Blue Room Released made their first foray into the music market with Outside the Reactor, a loose collection of ten tracks composed in a variety of styles, gathered from artists across Europe and Israel. Blue Room maintained a healthy policy of exploring realms of electronic music beyond the strict definition of trance throughout their history, so it should come as no real surprise that Outside the Reactor is fairly diverse. Although it was released in April of 1995, most of these tracks were produced in previous years. The initial response to the compilation was not favourable amongst Goa trance fans. In an undated (1996?) comment on the early review site TRiP, vs22@cornell.edu states:

Other Blue Room releases have a memorable electronic magic that this one just lacks.

skim-rn@worldnet.att.net goes into greater detail in May of 1998:

To me, it’s not “complex” enough. It’s not really dynamic either. I definitely would listen to other BRR stuff before this CD.

These criticisms are valid, but Blue Room’s debut is still worth investigating. Outside the Reactor wasn’t an incredible success, but Blue Room would go on to showcase major trance acts such as Total Eclipse, Juno Reactor, Etnica, and The Infinity Project before the year was out. In consideration of Blue Room’s status as one of the finest psytrance labels of the formative years, an examination of their origins is not without benefit.

Ausgang is an alias Steve Stoll, a techno producer known for his minimal approach. Wires is taken from a vinyl single released in 1994 on Synewave. True to form, the artist maintains a very linear approach, sprinkling an odd assortment of sawtooth sounds over a repetitive techno rhythm. Faint hints of psychedelic elements can be heard in the background near the very end, but this is too slow to develop for my taste.

The second track is provided by another famous techno artist: Cari Lekebusch. Also hailing from 1994, The Possessed is taken from a vinyl single released on Sweden’s Planet Rhythm Records, who were releasing energetic techno with trance influences in the mid-90s. Now this is more like it! A hard banging beat kicks up dust while haunting atmospheres lurk in the background. Eerie rising melodies pierce the air with sinister intent, and dirty distorted kicks create anxiety in the later moments. It isn’t Goa trance, but it is still interesting for an old school fans. Then again, it helps that I was a Cari Lekebusch fan for several years in the late 90s. This is the kind of techno that can engage my attention and keep me interested.

Juno Reactor’s remix of The Loyaliser deconstructs the alternative rock sound of the original into some kind of space techno fusion that sounds something like a few of the Killing Joke remixes released on Dragonfly in the same year. Ben Watkins, Mike Maguire, and Stephen Holweck are credited in the liner notes. The song is a strange one, erupting into scathing guitar riffs or drifting into a cosmic reverie without much in the way of foreshadowing. Juno Reactor’s early sound is undeniably distinct, but this is nowhere near as tight as the material found on their album Beyond the Infinite. I can respect this as an uncommonly artistic piece of early trance, but I think this is mostly of interest to Juno Reactor fanatics.

Spectral deliver a delightful piece of soft trance with Bizarre Planet, licensed from a 12″ single released on Subliminal Records out of France. The beat is light and easy, integrated with a chattering breakbeat loop. Mystic chimes and charming melodies flutter around in the open soundscape, making gradual developments without ever exploding into a higher energy state. I relate this sound to early work from tribal trance master Elysium, although this song lacks an overtly tribal component. Bizarre Planet proves to be an interesting piece of retro trance.

Virtuality seems to be a group of Italian EDM producers who dabbled in a variety of formats. The Factory is harvested from a 1994 vinyl released on Belgian label Hard Times. This doesn’t really fit with the rest; it sounds too simplistic, straight-forward, and under-developed. Pass.

Har-Ell’s Wonderland is a classic example of early Israeli trance. It is unclear where the original is taken, although it is a fair bet to say it came out on Nephilim in 1995. Alongside SFX, Har-El Prussky was one of the early pioneers in the style, dealing in soft hypnotic rhythms and layered melodies. It is easy to draw a connection to his later work with DJ Miko as California Sunshine. The song itself is decent but not particularly memorable. Light melodies blossom and recede, punctuated by an occasional break and the sound of birds by the seashore, and a spoken word sample: “so weird I never forgot it.”

Moog is a short-lived project from the same producers behind the Spectral alias. They only released one single as Moog – the Euromotors EP on Step 2 House in 1994 – from which Lazer Point is sourced. The most distinguishing feature is a new wave eighties-style bass line, but the artists do some very nice work on evocative cosmic atmospheres and light fluttering melodies. The rising acid lines and rapid tempo would have worked nicely on the dance floors of the time. For an old track, it is quite easy to like!

Astral Projection’s In-Novation is taken from Trust in Trance 2, released in February of 1994. It sounds much older than it is, however. The elastic bass lines and tightly arranged rhythms are decent enough, but the synth sounds seem deflated and toothless. This is surprising, as the Trust in Trance posse produced some very nice music back then. Disappointing in a way, but not inherently bad.

The last two tracks finally dig into original material exclusive to Blue Room. Paul Jackson as Voodoo People provides a mysterious Goa trance epic with Quadsep (or Quadstep, depending on who you ask). It was well-regarded at the time of release, but I don’t feel that this is nearly as good as some of Jackson’s other work from the same time period. The seminal classic Trancemission is far superior, for example. It is interesting to note that the liner notes state that this song is “taken from his forthcoming album” which never materialized. An interesting historical curiousity, and nothing more.

Total Eclipse close the compilation with Nautilus, which is also the second-to-last song on their excellent debut album Delta Aquarids. Cruising by at a slow speed, this mystic gem dives into deep trance realms. The drums are particularly nice, plainly showing the rock influence of the band members. As Holweck was frequently involved with Ben Watkins of Juno Reactor in a variety of projects, there is some crossover in terms of sound, but Total Eclipse put their own unique spin on things. This is probably the nicest track of the compilation, but it is much nicer to hear in the context of Delta Aquarids.

Outside the Reactor is nowhere near as great as some of the other classic compilations released in 1995, but this is understandable. Electronic dance music was moving quickly in those years, and the choice (or necessity) to focus on material released in 1994 greatly reduced the ability for this compilation to compete. In fact, the association with the first wave of Goa trance compilations is largely based on the year of release. Perhaps it is better to consider Outside the Reactor as part of an earlier era, before the founding of psychedelic trance as a cohesive movement. In any case, it does provide a window into the developing sound of Goa trance in the earliest days.

As a quality listening experience, it is unlikely to thrill anyone other than the most dedicated old school trance and techno fans, and there aren’t many of those left. Historians and collectors will probably wish to own this, even if the music itself doesn’t possess the greater staying power found on releases from labels like TIP and Dragonfly. With respect to the time in which it was released, I think it is fair to say that Outside the Reactor is an average compilation at best.

Release Data

Title: Outside the Reactor
Label: Blue Room Released
Format: CD/Vinyl compilation
Released: 1995

More Information

TRiP: Vintage review (1995 to 2003).

Psychedelic Krembo 2 is best described as an oddity, for it contains an uncommonly strange set of tunes that take a decidedly experimental approach. Vintage reviews on TRiP are ecstatic, and the site went so far as to honour it with a red highlight, for reasons I cannot comprehend. After reviewing Psychedelic Krembo 1 recently, I decided to dig deep into the second in the series to determine whether my long-standing dislike for this compilation is well-grounded or the product of a hasty assessment.

Xerox & Freeman kick it off with Cellurian, an energetic slice of menacing full-on Israeli Goa trance circa 1997. The arrangement is diverse, crossing through a variety of frantic moods with ease. This is solid work for contemporary dance floors, but loses something through the years. A better remix of this song was later released on the Future Navigators compilation from MDMA in the following year.

Lestat (Talamasca) teams up with an Israeli DJ by the name of Adula for the second track, Invaders. Talamasca made an impressive debut on Psychedelic Krembo 1, but this tune is messy, unfocused, and poorly produced.

The original mix of Gravity Waves by Xerox isn’t very good. I can imagine how listeners in 1997 may have found the dark approach to be a change of pace from the usual stuff, but the sound quality isn’t high enough to let the ideas shine through as they should. It ends up sounding muddy and incoherent, and drones on for far too long. Two years later, Infected Mushroom provided the definative remix of this song for the Xerox album Freestyle. I wouldn’t bother with the original version; the remix is superior in every respect.

P.Cok continue to delve deep into darker realms with This Is Not A Game. The beat is raw and aggressive, sinister melodies are used sparingly, and the sample usage contributes to the evil mood. This is a bit different from the rest, and more substantial, but it doesn’t quite make the cut. P.Cok would go on to create much better material in this style in the following year with the release of tracks like Liquid Lunch and Double Doper.

Enertopia’s At The Movies is bad in a different way, for the basic beat might otherwise be a passable foundation. The problem here, to my ears, is simply that the melodies are off-key or in some way unmusical. It just sounds rotten.

Adula & Mitzimotu provide what has got to be one of the worst tracks ever made. What, as it is called, is an insanely sloppy array of disorganized sounds, weird beat patterns, and crappy noises. Make it stop!

Oforia’s Arcadia is a diamond in the rough. As one of the first solo productions from Israel’s master of metallic trance, this stormy anthem helped to define Ofer’s original sound in the minds of listeners worldwide. Seething analog bass lines ripple beneath a deep kick drum, while scattered arrays of twisted melodies follow jagged spirals in the foreground, causing a strong hypnotic effect. When the song reaches full strength, sick leads whip across the soundscape. Years later, Arcadia still sounds wicked. It can also be found on the Best of Psychedelic Krembo compilation, released in 2002. Oforia’s debut album Delirious is also worth a look if you enjoy this, as I do.

I never enjoyed Nada back in the day, but I discovered newfound depths in their sound while reviewing the Black Hole compilation from Nephilim. Break Beat Scientists is also a good find, exhibiting a quality of sound superior to most of the rest on this album. The rhythms aren’t strong, but there is a lot of space in this music, and the atmospheric effects are crafted with a delicate touch. As nice as this is, it does sound dated for 1997. This is one of the more listenable pieces on the compilation, but not quite good enough to be a favourite.

The final track from Enertopia is more of the same garbage… by now I am tired of describing exactly where the artist went wrong, so I’ll say no more.

Psychedelic Krembo 2 is an awful compilation full of ugly sounds and failed experiments, with a few decent tracks jutting out from the slag pile. Why this received such praise in 1997 is beyond me, with labels like TIP and Matsuri coming out with some of their most innovative material at that time. Perhaps this was liked simply because it is so different from the rest – a status which is terribly transient. Years after the fact I can confidently say this is a very poor release. Avoid it!

Release Data

Title: Psychedelic Krembo 2
Label: Krembo Records
Format: CD/Vinyl compilation
Released: 1997