Techtrance, once the strongest subvariant of psychedelic trance, is down to no more than a handful of releases each passing year. As the post-millenial minimal artists transformed themselves into progressive all-stars and electro tycoons, few continue to experiment with the dystopian techniques that first made an impact on the psytrance world through the pioneering efforts of X-Dream and Spiralkinda in 1998. Alongside Headstick, Cold Groove, Horns & Hoofs, Aeon, Gravity Plus, and Boshke Beats, Sweden’s Moonflower Records is one of the few labels to make a release dominated by the psychedelic techno fusion. Electroscopic is their second compilation, featuring tracks selected by DJ Tsekas. He has gathered a curious mix of talents, as you will read. The artwork is solid, but I am disappointed with the running time of 57 minutes.

The Israeli act Triac opens the album in style, charging out of the gate with a sleek and powerful vision of modern techtrance entitled Discharged. The drum programming is excellent, featuring layers of crispy clattering rhythmic loops that smoothly glide above deep kicks. The atmospheric background sounds are handled with skill, striking a sophisticated balance between expression and restraint. I would descibe Triac’s sound as a cross between Opsis and Cyclotron-era Wizzy Noise. The erratic arrangement might frustrate long-mixing DJs, but I enjoy this song anyway. It is a great slice of techtrance for 2005.

For the second offering, Midi Miliz dares to take on X-Dream’s monumental classic Psychomachine, originally released in 1998 on the immensely influential album Radio. I can think of no other act more qualified to make the attempt, and Midi Miliz do not disappoint. I can unequivocally state that this is one of the best psychedelic trance songs ever made. The sheer brilliance of this magnificent creation can only truly be understood by hearing this on a properly tuned stereo system. An incredible depth of powerful emotion is present in the drifting melancholic atmospheres, adeptly complimented by the powerful leads that puncture the soundscape with undeniable force. Composed with the best production techniques in the industry, the results are nothing short of magnificent! Midi Miliz released a much dirtier version of this remix on their 2005 album Non-Standards, but it is nowhere near as great as this. Absolutely essential.

Next up, we have another 2005 remix from the Elmshorn crew. Battlejuice was the song that got me hooked on Spirallianz in 2003, but this version is nearly identical to the original. In fact, I have only noticed two small differences. The cinematic introduction is handled differently, and the production quality or mastering on this version is slightly superior. Let me address the first change in detail. The original version of Battlejuice is structured such a way that the first few minutes simply set the mood. An ominous haze descends, textured with the sound of chains dragging on stone. After one minute of this tense atmospheric prelude, a cold beat rumbles in under the cover of ethereal orchestral themes. This builds towards a final release close to the third minute, during which a subtle piece of melodic innuendo triggers the transition into heavier rhythmic sequences devoid of cinematic overtures. The More Sugar Mix makes a slight modification to this elegant approach. Small details have been changed in the opening sequence, but the most notable shift occurs following the final transition to the body of the song. Instead of letting the orchestral ensemble dissipate into the background, the stringed loops continue to cycle through the incoming shift in rhythm. This greatly reduces the emotional impact of this critical changeover, thereby eroding the power of the eventual orchestral return, late into the final moments of the song. While the difference is indeed subtle, it will matter to those of us who possess an academic approach to the study of trance. Personally, I would never choose to play this remix over the original in any performance context. The essence of the original is preserved, but the arrangement causes a slight decrease in the overall effect of this powerful piece. It’s still a favourite, and sounds great with the superior production or mastering, but I do not approve of the group’s structural modifications.

Cybered displays his Russian heritage with a relentless assault on the senses suitably titled Invasion. This artist had a promising single on The Dissidents in 2004, but I was no great fan of X-Ray Attraction, the full-length album he was involved in as Manifold. Invasion is an improvement on both of these efforts, however. I would describe it as being very similar to Unlimited Edition, in the sense that this is a raw slice of aggressive techtrance with faint hints of gothic themes. The best moments are found deep within the heart of the song, where eerie cinematic pads surge and recede over clanking mechanical drum loops. Sharp synthlines stab at the darkness with regular insistency, but eventually the song slips back into being pure body music for the long comedown. A commendable production nonetheless!

An early convert to the techtrance movement, the Japanese producer K.U.R.O. is one of the last artists to be producing a pure mechanical form of the style. Ion Park is standard material for the artist, dealing in dirty robotic loops and fast-paced chugging beats. Metallic atmospheric hooks pierce the industrial soundscape with assembly line precision, leaving one with the feeling of being trapped in the cold confines of an automated factory. I prefer the cinematic side of techtrance by far, but recognize quality when I hear it. Ion Park is solid.

Dopamin’s Dirty Samba digs deeper into monotonous minimal territory. The kick is hollow, the percussion rattles along, and stark sweeping synths spring up every now and then. The production quality is not great, unfortunatly. Easily overlooked.

I won’t dwell on the two tracks from Platform for very long. They sound as if they have been sitting around since the first techtrance boom in 2001. Back Front is composed in the straight-forward techno style, with no hooks or surprises. Venetzian Dealers has a bit more groove, but remains as repetative as the previous one. Perhaps if you enjoyed the late sound of Hadshot Haheizar, this would be for you. Personally, I never play this CD past track 5.

Electroscopic is a flop. It peaks early, then goes downhill. I have to give them credit for scoring a masterpiece like Psychomachine, but the track selection is by no means consistent. In fairness, Triac and Cybered provide some good material. The Battlejuice remix isn’t bad either, but I usually score no points in those cases where one version of a track is clearly superior to the other, as in this instance. If you are seeking a ground-breaking release in the techtrance style, check out Chronika Chapter Two. Electoscopic is only for collectors, Midi Miliz fanatics, and die-hard techtrance junkies.

Release Data

Title: Electroscopic
Label: Moonflower Productions
Format: CD compilation
Released: 2005

In the late nineties, the Full On series of compilations from Hom-Mega Productions came to be widely regarded as featuring some of the more noteworthy dance floor anthems to come out of Israel. Late into 1997, DJ Eyal Yankovich launched the label on to the global psytrance stage with the first in the series, Full On 1. As with many early efforts, this compilation was later eclipsed by better releases on Hom-Mega. The cover art is primitive in comparison to future works, and the track selection is not nearly as strong as Full On 2 and Full On 3. This compilation is lightly mixed on CD, and was the third vinyl LP release on Balloonia.

Xerox & Freeman open the compilation with one of their early successes: Getafreak. Electrical noises, a variety of melodic moods, and energetic beats mark this one down as a dance floor anthem. It sounds as if the duo were influenced by earlier work from Chakra & Edi Mis, as heard in the noisy bass lines and edgy acid riffs. A good effort, but not quite there yet.

With End Of The World, Sandman forged a masterpiece of dark psychedelic trance. Composed in the style recognizable from his debut album Witchcraft, this is a stirring exploration of deep psychedelic states with a perfect use of a famous sample from the late Bill Hicks: “Today, a young man on acid, realised that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration. That we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively, there is no such thing as death, life is only a dream, and we are the imagination of ourselves…” Thanks to immeasureably rich soundscapes, haunting melodies, and a unique production approach, this remains one of the finest products of mid-nineties Israeli psytrance.

Well Done is one of a handful of early tracks from Cybel – a group that would later go on to become PsyCraft, one of Hom-Mega’s major artists, with three albums released on the label by 2006. At this early stage, their style had not differentiated from the typical sound of melodic Israeli psytrance in any significant way, and their production skills were not yet mature. With bold leads and pushy beats rushing by at 148 BPM, this one does a decent job fulfilling the promise of the compilation’s title, but isn’t remotely memorable.

Freeman’s second contribution is the fastest track of the compilation, clocking in at 150 BPM. The liner notes call it “a big track for big sound systems!” The aggressive cybernetic character of Cellurian, Eternal March, and Liquid Noise is easily perceived. Chunky bass lines and hard kicks enforce the rhythm, while haunting melodies gradually gather towards critical mass in the last few minutes. This haunting relic is the essence of high-energy dark psychedelic trance circa 1997.

Alien Funk is the first track from Maskalin, which later became a collaborative project of Moshe Kenan (Xerox) and Itzik Benisti (one half of Cosmic Navigators). In this first incarnation, the credits also list Doron Kosovski (Freeman) as being involved. This is one of the more high profile tracks from this compilation, as it was previously released on a Mark Allen mix from Return To The Source entitled Shamanic Trance 2 – Psiberfunk. The honour is somewhat justified, as this is much more weird and experimental than most Israeli trance of this era. A blend of eerie mystic melodies and funky bass lines intersects with tribal drums, bubbly acid riffs, and trippy samples. The arrangement is rather abstract and disjointed at times, which is a serious impediment to its future listenability. However, what it lacks in polish it partially makes up for in charm. Worth a listen.

Mid Desert is the single track from Ofer Dikovski’s Freekim project, a collaboration with Eric Ben Simon & Igal Ashkenazi. It was well-regarded back when it was released, appearing on no less than two other compilations: Koyote’s Enlightenment, and POF Music’s Nataraja 3. It sounds fairly similar to the one track from Apocalyptic, released a year later on Atomic’s ElectrosectElectrosect. Ofer’s powerful trance rhythms are solid, but the guitar work leaves something to be desired. Otherwise, it is fairly well composed, but I feel that Ofer has much better material out there.

Fata Morgana is the second offering from Xerox & Freeman. Many instrumental samples are thrown into the usual Israeli trance brew, including the sharp twang of sitars, ominous chiming of church bells, pitter-patter of water drums, and other mock mystic sounds. An unidentified vocal sample also appears several times: “there is no way to defend against something if you don’t know what it is, and despite all the sightings, nobody knew for sure what they were seeing.” Ultimately it feels overloaded with unnecessary Goa trance clichés. Pass.

P.Cok rounds it out with a deep piece of Goa trance featuring full-bodied Oriental flavours. Sticky rhythms plod through repetative sequences while subtle atmospheric pads waver and drift for the duration. There are no surprises, sudden shifts, or explosions; the focus is on a pure hypnotic feeling. It is difficult to appreciate in the context of this compilation, but might do well with some listeners.

Full On 1 features a few good tracks and plenty of standard filler common at the time of release. It will be of interest to some old school Goa fans, mostly for the excellent track from Sandman, but may otherwise be overlooked. Full On 2 is the one to get in this series.

Release Data

Title: Full On 1
Label: HOMmega Productions
Format: CD/Vinyl compilation
Released: 1997