Jon Cocco

I voted Filteria - Sky Input. I will never forget the first time I heard the samples and then the album straight through. I was in awe. It was almost incomprehensible. The album was a rocket and the most amazing album I had heard since the late 90's of Goatrance. A- V/A - Apsara is the best new school Goatrance compilation to date, in my opinion. B+ Khetzel - Corolle is the most refreshing and original Goatrance style and sounding album I have ever heard from Suntrip Records to date. I love some of the songs on Corolle, including the first and last. The slower speed compliments the start and finish of a beautiful journey. What is the status with this artist? Is a follow-up in the works? B+ Ka-Sol - Fairytale was by far the most unexpected approach by Suntrip to date. I really liked and disliked some tracks on this album. It's an interesting however. I didn't think Suntrip would release a darker Goa/Psy album but they did and they continue to surprise me. There is some great work on Ka-Sol's debut. Although it lacks consistent strong tracks, dips once or twice here and there and misses what could have been good track introductions. Still, the unique approach will definitely give it attention whether you love or hate it. B Filteria - Heliopolis improved upon Sky Input with key changes and various other unique sounds, melodies, and effects. After hearing this I wished some of those Rotate To Vibrate key changes took place in the debut, but such effects contribute to this albums progression and improvement. Heliopolis, with few track exceptions, didn't have the same jaw dropping feel I had with Sky Input as a whole. Although several tracks were awesome (Reflected, Rotate to Vibrate, Pyrogen, Unfiltered) I think the debut affected me more because it had been such a long since I heard anything in Goa both new and awesome. The debut felt like the pill I needed for years and so when I heard this it felt like the sequel I wanted, but didn't feel like I needed, for a year or so. Regardless I really like this artist and his albums. Goa isn't made like this anymore with exception to Filteria. B+ V/A - Twist Dreams had some great tracks and some I didn't care for so much. It is actually the album I faver second to least by Suntrip Records, however I gave it a great score overall. I really enjoyed the tracks however the few weaker ones quickly disabled it from gaining edge to the Apsara compilation. I seriously hope Suntrips next compilation is a gorgeous rocket in every way, shape, and form possible. B+ Dimensional 5 - Transdimensional (Re-Mastered / Re-Release) is self-explanatory. It is one of the best Suntrip releases along with Sky Input, Corolle, and Apsara, in my opinion. Goasia - From Other Spaces is another album I really enjoyed. I think it's great with a handful of great songs and one really wonderful one that shines for miles. It could have been a bit more aggressive at times and few tracks seem D5/AP-inspired more than some of Goasia's previous songs on comps. Overall I really enjoyed this one, but it wasn't as awesome as I thought it would be. B+

Thank you so much Daniël!! I just posted it in the General Section. Hope everything went through correctly!

I have entered my first poll. Hope this works! Update 2013: See the date guys; this thread's old!

The last poll I voted in was "The "Mindsphere should be pressed on cd" thread in the general section roughly two weeks ago. Are members allowed to make polls anymore? How is it done? I was curious to make a poll where people could vote their favorite Suntrip Records album... to see which one is most favorited. If anyone knows how to make a poll and is interested posting this one, please do! Just includ all the releases! Otherwise please let me know how it can be done and I'll try it. I've never done a poll before where you see little graphs at the top showing the votes per whatever.

+1... although anything is possible. Sounds more like a realist to me.

Well you put your heart into this album. I put my heart into the review, I finally finished today after a long hiatus since April 2007. You deserved it. Great work. Great/excellent album. See below for details. Good luck and hope everything works out for the best for you! http://www.psynews.org/forums/index.php?sh...=20#entry813802

Sad news. I was hearing Jikkenteki's double album debut today in my car while driving. I love it. It's such a wonderful album! You can't get another label to release your album other than Par-2? What is Zekazy's album? Oh I really want to hear this.. "Flight Of Infinity." You have my support of course. Any artist or label who releases a great double album for $9.95 will always have my support if they release more great albums, whether they be ten bucks, 16 bucks or free. I will spread the word and write a positive review, however short or long it is.

I heard this album for the first time in 2007 also. I wrote my first review for this above. I bought this album (two copies just in case it wouldn't be available one day) around 2002 and kept them sealed (another still is) for a special occasion. But that occasion never came. I moved to Florida for several years and upon moving back in 2005 I still refused to open it. Maybe I thought this played on a trip but that trip never came. One day I said fuck it. What if that "special" time never comes and I live my whole life waiting for the right time to hear this album? I don't want to live like that. So I put it in my music player and.... silence. Upon first listen this album sounded so different from The Lone Deranger. The sounds are more organic and emotional at times. And then I wondered how amazing this would be had I heard it back in 1995. But I was 14 when this album came out. I didn't even know what GOA was until I was 17. And furthermore, I was meant to hear it when I did. Why fight the Universe for the way things simply are? Correction/Update: My review was updated in Janurary, 2008. This is one of the very few (less than 8) albums in Goa I give a solid A to.

X-DREAM - WE CREATED OUR OWN HAPPINESS TUNNEL RECORDS 1997 Track list: 01. 09'04" Screw [The Truth] 02. 07'45" Do You Believe 03. 08'23" The Second Room 04. 09'09" Zebra 05. 07'16" Relaxed Vortex 06. 08'06" Our Own Happiness 07. 11'07" Eleven 08. 07'39" Aurorix We Created Our Own Happiness is and may forever be my favorite X-Dream album. Whereas their Trip to transylvania debut established a beautifiul combination between morning Trance and Goa, this wonderful follow-up takes their style and Goa spirt to the next level. I sometimes write about an artist taking his style to the next level. Many times an artist doesn't or fails to evolve his or her sound in a way I feel has greatly improved. This album is a great example of a group that took their style to the next level. It seldom makes me wonder what could have been if X-Dream attempted to take this Goa style to yet another level beyond this one actually. But they didn't and so I seldom think about it. I love these artists' style and sound here, and their musical delivery throughout eight strong tracks. The album has a healthy running of 74:10 too. 01. Screw [The Truth] is a very interesing opening song. It's deeply atmospheric and involves layers of pouring rain coupled with rolling, crashing thunder effects. Several minutes take place where melodies are carefully added like particles, without a beat. I really like how this opening track captures the senses and exercises the mind into wondering where this mysterious direction will go. At nearly the third minute into the mix, the beat begins and all else follows. The skipping female-esque sounds are euphoric and well timed with the crashing thunder. The Goa melodies and other various sounds and elements are upbeat and well placed. Existent in the middle is a transition, without a beat. The music returning is slightly altered and more dynamic. Yes another transition takes place in the final third. The parts involving a skipping, emotive melody in combination to crashing sounder is excellent and I wish they took place more. This is a strong opening track. B+ 02. Do You Believe has very warm, chill introductory approach. It's excellent, and now I see one of the aspects new school Goa generally seems to lack now days: Interesting introductions without the beat. The melodies are warm and developing. The song gradually builds into an infectious number. A smart transition or change up in sound and style takes place in the middle. From 7:33 to the end of the track is beautiful. They let the leading melody free to be felt as it soars through the heavens. B+ 03. The Second Room takes less time to pick up. It begins fairly dark or at least not upbeat like the previous number. Echoed industrial effects skip and fade into the distance. It's a unique, catchy combination of sounds. The melodies are great, reanging from driving to very pleasent. This number compliments the album variety by providing a healthy dose of attitude and lower level drive from the previous soaring sun. A- 04. Zebra is another driving number with moments of evolution, development, and transition. This is a pretty good song but I find previous numbers more infectious in melodies as oppsoed to the sustained melody notes in this one. The supporting sounds seem stronger than the leading melody actually. I personally do find this track great however old school it is. It does add a piece of uniqueness to the album but nothing spectacular. B 05. Relaxed Vortex is an interesting, intriging Goa/Downtempo track. Goa artists' often save something like this for last. The tribal sounding change up in the middle of the number here is strong. A- 06. Our Own Happiness is excellent. Unlike Zebra, the previous track to maintain a relatively danceable feel, this is comprised of wonderful support as well as super leading melodies, soundscapes, melody structures, and other various, catchy sound textures and designs. This is a superb Goa dance song as well as for home listening. It's very energetic and how far it succeeds in developing itself doesn't cease to impress. This song is great fun and enjoyment from beginning to end. A track title has seldom been so deserving of the sounds in the song related to it. A 07. Eleven continues the rising, previous sound and number like marriage. This track is strong, driving, smooth, crisp. A beautiful leading melody arrives around 4:42 and returns again at 6:58. The supporting sounds only compliment. A powerful return to sound, emphasis on beat and other various enhancements gives this already healthy rocket a second boost of energy in the final third. A- 08. Aurorix is a faster number than the previous songs. I wonder why X-Dream didn't put the downtempo track 5 as the closing track but it's not a big deal. This is a Goa album after all, not made for the clubs thankfully. I can let go whether to dance or home listen without mainstream intent affecting my freedom to explore the music however I desire. In short, this final number is good. It is not however the strongest track on the album. A gradually developing melody structure slides through a transition from 5:16 to around 5:32. A fresh Goa melody arrives 5:54 and makes the song feel more spontaneous, fun, and dynamic. This improves a the solid number and closes the album nicely. It is my least favorite track on the album but I like it. B+ In Conclusion, this is the best X-Dream ever made in my opinion. 5 years later and 10 years later (and now beyond that) it still sounds excellent. No matter how much X-Dream seems to occasionally disappointment me now days with their several not so good tracks per album, my mind often comes back to their best main albums: We Created Our Own Happiness and Radio. The latter is a super well done Psytrance album for the darkside, but it isn't Goa. We Created Our Own Happiness is X-Dream's last Goa album. It is their most developed album and for many people it is THE X-Dream album. It is motivational, inspirational, energetic, mysterious, enchanting (at times), emotive, and one powerful. This is a powerful album. It is memorable thanks to an exceptionally healthy and strong list of tracks. This is also one of the most wonderful sequels in Goa/Psy-Trance and in electronic music. I can think of two other album sequels I found impressive. Astral Projection - Another World and Hallucinogen - The Lone Deranger. However this is filled with more light and in that sense, beauty. Favorite Tracks: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7. A- Samples / Buy here: http://www.psyshop.com/shop/CDs/ava/ava1cd159.html http://www.saikosounds.com/english/display...ase.asp?id=2165 Did you know? My first review for this album is on page 1 of this thread way back from 2001?

It woud be really wonderful if Entheogenic cut an emotive masterpiece. I have been disappointed with the last several albums. Every time they seem to try something good and different, as they FINALLY tried on 2006's Golden Cap album, they duck back in their shell. 2006's Golden Cap album had several good songs and one I found great being The Solution Machine. I almost bought their 2006 album for The Solution machine alone because I was so happy to hear something dark and moreso REFRESHING by them. Part of me wanted so much a catchy, provocative, and contemplative super album by them with darker tracks as great and stronger in that style of The Solution machine. I just wanted something arresting throughout. I am tired of Entheogenic having one or few great songs per album. I own their first 3 albums. The first two are very good, more or less great albums in downtempo, chill, psy. I heard the Golden Cap album where they finally seemed to break out of their shell and try some new things before going back in it. The overall album didn't capture me as much as I wanted and so I never bought it. The last album I bought by Entheogenic was Dialogue of the Speakers, a decent/pretty good album at best with several strong tracks IMO. I want this next album to be super. I'd love if the tracks were more dark, moody, and/or groovy like The Solution Machine but new, powerful, and even romantic at times. The self-titled song Golden Cap was decent too but I want to hear something wonderful throughout. I know this group can make something very special if they invest the imagination and creative energy as they've done before.

PENTA - PORTUGUESE ABDUCTION AURAQUAKE RECORDS 2007 1. Vegetarian Ballad ... B 2. BBQ ... B- 3. Time Jump ... B+ 4. Andes ... B+ 5. Men Dozed ... B- 6. Piscotech ... B 7. No More Evil ... B 8. Magic Balls ... B- 9. Neo Cheesy ... C I bought and enjoyed 2007's Horn Please and found it the best Full On dark Psytrance album of 2007. Those are big words from me who finds most albums average and below. I won't even buy an album anymore unless I hear the extended samples several times over several weeks with few exceptions. Anyway I like Portuguese Abduction. It's fast, dark, energetic, aggressive, and driving. Yes I like the ADD style. It will work very well for the general impatient person who likes dark Psytrance. The female/male voice work on Time Jump is very catchy in combination with the chosen melody/sound work. There is alot of crunchy textures, crisp melodies, and various other tasty soundscapes. Time Jump is an example of a concept driven track on that incorporates many catchy parts to put together a strong whole. I really love the moment when an echoed female voice says something in the middle of the track followed by the clanging, driving melody and bassline. There is just something very smooth and tasty about this voice and music combination. Andes is another great number with stand out sounds and melodies. I love how a certain, powerful and memorable melody [chime/note] is produced and not abandoned. The song is built upon or around this strong sound. These two tracks are strong examples of why I enjoy Penta's new style and albums. The mixing work is great, very creative at times. Both this and the previous number really showcase Penta's mixing skills well. No More Evil is another track with a powerful, rising (altered) melody. It's alien and very original sounding. It wouild have been cool if the song didn't make this melody available for 10 seconds once in the song however revisited it and built other supporting melodies around it. But some other tracks seem lost, without sense of direction, like a beat with a bunch of special effects around it. In other words, the general song structure seems throw as many melody and sound groups as possible with the intent something will stick. I'd take quality over quantity however. Gripes / Weaknesses / Comparisons What is up with the Jewish dialogue singing in 9. Neo Cheesy? I hate that. It's terrible. I thought this was a badass dark psytrance album? Hava? Hava? Suddanly I'm at a Jewish dance! Remove the dialogue. I'm surprised to believe that this artist intentionally made a cheesy track by putting "cheesy" in the title. Great! I really liked the last track on Horn Please. It ended the album with a bang, not a whimper. I don't know if this "singing" was a joke or the artist being goofy or what. But it takes me completely out of the mood I want to be in while listening to such an album. I've expressed many positive things about Penta over the years. But this final track is pretty pathetic. The song would have actually been decent without the annoying vocal addition. Portuguese Abduction was released so close to Horn Please, my observation is that, this talented artist seems to have had very little time to grow, mature, and further improve upon his new style. In other words, this isn't a large or even small leap of improvement from Horn Please. I find the melodies and atmosphere combined at 1:36 in No More Evil (amongst melodic moments in some other tracks) great. But those are melodic moments. Build upon them! Develop them! Create more tracks like the most infectious ones. Don't just leave greatness in the dust and skip to 20 other quick moments of rushed sounds and melodic bits. Even artist Talpa had significantly more substance in his debut "The Art of Being Non" album, in my opinoin. The general track here is virtually all style and little to no substance. Not even the voices samples seem related to the songs in some cases. Naturally I love lots of complexity and changes of scenery to keep things interesting, but I also love good or at least interesting character development. This album could have involved some amazing twists and turns. Such unexpected elements may have included: Interesting introductions, songs with suspense, more emphasis on developed melody structures, something original and different sounding as opposed to the same style all over again in new tracks, etc. Something new is tried in the last track and it proves that new isn't always better. If it's not better, don't do it is a smart step in my opinion. I strongly feel that this artist and/or label rushed to get this album out for before Christmas. The end result is a pretty good psytrance album with potentially more emphasis on Full On by Penta to date. Is this a bad thing? No. Predictable? Yes. Moreover, Horn Please came first and the style broke ground in dark psytrance. Portuguese Abduction isn't as fresh sounding. It isn't innovative like before and in that sense, it's less special and novel. This album does not feel as rushed as it feels like more could have been done to make it sound more refreshing and in that sense, awesome. Naturally there is alot of new work relative to the 9 exclusive tracks. However that is self-explanatory. I feel like I've heard this album before, and in a sense I have. What I'd really like is 8 or 9 excellent, super songs. I can't see it being bad for sales either. But maybe this artist should take a break first. That's usually when fresh ideas start coming in and we create a masterpiece when least expected. The Neutral I enjoy music I can not only dance mindlessly too, but also listen to at home, while driving, in a state of trance, etc. With this album I can imagine several things it may compliment: Such things include dancing and driving to at night. The more character development, charater, and/or capturing elements a song has, the more potential it generally has for replay value, lasting appeal. This album may be mixed for some as far as lasting appeal goes outside of dancing. The last track does not excite me to hear the album again, but that's me. In Conclusion, Portuguese Abduction is basically Horn Please: Part 2. It's a good sequel in the same style, but nothing groundbreaking. If you liked Horn Please, you will likely enjoy this one to some degree. Just don't expect the sequel to triumph the original. Keeping a surefire hit style works. Portuguese Abduction seems more for dancefloors than for home listening as with Horn Please. However this one seems even more for dance floors. I would have simply liked to see this style taken to the next level as opposed to being continued in the exact same, stylish vein. Where is the theme/concept and/or character driven songs on this album like Foggy I wonder. I miss those. Time Jump is one of the few tracks that comes close to concept-driven however its plot is so abstract that I find the story incoherent. Foggy (on Horn Please) on the other hand seemed like a horror character destroying and/or negatively affecting everyone in its path. The strong atmosphere and main melody was brooding and gave great tone to this disturbed creature. But "If it ain't broken, don't fix it" clearly seems to be the mentality behind keeping the same style here. Portuguese Abduction sounds like the artist made a new claymation model in yesterdays clay. Regardless, this style is working for now. And they'll continue milking the cow for what its got. Naturally the supply of milk will last longer through peoples support the greater the songs are. This means not avoiding being cheesy and disappointing as the artist so presumptiously did on the last number here. The final lasting impression is important and a disappointment on this album, an otherwise solid, albeit less refreshed follow-up. Favorite Tracks: 3, 4, 6, 8 B Samples = http://www.saikosounds.com/english/display...ase.asp?id=6864

O.O.O.D. - FREE RANGE ORGANIC RECORDS 2006 Track list: 01. 02'27" Welcome ... N/A 02. 09'17" Free Range - B 03. 08'42" Smoke A Lot (Ricochet Mix) - B 04. 08'23" The Humming - B 05. 07'37" Solar Sway - B- / B 06. 00'16" …But Handy! - N/A 07. 08'09" Oh My (Good Golly Me) - B / B+ 08. 08'09" Marijuajuana - B+ 09. 09'08" Rock My Soul (Joker Vs. Operator Mix) - B+ 10. 08'58" Blue Seal - B+ 11. 00'55" It Isn't Just You… N/A 12. 08'26" Eye Of The Beholder - A- 13. 00'53" We Love You - N/A O.O.O.D created a very unique album with Free Range. It's groovy. The amount of tracks and variety is strong. There are unexpectedly fun and funny bits. Many moments stand out in a positive way. If each song was comprised of thirds, not one third ever feels cheap or existent as filler to the song. The tracks are often involving enough regardless that this is not a provocative, deep journey. There exists a strong danceable edge throughout. Furthermore, the album gets better as it progresses. Blue Seal is a very good if not great track and I love the one that follows. Stand out moments: - (I don't usually do this but Free Range has so many of them that... Free Range - The beginning is a great way to start off the party friendly album. Smoke a lot (Ricochet Mix) - The crazy cowboys and how they're integrated into the mix, the music. Oh My (Good Golly Me) - Innovative voice work. (although the track is too dependent upon it IMO) Marijuajuana - Comical samples. Uplifting bell-esque melodies. Rock My Soul (Joker Vs. Operator Mix) - Funny introduction and voice samples. Melodies from 3:30 forward and groove. Eye Of The Beholder - The involvement of artist OTT. All of this song stands out. Now my critical side tells me that something is missing that prevents this album from getting a higher score. The answer is in all but the end. I enjoyed the first 10 tracks around the skits I feel indifferent towards. However track 12, Eye Of The Beholder lifts the album off into an entirely fresh [higher] level of greatness. Eye Of The Beholder is what tempted me to write a comment on the first page of this thread and I see various others agreed with my observation ever since. The track was initially the sole reason why I did not order this album until early 2008. Simply put, I wasn't as captured by other songs. There are however other tracks good and great enough to buy this album. Eye Of The Beholder however seals the package with a more shiny light light. In Conclusion, this is a great album with a magical ending. I'd love to hear that magic emphasized on an amazing follow up by these talented artists. OTT's return would be icing on the cake. Can a follow-up album be produced with more tracks as powerful, infectious, and as magical as Track 12 (and beyond) here? If so O.O.O.D. could potentially make a groundbreaking masterpiece. That being said, other great songs would have not been the same if not for the upbeat, openminded mentality and approch by these artists. Such attitude has affected all tracks to some degree in a good way. Eye of the Beholder is not the only stand out number here, but it is my favorite. Nonetheless, a solid amount of the tracks stand out as being good and great. None are below average. The association to drugs I'm not a big fan of but I enjoyed both the samples and melodies in Marijuajuana because of the delivery. The feel good vibes and humor on this album I find amusing. I also like the musical development, especially into the driving second/third act of Smoke A Lot (Ricochet Mix). Many elements in this album appear to be a clear reflection of O.O.O.D.'s creativity and originality. I love hearing something fresh and catchy. Free Range is a fun album that's meant to be fun, listened to for fun, and danced to for fun. The artists' here have made a seriously well done album without taking things too seriously. There is this who-cares(!), free-spirited approach to the project I find refreshing. Ironically, this is one of the best electronica (Psytrance) albums of 2006. Favorites: 7, 8, 9, 10, 12. B+ Samples: Saiko Sounds: http://tinyurl.com/yaosvq Psyshop: http://tinyurl.com/yeo5ue

FRACTAL GLIDER - PARASITE BOOM! RECORDS 2002 Track list: 01. Skanda's Tail ... B+ 02. Mezmorized ... B+ 03. Telementery ... B+ 04. Karmic Implications ... B+ 05. Language Of Silence ... B+ 06. Raspy Honks ... B+ 07. Colonization ... B 08. Witch Doctor ... B+ 09. Earth Tremors ... B+ Parasite is an AWESOME album. I love the smooth crisp melodies, sound textures, and style in this package. Parasite is easily my favorite album by this artist. Some of the songs are very alien sounding. The melodies and sounds often come in sonic waves and particles, as opposed to streaming melodies or an over abundance of quantity over quality. Parasite is a highly danceable album that I also enjoy for home listening, working out, and driving to. It may not be the most trance inducing album but it sure is a heck of a lot of fun to listen to. Remember the Minimal Psytrance craze in the early 21st century? Then this album came blasting through the sticky normalcy like a rocket. This album contributed to waking up scene into remembering that Minimal Psy is not taking over. It's just a trend. Sadly, it seems that this style was "just a trend" for the artist too. It's the only real GOA album he has made to date. The Full On Psytrance follow-up, with exception to few tracks such as the Mezmorized (Rmx), just isn not not in the same awesome/sonic style that nourished our ears and minds here. The opening melody alone sounds paramount, as if to declare war or make a powerful statement. The second track sounds party goofy, part badass and I love how the badass side wins out in the end. The last third gives it a fresh turbo boost of energy. Even the final number is gripping, catchy, and well composed. It's not too light hearted and gentle, but the downtempo-esque Goa number keeps its spirit in line with the rest of the gem. In Conclusion, this is a great album with an arsonal of infectious melodies, twisted sounds, darkly driving planet soaring, and various other trippy and elegant aspects. At times the album is good, or great, or excellent. There are no average (or below) tracks on this baby. This novel style is dark and driving, but it's generally more intense and aggressive than it is evil or angry. If indeed this is Full On Goa/Psy, it is one of the very best Full On Goa/Psytrance albums I've ever heard. Oh, and someone said this artist doesn't do ambient or downtempo well and should stick to psy..? Yeah no. Earth Tremors is very well done for a slower final track. Favorite Tracks: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9 B+ It's finally [currently] available again! Samples http://www.saikosounds.com/english/display...ase.asp?id=1931

Nice list Seraph. As far as the newer stuff goes.. Filtera - Sky Input Filteria - Heliopolis Mindsphere's Inner Cyclone is at times more psychedelic than any album I've heard in 2007. If I were to pick one, just one "most psychedelic album" of all time I'd have to say Pleiadian's I.F.O. but I also want to add Hallucinogen's The Lone Deranger, the latter due to tracks 2, 3, and 7.

Excellent song.

In my opinion If I were to pick the two best PSY albums that released in 2007, they would no doubt be Demension 5 re-mastered (re-release) and Transwave's Backfire. Both are A-ranking albums in my mind and my mind has less than 10 "A" Grade GOA albums in it. Having said that, the songs on these albums were made around 10 years before 2007. I can't help but realize that I couldn't nominate something like a movie that won best picture, for instance TWICE, if it re-released in 2007 because it already won or had the opportunity to win such an award in its time. In that sense, Transwave's Backfire has more of a winning advantage to me because it was not released before. But on the other hand, Transwave's superb compilation of "best of" tracks from 1994 to 1996 (around) was exactly that. Yes I love the album (still impressed Backfire released in 2007) and for sure it sounds like a brand new old-school Transwave album to me, being released in 2007, once I get past the two opening tracks I've heard before. I love D5's debut (re-release) and I find it awesome that Suntrip Records brought it back re-mastered too. For that matter I love both albums for different reasons and have difficulty saying which one I find better without conditions. Both are excellent. That said, in my opinion these two albums are beyond anything that came out in 2007 for their genre. They are classic and so this makes it hardly fair for the newer artists to have a chance scoring best album of the year. 2007 is arguably the best year for New School Goa-Trance to date, thanks to Suntrip Records who released three steller GOA albums and the Metapsychic Records sleeper hit Mindsphere - Inner Cyclone. Also, Goasia had a great debut too with From Other Spaces. The two downtempo/chill albums that really stood out to me the most are Asura - Life2 and Younger Brother - The Last Days of Gravity. Nothing else surpassed them based on every other 2007 downtempo, chill/ambient-related album I've heard all year. MY TOP PSY/CHILL LIST IS ON PAGE 2 or 3 THUS NOT TO CONFUSE ANYONE. Conclusion The Best Old-School Goa album of the year is Transwave's Backfire because it never released before. It even includes a track or two that never released any year. It's like a dream come true, a new old-school Goa album being released in 2007. Dimension 5 is a classic and just as excellent in its own way. The re-mastering is awesome. The Best New-School Goa album of the year is a cross between Mindsphere - Inner Cyclone and Goasia's Waves from Other Spaces, two very strong debuts. The Best Dark Psytrance album of the year I found a cross between Penta - Horn Please and Xenomorph's DOTO. You need to look at these two albums like a critic, as objectively (observational, in contrast) as possible when disassociating the subjective self (preference, sense of fun). Penta's Horn Please was the best Full On dark psytrance album and Xenomoph DOTO (album title shortened for tedious length) was the strongest non Full On dark Psytrance album of the year. Xenomorph could have released a masterpiece if he cut out his angry VAC-esque singing at times but thankfully these moments are on several tracks (not the majority). Looking at the album as a whole, Xenomorph's 3 is richly atmospheric, contemplative, darkly driving, very melodic and emotive at times (once past the opening track) and disturbing like hell on wheels. The album ends tragically like a powerful film that ends in a sad, yet memorable and peaceful closure. Best Dark Psytrance album: Xenomorph 3. The Best Downtempo album of the year is a fight between Asura 3 and Younger Brother 2. Naturally Younger Brother is more popular and will win the vote here. I want to congradulate Asura for making a terrific album and the best album I've heard by them since Code Eternity which I referred to as a Goa Ambient-Trance epic like Goa in slow-motion, with beats. I pick Asura 3 and want to add that YB2 was great also; the end track on YB2 is the most beautiful non-Goa closing song I've heard all year. Asura 3 on the other hand had one of the most unexpected, (in style, emotion) powerful, and overall best opening songs followed by one of the best, aggressive Trance (track 2) songs I've heard all year. Best Dowtempo album: Asura - Life2 The only compilation I bought was Twist Dreams so I have nothing to compare for comps this year. -------------------------------- Moni, is it possible to keep and move this thread to the general section below once the vote has closed, for reference reasons, to look back and gain insight to the best albums from last year (07)?? Of course the actual votes would stop and not count anymore. I just think it's nice to go back sometimes and read people's view points. I don't know what happened to the old "best of" 2006 thread like this one (before the final results and discussion thread began), but I thought it could be cool to keep both, as long as people are informed that this thread basically becomes the nominations board once the "best of" is talied in and announced and an offical (relative to the vote) Best Of results thread opens.

Haha. There I changed it. Waiting for changes to take affect. Hope it's less, you know, for you I love tracks 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 and the last third of track 7 on here. The opening track is great too, epic. I love the wind concept in alteration and shifting sound with the music. I love the key changes. The [actual] innovative cyclone effect gives emphasis and versatility to the songs involving them. Track 6 is an elaborate rush. Wow I want to hear more songs on that echelon level, but it isn't the only super song here. I love the combination of elegancy, beauty, and power and aggression of this album. It's like the perfect balance. This guy needs to work on this ambient songs however, as the last one is almost too depressingly slow and plodding. It's creative and warm but somehow has this transient, empty effect when remembering it in retrospect. A slow beat and a more catchy melody emphasis and movement would be cool. There is something satisfying about this album and I find myself intrigued to return to it again and again. The artist seems to have combined light and dark to greatness throughout the powerful tornado concept tracks. But the execution has been done in the infinity spirit of Goa-Trance. May this artist please make a super sequel and have Suntrip Records see what they think. 2016 Update - IT HAPPENED. HE / THEY DID, and they fully re-mastered Inner Cyclone too via double album. The debut sounds so much better now. And the sequel called Patience For Heaven released in 2012, sounds very different (less dark, melancholy at times and more vibrationally raising filled with light and several gorgeous tracks AND it's really good as I re-listen to it again.

The only track I don't find very good (or above) on this album is track 2. It isn't as infectious, captivating, trance-inducing, as the others with exception to maybe the last slower, ambient one, which is unique. Track 7 is good too (better towards the end) but it seems loaded with sounds without an infectious element that made the previous song so tasty. I love the concept of the album, the tornado feel. I love the key changes during several tracks. We need more stuff like that. They're excellent. I also mentioned this on Filteria's Heliopolis. One of my favorite (fresh sounding) elements on Heliopolis was the key changes. The songs are on Inner Cyclone are very dynamic and filled with animation and complexity. Track 1, 3, 4, 5 are great. Track 6 is awesome. I love the changes of scenery, the change up in sound, and how the song often becomes more deep, complex and catchy as it progresses. I recently listened to this artist's track on the 2006 Pyramidal Transcendence comp, which was very good, but I love the work on Inner Cyclone. Mindsphere's debut is musically and creative-wise wonderful. But certain sounds and melodies (track 1 for starters) are tinny sounding, at times. In other words, some tracks have better "sound quality" than others. I listen to abums on my BOSE stereo system and also on headphones via Apple. Therefore every album goes through the sound system process. Some songs sound more crisp and well produced than others on Inner Cyclone, but when I compare Mindsphere's debut for example wto other Goa albums I bought in 2007, such as Transwave, D5, Twist Dreams, and Goasia, there is a noticeable difference in sound quality. Nonethelesss, it is few times that the sounds (track 1, at times) seem too high pitched and "tinny," not just high pitched the way they're supposed to be. And if certain files are uncompressed I don't know how much advantage this album has at getting a big improvement in a re-mastering process. Anything is possible I suppose. I am very impressed with this album overall. Naturally I occasionally hear certain tracks and think.. WOW this thing could sound amazing at times if it was re-mastered properly. This album took me by surprise.

I was recently thinking of opening a thread called "Recommendations for best 2007 Downtempo/Chill albums" just to gain some insight into what the heck I missed that was great. I didn't want to affect the official "Best of 2007" thread however by having people post their top 5 lists because rules changed this year on psynews in that we can now add our Top 5 downtempo to our Top 5 psy lists. So I refrained and attempted to use the official 2007 "best of" for reference. But this year was weak for myself and some others when it came to Ambient, Downtempo, and Chill. I only ended up buying ASURA - LIFE2 and YOUNGER BROTHER - THE LAST DAYS OF GRAVITY. Those two albums are great. Other than that, I listened to some chill albums recommendations from peoples Top 5 Chill/Ambient lists in the best of thread and many I found uninteresting as opposed to the extended samples of ASURA 3 (Life2) and YOUNGER BROTHER 2. So my chill list currently has only two albums on it. If anyone knows of something truly great that I missed I'd love to know so I can see if I find it worth ordering/buying.

I know. And I know you know I know. I didn't want to spell it out. Naturally I would buy a re-mastered version if someone, la , la , la... were to pick it up and remaster it to make it killargh... No not Suntrip, of course not Suntrip. However others may attain more success selling this (anything Goa currently) than myself, unfortunately. I am more into Goa than anyone I know, in person. My close friends are not as passionate about this music. And so 99% of my communication about Goa/Psy is on psynews.org. This is the one place where I can connect with others who share my love and appreciation for this music. There is one little club in Philadelphia not far where I live that plays Full On Psytrance two nights a month. But they won't even play Infected Mushrooms older stuff. People have asked. The DJ's stick to Full On. It's good for clubs but it seems I'll have to come out to one of your countries to dance to Filteria or real Goa at a party one day. The sunrise and big outdoor party events I've seen on the internet blow away whatever North East coast scene we have in Psy. Alex Grey's art gallery in New York City changed my perspective when I attended an after hours party back in early 2007. Since then I stopped attending parties because of school and work. My lifestyle changed. What we need in the United States is a Goa scene, not people scattered all over the country who listen to the music like myself. And something more than the relatively big Psytrance scene in LA, California as well as the once-a-year Burning Man festival I've never been too. Every country is different though. Remastering / Improvements One thing I can do is post links on Tribe, the Goa Tribes online, once this album has released to online sites, stores, etc. Naturally it would be great if people could help out in some way. Every little bit of energy counts. Naturally, Suntrip or whoever re-masters this has to be aware that a variable (I'm guessing small) amount of Goa people already have the debut Mindsphere album "as is." Maybe just a dozen downloads here and there, but that is still a dozen or whatever potential less sales because these people have the free album. Some will buy the re-mastered (better) version and this if this artist lost certain files I don't know how much work will be necessary to improve the tracks. As a mixer and sound engineer from yesteryear, I tell everyone who mixes to keep all of your files and back them up no matter what. Use cubase or whatever is more versatile and keep your waves individualized (unlike a cheap, shitty program like Goldwave) because it is paramount to have access to those files and sounds for stress free, future sound improvement, alterations, etc. I say this because of some things I read regarding the mastering on a Mindsphere thread in the music promtotion or whatever thread her on this site. We are some of the few people here on psynews.org, who know about Mindsphere and few others on various sites like Isratrance I noticed. Not a whole lot.

Yes this is strong enough to be released on CD, re-mastered, etc. It isn't a masterpiece in my opinion (it's proof that the second album has potential to be) but it sure is great. With improved mastering, I don't know what could be done because I haven't heard an improved, re-mastered version. But generally speaking, what Suntrip did to D5's debut (2007 re-release) was certainly noticeable in a positive way. And I love that album. I'm not familiar with the mastering aspect of music. I used to sound engineer as a passion. I cut an experimental album back in the early 21st century. Through this I gained the general process. - Studio recording, cutting an album. (Editing, mixing) - Copyrighting material. (Through the Library of Congress, here in the United States) - Cover: (Inside flip, / tracklist, marketing catch i.e: the cover look, etc. this stuff is the last part, and easy to do) The next provess we never developed was: - Having various quantities of the album pressed and copied as Mars mentions above. Distribution. He is aware of this process and I enjoyed reading what he wrote above. For our album (comedy) I got in touch with mp3.com and put up a web page via mp3.com for around a year. This page included the case picture, synoposis, tracklist, samples, ordering info, (and more) for the album. There was no charge to have this site page but Mp3.com would take a small profit from any sale. In return they barcoded my album for free, however I could not sell this barcoded album anywhere other than (privately maybe) mp3.com. I sent the link to many people I knew. I printed up thousands of bright orange and yellow flyers and posted them on peoples cars all over mall parking lots. I sat on the curb with friends and watched as random strangers approached their cars, often times ripping them off from underneath their windshield wipers. The reactions sometimes were hilarious like someone going, WTF!!! Suddanly I broke out in laughter. It was too funny to take seriously. - Our album was a comedy album, not Psy/GOA album which has a faithful, loyal base of Goa lovers. - No one told me how to advertise an albume. It forced me to be creative and not give up. But I was painting in the dark, so to speak. - I never spent or made 1 dollar on my album other than the several copies I bought. Take it from me what not to do. If an album is good enough, get it copyrighted and then contact a label. Mindsphere should go directly to a label available of releasing his debut online, in stores, etc. If a label wants to simply release Mindsphere's debut "as is," well there's a chance I don't buy it, because I have it, "as is." If an aware person/label distributes this along with great mastering values on CD via psyshop, saikosounds, whatever.. I'm more likely to buy it. Sure. It's a great, post 21st century GOA album. Goa people like it. There's a market for it. This artist needs to play gigs and promote the album that way too, in my opinion, if he is able to and willing. I've seen artists giving our their promo's for free. I learned that when you have connections to something, it makes life easier. If you know where the audiance is, how to reach them, and if you have a good product, (as Mindsphere's debut is for Goa people, it will sell. Albums can go like hotcakes at parties, especially after a live gig! But look at what I did above as what NOT TO DO, generally speaking. Mars is a strong example of someone many people can learn from on how to become more aware of this scene. I've seen people sell their album at parties, DJ's sell albums after spinning sets, and more. The key is to get your name out there. This Mindsphere album is getting a nice start by being "out there" for free. Unfortunately it could sound better production/mastering wise and it is great enough to be selling on CD too. Either way this debut is self-marketing itself by being on sites like these. This is creating a stable foundation for a potential sequel down the road.

Excellent. It's good to hear this news. Updated. I too am really looking forward to the KOB debut. Weight Of Oblivion (feat. Klara Steiner) on the Twist Dreams compilaton ended up being one of the few songs to have a strong, growing impact on my senses along with Khetzal's and Ra's. I love driving fast to Weight Of Oblivion at nighttime, the intangible, complex sounding melody combined with the female's skipping voice (catchy!). The other supporting sounds are good for details. I think bringing her back (or the female concept) for a totally fresh and new track could be great again. Just an idea. One thing I'm curious about is the emotive influence in the KOB debut, and just how kickass/fun it will be. Filteria 3 is also something I look forward to, of course. Naturally KOB has more allure, and unless Jannis has a trick.. (I agree with Rino). Filteria 3 has potential to go into fresh territory by introducing some new (organic?) sounds/melodies, atmosphere, fresh and novel approaches all while further developing the complex and energetic Goa style many of us love. I think Filteria 3 can be the freshest release since the debut (meaning novel in various ways) but it has to be powerful and infectious. I like the idea of adding new sounds/melodies concept and who says a little emotion (other than high octane energy) can't take place in a Filteria album? Or even an awesome skipping female voice? Just ideas anyway. I found both Filteria albums great, excellent. Not even the Pleiadians - Family of Light album topped Filteria's Heliopolis when it came to the number of great tracks in my opinion. Pleiadians follow-up album was great when it came to Headspin, Meter, their unique, innovative stomper Modulation and to some degree, Seven Sisters. Although thelatter carried on for an extension too long. Artists need to know when to make a powerful, satisfying ending and cut(!) by not dragging it out. I wish this artist wonderful health and clarity with his upcoming albums. They will come together the way they are meant to. And I will likely buy both. Nice studio by the way.

I've been thinking about this alot lately. I think that in the future, Psynews.org should have Top 5 "best of" list for Psytrance, Downtempo, and Goatrance. I think that is a more fun way to go about this, because those three are the biggest genre's on this site. It's very hard to choose a best Goa album over a best Psy album, and even I feel crammed because of this. But I wrote nothing about it until now, here. This is something for the Psynews team to consider in the future. I've given it careful thought and I think it's realistic. I don't make up the rules here however. Having too many (sub)genre top lists however may get overdone.

MINDSPHERE - INNER CYCLONE 2007 METAPHYSIC RECORDS Track list 1. Painful story ... 10:59 2. Mindrama ... 10:03 3. We have a dream ... 07:48 4. Wasted years ... 08:43 5. Operation side ...10:37 6. To infinity ... 09:34 7. Inner cyclone ...11:15 8. Fusion ... 07:36 Supposedly this is the fifth release by Metapsychic Records. This artist's strongest tracks produced between 2003-2006 were selected for the album. At first I was surprised at how good this release was. It may just be the most unique style for a main album in the 21st century I've heard since Khetzal's Corolle! The artist and company behind this album are sharing it for free and that helps a lot in getting an artist and company name out there. Metapsychic Records released a real gem here. So all of you new-school Goa artists take notice! This is how you innovate AND make something VERY CATCHY. By coming up with something unique and passionate to you and going all out. Based on the AMAZING opening track, I feel like I'm in a Goa-driven tornado/cyclone. That is LITERALLY the cylindrical sound that the entire song is implemented in (SAY WHAT?! ). As the album progressed I noticed that more relates to the concept of Inner Cyclone! The artist created 8 Goa tracks around the general whirl wind concept of a powerful, intricate, and flavorful tornado with dark/light, sad, happy, contemplative, chaotic, unpredictable elements, moments of mystery, etc., etc. There is an abundance of atmosphere in this tornado as well. It's pretty awesome actually. I like the album so much that I'm writing the review here... ahhhhh... okay on to the tracks! 1. Painful story is a powerful, infectious, and imaginative CYCLONE twister of an opening. If this doesn't excite you, I don't know what will. From mid to down tempo, to uptempo, etc., the kick drum manipulations, (change ups) are ridiculously catchy, and how they affect the music and mood. I love things like these (as if I've heard anything like this before )). They add dimension to the song, all while varying the feel and not keeping me bored for a second. y the kick drum change ups, such as those found in the opening track. I love the differing speeds of the kick drum. The whole song goes through varying moods and remains interesting throughout, but the general feel is immersive, atmospheric, unpredictable, and dark. Excellent track. A 2. Mindrama is the first song to continusously stay with the beat for the most part. It's very old school Goa sounding. The vocal samples are pretty cool. The quiet moments around the kick drum add character. There are some interesting tribal influences. The melodies skip, minipulated to varying speeds a la old school Pleiadians in the last third and they seem inspired but played with differently than old-school Pleaidans. They're fun. It has some good Eastern Indian influences but the leads, while pretty good, are not that gripping. Lack of key changes makes this song feel less dynamic in comparison to the first too. But it's has a more lush traveling sound than the opening too. The ambient notes work give this number an emotive edge. This is a pretty good track, but no where near as exciting or as eventful as the first. B 3. We have a dream is a more driving, energetic piece as opposed to the last track. The album is now becoming more strong as it progresses, like a tornado collecting debree, rage, and strength as it moves forward. The chill element in the second half is excellent, very catchy. I'm noticing that these unexpected breaks in the tracks make the song so much more interesting and multi-dimensional to listen to. From 5:24 to around 6:40 has one of the most lush and catchy sound rhythms I've heard all year. I love how well this melody fits into all of the other layers. It's beautiful. A small clicking, echoed sound compliments the big picture. These little details stand out. They add definition to an already attractive, swirling intangible presence. There are excellent usage of ambient notes too. This is a much stronger song than the previous number because the sounds and melodies here are more engaging, capturing, attractive, and powerful. A- 4. Wasted years is actually less driving than the previous song. It's very emotive. The change up around 2:08 is great coupled with a very catchy, momentary melodic sound. This may be the more intellectual, pondering part of the tornado that doesn't think so much as to move too slow. As with the previous songs, the music escapes the kick drum. Such an action takes place here for the melody to harmonise with an emotive ambient section. In doing so, a strong melody at 3:12 pulls the wind into a deep, meloncholy ambient trance direction until 4:54. The kick drum returns, igniting an ambient metamorphesis and back into the metaphysical, supernatural realm of Goatrance. The change up in the main beat towarads the end is great. This is a very creative, emotive, and interesting song throughout. B+ 5. Operation side is the third driving, relatively faster Goa number on the album. The other songs in this nature were tracks 2 and 3. The ambient notes coupled with Goa influences are beautiful during the first half. Around 3:55 appears to be a moment of slowdown as an interlude of sorts collects various streams of well orchestrated Goa melodies. It sounds like their are 5-10 new layers all flowing within the same tight band during this moment. More catchy melodies arrive to support them, outside the band so to speak. Things begin to pick up speed as the middle approaches. The melodies and various sounds now evolve into being more quick and aggressive. Such details in sound animation is great, especially at around 6:40. The whole song lifts off into a more developed, ascending character! These elements are so creative and interesting. I love how this song develops as it moves forward; it's filled with beauty, changes of scenery, strong melodies, atmosphere, and complexity. Like an angel shooting for a closing light in the distance, surrounded by darkness, this piece seems to be moving towards something huge. B+ 6. To infinity is... excellent! Wow this is awesome and one of the top best Goa tracks of 2007. First it was Khetzal's Trancefuzion on Suntrip's V/A - Twist Dreams compilation, with exception to Transwave's Backfire and D5's re-release. Then it was Goasia's Sunrise on the from the debut From Other Spaces album. This number currently makes one of the top three best Goa songs I've heard all year by a new school artist on a 2007 album. It's a hurricane, bursting with infectious streams within streams of sounds, contagious rhythms, style, substance, and a furious and exciting lead Goa melody. Many strong elements and details take place throughout the track, though the middle is fairly less arresting than the first and (energy returning) third act. This storming, intricately flavored song clearly appears to be the peek of the tornado, where all of its powers are at their strongest, most destructive, and gorgeous. The artist did a superb job with this song. A- 7. Inner cyclone is difficult to compete with the previous monster. But having a darker edge works to its benefit. Things are beginning to slow down but that is when a tornado is often at its deadliest, most volatile I believe. That said, this song is not slow. The aggressive sounds create an intensity at times that some of the songs lack on this album. This track is loaded with sounds, less controlled and chaotic than most songs on the album. It's a creative work of art that involves a plethora of things going on at once. There however lacks a strong, congruent Goa lead that the previous number had. Towards the last third, a powerful, swimming Goa lead arrives like streams of relatively high pitched melodies. These create an infectious Goa band and captures some clarity comprised of chaos. The concept is interesting and I presume the intent here was not to make an elegant song but an abstract song to compliment the dark and present tornado's insides. Although not as infectious and massive as the previous song, this number becomes very strong as it progresses, especially during the final third. It's unique and different. How it evolves is interesting. The ending is great. B+ 8. Fusion is an Ambient piece. The end of the journey is sad and slow. It seems appropriate to coincide with the death of the tornado. The sounds are light, soft, and beatless. Accomplished here the end journey of contemplation and spirituality. I feel like something or someone died and their spirt is going to heaven, or returning back to nature and/or the Universe, through a celestial, tornado-shaped lighthole (as opposed to a blackhole) vortex opened up in the sunny sky. This final number is emotive and peaceful. Unfortunatley it becomes more repetitive less interesting, the more it progresses. I couldn't help but think more work could have been done to make this song more compelling and emotional, even without beats as this is. The artist succeeds in closing the album's journey, but this is not exactly the most memorable Ambient, closing song either. B In Conclusion, whenever I hear an album like this, given out for free, it brings both joy and surprise to me. Can things in life actually be appreciated and free? The answer is yes, yes, yes! Of course! My thought is wow... all of this wonderful time, work, and energy has been invested in something not compensated, imaginative, and fun. And I feel this sense of disappointment for the artist too. Even though I'd love to see a world not dependent on money (you grow tomatoes, I grow cucumbers and we share, for instance), I don't understand why this album was not distributed via Psyshop, Saikosounds, etc. However this album deserves, at the very least, to be appreciated by anyone interested, and/or who has a passion for Goa-Trance. If this is indeed Metaphysic Records last release, they went out with a bang. This artist has created enough strong tracks for a great album, and this is it. Inner Cyclone for a debut album by a main artist, even a sequel, has one of the most fresh, distinct, and catchy Goa style I've heard since Khetzal's Corolle. This is one of the best Psychedelic Goatrance releases from 2007 and in New School Goa. Favorite Tracks: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 B+ Download the album FREE curtesy of the artist and label (a huge THANK YOU!!!): WAV version: http://www.psynews.o...one-MPR_wav.rar (Special thanks to Mars@ Psynews.org for this support and contribution) http://download.sdsa...one-MPR_wav.rar MP3 version: http://www.psynews.o...PR-2007_mp3.rar *Temporary Links*: MP3 320kb/s version: http://www.sendspace.com/file/mx13sm http://www.fileflyer.com/view/6UFBrAN http://www.megauploa.../fr/?d=743OVZZN *Torrent *: http://thepiratebay.org/tor/3918448/

This album deserves a thread in the review section. I have finally heard it. I didn't know Metaphysic released 5 albums... for free? I only have Pyramidal Trancendence and the several better songs on Vox - Inner Polarity. What am I missing that released other than these three?