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Astral Projection - Y-Salem Ep


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Artist: Astral Projection

Title: Y-Salem Ep

Label: Dacru Records

Date: May, 2017

 

1. Y-Salem (Astral Projection Remix)

2. Y-Salem (Remastered)

 

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Sigh.

 

The original track was from the precursor of Astral Projection first released on the Trust In Trance compilation.  It was meh back then and a remastering maintained its meh status.  There is absolutely nothing redeemable about this lazy as f*ck effort.  Did I hear a rumor that Suntrip was going to release an ep by these has beens?  A little advice for Joske and Mars...better check it first.  They haven't reached shameful Talamasca status, but we'll see.

 

So disappointing.  It's like they're striving for mediocre.

 

Not linking to it.  Embarrassing. 

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The Y-Salem Remix does work well on dacefloors and we might as well have released it as part of our EP, to put it that way.

The production is super good and the remix is different enough from the original that it has its own personality.

The original mix is here for those who didn't it.

 

Oh yeah we'd like to hear NEW tracks/album from AP after a couple of years of remixes, but maybe that's how they figured they'd get back in the saddle. And it works : we can benefit from modern and well done remixes in the meantime.

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The original track was from the precursor of Astral Projection first released on the Trust In Trance compilation.  It was meh back then and a remastering maintained its meh status.  There is absolutely nothing redeemable about this lazy as f*ck effort.  Did I hear a rumor that Suntrip was going to release an ep by these has beens?  A little advice for Joske and Mars...better check it first.  They haven't reached shameful Talamasca status, but we'll see.

 

So disappointing.  It's like they're striving for mediocre.

 

Not linking to it.  Embarrassing. 

 

Agree and not agree... track 2 is excellent (love the remastering), and like it should be  in modern  (melodic) goa trance: feeling, desire, melancholy, a dark twist and a smooth flowering psychedelic back ground bending your emotion inwards to think about yourself. be happy and deeply 'sad' at the same time. A 'a la recherche du temps perdu' feeling at its maximum.

 

Like Fabien stated: production is excellent,

 

 

 

BUT indeed that isn't  all there is too. About track 1:

The melodies are off course very Astral, the melancholy in the breaks too.

BUT this is way to clean and over produced to have that real DEEP warm feeling to it: especially the kick and the horse riding 'base'line #wtf?

 

Does this mean I oppose modern production? No, otherwise I would not release newer goa trance myself. But when you you use the new techniques to make it sound like crystal clear plastic, no thanks! I want it organic, deep and twisted though: elements all melodic goa trance had/should have.

 

...and it is -imo- too clubby (especially in the beginning) which makes the psychedelic undertone vanish almost completely. That is one of the biggest problems with the most newer (melodic) 'psychedelic' trance these days: to reach a bigger audience the melodies take all over, while the more psychedelic and mind challenging side is almost all gone.

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Agree and not agree... track 2 is excellent (love the remastering), and like it should be  in modern  (melodic) goa trance: feeling, desire, melancholy, a dark twist and a smooth flowering psychedelic back ground bending your emotion inwards to think about yourself. be happy and deeply 'sad' at the same time. A 'a la recherche du temps perdu' feeling at its maximum.

 

 

Fun of Proust are we? NIce :)

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But when you you use the new techniques to make it sound like crystal clear plastic, no thanks! I want it organic, deep and twisted though: elements all melodic goa trance had/should have.

 

 

Who says old school is not plastic? Or even new school? We should still recycle same sounds and tricks they used 20 years ago? No thanks.

 

This is proper sound for 2017 and it's crowd :)

 

 

PS. It's not crystal clear, it's modern. Astrix is crystal clear, not this one.

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Who says old school is not plastic? Or even new school? We should still recycle same sounds and tricks they used 20 years ago? No thanks.

 

This is proper sound for 2017 and it's crowd :)

 

 

PS. It's not crystal clear, it's modern. Astrix is crystal clear, not this one.

 

 

A. Musical background (and using it)

Couldn't disagree more mate, but what did you expect :P

This 'neo' goa (let's talk about the last few year) misses too many times the most essential stuff. If listening to electronic music in the 80's and 90's (with styles I grew up as a kid and adolescent) is where Goa trance is a blend of. 80&90's music styles and 70's stretchy psy rock and Indian orientated melodies (played, not programmed notes and bars into a computer) are the basic of what we know as goa trance. Most important: it was and should still be an experiment, but within a certain variety of 'fixed' music styles which are noted before.

 

Many of the goa trance producers in the 90's where a part of psy rock bands or involved in that scene (for example Total Eclipse). Adding to that you can notice that many goa trance producers (for example: Boris Blenn, Har El) made not first goa, but more acid, trance music. They evolved in the 90's by blending more styles/genres into goa trance. Think also about the latest vinyl release of DAT records with the proto goa EP 'you never know'. This tracks - if you listen - proves the former point, and it isn't the only record that you can listen to and where that is very clear.

 

In short: real goa trance is not near or superficial copy of an existing style or sound from the 90's. It is so much more and it needs a wide and broad musical background to understand and make it. It was an evolution a experiment.

 

 

B. Goa is a blend, not a copy

Goa trance is like making a dish, you have to know all your ingredients and the way to blend them and than off course do your own thing  with it. Because the ingredient list is so big you have so much freedom. Note maybe that is why that Transwave track was called 'land of freedom' - just a guess ;)

 

80/90's styles were: acid, techno, house, trance, new beat,... If you make goa trance (melodic or not) this are the basic ingredients you start from. You blend them (or strong aspects/elements of them) together to make goa trance. It is like making a pie: first you collect the different (and  separate) ingredients by tasting them, experiencing them. Than you take the next step, you follow a certain receipt and that you cook it up to a blend depending your own flavour.

Much (not all) 'neo' goa is like making a pie and skipping the receipt. Basing the product on a picture without reading what the receipt is and what separate ingredients you really need for it. As result you get a vague copy of a existing style, but differs too much to be called goa trance. Yes, I said it, I dare to say it and I don't care how much  it will stir the rabbit hole.Apart from the former remark ;); you only get real goa if you use the real original ingredients and this 'neo' goa isn't complete goa trance for me.

 

 

C. Some examples:

 

 

a ) Techno influence:

Electric Universe - Online information

 

 

 

b ) house influence:

Sundog - Ancient Forest (Yantra Mix)

 

 

 

c ) acid influence

Bassline Baby - Altered States

 

 

 

d ) new beat influence

dj mix goa - 1989 (year which goa came to birth)

 

 

 

e ) trance influence

California Sunshine  - Coming Home

 

 

 

 

D. Production has nothing to do with it.

This has nothing to do with modern and clear production. Because in the 90'sthere were enough artists who made perfect warm and deep BUT clear goa trance. If you know the album Deedrah - Reload, you know what I'm talking about. Modern production, clear, clean even,... but 100% goa trance with all the necessary ingredients. The same counts for Oforia/Pigs in space: clear, but not plastic.

 

 

 

 

 

E.  Modern goa (some examples of clear and clean, but deep and warm production)

 

But it doesn't stop here, there are more (new) goa artists who (imo) respect that original blend without - like you stated it - copy the same kick and tricks.

They have proven what I stated above: goa is a blend of styles, and when you don't respect the musical background and history of goa trance you get something else that sounds plastic and generic.  Here are some examples:

M-Run and I tried to make goa trance with a clear modern production, but not a plastic one. The same counts for Ufomatka, Artha, RA, Khetzal,...and so much more.

 

 

1) Ufomatka - Extragalactic Form Of Life (Original Mix)

 

 

2) M-Run ft. dj Inada   - Kapala

 

 

3) Artha - 1st element is gone

 

 

4) Ra - 9th (full album)

 

 

5) Khetzal  - Corolle (album)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTGw_inlFvM

 

 

...and last but not least (and probably the best newer melodic compilation since 2004):

 

 

6) Various  - Apsara

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=4YRGbs3iD8A

 

 

 

Any way: I actually love this discussion :) In the above I want to sate why I feel that tracks isn't 'goa' trance for  me. But it is in most ways very similar off course, as its original is goa trance. But still, this clean and plastic sounds and kick are  really giving me the creeps, especially that boring and non inventive 'horse kick' so called baseline: it has no melody, nothing, so generic. So far my humble (but I hope well argumented) opinion.

 

 

Note: Depending what 'the crowd' wants, depends on their musical background (and taste). It is not because people (on drugs) dance to it, that it is goa. We all know that the so called modern music is mainly focused on beats. This due to the change of drug use in the goa scene: from more 'mind expanding' drugs like  acid, cannabis,... that challenge your mind and take you out of the comfort zone (just like goa music should do). Changing to more comfort drugs like coke, speed,... This effects the dance floor and reactions on the music very hard...and off course what producers make to  get booked.

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Note: Depending what 'the crowd' wants, depends on their musical background (and taste). It is not because people (on drugs) dance to it, that it is goa. We all know that the so called modern music is mainly focused on beats. This due to the change of drug use in the goa scene: from more 'mind expanding' drugs like  acid, cannabis,... that challenge your mind and take you out of the comfort zone (just like goa music should do). Changing to more comfort drugs like coke, speed,... This effects the dance floor and reactions on the music very hard...and off course what producers make to  get booked.

 

Very well put, exactly how I feel until...the drugs reference, you killed it there. Fuck drugs, only music.

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Very well put, exactly how I feel until...the drugs reference, you killed it there. Fuck drugs, only music.

 

 

Well, I  play goa trance sets for more than 15 years now, and never played on drugs.

But that doesn't mean the scene (artists, crowd,...) are always sober ;) You have been to parties and festivals right? :P

Any way: what I wanted to add in that note was that I just noticed there is a change in the drugs use within the goa scene, and  that it is a factor that affects the music (production and how it is perceived or appreciated). 

 

On different drugs a 'dance' crowd reacts different to the music. I noticed that when I was playing a 'dj Inada'  set and Artha set on a party in Spain a few years ago. The organiser came to me after my Artha-set and asked me not to play my  'Inada' set any more, because my music sounded too futuristic and they wanted beat music. I quote the organiser: "Don't play Inada  set, cause  people took cocaine and want beat music. Your set was too futuristic!"

 

And well, I thought I was  alone, but when I see many party video's of  big and small parties or festivals, you can notice indeed that when there is no beat the crowd  stops, and when it returns they dance (even if the music sucks).

Check some old video's from goa parties and people kept on dancing even if the beat wasn't that prominent or gone: people even danced on the trance flow of the break. I don't see that any more (or hardly).

 

I  hope I have cleared that out for you? ;)

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Happy Horse, I really want to support what you've written above. 

 

Unfortunately, most psytrance played at parties and festivals today sounds very plastic and kitsch to me. Maybe I am an old fart, but let me make a few points. 

 

Firstly, the "full on" 16th note bassline is utterly repetitive, boring and mind-numbing in the worst sense. Uniformity? You betcha! Goa circa 95, 96, 97 did not have a generic bassline. Just listen to Etnica's records - practically every single song has a different bassline. 

 

Secondly, the "telephone line" series of valleys and peaks (obviously made to give a little drug frisson) in this music is not entrancing - I find it trance destroying. Infected Mushroom's more recent music is an example of this: music with neat little compartments with predictable build ups and come downs. I think of it as music for the short attention span generation. There is very little trance, groove, flow or gradation in this music: it tends to be about neat demarcation and segmentation. Everything is chopped into neat little byte sized portions for easy, safe, comfortable consumption. 

 

Thirdly, digital sound can be a problem. There is such a thing as too clear, particularly when accompanied by hardness. Original Goa trance was mostly made on analogue synths which tend to have a warmer, fuller sound with more body than plug ins on a laptop. Moreover, each synth or track had a unique tone, texture and sonic signature - plug ins cannot convincingly give this variety of tones; rather there is a flattening effect. There are also issues to do with timing and error, but let me not go on too much. When clear but hard laptop tracks (sometimes in low res mp3 format) are played back on a giant pa, which often has quite hard sounding digital and solid state amps, the result is not only a clear, metallic or plastic sound, but also ear drilling. Goa trance, especially when pressed to vinyl and played back on a decent rig did not sound like this - it was plenty clear but warm, soft, colourful, inviting you to get lost in its fractal matrix. It sucked you in by not being in your face so much.  

 

Fourthly, your point above, namely that "Goa trance is a blend of. 80&90's music styles and 70's stretchy psy rock and Indian orientated melodies" is excellent. If you listen carefully to Goa you will notice that the psychedelic effect is created by:

a hypnotic beats and rhythms

b atmosphere (backing sounds, ambience, samples etc)

c "brain bubbles" - shimmering cascades of tremolo arpeggiated sounds as in traditional Indian ragas, harp music, etc - a fractal effect mostly created on the Roland 303

d melodies, often stretched with a droning, drawn out quality, often a combination of major and minor keys 

There is a surprising amount of drone in Goa. Combine it with sharp percussion and presto! a different state of mind that is alert to both the moment and the "longue duree" is created. For me personally, this state of mind is the epitome of psychedelic. Nothing new here - the San knew this as they droned their healing mantras whilst they danced, Ravi Shankar knew it as the tabla clicked and bounced on top of the drone in the background as his sitar melodies poured forth. 

 

I could go on about other problems with contemporary parties: the high prices, the lack of psychedelics, the way that people march (er, sorry, dance) all facing the dj, and so on, but lest I sound intolerably snobby and stuck in the past, my point is not that we should return to the past, which is impossible anyway. My point is that we should learn from the past, a highly psychedelic undertaking. As legendary British science fiction author John Brunner put it:

 

            There are two kinds of fool in this world. One says "this is old and therefore good". The other says "this is new and therefore better". 

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A. Musical background (and using it)

 

B.Goa is a blend, not a copy

 

80/90's styles were: acid, techno, house, trance, new beat,... If you make goa trance (melodic or not) this are the basic ingredients you start from. You blend them (or strong aspects/elements of them) together to make goa trance. It is like making a pie: first you collect the different (and  separate) ingredients by tasting them, experiencing them. Than you take the next step, you follow a certain receipt and that you cook it up to a blend depending your own flavour.

Much (not all) 'neo' goa is like making a pie and skipping the receipt. Basing the product on a picture without reading what the receipt is and what separate ingredients you really need for it. As result you get a vague copy of a existing style, but differs too much to be called goa trance. Yes, I said it, I dare to say it and I don't care how much  it will stir the rabbit hole.Apart from the former remark ;); you only get real goa if you use the real original ingredients

Couldn´t have said it any better  ;)

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So with all of you being unhappy with new school... I am wondering, should we stop making it?  :lol:

 

For fucks sake, no!! :)

But this one by astral is a worthless effort.

 

That last remix album was way better.

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This release evokes no emotion in me. I mean it's not bad, could be a lot worse, but the first post says it: MEH!

It's not memorable. New school need not be bad, excellent examples of newer production were already pointed out. New school producers are often lazy and as we are lazy, we are painting them all with the same brush, hence all this negativity toward "new school".

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So with all of you being unhappy with new school... I am wondering, should we stop making it?  :lol:

dont forgot usually the people who whine the most on the internet are from a minority

lots of people who are happy about the scene dont necessarily spend time to comment or praise the music - they just enjoy it

i belong in both parties i think

i used to complain a lot about the new sound but 2016 and 2017 have been quite good i reckon

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PS. It's not crystal clear, it's modern. Astrix is crystal clear, not this one.

indeed

as STRICTLY old school listener(and buyer) i gave a try to this one and BANGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG.this is great .what a remix.who cares about modern or old school if the result is this!!!????

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  • 2 weeks later...

the remix is nice, but missing the "psy". so it will get playtime in my (regular) trance playlist.

the original is not interesting enough to make it into any of my playlists.

 

 

 

all facing the dj

this is really peculiar. i'm not one of those guys who will initiate circles on the dancefloor but rather orient myself for optimal sound. normally that means facing the dj/speakers. however when the dj and speakers are not aligned i'm always fascinated by how people (>75%) will not care about good and balanced sound, but will rather dance in a way that allows them to watch some guy in the distance who is just staring into a laptop screen probably checking his emails...

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I remember the old times. The dj didn't have time to dance, he was too busy trying to find the proper entrance point of the track, beatmatching, sorting through his vinyls/cds etc. 

If I see someone dancing the thought that comes into my mind is Auto.  :P

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  • 3 weeks later...

I don't care too much for the original---it's not bad, just sort of plain---but I like the AP remix, and it's getting positive feedback seemingly everywhere but here.  Can work well in psy, goa, or more normal trance sets.

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  • 2 months later...
On 7/15/2017 at 3:40 AM, Imba said:

So with all of you being unhappy with new school... I am wondering, should we stop making it?  :lol:

Gosh dang, never stop making new school. As a young new listener i can tell you that the new school is an absolute game changer. yea the beats are more in focus (Sometimes) and i can believe that back in the day people were less concerned with the beats (That point about the cocaine is pretty wild). But psychedelic rock wasn't all about the beat either, people danced more freely i suppose. Now a lot of people listen to mostly electronic music and in the psy festival/club scene its mostly full-on and progressive. So music tastes have developed or regressed depending on your perspective. But no one was around asking artists in the 90's for albums (This is a guess) artists came out with the goods and the people went wild. Today we want Goa, artists are filling a demand i suppose and to hit that demand you gotta do some similar things. New genres still pop up all the time (Heard of Microhouse? Trap? Hitech?) 

I'm unsure if inspiration from the genres happyhorse mentioned are as important anymore. The blending of genres is what helped create the Goa sound but then it was created and cemented into a genre. would be wicked if artists went back to basics and used the updated version of those genres to create 'a real new goa sound' maybe, but I don't know for sure that it's not happening already. But if they are like me and cant get off on anything that isn't Neo Goa, then i don't expect them to try. I just can't bring myself to find a problem with Goa or new Goa, my favorite type is the hard beat funky bassline psychedelic stuff produced by GoaTree and Hypnoxock. Imba you bring out some bangers, proxeeus, Ra, Artha. it's all hot and it's definitely all Goa. 
On that note Astral hasn't really connected with me at all, even their 'Trust in Trance' days are a miss (Don't kick me from the forum), this EP doesn't change that, but then again maybe im just part of the Neo-Gen.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 13 November 2017 at 8:02 AM, tsotsi said:

New genres still pop up all the time (Heard of Microhouse? Trap? Hitech?) 

neither microhouse nor trap are new. what used to be called microhouse in the 90s is now part of "minimal techno" (i'll never get tired of mentioning that it still sounds like house). trap used to be called crunk in the 90s. it's just rebranding - like with chicago hard house being renamed as jumpstyle

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