U.F.S. 2

Unidentified Forms of Sound is a BNE compilation series focusing on diverse flavours of psychedelic trance from Israel compiled by Hom-Mega label boss Eyal Yankovich. The second edition, subtitled Psychological Disorder, features a decent assortment of material composed in a variety of styles, just as promised. Sadly, it is lightly mixed, ruining the intros and outros. Let’s dig in.

Future Prophecy do not exactly possess the most original sound in trance history. They released four albums in the four years leading up to the millennium, moving from typical Israeli Goa sounds to a blatant imitation of X-Dream’s sound. Future Cop is the result of an unlikely collaboration with Philip Weiss, one half of Children of Paradise (which features Jan Müller of X-Dream). The additional hands in the studio don’t seem to fill the creative void, however; the only thing this track has going for it is reasonable production value. Breakbeats clatter, synths wail, and there are a few notes bubbling around in the atmosphere, but it is all so basic and straight-forward that it becomes incredibly dull. Why go with the cheap knock-off when you can have the real thing?

DJ Goblin as Psysex gives an obvious nod toward Infected Mushroom on the second track. Survival Kit churns for the first three and a half minutes and then a strange harpsichord-like melody comes in, generating interest. It doesn’t last however—some samples break it up but then it’s back to the grind. A last minute twist toward glittering 8-bit morning sounds is awkward at best. Goblin was trying something different with this piece but I don’t think it worked out very well.

Infected Mushroom was the hottest name in psychedelic trance when this compilation was released. Anyone Else But Me, one of their strangest tracks of this time period, was met with a mixed reaction by fans worldwide. It opens with classic rock riffs in the Infected style, screaming, and other dark elements. This all recedes once the beat rolls in, after which some slick melodic layering gets under way. Filters and effects are used in abundance, causing timely reverberations and curious distortions. Two minutes into the song an orchestral pad is added, planting the seed of euphoric bliss that unfolds a minute later. Into the deepening break, a stunningly beautiful theme blossoms. The angelic sound that develops is completely unlike anything I heard from the Mushies previously. They smartly let the bridge deepen into complete silence, riding the delicate descent of the powerfully emotional atmosphere. After a relatively brief reprisal after the return of the beat, the track drops into one more heavy acid sequence before making a final exposition of the main theme. Sunday morning songs seldom get any better than this!

Gorlation Corporation deliver their best showing with Plastic Zeus, a fierce journey through the far reaches of an intense psychedelic experience. The beats are raw and extremely aggressive, backed by a crispy percussive loops and one of the deepest bass lines of the era. The first moments may be swathed in blackened atmospheres, but this grim and foreboding beast has a melodic secret. It really starts to develop following an absolutely sick sample close to the half-way point: “my brains are going into my feet!” From here the progression is steadily upward, reaching a sparkling melodic high close to the finale. This is truly great! In the words of Shahar of Isratrance, “I feel like a puppet on a string whenever I listen to this track.” Plastic Zeus is a clear favourite from the album.

BLT & Psycraft’s Beat Manifesto is a moody breakbeat-laden track that doesn’t know whether it wants to sulk or frolic. Intricate bass lines and textured rhythms lead this one into groovy minimal territory. The progression doesn’t lead very far from the initial preset, but the stylish composition is nice enough to carry the track. This track can also be found on BLT’s second album, Presence.

Deep Rising, a teaser from Space Cat’s Shapes Of Sound album, is an elegant exploration of mainstream big room trance techniques. The bubbly bass is faintly reminiscent of the Platipus Records style, but the massive rising acid lines seem influenced by the likes of Tiesto and Armin. This has the raw power of psychedelic trance and the emotional emphasis of mainstream epic trance. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Your call.

Next up, Maskalin (Moshe Keinan AKA Xerox & Itzik Benisti) provide a sample of their 2001 album Way Of Life. With a simple driving beat, liquid drum loops, and a series of tribal chants, this sounds a lot like the Xerox track “In My Brain.” Too bad the return from the key breakdown is awkward, accomplished as it is by a nonsensical sped up sample. It doesn’t help that there are no real melodies for most of the song. Dull but not terrible.

On with the most successful experiment of the compilation: Sinister Funk’s Jungle Funk. Damn is this ever funky! It might well be the funkiest psytrance track ever made (although Eat Static gives them a run for the money on U.F.S. 3). Not only is this a sick fusion of styles, but the production is also quite fat. Get down and dirty to these killer grooves, “in the jungle, brother!”

Oforia plays trance-by-numbers with someone named D-Groovy, fabricating a slow shimmering morning epic called Paradise of Silence. Unlike what happened with Space Cat and Maskalin, the simplicity of arrangement actually helps to express the vision on this one. It ends up sounding fairly commonplace but the experience is still nice.

Much like the others in the series, U.F.S. 2 is an inconsistent compilation. There are high points, but just as many low points, with a great deal of disengaging filler in between. The Infected Mushroom tune is a classic as far as I’m concerned, although it is way too cheesy for a lot of psytrance fans. Gorlation Corporation and Sinister Funk provide the best tunes of their short careers. Aside from that, there isn’t much worth mentioning. The Israeli cheese factor is probably going to dissuade a good number of potential listeners half a decade after its release, but collectors will no doubt find some tasty cuts on this one. There is one positive thing I can say about the release as a whole—the production value is generally of a good standard for the time. U.F.S. 2 was a major release in the year 2000, but it is little more than a curiosity by now. My recommendation is to cherry pick the best tracks and move on.