DJ Basilisk’s Free Music Top Ten: Spring 2011

It has been a busy bunch of months here at Ektoplazm! Last week I ended an unprecedented run: 40 free releases in 40 days. I can’t keep up with that kind of schedule all of the time but it was fun while it lasted! Although a lot of great music was posted in this time it is a lot to process. Here I have collected ten top tracks to share with the aim of introducing you to awesome music you may have overlooked. Track titles link back to the original release; use the streaming audio player to hear them all at once (Flash required):

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Laboratory X – Ocean Deep (Element – Water) [Gliese 581C]
This is forest music with incredible storytelling and many excursions into uncharted territory. A pure musical delight!

Overdream – Happy End Of The World [Sonic Tantra Records]
Ultra-psychedelic night music. The approach is almost progressive; tension builds with agonizing subtlety.

Anix Gleo – Steampunk [Sun Station Records]
Strange and creative music from Russia. Dark, melodic, and funky all at once.

Talpa – As U Can Hear [Grotesque Records]
Talpa is one of my favourite producers so charting this track should come as no surprise. Spooky full-on goodness.

Sienis – West Meets East [People Of The Butterflies]
Creative Finnish psytrance bursting with frantic energy.

PsiloCybian – Funny Farm
A solid blend of full-on psytrance and new school Goa with some nice vocal touches.

Elegy – Picture This! [Panzar Produktionz]
Gorgeous progressive psytrance with glistening highs and a pumping groove.

Kained and Able – Pure Deception [Glitchy.Tonic.Records]
Massive track from a massive compilation. Deep digging techtrance with a sinister groove.

Sentna – What’s Wrong With The Planet [Ektoplazm]
Dirty techtrance with grimy leads and a great choice of samples.

Low Rezolution – Platinum Light Activation [Uroboros Records]
Progressive darkness from Brazil. There is something incredibly malevolent about this one.

Project Sketch – Chemicals For Happiness [Arkona Creation]
Chugging progressive psytrance at 128 BPM with some off-kilter samples from Huxley’s Brave New World. Lovely!

Perfect Blind – Shrouding [Omnitropic]
This is the very definition of epic! Silky smooth tribal rhythms and coruscating melodies.

Yes, this is actually a top twelve, not a top ten. With so many good tracks coming out in the last few months I couldn’t limit my selections to just ten!

Interested in hearing more recommendations from the top? Check out previous top tens from the winter of 2011 and the fall and summer of 2010.

Photo: High Park cherry blossoms.