Back From Beyond

Back From Beyond is the second release from Iono Records, a German label specializing in progressive psytrance for the summer festival circuit. Although these tracks are gathered from around the world, FREq forms the nucleus of the compilation, contributing three whole songs under various guises.

Pythagoraz begins the compilation with Your Mom Was Wrong, a soft and simple tune accentuated by light atmospheric melodies. The most notable feature is a catchy bit of vocoder work that first springs up in the main break. The phrasing goes something like this: “the light is gone the stars are on the beat is on… (so what’s wrong?) just dance.” The message is not complex; it is a straight-forward call to get out there and have a good time. Although some listeners are sure to find it far too cheesy, I think this song works fairly well.

FREq has released several versions of his remix to Frogacult’s All Seasons in recent years, most recently dropping the “slow fat” remix on the Beat Delight compilation from Digital Oracle. The “third” remix appears here on Back From Beyond, but I don’t find that it sounds all that different from FREq’s initial remix from the All Seasons EP (2004). If anything, the sound of this version is simply more crisp and synthetic. It is good, but it adds little value for those of us that already own one or more of the other versions.

El Zisco’s Concert is fairly standard stuff for the new breed of groovy afternoon festival fare. The production value feels plastic and I don’t care for the corny “so get ready” sample. Filler.

Nyquist is the moniker under which FREq releases material that might be considered slightly deeper and less melodic, but Octagon is no less rich than his usual style. Thick synthetic rhythms lead the charge, soon to be joined by a wicked tribal drum loop. Heavy melodies descend at opportune moments, filling the air with the luscious sounds that have made this artist so successful all around the world. Through taking a deeper approach Aran has created an impressive track that proves to be a real favourite.

Saeg’s Human Fire features a fat groove with a tough edge layered in an unstructured pastiche of borrowed samples: a ringing phone, numerous tribal chants, some female vocals, and the airport announcement previously heard in songs like Human Blue’s Flight 237. The problem with this reasonably well-produced track is that it has no direction and no substance. The artist exhibits no song-writing qualities; the track feels completely empty of meaning or spirit.

There is an audible dip in volume levels as Prosect’s remix of Inside The Pattern comes on. This song does not entirely fit with the rest; it is somewhat more overtly melodic than the others. It starts slow but develops a strongly melodic drive backed by tribal drumming later on. Not bad, but I know Andy has made much better music.

FREq’s Space Needle is the full-length version of a song that appears on his second album, Gosub 20. Although this breaks no new ground, and all of its secrets are exposed before it is even half over, the crystal clear synthetic sound of this piece is sure to appeal to fans. Dazzling melodies, quirky sound effects, and fat beats will surely impress. This is standard stuff for FREq but still very good.

Klopfgeister’s The Hills Have Eyes is a sleek and classy song that seems to draw inspiration from the work of fellow German artists such as Tarsis and Native Radio. The drums are tightly programmed, the atmosphere is deeply serious, and the melodies are smooth and sublime. The resulting story possesses a captivating futuristic mystique. Klopfgeister have also released an album on Iono that is worth checking out. This one is a highlight.

Nox Lupi finishes the album with Slipped In My Sleep, another thick slice of snarling progressive bogged down by seemingly pointless samples like “remember having trouble sleeping” and “you said I was stupid!” For a while the song seems to be fumbling around aimlessly, but toward the last third the melodic density picks up to a decent level and the track begins to show some potential. All of that is dashed in a terribly awkward transition with no more than two minutes to go. At more than ten minutes in length this early effort is too bloated and messy to make the cut.

In today’s competitive market, Back From Beyond comes across as a substandard release. The cover art is bland, the mastering is inconsistent, and the quality of the music seldom surges above mediocre. It is a case of style over substance. A few of these songs do little more than imitate the punchy grooves and slick melodic lines of FREq’s bold progressive formula. Others merely coast, never really taking any risks nor stimulating much in the way of excitement. DJs playing this style might wish to purchase Back From Beyond to gain access to a few more decent tracks and a bit of set filler, but with so many great progressive releases out these days I would not recommend it to most listeners.

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