Jörg on Mushroom’s The Messenger remains one of the most interesting and successful far-out experiments in the history of the Infected duo. Here Erez & Duvdev have teamed up with DJ Jörg (who runs Shiva Space Technology) to create an eclectic freestyle mix of classical, tribal, downtempo, jazz, and trance that is unlike just about anything else out there. The song takes the listener on an amazing trip through sound, somehow maintaining a cohesive storyline through 12 minutes of intense experimentation. The group credits Hallucinogen with huge influence over their early sound, so it would follow that they’re paying tribute to Simon Posford’s even more successful Shpongle project with The Messenger. Think about it: Infected Mushroom, at the peak of their creative output, forges their own brilliant imitation of one of psychedelic trance’s most beloved acts? If you were ever a fan, you can’t miss this. There is even a steady beat in the final minutes, which makes this awe-inspiring creation mixable. Unbelievable!

Easy Going by Shidapu feat. SST (an alias involving the same people) on the flipside isn’t nearly as good. The song is an early version of a track from Classical Mushroom fused with funky/bluesy piano riffs, but it sounds terrible. During this time period the group were using their old moniker Shidapu for any songs they weren’t proud of, and it shows. Disposable.

Forget the A-side and just seek out The Messenger – it’s magnificent. This vinyl single remains a collector’s item, seldom seen available for sale anywhere. CD buyers will be glad to hear that this masterpiece is available on Kumharas from Shiva Space Technology, as well as the influential double-CD Space Mantra from BNE / YoYo.

Release Data

Artist: Jörg on Mushroom
Title: The Messenger
Label: Shiva Space Technology
Format: Vinyl EP
Released: 1999

The very first Örebro Freakfactory compilation was released back in 2001, a time period dominated by the minimal trance movement. Stone Age Records provided a panacea for freaks seeking energetic sounds: an underground compilation loaded with maximal Swedish Goa trance. It is not exactly a tribute to the golden era in the style of the Tranceform Records compilation Blissful Moments, nor is it a “forest” compilation like the sole release from Kavator, but Örebro Freakfactory 1 does share a few things in common with both of these contemporaneous productions. The cover design is quaintly simplistic with bold colours and simple graphics in a jewel case.

Spindrift opens the album with Breakpoint, setting the tone for the album. The beats are rough and ready—fast rumbling grooves over jibbering bass lines—and the percussion is fairly unrefined. Phantasmal atmospheres are the primary feature here, with shimmering and pulsating synth work bubbling throughout the song. A warm up for the compilation, nothing special.

Mental Poison from Logic Bomb is the real classic from this album. Released in the midst of the group’s most creative period, the song is a wild ride loaded with brilliant drum programming, infectious melodies, and crisp production value. The song dabbles with irresistible grooves and a highly intelligent digital sound. This is easily one of Logic Bomb’s finest songs, and an excellent example of what psytrance is all about!

Miraculix enjoyed a brief period of popularity in the early years of the noughties. Dunder is a high energy song that delves further into hard Goa trance territory. The powerful synthetic leads that emerge in the break are massive monsters, but not particularly dynamic. The second break introduces a new twist on the sound, giving the song an even more menacing character. Though it comes across as rather amateur nowadays, the playful darkness of the leads imbues it with lasting charm.

Steptime’s Timeloop involves the artist behind the first track, and a similar style of kick and bass is to be found here. The effects are more on the liquid side, with swirling patterns of short melodies giving it a somewhat old school feel. The downside is that the song drifts without much focus for much of the running time.

Klegg – 02 begins with some tribal drums that continue as the rumbly kick breaks in. Those oft-used synthetic shaman voice sounds become involved, and a mid-point break features some strange reverberating vocoder work. Unfortunately, the song doesn’t generate much interest as it dabbles with various types of psychedelic sound games.

Irie rocks out from the very beginning with Freakbeat, a twisted tune that opens with a heavy pounding beat. The kicks are pitched into the middle frequencies—Goa trance style!–with a great deal of punch. Crazy noises fly all over the place, with snarky little sounds leaping out to make odd proclamations. This is about as close to the Swedish “forest” style as this album gets. Hard, psychedelic, and nicely arranged; one of the highlights from the album.

Miraculix returns for another showing with Solar, another spooky track with hoover sounds and screaming samples. The beat is clunkier, short jabs of bass giving it a staggered feel. Large leads take charge, layering up after a few sinister breakdowns. This is similar to Dunder but not quite as good, with the same problems as far as dynamic melodic progression goes.

Trashlords is the Stone Age Records super-group, formed by Spindrift and Steptime. Building Peaks features a wide variety of blended shamanic samples, giving it a definite old school feel. The beat has more depth with enveloping bass and the usual kick heard all across this compilation. The arrangement drifts like some of the others as well, but it seems to work slightly better in this instance.

Battle of the Future Buddhas close the album with Illusion, a rather tinny song which doesn’t sound convincing. Sometimes I enjoy their rough productions, but this one fails to charm.

Örebro Freakfactory 1 is a compilation to check out for collectors seeking obscure underground sounds. Though it won’t match modern production standards, and the composition on most of these tracks isn’t as convincing as the classics, there are a few good tracks to be found here. Logic Bomb and Irie are the only ones that really stand out, though the first Miraculix track and the song from Trashlords both possess potential to charm. Optional for fans of the Swedish forest sounds and collectors, and harmless to overlook for just about anyone else, with one exception: be sure to hear Mental Poison—it is fantastic!

Release Data

Title: Örebro Freakfactory 1
Label: StoneAge Records
Format: CD compilation
Released: 2001

Menog’s second album Emotions continues to explore the deliciously dark frontiers of the full-on sound. There’s no disguising how similar to Infected Mushroom this sound is, but at least Menog has put his own twist on much of it. The album was released to mixed reactions in 2004, never seeming to top anyone’s favourites lists, though it generated more discussion than most releases. Owing to my interest in melodic psytrance with a sinister touch, I ended up snagging this one. The samples sure seemed promising, but the album hasn’t held up to repeated listening unfortunatly. I will give the artist and label some credit though – the cover art looks really good, and jamming 79 minutes of music on a CD is really appreciated.

Beyond Emotion opens the album with a dark and psychedelic downbeat tune. It’s not much different from having a trance beat underneath, but it does give the producer some room to develop delicate gothic melodies that layer up and iterate through appealing patterns. It’s a daring thing to throw this in to begin the album, and there are times where I feel that it works, but just as many occasions where I feel that it doesn’t. It’s interesting at the very least, but not a remarkable creation.

Once that is done with we are thrust into the body of the album with the blunt force of Kinho’s Hallucination. Menog is so impatient to get to the body of the song that the introductory sequences are incredibly rushed. However, this is easily excused when it becomes clear that he’s got a wild assortment of huge psychedelic melodies to share with listeners! The bass line is as up front as the leads, hyperactively jacking between beats like the world’s about to end. Structurally it’s as abnormal as Hux Flux, with drops placed at odd intervals, which is sure to confound any DJ eager to play this out and mix it well. Sampling from Fight Club is also somewhat overdone on this one, with numerous utterances from the movie. The result is a frantic piece of truly full-on dark trance, which surprisingly manages to sound polished even as it flips out and hurls melodies all over the place. If nothing else, this wins points for being so brash!

Already Found It lightens the mood somewhat, resorting to bubbly bass lines and a slightly slower groove. The melodies and sound effects are nearly as up front however, and thank goodness for that. This one has some very nice progression from the early tickles of a lead to it’s ultimate peak. Layering is frequently used to create tension, and the build-ups are nice and powerful. The samples are stark and abrupt once again, but this can be forgiven. The spooky mood really conjures a mirthful sense of reckless fun, but this doesn’t quite reach its full potential. The last minute or so sees the tune bog down under the weight of its own aggressive advancement. It’s solid DJ fodder if one can make it work!

Cosmic Consciousness makes a valiant effort to continue developing the theme but can end up sounding somewhat vain, whiny, and hollow. At other times it sounds as if it expresses a tense and frantic storyline with edgy melodies. I don’t quite know why this is, but I still lump this track in with the good ones.

The title track Emotions is an interesting representative of Menog’s style. A heavy driving bottom-end provides an appealing foundation, while a wild assortment of spinning melodics can send one’s mind travelling. In some ways it reminds me of Mr. Peculiar’s material on the Syncrosect DVD, working within the territory of alien biomechanics and mystic pulsating rhythms. All the bijammered activity wouldn’t be quite so sweet if it weren’t topped off with some wicked high-end leads that burst through at all the right moments. It’s a great piece of dark full-on.

DNA Chain begins the descent into the dull half of the album. Here we have a sort of aimless full-on tune with a vaguely annoying bass line fused with some rather weak sounding industrial guitars. There simply isn’t much intelligence to this piece, and it’s tenure as a potential dancefloor weapon has already passed.

Little Bit Freak is originally by fellow Portugeuse producer Paranormal Attack, now known for being a part of the notorious Chemical Crew. Menog’s remix shows some potential at first, but ultimately he resorts to obssessive bass line tinkering and jumpy electrical sounds. There is one psychedelic melody in here which sounds all right, but the rest isn’t engaging.

Menog’s remix of Analog, a collaboration between him and Spectra, continues the slump. The mid-range bass lines unground the song as a whole, leaving it a pale and malnourished creature wafting in the passing breeze. Someone needs to feed this beat! It’s not really all that bad, but anytime I reach this point of the album after listening straight through I’m just tired of it. If I pop it on outside the context of the album it just sounds mediocre, and nothing more.

Malana is more of the same, neither bad nor good. This doesn’t expand on anything heard in the first half of the album. Dark rolling bass lines and faint Infected-derivative melodies remains the norm. Easily overlooked.

Complicated Minds wraps it up with a simple meandering chill-out tune, not quite as engaging as the first downtempo outing. It strays into vaguely emotional territory with pressing atmospheres and a serious sound, but doesn’t really end up making a huge impression. Chilly filler.

Honestly, I don’t really know what happened here; the album tanks after the title track. No amount of repeat listening seems to yield a positive reaction to the final five. It’s something of a mystery, as there isn’t a huge change in style or production quality, and I’ve tried listening to each track outside of the context of the full listening experience on many occasions. I simply find the last half of the album dull and unstimulating in any context. Luckily there’s a bunch of good tunes up front, so all is not lost. Menog has an appealing style, sounding somewhat like Infected Mushroom without resorting to outright imitation. One thing that sometimes irks me are the soft and squishy bass lines the artist uses, although brief exposure can be tolerable. When there’s enough wild stuff going on top – as in Kinho’s Hallucination and Already Found It – the style works well. When a Menog creation lacks intriguing high end melodic sequences, the songs suffer badly in my ears. Complaints aside, there is some good music here. Menog really hits the spot when he goes all out, so I figure his future releases remain something to watch for. I don’t think Emotions is consistent enough to warrant a recommendation, but I’m sure some fans will like this one a whole lot more than I do. It’s another case of too much music – I’d probably like this a lot more if I didn’t listen to so much psytrance. Fans of dark full-on should certainly give it a listen and decide for themselves.

Release Data

Artist: Menog
Title: Emotions
Label: Spectral Records
Format: CD album
Released: 2004