New Order - Complete Music

Mute: 2016

I made a bold claim in declaring this 'remix' album New Order's best body of work outside of 'Best Of' packages, and now I get to show my receipts. Actually, no, I don't think I can, at least without bringing up the context that led to the album this sprung from, Music Complete. And that would eat up way too much word count that I'd rather spend detailing the tunes here. Besides, as my purchase of Complete Music included a free download of Music Complete, it'll at least leave me something to ramble on about whenever I get around to that record.

And the honest truth is, had my 'Surveying' stipulation not forced me to check out Complete Music, I may not have in the first place (or much of New Order in general, but stick with me). Yeah, there's been some ace remixes handed out to New Order's catalogue over the decades, but this was an entirely in-house project, simply taking the existing songs and extending them for maximum dancefloor efficiency. Hey, that's great, as I already liked the clubby nature of the originals, so more of that isn't so bad. A little more rhythmic intro here, a lengthier bridge there, and holy cow, these seven-to-nine minute versions are just so much better! I don't think I can even go back to the Music Complete variants, coming off like radio edits now. It almost makes me wonder if these were the finished songs, but in realizing it'd balloon the album to double-LP length, were forced to pare things down for commercial interests, rendering Complete Music to 'Director's Cut' side-project status. Probably not, but it's a fun notion if so.

So Restless comes in with all those peppy rhythms, hooky guitars (but no Peter Hook, he gone), emotional string swells, and synthy punctuations. And then, some two minutes in, Bernard comes in, and if this track hasn't fully won you over, then I don't know how you've been a New Order fan. Right, it's not Blue Monday, but hardly anything else in their catalogue is.

This is the sound of a band that's been through it all, having the skill to incorporate all their learned influences, and still find room to add some (then) contemporary tricks. A festival-ready breakdown in Singularity. A festival-ready build in Unlearn This Hatred. A little d'n'b momentum in Stray Dog (complete with a gravely Iggy Pop) and Superheated, and so on. Nor have they side-stepped other eras of their career, like the NRG pulse of Plastic or synth-pop campiness of Tutti Frutti (a song I dreaded going in based on title alone, winning me over regardless), both vintage '80s without sounding canned or retro-trendy. Or jubilant '90s funky piano house vibes of People On The High Line. Or the '00s indie rock janglyness of Nothing But A Fool and The Game. It's a little bit of everything you know of New Order and then some.

And then performed extra length, just because they can!

Morphic Resonance - The City Of Moons

Suntrip Records: 2016

Morphic Resonance is the name of Syzygy's lone album, released on Rising High Records three decades ago. It's another in a long line of obscure records that blossomed in an era when it felt nothing was off limits, genre demarcations still in flux, producers able to flit between progressive house, techno, trance, world beat, and IDM with little care or worry about fitting in within established scenes. It's an album I've had my eye one nabbing for quite some time now, but would have to pay upwards of forty bones to own a physical copy of. I'd even settle for a digital re-issue now, but it seems this is an album that'll be stuck in legal limbo for awhile. At least I can still stream it, but for how long, I wonder? For how long...

Morphic Resonance is also the name of Cristian Ferandez Font's psychedelic trance project. This is his debut on Suntrip Records, the label where he's mostly made a home for himself.

It's also-also another CD that doesn't waste any time getting you into the good shit. Like, good on Cristian for coming out hard, fully aware one needs to make a strong, immediate impact to stand out in such an overcrowded glut of releases. Even with Suntrip's usual high bar, getting noticed can take some gumption, and Psychedelic Hell lets you know you're in for a trip on the relentlessly acid side. As if that wasn't enough, follow-up In The Mouth Of Madness lays the dark vibes on even thicker, a menacing undercurrent of low ends pushing the squelching TB-303 to proper cosmic horror levels. And if that wasn't enough, the titular third cut goes full bore with its psychedelic energy, needing a dozen minutes to strut its stuff. Heck, it even drops a key change at the climax, always a welcome bit of tonal shift in music as unrelenting as this.

In fact, it's almost too much awesome out the gate, as The City Of Moons (the album) doesn't really hit that peak again until the finale. The four tracks between are solid enough, they just don't do enough to distinguish themselves from being a run of aggressive, trippy-swirly acid sounds. Yeah, Chronos has a hollower beat, while Procyon has a punchier beat, and Mindwarp has a flatter beat (vintage goa beat, if you will), but compared to the highs we experienced out the gate, just can't compare. The sort of tunes that make better sense when out doing stuff than sitting back analyzing their composition, is what I'm saying.

As for that finale, it's a remix of S.U.N. Project's Space Dwarfs, a track I'm not as intimately familiar with as some of their other works, but a fun acid number nonetheless. Morphic Resonance gives it some serious beefing, as you'd expect of a producer remixing a track nearly twenty years after the fact, but it's definitely a welcome conclusion to an album that needed something on par with its opening salvo in its back-half.

Humanoid - Built By Humanoid

fsoldigital.com: 2019

After three decades, Brian Dougans felt time was right to dust off the alias that started it all for him. Why such a long gap? Well, he had a little side-hustle called The Future Sound Of London commanding much of his attention, so there's that. Also, I suspect he had lingering harsh feelings over the moniker, the label Westside Records releasing a 'debut' Humanoid record without much of his input involved. He did put out a 'from the archives' item from those sessions on Rephlex, but for the most part seemed content leaving the project in the distant past.

Wouldn't you know it though, that ol' spark of techno inspiration kept nagging at him, eager to try his hand at something more proper acidy and robotic. Can't do much with that in all those FSOL Environments though, lest they muck up whatever psychedelic chill vibes they maintained. Plus, who knows if Garry was even up for such IDM experimentation, his muse often wandering off to parts unknown. No, to truly sate his techno fever, Brian would have to use a completely different alias. Or dust off an old, mothballed one, that'll do too.

A track on a compilation here, a track on a charity collection there, and soon enough, Mr. Dougans had enough material for a new Humanoid album, which in some ways is the real debut. Of course, he hadn't the studio or technology to make anything remotely similar to what's offered on Built By Humanoid way back when, so leave whatever preconceptions of what a Humanoid record should sound like behind, because this ain't it.

Fortunately, Brian doesn't waste your time letting you know what you're in for, opener Orfan Atmosphere three minutes and three seconds (nice) of abrasive glitch-core and acid distortion. Ol' school IDM is back, baby! And as if that session wasn't enough to get your techno-dork on, follow-up Polymath is apparently one of those experimental tracks that uses something called a 'probability theory'. Cool, but mostly sounds like burbly, dubby acid ambient.

That's what the bulk of Built By Humanoid entails: lots of IDM beatcraft, lots of digital acid crunch... the sort of stuff you would expect to have appeared on Rephlex. Is there any of that classic FSOL album narrative though? After a fashion, sure, the track titles suggesting a future dystopia ruled by cybernetic man-apes tweakin' on acid. It's not a touch on Dead Cities' cinematic post-apocalyptica, but then what is?

I feel like there should be more talking points to Built By Humanoid, but without venturing into the weeds of production techniques, there really isn't. Like a lot of Brian's other solo ventures, this sees him pushing a particular sound to a particular limit, the outer edges of sonic styles emanating from the EarthBeat studios. It may be a bit much for those still forlorn for more Stakker acid, but for those willing to hear any ol' indulgence from the FSOL boys, this is a fun record.

Moss Covered Technology - Brick And Air

Audiobulb Records: 2022

I've gone on about all these other endless Bandcamp discography buys and box-set purchases, yet somehow have quietly almost completed another one just like that. Right, I didn't get the totality of Mr. Baird's material, only settling for a select few. Still, the handful I did wasn't a small amount, and now that I've nearly completed those, I find myself compelled to get more, just to complete the set. The fact he makes some captivating drone pieces doesn't hurt either.

Since it was the Neotantra album Sodium Light that first drew my attention to Moss Covered Technology, it's only fitting that I scope out its pseudo-sequel Brick And Air. I call it as such not just because it was the (year in the making) follow-up to the former record, but more that they cover similar themes, in this case the rather desolate isolation of urban night. This isn't really a concept Greig typically explores, more content casting his muse towards pastoral settings and foggy coast lands. And while I'm quite drawn to such settings myself (particularly the latter), I'm always fascinated by how some interpret wandering the cold concrete of back streets and dimly lit industrial sectors that make up our cities. Burial practically made it a whole genre, and fact of the matter is many artists find themselves residing in such locales. Some make music to escape, but others take it on, grimy alley gunk and steaming machinery steel warts and all.

In typical Moss Covered Technology fashion, Brick And Air came out on a totally different label from all his other works, this time Audiobulb Records. It's another one of those experimental prints that I barely knew existed, but has been in operation for two decades - is there really no end to such labels? A couple names I'm familiar with have appeared on Audiobulb (Darren McClure, Porya Hatami, Autistici) but most are utter blanks to my eyes. Artists like Otaru, Calika, Aria Rostami, Monty Adkins, :papercutz, Hans Van Eck, He Can Jog, A Dancing Begger, The Hole Punch Generation, The OO-Ray, and Craque.

As with most M.C.T. albums, each track is self-titled, though Brick And Air does come with an Intro and Outro as well. Anyhow, though I gave a Burial namedrop up there, this is most decidedly not in that lane of urban drone. Brick & Air I is almost modern classical, through fed through quite the haze of atonal hiss and analogue fuzz. II gets more glitchy with things, while distorted tones penetrate a gritty wall of static in III. Meanwhile, IV and VI feature more glitchy melodies, but V takes a turn towards the dark ambient side of things. I could totally hear this piece being featured in a God Body Disconnect album on Cryo Chamber, with additional field recordings of inner city existence among the distant harmonious pads. Hmm, now there's an intriguing label for Greig to appear on. Why not? He's appeared on Dronarivm, as has ProtoU. Drone ambient has all the connections, man!

Denshi Danshi - Brain Chemistry

Suntrip Records: 2018

I've got a lot of goa CDs to get through, but don't think it's some sort of chore for me. Yeah, there looks to be a fair bit of repetitive material in Suntrip's catalogue, but I wouldn't have bought the whole damn discography without anticipating a few items. Names like E-Mantra, Khetzal, and Ka-Sol, who I've seen beyond the close confines of the morning trance scene. Or old vets like Prana, Astral Projection, and Ra making appearances. Even the ones I haven't a clue about, but at least have intriguing cover art beyond the usual fractal weirdness. The Merr0ws, the Radical Distortions, and the Celestial Intelligences, all with albums that get my imagination sparking. It cannot be overstated how important cover art is for us LP snobs.

So it goes when I spotted this Denshi Danshi duo among my Suntrip pile. Holy cow, a psy act with a logo! No, I'm not talking about having their name in some fancy fonts. There's structure in their art, including both Western alphabet and kanji, the latter enclosed within diamonds. It's eye-popping, it's distinctive, it's made really darn trippy with all the added fractal bullshit included in their sophomore album, Brain Chemistry.

Of course, I've been led astray by cool cover art before, especially within the psy trance scene. Still hedging my bets going into this one, but the first track, Parallel Universe, bodes well. It's clear Denshi Danshi aren't interested in fussing about with elaborate intros or pretentious concepts, strictly go-go-go full-on psy trance from the jump. Yeah, it's retro leaning with the synths and acid – wouldn't be on Suntrip if it wasn't – but that ultra compressed rhythm is strictly nu-skool. Yet what's this: a change of key and tone two-thirds through? Oh yeah, psy trance used to have multiple sections within single tracks, not just relentlessly going on the same idea for the duration. Now that's a retro notion!

Wish I could say all the tunes on Brain Chemistry do that. This is pretty much a full-on outing wrapped in goa accoutrements. And that does grow weary for a full-length, the sort of peak time party music that's wildly fun flailing under the stars but in desperate need of some variation when sitting at home with chai and malpoa. I'll grant the climax of these tracks are generally strong enough to sustain my interest, and the usual wibble that comes with full-on doesn't overstay its welcome. There's also some rather cliche stuff though, the track Sukha really laying the Indian influences on thick – I want to love that drop, but gads, its so hammy. That said, I know I'd go wild hearing it live, so there's that.

Yes, Brain Chemistry is very much a 'get out and do shit' type of album. Play it while going for a run, or a power walk, or shuffle under a bridge. Denshi Danshi make no apologies for the energy they bring, so best make proper use of it wherever you can.

N:L:E - Botanical Adventures

Liquid Frog Records: 2021

You can see how these Natural Life Essence releases kinda' run into each other now, right? This is the third one I'm doing with light green cover art (forth if you want to include the album on Neotantra). All of them featured some sort of naturalistic theme (woods, wetlands, etc.) and came out all within the same year of each other.

Mind, Juan Pablo is quite relentless in his rate of output regardless. I bulk-bought his Bandcamp discography thirteen months ago and he's released an additional twenty-five items since! That's nearly two releases per month! Man, imagine if I'd waited a year to do such a deed – I'd be buried in N:LE and Kiphi and H:U:M and Yahgan, more so than I already am. And while I haven't disliked anything I've covered thus far, it can't all be mint material, can it? I dunno' about that, but considering the reason I did bulk-buy was because I couldn't decide off any particular few sampled, it would be one Hell of a ratio for an artist.

The other thing though, is after a dozen items thus reviewed, I'm starting to hear Mr. Giacovino's sonic tricks and such. And hey, that's not such a bad thing, artists having signature styles and all. If falling back on a successful formula makes it easier for him to keep the creative fires burning, that's totally fine. Unfortunately, it makes individual albums difficult to stand out from the rest, familiarity leading me to believe I've already heard certain ideas explored. I honestly thought as such as Botanical Adventures played out, but comparing it to the last N:LE item I reviewed, Bioluminescent Forest, revealed that not to be the case in the slightest. Hmm, maybe I needed to go all the way back to W:O:O:D to confirm?

I mean, you can forgive for thinking there's some mighty familiar sounds going on. Fluid Transportation has those spacious, flowing pads and dubby melodies gently growing in prominence, the sort of sound that's about as definitive N:L:E as anything I've heard. Then the beat emerges, treading similar ambient dub grooves as- no, wait, all that digital spittering and sputtering in tandem. Huh, that's new. Mind, it ain't a touch on Tipper's digital manipulations, but certainly something unique.

Still, the rest of the album plays out in typical fashion as I've come to know N:L:E albums. The calm ambient pieces that make for lovely meditation music, the ambient dub cuts bringing some rugged contrast to the gentler tracks, the multiple versions of a track showing off either side of Juan Pablo's muse, and that one outlier tracks you didn't expect, in this case drum 'n' bass! Actually, Photosynthesis just barely could be considered as such, the 2-step rhythm and bassline working in spite of itself as the rest of the track is almost too happy and chipper for the totally serious d'n'b scene. Like, imagine if Banco de Gaia did an uplifting jungle tune.

Merr0w - Born Underwater

Suntrip Records: 2009

And back to mermaid psy-trance again. No, wait, is that really a thing? I know U-Recken had one on his debut album Aquatic Serenade, an image that really stuck out to me because of the lake-bound lass tootin' on a flute. Like, that just doesn't make a lick of sense, a wind instrument working underwater. At best you'll generate bubbles, not much of a melodic sound. Unless it's a magical flute, which given that its a mermaid playing it, must be. Sorry for this tangent on something I reviewed well over a decade ago, but that incongruity still nags at me.

Where was I? Oh yes, mermaid trance. Are there any others? I feel like there should be, and if I dug real deep into the bowels of numerous psy labels, I'd find more covers sporting ichthyian-hominid hybrids. Can't say I'm in any hurry to confirm this, but it does seem rather rare. This here Born Underwater is just the second time I've come across it, at least within my own music collection. I'm sure if I searched through insipid vocal trance releases, I'd stumble upon mermaids aplenty. Seems like a genre replete with sirens of the sea.

Anyhow, Merr0w. One Brice Fruyt from Paris, he's another in a long line of psy artists getting their break with Suntrip, contributing to a compilation or two before releasing a full-length. That partnership didn't appear to last long though, his Discoggian data showing a half-decade hiatus from producing before striking things out independently. He seems to be on another producing hiatus, his last album Odysseus (complete with mermaid cover art!) released pre-pandemic. Boy, did that ever mess up a lot of music careers.

I want to say this is another top notch neo-goa release on Suntrip, as it does all the things I like hearing from the genre. Solid leads that get the blood pumpin' at the peaks, check. Good use of acid without overstaying its welcome, check. Little in the way of wayward wibble, every track progressing in logical fashion, check. Rhythms... okay, they're kinda' soft, but that only adds to the retro charm, so I can give it a pass. There's even a couple downtempo cuts, though bookmarks of the album, so nothing adventurous there, but at least some variety is provided.

Yep, Born Underwater does about everything I could hope from this genre, but something just holds it back from truly sticking in my head. Best I can figure, its the somewhat 'soggy' aesthetic applied to much of the synths and acid. I know that's a weird description, but it's the best adjective I can think of. I'm assuming it's intentional, Merr0w aiming for an aquatic vibe and all (cover art gives it away, to say nothing of track titles). I just don't think he quite achieves it, acid at times sounding squishy and such. It's honestly a minor quibble, but enough to hold this one back from being among the upper echelons of Suntrip CDs I've thus covered.

Cypress Hill - Black Sunday

Columbia: 1993

So I started a Cypress Hill collection. I'm surprised I even got into them this late in the game, but when one decides to digest an entire discography, sometimes some albums stand out so much, you just gotta' have it for yourself, proper-like. And if there's ever one album from this posse that you're supposed to have, even if you're not a Cypress Hill fan, it's easily this one. Is it their best album though? Oh, wait, I already said it was when I did my survey. Review's over, then!

Seriously though, it's surprising just how successful this album turned out, and not just because it's the one with Insane In The Brain on it. Okay, it's almost entirely because of that, but I mean how well the rest of album holds up despite its presentation. Like, if you didn't know better, you'd think this was something other than a hip-hop record just off of cover art alone. No street hoods menacingly glaring at a camera, no pictures of urban squalor, no bikini babes or bling paraded about. Just a stark cemetery with a dead tree and a pile of bones, a picture straight out of Gothic horror. What's gangsta' about being Goth? Sure, B-Real was part of the Bloods (they vampires, right?) before getting into music, but he never made it focus of his lyrics.

Yet some tracks paint quite the picture of rain-soaked streets with frightening things creeping in the shadows. Cock The Hammer especially captures this essence, an almost savage piece of imagery with thunder storms and distantly echoing alarms backing B-Real and Sen Dog going on about a stealthy hunt (some additional dancehall rapping don't hurt either in selling the 'concrete jungle' vibe). Quite a few tracks are of similar nature, living life on the edge trying to survive in an inhospitable environment. What's remarkable is half the time, such topics are seemingly played lightly. When The Shit Goes Down, What Go Around Come Around, Kid, and Hand On The Glock are comparatively bouncy and almost happy-go-lucky given the subject matter. I guess it couldn't be helped when your biggest hit is almost a novelty track, so some light-heart vibes would seep elsewhere. Or maybe it's just all that weed they be smokin' in the studio.

Yeah, they talk about the ol' mary jay on here, though not as much as some seem to remember, only two tracks really dedicated to it (Legalize It is just an interlude). Considering I Wanna Get High kicks the album off though, complete with a sample from Black Sabbath's The Wizard, it's easy to hear how that's the impression everyone comes away with. Excessive liner notes about hemp uses doesn't hurt either.

What's funny is, given marijuana's general acceptance in modern times, these tracks hold up better than the straight-up gangsta' posturing cuts. Ironic, considering rap music about drug use was once thought of as the more controversial topic than cliché-ridden gang bangin' lyrics.

N:L:E - Bioluminescent Forest

Liquid Frog Records: 2020

When I think of a 'bioluminescent forest', I think of the out-wordly foliage of those Avatar movies. Which, y'know, makes one-hundred percent sense, since the alien world of Pandora does feature all manner of indigenous fauna that glows in the dark. It's like James Cameron wandered the woods of an outdoor psy trance party and thought, “This, but naturally grown.” Come to think of it, ol' Jim's been fascinated by bioluminosity since at least The Abyss, a movie featuring an entire underwater realm of beings bespeckled in shimmering lights emitting from their metabolisms. I'm sure its his motivating factor in all those deep sea dives, hoping to stumble upon a true Atlantian civilization hidden within oceanic depths so far uncharted. Eh, we've done an adequate job surveying the abyssal plain thus far – ain't much down there after all.

Where was I? Oh yeah, Bioluminescent Forest. I bring all that Avatar business up because the Pandora forests are what I associate with such a title. Why, then, is the cover art of Natural Life Essence's album so drab and grey? I mean, it's a nice picture of a meadow at dawn, but hardly a forest, much less of a bioluminescent variety. Then again, there aren't any naturally occurring plants that glow in the dark as it is, so it would be a heavy ask for Juan Pablo providing cover art of such a thing. Plus, given the track names of this album, the cover art does make more sense. One doesn't think of shimmering lights when reading titles like Cold Thick Fog, Night, and Rainy Day. Methinks the theme may be a bit muddled here.

The first half at least sets out as it means to, The Autumn Ritual opening with some nice field recordings before settling into a nice, dubby jaunt of glittering synths and groovy rhythms. I wouldn't call this psy dub, but it does remind me some of Sync24's works, just without the added acid. Follow-up Tree Reunion slows things down, even invoking some Amazonian rain-forest vibes ...a vibe I just realized has been noticeably absent from Mr. Giacovino's work considering he resides in South America. True, Argentina ain't equatorial, but y'know what I mean.

Anyhow, as the album plays out, I can't help but feel we're mostly exploring similar ideas over various styles. The three-track run of Night, And, and Day lasts well over thirty-five minutes, and is practically the same musical piece, just progressively more minimalist and ambient. It's neat after a fashion, but rather feels out of place among all the other tracks, especially since the almost chipper reggae-dub of Cold Thick Fog precedes it. More than that though, many of the backing, whispery synth pads sound like they're in the same key, leading to the whole album sounding rather samey throughout. Still, hearing the gentle pitter-patter of percipitation in closer Rainy Day as gentle synths bip and bop about, how can I have negative thoughts about Bioluimiscent Forest? I simply cannot.

Hypnoxock - Beyond The Wormhole

Suntrip Records: 2016

Yep, right into another one. No buffer between these two Beyonds. Is this a title psy trance artists like using? I kinda' see it, music so out there, it goes beyond what our feeble monkey brains can comprehend. Or maybe its paying dutiful respect to Juno Reactor's Beyond The Infinite, a proper O.G. psy trance album. There's also a Beyond The Machines compilation among my Beyond CDs, but that one's an Infonet showcase primarily focusing on various Bandulu projects. Most decidedly not psy trance, is what I'm saying.

I was of two minds going into this particular one. Yeah, another Suntrip album, from an artist I know nothing about, probably serving up another solid slice of goa that I'll unfortunately forget shortly after. Or at least until the next Suntrip CD, however soon that'll crop up. (spoiler: too soon enough) On the other hand, I thought maybe this would be a good 'compare and contrast' having just come off Crossing Mind's album. I cannot deny my sense of sonic redundancy among so many psy selections may have more to do with burning through them so quickly before needing to move on. It's not Suntrip's fault I'm trying to digest nearly two decades worth of catalogue in such short order. Maybe hearing two albums back-to-back, some key differences will leap out and that, yes, they aren't all the same neo-goa tunes my stupid monkey brain is tricking me into believing.

And sure enough, opener Personal Matrix lets me know I'm in for something different. Oh, it's not exactly representative of Beyond The Wormhole as a whole, but with how deep, dark, and downright minimalist this track is, it's a far cry from the squelchy psy of Cyclotron. In fact, Personal Matrix rather reminds me of the moodier tunes off of Tristan's Audiodrome, a welcome surprise since I've had a small hankering to hear stuff like that elsewhere.

But no, this is Suntrip we're dealing with, and they have a musical manifesto to maintain. Thus follow-up Wormhole ratchets the synth leads up from menacing simmer to propulsive squeal, and third cut Big Crunch drops any pretense we're dealing with anything other than modern goa. Well hey, I at least appreciate the gradual lead-in, unlike other CDs that just drop you into the action from the get-go.

As for the rest of Beyond The Wormhole, it's a fun assortment of tunes. The beats definitely have more beef behind them compared to Beyond Duality, always handy in maintaining momentum in music as peppy as this. The acid feels chunkier, and some of the leads even hook in my mind while they're playing out. Yes, this album certainly sounds superior to the prior, my totally objective and unbiased analysis comparison has concluded. Thus has spoken the monkey brain.

Seriously though, I did like this more, but it feels like an unfair contrast. Hypnoxock clearly set out to make straight-forward psy, while Crossing Mind tried something less conventional. Sometimes though, the simpler style satisfies one's synapses.

Crossing Mind - Beyond Duality

Suntrip Records: 2016

Well, at least there was a little more space between this Suntrip CD and the last: three whole releases! Maybe there will be even more between this and the next. (Spoiler: nope!)

This here is Crossing Mind, one Stéphane Bèze from the nice region of France, erm, Nice. That's honestly a bit unconventional a home base for psy trance artist. You'd think someone residing on the northern Mediterranean shores would be more influenced by the Balearic vibes of house, disco, and Italian eurodance. Nope, seems the wiggly, squiggly sounds of goa was his calling, and fortunately for him, a Belgian print gave him a prime opportunity to share his sonic wares.

I've apparently crossed paths with Crossing Mind (he's... crossed my mind? Eh? Eh...??) a couple times before, on Suntrip compilations. Didn't seem to make much of an impression on me beyond a casual namedrop there, and I'm honestly not surprised why. Mr. Bèze makes competent goa, but that's about par for the course with most artists on this label.

Opener Cyclotron does all the right things out of retro-nu psy: spacey synths, squelchy leads, burbly acid. The rhythms sound somewhat flat and plastic though, a trait I more associate with '00s full-on than anything '90s. Yeah, ol' school goa can its share of hollow, *tchok* beats, but these have that modern sharpness so much computer produced music comes with. I wouldn't call it a deal-breaker or anything, but many Suntrip artists have provided plenty of beef in their beats. Spoiled for options, y'know.

Drat, I'm already sounding unintentionally negative, aren't I? Well, let's hear what else Beyond Duality has to offer. The Foolish Mind: a little more twisted in a dark psy sort of way. No Hazardous Material Signs: a little deeper in the squelchy synths. Alpha Centauri: a little more bouncy, in a space jaunty sort of way. No Event Horizon: a little more driving, in a space adventure sort of way. Psyko-Mind-Porteur: back to the deeper side of psy, and quite long at over eleven minutes in length. Life Forms: hey, this rather reminds me of vintage Terra Ferma on good ol' Platipus.

And that's the album done. I mildly enjoyed it as it played, but can't say much leaped out to me either. Well, aside from those beats, but more for how out of place they sounded compared to so much else I've heard from Suntrip thus far. Who knows though, maybe that's actually the standard, and I've just been fortunate to hear rhythms with more power behind them from the likes of E-Mantra, Artifact303 and Clementz.

As for Mr. Bèze, this seems to be his last Crossing Minds album. In fact, much of his musical output dried up just before all that pandemic business went down. Aw, man, I hope nothing terrible happened. I couldn't find any info elsewhere, so maybe just another case of a musician needing to refocus their priorities on other things in the wake of lost touring business.

N:L:E & Kiphi - Between Dreams Or Reality

Liquid Frog Records: 2020

And now we're introduced to Mr. Giacovino's trance alias, Kiphi! Okay, I use the word 'trance' very loosely here, as there's little on this album that could be considered full-bore club trance or flailing under the stars psy trance. Maybe its more prominent on the 'solo' Kiphi albums, of which there's a handful, but from the few samples I've taken in, it doesn't seem so. Rather, Kiphi is the alias Juan Pablo uses when he makes music with synthy arps and multi-tap delays, tricks of the trance trade for sure, but also quite common in spritely ambient techno and atmospheric Berlin School (and, er, some New Age too). Trance-inducing, yeah, but not really trance.

It also seems he wasn't terribly certain this alternate alias could stand on its own, hitching it to Natural Life Essence for the bulk of its initial run. In fact, if Bandcamp release dates are anything to go by (and it's about the only thing I have to go by on chronological data), this particular album was more a compilation of prior singles, soon after followed by a proper solo Kiphi album called Eternal Molecule. Wait, does this mean I can skip on Random Touch, Twilight and Cycle down the line? I mean, if it's just the same tracks as appearing on this here Between Dreams Or Reality, it'd be highly redundant on my part to review them again, right?

Well, there is a slight difference with Twilight and Cycle, in that only one version from each of those appears here. Cycle is the older of the two, indeed the first N:L:E & Kiphi item released. And as mentioned, it's a pulsing ambient piece with synthy arps and chord progression that wouldn't sound out of place in a pumping trance tune. Much of it fades back for a more prominent melodic lead before heading into a synthy crescendo. Cool stuff, and certainly better than the Ambient Reform version which seems to take the peak and break it up with drone intermissions. Interestingly, Juan Pablo grabs the Panoramic Mix of Twilight rather than the original version for this album, which isn't much different beyond the spritely, bouncing synths getting more focus. Meanwhile, both tracks from Random Touch - Guide Star and Random Touch - make the cut for Between Dreams Or Reality. One's more Berlin School in its opulent synth work, even throwing in some rhythms, while the other is way more chill.

*phew* That's almost the entirety of Between Dreams Or Reality discussed, and I haven't even touched upon the titular track yet. Tracks, actually, as two versions bookend this album, the opener a more upbeat version, the closer a blissier option. The only other track I can tell is unique to here is Kindred Spirit, which is about as close to the realms of trance as Kiphi gets. More prog-psy, I guess. Will be interested to hear whether such a groovy vibe appears in any future Kiphi items, as Mr. Giacovino is more than adept at it.

Sphäre Sechs - Beta Pictoris

Cryo Chamber: 2021

Silent Universe may be my go-to cosmic drone artist, but this project from Misters Stritzel and Stürtzer definitely intrigued me enough to scope out future releases, should they release more. A few more since Particle Void, their debut on Cryo Chamber, yes. Heck, I may even go back to their Malignant Records material – that Enceladus record looks intriguing, a glimmering pearl among all the sonic filth and industrial decay that makes up that label's existence. With such charming artists like Dissecting Table, Steel Hook Prostheses, Sewer Goddess, The Vomit Arsonist, Teeth Engraved With The Names Of The Dead, and Gnawed, how could one resist?

Sphäre Sechs felt different though. Yeah, they still indulged in the dark and the bleak, but there was a calming undercurrent beneath their drones too. Like, the stillness of a desolate realm easing one's chaotic thoughts into perfect serenity. Okay, so that serenity comes at the cost of the living, but hey, if you're experiencing serenity, then you're experiencing conscious thought, and therefore you must be alive, right? Ah, cosmology and existentialism, forever intertwined.

So while I'm all for hearing dark ambient relishing in extra-solar emptiness, I was hoping for something a little more, well, warm out of Beta Pictoris. For one thing, the cover art isn't so cold as most Cryo ambient can go, blazing orange and all. Granted, whatever space phenomenon is occuring in the background can't be healthy for one's DNA structure, but as any astrophysicist well tell you, the redder a cosmic body is, the 'cooler' it generally is – blue is the hotter, deadlier objects, yo'. Also, there's a space station in the foreground, perhaps a research facility studying whatever the phenomenon is. Or did it just appear out of nowhere, threatening its inhabitants? Whatever the case, it suggests some sort of story behind the scenery, and narrative-driven dark ambient is always more fascinating to indulge than strict sonic drone for its own sake.

And yeah, there's only a hinted such story here, but I'm running with it. The first few tracks, while not necessarily 'warm', certainly impart a sense of the grand, the sort of space ambient that lets you just sit in awe of all that lays beyond. Planetesimal Debris may sound forlorn in the destruction of what once was, yet there's grace and beauty in the floating bodies against a cosmic backdrop too. Things only grow tense by fourth track Collapsing Cloud, as though eminent danger looms, even if our feeble monkey brains have no comprehension as to why. In fact, follow-up Infrared Emission suggests we're positively enraptured by what we're witnessing. Should we not be staring to transfixed by the destructive elegance before us? Perhaps not, as concluding Exosolar and Unstable Orbit imply a not-so gentle end for our viewpoint characters.

Yeah, I liked Beta Pictoris a great deal. It continues Cryo Chambers dabblings in ambient that doesn't go so dark as often, but leaves enough room for the macabre twist ending.

Centaspike - Bent Bound Broken

Tech Itch Recordings: 2018

Releasing albums from anonymous producers who may or may not simply be the label head in disguise is all well and good, but for any print to flourish, you need that outside blood mixing things up. Artists that share your audio vision and can also bring a different spin on the same sonic ideas. Thus it was so that Centaspike was brought into the Tech Itch Recordings fold, first as a duo with Indidjinous, then finally as a solo act with this here Bent Bound Broken.

Mr. Driver had a few self-releases under his belt prior, plying his trade for half a decade on the Aussie scene before getting picked up by Mr. Caro. Well and truly comfortable behind the console as well the decks, he'd have no problem fitting in with the Tech Itch posse. Only, what sort of d'n'b would he bring to the table? There was already plenty of dark and tech-step on hand, the assortment of releases very much following in the footsteps of Technical Itch's '90s heyday. No, to stand out, Centaspike went even darker, deeper, damn near minimalist with his debut on the label.

Seriously, opening track Beyond The Void is little more than ominous noises and feral rumbles, served as oozing black glue piecing together the various twitchy drum breaks together. But that's just track one, right? The mood setter before getting to some busier business? Yeah, no, follow-up Brokenergy is no less grimy and savage, while Conjuring Spells somehow finds an even deeper layer of murky bass festering in the dankest catacombs under London city. Cool beans and all, but I can't deny, such suffocating sounds grow a little weary when played for too long, as in the seven-minute 4th Dimensional Creatures. Let me see a little light, mang'!

Oh, a Broken Street Lamp, that'll do. Actually, this cut turned my head for two reasons. One, it gets into some slamming drumfunk action, which is a nice chance of pace, but also for the Wu-Tang chatter thrown in. In fact, Anthony pulls the trick twice, Urban Chatter raiding the skits from Enter 36 Chambers as well. How can I be so sure? C'mon, I recognize RZA's barking out for Ghost and Deck anywhere. Not to mention a little chop-socky sound effects thrown in for good measure.

After that little detour down the back alleys of Shaolin, Centaspike gets back to the down 'n' dirty business end of d'n'b, each track somehow growing ever more minimalist as the album plays out. Not that I needed some rousing climax to the record, but it does leave one's engagement slowing dwindling as momentum wanes. Then I was thrown for a loop in the Outro. Anthony not only raided 2010 for some dialogue samples that aren't “My God, it's full of stars”, but the MGM lion roar and the digital text sound effects from the movie's prologue, also while overlaying the original Requiem 'music' from 2001. Oh yeah, that definitely set off my nerdy dopamine triggers.

Artifact303 - Back To Space

Suntrip Records: 2011

Welp, here we go again with another Suntrip CD. No sense beating around the bush, let's get this over with.

The opening track Magnetic Fields doesn't waste any time giving us some solid music. The establishing sounds are nicely spaced out, the acid laid out with finesse, and the supporting squiggly sounds are tasteful. By the time the driving synth leads emerge, this tune is well into high gear, and gosh darn it, it just keeps building that energy, and I'm somehow more hype for another Suntrip CD than I've been in a while! Wait, wasn't I feeling kinda' 'meh' going in? How did my mood do a complete one-eighty in a mere five minutes? Holy cow, Magnetic Fields is awesome!

And yet, I can't help but have a bit of trepidation in my quick enthusiasm. Oh no, is Back To Space gonna' be one of those albums, with too much of a good thing? I've heard a couple out of Suntrip like that already, artists who know how to craft a solid tune, but tend to repeat their formula for an album's duration, unfortunately leading to monotony. Well, I'll worry about that when I have to. For now, yeah, let's keep vibin' to that strong climax in the opening cut!

Okay, second track is another barn-burner, and holy shit, doesn't waste any time in getting to the dope. Then things take a turn for the... deeper? Trancier? Oh, wow, They Will Communicate actually sounds like regular ol' progressive trance – or at least a blend of goa and prog as potentially rinsed out by Paul Oakenfold when he used to do that. Yeah, the peak still rips pretty good, but it's not so tear-out as I typically hear from Suntrip artists. Heck, same as with For A Better World, the sort of psy regular trance jocks once wouldn't have much fear rinsing out.

We're at the mid-album, and I'm already rather impressed by what I've heard, and then Artifact303 does something I never would have dreamed any artist on this label would do: he changes tempo! Tropical Sunset drops the BPM several notches to groovy prog-psy levels and...

That's it. Back To Space is the best album I've heard out of this label, hands down.

I'm serious! For as much as I've generally enjoyed what I've heard thus far, each release tends to be rather samey, showing little in the way of variety or diversity. Which is fine, since Suntrip is very upfront about being a goa trance label through and through. That doesn't mean artists can't throw in a few dalliances, but few ever do.

Anyhow, the back-end of Back To Space gets back to the blistering psy and acid, but I'm already anxious to see what else this Artifact303 has done for Suntrip. According to his Discogs page... not a whole lot. In fact, this album seems to be about it. Wait, seriously, the best Suntrip record I've heard, and it was a one-and-done deal? How cruel!

Onyx - BacDaFucUp

JMJ: 1993

Even at the height of gangsta rap's cultural dominance, I never took it that seriously as a threat to society or whatever. Granted, I lived quite far away from South Central L.A., the back alleys of New York City, or wherever tales of 'hood life was happening. Even if a lot of it was total reality and not hyper sensationalized for commercial purposes, there always was a veneer of fantasy about it. Perhaps it was the movie CB4 making fun of the scene. Or maybe it was because, for all the threatening posturing these posses presented, many of them still had novelty crossover hits on the radio. Like, I felt more 'reactionary' to Ice-T's Body Count metal band than anything off his O.G. Original Gangster album (the record that got me gettin' gangsta' rap, for the record).

Onyx was different though. Something about this group felt, for lack of a better term, real and authentic. Not so much street hoodlums angry at the society that made them, but a gang lashing out at anything and anyone in general. A brash, punk attitude sneering through violent lyrics with raspy voices grown hoarse from all the shouting they do. Whereas other rap groups said they would beat your ass if you invaded their turf or dissed their clique, at least they were for 'logical' reasons. Onyx sounded like they'd beat your ass just because they could, no reason or rhyme needed to initiate combat mode.

Of course, for any rap group to stand out from their peers, they'd have to come out fierce and hard, standard brags and boasts just not cutting it. It's a testament to Onyx's fiery approach that they not only succeeded in that regard, but continued to thrive off that energy ever after. Even Wu-Tang Clan, whom were commonly referred to in tandem with Onyx as one of NYC's most vicious hip-hop debuts in '93, mellowed out over the years. Not so with Fedro Starr, Sonny Seeza and Sticky Fingaz (Big DS only appeared on this record). You picked up an Onyx album, you knew you were in for some head-bangin', slam dancin' action.

So a strong concept, rappers hungry to prove themselves, and tutelage from Jam Master Jay in bringing their mosh pit boom-bap into fruition. Perfect for the hardcore underground heads, but wouldn't you know it, they went and had a crossover hit too! How did that happen? Well, Slam is undeniably a proper headbanger, the sort of tune that'll get even wedding reception grandmothers be-boppin' with the bridesmaids. It's somehow not as menacing as anything else that appears on BacDaFucUp, yet just as effective in hyping the pits into apocalyptic anarchy.

Ah, right, the rest of the album. Lots of call-and-response raps, some mackin' on the ladies brags, and much shouting. Just... so much shouting. It's almost too much, tiring you out after a while. Then again, isn't the whole point of slam dancing in a mosh pit as much an endurance test?

Afgin - Astral Experience

Suntrip Records: 2009

Diving into a two-decade old catalogue the extent of Suntrip's is gonna' expose me to many artists, some I'm familiar with, some not so much. If they have a robust discography, they may even become new favourites, eagerly anticipating whenever their next record comes down the pipeline. Others may not have released much, but will do something truly unique leaving me wondering what could have been in their careers. Many more, however, will likely end up like Afgin here, a comparatively small amount of music released, good enough in its own right, but not enough to make a strong impression long-term.

I shouldn't go saying Astral Experience is completely forgettable, as there are things that do stick out to me (especially with Median Project's Another Galaxy already fading fast in the rear mirror of my memory). For instance, I haven't heard much in the way of chants in the CDs I've thus far covered, and this one has two instances of them: in the opening of second track Old Is Gold (Part 2), and in the downtempo closer Aden Prayers. Look, I'll take what I can get, because there's oh-so many more of these to come, and like any pile of music that's such a strict genre exercise of micro-niche interests, things blend together real fast. Especially when you're hitting a solid chunk of it in such short order. (on the plus side, at least the 'A's will knock off ten percent of my total!)

Anyhow, some vocals can't be the only thing that stands Astral Experience out, is it? No, but again, context is everything. In case the title wasn't apparent, this is another collection of goa trance very much feeding off that vintage Astral Projection sound. Heck, the titular opener even has some samples about the practice, though clearly is more in homage of the famed Israeli trance duo. Pretty much every track maintains a similar style, with Journey Through The Acid leaning heavier into a TB-303 showcase. Most have plenty of time to build things out, some have fun lead synths, others have strong basslines in support. Again, all solid stuff, and for the neo-goa neophytes, sonic manna after dealing with so much drab prog-psy and full-on rubbish the psy scene was inundated with when this came out.

Since I'm well beyond said neophyte stage in this Suntrip excursion, I need more than Astral Projection homages in my regular psy trance diet before I have anything excitable to say about it. Why aren't other artists from The Golden Era emulated as often? I've heard some Etnica nods here and there, but surely there are more. Are some cows simply too sacred? KoxBox too quirky? Eat Static too esoteric? Juno Reactor too rarefied? Total Eclipse too, um, un-eclipsable? This isn't meant to lower the value of Afgin's offering, I'm just hoping to hear more diversity down the line. I'd hate to think I'll have heard nothing but the same ol' by the time I get to, say, Toï Doï's Synaptic Electrophoresis.

E-Mantra - Arcana

Suntrip Records: 2009

Wild to think it's been seven years since I last talked up Mr. Carpus in any significant fashion. Okay, I technically did recently, starting this Suntrip, erm, trip with his one-off Night Hex EP, but I'm referring to his most famed alias, E-Mantra. Way back when I was consuming copious amounts of Altar Records music, his Silence album was among my many morsels, grabbed for my most cliche of reasons. I liked it well enough, but not such that I was rushing out to hear more from the chap anytime soon. Maybe if I'd sprung for this debut CD, I'd have rushed out quicker for more?

Well, I don't know about that, still mostly in a prog-psy state of mind when all of that was going down. Like, I'd heard there was a 'neo-goa' movement out on the fringes of the psy trance scene, but was more taken in by the sexy sounds of Altar and Ultimae to give much care. Or maybe I'd simply spent too much time scoping out full-on and dark psy that I couldn't possibly fathom anything so deliciously retro would exist without some caveats attached. Some, sure, but E-Mantra didn't seem preoccupied with those, coming out with a hard, fast, 'deep' selection of tunes right out the gate.

I really wish I had caught this wave of goa trance when it was first emerging, because holy cow, it doesn't waste any time sucking you back to the '90s glory days. Yes, I've oft repeated that sentiment over nearly everything I've covered from Suntrip now, but there's just no denying it. Opener Praying Forest sets a brisk rhythm (not the rubbery full-on kind!), synths oscillating with spacey echo and delay effects, acid squiggling in the background, and ooh! Some of those sounds remind me of Etnica at their best. Is it any wonder nostalgic goa-heads fell in love with Arcana, such that they felt E-Mantra never recaptured that magical vibe in the following years? Sure, I can believe that, if you're hardwired to only accept one strain of psy trance as the most noble and true. And boy does Emanuel ever offer up that singular style in spades.

Yeah, Arcana's great strength is also kinda' its one weakness, in that there isn't that much variation from track to track. In a way, I rather like the album like this, imparting something of a live, free-flowing vibe as things play out. Little leaps out as “d'at hook!”, but I'm fine with it, letting things play out as though you're hearing a set out in the woods at peak tweakin' hours. If anything, I almost wish these tracks were continuously mixed, further enhancing my engagement.

Things slow down in the final two tracks, Ninive Under The Stars a chuggier groover with acid to spare, while Beyond The Boreas throws a token nod to the trendier prog-psy of the time. Bit of a comedown, but eh, lots of old psy albums ended on the downbeat too.

N:L:E & Yahgan - Antarctica

Liquid Frog Records: 2022

What, you thought I was done with Mr. Giacovino? It's only been two months since I last talked him up, a not-insignificant gap of time for sure, but not so long as to grow forgetful. I only just started this discography back in early June, and we've a long way to go indeed before finishing it off. Hell, that Lucette Bourdin box-set took nearly two years to complete, so ain't no way we're wrapping up Natural Life Essence and all his various aliases in due haste. There will just be alphabetically imposed lean times, is all, just as I'm sure there will be with all those Suntrip CDs. I'm sure...

This particular release has a little something extra to talk about though, in that it features both N:L:E and Yahgan, Juan Pablo's project that references the peoples native to the southernmost tip of South America. Naturally, music with a more frigid, arctic theme tends to follow this handle, but sometimes you gotta' get in a little extra pep with those vibes – keep the toes toasty with the tap-dancing, and whatnot. At least, that's what I assume is going on in combining the two projects for this release: a typical N:L:E jam-out, but with something thematically colder than his usual assortment of earthly sounds. I feel like we're cutting the differences between all of Mr. Giacovino's projects down to the slimmest of margins here.

I can't deny having some difficulty discerning the difference between N:L:E and Yahgan with these lengthy pieces. Antarctica features two twenty-minute plus tracks, and a 'bonus' cut of ten-minutes. The first, Antarctic Sun, does capture the feeling of a brightening dawn emerging over a frozen wasteland, chilly pads and glistening synths sparkling layer upon layer. With plenty of time to stretch things out, the piece is well past half-over before a dubby bassline and soft rhythm joins the chill party. Beyond some backing pads growing more prominent, however, Antarctic Sun doesn't really shoot for a rousing climax. Would seem out of place for such a generally tranquil track.

By contrast, Glacial Night keeps things strictly on the down-low and mysterious, the only hint of rhythm being sparse synth heartbeats. While there are similar elements at play as in Antarctic Sun, they're performed so subtly, it truly does impart a feeling of being locked in eternal night. Right, we're not talking dark ambient levels of dread, the shimmering nature of Juan Pablo's music providing too much relative bliss. Think more the twinkling of southern stars, or glistening ice on iceberg-clogged waters. There is a build of rhythm towards the end of Glacial Night, as though the long twilight is coming to an end, but doesn't amount to much on the whole.

Speaking of icebergs, Wandering Icebergs (Hypnotic Trip Mix) closes this album out, though it's just more of the same lengthy, loopy ambient pulses we've heard already, with some added echo and field recordings for flavour. It's fine, just feels like the 'bonus track' its designated as.

Median Project - Another Galaxy

Suntrip Records: 2021

It's such a strange sensation, not knowing what to say about something you generally enjoy. At a fundamental level, there's little I find fault in with Median Project's Another Galaxy. Yet I'm barely a half-dozen releases deep into this Suntrip Records bulk buy, and I already feel like I'm running out of talking points beyond general particulars. I know there's future releases with more than that, so I needn't worry about drawing blanks on some... sixty, seventy (?) more of these to go? When a label is so hard-wired to its musical manifesto – in this case, vintage goa and psy trance for the modern ear – you're gonna' get a lot of repetition. I'm sure I'll come across more diversity the deeper into Suntrip's history I go, but for now, it does all feel a bit like treading psychedelic waters.

And I really don't want to sound unjustly critical about this one specific CD from the Sergei Petrenko project. As I said, it's all properly solid psy as I've come to expect from Suntrip. That's just the issue though: I already feel like I'm too hip to the label's tricks, so that initial thrill of discovering something new and exciting is already waning, and Another Galaxy is just the unfortunate album that got caught in the initial backwash of personal apathy. I like what I'm hearing when I'm hearing it, it just doesn't stand out much from what my expectations were going in. And when you know you've more of this stuff in the pipeline, such expectations grow ever more tempered indeed.

It does make me yearn for the days when all of this was unexplored sonic territory for yours truly. Yeah, the '90s had its fair share of unmemorable goa trance too, but at least it all was fresh to our ears. The following decade left lots of that to the dustbin of history, so when Suntrip provided retro goa releases, it all felt new again ('neo', if you will).

They've been in operation for nearly two decades, however, and have possibly cranked out more psy trance in that time than some of those fabled labels of old. It's undeniable they've kept a consistent quality through it all – indeed, Median Project's Another Galaxy would stand tall and proud with anything the best of classic Astral Projection. Yet at the same time, I can't help but worry being so dedicated to an ol' school that was so cool has left Suntrip in something of a creative rut. Again, not the best takeaway when I've only just started this icebergian deep-dive into a catalogue, but I'll never be nothing if not honest with my present thoughts on what I'm hearing.

As for Median Project, yeah, he deserved a better 'review' than this from me, but this won't be the last time I'll cross paths with him. Regarding Another Galaxy, it's another collection of solid, modern goa trance, and if that's what you're after, then this will give it to you.