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Sandman - Witchcraft


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very dark goa...

but not like todays dark,this is....something else!

497463[/snapback]

It is kida dark and yet it isn't. Similarly it sometimes sounds minimalistic but at the same time it isn't. Whatever it is it's a work of art. I played it the other night and it still sounds fresh.
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  • 7 months later...

very dark goa...

but not like todays dark,this is....something else!

497463[/snapback]

I got this a while ago (the reissue) & I agree. This is quite dark, but not black! It has nice dark night time atmospheres but not horror movie stuff. Except the nightmare sample :)

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  • 2 weeks later...

And I remember that he was complaining on this very forum a few years  ago that Matsuri went bust and that noone wanted to release his 3rd album cause it wasn't "mainstream" enough... such a pitty :(

 

BTW I like this a LOT more than his second album... 8/10

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Wow I never was aware he made a third Sandman album. I would have loved to hear it, still would. I agree this was better than Psycho Toons.

 

very dark goa...

but not like todays dark,this is....something else!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I agree. There's something alluring, intriguing to this album, the backdrops in various tracks.

 

It is kida dark and yet it isn't. Similarly it sometimes sounds minimalistic but at the same time it isn't. Whatever it is it's a work of art. I played it the other night and it still sounds fresh.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

WITCHCRAFT is like this very artistic, magical, fantasy/dark (but not totally black, I agree) goatrance album that achieves its flavor through lots of experimentation and probably tons of work and staying up very late (or early) when the mind seems to be more influenced with sub-conscious states and moods assiciated to dreams and nightmares. Through light and dark comes together this spiritual off-balance that seems to have an even darker edge due to few well chosen and placed horror samples. I find this album so much more enjoyable and interesting to listen to than Psycho Toons. It's overall a very dark and complex album that appeals to certain tastes. You either like it or you do not.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 6 months later...

Uncountable times have I tried; be it indoors, outdoors, sober or drunk, happy or pissed off, sleepy or wide awake, sad or with my feet off the ground, and it just does not work. And this goes for virtually all of his work, but I decided to start here since "Witchcraft" seems like his most praised work to date. I can't dance to it, listen to it at home, chill or get buckwild to it; be it a good speaker system or a pair of great headphones. Can drugs be the answer? I have never taken any illegal substance in my life, so I might be just talking non-sense here, but maybe this actually works when you're stoned out of your head... Anybody? :unsure:

 

I do not know what else to do in order to make this sound interesting, captivating, or even get the motivation to keep on listening. I cannot call this excellent, and likewise, I cannot label it sub par... It's not boring, meaning that monotomy, dullness, copy & paste and cheap production tricks are all a huge no-no here! But, not during the brightest hour of my day could I be caught saying that there's really anything amazing, mind blowing and "Oh my f****ng god, how did he pull that off right there?!?!" about it either... Sandman does not impress me. But neither does he disillusion. This album takes me nowhere I'd like to be, and it doesn't create any moods or make me wish for I place I'd like to be- it just leaves me... Well, flatlined, if I may?

 

I seriously doubt it's a matter of giving it more time to sink in, or listening to it when in the mood, 'cause I've been an owner of this piece of plastic for around six years now, and I've listened to it in every possible state of mind known to mankind. This album, as well as all of his work, lands in that who-knows-where-&-why category...

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SANDMAN - WITCHCRAFT

1998

Posted Image

 

01. 09'04" Perfect Stranger

02. 07'02" Flight Or Fight

03. 10'17" Turtle Beach

04. 07'56" Ghostrider (Time Tunnel Rmx)

05. 09'34" Shockwave

06. 07'19" Nostradamus (The Prophecy Rmx)

07. 07'16" Bad News (New Way)

08. 10'05" Mushroom Symphony

 

 

Witchcraft is one of the most unique, dark, mysterious, and experimental Psychedelic Goa-Trance albums out there. For many years I considered this a secret album to self experience. I'd put it on via headphones, turn off the lights, and fall into its dark, deep, and mysterious world.

 

 

01. Perfect Stranger placed me with uncertainty initially. It sounded fairly repetitive, far from beautiful or hypnotic. My interest peeked up a bit when I first heard the single melody at 1:04 but it wasn't enough for me. Around that melody I found the song repetitive and empty. Some time passed and I returned to it. Whatever you call this sound, it caught my attention again and it seemed to correlate with my mind differently than before. It was like a gate had just creaked open that I wasn't aware even existed before. My mind was drawn in to this melody as if the melody was an intangible flame, a light in the dark. The visual I had was and still is in the POV (Point Of View) shot traveling down a long, dark hallway in a castle or pyramid filled with the presence of evil. Small and dimly candles stay burning on ledges on identical, opposite sides of the hallway. The hallway disappears into the darkness. Maybe this goes on forever. The hallway is narrow, kind of like what Pan's Labyrinth would later reveal (if the hallway was straight and darker in lighting) as the girl runs for her life in my favorite scene in the film. As I traveled further the atmosphere changes and becomes heavier, threatening. At this point the melodies in the song had become more aggressive. My mind visualized the darkness becoming more hostile as I prepared for something ominous in the fading to black distance. The part of the song around 4:00 is when my weapon of choice was revealed from my attire. Things became more chaotic as the melodies suggest anything but regressing to a gentle landscape. This is a dark hallway at the bottom of a castle or pyramid and I am about to come in contact with something very powerful and evil. At this point the sounds in the song bounce around the beat to the illusive *dong* melody. The visualization ends but the story continues inside my mind. This song initially did nothing for me. I sat listening, unaffected and unable to get into it or enjoy it. I would have probably not enjoyed it had it not been for the stand out melody note which stood out like a brief hook to me. Whenever I hear this song my mind associates to a powerful, dark scene and feelings of suspense, intensity, mystery, and intrigue. Such feelings makes me feel more involved and present with the music. This is a very difficult song to score because I'm talking none but subjectively it may seem. And I say "may seem" because you and I may enjoy totally different songs for similar reasons for instance. Musically I think this is an interesting song, how it gradually becomes more aggressive and involved as it progresses into the chiming void of uncertainty. The melody refreshes my attention as the song travels deeper into the dark unknown. Great opening track. A-

 

02. Flight Or Fight is very different from the previous track. It's faster, more involved, driving, and energetic. I won't bother giving a sound summary of the entire track but I'll state some things. The melody around 2:06 is pretty catchy. The echoed voice samples work to the music, which gives a more driving, electronic tone. I enjoy the melodies, how one is distorted as another plays consistent, sustained notes. The change up at around 3:29 is interesting. This has a very pleasant, dreamy sound to it. It's both chilling and effective in a distant, yet warm and gentle way. The female voice sample seems so random, however it blends in with the sound concoction and stands out. The tempo and pitch often change with the leading melody and melodies. Attractive is how often the main melody goes through altered variations to the driving beat. Naturally, there's other sounds going on around it. This song engages my attention from beginning to end. It's generally dynamic and unpredictable. The song combines light, dark, and feeling with greatness. A-

 

03. Turtle Beach picks up from 1:17 to 1:24. The melody tempo changes and the song becomes more aggressive. I like how often this artist changes up his sound and melodies so often, the frequencies and pitches used. I like how at 2:52 things seem to skip. Something else going into form around 3:19. And the melodies are pulled out at around 3:48. Of course none of these changes would matter if it wasn't catchy. I think the part form 3:48 to around 4:25 is great. I love the driving, tribal drums to the echoed, skipping male incoherent breathing. It's so creative and unique. And how the Goa melody cuts into that around 5:07. It just sounds so.....bizarre, all of these these strange events and sounds taking place around the cool, alerted and distorted melodies of Goa. I'm constantly following the stream of sound to see where they go next. It's like the songs have no linear direction in a sense. With exception to the first track, this and the previous track are like a roller coaster off the tracks in the sense they flow in their own dynamic, strange way without following a clear and set path, structure, or rules. I cannot predict what comes next and getting to that point is often catchy because I enjoy the sound combinations. This one ends with what seems to be oriental melodies. The last minute or two isn't as engaging to me but overall this is one of my most favorite tracks here. A little hint: If you pay attention around the middle of the track you'll hear a burp in the background followed by immense laughter or applause. It seems like wild psytrance artist Scatterbrain could've been inspired by small details like these. A-

 

04. Ghostrider (Time Tunnel Rmx) is dark at 0:35, the beginning. Where will this go? A strange alien effects melody is the first thing I notice playing as one key at times. I find the melodies catchy throughout the first two minutes to the sounds of chirping and electricity. Crashing sound effects take place at least twice. The chirping is alternated, skipping, echoed, etc and tribal drums enter. Again there are a combination of interesting sounds and change up throughout the song. A stand out feature is how the artist strengthens his rhythm during the middle of the song. You hear a melody and a more gritty sound is mixed in as if perfectly blending the tune to something more aggressive and angry. This is a very cool song but I prefer the last two over it. B+

 

05. Shockwave is arguably the most stand out song on the album, but they all stand out and sound totally different in character. I love how this begins with the altered sample. It's easy. The melody work soon grabs my attention as if communicating with the listener that something very bad is about to happen. This is an example of successful, well done EVIL/Dark Goa-Trance. The stomping rhythm works to strong effect with the aggressive guitar and melodies. The "hyper space" is short but interesting as if we're approaching something evil, mysterious, and powerful in the infinite cosmos. Things begin to become worse around 3:39? The conversation talks about something that looks like a cross between a spider and your worse nightmare. I found this part very interesting and visualized an enormous, terrifying creature floating through space while listening to this. While using the music as a capsule I felt like I was one of the characters on board. Not to sound like a geek, I'm the type of person to dress up like Neo or a Lord of the Rings character and make fun of people standing in line for Harry Potter. It makes no sense because I actually like Harry Potter but it's the concept that's humorous to me. In other words, it isn't so geeky when you can have fun with something people seem to take way to seriously! I really enjoy the melodies throughout. It's kind of like some of the more Goa-esque music artist Velvet Acid Christ may have done without the annoying lyrics and singing. The song gets repetitive and less interesting towards the end for me. This seems to be the most characteristic, evil, and story driven song on the album. A-

 

06. Nostradamus (The Prophecy Remix) is the second or third track to utilize guitar I believe. It has a quick beat coupled with some energetic melody work and layers. A piercing, shocking in the electrical sense arrives around 3:44. It's very different from what I expected but I don't care for it as much as the new sound gets my attention. It's the driving melody work at 3:58 that scores my enjoyment. The beats change/speed up and sounds of electricity take place as they speed up again. I like how the melodies and sounds seem to be consistently added and removed. A new, more gentle sustained piano note plays and quickly disappears. This is such an unexpected piece of Goa. It's very musical and that's what I enjoy about it, the melodies and how they stream through all other sounds. B+

 

07. Bad News (New Way) is slower and less melodic than most songs on the album. I enjoy the hard drum work at times coupled with the melodies. A more emotive moment begins around 4:29 with involving ambient. This following minute is my most favorite part of the song. The music becomes fairly floating, relaxing, and peaceful to the drum combinations. The gentle ambient repeats again in the end. Overall I find this a good track but less interesting and engaging than the others. B

 

08. Mushroom Symphony is a strong closing track. Around its soft ambient sounds and melodies is a rising drum. The downbeat tune-sound reminds me of the initial stand out melody in the opening track, though it's different. The drums sound like something out of an old 80's bad boy movie. They're soon mixed in with a higher pitched(?) kick-drum. It's modern and effective. I'm more into the music around 2:25 and especially from 2:43 forward. This sound appeals to me for whatever reason. Just listen to it from 2:56 to 3:12. This melody work honestly echoes days when a theme melody played in the "A Nightmare to Elm Street" films. This song feels nostalgic to me because of the main melody. It has a warm and unpleasant feel to it, as if I'm drawn to a place others are visiting but the end result is tragic. My mind associates to films I'd quietly watch behind my parents back as a kid which later gave me nightmares. B+

 

 

In conclusion, one of the reasons why I like this album so much is because of its relentless approach to innovation, exploration, and experimental work, that in my opinion, works better than most electronica albums. The melodies hypnotize my senses, pulling me deeper into Alice Goes to Dark Wonderland. I think many people fail to realize the strong 80's and Electronica/Retro influence, and how they compliment the album. From the hard drums, sounds of electricity and static, to its muddled, sometimes colorful atmosphere laced with sounds as if stripped and reorganized from various classic horror theme songs and movies; Witchcraft is a nostalgic, retrospective release. The artist has incorporated Goa to make his own psy/horror soundtrack in a sense. He's added a plethora of melodies, sounds, change ups, atmosphere, and special effects to convey such dark and mysterious worlds that encompass this epic Universe. He's made an imaginative piece of art where each and every song compliments the next. The songs occasionally have an emotive edge without being cheesy; this is another reason why I enjoy this album so much. To this day, Witchcraft sounds a bit alien to me; nothing produced afterwards was quite like it, making the album even more desirable and appreciative, at least for numerous music enthusiasts. In dark Goa-Trance, we've heard so many albums that could be nighttime music in the dark sense. Battle of the Future Buddhas had the hypnotic, moving walls like a nightmare labyrinth. Xenomorph created excellent horror influenced Goa-Trance with "Cassandra's Nightmare," taking advantage of samples and building wild, atmospheric rides around them. Tandu’s Multimoods brought climax to raging, dark Goa-Trance, creating a futuristic world on the edge and/or during chaos. Whereas Toi Doi's Technologic album seemed to create a far more dystopian, emotionless world; Menis’s Temporal Insanity album nailed the sensation with angry, driving streams and bad trip corridors. Sandman's Witchcraft however is where the art bleeds into the notes, or the notes into the canvas so to speak; it is one of those very rare, stylish worlds that shares aspects from titles just mentioned, though introduces many more. The voice samples add character, identification. Witchcraft is like the Velvet Acid Christ album I desired and never received because there were often lyrics, singing to VAC's infamous “Fun With Knives" album. Fortunately, this doesn’t involve singing. In a sense, it’s like a psychedelic, dynamic trance version of the best Castlevania soundtrack, minus verbatim, the theme songs from Castlevania. Witchcraft is a dark Goa story and soundtrack, and it was many years lady that I came to this realization. Even if this isn't your type of album, it's one of the more innovative and interesting albums out there.

 

 

Favorite tracks: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8.

 

 

A-

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  • 3 years later...

Sandman is the shit!

 

and...

 

he's coming to town.

 

Step aside for the cowboys from hell.

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  • 3 years later...

Listening to this album (especially the last two minutes in 'Ghostrider [time tunnel mix]') I'm absolutely sure Infected Mushroom duo has liked this release A LOT. Warm and happy sounds are minority here, this one is twisted and tough. Recommended to those who like more industrial side of psytrance and prefer X-Dream or Darshan to Astral Projection.

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  • 10 months later...

hey there this is sandman i disagree with some of your opinions regrding the evil

work around (witchcraft] do ya realy think it has such an evil feeling to it ?maybe scary (like b movies shit)

but i think i've tryed to do a more electroniq sound rather the generic goa sound "that time"

"evil" is a bad word is'nt it ?

I feel the same way about this album, one can call it dark but not evil.

 

This is incredible experimental album and as such maybe the best experimental psy I've heard. 1998 was year of experiments and there were lot of releases that were doing mixtures of styles. Sandman's first album is very intelligent, dark piece with insane effects and crazy constructions. Some called it Goa, but not a chance, this is pure psychedelic.

That's it. Very innovative and personal sound, I feel this album is a bit underrated to be honest, I admire the creativity of Sandman.

I also feel this album might have been a strong inspiration for the guys of Infected mushroom.

My highlights are "Perfect stranger" (perfect opener), "Turtle beach", "Shockwave". Not a fan of the ending track.

8.5/10.

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  • 1 year later...

not given it enough play time yet. It has yet to strike me as a fantastic album although I do feel as though its something very different in my collection. I'll keep listening!

Well ten years was enough time I guess. This album struck me as fantastic, I am very glad I kept listening as I like the album through through. I bought the Matsuri edition as well as the avatar rerelease but I generally listen to the avatar one, it's a touch cleaner.

 

It's a really nice dark sound, not darkpsy and not horror samples, just night time or sci-fi darkness.

 

I'd recommend it to anyone :)

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