VA - Rolling Stoners

[Bill]

 

VA - Rolling Stoners

Label: Digital Om

 

Tracklist:

01. Groove Addict Vs Treavor Moontribe - Shiva's Melt
02. Ital - Fresh Vibes
03. Spinal Fusion Vs Mad Monkey - Nirvana Sky
04. Space Vision - Dank
05. Eclipse Echoes Vs Woodstech - Freak Revolution
06. Mental Broadcast Vs Technology - 2 Worlds
07. Earthspace - Modulated Pathway
08. Mental Control Vs Nevermind - The Green Spell
09. Beyond Repair - Trichome Army
10. Samadhi - Rolling Stoned
11. Ajja Vs Jovis - Dopaque
12. Gaspard - Sacrilicious
13. Dust - Mantra
14. Whiptongue Vs Smokeship - Back To 50's
15. Headworks - Doodlebug
16. Drumatik Vs Airi - Scary Doors
17. Electric Mirror - The Human Form
18. Bubbleguns - Earth Kid
19. Entropy - My Pink Salad
20. Babagoon - 420

 

Not sure I'm a fan of the album title - likely a drug reference or maybe a play on the old adage of "a rolling stone gathers no moss". Not so sure I'm a fan of the album art, either.

 

But where it matters I happen to be quite happy with the results.

 

Beginning with some pleasant early evening psytrance and working its way later in the collection to some peak-hour full-on and igniting brightly with some twilight sounds, this lengthy 20-track compilation offers up quite a few sturdy tunes, a couple of genuine gems and only a minimal number of duds.

 

Of the sturdy tracks, of which there are many, Ital offers up his typical brand of above-average full-on, Eclipse Echoes vs Woodstech offer up a rowdy rumbler, Beyond Repair is blissfully beyond funky and Electric Mirror is, well, electric.

 

Mental Broadcast vs Technology offer up a great one, Mental Control vs Nevermind are spellbinding and Headworks is rock-solid.

 

Of the duds, Samadhi samples The Doors in ways that are overused and cliched at this point in psytrance history, the usually great Ajja is quite underwhelming and, in a complete travesty, the best sounding track on the album, from Whiptongue vs Smokeship, is annoyingly undone by cheesy Jerry Lee Lewis samples.

 

With the gems, "Rolling Stoners" (still don't like that title) starts off on the excellent work of Groove Addict vs Treavor Moontribe who fascinate with catchy tribal vocals and delicious early evening psytrance on "Shiva's Melt," a track layered with just the correct levels of progressive. Great track!

 

Space Vision's "Dank" is beautiful and trance-inducing, like a gorgeous lightning storm stretched out on the horizon.

 

Dust is his usual, excellent, super-well-produced full-on self on "Mantra."

 

Earthspace makes a triumphant return to full-on, rediscovering every great element that made his Ovnimoon Records EPs so damn good, leaving behind him, perhaps only for now, the misguided psygressive style he has until recently been focusing on. With "Modulated Pathway" this very gifted producer celebrates and delivers every characteristic that makes full-on great - wicked good tempo, slick and invigorating effects, hard and funky melodies. This one crackles!

 

My vote for top-dog in this solid collection goes to Drumatik Vs Airi for their twilight brilliance on "Scary Doors," a track that moves with frenetic energy and fascinates with delicious atmosphere. Of several great tracks, this is the one that deserves to be heard above all else.

 

Sure, I dislike the title (if a "rolling stone gathers no moss" where does that leave the forest freaks? Or, if it's a drug reference... really? Rolling stoners? That's the best you could come up with?) and I'm still waiting for the album cover to grow on me but I'm afraid it may not.

 

But to use a different adage, it's best not to judge this book by its cover. There's a lot of exciting tunes to be missed by doing that.

 

Props to Jafar for compiling this massively good compilation.

[Jafar]

thanks for the review man..