In my time spent delving deep into record crates, picking dust and detritus from beneath my fingernails, I made an effort to pick up interesting ‘representative’ releases from obscure labels and groups. My goal was to have at least one record from each label that released some quality psychedelic trance, with points awarded for unique approaches, interesting covers, and rarity. Biot’s Electric Skies qualifies for all three. Bochumer Ton Manufaktur (BTM), a label responsible for promoting the experimental sounds of Germany’s Ruhrpott region, did not release much on vinyl that ever appealed to me. This particular record stands out from the crowd, however, and is worth of being mentioned. Biot aka Achim Schlafke was known for having an incredibly original style ever since his debut album Saturation hit the shelves of the world. This EP came out a year later, showing a rapid development in technique while retaining the underlying essence of his earlier work.

Electric Skies is a heavy throbbing techtrance monster that takes a cue from the successful Elmshorn sound popularized by X-Dream, Spiralkinda, and Planet B.E.N. The main feature is an incredibly raw industrial kick backed by resonant bass pulsations. The rhythms are all highly technical with plenty of breakbeat experimentation. Lighter sound effects sweep overhead, casually reinforcing the dirty groove with an aloof determination. It is not outstanding by any means, but should appeal to fans of early minimal psytrance.

She-Va appeared on Achim’s second full-length album Synthetic Organic. The Floor Mix is a deep and muddy rehash, sprinkling lush atmospheric chords across another dirty set of rhythms. The main feature is a dreamy female vocal hook that sounds very carefree and childish, imbuing this creation with a sense of naïvety. The approach is sensible enough, but it seems to lose some of the epic charm of the original.

In the end its a fairly average record, though it remains one of the more memorable excerpts from BTM history. The cover features a beige glyph printed on textured paper (not pictured here), making it more appealing vintage collectors. It’s not a bad record to add to the stack, but it could be overlooked. Anyone interested in the early development of the minimal sound or Biot’s specific sound would be smart to track it down and give it a try.

Freak Disciple is the collaborative project of ManMadeMan and Tristan, two experienced Goa trance masters. This EP was released around the time of Slinky Wizard’s incredible Jammy Wizard EP and also features the silver metallic cover design. With this set of tracks Flying Rhino began to explore darker pathways in psychedelic trance music, with great success.

Freedom Engine—their masterwork—opens with a cavalcade of mechanical sound textures that set the tone for the song. Soon enough, the pulsating techno-tribal rhythm wiggles into audibility with a strong fluid bass line and a brilliant set of clanking industrial drums. Lush synthetic noises spiral in and out amidst a bubbling cocktail of snarky psychedelic filter sweeps. A distinctly mischievous lead develops in the last half of the song, fulfilling all expectations. The trick ending with 30 seconds to go makes it a tough mix, but it’s worth a shot.

Free Dimension is a more straight-forward permutation of the title track, sounding much more like ManMadeMan’s more conventional pieces of the time. The fat rumble of the flip-side is replaced by a plodding beat and steady hi-hats, driving forth with a steady rhythm accentuated by playful sound effects. It is intellectually stimulating as a companion piece to Freedom Engine but not nearly as great.

This is an excellent piece of vinyl that I remember getting a lot of use out of when it came out. The artists challenged perceptions of what trance could be and came up with an successful concoction. Luckily the title track made it to CD on Flying Rhino’s groundbreaking Turbulence compilation. Vinyl collectors should definitely consider adding this to their collection if they enjoy the mid-period Rhino sound or Matsuri Records. Recommended!