Global Psychedelic Trance 10

Spirit Zone’s Global Psychedelic Trance compilations have been their flagship release for years now, showcasing the big movements in psytrance on a double-CD release ever since 1995. While the first disc is the usual unthemed assortment of tracks, the second disc is a set of 8 classics from the back catalogue, all selected by DJ Antaro, to mark the occasion of this monumental 10th release of the series, and 150th in the Spirit Zone catalogue. Let’s see how it pans out…

Silicon Sound has become known for his deep morning style of full-on psychedelic trance and Ignition continues to support the artist’s esteemed reputation. The jumpy digital bass line will offend anyone with a distaste for full-on, but thoroughly enthuse others. Shimmering emotional atmospheres persist throughout the song, and some degree of layering is accomplished with a variety of melodic approaches. The gated choirs really emphasize the morning approach and sound wonderful, and the simplistic lead that develops later on is warm and effective. The hard-hitting section after the late break works wonders to raise the atmosphere and make the length worth it. At ten minutes it is the longest piece to be found here, and will surely lift the vibe at any festival. It’s a very nice opener, with one significant regret! The track skips at least four times, in the fifth and ninth minutes. Whether this is a widespread pressing error or a fluke, I am uncertain. Seeing as how Spirit Zone went belly up after this release I’d really appreciate if anyone with a full copy could send me one, as this track is really great!

Wrecked Machines presents Smartshop next, which begins with a lengthly sample from Resident Evil. The approach on this track is nothing new – it is a satisfying combination of groovy bass lines, energetic beats, and deep atmospheres. The development is very smooth, as you would expect from this Brazilian producer. Around the five minute mark a huge build-up rocks out and brings the track back with an energetic rush that will certainly send a tingle up the spine of dancefloors all over the world. It is unfortunate then that the Hollywood samples do not fit the mood of the song; the upbeat and positive sound totally clashes with “we’re all going to die down here” repeated several times throughout the track. For that reason I would pass on it being a favourite, but that’s honestly just me being picky since I have plenty of other music like this to choose from. Other than that one quibble it’s a nice piece of groovy melodic full-on.

Mekkanikka waste no time on an intro, letting Heavy Healing get off to a frantic start with intense hi-hat action and jittery noises. Early into the acidic dabblings, a cheering crowd can be heard, and a sample comes in about a band playing “some heavy shit tonight.” This goes on to provoke a build in tension and more energetic synthetic flourishes. The specific sounds used are somewhat different for Mekkanikka, though they do make use of this one jittery electrical noise which often annoys me. Right in the middle of the track the bass line makes a remarkable change into this huge square sound that rolls back and forth with impunity. More new synthetic melodies creep in to spaz out and iterate through simple patterns over the heavy bass. All this leads to a big break and return, after which the highly infectious bass line has been subsumed back into the driving beat. No surprises greet the ears for the remainder of the song. There are enough crowd-pleasing elements here to make this one a winner for the parties, but there isn’t much for the home listener to get into. Above average; certainly distinct enough to consider dropping at an event.

Electric Universe has been owning the full-on style for the last year with his highly experienced approach to Goa trance. Digital Monster is another example of why this artist is at the top of his field, adeptly forging killer acid riffs and sick trance rhythms as if it were 1996. The difference is – the production is solid! It still has a tangible analog sound, but it totally stands up to modern software productions. Everything in this song is great! The big drop heading into the last third of the song is simply massive. From a near-silence, layers of acidic sound rise from the depths to peak out with a gated twist that drives the energy levels up by a remarkable degree. Nothing is spared on the return, as huge riffs carry on with reckless abandon. Every 32 beats something new is happening – melodies trade places, beats bunch up, new sounds come into play, or subtle building ones reach their peak. Without question, Electric Universe has been able to retain the best parts of the old school movement in order to create truly psychedelic full-on with a degree of complexity seldom heard in the works of other artists. Digital Monster is a wicked piece of music, sure to send old school fans travelling through the cosmos!

Space Tribe teams up with Psywalker to deliver Gathering of the Tribes, an ideological dancefloor anthem that continues a decade of tradition. Space Tribe has always been known for this sort of approach – energetic acidic grooves and a heavy use of samples custom-tailored for the party experience. Each year his sound is updated, though the essence of the music never strays too far from the established philosophy. This particular track does not disappoint in any way – it is loaded with big melodies and a good choice of samples in this instance. If anything were to bother me it would merely be the jumpy bass line and the production value, which is somewhat lacking… but this is a festival anthem, and they don’t all have to be as clear as crystal. It’s a good effort from Space Tribe and Psywalker.

Enterprise offers up more of the same full-on sound with Orange, another morning-friendly melodic groover. There’s not too much to say about this one – it has the usual smooth drive for the first few minutes, basic bass line jumping alongside hints of later themes. The sound becomes more interesting following the three minute mark, during which several layers of sound begin to work in tandem to provide something of a tribal feel, with a slight arabian flavour from a strange sound that slides around in the background. During the big breakdown an incongruous sample intrudes – it is the “four year lifespan” speech from Blade Runner. As it turns out, this breakdown is nothing special, though it does deliver on the promise of a melodic climax as a light lead spirals around over the revitalized beat. The rest isn’t particularly focused, and in the end this track sounds like an incoherent array of different sequences that don’t cooperate to develop a clear storyline. There is some promise to this artist, but this still needs some work.

Rocket to the Moon is a collaborative effort by Pied Paul Piper and long-time Spirit Zone stalwart, Shiva Chandra. This track marks a complete departure from the full-on style and disrupts the flow of the compilation, such as it was. The beat is a vaguely progressive thing; a slapping percussive drive that sounds very Germanic to my ears. The main feature of the track is twanging guitar riffs, which are expressed in a friendly manner. This is just the sort of thing to stomp around to in the morning light. What this song lacks is tension-building and some kind of dynamic development – this just plods along without focus until the very end. It may be something different, but it sounds rather dull unfortunatly.

Gabriel le Mar closes the first disc with On the Road, an easygoing chill-out tune from the Saafi master. This is a slinking breakbeat-driven piece with old school acidic sounds bubbling in the background. I believe I even hear a cowbell in there somewhere – Christopher Walken would be proud. Not a remarkable tune by any means, as it drifts on by without making a huge impression, but there’s nothing particularly wrong with it either.

Over on the second disc, S.U.N. Project open it up with Looking for You, one of the better tracks from their 2003 album Sexperimental. The formula should be known to anyone who has heard from this project before – monotonous psytrance beats with some heavy guitars that rock out from time to time. The Matrix samples are somewhat corny, but generally this song remains fairly decent for the style. I was never a huge fan of the band, so keep that in mind.

GMS appear with the title track from their No Rules album, released in 2002. I’m also not too keen on this group, but once again DJ Antaro has dug up a fairly competent offering from their past. In fact, this is a surprise: smooth and somewhat luxurious material with a deep rolling beat and some light progressive influences. This track isn’t astounding, but it sure is different for the band which has become synonymous with much of what is bad about full-on.

Electric Universe make an appearance with Journey into the Subconscious, which was taken from the incredible album Cosmic Experience, released in 2004. This is energetic Goa trance with some great hooks and all the high-quality flow and programming one should expect from the old school master. I won’t go into too many details on this one since I;d have much more to say while reviewing the full album. This is a fantastic tune!

Space Tribe and Electric Universe team up to provide the Alkaloid Experiment, which is taken from an amazing vinyl single released in 2002. It can also be found on Pulse 12 and the Spirit Zone compilation Sola Sonarum. Age has been kind to this track, which still sounds energetic and fresh, featuring layers of acidic melodies that unfold with delicate intention. The beautiful lead melodies that develop as the song progresses are some of the very finest from that year, sublime and psychedelic with an undeniable power that works magic on the psyche. Near the middle of the song a great break drops the beat, and a key sample makes an appearance: “the time is now 1a.m. Ryan is unable to snap his fingers and terminate the trip… which continues.” Naturally the song takes off at this point, with more energy-building psychedelic melodies onward towards a satisfying conclusion. An excellent anthem for peak moments, with bonus points for timing the big drop for the exact hour of the night mentioned in the sample.

Noosphere’s Vektor is easily one of my favourite songs from the group, and certainly the best piece from their second album Aqua, originally released on a vinyl single in 2001. Marcus from X-Dream collaborated on this one, so it’s no surprise that the drum work is top notch. The rhythm is layered with an irresistable breakbeat groove flowing with clockwork precision, providing a solid foundation for conjuring one hell of a sweet melodic progression. The sound here is sophisticated, just the sort of trance you would listen to with a martini in hand. This James Bond sort of character is possibly intentional, given how the big breakdown manifests. A slapping bass note plays out a spy-like melody, and cinematic chords rise to the growing build. The return brings out a gorgeous atmosphere that later recombines with the ultra-cool spy melody to complete this classy trance anthem. I played this a lot back in 2001 and it still sounds fantastic, and is great to have on CD finally.

S>Range deliver another solid morning groover with Microchip 23, sourced from 2002’s Sola Sonarum compilation. I did not previously own this track and was very glad to add it to my collection – most S>Range material from this time period suits my taste in trance perfectly. The style should come as no surprise – think of a sound between Broadcast and On a Mission and you’ll have it. Drifting, floating, pumping Scandinavian psychedelic trance, well-suited for mornings. It’s a great track!

Etnica’s Nitrox is sourced from the 2001 album of the same name. I didn’t enjoy that particular release back then, but hindsight is an amusing thing. Having heard the music of Etnica that followed this, I can now appreciate this older track for it’s marginally higher degree of psychedelia. The song features a dirty bottom end and a shuffling layer of percussion that could land this in techtrance territory. The effects and noises give one something to hook into anyway, so it’s not so bad. I couldn’t admit that I would play this out, but neither will I skip it if I happen to be listening through the whole CD.

Spirallianz close the release with Soulprint, one of the finest songs from their second studio album entitled Stereopark, released at the beginning of 2003. Now, these guys are still ahead of the times. What we have here is an incredibly dark and groovy journey through mysterious cosmic realms, featuring some incredible atmospheres and some of the most polished percussion ever heard in trance. The cinematics, the massive bass line changes that come along, the precise rhythms – we have a winner!

The first CD of the compilation is somewhat confused and not particularly cohesive as a whole. The first six songs are full-on belters of an assorted quality, evidently provided for the working DJ. The last two tracks don’t fit and come across as sounding rather dull after all the high-energy material. The greatest strength of the material is how unrestrained some of the full-on pieces are – the energy levels remain high and layering is used to a good effect, for the most part. Electric Universe provide an excellent single, and a few of the others provide solid work. The rest possesses a questionable level of quality, and surely won’t make a lasting impression.

The second CD from this compilation is a collection of classics from the Spirit Zone back catalogue that have been very well selected. I didn’t care for the label’s “Best of 100″ which I feel was very poorly chosen, but this batch is excellent, and features several of my favourite Spirit Zone releases from the last few years. After the first two tracks, everything is great – if you missed out on hearing these songs when they came out you would be doing yourself a favour to dig them up now. All of the good ones still sound fresh and would be rocking dancefloors just as well if they were released tomorrow.

In essence, this is a fairly good release, all things considered. The new and original material leaves something to be desired, but the classics make up for it. If you already own many of the titles on disc 2 there will be less overall value, but in my case I only owned a few on vinyl – and it’s always nice to have full-quality digital copies. For the price, this is certainly worth a look for most psytrance fans!

Release Data

Title: Global Psychedelic Trance 10
Label: Spirit Zone Recordings
Format: CD compilation
Released: 2004

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