Revelations

Revelations is the second release from Digital Oracle, an imprint of Crystal Matrix Records. This compilation exemplifies the more “mainstream-friendly” side of full-on psytrance, as if the label were interested in cornering the market on crossover-friendly psychedelic tunes for regular trance DJs and listeners. Every now and then a psytrance labels has a shot at this—often with mixed results. I suspect Revelations has fared a little better than most, mainly because the quality level remains relatively high given what these artists are trying to do. Psytrance fans might take issue with the fluffiness of this compilation, but John 00 Fleming fans are sure to find it worthwhile.

Chakra provides the biggest surprise of the compilation with Opacity, a beautiful piece of pure morning trance. Uniting blissful atmospheric melodies with a soothing female vocal sample, this serene song sounds almost Scandinavian at times, somewhat like Noma or early S>Range. Deep, emotional, and entirely genuine—an instant favourite.

Astrix teams up with John 00 Fleming on 3rd Time Lucky to provide a floor-friendly mix of epic trance and Israeli full-on. This highly polished song features several nice build-ups and crystal clear production value. The final rush is designed for peak-time exposure and is sure to satisfy fans of “big room” trance. It will serve well as an effective selection for crossover DJs.

Space Cat (Avi Algranati) joins Pixel for Speedy Travels, a squelchy piece of melodic full-on loaded with plenty of crowd-pleasing tricks. The ecstatic build-up at the heart of the track is rather formulaic, but it certainly captures the feeling of late-nineties epic trance. Ultimately it is a rather decent full-on anthem; not something I would play, but it certainly fits with the concept of the compilation.

Talamasca and Life Extension take a stab at mainstream trance with State Of Confusion but it does not quite make the grade. Lestat’s signature sound is all over this piece but it just feels a little too predictable, too forced, and (dare I say it) too cheesy. This is modern day victory trance; take it or leave it.

Next we have the GMS remix of Buttersonic, a song Sub6 originally released on their debut album, Who Needs Love Songs. Wriggling synthetic bass and upbeat full-on rhythms combine to yield another solid crossover hit. Vocoded samples nicely emphasize the euphoric intent of the piece. Say what you will about GMS—when they really apply themselves the results can be very good.

Next on the menu: Z-Machine saps the life out of Xerox & Illumination’s 3D. The original is quite good but this remix strips out some of the more interesting hooks and layers. In exchange, nothing beneficial is returned; the sound is plastic and there is a daft melody at work in several sequences. Pass.

Time Lock is another Israeli full-on artist with a tendency to explore commercial techniques. Here on Xtactic, Time Lock takes a hint from Infected Mushroom and blends epic full-on with awful male vocals: “make your move, cuz I’m waiting / make your move, or step outside.” As if this weren’t bad enough, an excessively long sample from The Matrix plays through a long break that ends in an obnoxious double-build. Atrocious!

Shift’s appearance on this compilation is rather unexpected. Flow is a rather simple song, and not among his best work. Mainly I am left wondering how the guy responsible for some of the grittiest and meanest psytrance in existence could produce something so wishy-washy. Now, it is not bad exactly—that demented circus melody that emerges in the last few minutes does the trick—but just about any other tune from Shift sounds better.

Igal Magitman rounds out the compilation with Lost Souls, an electric progressive house monster with a light and bouncy feel. I prefer depth in this sort of music—and there isn’t much here. The arrangement is decent enough but this doesn’t really move me.

Revelations is an average compilation mainly of interest to mainstream trance fans looking for a bit of the psychedelic flavour in their music. For psytrance fans this release is quite a letdown—unless, of course, this sort of fluffy full-on is what you are looking for. Chakra provides the only real stand-out track on the release; the rest vary from decent to somewhat dull but none of them are truly built to last.

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