Kitrinos

This album is simply a masterpiece. Words fail... So beautiful, magical... It transports you to transcendental realms. The only thing I don't like much is the cover artwork. But who cares when the music is timeless!

@abasio I am with you up to a point. Throwing blame 100% on such people seems the obvious and easy decision. But I think things are a bit more complicated. Firstly, in some countries in Europe (or in Greece at least), even though the governments were very late to take precautionary measures in the beginning of the pandemic, after much harm had been done and the vaccines were out, they were trying to force the people do the vaccines. This made people suspicious and reactive. There was, and still is, a significant number of people that did the vaccine but still feel repulsion that they were forced to do it in order to keep their jobs. Secondly, the vaccines for Covid were developed urgently and the whole procedure took much less time than it normally does to develop a vaccine. If anyone raised a doubt, they were called conspiracy theorists, idiots, and so on. So, in Greece, instead of encouraging people to do the vaccine for the public welfare, the government's way of dealing with the problem was something like "shut up and do the vaccines otherwise you are anti-scientific idiots and you will lose your jobs." Thirdly, there were some reasonable concerns. AstraZeneca, for instance, has infamously been involved in several scandals, which has tarnished its reputation. And, if I remember correctly, some countries suspended the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine after some reported deaths related to it. And regarding the widely used Pfizer vaccine, so far as I know this is a completely new type of vaccine, so I suppose it is not completely unreasonable if someone wants to wait a few years to be convinced that it has no long-term negative health effects. Finally, poor practices have indeed been reported during Pfizer's pivotal trial of the vaccine. See this paper for instance, from the very respected and reliable British Medical Journal. https://www.bmj.com/content/375/bmj.n2635 So, I think it is unfair to point as idiots or extreme right-wing fascists etc. all the skeptics of the Covid vaccines (sadly, governments and media manipulated the public to adopt such an attitude). Of course, those who refuse to use face-masks are idiots indeed. And the worst are the real fascists who deploy the anti-vaccine hysteria in order to attract voters. Anyway, these are my thoughts. No intention to give support to the person you criticised, since I do not know him. Either extreme seems wrong to me.

Fair enough. I am of the view that trippy and psychedelic music can be successfully done without an overload of layers; At some turning point, many layers ruin everything. Arronax has mentioned his admiration for this album and no wonder why his music is so chaotic. The three masters you've mentioned are highly appreciated by me and in general I think they have been more careful in their selection of sounds and layers. Fair enough though, each one to their own taste.

Better than their crappy second album (which is a cacophony of electronic sounds, to be honest). The change of style is welcome, but it doesn't mean greatness. The tracks often become chaotic. They also lack nice build-ups, can be too repetitive and too harsh for the ear. Some decent tracks, but that's all. Nothing essential. Their first album is quite good, see Magnetic Activity. And also Global Light, from the compilation Gamma Draconis. These two are their best tracks from what I've heard of them, really good compositions. Their overall sound and style though is not what I'm looking for in Goa trance. And that is because I like harmony and not dissonance when I listen to music.

Hmm, I think this will stand the test of time. Unique and creative, for sure. Although it may not fit in everyone's taste, it is a must listen. At some parts I felt it is a bit disharmonious, at others pleasantly trippy. I certainly didn't get bored!

Their releases before this one sound too messy to me, but in this album they found the desired balance between distorted sounds and melodies. Possibly their best effort. Nice!

Well produced but lacks inspiration. Rather forgettable

His early output is total rubbish.

It's ok, but nothing special IMO. I think Triquetra is a bit overestimated.

When I play the CD the first track is clipping in the 1st minute and I hear some weird 'roar' from the CD player. Anyone else having issues? And yes, it is frustrating to have two almost identical versions of the same track. It'd be much better to have another old comp./vinyl track in the album. Nevertheless, I like the music.

MDMA is not a psychedelic drug btw.

I still respect them for their unique style, but I can't stand all these dissonant sounds. Until 2013 they made so many harmonious and beautiful melodic tracks.

'Shadows of the Moon' is amazing! Pure bliss.

What is the tempo range of the tracks? Does anyone know?

Btw does anyone know when the term 'Goa trance' came into use? And what were people calling this style of music in the mid-90s? And what about late-80s - early-90s at the parties of Goa? Anybody been there at that time? In what terms were ppl talking about the music in that remote past?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prespa_agreement You should be politically correct and respect the Prespa Treaty, made between North Macedonia and Greece, that solved the dispute

I think that you have misunderstood me. I did not imply that today's music is not as good as in 2005-2010. I was simply trying to make inferences on what helps albums stand the test of time and I predict that albums with some degree of originality (obviously), personal 'signature sound', and variation in mood/sound design/tempo will still be remembered and valued in 10+ years.

Would you mind writing the agreed upon, official name of the country, 'North Macedonia', in promotions and website? It would be appreciated, thank you

OK, the truth is that DJSunborn put it in an arrogant and patronizing way, but I would like to focus more on my points, which I think are worth reflecting on. If that's your style, end of story. Of course you don't need to make your music slower! The point is: the scarcity of lower bpm tracks indicates too much homogeneity and the lack of variation in the genre, which cannot be a good thing. Goa trance, unlike other styles, is NOT bpm-dependent. Label owners should be blamed more than artists for brickwall mastering, for sure. But the artists, if they do care, can also do sth about it. It's THEIR music after all. As far as I know, (almost?) nobody's financial survival depends on producing goa trance. It is a hobby/creative activity that fulfils you (the artist) and that may allow you to have an extra income occasionally. That's how it is. If artists were primarily interested in making money, they wouldn't devote so much of their time in making this type of music. So, if you REALLY care (and you think your music is good enough), you should not allow others to dictate how to master your music. If I remember correctly, Dragon Twins had demanded dynamic mastering in the past. And also, some labels do care about it (e.g. Cronomi).

I decided to write this after reading DJSunborn's comment on the voting thread. "Tips for the new producers: Sorry, nothing "ringed my bell", try harder! STOP using psy-trance machine gun bass everywhere, DON'T make everything sound "Full-on", lower down your damn BPM!, STOP over-compress your mastering!!!!!!!!!!!, BE more unique and for God shake, FORGET the typical Goa or Psy forms or use them minimal!, DON'T copy-paste ideas from others or from the past, Create your own sound! This is the ONLY way to be remembered in the future!" Important observations. Although they seem harsh they are to the point and well-intended, I assume. Concerning the tempo, very few goa trance tracks are in the range of 135-140 bpm, with 130-135 bpm almost nonexistent. Not to mention that artists do not include a midtempo/chillout track in most recent albums. Variation in bpm or even mood is scarce as well (e.g. Hypnoxock-Eurythmia). This is not an 'oldschool-newschool' distinction. The most acclaimed albums from the first wave of goa trance that revived the genre 10-15 years ago and seem to stand well the test of time have an easily recognizable style ("signature sound") - often combined with variation in bpm and/or midtempo/chillout tracks. Regardless of personal preferences: Khetzal - Corolle (2005) Goasia - From Other Spaces (2007) Ra - 9th (2008) E - Mantra - Arcana (2009) Filteria - Daze Of Our Lives (2009) Artha - Influencing Dreams (2010) Crossing Mind - Holotropic Paradigm (2010) Which of the newer releases will stand the test of time? IMO, the more of the above features they have, the more memorable they will be in the years to come. About excessive compression: it does not make the music sound more powerful or dance-floor friendly! It simply makes it bland and headache-inducing!

Astrancer - Neighbor is a great morning trance track. He got rid of the eastern melodies and the cheese indeed. Good for him and for us.

Hi, I would like some Ambient rec. preferably on CD. Downtempo is ok only if it is relaxing and soothing. psydub, idm and downtempo that is overwhelming and does not have a chilling effect are a no go. Thanks a lot!

Feed the Mugwumps is the best for me. Mariposa is also very good. Most of the other tracks are alright but not as good as the aforementioned.

Alpha Centauri is my favourite so far with No Event Horizon following. Most of the tracks are very good/great actually. If you like his previous output I can't see any reason why not to love this album.

My favourite is easily Mindstream Continuum. I prefer the 2nd part of the album as well (6-9). The artwork is beautiful.