Symptoms of Compliance

Symptoms of Compliance is the second compilation from Last Possible Solution, following up on 2004’s Unhinged. With so much content from NRS, this may as well be a second album from the prolific producer. Whatever preconceptions you may have—this is not a part of the darkpsy movement! LPS have their own thing going on—a post-millennial blend of acid techno and dark psychedelic trance. Influences from old rave genres such as hard house can also be perceived. The approach on Symptoms of Compliance is clear: another ass kicking exposition of sordid sounds from the London underground.

Registered User’s Lan is a biting hard techno belter, slathered in a dirty bass-heavy groove that provides a menacing foundation for disorientating noises and unexpected percussive shifts as the track develops. This is just soulless and mean, not the kind of beat you’re going to want to drop unless you’re summoning up the demon armies for an unholy stomp session.

Habitual Abuser from NRS continues to showcase bizarre overtones of horrifying minimal techno. The sound canvas is nearly vacant, with an aching tension punctuated by hard kicks and snappy drum loops. Deep in the middle a creepy recital of “itsy bitsy spider” cements this one as a casually deranged work of techtrance that could be mixed with the likes of Sensient.

Icebreaker’s Invisible Beings displays an uncommonly melodic interpretation of the LPS vibe. The result is something close to the South African sound, though it retains the nasty touch of Paul Wright. The rhythms are enticing though the harmonics fall a bit flat at times. A mixed effort, sure to rock a dance floor despite any misgivings I may have about the curious hybrid of styles at work here.

NRS and Tenzing team up for a twisted romp through demented sonic landscapes on Dealing with Morons. This is the real deal: aggressive and gritty, with a sense a humour! Undead hoovers should incite wry chuckles as a staggering blend of distinct noises creep along with the development of the pounding rhythms. All the drops are sick and original, sure to leave dance floors a drooling mass of protoplasm. This is the Invader Zim of psytrance: stupidly amusing, as the title would suggest. Dealing With Morons is ballsy and original and it totally works!

Never Get Out from NRS is a hard-hitting stomper full of sick dance floor energy. Melodic accentuation is widely spaced but adroitly positioned, ushering in new sequences with good taste. No compromise is made with sick drops and tension-raising breakdowns that disassemble without warning. Bass manipulation takes it all to new levels of intensity in the final minutes, leading this to be one hell of a killer tune.

RAM’s Voodoo Chilli is a filling dish, laced with the potent pepper blend of Scorb and NRS. The rhythms are slightly deeper though the beats possess less punch than some of their other productions, but the spooky atmospheres fill the void with cultured grace. Unfortunately it’s only in the last two minutes that the song begins to grow particularly interesting, leading to a lot of downtime early on. It may be forged well but the results are disenchantingly mediocre in some ways. However, play it loud and it’s sure to satisfy!

NRS returns for his third solo effort of the compilation with Delirium, leading in with an extensive intro to set the mood nicely. Once the beat is going it’s pure Paul Wright – round and wiggly with an undercurrent of malevolence. This one remains quite minimal, developing an atmosphere of dread as time wears on. The results are quite akin to the Deviant Species tune A Night to Dismember. The zombie hordes will be pleased, but if you’re seeking something with a more substantial set of hooks you won’t hear it here.

Scorb and Tenzing’s Cack-O-Phony is a highly polished piece of intensely original psychedelic trance. Dark stabs reminiscent of Juno Reactor’s Giant pierce the introduction with menace, and soon the wriggling beat is off to a moody start. Everything is perfectly placed in these early moments, brilliantly transitioning between segments with fresh details that cohesively synergize to manifest the best flow on the album. Nearing the middle one cannot miss the freaky lead that picks up – it’s a completely unique sound for the dark style, weird and playful in the extreme! After a brief lull in activity the big break sets in and it simply storms the speaker with an energetic rush that drops the groove back in without any fuss. The remainder shows all the quality exhibited throughout the rest of the song. The end result is an excellent track that is rich in character, and certainly one of the best dark psytrance tunes out there!

Lastly, South African bad boy Damage joins forces with NRS to drop another bizarre mash-up of sick elements. The drive is ridiculously powerful on this one, as it belts out at 148 BPM, often reverting shameless snare rolls and high-energy riffs rather than relying on any kind of subtlety. The most distinct segment is no doubt a hilarious sample from the South Park episode You Got F’d in the A that drops in after the middle break – you’re either going crack up or despise it. You simply can’t take a track list this seriously! Ultimately it’s an unashamed corker, made to make people jump and shout on the dance floor.

Symptoms of Compliance is a vast improvement over the first LPS compilation in every way. The quality of the tracks is higher, production value has increased, the art is great, and there’s more of a journey to be heard here, making it suitable for home listening as well as ravaging dance floors worldwide. The demented combination of sick psytrance beats and corny rave influences could have gone awry, but I find the fusion totally amusing, and the crowds out here in Toronto seem to enjoy it as well. If you like it dark and nasty this is not a compilation to be missed!

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