[The Psychedelic Trance, in its entirety]

I agree with Celaripo here. Experimental = music that defies genre and makes up its own rules.

 

Ju Ju Space Jazz, Shaolin Wooden Men, Ubar Tmar, Rip Van Hippy, Sunkings = Experimental.

 

MWNN, (early) Juno Reactor, Cydonia, Koxbox, TIP = Goa.

 

All the Goa artists I named created their own sound, but they stay within the borders of Trance/Techno/Acid. The Experimental artists don't conform to those borders at all.

[The Psychedelic Trance, in its entirety]

Ozric Tentacles belongs because of the influence the band had on Goa Trance. I would have picked Strangeitude over Arborescence, though; it's both earlier and a better known Goa influence.

 

Goa always had tracks that crossed over into mainstream Trance, MWNN in particular being supported by Oakenfold. I don't think of that as Experimental, it's rather that the line between Goa and Melodic or Club Trance could be blurred sometimes. If we count all artists who incorporate other scenes and styles of music then technically all Oldschool Goa is Experimental or Uncategorized since it's always a mix of different musical influences. Better to say that Goa could incorporate elements of Melodic Trance (or Industrial, Hard Trance, ect.)

 

(This works the other way around, too. For instance Section X is a Hard Trance/Techno act that was played a lot by Goa Trance DJs)

[The Psychedelic Trance, in its entirety]

A few corrections:

 

Delirium - Spheres 2 isn't Proto-Goa. It's mid-nineties Ambient. A better choice for Proto-Goa would be something like The Infinity Project - Hyperactive, or Trilithon - Trance Dance 128.

 

Masa - Just Inside isn't Nitzhonot but Oldschool Goa. The high pitched sounds are typical of Japanese Goa artists.

 

I'd question the inclusion of several albums under 'Experimental.' Man With No Name has never been Experimental, he's one of the most traditional acts of Goa Trance. Juno Reactor - Beyond The Infinite isn't Experimental either, though it incorporates some Proto-Goa influences. Same with Cydonia - In Fear Of A Red Planet, which is a darker Oldschool Goa album, but not particularly Experimental.

[Electric Universe - Divine Design]

This is where Electric Universe peaked as far as I'm concerned. It may not have the strong emphasis on acid lines that his first few albums had, but the melodies, hypnotic grooves, and cosmic sounds that I like from Boris are all present and correct. Blue Planet had some good tracks but tried too hard to sound like Der Dritte Raum in a few places, while Unify was far too clubby for my taste. This one is just right. 9/10

[Goa Yard Sale]

More CDs sold: Yamabikaya, Bonky, Alienated, Blissful Moments, Psy-Fi 604, Unknown Object At Six Zero Four.

 

Also, be careful if ordering from the Ukraine... right now it seems like mail sent from the US is being returned because of the territory dispute over Crimea. I just had that happen to me the other day, and sanctions were the reason given on the form.

 

I don't think this affects mail sent to the Russian Federation; I'll edit this post if that situation changes. Anyway, if you live in Ukraine and want to order internationally, consider having a friend act as a proxy for you.

[Juno Reactor - Beyond The Infinite]

Juno Reactor's sophomore effort, 'Beyond The Infinite', is one of a kind. It's maybe the one Goa album that hews closest to its synth-pop and EBM roots, while taking it to that next level with acid-trance lines, techno strings and pads, and tribal/ethnic sounds.

 

'Guardian Angel' begins with ominous pads and a sample of Burt Lancaster from 'The Swimmer.' Immediately afterwards, we're whipped into a frenzy by a Front 242-esque bassline. Percussive electronic noises and frantic riffs that arc and spark keep the tension high. A little simple and straightforward, but that's what makes it a perfect introduction.

 

'Magnetic' is cool and seductive by comparison, with low chants sampled from the movie 'Baraka', a bubbling acid groove, and Spanish guitar-like melodies. Electronic bird calls echo and synth bleeps swim by like a school of fish, as though we were hearing the field recordings of a zoologist on a robot planet.

 

'Ice Cube' simmers in Yello-esque ambience before launching into a blisteringly intense run, proving that you can make a low tempo track (120, IIRC) without sacrificing ferocity.

 

'Feel The Universe' has an utterly gorgeous intro, with one of my favorite synth lines of all time. Some people prefer the 'Otto edit' of this track that dispenses with most of the introduction; I will never understand those people. It's like cutting the first movement of a Beethoven symphony. After the track has gathered momentum, it reaches escape velocity... industrial, found-sound percussion (SPK much?) combines with tribal drumming, alien sound effects, and Eastern European-sounding riffs in a cosmic cacophony of noise. I'd love to know where the inspiration for this track came from, it's so rich with ideas.

 

'Razorback', only available on the US version, is far from a filler. Cool, glassy synth lines bob and weave through pounding beats, punctuated by the occasional tribal yell. Aggression and subtlety are perfectly paired throughout.

 

'Samurai' is a slightly updated mix of a 1993 single by Jungle High (Ben Watkins and Johann Bley.) Juno by any other name is still Juno; this version has a little less acid-trance feel than the original and more of an industrial rock quality, which is probably Johann's sensibilities coming to the fore. Spoken-word vocals with a message of love and devotion provide the calm at the eye of the storm.

 

'Silver', the sole downtempo track, weaves contemplative futuristic atmospheres. More Baraka samples, monk's voices cut up and stitched together into a future-funk rhythm.

 

'Rotorblade' is maybe the most beloved track here, and it deserves all the praise it gets. Effervescent bass and percussion undergird gated synths, whooshing and breathing noises, and a bluesy electric guitar. All this is led by poignant electronic strings that hit you right in the feels. Powerful, mature, and complex. It mixes seamlessly into the final track, 'Mars', which takes the power, spaciness, and emotion of the previous tracks and somehow manages to sum them all up.

 

Can you tell I like this album?

 

Due to its storytelling nature, 'Beyond' is an album that works in multiple contexts, from armchair voyages and night drives to the most frenetic of dancefloors. Some tracks are a bit 'ravey' and unsubtle ('Guardian Angel', 'Samurai'), but they're balanced out by the deeper tracks, and lend their energy to the whole.

 

Most of all, though, I love the album for its sound design. Nothing is harsh, mechanical, or overly 'synth' sounding here. Instead, these tracks come alive, yielding up a synaesthetic fruit salad of flavors and textures that doesn't sound like anything before it or since.

 

There are a very few Goa releases that transcend the "Goa" or "trance" label. TIP's 'Mystical Experiences' is one of them. This is another, and deserves to be inducted into the canon of great synthesized popular music. 'Bible of Dreams' may be the album that brought Juno mainstream attention, but this remains their most accomplished and complete work.

 

A masterpiece that sets the bar for what a psychedelic trance album could be. 10/10

[Koxbox: The Scanner 2015 . ZERO ONE MUSIC]

Musical taste aside, I don't agree that the older albums sound dated. Dragon Tales is still one of the most complex psy/goa releases, and the mixing/production comes off better than most albums today.

 

I see a lot of comments about producing for the modern dancefloor. But AFAIK, we haven't made a giant leap in production quality since the 1990s, it's just much more convenient/less expensive now that computers can take the place of a big studio. But feel free to correct me on that.

[Goa Yard Sale]

Sold Space Tribe - Ultraviolet Catastrophe, TIP 3D, Midrange Freedom Fighters, Masaray - Cosmic Trancer.

[Goa Yard Sale]

Sold Androcell, Asura, Carbon Based Lifeforms, Children Of The Bong, Derango, Transwave, and UX.

[Do you do drugs while listening to psytrance?]

Cool story bro.

[Goa Yard Sale]

Some oldschool for sale, a bit of older darkpsy, and a few chillout CDs. I need to de-clutter and raise a little money for my new label; everything helps.

 

Shipping from the US can get expensive; keeping that in mind, I'll price my merch reasonably.

 

A Taste Of Transient

Absolum - Inside The Sphere

Acid Mutants

Acidlab - Route 303

After 10 Years Of Japanese Trance

Agneton - Wizards From The Future

Ajuca Records - States Of Awareness

Apsara

Asia 2001 - Strange World (no booklet)

Astral Projection - Another World

Astral Projection - Dancing Galaxy

Atom Smasher

Auricular

Baal, Mephisto, & Diablo - Lords Of Destruction

Baphomet Engine & Datakult - Psytrance Is Dead!

Banco De Gaia - Maya

Benza - Retrofuturism

Biot - Saturation

Biot - Synthetic Organic

COP - Urban Alien

Cosmic Theatre

Crazy Goblins And Wicked Pixies

Creamcrop Records - A Deeper View

Cydonia - In Fear Of A Red Planet

Deedrah - Self Oscillation

Deep Mental Trauma

Deviant Species - The Quest For Balojax

Devil's Mind Records - Refused

Digitalis - The Third State

Dimension 5 - TransAddendum

Dimension 5 - Transdimensional (re-issue)
Dimension 5 - TransStellar

Dirty South

Distortion Orchestra - The Shape Of Things To Come

Dragonfly Classix

Dream Creation - The Sound Of Freedom

Dreams Like Deserts

Eat Static - B-World
Eat Static - Back To Earth

Eat Static - The Alien EPs

Edgecore - Free As

Electric Universe - Divine Design

Electric Universe - Stardiver

Electric Universe - Waves

Electroslide - Near Life Experience

Electrypnose - Le Tireur De Ficelles

Encephalopaticys - Psychothermic Meditation

Enertopia - Face Adaptor

Eon Project - Brain Filter

EvsY - Lords Of The Liverdance

Exogenic Records - Custom File

Exotic Matter - Astral Attache

Exploring Another Reality

Far East Technology

Fill Your Head With Phantasm 2

Filteria - Sky Input

Flying Rhino Freestyle - Eclipse

Forever Psychedelic

Four Carry Nuts - Mechanical Age
Funf D - No Promises

GAD - Apollo 3D

Germinator - Alosakum

Ghreg On Earth - Sigilweaver

Goa Inside 3

Great Leap Forward - Cinkofa

Haltya - Electric Help Elves

Hammering The Gates Of Soul

Hate

Human Blue - Diskovery Channel

I Won't Dance

In R Voice - The Scent Of Russian Dreams

Indoor - Progressive Trance (re-issue)

Infernal Intuition

Israel's Psychedelic Trance 3

Jean Borelli - Planet Maya

Jikooha - Revolution Spaceship

Jocid

Joker's Files

Juno Reactor - Labyrinth

Jupiter 8000 - Twisted Bliss

Kalyug - Digital Chamatkar

Kiss The Future: Procyon

Kode 4 - Near To The Divine EP

Kode 4 - Silicon Civilization

Kuro - Revolution

Language Of Light

Let It Rip

Lhiannon Sidhe

Logic Bomb - Headware

Loopus In Fabula

Lotus Omega - Quantum Rabbit Hole

Lumukanda - That Was Zen, This Is Tao
Lunar Asylum

Mandalavandalz - Hong Kong Knightlife
Masa - Just Inside

Matipo Pyramid

Megalopsy - The Abstract Machine

Menis - Temporary Insanity

Mere Mortals - Universal Code

MFG - Project Genesis
Mind Games

Montauk P - Def=Lim

Mood Deluxe - The Tangent Universe

Multiple Personalities

Musica Psychedelica Scandinavica

Nam Shub Of Enki - Fuck Piece

Nataraja 1

Nephilim Records - Black Hole

New World 01

Not My Cup Of Tea

Nowhereland

Ololiuqui - Valves

148

OOOD - Free Range

Otherworld - Dance Trance And Magic Plants

Peace Therapy 2

Pelinpala - My CD Has Landed On The Next Door Neighbor's Dog

Phenix

Phi - Phinalizer

Portal Of Perceptions

Process - One Drop Or Two?
Process - Superior Technology

Procs - Stuck In The Oven With Me

Prodigal Sun - Twisted Harmonics

Psy Phy 6 - Metaphysical

Psyburbia - Groove Invaders

Psychedelic Electronica

Psychedelic Krembo 2

Psychedelic Krembo 3

Psychiatric Hospital Ahead!

Psychic Deli Volume 1

Psychoactive Scandosounds 3

Qube One
Quirk - Machina Electrica And Fornax Chemica

Ra - 9th

Resonance Mood

Resonoise Records - Eskimo

Retrodelic Vibes 3 (no booklet)

Rip Van Hippy - Waking Up Is Hard To Do

Saikopod - Phutures And Options

Salakavala - Fractal Fishing
Sattel Battle - Sounds Cool

Segment - 01

Seventh Flight: Elevation

Shakta - Out Of Sight

Shakta - The Enlightened Ape

Shlabbaduerst 4
Shift - Excession

Shiva Chandra - Change Of Air

Sixth Flight: Nightvision

Slide - Unstable

Solar Flares
Somaton - Future Memories

Soular Records - Awakening

Space Cat - Beam Me Up

Space Cat - Shapes Of Sound

Space Tribe - Heart Beat
Sri Hari - Rising Sign

Strong Sun Moon

Subconsciousmind - Gfuhlsweld

Sunkings - Before We Die

Surreal Audio - Open

Tea Chairs

The Holotropic Mind

The Meaning Of Life
The Invisible Hand

Third Eye - Ancient Future
Third Eye - Dance Of Creation

TIP Singles 2

Tod Aquarium 1

Torakka - Far Out Express

Trance Mix 7

Trance Mix 8

Tranced Out And Dreaming

Trancentral 4: A Trip To Goa

Transient 5
Transient 6
Trauma Trance

Tri-Force - Entrance To Reality

Twist Dreams
Unidentified Forms Of Sound

Urban Awakening
Voice Of Cod - Gone Fission

Voice Of Cod - We Are Free

X-Dream - Panic In Paradise

XIS - Electric Rites

Younger Brother - A Flock Of Bleeps

Youth - Calibrate Your Intuition

Zubzub - The Powers That Beep

 

My rating on Discogs: http://www.discogs.com/sell/buyer_feedback/ur3shii

[Your top 10 Trance albums of all time]

Juno Reactor - Beyond The Infinite

Total Eclipse - Delta Aquarids

The Infinity Project - Mystical Experiences

Prana - Cyclone

Morphem - Out Of Focus

Koxbox - Dragon Tales

Tarsis - Vacuum

Chi A.D. - Anno Domini

Spectral - Diffuse

Squaremeat - Wave Soup

Uni - Venus

 

(my list goes to 11 )

[Eat Static - Dead Planet [Mesmobeat]]

It's pretty hard to get away from full-on cheese with UK releases (Nervasystem is a rare - and welcome - exception.)

 

I'm guessing that Merv did a few tracks for that audience, a few for the dubstep kiddies, and then some for himself. Whatever the promo text says.

["V/A - Aurora Sidera"]

I had a lil fight with my brother-in-law who thinks CD's are so last season: no they are not!! All stuff that is important should be available as a hard copy; if not for listening then just to watch it and touch it: we human beings are physical creatures so why to go against that fact?!)

 

The first time I heard the 'nobody buys CDs anymore' argument was in 2003. Obviously they're doing something right to survive 12 years of undeath

[Where do you keep your collection?]

I have two 'proper' CD shelves, with about 100 albums in total. Most are Digipaks and things that look nice on a shelf. The rest had to go in CD wallets inside a cabinet, since I don't have anywhere to put 1000+ jewel cases.

 

For vinyl, I have the typical 'milk crates'. I keep them arranged so that I have just enough room to get out of bed.

[The Hippie paradox]

You can also argue that states ramp up human aggression, since organized armies, police, and prisons don't exist outside of a state.

 

I expect we'll disagree on this, but I don't think that any social arrangement is fixed by our biology. Pre-state society is all over the map; I could point to examples of cooperation and say that humans are naturally cooperative, and I'd be equally wrong.

 

Tribal warfare... nah, I'm not letting Belgium off the hook that easily. The colonialists played up tribal differences that otherwise would not have led to a civil war. "It's human nature" is dodging responsibility. Also it lets the Rwandans who led the genocide dodge responsibility. I don't think they were just reverting to a pre-civilized state. I think they had agency and political goals and were consciously evil.

 

About anarchism: there are types of anarchism that don't involve abandoning society. Anarchosocialism is one. Many anarchists want to abolish the aspects of government they see as oppressive, not every aspect of government. Yes, some do want to abolish all government. But I know someone who identifies strongly with anarchism who is a physicist at a university, votes, and supports a social safety net.

 

I agree that a lot of anarchists have a knee-jerk distrust of/opposition to society, and if everybody followed that, it would fuck over a lot of people (including disabled people for sure.) But it'd be wrong to say that anarchism is opposed to things like public roads or hospitals, when that describes an extreme kind of individualist or primitivist anarchism.

[The Hippie paradox]

Civil war is a different situation from anarchy. And I'd argue that the problems in the DRC have more to do with global capitalism and geopolitics than with any variety of anarchism.

[Veasna]

I'd heard 'Quantum Conundrum' before, but I prefer the direction that these new tracks take. They remind me a little of Doof, in the sense that they groove at a consistent energy level without becoming repetitive or doing anything to break the flow. 'Warp' in particular is one of the bounciest goa tracks I've had the pleasure of listening to.

 

Keep it up!

[Advice for new labels?]

Thanks all.

 

I'm currently scouting tracks for the first compilation. The format will most likely be digital; I still might do a CD run, but only if a significant number of people demand it. I have a number of mastering studios bookmarked, and will be shopping around when the time comes.

 

This will be a nonprofit release: all proceeds after expenses will be donated to A Well-Fed World.

 

(ETA: changed a few details)

[Chi-A.D. - Hannah Young?]

 

Split personality, yes, could be another theory.

 

Not really.

[Psytrance tracks with singing that don't suck]

This thread needs more Suomi.

 

[Confessions of a goa-trancer]

I miss old sound like Dark Soho, Darshan though.

 

...and is there any recent release around in the same style as both Scandi90s compilations released by Zion 604?

By the way Elysium your new album sounds very good, great news for the scene.

 

I don't like everything on this album but some of it is amazing dark goa trance: http://rajasrecords.bandcamp.com/album/v-a-integration-in-the-cave

[Confessions of a goa-trancer]

there has always been much more to psytrance than just a 16th bassline, to me anyway.

 

I agree but the converse is also true. X-Dream are great and all but (for example) Pan - "Murphy" is also still a psytrance track, y'know? Rolling basslines are one way to do psytrance, but I don't think they're the only way.

[Chi-A.D. - Hannah Young?]

Yes, the gender change was confirmed on this thread: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10154758257670274&id=47716165273

 

Actually I think Hannah´s daughter died a couple of weeks ago in a tragic car accident witch means that as nothing to do with this name changing.

 

My condolences.

[Esion Jim/Esiongod]

Does anyone know how to contact Jim Wood (Esion God)? Along with Si Wilcox he made amazing acid/goa tracks back in the day. Like this one:

 

 

I know there's more music from them than was released... I have an old issue of Dream Creation with a review of a "promo album" that never came out. But that's where the trail goes cold. Any leads?