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Artist: Cactus Arising Title: Solar Storm Label: Timewarp Records Date: December, 2014 1. Sand Inspiration 2. D.I.Y. 3. Night Fractals 4. Star Storm 5. Opposite Spinning 6. Between Our Galaxy 7. Transfer at the Speed of Light 8. Moon + Sun 9. Nova Fractal - Connect (Cactus Arising rmx) A little over a year ago Timewarp Records released this album to minimal fanfare. I mean, it seemed like it was only very lightly advertised. It's digital only from two Greek newcomers who have made the rounds on several compilations like Goamystica, Goa Energy, and whatever the hell Goalogique is doing. I've had this on my hard drive for quite some time, but couldn't successfully get through it. Not because it's bad (it isn't), but because it doesn't offer anything new. The tracks are solidly thumping new-school (I know some people hate that classification) production with similar sounds all the way through. Nothing stands out or makes the tracks particularly memorable however. I found myself waiting for twists and turns that never came which makes the album rather vanilla. Not bad, but there is a lot more dynamic work out there. Beatspace Psyshop

Artist: Various Title: Enfold 01 Label: Ultimae Records Date: December, 2014 1. Scann-Tec - Rewind 2. Fingers In the Noise - Sensitive Mind 3. I Awake - Winter Shell 4. Martin Nonstatic - Oak Branches 5. Lars Leonhard - Frost 6. Miktek - Serene 7. Circular - Lunokhod (Winter Mix) 8. Master Margherita & Ermetico - Blue Fish (Winter Mix) 9. Asura - Lumiere Noire 10. Aes Dana - Beneath Celebrating 15 years of relaxing chill music Ultimae released a gift for fans of the label. This freely downloadable compilation is available on their website in 12 or 24 bit format and showcases a who's who of artists. Let's begin with the cover of a flower encased in ice. It was certainly apropos for my area when we got two feet of snow dumped on us. My son hadn't gone to school in a week and the temperature was hovering around -1F. What the f*ck Canada? The album begins chilled with frozen pads and slow percussive beats. And that's where it stays not unlike that flower attempting to escape its ice prison. Cold winds blow on Winter Shell as sunlight reflects off the snow covered landscape, but instead of being dark and depressing, it offers hope. Hope in the knowledge that warmer temps and spring blooms will soon arrive. You can hear the foliage attempting to push forth through cracking ice on Oak Branches. Lunokhod harnesses the spectacle of sunlight gleaming off of icy surfaces with lush pads and smooth female vocals. Blue Fish...hmmmm. It doesn't seem to belong even if it's the Winter Mix, but it's still a mellow enjoyable track. Asura gets things back on the desolate and frozen track with his long ambient soundscapes revealing how vast the Antarctic mountainous desert really is. If aliens took up residence in the frozen wasteland this would be their soundtrack. Aes Dana closes with bubbles trapped in ice just in case you didn't know it was winter. This is a great album that captures the winter atmosphere and is helped along by being mixed. It's one long frozen journey with some great tracks and some that seem like place holders. But put it all together and it works. The sound is top notch and Ultimae's gift succeeds in putting the listener smack dab into the music. A free gift that is greatly appreciated, but... Now I'm f*cking cold. Free at Ultimae Records Website Mdk

Artist: Moonweed Title: Voice of Jupiter Label: Anjuna Records Date: December, 2014 1. Om Life 2. Aardvark 3. Prophecy 4. Micronesia (feat. Shakta) 5. Spiral Expansion (MoonwOOOD Mix) 6. Celestial (feat. Squid) 7. Telepath 8. (SH)It Happens 9. Snake Charmer 10. Voice of Jupiter This is some raw old school sh*t. So raw. "You mean like a vegetable?" Yes like a vegetable. No you simpleton. Like sliding on a basketball court without any knee protection. You know the sound I'm talking about. Like cutting into your steak and watching it bleed. Moonweed is Jamie Graham and thanks to Anjuna records we have all his hard to find tracks in one place. Ladies and gents I present you his debut album. It took a while to get here, but holy crap on a cracker was it worth it. This is a blistering collection of goa trance from back in the day when the men were men and the sheep were nervous. Growling and screeching 303's at a monster drink fueled pace is what this is. Swirling leads and more bubbly layers than my kid's bath. Along with his classic tracks there are also some nice surprises I had never heard before. Waiter, I'd like one time machine set to...oh, let's try the beaches of Goa circa 1996? An excellent choice sir. And beyond excellent it is. I was just thinking that all any goa head would need was this album and Shakta Retroscape when at that very moment Micronesia came on. That's confirmation from the man upstairs people. The whole album is four on the floor relentless psychedelic goa trance and with mastering by Mr. Tim Schuldt the sound is brilliant. If everything old is new again I say keep f*cking digging cause there's gold in them hills! This is an absolute must have and for my money the greatest release from Anjuna to date. Is it too late to vote for the best of the year thingy? Kim Jong Un Approved. Anjuna Bandcamp Mdk

Artist: Maan Title: Robotic Swarm EP Label: DVSM Records Date: December, 2014 1. Swarms 2. Fleur de Synchrotron 3. Bionic Binoculars 4. Entomophobic Droid What's the biggest problem with darkpsy? "Ummm...it sucks?" No, that would be your mom. No, really what's the biggest problem with darkpsy? Inaccessibility. It's either over saturated with screechy sound effects, has a conspicuous absence of melody, or just devolves into a cacophony of noise and goes nowhere. Perhaps all three. Now I'm not picking on darkpsy here, but the darkpsy sound is what this label has focused on in the past. It has a devoted following, but at the same time it's hard for those that don't follow it to jump in and embrace it. But if you've been paying attention they've shifted gears and changed (or evolved) as all music eventually does. Releases like Kiriyama's Reach Escape Velocity and the compilation 71 degrees have kept it dark, but added some light and thereby attracted new listeners. Those two releases alone have shed some light on this label where I would've all but ignored it before. So here is one of their latest projects. Maan is Frode Ungar and his ep is a very varied mix of styles blended together with a dark atmosphere. Maybe darkpsy lite? Layered with sounds of the forest this is an ep any psychedelic fan can sink his teeth into. The darkness is well represented, but instead of being overbearing it's just a piece of the puzzle. That atmosphere enhances the sound and the listening experience. Goa touches are sprinkled within and melodies are heard, but all within the backdrop of a Norwegian forest. It's very well produced (mastered by Colin Oood) and all the subtleties are fully audible. I know it's a digital EP, but the cover done by Shiva3 is beautiful to look at. So perhaps this is a new direction for the DVSM label? It's been coming for awhile now and this release is an example of how to keep the tone dark while also allowing for the productions to have more depth. It's interesting to say the least and I would recommend this to anyone who is put off by the usual darkpsy sound. Good job. DVSM Bandcamp Mdk

Artist: Tristan Title: Way of Life Label: Nano Records Date: December, 2014 1. Talking In Technicolour (Dancefloor Deluxe Version) 2. Killerwatts - Another Planet (Tristan Remix) 3. Time and Space 4. Excitement Generator 5. Parallel Reality 6. Melody Maker 7. Multi-Dimensional Consciousness 8. Enlightenment 9. Fearsome Engine - Seeding Life (Tristan Remix) This dog inching his way along this train is a perfect metaphor for this album. There is a lot of motion and for the first few tracks I'm actually interested in what's going to happen. Tristan Cooke is not a newbie and knows what it takes to craft a psychedelic track. This is Nano style full-on that should captivate, but after a little bit I'm like..."Where the f*ck are you going dog?" I keep watching him claw his way to the front of the train, but he never gets there. Imagine one of your co-workers telling a joke he "heard" from a friend but drags it out because he can never quite remember how the story should go. Annoying. And time consuming Eventually you stop hovering around the donut table cause you know he's gonna be there. You don't need that. Eventually you need to get to the f*cking point. But all these tracks sound the same. No up...no down...just straight ahead. I listened to this four times in a row and fell asleep during three of them. The last time I actually fired up Candy Crush. Or put another way... We all love hand jobs. We do. But if there's no passion in it and I don't get to finish it's just a lot of uncomfortable tugging and awkward stares. I'm not saying this is an utter disaster because it's not. But I suppose based on past work I've come to expect a lot more from Tristan and this is just a ho-hum effort. Drug samples and lazy full-on ain't gonna cut it. So that's what this is to me. A listless hand in my pants that turned out to be a disappointing waste of time. Psyshop Beatspace Mdk

Artist: Various Title: Prana Remix Ep Vol. 3 Label: Matsuri Digital Date: December, 2014 1. Alien Pets (Filteria's Kami-No-Michi Remix) 2. Boundless (Skizologic Remix) 3. Alien Pets (Trinodia Remix) 4. Boundless (Nervasystem Remix) Having reviewed the first volume in the series it seemed only natural to tackle another one. Missed the second one (on my way to Beatport as we speak) but the third volume gets two resounding thumbs up from me. Two of the best known Prana tracks get a makeover and they will be a welcome addition to your goa arsenal. Filteria and Trinodia knock it out of the park with their storming versions of Alien Pets. The Skizologic remix is rather low key, but still good. The Nervasystem remix cuts the tempo and has a funky, sinister vibe to it. It's all superbly done and sounds great. After being disappointed with Volume One I feel pretty good about throwing 6 bucks Beatport's way. Beatport Mdk

Artist: Dragon Twins Title: Only For The Wicked Label: Neogoa Date: December, 2014 1. Entwined 2. Only For The Wicked 3. Daimon - Codex (Dragon Twins Remix) 4. Time Has A Mouth 5. Inner Caveman Dub Neogoa is a netlabel that has been hooking your broke ass up with quality goa trance music since the last white guy was president. At least it seems that way. To be honest if you aren't aware of the massive contribution Neogoa has made for goa trance then I also assume your network consists of two dixie cups and a ball of yarn. Run by Richpa this label has been instrumental in providing some of the best goa music FOR FREE. One of his latest releases is this EP by forum regular Djuna aka Belgian Mathias Pico aka...Dragon Twins. Seems funny to me that Dragon Twins is one guy. Twins...two. Anyone else? The EP opens with an eerie ambient intro and launches right into Only For The Wicked. A screechy tune to be sure, but a great set up to his remix of Daimon's Codex. Now in the spirit of full disclosure that track is one of my absolute favorites. The remix is different yet no less bombastic and I enjoyed his take on it greatly. Time Has a Mouth is a psychedelic goa track with a hydra like number of heads. Thumping kick and squirrely 303. The final track is a downtempo goa one that crept along alien bubbles. Really good stuff. Bottom line this is a great EP (again for free) with good flow and great goa trance. The artwork is impressive (hi-fives Richpa) and the mastering by Stryder gives this a clean sound for hours of repeated plays. There has been some debate as to whether the mastering takes away from the quality of the music (a complaint that is unfortunately leveled against a lot of releases). I'm no audiophile, but I can tell you this. It fills my house with some awesome sound. Free at Ektoplazm Mdk

Artist: Lost & Found Title: Consumed Label: Self-Released Date: December, 2014 1. Consumed 2. Drone (feat. Z3ro) 3. Mental Wealth 4. Nitro (feat. CPU) 5. Other Side 6. Subterranean (feat. Deliriant) 7. Eraser 8. Wing In The Sand 9. Trails 10. Decay "Look at me...and tell me if you know me." Do you know what joy is? I suppose this gif of Imba caught fangirling when invited backstage to a One Erection concert certainly could qualify as his joy. However as a Suntrip DJ I'm sure he no longer carries on this way. Probably. Well, maybe. Actually this video was shot last week. But I'm talking about true joy. Joy that isn't fleeting. Joy that has been years in the making and doesn't change with the season. It's called porn Santa. Don't act so innocent you judgmental bastard. Like you aren't a reindeer fart from diddling the little people. This is Gerhard Oliver and he has delivered the album night time psytrance fans were hoping for. Decoder was fine and supplemented with additional tracks added later, but it was one of those albums that you felt could've been better. After absolutely stellar tracks on compilations I know I expected more from his debut. Like a man whose wife left him for another woman I was confused. Sad. Angry. Which drove me to several...unscrupulous habits *points to Santa* That guy knows what I'm talkin' about! Well after a couple years Gerhard is back and he dropped a new digital album a la Beyonce' right in your lap. But he did ya one better. It's free. Take that Queen B. And man it's a wild ride. The opening title track tells you all you need to know. Sound and fury. It's dark and throbbing (get the f*ck off me Santa) with an industrial flair that will blow the doors off. An album best listened to all the way through to swim in the murky atmosphere laden with high-tech effects. Thumping beats and Trent Reznor angst combine for a powerful journey. It's cold and futuristic. The tracks with other artists were particularly great including the added bonus of CPU awakening from his seemingly eternal cheese stupor. The last track is a dark ambient delight speaking of life after a scorched Earth military annihilation. While not perfect, it's certainly a great album. Another cool thing is that each track seems to have a different image tagged to it. Not a big thing but a nice little touch. Highly recommended. Psynews Link Mdk

Artist: Various Title: Scandi90's: The Vikings Return Label: Zion604 Date: December, 2014 1. The Mato Project - Prehistoric Exploration 2. Subcouds - Theme From Cloud 3. Electronic Dreamplanet - State of Mind 4. Atmos - Anaterra 5. Miranda - Little Trix 6. Atmos Vs. Bus - Butmosfear 7. Noma - Twisted Community 8. Subcouds - Tsunamis (Fripic Bounce Remix) 9. Sarolta Monspart - Northern Lights As much fun as it is to see the good folks from Zion604 and Ivan quibble over horns on a helmet it's not very funny. Needs more alcohol and yo mama jokes. That's where I come in. Yo momma's so fat she needs cheat codes for Wii Fit. You're welcome. Back in 2012 a new label not named DAT Records which specializes in reviving goa trance from back in the day came out with a compilation that delivered past tracks from Scandinavian artists. There is a certain sound associated with those projects and they have a loyal following. My knowledge of Scandinavia is rather limited. Here is my review of the first installment, but we know about the midnight sun and how f*cking cold it is. They get a few weeks of warm weather and that's when they trot the Swedish bikini team. Then before you know it *Prime Minister above* The prime minister jumps out and warns the population to get into their hobbit holes before the snows come. These are facts and can't be disputed. So that's Sweden. Norway seems like their little brother that can't keep up and if you can tell me that Finland is more than reindeer and Absolut I'm listening. What? Denmark is part of Scandinavia too? F*ck there should be a map or something. Fine. Ok history lesson over. We all know Scandinavia really means Vikings. Long beards, ships with many oars, cavernous mead halls and How to Train Your Dragon. Did they have horns? I don't know. My comics said Thor did and they've never steered me wrong yet. But I'm too lazy to actually do my homework so I'll leave that up to you guys. The cool guys at Zion are out with the second volume of Scandinavian sounds and I'll tell you right up front it's not my cup of tea really. Some of it sounds rather minimal like tracks from that nebulous period in psytrance when we were moving away from the goa sounds and heading towards darker experimentation. I recall someone mentioned that the first CD was like b-sides that were never released. I can see where that thought comes from. I received an un-mastered digital copy and one thing I can report is that the Miranda track Little Trix is significantly louder than the rest. Will that be remedied with the CD release? Probably. And I'll tell you that I plan to bump the CD and see if my opinion changes. The compilation isn't bad at all and I'm sure there is going to be a strong audience for this. However I feel an opportunity was missed. What about Psygone, Color Box, and Bypass Unit? Those Scandinavian projects don't have some gems in the vault? It's like not asking the hot chick to dance because you think she's just gonna say no. Maybe they asked them and they didn't. Can't say I wasn't there. I'm of the opinion that Flight 604 Chapter II is the pinnacle of their catalog right now. But that's just me. That said, I'm on about...the 15th listening and this is an album I would call a grower. The more unreleased goa trance that sees the light of day the better. I applaud the Zion604 crew for doing what they do. Even though I didn't love this I love what they do so I'm still going to buy it and support the label. I strongly suggest you do the same. Looking forward to getting my copy. P.S. Tracks 2,3, and holy sh*t 4 are really starting to grow on me. Damn you Zion604 and your beguiling ways! Zion604 Mdk