Therapy is a solid collection of mostly progressive material from Dragonfly Records, one of the psytrance world’s all-time best labels. It would be impossible to consider this release without mentioning Touchin’ Bass, a virtual companion piece which was released one year previously. Many of the songs that appear on Therapy are taken from the reverse side of a vinyl single harvested for release on Touchin’ Bass. This hold true for the material from 12 Moons, Zen Lemonade, Bamboo Forest, Green Oms, and Transparent. Only Tikal, Purple & Ronan, Aphid Moon, and Vibrasphere provide original material that was not previously released. When Therapy came out, I skipped over it, as I already owned most of these tracks on vinyl already. Once I made the shift to collecting CDs, I picked it up in a cheap auction, and I’m glad I did! Now, the cover might not be much to look at, but Dragonfly know how to deliver value, with close to 78 minutes of music on the disc. Here’s my track-by-track analysis…

Ever since Purple & Lunar released the incredible Y2K progressive anthem Subtle Thrust, I had been keeping my ears out for another substantial offering from the authors. It never quite materialized, but Purple & Ronan’s Hold On comes fairly close. Here we have a deep and groovy progressive tune crafted with a strong British vibe. Hold On lopes and wiggles through the first half, eventually reaching a breakdown pierced by a mysterious melody. On the return, an appealing tribal drum hook, also heard on Mino’s Mindblow, adds a satisfying element to the funky rhythmic arrangement. The cheeky male vocal stating “deeper… deeper… we going deeper” could displease some listeners, but it sort of works with the style. I like this well enough – it is a fine example of the post-millennial UK progressive style.

12 Moons provides the second track of the compilation, sourced from the vinyl single from which Nimbus, released on Touchin’ Bass, was taken. The cream of the Scandinavian trance scene – Human Blue, Matenda, Noma – all share a habit of creating music dealing in contrasting moods. While many listeners would lump all of it into the domain of morning trance, I have always found significant differences between the melodic anthems and their more sedate and percussion-oriented kin. Thunderbolt is certainly of the second variety, as it possesses very few actual melodies or strong atmospheric hooks. The focus is on a deep and moody bass groove, topped off with a few scattered sounds cycling through simple patterns. This is the sparse and minimal side of 12 Moons, low in energy, and even a little dull at times. I much prefer this artist’s more stimulating material, but this is still enjoyable enough not to skip through.

Funk the Trunk is a solid offering from the great Scandinavian progressive artist Vibrasphere. I have long wondered if this was to be the B-side for a prospective Dragonfly vinyl single, as the label stopped printing wax in the summer of 2003, barely a month after this compilation was released. Consider the clever play on words in the title as they relate to the excellent song Elephant, released on Plusquam’s Widescreen compilation only one month later. Both share similar sounds, as well as variations on the sample “if an elephant could do what an instrument does…” The track itself is a real gem of groovy morning-time progressive psychedelia, with top production and some gorgeous floating melodies. The flow is just perfect, easing through the transitions with considerable grace and a warm summer vibe. Needless to say, this is excellent!

Zen Lemonade, a collaboration between veteran producer Gus Till and his wife Super Cozi, provides one of the compilation’s best: Pussy Galore.
This is a masterpiece of trance in the Flying Rhino tradition, strangely reminiscent of the refined character of License to Slink (an old classic from the Air Born compilation). The fundamental basis of the deep progressive rhythms are incredibly intricate and sophisticated, shifting through numerous sly permutations before arriving at a killer groove complimented by slick tribal drumming. Over the course of ten whole minutes, the artists gradually unveil a series of epic orchestral melodies, smartly layered and heavily manipulated for maximum effect. The subtle changes and intelligent developments never cease, leaving the listener shaken, not stirred. With the sheer amount of skill and ingenuity on display it would be criminal to not deem this one a favourite. This is the essential Zen Lemonade!

I was quite struck by Bamboo Forest’s Vision when it was first released on a vinyl single in 2002. It isn’t quite as great as the A-side Step By Step, previously released on Touchin’ Bass, but it is still very good. The extensive sample in the introduction is quite touching, speaking of “the light, the vision,” but I will leave the rest for the listener to discover. Fat and funky synthetic rhythms bounce beneath the cheerful interplay of ticklish acid riffs, occasionally calmed with a soothing progressive atmospheric sound. It wiggles and shakes for the duration, breaking now and then for a smooth energy-sustaining bridge. All in all, a quality tune!

Clone is the very first appearance of the French act Tikal, who would later go on to release a pair of albums on Neurobiotic in years to come. Light hints of mystic flutes and tribal chanting set the mood, while the remainder of the track focuses on big resonant riffs and crunchy synth lines. The underlying style is similar in many respects to that of their fellow countrymen, Bamboo Forest, but the production quality isn’t everything that it could have been. Decent, but nothing special.

Green Oms cavort and frolic with Jack in the Box, a playful tune full of squelchy sound particles and cheeky samples. I never did get into this project at all, and while the song is constructed with the veteran skill one would expect from Dick Trevor, it simply doesn’t appeal to me. Apparently it grew to have quite a reputation as a fun party tune back in the day. It isn’t inherently bad in any way; it’s just not my style.

Aphid Moon failed to get my blood pumping on Touchin’ Bass, but Space Ghost, possibly slashed from the High Diver album, is marginally better. The rhythms are very static, seldom deviating from a cold and mechanical groove, but the eerie cosmic atmospheres provide an interesting ambiance. Aphid Moon has much better material out there, however. The excellent single A Lot of Radio sets a high standard, after all. Space Ghost is merely mediocre in comparison.

Transparent’s Transformer is taken from the flip-side of the Acid Blues EP. If you have perused my review of Touchin’ Bass you will recall that I found the A-side to be surprisingly innovative in some respects. Transformer shares a number of attributes with its more striking cousin, including a dirty bass groove, muddy meandering rhythms, and similar sound design. The actual intent is far-removed from the explosive party feel of Acid Blues, however. Here we have a droning trance tune which relies on hypnotic effects and old school style mystic melodies, all shorn down to their most vital notes. It is a decent enough tune, but again, nothing special.

There are no bad tracks on Therapy, but only the first handful really stand out. Vibrasphere and Zen Lemonade provide the strongest material, followed closely by Purple and Bamboo Forest. Credit must be given to Dragonfly for a nearly ideal track ordering, which promotes the sense of a journey being undertaken when listening all the way through. Touchin’ Bass may have had a few more hits and much more variety, but Therapy is somewhat more consistent. As was the case with Touchin’ Bass, although Therapy isn’t much more than an assortment of previously released singles and album teasers, it is still a good compilation suitable for a wide range of psytrance listeners.

Release Data

Title: Therapy
Label: Dragonfly Records
Format: CD compilation
Released: 2003