Sooo.. What happened? (2022 recap)

[Penzoline]

So, almost at the end of 2022 and we have basically gotten 3 album reviews this year. Even 2021 had at least 27 threads. Also the post count has decreased dramatically from the previous (quite dead as well) years.

I know a lot of reviews from 2021 were by a handful of users, same for 2020. Did we stop listening to new albums or don't we just care enough to write about the highlights?  How are our members doing? What kind of a year did you guys have (sonically or otherwise)? Any notable albums or tracks from 2022?

Let's at least try to have an active thread to have a send off for 2023!

I've attached the post counts per month for the past 3 years.

[Tsotsi]

I've got about 15 reviews written that i wanted to film but should probably just post as written ones. I can't do video reviews for a while (which wont upset anyone i'm sure) because in 2022 I became a daddy.

So yea 2022 has been a great year, but I've never had less time for myself.

As for albums I think there was some amazing releases:

Centavra Project brought back that soft silky deep cosmic Goa that we haven't heard in a while.
Ankrosado released a stellar album
A rare release from Zopmanika
A whole bunch of no-label or new label releases from the Israelis
Arronax popped up again
 

I have a bunch more shout outs as I haven't stopped listening to music, I'll update my list as the days go by.

[psytones]

Congratulations, Ted!! 

[Proxeeus]

6 hours ago, Tsotsi said:

 because in 2022 I became a daddy.

RIP

[astralprojection]

6 hours ago, Tsotsi said:

 because in 2022 I became a daddy.

 

im very sorry to hear this. how are you holding up? putting a child into this fucked up world is a big mindfuck to me. hope you can get back to doing reviews shortly and let the little bugger run off on his own.

 

and whatever the reason is people are not engaged anymore, i think many people lost their minds along the way and quit forums, internet, music, what have you. most probably live in a home for LSD damaged invididuals. And some are alcoholic, trying to get to the next day. And some are really depressed not even able to check out forums anymore. And the healthy people grew up and realised they have lives to live, kids to raise, and that lame ass shit. A sad state of affairs, whichever it may be.

[Tsotsi]

9 hours ago, Proxeeus said:

RIP

There is no rest, there is no peace.

[Penzoline]

For me it was an interesting year sonically. I basically had a massive turnover toward modern psytrance, techno and all things house (mostly the melodic deep/prog type). I attended Anjunadeep Albania during the summer, which was my first festival abroad - it being completely deep house. I always imagined it being goatrance, but alas! (I've gotten old.)

Though regardless of that huge shift towards other edm, I still love to find goay productions. Everything with 303 and melodies! Minimal ain't my thing.

I also started hanging out with this local producer who encouraged me to start mixing. We're planning a trance/techno party for march 2023 and, hopefully, I'll be playing deep house/trance set for the beginning. I'm also planning a bunch of psytrance mixing which I'll share here. Who knows, maybe you'll find me producing in a few years.

As far as releases goes this year, well, I did listen a lot, buut not much stuck to my mind. I really enjoyed Nebula Meltdown's Gloria In Excelsis Lumen, I even had the privledge to listen to it live. Filteria was a maaassive lettdown, but it suddenly became my most listened spotify album. Who would have guessed? Heh. Honestly a lot of releases got ignored because the amount of time I gave to just listening whatever the hell spotify offered me - and most of that was house/techno/trance/psytrance. Just random bits mostly, no albums. Edit: actually a lot of (at least fullon) psytrance artists seem to release a lot of singles these days, rather than storytelling albums. Did anyone actually come across decent full-length psytrance albums this year? Not just singular tracks put together, but an album experience, something like fragletrollet's 2009 album.

 

3 hours ago, Tsotsi said:

There is no rest, there is no peace.

Sorry mate.

 

On 12/20/2022 at 6:13 PM, Magus Knight said:

As for reviews my impression is that the activity of those might've moved to Bandcamp? I'm not a Bandcamp user myself. But that would be my best guess, and Discogs maybe. Or is Discogs dead these days?

Still tho, not all releases are available on Bandcamp so I don't quite see how it could be a complete review site for Psytrance.

Anyways kinda sad, I would like to see the forum prosper. I looked around on Discord to see if there is any Psytrance servers there. Not much, so I suppose most hang in the Psytrance label groups on FB.

Discord can't really replace the forum because of the review forum. Maybe we will eventually fade out but as a resource of all things psytrance this place is irreplaceable. But you are right, people are following the artist on other platforms that, quite frankly, suck for discussion. Bandcamp is good for reviews but there is no discussion. Discogs is as dead as this place.

[Anoebis]

I think 2022 was a good year when it comes to music... but I am like Ted... I became a father in 2022

And weirdly enough, its not a RIP at all, he sleeps since month 2 12 hours a night without eating, so I have decent sleep  It was medically a hard start but things are better now too. So I had time for music, playing around and... Organising festivals in 2023!  And I was never searching for artists, which is a good sign!

Reviews, that is sad yes... The "fastfood" society. No time for a review nor for listening carefully mostly. Only a few dinusaurs left who dont care writing as nobody seem to care hehe 😛 

[Dolmot]

This thread has already sprawled into a few different discussion topics. I'll pick just one of them for this post.

 

I think that in 2022 I learned to listen to music again. Seriously. My recollections may be somewhat distorted already, but in 2021 there were just so many issues with moving, renovations, distractions, stress, maybe even hearing, that I was rarely able to find a moment when I could concentrate on music and really enjoy it. 2022 hasn't been exactly great either, but I think it has been better, especially the latter half. There was even a long-standing issue with HDD space and its organisation, complicating the simple task of downloading and extracting my numerous purchases. Buying stuff is something I've been trying to do and to promote, though, no matter what. Artists have had tough years and I have a constant fear of missing out.

 

Well, now I have more disk space, a week off, and an immense backlog of barely touched music since 2019 or so. Let's see what happens. Reviews not promised, but that's another topic. Now I'll stop here and enjoy some Christmas delicacies.

[Ormion]

Merry Christmas everyone! 

Unfortunately it seems that forums are a thing of the past. Reddit, discord, social media are the new way of ppl talking about their hobbies. I personally prefer the forum format, but hey I'm an old fart, youngsters run the internet.

Personally I still listen to psytrance daily, but it's stuff from my collection. I haven't bought a single release in 3 years, since I'm broke therefore i can't contribute with new reviews.

I'm also tired of online discussion, I prefer to watch YouTube videos or browse 9gag and stuff. I'm officially a grumpy old man, plus anxiety and stuff has wore me down.😁

If there's something that really bugs me though is the sad state of psytrance on YouTube. Every psytrance video that has million of views is this weird new genre that barely represent psytrance. It sounds like the most safe, commercial, boring psy you can think of. Artists that I barely know like Captain Hook or Blastoyz have millions of views. I'm sometimes thinking.. I'm listening to psytrance for 15 years, I have discussed it for  thousands of hours, yet I don't know who these guys are. I still don't get what happened.

[the goa constrictor]

On 12/25/2022 at 1:15 PM, Dolmot said:

There was even a long-standing issue with HDD space and its organisation, complicating the simple task of downloading and extracting my numerous purchases. Buying stuff is something I've been trying to do and to promote, though, no matter what. Artists have had tough years and I have a constant fear of missing out.

 

I really wish I could organize my music in multiple folders at once.

I use Tags for OSX to designate format/bit level (FLAC v WAV v MP3) but I can't use it for genres in the same way.
It would be great, without making copies and wasting space, or doing shortcuts/aliases, and place files in multiple folders for easy access/retrieval when digging for music.

I'm trying to get better at tagging stuff within Rekordbox, as it would kinda work the same, I just only listen via Rekordbox when actively DJing, not just when listening/looking for music.

[Richpa]

First of all, happy holidays guys, i hope you are all doing well. 😎

Congrats to all new parents 💪💜

I've been busy with real life (hardcore mode) for last 2 years and even we managed to put out The Purge by Lunar Dawn this year, honestly I've lost the drive for Goa music in general (yeah, The Purge isn't a Goa album), around pre-Covid pandemics.

Recently, when it comes to psytrance, I'm more into full-on/Israeli stuff. Heck, I did a DJ set first time since 2011 this December in local club. And it was fun. 😋

My old Facebook profile (with shitload of contacts around the globe) is passe for some time now, so I'm thinking about getting rid of this incognito one too. I'm getting old, and it's not like it was back in the heydays of early goa-groups and pages. 

Besides that, i'm enjoying some weird trap music too, extreme metal as usual and spending my time on NBA fantasy apps.

Funny thing, this might be the first post ever on Psynews that I posted from mobile phone. Weird times.

Overall, still checking Psynews when I can, not the music that much, but always happy to see some old-farts around here.

Take care guys 🤘💜

 

[Agneton]

9 hours ago, Richpa said:

 

Recently, when it comes to psytrance, I'm more into full-on/Israeli stuff. Heck, I did a DJ set first time since 2011 this December in local club. And it was fun. 😋

 

Tbf and in retrospect, the way Fullon is/ was slandered on this forum was so unnecesary and quite childish. It's just music... in general this forum has always been wayyyy too echo-chamber-ish for my taste, although it obviously had its good parts else I wouldn't have stuck around (for example the review section helped me discover some great music). 

Sorry for the salty post and hope everyone is having a great day <3

[MikroMakro]

I was having a little PM discussion elsewhere after reading this and I noticed a few times people mentioning their age. My year has been quite odd, late stages grieving for a close relative which is never good, but something lightened in spring so I think this is why I made a couple of tracks after a 10 month or so break. We have had Covid and a war that is ongoing so this without doubt affects what is probably the pinnacle of celebration music. Lot of people reflecting on various aspects of life, that takes up some time and maybe time where we need peace and quiet. It will have an impact.

I still bought a few tracks but have been looking back in time to the early 2000's. I think there is a lot of looking back going on.. I think we can all understand that.

I hope to continue having inspiration for new tracks in 2023. It is a good place to escape and enjoy time in a way that seems worthwhile so I cannot see any reason not to at this time.

It will be what it will be. All the best in 2023 everyone.

[Basilisk]

Reddit, Facebook, Discord, etc. are no great substitute for forums, but forums are often poorly moderated, full of weirdos (see above), and pretty much ghost towns, so...mostly I just enjoy music in isolation, and dedicate myself to mixcraft, exploring new music, and refining my collection (updating metadata, completing discographies, etc.).

I've been very busy producing high-quality mixes these years, and will be ending 2022 with another 36 hours of content published. All of that can be found on my homepage and the usual places (Mixcloud for HQ audio, SoundCloud for the more social experience).

I also got into edits and production these years so I'm constantly churning out new versions of classic tracks for my own use and enjoyment. Not sure what I'll be doing with any of these dozens of projects except including them in some old school mixes when I get around to them. I have another three or four commissioned mixes to complete before I get to that though.

As for reviews, I seldom get the sense that many people read them, and I tend to prefer investing my time in making recommendations on my Facebook page rather than writing reviews these days.

I also got out of the habit of listening to new releases since I'm already drowning in music. I'll pick up new releases by artists I like but they end up in the listening backlog after being filed, and it sometimes takes years to get to them. Another issue is that albums are slowly becoming a thing of the past... so much of the new music I grow to love are released as singles, or as hidden gems on otherwise bland compilations, which is partly a consequence of being more dance music-oriented. Even so, a bunch of releases from 2022 already caught my ear one way or another:

- Beyond Expectation compiled by my friend DJ Solitare

- Club Unity, if you don't mind going further afield than just standard psytrance stuff

- Filteria - Live With The Lag, but that's an easy one since I'm such a Filteria fan

- Techgnosis Vol. 6, but I'm biased (as label co-founder)

- Indoor - Reworks, very close to the originals but brought up to modern standards

- Chaim - In Trance We Trust, for obvious reasons (I love classic Goa trance + modern progressive house and nu-disco)

- Dark Elf - True Darkness, one of the very best pure darkpsy releases I've heard in quite some time

My eclectic tastes are showing, ah?

Anyway, it was another good year for music, and I'm looking forward to what 2023 brings us!

[Padmapani]

i'm not so much into goa trance these days. more into psytrance a la braincell or forest. i don't really have anything to review because i don't know any good releases from 2023. on this forum you can only keep up to date with goa trance, on reddit the most "recommendations" you get are posts of newbie producers who push their mediocre half-finished tracks and the ultra-commercal stuff that's thankfully not getting much playtime anymore at parties. another site that had previously listed lots of new releases (albeit free to download) went defunct too and is not available for information purposes either…

so where are all the releases posted to nowdays?

the only album i picked up the past year is airi - correlation (zenon stuff) and it didn't get enough playtime to leave an impression yet.

[the goa constrictor]

Thank you for the Indoor recommendation @Basilisk!
I love both Ofer and Avi and, somehow, never learned of or listened to Indoor until about 04 or 05 years ago (same with Tandu).

Good good stuff =)

 

[Aspartic]

I'm still very much lurking to all that happens in the goa music scene. Filteria's new stuff is the highlight for me. Great and entertaining as usual.
I love listening to it in my car. Centavra looked promising but in the end I found it rather dull. Similar sounds by Median Project are of much higher quality and better story telling.
I'm very glad that the parties came back without restrictions. Space Safari was crazy and the last Old Is Gold had me dancing till 8 am. Next one is 18th of march in Belgium, A Trip Into Goa Trance with Anoebis, Triquetra, BOTFB, Ohm Mind and Etnica. I mean, seriously? How good can a goa party get?

During the whole corona period and also last year things were kinda hectic in the health care. Slowly it made me tired and anxious. I don't know, it kinda rolled over me. I'm more innerly stressed than before. We also have some home renovations and such. You know, real life things that stress you out in the long run. Each his or her own issues.

As for the forum and internet stuffs, I've gotten lazy. A party here and there and listening to great music to chill or to get energy. That's my involvement right now. I still come back to psynews regularly, but just to read. I know it's very hyprocritical. There's less to read if no one posts anymore (myself included).

But hey let's not get too dramatic. Things will clear up in the future. It's just been, and it still is, a weird time no one anticipated.

[technosomy]

22 hours ago, the goa constrictor said:

Thank you for the Indoor recommendation @Basilisk!
I love both Ofer and Avi and, somehow, never learned of or listened to Indoor until about 04 or 05 years ago (same with Tandu).

Good good stuff =)

 

those indoor reworks are real killah, digging some of them more than the originals, and some of the b sides he posted last month are pretty cool also

[Trolsk]

My interest is psychedelic music. Sometimes it happens to align with neogoa and psytrance, but these days I mostly listen to good music from other genres.

A handful of releases from the trance scene caught my attention in 2022:

I'm usually not a fan of Youth's work, but he did good in 2022.

Oh, and I got in to Ovnimoon's music. Really like it.

 

 

My best psychedelic downtempo discoveries from non psy labels are:

I really see no reason to limit yourself to the traditional psy downtempo labels, there's lots of great psy music out there. Emancipator and Palladin are really amazing.

 

For more uptempo music, last years best discovery was polish Rysy

Amelie Lens is still the best

Follow her mixes and playlists and you'll discover lots of great stuff.

Here are my best banging "melodic" techno discoveries from last year:

Joris Voorn also did good in 2002. His best mix being this one:

Oh, and Charlotte De Witte is always good

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=charlotte+de+2022

 

 

 

 

 

 

[DoktorG]

+1 for Roy Sason, Youth and Ovnimoon. 

[juril]

Thanks @Basilisk for the Indoor recommendation, such a great surprise.

[acid being]

Hey hope I'm not too late to join in this discussion. I can only contribute to the "echo chamber bullsh*t" (or I hope it's more of a deep connection between like-minded souls. Or is that like-souled minds? ) by saying I've also been feeling anxiety, stress and a bit of gloom over the past year - I mean, have you seen the state of the world lately? Those things do tend to make me post less on forums and then when I do post people rarely find the motivation to have much of a discussion with me anymore. Probably for the same kind of reasons. It's OK though, I won't give up posting or reading the forums.

I've been meaning to start a thread here discussing underrated Goa for a few months. I'll try and make the effort to write it soon.

In terms of the music I had a great year (a great 2 or 3 years in fact) but it's not mainly been from discovering newly released music so much as catching up and filling in the gaps on many years of amazing Goa trance that I totally missed out on the first time around (due to limited funds and limited knowledge of what was out there). Delights like RA (Man, I'm longing for another album), Elysium and MFG.

As for new music Ott - Heads is one of the only new albums I can immediately think of that I heard last year. It was OK, good music, but I prefer the style of his earlier stuff. The year before, Artifact303 - From The Stars was good but I found the previous album had more memorable samples and melodies in it that it could use more of next time. I'd need to give both those albums more listens to really make up my mind though.

Thanks for all your other suggestions of new music (+1 million for Indoor - wow!). I've got a lot to catch up on again, and that's great!

 

Edited January 30, 2023 by acid being
Thanks for suggesting Indoor

[Tsotsi]

We got all the time in the world....Unless you've seen the state of the world, then maybe not so much time. I try not to let the never ending bad decisions of our species get me down.

I recently got the MFG Masters of Psytrance album https://mastersofpsytrance.bandcamp.com/album/masters-of-psytrance-vol-2 from back in 2021. Thought it was a new release until writing this post. Very good stuff. I've also had a few stockpiled albums from years back that i haven't listened to yet (Aurora Sidera anyone?)

The pandemic years actually got us a lot more music than 2023. Everyone's out in the sunshine now it seems.

One 2023 release I can recommend is the Ankrosado album, for sure underrated and maybe even unheard of - https://ankrosado.bandcamp.com/album/inner-space

[Proxeeus]

2 hours ago, Tsotsi said:

 

The pandemic years actually got us a lot more music than 2023. 

Well to be fair 2023 is 4 weeks old sooo :p