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?

Various - Aurora Sidera

Suntrip Records: 2015

What is this, a Suntrip CD every other review now? Is this, like, gonna' be my whole next year of reviews? Hey, the probability of it is high, but not stupidly so. When I look at two of my 'to review' CD towers, one of which is filled with discs from the goa trance label, the other filled with everything else, it certainly seems like it will be so. Ah, but that doesn't factor in the digital items lodged between them all, of which there are many. Honestly, almost all of my purchases these days are digital, mainly in support of Bandcamp Friday. So... maybe a mere third of my current queue is Suntrip CDs? Yeah, that'll break up any potential psy trance monotony, I'm sure!

Still, it feels weird that half of the half-dozen CDs I've covered thus far have been compilations. Suntrip isn't really heavy with the label showcase collections, letting artist albums do the lifting. One a year, sure, and perhaps a celebratory edition every now and then, but even with a near two-decade lifespan behind them, not a seriously robust number. Not such that they should have been so front-loaded in my alphabetical queue anyway (as if 3 out of 70+ is significant).

Anyhow, Aurora Sidera. Seems even Suntrip weren't entirely sure where to go with their annual compilations, what theme to explore each year, as the little Bandcamp blurb provided is almost a shrug. 'Cosmic Dawn' is the loose translation of this Latin phrase, and the reason for choosing this title is... because it sounded cool, I guess? Yeah, they claim this compilation is all about showing how the neo-goa movement isn't just about paying sonic tribute to the scene's roots, but also evolving into new forms as the years move on. Well, I dunno' about that – I mean, I've heard some of the releases that came after this CD too – but let's at least hear what Aurora Sidera has on offer.

Things kick off with acid. Welp, not gonna' complain about that! Three tracks worth, actually, growing more dynamic with each cut while still retaining those ol' school vibes. Then Morphic Resonance's Altered Perception adds squealing synth leads to the TB-303 action, while E-Mantra gives Artifact303's In Your Mind a thumpin' rub as the acid takes a backseat. Oh, and there's L.S.G.'s Microfish again. I'm starting to wonder if Oliver Lieb is the original source of that distinct spaced-out twisty-bleep sound, hearing it so much in psy trance over the years. On the other hand, he made the most memorable use of it, melding it with the vocal from Netherworld and all (itself a sample), so can you blame me for forever (and a day) linking it to him?

Ah, whoops, got distracted talking about Lieb again. Um, the rest of Aurora Sidera leans heavier into goa trance after that, solid enough stuff as always from Suntrip Records. Excuse me now, I want to listen to Vol. 2 again...

Distant System - Astral Map Error

self release: 2022

I don't know if Tyler Smith has any plans continuing this project. Probably not, as it was already a lo-o-o-ng gap between Spiral Empire and Infinite Continuum, and this doesn't seem a style he's rushing on returning to. Not that he should feel beholden for my sake or anything – sometimes an artist instinctively knows they've said all that needs to be said with an alias, content leaving it at that.

Which is why I was quite happy seeing this odds 'n' sods collection emerge on the Distant System Bandcamp. Sure, it's only five tracks, three of which are remixes of existing singles. That still leaves two new cuts! In the 'feast or famine' discography of this project, it's a gift from the Star Gods. Of course, no CD version came out for it, but seeing as how there wasn't a physical option for the second album, I wasn't too fussed about- Eh? What's that, you say? There is a physical option for both these now? Let me look into that. *time passes*

Oh, wow, this is new. Apparently a label called Digital Reprints exists, specializing in box-sets of discographies that are either out-of-print or never had a print in the first place. Their most recent item is the Distant System catalogue, including both albums and this compilation! Oh man, I know I already have Spiral Empire but it sure would be nice having Infinite Continuum and Astral Map Error on CD and they're already sold out. Damn, didn't even last long enough for my FOMO to kick in.

Anyhow, Astral Map Error. The original track first appeared on the Altar Records' CD Ether, which was awesome there, but perhaps a bit off-kilter for the prog-psy label. Not much different here, the low ends a little more gnarly, but still a kick-ass tune in that pumpin' Distant System style. The other two, Lost Sequence and Pupillary Response, are given a little extra production heft, but remain mostly the same from their original incarnations.

That leaves the two-part Synthetic Synapses, and it's exactly what I wanted to hear from Mr. Smith: more psy-dub of the Cosmic Grande. Seriously, how can this guy just hit that perfect sweet spot of groovy rhythms, soaring synths, spaced-out pads, and tasteful bleep 'n' glitch? And more to the point, how can he be so resistant to make more!

As a bit of catalogue closure on my part, one of the quibbles I had with Infinite Continuum was how its pacing was thrown off by having the album non-mixed, each track featuring ultra-long fading intros. The good news is Tyler somewhat fixed this with a 1-Hour Mix of Distant System material that heavily featured music from his second LP. Granted, I didn't grab that for myself, mostly satisfied with Infinite Continuum as is. It gave those tracks some deserved oomph though, and is worth a listen, especially if it does end up being the final transmission from the Distant System realm.

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.

Speedy J - Armstrong / Klave

self-release: 2021

Oh yeah, Speedy J singles. I still have some of those to finish off, don't I? A lot more, if I decide to ever spring for all of his post-2010 material on Electric Deluxe and Stoor. Okay, not Stoor, that label forever only for the vinyl fetishist market. The other label looks like it might have some interesting items, should I ever get the impulsive Speedy J itch again down the line.

This particular single is a bit of an outlier though. While the music within came out around the same period as Electric Deluxe's early years, neither track ever appeared there. In fact, both Armstrong and Klave came out on totally different prints, Radio Slave's REKIDS and Chris Liebing's CLR, respectably. They were paired with other tracks on those records, so likely produced as favours to those labels in giving them some Real Techno Artists Be Here cred'. Like, ol' Jochem sure didn't need to release anything on them, what with his own labels already up and running.

It did create a bit of a pickle for Speedy, however, in that he couldn't re-issue all of his old material on Bandcamp if these specific tracks were already tied to still-existing prints, with other producers on the original flips. What do? Eh, just grab them back anyway, and release them as a brand new single, that'll do. Does that make this single a compilation then? I don't know about that, but I submitted this to Lord Discogs' tomes as one, so if They That Know All are okay with it, let's run with it.

As Armstrong appeared on Chris Liebing's label, it's small surprise the track is pretty much a heady thumper in that distinct, minimalist Liebing style. In fact, there isn't much to it at all, doing the super-gradual tension build of pounding beats with white noise washes teasing out a potential climax. It never really comes though, the loudest peak coming some two-thirds deep before fading off as though it never was. I'm sure it's an effective piece of business as a techno tool, but a little disappointing for yours truly.

Klave, by contrast, is a little more interesting, in that it treads closer to the realms of tech-house – because of course it would on a Radio Slave label. There's plenty of knob twiddling on reverb and flange effects, which keeps the track evolving for its ten-minute duration, but not much else goes on with it. Frankly, I found the fact the record Klave appeared on had Chris Liebing on the flip more intriuging in a funny sort of way – you'd think that would have been the case with Armstrong, wouldn't it.

So pretty much just a couple functional tracks, but one neat thing did emerge from this session: my discovery that REKIDS has gone techno retro! No, seriously, Radio Slave, the guy who broke out with epic tech-plod tracks, has been making ol' school rave tunes in recent years. As always, everything old become new again!