The biggest shop in the U.K. is shutting down at the end of the month! From their mail-out: Chaos Unlimited, the original Psy Trance webstore, will close on 31st August 2006 after 10 years in the Psy Trance scene. This is due to personal health issues combined with the continued decline in Psy Trance CD sales.
Blue Room Released was founded by Simon Ghahary in 1994 to provide a “futuristic soundtrack” for the trailblazing loudspeaker company of the same name. Outside the Reactor, their first full-length release, was compiled by Mike Maguire, who remains entirely faithful to this mission. His selections trend toward the more techno-oriented side of trance music, and the overall vibe…
DJ Basilisk’s Octopus Marmalade is an exploration of the light and funky side of progressive psychedelic trance. These tracks were chosen for their intricate rhythmic programming, deep and groovy bass lines, warm summer melodies, and laid-back atmospheres. Instead of being a peak-time party mix, this one is crafted with smooth harmonic mixing for background listening in the car or at…
Late April of 2006 marks a full decade since my first experience of trance. Ten years ago I attended my first electronic music event: a party thrown by Syrous, one of Toronto’s early large-scale rave production organizations. The party was held in a huge warehouse complex in the industrial wastelands of the west end. Three rooms featured jungle, house, techno,…
Heliocentric is the sound of summer: sixteen upbeat tracks smoothly mixed into a journey that softly builds from thoughtful grooves toward an energetic peak. The introduction is purposefully sedate, though Cosma’s song rapidly catalyses the emotional power of the developing storyline. The mix keeps on pumping steadily until Jaïa’s From Tokyo, when a funky tribal twist alters the trajectory and…
Mystic Revelation is a curious blend of contrasts, uniting the forces of dark and light in a driven melodic journey. Ninja’s Show Time kicks it off, immediately involving the listener in a deep fusion of full-on energy and balanced atmospheric sounds. The slightly Gothic character of the mix becomes apparent by the time Dark Soho’s track glides in. The keystone…
Replicant Redux is a tribute to the grim futuristic mood of tech noir, an artistic style of literature and film best known from the movie Blade Runner. The flow of the set is programmed like a descent into dark realms of the imagination, beginning with a series of synthetic progressive grooves. From here, increasingly mechanical techtrance rhythms vividly flesh…
EAC or Exact Audio Copy is a very handy tool for music fans. Every time I receive an order of new CDs, the very first thing I do is rip and burn two copies of every CD–one for the backup spool, and one for the binder that I bring out to gigs. Making backups and copies for playing out…
Echölab is a collaboration between two Swedish trance veterans: Tomasz Balicki (Atmos) and Henrik Jonsson (Stress Assassin). They first worked together on the Overlap album released on Flying Rhino Records back in 2001. This record appears to be their last; the project has been inactive ever since. Real Delay is a silky-smooth progressive tune that glides along…
Nocturnal Wanderlust is a thoughtfully orchestrated journey through the deeper realms of psychedelic trance with special emphasis on showcasing a smooth and sublime progressive style. Conceptually, the story line unfolds as a descent into the inner world of dreams, reaching a hypnotic state of trance near the heart of the mix with Noma’s tranquil Avoid the Future, and gradually rising…