Planet B.E.N. - Trippy Future Garden

Planet B.E.N. (Ben Wierzoch) scored a major underground hit with his debut album Trippy Future Garden, a compendium of unreleased material published by the obscure German label Polytox Records. Although the original release makes no mention of it, these productions were composed between 1991 and 1994—several years before their eventual release in 1996. This is substantiated by the dates given on Ben’s third album, Test, which includes a re-release of Trippy Future Garden as a bonus CD, as well as direct correspondence with Ben himself. Even without widespread awareness of the true age of the material, Trippy Future Garden has come to be known as one of the great early classics of psychedelic trance.

Initial reactions to Trippy Future Garden were largely favourable, as indicated by comments culled from the vintage review site TRiP. In May of 1997, Sea Sick Sarah wrote “I really like this LP. Kinda minimal and repetitive in the best possible way. Really scary.” In October, fraged@hotmail.com contributed the following: “I really like this kind of trance. It’s deep and it goes straight into your mind.” Fredrik Larsson (later known as Krumelur) provided an insightful review one year later: “The dark, tribal sensation makes my mind turn in-side-out within seconds, and a higher state of consciousness is immediately achieved.”

Later reviews found on Psynews illustrate this album’s passage into legend. In November of 2001, Davidtolsn wrote of his experience of Trippy Future Garden:

what can i say. this is the best music can get. i’ve had this cd for 3 years and it’s still one of the best cds i own (along with hallucinogen – twisted). listen to this and it takes you to a strange alien world. everything about it fits together perfectly. there are tons of layers, strange, twisted sound effects, and it just doesn’t sound human. it’s unlike any other music i’ve heard. amazing.

Another Psynews member, Banco de Gaia (undoubtedly an alias—not the actual artist), elaborated on the historical context of the release in a review submitted August 22nd, 2001:

I got this album way back in 1997, I could still remember it was file[d] under trance section sitting together with MFG’s The Prophecy. I was crazy about goa trance then, so I picked up both. I happened to know about Planet Ben and MFG through Transient 4 compilation which I had bought earlier. I could still recall the listening to Hallucinogen’s Twisted, Total Eclipse’s Violent Relaxation and Transwave’s Phototropic which sent me straight to euphoria and total bliss. But it was different, the moment when Planet Ben’s Trippy Future Garden arrives. It has a very distinctive sound different from all other goa bands at that time. A total isolation. It was as if the musician was writing those music for other genre and it happened to suit well on goa heads. It was just like a revelation on how far goa music can stretch its genre to the limit. The sound palette was cleverly chosen and beautifully arranged.

Ben did not compose the material for this album in total isolation—he famously worked alongside Rough & Rush (X-Dream) in 1993 and 1994—but he was certainly ahead of the curve. Psychedelic trance had not yet coalesced into a well-defined genre when these tracks were composed; Trippy Future Garden predates the widespread use of the term “Goa trance” entirely. Much of the confusion no doubt results from the fact that it was released in 1996—a watershed year for the burgeoning Goa trance movement. Many listeners have formed false connections as a result of this synchronicity. Nevertheless, inspiration for the album resides deeper into the past. Ben was already DJing at Hamburg clubs in 1990, playing early German trance and hard techno. He was involved in the first VooV Experience festivals and was experimenting with psychoactive compounds around this time. These influences can be heard in the uncommon mixture of abrasive beats and smooth psychedelic atmospheres that characterize Trippy Future Garden.

Some of the distinctive sound of this album can be attributed to the means of production. Trippy Future Garden was composed on an Atari 1040ST with several Roland synthesizers including the SH-101, JV-1080, MKS-7, a Roland S750 sampler, and several effects units such as the Ensoniq DP4, Alesis Midiverb4, and Lexicon PCM-60. Back in those days it was usually necessary to keep working on a song until was complete. Ben attributes the relatively long gestation period of this album to the technological limitations he was working under.

Welcome To The Future (1991) is the ideal beginning, gradually introducing the unique style and technique that made history. All of the sounds are finely balanced, intricately layered, and tastefully arranged. The rhythmic foundation is made up of heavy industrial kicks, dirty analog bass bubbles, and loads of rich percussive texture. Spooky synth-lines flutter around in the upper reaches, while squelchy acid riffs wriggle and writhe in the mid-range levels. If it is true that this was composed in 1991, then it is certainly the most advanced production of its day! Planet B.E.N. sinks the hooks in with a devilishly captivating progression on this opening number, granting immediate access to a deep trance state.

Screwdriver (1994) smoothly glides where the opener creaks and rattles. The title is likely an allusion to a distinct and original percussive element not unlike the tapping of the stated tool on a microphone pickup. This song is the very model of the sublime, featuring a number of clever transitions that almost operate beneath notice. Slick acid lines flow like glistening moonshine over an ethereal set of drums that seem to float in the air. The results are extremely captivating.

On Questionmark (1992), Ben builds on a basic pounding rhythm with snare rushes and sweeping atmospheric sounds, deriving power from the steady increase in tension. The lead melody undergoes a slow and purposeful development as the track divulges its secrets, growing from an elusive seed into something indescribably alien in character. Eerie!

Scotty’s Name (1994) hardly seems like one of the later productions of the album; it sounds rather washed out. Although it conforms to the mood and style of the album, this is the weakest link. It somehow lacks the magic quality that elevates the rest.

Ant Invasion (1993) is widely considered to be the best song on Trippy Future Garden—with good reason. Distinctive vocal manipulations conjure hallucinatory images of the insectile warriors of the title, their carapaces gleaming in the unrepentant sun, mandibles gnashing to the raw, throbbing beat. Nothing stands in their way—the steady pummelling of their rhythmic advance overcomes all obstacles as this track builds and builds. An intelligent arrangement ensures that the song remains captivating for the duration—there is no dead air to be heard. From concept to execution, Ant Invasion is a success. This exceptionally creative song is rightfully regarded as a masterpiece of psychedelic trance.

The title track Trippy Future Garden (1993) is a breathtaking accomplishment: an epic work of trance that clocks in at more than 20 minutes in length. Ben’s magnum opus is arranged as if it were a movement in a grand symphony; every moment is deliciously drawn out and exquisitely detailed. The resulting odyssey is nothing short of legendary!

This album deserves all the praise it has received over the years. The quality of this incredible fusion of hypnotic techno and cosmic trance is outstanding—especially given the age of the material. Although it is not as widely known as Twisted or Transmissions, Trippy Future Garden is—without question—one of the most inspired works of early psychedelic trance. No investigation of the precursors of the modern movement would be complete without considering Ben Wierzoch’s transcendent debut. Essential listening.

Release Data

Artist: Planet B.E.N.
Title: Trippy Future Garden
Label: Polytox Records
Format: CD/Vinyl album
Released: 1996

More Information

TRiP: Vintage review (1995 to 2003).
Discogs: Detailed release information and user-submitted reviews.
Psynews: User-submitted review forum.

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