Building on years of success with the minimal psytrance project Paste, Patrick Sonderegger founded La Baaz as his solo project in 2002. Over the last five years, Patrick has developed a deep and hypnotic style of progressive dance music that has resulted in cutting edge releases on labels such as Plusquam, Flow, Cold Groove, Echoes, Candy Flip, Aeon, Fat Form, and Soul Tribe. Tracks such as Bodyloation, Virtual Halloween, and Asirion typify the La Baaz aesthetic—they are eerie, mesmerizing, and extremely well-produced.

Recently I conducted an interview with Patrick via email to find out more about the La Baaz project. The full text of the exchange follows. Continue reading the rest of this post »

The Dutch producer Lorenzo Zoeter revolutionized the use of breakbeat rhythms in psychedelic trance with his work as Sibilant and Metal Spark. His efforts helped to propel breakbeat-laden psytrance to the forefront of the international movement by late 1997.

In the mid-nineties, the legendary Mazzo nightclub in Amsterdam founded several spin-off labels to showcase a diverse array of electronic music styles. Formed in 1995, the M-Track imprint was chartered to release trance and techno records—many of which were written by local artists such as Synchro and Cwithe. Shortly after the formation of the label, Mazzo resident DJ Lucas released a CD mix entitled The Gathering Volume One. This marks the debut of Lorenzo Zoeter, the influential producer behind Sibilant—his solo project—and Metal Spark, a project formed alongside Lucas Mees (DJ Lucas) and Patrice Van Den Berg (Syrinx) in 1996. Zoeter’s appearance on the scene coincides with a sharp increase in the complexity and artistic maturity of the nascent Dutch “break-trance” movement. In essence, Zoeter acted as a catalyst—the cutting-edge sound he pioneered soon spread to other Dutch producers, infusing their work with a newfound artistic legitimacy that led to international recognition.

Lorenzo Zoeter’s influence can be traced back to the release of Screecher Creature in 1996. Originally released on a vinyl single from Symbiosis Records, Screecher Creature is the finest early example of Zoeter’s futuristic “cyberdelic” style. It begins with the otherworldly resonance of a synthesized cyborg voice, firmly establishing a sense of the alien that pervades much of his work. Intricate breakbeat rhythms soon flow like black liquid chrome beneath the jagged movement of tortured metallic leads and shrieking industrial noises. The effect is one of dystopian dread punctuated with devious mirth. In this sense, Screecher Creature is completely at odds with the “shanti vibes” and positive themes that dominated trance in 1996.

Zoeter disappeared from the trance scene by 1999 and has not been heard from since. Perhaps as a result of such a long absence, his impact on the development of psychedelic trance is seldom recognized. Nevertheless, Lorenzo’s productions as Sibilant and Metal Spark remain among the most highly advanced psychedelic breakbeat songs ever made.

Listen to Sibilant’s Screecher Creature (Flash required):

If you wish to procure a copy for yourself, Screecher Creature can be found on a number of CDs, all of them relatively rare: Advanced Technologies Of Amsterdam, the Funk compilation from Symbiosis, and Proper Filth, Sibilant’s full-length album from 1998.

This is the second in a series of articles designed to profile the songs that shaped psychedelic trance history. Stay tuned for more!

Sebastian Krüger (SBK) and Linus Wessel began working together in the mid-nineties as part of the group Digital Sun. Their first substantial success came with the release of the tribal-influenced Goa trance album The Spiral Of Power on Polytox Records in 1997. That same year, Wessel and Krüger founded Tarsis to explore a “progressive” approach to trance music, emphasizing slow-building arrangements and cutting edge production techniques. After signing with DJ Antaro’s Spirit Zone Records in Germany, Tarsis debuted on the Tathata II compilation with the original version of Atomic Children. Instead of merely elaborating on the melodic exuberance of the Digital Sun project, Tarsis challenged listeners with sleek, stylized grooves and subtle hypnotic effects. This paved the way for Vacuum (1998), the first of several full-length albums from Tarsis.

Vacuum represents a pivotal moment in trance history. In many ways, this deeply progressive Goa trance album can be considered an important forerunner to the rise of the minimal movement that swept across Europe in 1999. Melodies are few and far between—instead, Tarsis focuses on intricate rhythmic programming, the mesmerizing interplay of atmospheric themes, and the evocation of a sublime cosmic feeling. Rather than assault the listener with a frantic barrage of screaming leads (as many contemporary Goa trance producers had been doing with ever-increasing complexity), Tarsis emphasizes the importance of the space between the notes.

Nowhere is this refined approach more clearly heard than on the hauntingly beautiful opening song, The Snake. Vividly capturing the emptiness of the starry void, The Snake substantiates the outer space motifs at the heart of Vacuum, providing form and substance to the deeper artistic aims of the Tarsis project. Underscoring its importance, The Snake was selected by Sebastian Krüger himself for Nova-Tekk’s Eternity Vol. 2, an all-time “best of” compilation. German producers are often overshadowed by X-Dream, one of the most consistently influential groups in trance history, but Tarsis should not go unrecognized for their contribution to the development of progressive and minimal psychedelic trance in the late nineties.

Listen to The Snake (Flash required):

This is the first in a series of articles designed to profile the songs that shaped psychedelic trance history. More of the underlying structure of the project will be revealed in future postings. Please note that the streaming MP3 is provided with permission from the artist. Stay tuned for more!

freedb is an incredibly helpful service that offers track listings and other CD metadata through a wide variety of client software. In practical everyday usage, freedb enables CD rippers, audio taggers, and other music-related software the ability to fill in the blanks so that no manual data entry is required. This is an extremely important capability for anyone regularly working with CDs to rip and burn, encode to MP3, catalogue, archive, or otherwise digitize music stored on physical media.

This article has been written to provide all the information necessary to submit information to the freedb service. Record labels and independent artists are most likely to want to make use of this knowledge, but serious collectors and altruistic members of the listening public might also wish to learn how it all works. Ultimately, the goal is to provide CD buyers everywhere with accurate and useful metadata (in this case, information about CDs). Labels should be particularly concerned with keeping the freedb database updated with all the latest releases; it requires very little effort and provides a great convenience to paying customers.

To get started, I highly recommend downloading and installing Exact Audio Copy (EAC), the software I use here in the Ektopod. It is with this software that I will walk you through the steps necessary to successfully submit metadata to freedb. If you have any trouble working with EAC, you may wish to use one of the other programs listed on the client submits statistics page, but the directions that follow will probably be of little use.

Before attempting to submit anything, read the freedb FAQ for submitting new entries to brush up on the basic rules. In a nutshell: drop the “The” in group names where necessary, employ proper capitalization (see the Discogs submission guidelines for a good set of standards to follow), and format track titles on compilations featuring various artists like “Artist / Track Title.” If you encounter any errors during the procedure, check the FAQ, make a post on the EAC support forum, or see what Google has to say.

EAC in fine working order on the verge of submitting a new CD.

Ensure your copy of EAC is configured to access freedb properly; generally the server information is going to be correct, but you are going to need to enter an email address into the appropriate field if it is your first time using the software to submit. This can be found under EAC > freedb / database options [F12]. At this stage, it is time to insert a CD that you wish to submit to the freedb.

It is now time to type in some information! The entry fields in the top right corner of EAC are for title, artist, year, and genre—you know what to do. Check the box for “Various Artists” if you are submitting a compilation. The selections accessed through the “freedb” drop down box are, as mentioned, quite limited—apparently electronic music is supposed to be filed under “Rock.” Moving on to the track titles, enter “Artist / Track Title” if you are submitting a compilation, and only the track title if this is an album by a single artist. The tab and enter keys will help you navigate the various fields with ease. Once you have finished, verify the information you are about to submit—any mistakes in spelling or capitalization will be replicated worldwide, so be careful! The last step: submit the metadata by going to Database > Submit Information to freedb [ALT-U]. EAC also supports automatic revisions; if you have found an error in any existing metadata, you may correct it in the same way.

Hopefully this basic walk-through has been helpful in some way. Every record label should make every effort to submit new releases before they hit the shops, but it isn’t tough for the rest of us to pick up the slack. Remember—it only takes one person to enter details that will benefit thousands!

The following piece is an article I wrote about the Toronto psytrance scene for the Trancer’s Guide to the Galaxy 2007, an annual publication with a circulation of 30,000 copies worldwide. This 80 page postcard-sized magazine provides a high-level overview of trance activity around the globe. It is aimed at the neo-hippie jet set: globe-trotting “trancers” keen on discovering the character of gatherings in distant lands. As the content is divided along national boundaries and proportioned according to overall activity, a large and regionally disparate country such as Canada is seldom profiled in any depth in the print version. Naturally, given all of the content that is written for the Guide, editors must make difficult decisions since space is at a premium. From what I have heard, my article concerning Toronto has been amalgamated into the Canada-wide profile and reduced to little more than a brief mention that we exist. Such is life!

After the print magazines have been sold, the Trancer’s Guide typically publishes an “online edition” with much more content. I imagine my article might appear on their site later in the year, but why wait? You can read it here, right now!

Toronto is one of the most multicultural cities in the world—an international crossroads where people of all nations intermingle. The diversity of the city is reflected in the history of the local psytrance scene, which extends back to the late nineties. Organizations such as Moonshadow, BLA (Black Light Activists), and Resonance laid the groundwork early on, while DSF, R351570R, Ektoplazm, Eloko, and Darkrave helped to expand the movement after the dawn of the millennium. There have been festivals every summer season, but few are dedicated psytrance events. Harvest, Om, and WEMF have traditionally had a psytrance stage every year or so, but it is not consistent.

BLA + SumKidz NYE

BLA (Black Light Activists), the Shakti Collective, and the newly founded Metamystix are the modern vanguard of the psychedelic underground in Toronto. In 2006 we have had visits from Gus Till, Koxbox, Atmos, Prisoners of the Sun, Reefer Decree, NASA, Prosect, Mapusa Mapusa, and SBK, to name a few. The festival season has been quiet, with little to report from 2006 aside from the excellent Harvest Festival. Many Toronto psytrance fans travels to Quebec or the States for the big festivals (Eclipse and Gaian Mind for example).

Yeb’s Cold Groove Records enjoys an international reputation for premium techtrance and progressive, releasing artists such as Nuclear Ramjet, La Baaz and Midi Miliz. Local producers Metalogic have become known for their industrial techtrance live shows, while Axiomata has been chocking up a few releases. Neil Gibson has had great success traveling the globe with his exceptional blacklight artwork, and Jeremy Zuch is also building a respectable portfolio of fluorodelic backdrops. Prominent DJs include Quivering Virgin, Shankar, Phink, Basilisk, Rook, Yeb, Sketi, Plan B, Lexicon, DJ Dam, Moxy, Thailer, and Marz. VJs such as Scott Guy, Wuzzle, and Saugat work the screens at even the smallest events.

BLA + SumKidz NYE

The sound of Toronto cannot be defined; events vary in showcasing full-on, progressive, techtrance, and more experimental styles, although there is a noticeable tendency to slide towards the deeper end of the spectrum. Most gatherings are attended by fewer than 300 people, which encourages an intimate sense of community where most people know one another. The scene here is very welcoming to newcomers—especially those from other nations—so don’t hesitate to become involved!

Metamystix: Magikal Intentions

The future of psytrance in Toronto is wide open: we are in a time of transformation. Certain challenges inhibit the growth of the movement here; the shortage of amenable venues is making it particularly difficult to organize proper psychedelic trance events. On the bright side, there are many possibilities for people to make a contribution and help shape the future of the psychedelic trance counterculture here in Toronto. Anything can happen!

Akhentek @ Magikal Intentions

For all event listings and further information on the local scene, visit Ektoplazm. For offline contact, drop by Shanti Baba (546 Queen West) for flyers and information.

So there you have it…

EAC or Exact Audio Copy is a very handy tool for music fans. Every time I receive an order of new CDs, the very first thing I do is rip and burn two copies of every CD—one for the backup spool, and one for the binder that I bring out to gigs. Making backups and copies for playing out ensures that originals will stay in the very best condition. Additionally, as a DJ, it is a sensible precaution to avoid taking originals from your home. It is every DJ’s nightmare to have their record bag or CD wallet stolen, but nowadays, the risk can be minimized. This article compiles some tips and tricks I’ve picked up from using the software, which also has several uses beyond merely backing up your discs.

Track Naming

It is always helpful to have the software automatically fill in artist and track title details when you scan a disc. I recommend using freedb for this purpose. Configuring this is not difficult—simply open up the EAC menu, select freedb / Database Options, and enter the URL http://freedb.freedb.org:80/~cddb/cddb.cgi into the freedb server field if it isn’t already there. Brand new CDs will not likely have their info added, but you can always submit a disc by reading this entry.

Ripping CDs

If you’re ripping a new or unblemished CD, you can skip the testing process by striking [F5] to begin. If you have a dirty CD with scratches or a burn of unknown quality, use [F6] to test and then rip. The status report at the end of the ripping session will show you the quality and overall volume of individual tracks. If you are dealing with older CDs, you may encounter quiet tracks that could benefit from normalization. This can be accomplished after the rip by using the wave editor (CTRL-E). It is also quite possible to setup EAC so that MP3s are automatically encoded, preferably with LAME. See the links at the base of this article for more information.

Determining Audio Quality

Another handy trick this program is capable of is determining the quality of an audio file. Since it is an easy thing to decompress an MP3 file and pass it off as an original WAV, it is prudent to look for signs of compression in any file you receive through the net or by way of snail mail. Rip from CD as necessary, and open up EAC. There is an option under Tools entitled Process Wave, with the shortcut CTRL-E. Load up your file and select Spectral View from the Display menu. An original wave file is going to have colour going all the way to the top. A decompressed MP3 will have a black gap in the higher frequency range, as the compression engine cuts out the majority of frequencies above a certain range.

A more detailed explanation of this important technique is also available.

That’s all for now, but if I find any other useful tips for EAC that are worth mentioning, I’ll be sure to update this article.

If you’re seeking more on the subject, check out these EAC sites:
Exact Audio Copy
Quick Start Guide
Chris Myden’s EAC & MP3 Articles
Dick’s CDR Page
Hydrogen Audio Wiki