Krüger & Coyle is the progressive house project that unites Sebastien Krüger (Tarsis, SBK) and Greg Coyle (Lunar, A&R for Transient Records). Following a series of successful 12″ singles, DJ Anti’s “high voltage house music” label ACDC released their debut album Randy Expander in 2004. The style is considered to be “progressive” house precisely because there is a strong trance influence in these works. Krüger & Coyle have managed a real hybrid of the two genres, exploring the fat and funky rhythms of house music while maintaining a deeply hypnotic feel across the album. Each and every track is well produced, relying on a tasteful arrangement of simple sounds and funky beats to generate a dependable dance floor response. Butz & Slutz cruises along at 126 BPM, but the rest maintain a steady rate of 130 BPM. As you may have noticed, most of the track titles make sly reference to salacious acts or human anatomy. There is a distinctly sexy theme at work here!

Butz & Slutz properly introduces the style of Randy Expander. Dirty beats, funky bass lines, and clattering tribal percussion set the scene. Those orgasmic samples bring new meaning to the term “climax.” Shake your tail!

Fit Bint Valley is a great example of how deceptively clever Krüger & Coyle can get. The composition is so basic, featuring little more than a jumpy bass line, steady house beat, a number of tribal drum flourishes, and a powerful two note melody with a few minor atmospheric embellishments. An early breakdown sets the tone for the remainder of the song, as that simple melody rises from the depths. The vocal samples are perfect in context: “on a hot summer night…” Fit Bint Valley is a stunning example of intelligent simplicity.

Krüger & Coyle scored a massive hit with the release of The Witness. This intensely tribal piece of progressive house was charted by numerous big name DJs in and out of the psytrance and progressive trance worlds. Best known for the bold “Ah Shiva!” vocal hook that permeates the song, it rapidly reached anthemic status as it tore up dance floors worldwide in the summer of 2004. I was never a huge fan of this track, possibly because it was overplayed, but must admit that it is quite effective.

Prock Rock feels slick and sophisticated, with rich classy atmospheres layered over precise rhythms. Refined hints of melody cruise along to the bobbing beats. This one is full of swanky upscale charm!

Rubbalove sounds similar to the previous track in many ways. The producers decant slightly more funk into the bass strata, douse the groove in tripped out vocal manipulations, and fortify the rhythm with a stronger tribal presence. This constitutes the mid-album lull.

Hatz Are Turning is a catchy number that relies on a sampled passage from an old eighties classic of a similar name, originally by Midnight Oil. The funky rhythms feature an infectious bass line wriggling beneath smart and snappy beats. Clever slapdash transitions make the most of the original source material. This is good cheeky fun; not to be taken seriously.

The fun quotient increases with Jungle Muff, another humorous romp through funky bass and tribal beats that should bring up smiles all around. Female vocals provide a pleasant counterpoint to the bellowing call of an elephant throughout the track. A small melody creeps in near the end, which is just the icing on the cake. Tasty stuff!

Kiwi Rider twists the mood and flow of the album into darker realms; this is the most serious piece on the album. “Feel the beat” the sample implores. And you will. As on Fit Bint Valley, the composition and arrangement are very basic, but extremely powerful. Various vocal samples, some of which are sourced from The Fifth Element, undergo extreme manipulations, spiralling off into the distance. A hellish saw-like riff comes ripping up from the depths of the key breakdown, and it slices through the atmosphere for the tripped out remainder of the song. Dark tribal progressive seldom gets any better than this!

Saiko Booty is actually Krüger & Coyle’s previously released remix of Saiko-Pod – Magnetic Force, but I fault no one for including it here. The track begins with a funky house beat and a repetitive sample from Easy Rider saying “Go ahead George, light it up light it up!” Gradually, intricately, with great care, it grows. Once the monkeys make their mischievous entrance, the hypnotic lead melody really begins to unfold. This is a powerful piece of music for the daylight hours; a real beauty!

Beachspliff smoothly rounds out the album with a relaxing atmospheric groove. Warm bass slides languidly back and forth while sultry tribal rhythms beat out the final message. This lazy comedown piece is ideally situated at the tail end of the album.

Krüger & Coyle have put together a great hybrid album, blending house and trance into an original fusion that is unmistakeably their own. In terms of track ordering, Randy Expander couldn’t be better. An introductory lesson is followed by a pair of anthems, some of the more anonymous tunes, cheeky crowd-pleasing material, the two strongest songs, and then one last encore. The production quality is reasonable enough to keep playing these tracks years after their genesis. In short, this album is a lot of fun to listen to. Anyone with a taste for house music, funky beats, sexy sounds, and tribal drums should check this one out!

Area 51 Vol. 1 is the first in a prospective series of progressive psytrance compilations from the undistinguished German label Planet B.E.N. Records. The sound remains fairly close to that of releases such as Between the Lines and just about anything from Sinn-Tec Recordings. In other words, this is the middle-of-the-road sound of the European festival circuit. With the plain cover art and no hint of a theme, this release is clearly aimed at DJs, not home listeners.

Ski Fi takes the customary opening slot with Herztone Era. As with other songs from this Mexican artist, this is clean and smooth progressive psytrance with pleasant melodies and satisfactory production value. The beat rumbles along with a mild hint of funk and groove, while the rest remains fairly straight-forward throughout the track. This is a decent selection for morning time.

The up and coming artist Liquid Soul delivers one of the better offerings of the compilation: After Effect. While Nicola hasn’t quite managed to top Go Reality, released on Iboga’s Set 5, this one is a solid effort. Fat wobbly rhythms and chunky bass lines build a thick synthetic groove. The melodic strata is dusted with tricky particles, climaxing with a sharp and snarky series robotic utterances. This is simple, direct, accessible dance floor fodder, and better than average for this compilation.

Symphonix provides standard material with Any Drug, snugly fitting the German festival mold. It is pleasant to hear, and there is some attention to detail, but there is nothing to make this stand out from the rest. Filler.

FM is a new project formed by Fabio Fasco from Fusi & Johnson and Norbert Reiter. Here they deliver the title track Area 51. It sounds fairly similar to Trouble Galaxy, Stullen Lude, and other productions from F&J in the 2004 season. If you have heard Auricular’s Time album, you know what to expect: dry creaking melodies backed by a pulsing hypnotic groove. Not bad.

Scoter from N.O.K. is full-on with progressive characteristics; the “neo” bastard child of the two big movements in psytrance. Like most artists dabbling in this marriage of opposites, N.O.K. doesn’t manage to inject anything noteworthy into his creation. Easily overlooked.

Sonus (better known as S:O:N:U:S from Jum Jam Records) soothes and entrances with the dreamy Trancoso Sunset. I hear a hint of Vangelis in the short female vocal sample that comes in every now and then – is this sampled from Rachel’s Song? Whatever the source, this really works. This is seductive melodic trance with a psychedelic touch.

DJ Sangeet makes an appearance as Defolder with Discomonstamurdra, a shamelessly cheerful and carefree track with a light and funky electro-influenced feel. It pumps along at 140 BPM, but the frantic energy makes it feel faster. I am not entirely certain what context this is good for.

Fusi & Johnson are up against the Mexican progressive act Xibalba on Lazy People, another chunky progressive tune suitable for the daylight hours. The slinky Auricular vibe is alive and well on this one, with a subtle arrangement of small sounds and a tasty little hook in the bass line. Again, it is nothing complicated, but certainly one of the more appealing tunes to be found here.

Suntree wraps it up with Electric Mind, a melodic morning epic with a tangible amount of full-on power behind it. As a new artist, Suntree falls into the trap of dousing this early effort with ill-fitting Hollywood movie samples. Beyond that, there are a few promising aspects to be heard in this production, but the artist needs more time to develop.

I am not at all surprised that this is just another mediocre compilation. Planet B.E.N. has been pumping out the filler like few others, flooding the market with predictable fare such as this. Anyone who is really into the German progressive sound might find this to be a worthwhile purchase, but I don’t feel as if this has enough depth nor character to remain interesting for very long. There are a couple of decent tunes in here, but Area 51 Vol. 1 still proves to be an ephemeral compilation for DJs and impulse buyers. Not recommended.

Candyflip released Levitation in the summer of 2005, sharing six new progressive tracks alongside three others that had been previously released. Although each of these songs have a friendly melodic feel, the specific style tends to shift around to a great degree. The BPMs, for example, have a wide range, extending from 142 down to 126. Some of these are high-energy peak-time anthems, whereas others are calm and lazy afternoon groovers. I have no complaints about this setup; variety in a compilation of this nature is a good thing! Here is what I thought of these tracks…

Neo Logic is a group composed of Micha Yossef (Echotek) and Mishel Bitton (Safi Connection), two Israeli artists better known for their full-on productions. This one is composed in the deep psychedelic style, with intricate percussion and plenty of echoing effects maintaining a rich sound canvas. A woman’s voice takes the listener on a tour of the galaxy, vividly describing nebulas, spiral arms, and other astronomic structures. I have a strong fascination with outer space, and really enjoy trance music that brings me on a cosmic trip. This one works very well, making it a sure favourite!

I am never certain what to think of Parrket’s productions. Through the Never is a decent piece of mild-mannered progressive, but there is something I dislike about the raspy sound of the rhythm in this one. Is it the mastering, or is this how it is supposed to sound? Pass.

Motion and Side-A have previously worked together on A Little Nothing, released on DJ Laureth’s Ground Grooves. Ascender is similar in several respects, as the duo make use of the same mix of galloping groove and pleasant melodic themes. For a fat and chunky morning tune, this is really good!

The first offering from Greek artist Flame On Fire chugs along at 126 BPM. Shape Audition features a rich layer of grinding bass that floods the lower frequencies with brooding qualities. Precise drum work with a mechanical drive clatters along while soft-spoken synths sneak along in the background. This is a very restrained, almost minimal at times, blending elements of tech-house with deep progressive psytrance. It has potential, but isn’t designed to overwhelm.

Ryan Halifax composes one of his best introductions on The Test, beginning with slinky melodies, grinding bass, and a broken beat structure. Diving into the track itself, one will find a chugging progressive groove, playful background noises, and sparkling analog-sounding melodies. The mid-point breakdown returns to the delicious sounds heard in the introduction, and a sample comes in: “this is a test drive… and I saw this kind of rotating kind of space…” The rest is pretty much the same as the first run, albeit with slightly more power behind those bubbling melodies. This is a pleasant piece of work, easily digested, and easy to like.

Next up, Flame On Fire returns with The First Ride of the Dragon. I find the long introduction quite ponderous, especially as the first forty seconds are nothing more than a long sample of dialogue from what I assume is some foreign film. Apparently they are speaking about doing heroin. Once it gets going it suffers from a strange and almost retro production technique, with lightly shuffling percussion and a curiously unpleasant mid-range synth line. It takes a while getting anywhere interesting, but the track finally blossoms after five minutes into a seductive piece of space techno. There is, once again, potential here. I prefer the first offering from Flame On Fire; this one seems somewhat flawed in its execution.

Vibrasphere’s remix of Wizzy Noise’s Timeline was previously released on a CD single in 2004. The original, appearing on Elecktro Theater, was not amongst the best tracks of that release, but Vibrasphere makes excellent use of the source material. Pumping rhythms with the Swedish group’s dubby signature charge out of the speakers without overwhelming the senses. does a decent job with the source material. Sparkling melodies bring on the morning vibes, while a scathing acid line provides substantial power. 303s in a Vibrasphere production seem really out of place, but somehow it works. Great song!

The Collective is also recycled material, previously appearing on the debut album from 12 Moons – Solid State – which was also released on Candyflip in 2004. I plan to do a full review of this album some day, as it was one of my absolute favourite albums of the year. As this was one of the best tracks of that great release, it is easy to deem this stunningly beautiful morning tune a clear favourite from this compilation as well. Magnificent!

The final song is simply incredible. Blue Planet Corporation released Alidade on Flying Rhino Records back in 1999. Wizzy Noise get everything right with this remix, so it hardly seems worth describing. If you enjoy powerful morning music with gorgeous melodies, perfect pacing, and excellent production value, then this must be heard. Incredible!

Levitation is a fine compilation for progressive psytrance fans. Candyflip covers a lot of ground with this release, while sticking to material which will suit the summer festival experience. Despite the inclusion of previously released material, Levitation succeeds thanks to consistent quality and commendable diversity. Recommended for all fans of morning music.

Battle Royal is a significant release from the year 2004 featuring a combination of modern techtrance and groovy progressive sounds. Z.M.A. doesn’t shy away from bringing new artists on board, and the label made a number of significant finds with this release. The cover art is excellent, and the mastering, courtesy of Ololiqui, sounds great.

Heliotrope opens the compilation with a smooth progressive chiller entitled Hellion. Thick rhythms and deep bass – doused in loads of echo and reverb – form the underlying foundation, while sleek melodies and atmospheric hooks drift overhead. The results are very nice for an introductory track.

Sun Control Species provided one of their very best tracks for this compilation. Searching the Spiral Arm is a sophisticated piece of work, deeply exploring cosmic themes through tribal rhythms and majestic atmospheres. A long breakdown carving the track in two features a great sample from Planet of the Apes about the return voyage to Earth. Years later, this favourite still evokes awe and wonder. For anyone who appreciates genuine science fiction music, this is an absolute gem!

The third track is the first I had ever heard of Sensum, who went on to release Nocturnal Transmissions with Z.M.A. in 2005. His remix of Fiddlestix is a deep and growly groover highly reminiscent of minimal material from the turn of the millenium. A number of well-chosen samples from Dark City are sprinkled throughout the song. It lacks a significant set of hooks, and the sound quality is a bit low, but it is still good to hear in context.

Metronome’s Orange is a standard piece of Scandinavian trance. Had he been around three years earlier, it would have been no surprise to see him releasing on Spiral Trax. Pulsing beats composed with a clean aesthetic thrum along for much of the track, eventually reaching a break where a sample concerning an orange office slides in. Slight melodies eventually flow out of the vibrating rhythmic passages, making a decent impression. This isn’t anything remarkable, but it should appeal to fans of the Scandosound.

Sphere is another tight production from one of the modern masters of psychedelic techtrance: Tetraktys. The drum programming is finely tuned, precise, and vaguely mechanical without falling prey to cliché. The track feels cold and remote, with minor atmospheric pads making only the slightest impression as the beats shift and cycle. A number of nebulous effects coalesce into a subtle climax near the conclusion of the story. Despite being sparse and austere, Sphere is quite satisfying; a testament to the talents of producer Vincent Courcot.

Sensient is another highly skilled artist with a consistent output of exceptional material. Mind Control digs deep into the psyche with a fat chugging bass line, heavy mechanical percussion, and menacing psychedelic noises. The arrangement is amazingly progressive, building in subtle ways throughout the entire journey. Small sounds peek around jagged corners, twisted synths contort into improbable configurations, and strange dissociated voices spread out across the sonic wasteland. This is another classy production from the dependable Mr. Larner.

Sensum’s second contribution Mental Floss is an appealing exploration of organic soundscapes. The drum have teeth, and the track keeps moving, developing in unpredictable ways. Eerie atmospheric noises sweep across the stereo field, accented with alien flutes, a creepy sitar-like hook, and the swampy sound of frogs croaking. The end result is haunting, otherworldly, and memorable, even if the production value isn’t everything it could be.

The Higher Human Form released the excellent I Hear Them Call on their tragically overlooked debut album Neurohighways a few months after Battle Royal came out. It is one of the best tracks to be found there, and a highlight of this compilation.

Heliotrope’s second contribution is a great improvement on the decent opening track. Inelastic retains the deep drifting character of Hellion, but manages to delve much further into the mysterious beyond, captivating the listener with a layered arrangement of swirling melodies, choral voices, and flowing atmospheric sounds. Magnificent!

Yotopia rounds it out with a punchy tribal stomper. The deep groovy bass lines are delightful, but the arrangement seems to drag. It’s not a bad way to end the compilation, but I was never very affected by this morning tune.

Battle Royal is a great compilation that succeeds on many levels. With several outstanding tracks and a number of good tracks in an original style, there is a lot of appealing music to be discovered. Not only are many of these tracks great for building a set at a party, but the whole journey is a good one to take at home. Respect has to be granted for rounding up a number of new artists and giving them a chance to shine. Battle Royal is a worthwhile release that will be of interest to fans of the deeper side of psychedelic trance.