge anyone who has ever thought about maybe getting this to do so and to anyone that got it and dismissed it as dull to give it more time and more focus.

This is a CD I am really hoping to review soon but I've only had it a few weeks. Listened to it a lot & really love it but it's not ready for a full review yet. Hopefully in the next week I will as it is really really good

I don't mind the 4/4 kick drum, it's just that that's it! There are no intricate sub beats or rhythms or if there are then they are drowned out. Other psytrance albums may have the same beat but it doesn't overly dominate & this allows the rest of the music room to breathe. In my opinion this album lacks breathing space so all of it's potential is stifled by the kick drum.

I'd like to officially complain to the suntrip team. How the hell do you expect me to save some money if you keep releasing such high quality music

Yeah it's one of those stupid phrases that so many people use but never really think about & it's one that really annoys me. You can't compare A to B! A is much better. I think you just compared them there mate! Can I ask you a question? Didn't give me much of a choice there did you? You've lost your keys? They'll be in the last place you look? No shit sherlock, I'm not going to continue looking after I found them am I? There are so many

Broken Summer Tracklist 1. Omni Trio - Ocean Driver 2. Legiac - Tretz Dizm 3. Kattoo - Place 6 4. Plaid - Headspin 5. Kilowatts - Azure 6. I Awake - Leaving The Known (Featuring Planet Boelex) 7. Boards Of Canada - Happy Cycling 8. Trentmoller - Moan 9. Nalepa - Porcelain 10. Minilogue - Feeling In Spring Beside The Dressing Table 11. Vataff Project - Kalitz 12. Electrypnose - Neverending Story 13. Solar Fields - Swimming With Stones 14. Subgardens - Asleep Clockmaker 15. Vakuum Sounds - A Journey After A Snakebite 16. Ghostfriend - Moist 17. Kettel - Mwoeb 18. Plaid - White's Dream 19. Aphex Twin - Rhubarb 20. Ian Ion - Sunshy 21. Kettel - Wim Hoffman Not all IDM but there's a lot of it in there & as it's such a vague genre some might argue it all is

If you want to send them to me, I'll PM you my address & then I can get started on a Jake Stephenson mix

Well, when I was young, up until about 8 years old I was only listening to other people's choice of music. Namely my father's so I was initially exposed to a mix of Bob Dylan, Van Morrison , The Beatles, The Kinks and the like as well as fiddley diddley Irish crap. When I was gifted a walkman of my very own I listened to Michael Jackson tapes and the Blues Brothers' Soundtrack. When I was 9 I was given some mix tapes including a 1988 house mix by Sasha. It was my first foray into electronic music & I never looked back. During the early 90's I didn't know where I my heart was within the electronic genre. I listened to House, Rave, Gabba & even Happy Hardcore (embarrassingly). In 1994 though my whole journey was changed when I heard Project II Trance at a friend's house. I bought my first compilation shortly after which was the first of the Order Odonata series. The following year I got my first album, Hallucinogen - Twisted. My musical journey was now on a track & leading somewhere. I went to my first live which was Eat Static (who by chance I am listening to as I type this:)). In the last 14 years I have never lost my love for Goa although it has been joined by other equally as lovable styles. Mystery Of The Yeti & The Infinity Project - Mystical Experiences brought me my first ambient experience. Before these I has completely written off ambient as a total yawn fest but these amazingly trippy albums took me on journeys no upbeat albums could. It was music that really filled up the space between coming down from a night at a club & being able to sleep as well as lazy sundays at home. I got into all the minimal & progressive psy only a little. They have always been genres I liked lacking many artists I thought were good. However, Flying Rhino Records from 1998 kind of sums up the sort of type of trippy prog I like. Over the years I fear time has caught up with me. My body has lost some of it's energy & my brain has started working a bit more. My music tastes have become more chilled & more trippy. I never thought music could get more psychedelic than what I was listening to in the mid to late 90s but when I got into ambient & ambient trance I was once again blown away. Ishq, Ultimae & then Databloem opened a whole new world of sonic landscapes for me to explore. Right now I am lost in a sea of sound, enjoying every last wave to extremes I never thought possible. I am in love with music in a way that I'm not entirely sure is healthy but it is not something I am about to give up.

I missed all the promo garbage! I knew it was going to be a more downbeat album so all I expected was something similar to the opening & final tracks on De:Classified. Having listened to this a bit more now I think I like it even more. There is depth in there that I didn't notice on my first listen.

Love this quote! Are you not yourself comparing them? Either way I prefer Pleiadians! FOL was such a great album, it blew my socks & toenails right off it did. For me dimension 5 is more galactic & often took me on deep space journeys whereas Pleiadians is more nut fuck in your head rip out your reality type stuff.

Lauge - Sundays

Am loving the Solar Fields' track here Makes me want a new album