Uplifter 2

The second Uplifter from Mental Arts, compiled by DJ Joyrider, is somewhat unusual. German progressive psytrance compilations have tended to sound alike for the past few years, but this is something different. Contrary to what the title may lead you to believe, the material on this release tends to drift more towards the dark and mysterious side of progressive, with some decent results. The cover art isn’t anything special, but there are 71 minutes of sound packed on to this compilation. Here’s how I found it…

Klopfgeister’s How to Become a Psychic kicks it off with a cinematic introduction to the compilation. Intricate waves of percussion unfold gradually as the chunky rhythm begins to march forward. Delicate noises swirl in a psychedelic fashion as orchestral strikes intermittently sound off in the abyss. It never really explodes at any point, but those drawn out chords really add a sense of drama to the track. The production may seem a bit rough, but the composition more than makes up for it. A good beginning!

Relict is the first of two Neelix songs, and it sounds fairly similar to most of Henrik’s other released work, with a tendancy towards darker moods. There is a lot of punch to this groove, with snarky hi-hats and a static bass line that throbs incessantly. Chopped and manipulated vocals lend an animalistic quality to certain rhythmic passages while mysterious tones sound off in many instances, conjuring a haunting atmosphere. It is actually one of the best tunes I’ve heard from Neelix, but a sample from The Patriot close to the end sort of spoils it for me. Had it been without this Hollywood excerpt, I would have called it a favourite.

Alfredo Garcia’s Enlightenment is a slick piece of progressive arranged with a certain degree of restraint and intellect. It blossoms in a sedate way after a sample from the movie Saving Grace. There are ominous tones intermingling with a celebratory aspect that imbues this track with a certain degree of gravitas. In the end it comes across as somewhat ordinary, but there is definatly some potential here.

Following up on 2003’s surprise release Return to Neverland, Oszilla returns with a mystic progressive treat. Tantal Tactus is full of disarming grooves, menacing hooks, and luscious atmospheres. The first few minutes set the listener adrift on a churning rhythm persistently accentuated by a variety of psychedelic textures. The electric bridge carries on into the more active regions of this moody beast, exposing the light and breezy character of the interior in sequence with a more malevolent lead. This contrast of elements lends this track a great deal of strength in combination with the producer’s attention to detail. The result is an original piece of dark progressive psytrance.

Twelve Monkies totally spoil the potential of their rather neutral take on the progressive sound with several unseemly instances of poor sample usage. First off, a 45 second speech from Agent Smith of The Matrix is enough to sink the track, and then they throw in “this is one DJ you don’t want to fuck with” as well as some other stuff in the introduction. Skip it!

Oszilla’s second contribution, entitled Halluneopren, makes a deeper exploration of dark progressive territory. The beat is a brash tribal-organic affair full of chunky grooves and twisted kinks. A variety of sublime sounds are layered above, with an occasional haunting noise that might be a loon’s call. In the second minute the track drops into a neutral breakdown. The most dubious aspect of the tune can be heard here, as a sample discusses a bunch of nonsensical claptrap about “exploring consciousness will be your expanding universe”. It is too bad, as there are some really great permutations following the five minute mark; the groove builds into a grinding monster, takes a break, and then drops into a shimmering staccato rhythm pattern that sounds awesome. There is some potential for use here, but this song needs to be sliced and diced to take out the bad stuff.

Flavanoid is a short tune from Audiomatic and Magnetrixx (Audiomatrixx). There are no real surprises here; just one hell of a solid tribal groove and the appealing production character of the Phase Shift era. There is a sample from Half-Life here: “well sir I hate to say it, but you’re in bad shape.” Though there isn’t much to this tune, it does serve as a decent DJ tool. I happen to like the style so I may find a use for it.

Neelix expresses a lighter character with Alcatraz. His trademark punchy rhythms continue, but the rest is filled with pleasant chords and choral voices. The usual trouble with sample usage comes up, as a sample from Memento plays in towards the last third, echoing on for dozens of repetitions. Neelix has done much worse, however. In the end this is one of the nicer tunes on the compilation, but it still doesn’t warrant a highlight.

Alfredo Garcia’s second rounds out the compilation. 51th State is a pumping proggy blaster that displays the same precise production value as his other tune here. It’s too bad there is yet another overused and inappropriate Hollywood sample; Samuel L. Jackson’s “taste the motherfucking rainbow” speech from Formula 51 fires up during the bridge. The rest of the track displays intricate percussion and subtle effects, but yet again the final result is simply mediocre at best.

Uplifter 2 was looking interesting, but very few of these tracks live up to their potential. The tragic theme of the release is poor sample usage, which made a serious dent in the amount of playable favourites I found. Mental Arts explored an interesting side of progressive psychedelic with this release, and I can only hope they give this another serious attempt. As is, this compilation is only for serious progressive fans who don’t mind samples like I do. Worth a look, but don’t expect too much.

Release Data

Title: Uplifter 2
Label: Mental Arts
Format: CD compilation
Released: 2004

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