Every now and then I have a peek at the numbers recorded by Google Analytics, a service that monitors traffic here at Ektoplazm. January 2009 was a busy month: 38,868 unique visitors and 147,022 unique page views were recorded. Downloads are more difficult to estimate as I am not tracking them rigorously, but it is very likely that Ektoplazm served up 50,000 free releases in the same period of time. Just for fun, I compiled a list of the top ten countries by unique visitors. Have a look:

United States: 3,734
Russia: 3,432
Germany: 2,766
Canada: 2,418
Greece: 1,758
United Kingdom: 1,690
Brazil: 1,577
India: 1,531
Mexico: 1,492
Ukraine: 1,023

It was also interesting to see all the major cities Ektoplazm visitors connect from: Moscow, Athens, Toronto, London, Kiev, Tel Aviv, St. Petersburg, Berlin, Mexico City, Skopje, Helsinki, Vienna, Lisbon, Sao Paulo, Prague, Bangalore, and Munich. Very international!

Photo credit: pbo31

Here I have collected a list of thirteen killer tunes from the dark side of psychedelic trance. Most of the links will carry you through to Saikosounds where samples are available (and purchases can be made).

Atriohm – Pagan Anesthetic (Encephalopaticys Remix) [Noise Poison Records]
Baal – Rite Of Passage [Underground Sound Promotions]
Derango – Via [Parvati Records]
Distorted Goblin – Transient [Ultiva Records]
Electrypnose – Bakund [Dharmaharmony Records]
Gappeq – Gemini Project [OmVeda Records]
Ghreg On Earth – Avalanche BitStream [Quantum Frog Productions]
Kluster – Frosty Fog [Digital Psionics]
Krussedull – Whiskyjack [Yggdrasil Records]
Ocelot – The Hole Is A Bowl [Moon Koradji Records]
Polyphonia – Caballero Negro [Tremors Underground Productions]
Psykovsky – Bekhudi [Tantrumm Records]
Purosurpo – Multi Range [Trishula Records]

If you enjoy my selections you might want to check out my dark psytrance chart from October 2008.

Photo credit: gilderic

Another month, another batch of promos. Among all those releases that didn’t make the free music section for one reason or another, here are a few that might be of interest.

Buddha Mantra Records has returned with a bumper crop of new releases, all available in MP3 format from their web site. The new harvest includes a set of lost tracks by Miraculix, an EP by the Brazilian progressive project Irukandji, and a massive double-CD compilation entitled Secret Revelations. The track listing features a lot of names unfamiliar to me but you might have heard of Cosmo Circle and Noisixx. At any rate, full-on and darkpsy fans may want to check it out. I’d link directly to this stuff but their site is designed with Flash.

Søvnigt Sind, a Danish producer, released his debut album Tell A Vision with Zealotry Music. The style is a very original and artistic blend of organic downtempo and abstract ambient–not at all what you are usually like to hear in the domain of psytrance-related chill out, but still quite interesting. This is a quality release as well, available in both MP3 and WAV format. Also in the downtempo department: Ambientium’s Fractal Philosophy, a deep and chilly release composed in the style of Ultimae Records and available in MP3. It has been getting some good reviews on Psynews so why not have a listen?

Multiplex Records recently released the Devil’s Microwave EP; new material by Hypohektika. They also have several other MP3-only releases that I haven’t yet mentioned on this blog. Their site is certainly worth checking out if you’re interested in the German progressive psytrance style. Also on the progressive side: Hikaru is the new trance-oriented project of SHUMA, a Croatian duo already well known in progressive circles. Their debut offering is an informal two track promo, available here.

Dark Emotion is the first release by the GOAgemeinde online community. Available in MP3 and WAV format, it is a darkpsy compilation featuring artists like Psychoz, Axis Mundi, Gloomy Phantom, and Axonic. Of course, this is not the only darkpsy netlabel release this month; Fantapsy also released Tales From The Darkpsyde Vol. 2, a CD-quality compilation featuring the sinister sounds of Bloodclot, Cuboid Atom, Silent Enemy, and others. The Brazilian netlabel Psychotic Viridis Records also has a new CD-quality darkpsy compilation available: Perfect Nightmare. Links are available from their MySpace profile. Finally, if high-BPM psycore is your kind of music, try visiting the site of Twisted Minds Records to download a new release by Minagoris.

Antiscarp Records is out with a new Suomi-style release: Scooter Baba’s Off The Road EP. It looks like they are now distributing their releases in FLAC too!

Last on the list: a live set by N.O.M., an artist signed to HSS Records in Greece.

DJ Plan 2B is Tomasz Pospiech, a regular feature of the Toronto psytrance scene and a co-founder of Shakti Collective. Tomasz has been passionate about music since childhood and participated in many projects and bands in his native Poland. Upon arriving in Canada he continued to expand his musical knowledge and interests, discovering the magical sound of psytrance shortly after the year 2000. Since then, Tomasz has become an accomplished DJ, playing at many festivals and events across Eastern Canada including Harvest, St. Jean Basstiste, Space Gathering, and Faeries Gone Wild.