Transient Dawn

Transient Dawn explores “the softer side of trance” as selected by DJ Chrisbo. This compilation follows in the tradition of releases such as Infinite Excursions 1 from TIP Records and the Surrender To The Vibe series of compilations from Phantasm. As the Goa trance movement became widespread in the mid-nineties, commercial demand grew for “afterparty” music—something to throw on after returning home from a long night to keep the energy flowing without pushing it too far. Transient Dawn represents the label’s first major attempt to probe the borderlands of morning trance and downtempo, foreshadowing the advent of their Mashed Mellow Grooves series of compilations two years later. At this early stage psychedelic chill-out as we know it today had not yet turned toward abstract beat patterns—this predates the release of the very first Shpongle album, after all. Instead, every track has a steady trance rhythm with BPMs ranging from 104 (on Hypnosys) to about 139 (Anubis).

Avi Nissim of Astral Projection attempts to set the mood with Ambience, which was previously released on The Astral Files. It seemed like filler on the album and its inclusion here is hardly justified. I can say this is one of the weakest songs in Astral Projection’s discography. To be fair it’s not all bad—and it does a fine job establishing the approach of Transient Dawn—but I think we all know Nissim is capable of much more.

Messiah is an obscure side project of Mino Vaknin, best known in 1997 for his involvement in co-producing Orion’s debut album Futuristic Poetry alongside Jean Borelli. Hypnosys weaves an intricate spell with mystic melodies and slow raspy rhythms. While the composition has the potential to be captivating, I find the production quality of this relatively early effort to be somewhat thin and tinny. Elysium later remixed this song into shape on the Cosmic Communication compilation.

Slide (Pete Martin) contributes Searching Slowly, a mysterious song composed in the style of The Zinc-Plated Goddess—the chilled finale to Slide’s full-length debut Unstable. This hypnotic voyage meanders and swirls with a hint of funk and a subtle trace of chaotic forces rippling beneath the surface. Searching Slowly marks the point at which the compilation really begins to heat up.

Clocking in at over twelve minutes in length, The Vision is an epic tribal trance classic by DJ Cosmix and Kristian Thinning (Elysium). This is the pure essence of deeply hypnotic trance; there is something genuinely primal about this production that always leaves me slightly dazed. The majestic cosmic atmospheres and beautiful ethnic vocal samples may explain my response. The Vision is truly magical!

Temple Of The Moon is one of three songs accredited to Anubis, a collaborative project between Chris Deckker of Medicine Drum and Simon Posford (Hallucinogen). It is as one would expect: richly psychedelic with a haunting tribal mystique. During the bridge there is a very bold use of female vocals that is likely to polarize listeners. At first I suspected the singer might be Irina Mikhailova but there is also evidence that would suggest another uncredited appearance by Neera. Both worked with Medicine Drum at different times so it is hard to say which it might be. At any rate, it is a good tune, but not as exceptional as one might expect given Posford’s involvement.

Slipstream is taken from Supernature, Medicine Drum’s debut album that was originally slated for a 1997 release but ultimately ended up mired in distribution problems and numerous delays. Chris Deckker appears alongside co-producer Andy Guthrie, who was also collaborating with Tsuyoshi Suzuki as Prana around the same time. Guthrie’s touch is clearly evident in the drum programming and bubbling synthetic bass line—compare this with his work as Funkopath and you will hear it. Oriental melodies give this one a mystic vibe that proves to be quite memorable. I would call this one of my favourite tunes from Medicine Drum.

Doof (Nick Barber) initially became known for his screaming acid lines and wild use of 303s but it was the chilled trance vibes of Blue Sun Shrine that would eventually prove to be his true calling. This piece is incredibly sentimental—overwhelmingly so, as it turns out. Wave upon wave of glistening liquid notes come spilling out from the speakers as the track picks up steam. The cheerful and upbeat character of this song is a refreshing change of pace after the last few offerings, which were far more serious. It sounds nice in context but seems to lack something in other circumstances.

Cosmosis rounds it out with Dawn Of An Era, a highly polished song that features intricate drum programming, deep warbling bass, and layer upon layer of liquid melody. The credits list Jeremy Van Kampen alongside Bill Halsey, making this one of the very last releases to feature the original line-up of Cosmosis before Van Kampen split off to pursue his solo career as Laughing Buddha. This is a very slick piece of work—a great way to end the CD.

Transient Dawn still sounds great on a lazy Sunday morning after a big night out. I find it impressive that Transient managed to gather together eight full songs that compliment each other so well. The compilation has a weak beginning but the remainder maintains a reasonably high quality standard. Cosmix & Kristian provide the only truly mind-blowing piece of work but the rest get the job done. Classic Goa trance fans with an interest in the less active side of the old school style should check this one out!

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