Various - Classic Goa Trax

Suntrip Records: 2022

Some half-decade ago, Suntrip got it inside their heads that, while it's all well and fun keeping goa trance alive with new talents, what about the unheralded acts of old? The big names managed to keep their stock alive, whether through retention of label rights or re-issues through other sources. Could there be others though, who never had enough scene clout to keep their music out of legal limbo, forever lost to publishing purgatory, their original CDs demanding stupid sums of second-hand market money? Some, yes, so they launched a sub-label dedicated to digging deep into psy's history for such trance artifacts: Classic Goa Trax. It started rather small, but has since seen digital re-issues of material from luminaries like Prana, Etnica, and Pleiadians.

Well, some folks must have been itching for something tangible, as we now have a double-disc compilation of Classic Goa Trax. Acting as a means of additional promotion in case folks somehow missed the sub-label's existence doesn't hurt either. Regardless, surely this will serve as a nice highlight of all those digital releases, right? No, not really, nothing from them making it on here. Ah, then it's a proper classics showcase then, consolidating the best of the best from goa's glory years! Nope, not that either. In fact, there's only a handful of featured artists among these two CDs I'd consider actual 'classic' worthy. S.U.N. Project, Bypass Unit, Mystica. I also recognize Twisted Travellers, but by and large, we're dealing with some ultra-obscure projects on this compilation, many having never released more than a couple tracks back in the day.

What this should actually be called is Goa Trance In A Classic Style. Or, more accurately, Unreleased Goa Trance From The Classic Era. Neither have quite the same marketing punch as Classic Goa Trax though, do they.

With that in mind, I can only recommend this compilation for those who can't get enough of the vintage '90s sound because, hoo boy, does the production and songcraft ever show its age. I'm sure Suntrip did all they could to beef the quality to acceptable modern standards, and there are those who are weary of how bricked a lot of contemporary tunes are. When you're dealing with a bunch of artists that never got much shine, however, offering up tracks that originally never saw the light of day, you're gonna' have to keep your expectations fair and low.

Of course, it's not outright awful or anything – Suntrip does maintain some standards, even if many cuts are rather basic and frequently wibbly. Still, as a comparison, I threw on one of those Goa Trance discs from Rumour Records, that stuff clearly weaker than what's heard here. If even the likes of Astral Projection or Total Eclipse never did it for you though, then this collection of tunes hasn't a hope in Hell. Props to Suntrip in having the gumption for even releasing such a compilation, but this one's strictly for hardcore fans of an ancient style.

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.

Tune - Change The Beat

R & S Records: 1991/2021

This has to be Jochem's most obscure project. Yeah, those in the know know who it is, while R & S Records is hardly some dingy underground techno label lost to the mists of time. If I hadn't told you this was from Speedy J though, would you even be able to tell? Okay, maybe if you sat down and listened to the darn thing, you could, though you'd have to have a near perfect memory of all his early '90s works to work that out.

More what I'm getting at though, is the alias he chose for this is the most nondescript thing you could imagine. Obviously he couldn't just use Speedy J again, as that was a Plus 8 exclusive. No, wait, Jochem used that name for Pull Over as well, and that came out on Music Man Records the same year. Maybe he wanted to completely distance himself from it, as R & S wasn't seen as quite the serious techno label yet, with their own pile of rave producers – C.J. Bolland, Joey Beltram, Human Resource, and the like. Don't worry though, you'll be called 'The Belgian Warp' soon enough. Just wait until their Apollo sub-label launches, then you're in for some real serious shit!

Where was I? Oh, right, Tune. What's up with such a plain-jane name like that? Was Jochem just hard pressed to come up with something when submitting these tracks for pressing? Did he figure they wouldn't have much hope of standing out among R & S' heavy hitters, so here's an utterly forgettable one before receding back to the comforting embrace of the Detroit upstart? He certainly never felt compelled to return to this alias or R & S, Change The Beat his lone contribution to either. Hell, even Public Energy got two singles out of Jochem.

I can't deny, I almost had Pull Over worry in the way the titular cut starts, a stupidly simple note played over a thudding beat and off-beat bassline. Things actually get a little more clever along the way though, a lone backing string added, some sparkly synths bringing flair, and a couple decent little bass drop fills. When everything finally gets going in full motion, including a pleasant little pad melody, I'm ready for things to properly take off for- oh, the track's already done. Dang, wish he'd gotten to the good stuff sooner.

Tonight is the 'funner' track though, what with vibrant rhythms, orchestral stings, and gnarly synths winding about. Yeah, this definitely fits better on the Belgian rave label. Just to remind folks he's actually a Dutch-Detroit techno producer though, b-side Extrasensory gets on that Motor City retro-future jam session. And unlike the other two, this track gets an extra couple minutes to strut its stuff. Not sure what folks coming into this expecting Dominators would think, but surely European ravers were aware of music such as this, right? Or were they only hankering for hoovers and pianos?

Various - Carpe Noctem

Suntrip Records: 2021

I took a month off because I was feeling burnt-out reviewing so many items within the same genres, so of course the very first item I'm covering upon returning is more. No, really, I'm cool with it, I knew this was in store for me. I just find it funny, is all. Someone else would ditch the music that was creating said burn-out, and focus on something else, but not me! But hey, looking at what other music I have in the pipeline, that will be the case, eventually. Just, y'know, gotta' go through some regular business to get there.

The good news is that, unlike many Suntrip CDs I've thus far covered, this one is different. Like, really different. 'An entirely different genre' different! Okay, sub-genre. It's still psy trance, but in a move I was totally not expecting, this one goes dark. Or maybe I should have expected that from a compilation titled Carpe Noctem, and a promo spiel fully admitting they're doing something different for their annual label showcase. They don't want to go full dark psy, mind, calling their take 'melodic forest', but the sentiment remains the same: trippy trance music for the punters in full motion during the hour of the wolf.

I also don't recognize many names here. Ka-Sol is one, because they were among Suntrip's earliest releases. With a sound that didn't quite mesh with the young label's future retro-goa manifesto, however, they moved onto prints more accommodating of their darker aesthetic. The other name I recognize is Battle Of The Future Buddhas, because once you see a name like that, you'll never forget it ever again. And wait, is that the Xenomorph I spy? Like, the dude who practically kicked off the dark psy pantheon way back in the day? Didn't even know he was still active. Well, that's certainly a get for your tentative steps into a different sub-genre.

The rest of the roster rounds out with names like Spindrift, Smuds, L.A.B., Proxeeus, and Dragon Twins (think I've seen that one too?). And the music is definitely dark psy, though not nearly as twisted as some of the stuff I heard out of Trishula back when. Okay, that Xenomorph track definitely is, but then I'd expect nothing less from an O.G., while the Proxeeus track Breaking Down The Barrier almost has me reminding of Procs, never a bad thing. Towards CD end, however, you can hear hints and feelers of Suntrip's usual foray into the more melodic and ear-wormy, which I guess makes sense if this is meant to represent the transition into morning psy.

Except the last track JaraLuca, which goes way back with Flashbacks. Like, before there was even really a thing as goa trance, when the genre was still in its primordial industrial roots. The acid is chunky, songcraft is straight-forward, and the rhythms are quite under-produced, deliberately so. It's the sort of track you'd expect on a long-lost New Beat compilation, not one released in the current decade.

N:L:E - Caravan Of Healing Sounds

So I took a month off to 'recharge' my creative spark and all that, but to be completely honest, it was also partly in fear of dealing with this series. As committed to reviewing Every. Single. Item. in my music collection as I am, I was utterly stumped in how to approach this run of ten albums from Juan Pablo Giacovino and keep it interesting. Even all those Lucette Bourdin albums were reasonably spaced out enough such that I could approach them from a different angle each time. Spending nearly two weeks on just Natural Life Essence ambient music though? Sorry, I got nothin'. I couldn't even think of a clever 'gimmick', like guest reviewers (real or fictional) or turning the process into some fanciful flight of fictional writing. There had to be something I could do though?

Hey, what about that 'sportsing' survey thing I do on the side? Just write concise, micro-blogging length summaries of each volume after listening to them on a stroll, then consolidate them all here in one fell swoop. Yeah, that can work, and at least keep some writing momentum going during this 'downtime'. Besides, I think everyone, Juan Pablo included, would agree Caravan Of Healing Sounds doesn't need that much critical analysis given to it. It's music mostly intended for background play and relaxing thoughts, right? Um, right... 'mostly'. Turns out this series was more diverse than I thought going in, but let's see how it all shook out regardless.










And that's done and dusted. Time to move onto the rest of my 'C' albums in this blog's never ending conquest of my music consumption coverage. A letter block that includes... hrm, more Suntrip CDs, more Speedy J material, and more N:L:E items. Folks, I promise I have more variety in my 'To Review' pile further down the line!

As for my next 'sportsing' survey, I think I need something with some actual pep to it again, a tried and tested, dependable source of cock-rock music as there's ever been, a band that's always heard at every sporting event you'll ever attend. Can you hear it, the 'THUN-DAH' on the air...?

Sykonee's 'Sportsing' Surveys: THE ROOTS

Right, The Roots. This took a lot longer than I was planning, and not because this was some impossibly large discography. Oh, I thought there might be more out there than just their mainline records. After all, when you're billed as one of the most successful live hip-hop bands on the planet, you'd expect a tonne of live albums. Only one has seen an official release though, but that's neither here nor there. No, the reason it took me some 2.5 months to complete this survey is because, um... I didn't do much 'sportsing' for over a month there. Look, when one comes down with a heavy case of 'Mopevember', coupled with literally cracking a molar such that I had to get a crown for it, such things tend to throw one's regular physical regiment out of wack.

What's not wack, however, is The Roots. I first come into contact with them when their charming What They Do video was making the rounds, taking the piss out of all the rap music cliches that were prevelent in the '90s (hehe, 'butt cramp'...). Clearly these chaps were on a more 'conscious' level than their peers, but I was still a few years away from truly getting bit by the hip-hop bug. When it finally did, some of their eye-catching items like Phrenology and Game Theory got me more curious, but never did I pull that trigger. I really have no excuse to put them off any longer though, so time to go whole hog on their discography!













That took a few more unexpected turns than I, erm, expected. Like, they started out pretty much as I figured, but even early on, they were throwing curveballs left and right. Them getting thick into the genre daliances, however, really took me surprise, and I love they were willing to do that, especially at the height of their popularity. Or at least, the height of their initial popularity. I sense they've become an altogether different kind of popular now, the kind that even middle America is comfortable with. Seems somewhat antithetical to their original manifesto, but eh, brothers gotta' get paid.

As for what's next for surveying, think I'll be killing two birds with one stone, even if the music I'll be listening to will be only suitable for the most meditative of 'sportsing' activities.

ACE TRACKS: November - December 2023 ...and an EMC Update

Well, that was certainly a productive December on my end, especially that flurry towards the finish. Nicely made up for the lacklustre November (or as I liked to call it 'Mopevember'). There's just something about the block of 'B' albums that always inspires me to haul writer's ass. I'm serious! Two years ago, I had another productive month finishing off another bundle of 'B' albums. And earlier that year, another solid run of writing about, you guessed it, albums with titles starting with the letter 'B'. Man, if every album I forever did now was like that, I might even get back to my pre-Pandemic rate of output! Yeah, no, I wouldn't count on it.

Or maybe I just need a little recharge break? I've had lulls and inspiration blackouts, but I'm talking about a deliberate 'time-out' from writing new reviews. Haven't taken one of those since... um *checks* Holy cow, April 2018!? No wonder I'm feeling burnt-out.

That settles it. I'm kicking off 2024 with a month-long sabbatical. I'll still do my 'Sportsing Surveys' but methinks I'm well overdue for a mental recharge. Gotta' come up with fresh angles to cover all that goa trance in my 'To Review' pile, after all.

Speaking of, here's the ACE TRACKS from the last two months!


Full track list here.


MISSING ALBUMS:
Humanoid - Built By Humanoid
N:L:E - Botanical Adventures
N:L:E & Kiphi - Blurred Milkway
N:L:E - Bioluminescent Forest
N:L:E & Kiphi - Between Dreams And Reality
Distant System - Astral Map Error

Percentage Of Hip-Hop: 12%
Percentage Of Rock: 10%
Percentage Of Psy Trance: 52%

Hey, look at that, a new category! Figured if I'm gonna' be reviewing that much goa going forward (and I apparently can't count on N:L:E to break up the monotony some), I should warn folks ahead of time.

Hoo boy, is it ever dominate in this playlist. Even at a 'mere' fifty percent of the 6.5 hour runtime, it sure feels like there's so damn much of it. You'll hear two, maybe three tracks of psy at a time, then a lone ambient or synthwave or hip-hop track will come in, then another run of three, maybe four psy trance cuts again. Considering I reviewed only eight items from Suntrip these past couple months, it sure does come off over-weighted. And I'm only showcasing the cream of the crop circles here!

Alright, I'm (mostly) peacing out for now. See y'all in February!

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.

Speedy J - Bugmod

NovaMute: 2002/2021

The last single to be properly spun off from Loudboxer, this. Yes, I know Tanga kinda'-sorta' was too, but none of those tracks featured on the album, no matter what the similar artwork suggests. Speaking of, holy cow, I can't believe I didn't notice it before, but gander at that black stripe beside Bugmod there. Know what's under it? It's Krekc! And Tanga had both this and Krekc blotted out in white above as well. Oh man, I love it when spin-off singles maintain a running theme – makes them feel more like part of a proper series than some disjointed association.

But wait, you say, there be no Bugmod on Loudboxer either. Is this another Tanga situation, where we'll get a Bugmod, a Buugmod, and a Bugmood? No, but we do get a little more Krikc and Krekc, by way of remixes. The other two tracks on this EP are strictly Speedy J originals, so let's have a listen in.

And Bugmod pretty much picks up where the rest of Loudboxer left off, an unrelenting pummelling of percussion, the snare and hi-hats tasting a touch of flange. An off-beat bleep is the only thing resembling any sort of hook, but earworms is not the point of this cut. There's also a nifty little 'fade it down, bring it all back' peak, which makes Bugmod a little more useful for set construction than just another tool to throw down, but better be quick on your next draw, 'cause this track ends quite abruptly. On the flip, Glov at first seems like it might be the 'deeper' option, the pounding beatcraft simpler and steady. Then what's this? An actual hook? Okay, it's still just synth stabs keeping pace with the rhythm, but they build upon each other, retreat, coalesce, retreat, and so on. It's the closest thing to a melody that Jochem gives out of the whole Loudboxer enterprise, and you'll love it, darn it all!

The remixes, then. DJ Rush handles the first, on Krekc. I'm not really familiar with this techno veteran, though he is Jeff Mills Approved, so there's that. Lord Discogs also tells me I have at least one other of his tracks, on... wait djmixed.com/keoki? Really!? Haha, never would have expected that. Anyhow, his go with Krekc is pretty much more techno bosh, with a little transistor tweeting knob twiddlin'.

On the other end is Umek, who I definitely know, so no need to get into details there. He gets to have a go with Krikc and holy cow, is this ever a blinder of a cut. I'd actually forgotten just how much of a banger the original is, and Umek sees no point in taming this beast for his use. Instead, he throws in an actual hook, a simple sweeping little thing oscillating as it carries on. It's not even harsh or gritty as you'd expect of techno in this vein, surprisingly gentle on the ears even as the beats punch your chest cavity into submission.

Dance With The Dead - B-Sides: Volume 1

self-release: 2017

Yep, I've still got Dance With The Dead material too. Man, have I ever been burning through a lot of those bulk-buy bundles this past month. Something about the letter 'B' artists just love utilizing in titles. And you'd think, having reached the B-Sides of Justin and Tony's band, I've finally come to the end of their discography. Like, how can there be anything more after the also-ran tracks from their back catalogue? If I was reviewing their stuff in sensible order, that would be true, but no, there's still One (1) more album I've yet to cover. Talk about timely.

Incidentally, having snagged all their stuff off Bandcamp, you'd think getting a b-sides collection would be redundant. After all, aren't such songs the extra cuts you'd find on the backside of singles or bonus tracks off albums? Traditionally, yes, but we're in a brave new world of digital now, where obscure cuts are easily available with an artist's entire library. Instead, b-side collections serve the purpose of rounding up wayward releases that have appeared on label compilations or guest features on other artists' albums. So more like rarities and such, but B-Sides: Volume 1 has a nice ring to it nonetheless.

That said, I'm wondering if this compilation of songs should mostly be called 'rare and unreleased', as by Lord Discogs' count, barely a quarter of them have appeared elsewhere. And the ones that have, hoo boy, are they ever Dance With The Dead at their absolute best. Pumping Outrun rhythms, bright synth riffs in overdrive, and Tony's impossibly epic shredding in spades. I mean, if you're gonna' get a feature on any ol' synthwave CD, you generally want to send your best shit for all to hear, get them intrigued to hear more. Hell, it worked on me, though it was that remix they did for GosT's Reign In Hell that got my curiosity piqued. Hey, why isn't that on here? Or any of their remixes, for that matter? Huh, guess they gotta' save some stuff for Volume 2.

So this volume may or may not have many unreleased songs, since I've no way of confirming so few of them actually appeared on other compilations. Oh alright, I could dive deep into the ditches of the synthwave compilation scene, but dear God, do you have any idea how stupidly vast that is, with so few folks having actually gotten any? I'm not surprised Lord Discogs has many supposed gaps in this info.

What I can tell is B-Sides: Volume 1 does seem to be in chronological order, the band's earlier emphasis on the metal side of things quite prevalent in the first run of tracks. There's a couple slower songs too (Stoic, Blood Moon, Surrender, They Only Come Out At Night), which confirms to me many of these are just unreleased tunes that didn't make an album cut. Which does make the lengthy fifteen tracks of this kinda' ironic, what with most DWtD LPs quite svelte and tightly sequenced.