After Phink’s Night Out came to an end, Toronto was without a regular mid-week psytrance event. Luckily, BLA have cooked up a series of events to make the week a little more interesting. Cover is $5 and the location is Neutral (at College and Augusta; the entrance is off Augusta and shouldn’t be tough to find). Here are the details:

Phink
Shankar
Quivering Virgin
Yeb

Have you ever wondered what those big name acts are actually doing up on stage at a party? Usually the answer is “not much.” Very few psytrance acts are genuinely live in any sense of the word; most simply play their material straight from a laptop without making any kind of effort to bring a live element into their show. Is it really fair to advertise a headliner as “live” if they do little more than hit play on their computer? This has become the subject of an ongoing scene-wide debate frequently carried out on message forums and email lists.

Enter Tom Cosm, an independent producer and live performer from New Zealand on a mission to show people how it’s done. With sly promotional acumen, he has posted a rant on his web site (as well as Isratrance) throwing down his two cents on the matter. As interesting as that is, his comments are merely a pretext to posting up an instructive video in which Tom demonstrates his own personal method of playing live. More on that:

The video is about half an hour long and covers quite a range of methods used for performing live using a laptop, midi controllers and a synthesizer. The intro goes on a little about me and my music, then it gets into the depths of how I perform live, and finishes with a short montage of clips I have gathered from various gigs I have done in the past.

The video is not deeply technical; any electronic music fan should be able to follow what Tom is talking about. This is an entry-level exposition of live performance techniques that is at once informative and accessible. Tom Cosm has performed a noble deed in having this video made, for an informed audience is exactly what is needed to address the issue of falsely advertised “live” sets in the psychedelic underground. Watch it here:

This video is also available on Youtube in five parts: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5

One more word from the artist:

As always, I encourage you to pass this information on if you are into it or think you know of anyone who might be interested in watching. I always have and continue to give all my music away for free, so the whole word of mouth is how I promote myself and get gigs.

If this is new to you and your interested in checking out my music, there are some completely free live sets on my website as well as photos/news/upcoming gigs etc.

Nicely done!

As the proud presenters of Psychedelic Connections, we have focused our efforts in order to introduce to you three new local artists, aka The sound Breakers.
This incredible experience held on the Russian New Years January 13th, 2007 will capture and entertain you with all sorts of incredible sounds from unrealized tracks.

Come and check out the Sound Breakers’ sneak preview of their up-coming album and be part of the good vibes while relaxing in our intimate environment.

>ELECTRO HOUSE :
Daniale NUGEL
TRIPEL A
>TRANCE :
DECIBEL
>PSY – TRANCE :
PLAN B
PHINK
Sound Breakers:
PHANTOM
ENERJEX
TSAB

VENUE:

VIDA lounge
1345 st.CLARE W./LANSDOWN
down stares / 15 $ / 19+
10pm parking @ back

(Note: I am not too sure who these guys are, but there are a bunch of people checking this out this weekend, so it seemed worthwhile to pass on the info)

It is time for another round of Beatport recommendations! My purpose is to highlight noteworthy tracks not conventionally available to the CD-buying psytrance DJs out there. Although Beatport sells thousands of psytrance tracks, I seldom find very many worth purchasing–mainly due to the exorbitant price of a full CD after “wave handling fees” are considered. Every now and then I run across a really good piece of psytrance from a full CD I otherwise disliked; these I may recommend.

The progressive house genre contains a lot of material that will mix nicely with the deeper side of psytrance. Much of it is exclusive to vinyl–a medium few psytrance DJs bother with nowadays–or otherwise unavailable from the major online shops dealing in psytrance. Shops dealing in physical media are restricted by the economics of atoms in terms of what they can offer. Digital shops like Beatport can diversify their catalog at a much lower cost; their selection is already better than all but the largest shops dealing in physical media. This has interesting consequences for the music consumer. No longer is one limited by the specialization of a traditional outlet–we can surf around and get a taste of something outside our usual purchasing pattern. Electronic dance music is in a state of increasing convergence: witness the genre-spanning efforts of Minilogue (Son Kite), Extrawelt (Midi Miliz), and D-Nox & Beckers. It makes sense to hear what else is out there, but the sheer amount of music out there can be daunting. This is why I’ve been compiling lists of tracks to check out–to help channel that sea of information as best I can.

This time around, I have broken my suggestions down into two groups: progressive (including all crossover material and whatever else), and psychedelic (conventional psytrance). Keep in mind these posts are aimed at working DJs, not just general music listeners.

Progressive

D-Nox – Seven Hours (Martinez Remix)
The original is a fairly standard electro-trance hybrid, but the Martinez remix is one of the most distinctive crossover tunes of 2005, loaded with idiosyncratic glitch and stylish melodic flourishes. Despite the slow tempo of 125 BPM this has proven to be an explosive crowd pleaser, excellent for opening sets.

Dominic Plaza – Dark Side Of The East (Parham & Plaza Remix)
It is no wonder that Parham & Plaza have been featured on a number of progressive psytrance compilations; their technical sound fits right in with the deeper side of Iboga and Tribal Vision. Gritty percussion serves as a nice contrast to the glittering highs on this tight little number.

Chris Lake & Rhythm Code – Wrong Turn (Parham & Plaza Remix)
This second selection from Parham & Plaza shows the true meaning of progressive. It develops gradually, fleshing out the groovy bass line and mystic ambiance with deliberate pacing that affords every element the right amount of air time.

Eelke Kleijn – Consequences
After becoming captivated by his song Deeper Depths (which appears in my “Live at Harvest” mix) I have been exploring Kleijn’s back catalogue with great interest. Consequences is a very calm track with a subtle hook, serenely hypnotizing and elegantly polished.

Snake Sedrick & Emze Hack – The Beginning (Nick Hogendoorn & Eelke Kleijn Remix)
This calm and introspective remix from Tilth Music cannot be purchased on any physical medium; it is exclusive to the digital realm. The Beginning is finely balanced, dipping into deep bass grooves accentuated by tasteful tribal percussion and smooth atmospheres.

Antix & Rob Salmon – Tame The Beast (Absolut Remix)
The cheerful original appeared on Globalize, whereas the Absolut remix is taken from a Flow vinyl release. This is simple, sleek, and upbeat–just the thing for early evening. Note: the source file from Beatport is not mastered as well as it should be, so a bit of post-processing involving normalization and a maximizer like Waves L2 is in order.

Matt Rowan – Gold Mine
It is a wonder that a track such as this is listed as progressive house in the Beatport database! The rhythms may qualify as electro, prog-house, or something in between, but all the action takes place in the melodic layer. An enticing set of crystalline leads and blissful flourishes fill the air with positive emotions. This innocence of this little beauty really brings me back a few years.

Cassino & Laben – Unsound (Snake Sedrick Remix)
This is a gorgeous piece of deep progressive house with sublime, beautiful, luxurious qualities. A warm flood of bass envelops the listener in a soft and seductive shell, while ornate high-end melodies flow like liquid sunshine. I was not surprised to read that Hungarian artist Snake Sedrick grew up listening to Vangelis, as the influence is abundantly evident. This is a lovely tune!

Roman Rai – Sweets
Sweets is another selection harvested from this Czech producer’s back catalog, most of which is sold exclusively on Beatport for digital download. It might be dated, but I find myself playing this out any time there is a need for that lazy Sunday afternoon feeling. The pretty xylophone-like melody is incredibly soothing, and the carefree beats are nice and groovy.

Psychedelic

Bubble Dragon – Hentai
Hentai is easily the best song from Flow’s Overview compilation. As I stated in my original review, “Steve Good is one of the most brilliant producers in the psytrance scene, and Hentai is proof.” If dark, heavy, and genuinely psychedelic trance with incredible production value is your thing, be sure to investigate this enduring gem!

Color Drops – Jazz Is Dead
This track was originally released way back in 2001, on the debut compilation from Neurobiotic Records: Experience. It was not interesting enough for me to purchase, but I have always liked this nasty piece of psychedelic trance. The style is distinctly reminiscent of early work from Droidsect, with dirty bass lines and demented atmospheres. The clincher is a humorous sample courtesy of Frank Zappa: “Jazz isn’t dead–it just smells funny.”

Walhalla – Purple Shrimp
I never knew what the deal was with this track–it contains a noise ripped straight out of Bitmonx & Fabio’s Erdbeer-Kiwi, a classic progressive track released on Iboga. The rest is completely different; this is a fast and aggressive piece of pumping psytrance loaded with groove and style. I was not a fan of the full album this is sourced from, so I am pleased to recommend it as a candidate for paid download.

Logic Bomb – Shadow of the Beast (Psypilot Remix)
The original opens Logic Bomb’s classic Y2K debut Headware, while the Psypilot remix gives it a proper updates for today’s dance floor demands. The shimmering psychedelic qualities that made this famous have not been lost in the translation. Magnificent!

Shift – Dune
Dune is a mind-blowing dance floor killer that takes the theme from the movie and twists it into the razor-sharp hook of a massive psytrance anthem. From my original review of the source compilation, Utopia 2: “All of the rhythms are fat as hell, the melodies are large, and the drops are as sick as one might expect.” The rest of the CD is bland, so this is a great chance to pick up this excellent song for less.

Talamasca – Ghost In Goa
Released on yet another disposable Planet B.E.N. Records compilation, Ghost In Goa is the most exceptional single from DJ Lestat since Overload. As I mentioned in my original review, “the bass lines are sick, the builds are tight, and the lead melodies are very strong. This is a powerful dance floor epic!” This one always turns heads and elicits cries of excitement when I drop it into a full-on set.

Comments, suggestions and tips are welcome. You may wish to check out the first edition of this column if you find this entry useful. Until next time, enjoy some guilt-free downloading!

As the new year dawns, the Shakti crew is putting together a psychaedelic feast to warm our senses in the cold winter months…

FRACTAL FOREST
Saturday February 3rd
Reverb Night Club

Featuring

ONNOMON LIVE (Soular Records) – 2 hour live set

ONNOMON, Dean and Dan from Philadelphia and New York, are rapidly emerging as one of the top psytrance producers in North America. In additon to having releases on labels like Soular Records and Yellow Sunshine Explosion, their recent album, “No Monno,” was referred to as “An utterly smashing surprise” by Psyreviews.com. Their unique style is not to be missed! Onnomon is excited to play in Toronto with their original brand of funky psychedelic tribal trance ‘whatchamacallit’ dance music using a combined assault of computers, and drums. Get ready for your reality to be suspended!

Lauryn (Peak Records, 28thDay, NYC) – DJ Set

Lauryn’s passion and love for music has been a constant all her life. She began playing the violin when she was 9 years old. Her of music led her to begin djing and producing her own psytrance radio show while attending college. In 2002, Lauryn moved to Boston where she helped start Psyforia. Recently relocated to New York City, Lauryn is a label dj with Peak Rec (Switzerland) and is affiliated with 28thday(NYC) and Mistical Productions(Texas). In the past six years, Lauryn has played across the US, in Canada and Europe, sharing the stage with many well-known international acts. She is known for her energetic, nighttime, funky full-on, delic sets, as well as the occasional morning progressive grooves.

Also DJ Sets By

Yeb vs Quivering Virgin (BLA, Coldgroove)
DJ Shankar (Shakti, Tribal Vision Records)
plan b (Shakti)

Deco by
Julien (Montreal)
Waking Dream (Montreal)

Visual by
Wuzzle versus Kim

Location
Reverb Night Club
651 Queen Street West (at Bathurst)
10pm-6am

Out of town email shakticollective@gmail.com

19+ Event
ROAR

http://www.shakticollective.com
http://www.tribalvision.cz