TIP Orange

The iconic Orange Compilation is the second in the famous “colours” series from TIP Records. Released in 1995 to instant acclaim, TIP Orange remains one of the high points of early Goa trance. TIP Yellow and TIP Blue are often considered to be superior, but all three enjoy a nearly unparalleled reputation for greatness. As one early reviewer “steve c.” states on TRiP: “I just got this cd today and think it is mind shattering!”

As was standard in the day, the liner notes contain some freestyle TIP psychobabble, straight from the maw of Raja Ram:

If you met an Alien, wouldn’t you want to know what got him high or what sounds did he dance to, or what was his language and what was in his stash box? …we speak Alien!! Now the secret is out. It has happened. The mothership has landed. We have enetered the realm of science friction. Hyperdimensionalised, computers with feelings, molecular holograms floating in realtime… Exploding kaleidoscopic aural soundscapes. This music is from outaspace that you tune into through your innaspace. Wobbly, wriggly wiggly, crunchy, rubbery sounds that are probing psychotropical frontiers and tuning into our shamanistic resonances once again. The electric wizzards show evidence of the extending intergalactical family web… Creating deeper, richer, more powerful sounds with global pumpage, max peakage and high freakage for fluoropeans. Tipnotic, hi-altitude, anti-gravitational, feet propelling, follicle tingling sizzlers. Spiralling energies are forcing us onwards and upwards at full power, spinning us towards the glowing light. We have an understanding of spacial awareness and our dance space is the psychiatric couch. So let your self be Tiptonised and get hip to the tiptrip.

Alongside releases like Order Odonata 1, Astral Projection’s Trust In Trance, and the Concept In Dance compilations, TIP Orange was part of the “first wave” of mass-produced releases that ignited worldwide interest in the emerging style of psychedelic trance music. For this reason, it is absolutely essential listening for anyone interested in the history of trance! Read on to hear more about the individual songs…

Doof leads the charge with the corny classic Mars Needs Women, a tune best remembered by the tongue-in-cheek sample usage. “Was it true? Could space monsters mate with Earth women?” The rhythms are raw and unpolished, churning along amidst frantic waves of rollicking 303s and frequent interjections–”it’s just three words… the message is: Mars needs women.”

Conflict is one of the very first productions from the notorious Green Nuns of the Revolution. They had previously released a couple of vinyl singles, but this was allegedly their first exposure to the CD-buying public. The backing production on Conflict is poor—the kicks sound like the muffled slap of a wet towel—but the shimmering intricacies of vibrant acidic melodies will surely satisfy. It gains further merit from the intelligent use of layers—the precise technique by which Goa trance is elevated above the background hum of disposable dance music. To be honest, I greatly prefer later material from the Green Nuns, but this was good enough for 1995!

Astral Projection forged an immortal groove with Let There Be Light, one of the most memorable Goa trance anthems ever made. It opens with a long passage sourced from a Christmas Eve broadcast from Apollo 8 in lunar orbit: “In the beginning, God created the Heaven and the Earth.” From there, the Israeli duo weave a compelling tale of cosmic intrigue in the style that made their debut album Trust In Trance such a massive worldwide hit. Not much else needs to be said—this remains one of the very best psychedelic trance songs ever made!

Total Eclipse deliver a somewhat mediocre effort with A Little Bit of Heaven. It seems far less lucid than their other work on TIP in this era, and the same could be said in relation to their excellent debut album Delta Aquarids. Uncommonly enough, this is a spooky journey through the darker realms of the early sound of Goa, making frequent use of a stage announcement from Woodstock: “there is always a little bit of heaven in disaster areas.”

Intellect is easily the best single from the early years of Psychaos. The steady kick is hard and determined, acting in perfect harmony with the moody, sinister bass line to create a forceful drive. Joti builds on this appealing foundation by laying down a hypnotic array of emotionally poignant melodies, infectious acid riffs, and mystic atmospheric sounds. After an ominous introduction, it isn’t long before the storyline becomes completely captivating, and this early classic is likely to hold the listener’s attention in thrall for the duration. A famous sample from the X-Files can also be heard several times, and the words could hardly be any more appropriate: “my meddling intellect misshapes the beauteous forms of things… my mind is a tangled knot I can no longer untie.” Stunning!

How does one even begin to describe the brilliance of Hallucinogen’s Angelic Particles? Have you ever heard music so powerful it brought tears to your eyes? Alongside LSD and Shamanix, this is considered one of the great triumphs of the grandmaster of Goa trance. Laced with gorgeous female voices, a dizzying array of beautiful melodies, and some of the most mind-blowing transitions ever heard in trance music, Angelic Particles possesses an uplifting intensity that is absolutely unparalleled. An awe-inspiring masterpiece!

The Infinity Project (Graham Wood & Raja Ram) collaborate with Man With No Name (Martin Freeland) on Alien Airport, melding their respective signature sounds with skill. The pulsing beat has a deliberate bounce to it, while the rest of the percussion is fairly sublime. Innumerable particles dance around in hazy spirals, pierced every now and then by a squeeling melody. The sample inquires: “Do we really want to know about the future?” It might not rank up there with Stimuli or Mindboggler (Part 2), but Alien Airport is still a good old track.

Einstein, also known as Brainman, isn’t quite up to the task of matching the quality standards of the rest of the TIP roster. On Einstein’s Nightlife, he explores eerie soundscapes using dissonant effects and frantic drum programming. As a catalyst for an intense psychedelic experience, I would imagine that this unsettling monster of a tune would have done the trick, but I have customarily found it to be a little too strange and uninviting to really appreciate. Part of the reason has to do with the rather relentless drum programming, which leaves little in the way of breathing room. An interesting early experiment, but nothing more.

Voodoo People begins the final plunge with People Are Strange, a mysterious exploration of Eastern themes and cosmic moments. The tempo is deceptively fast, as the intricate cerebral rhythms possess startling depths. Pan-pipe riffs and glittering melodies are delicately arranged on a sound canvas which is relatively sparse in comparison to the rest of the material here. Although it may lack the neural punch that propels several of these tracks to all-time classic status, the quality of People Are Strange remains notable.

For the final showing, Jackson collaborates with Nick Barber as Voodoof, dropping the tempo to a chilly 103 BPM. Thru may be considered an ambient finale by some, although I would allege that the heavy rhythms and deeply hypnotic atmospheres make this preternaturally entrancing. The eerie movement of crystalline melody across the foggy, moon-lit beats is simply stunning. Following up with a gradual rise of seething 303s, this song thoroughly satisfies. A rare treat!

The Orange Compilation served to establish TIP as one of the leading psychedelic trance labels in the world, second only to Dragonfly in 1995. With classics like Let There Be Light, Angelic Particles, and Intellect, this release is firmly situated as one of the most noteworthy releases of the year. With such wide distribution, TIP Orange can be regarded as a key influence on just about every artist that has produced trance in the last decade. No old school collection should be without it!