Reincarnation

Reincarnation is a limited edition double-CD released by Medium Records long before the legal issues and subsequent change in name to Midijum. DJ Bim compiled the best of the label’s history up to 2001, gathering material from eight compilations and albums, including the two Vibration compilations released with Nova-Tekk.

Noma opens the journey in fine style with Soon, a dreamy progressive track which thoroughly personifies the Swedish progressive sound. Noma has a few other tracks in this tranquil morning style, including Another Time and Avoid the Future. Soon is smooth and deep, with steady pumping bass and the most serene and ethereal atmospheres one could possibly imagine. No unexpected breakdowns or surprises mar the thoroughly hypnotizing effect of this gem. Every element is just where it should be. Excellent!

V-Ger continues in this spirit with the blissful Pan, a track full of tribal textures and beautiful melodies. This marks a return to the old school days; it’s one of those tracks where the production quality isn’t very high, but the composition is quite satisfying. The mystical quality of the leads lends this one a sort of Celtic sound, making this an interesting piece of deep morning trance.

M-Sphere’s Space Cam is a brash trance number that charts that gradually increases in energy. The melodies and beats are far more overt than the last, though the old production quality persists. The tone is a cheerful one, with playful melodies and a punching bass line that wriggles through many pleasing permutations. Space Cam is simple, and pleasant for home listening, but M-Sphere produced better material in the years after this release.

Exanimo’s upbeat progressive anthem Two Gongs still has the power to charm. The sound is very full: percussive loops provide a satisfying hook while the heavy bass throbs away in the early minutes. Hints of future melodic themes make their way in, sounding nice and subtle. The title is made clear in a few breaks across the track, when two gongs are struck in a crafty way just before the return of the beat. Half a decade later, this one still sounds fresh!

Sacral Excursion from Tarsis continues in the vein of sly and subtle morning grooves, but it seems to lack some of the charm of the rest. The drum sequences are tight and intricate, and the production quality is quite reasonable, but there’s something lacking in the composition itself. Not bad, but not remarkable either.

Human Blue provides the best track of the first disc with Electric Harmony, a terrific piece of bright melodic progressive sound with the sleek Scandinavian touch. Similar in many respects to Carpe Diem and Rollercoaster, Electric Harmony is a blissful morning anthem packed with gorgeous leads and arranged with great skill. Electric Harmony is an unspoken modern day classic!

Goa trance pioneer Man With No Name appears with Pipeline, one of the artist’s slower tracks at 128 BPM. Much like his work on the low-BPM tracks Equatoria (released on Electrosect) and Cairo, the artist brings his substantial talent to bear, weaving a timeless analog fairy tale. The results are successful: this is a satisfying marriage of his old style and newer progressive leanings.

Volldampf finishes the first disc with Marihuana, originally released on the very first Medium compilation: Vibration One. This is one of the more subtle pieces heard thus far, with a dirty low-end groove and faint sparkling highs. There’s just enough going on to keep one’s feet tapping, but little more than that.

Over to the second disc, Visionary shatters the spell with the strong beats of Glass, one of the highlights of the Floor compilation. Thick synthetic rhythms provide a solid foundation for the development of drifting melodic themes. Alluring in its simplicity, the artist weaves a captivating storyline that never seems to grow old. This is one for the ages.

CHI-A.D. (Dave Young) continues with one of his more inspired creations: Waverider. Building on a foundation of heavy kick drums and throbbing bass lines, he cautiously introduces subdued electric guitar riffs, catchy melodic hooks, and futuristic atmospheric twists. The direction seems firmly established, but this track is loaded with surprises—saccharine emotional themes hesitantly emerge in the second half of the tale. There is something magical about the way this song unfolds—the contrast of tough rhythmic elements and a genuinely uplifting spirit makes for a beautiful morning anthem. Strongly recommended!

Next up, Tim Schuldt’s snarling masterpiece Pretty Poison receives an interesting remix treatment from Oforia. Taking the edge off, Ofer has crafted a devilishly effective alien epic. The wailing guitars are drowned in muddy atmospheres and a fiendish bass groove, conjuring a very unusual sound. The only thing missing is that last powerful moment when the guitars really kick in, but given that this remix is intended to be more of an ethereal journey, the alteration is not so much of a let down. Ultimately this is a quality remix in a very unconventional style.

Nerve—a side project of Mittlestandskinder Ohne Strom—explores the dehumanizing effect of clanging mechanical rhythms and minimal soundscapes with Rocket. Horrific droning atmospheres provide an unsettling compliment to the monotonous drum work. The sheer power of the massive beat is enough to carry the song; the resulting effect is somewhat like X-Dream on sedatives. The other Nerve singles might be better, but Rocket is still solid.

Pipemode is an early single from Germany’s progressive act Bitmonx, who display a deep understanding of how to forge a steady driving rhythm. I find it a bit dry in the long run, but I’ve known some people who are really into this sound. It could go either way depending on your taste in minimal and progressive.

Amourphous is a sparingly used Noma alias, and Return of Shalam is completely unlike the opener on the first disc. This is the droning, minimal side of the Scandinavian sound, seldom populated by much more than the basic elements of rhythm and atmosphere for long stretches at a time. A ghostly presence falls upon the track close to the half-way point, signalling a deep drop into the abyss of the bridge. It takes a long while picking up the pieces, eventually confounding the senses with a plain lead that takes the listener on a subtle ride for the next several minutes. This is a quintessential example of minimal trance concepts in action.

S>Range and Noma deliver a far more accessible version of their deep and hypnotic sound as Prex with Spectrophonic. Cybernetic rhythms pulse and throb with pumping bass, indicating a dance floor focus. The power of this track builds in small steps, leading up to a respectable high during the final run. It is as steady and static as most of the later songs on this CD, but much more appealing.

Atmos provides the only submission from the Mahasuka compilation with Osmos Kosmos, a surprisingly fast track at 144 BPM. Despite the tempo it remains very minimal in the alternately neutral and cheerful style customarily associated with this artist. Tropical chords frequently heard in more modern progressive releases can be heard—an obvious sign of the widespread influence of this innovator. Sadly, I find this too sparse and dry to really interest me.

The compilation comes to a close with one of my favourite pieces of minimal psytrance ever made: Auricular’s Pilzvergiftung. It’s so dark and psychedelic, with staggeringly good production for the time. The rhythms are amazingly intricate and unique! The only group I can think of that explores similar territory is Double Dragon. This is truly a modern classic of the style, and a classy way to complete the journey.

Reincarnation is a great showcase of the early style of Medium Records, although it is not perfect. The light mixing between tracks is poorly done, spoiling intros and lead-outs aplenty. There are a handful of bland tunes to be heard here, but nothing truly bad. Most of these songs are really good—some of them are even classics. No wonder: Medium Records was instrumental in the emergence of minimal and progressive at the turn of the millennium. Reincarnation also features several prime examples of the “Scandosound” courtesy of Noma and S>Range. For all these reasons, I would widely recommend Reincarnation to anyone keen on the deeper side of psychedelic trance.

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