Third Eye’s Ancient Future is the debut release from Psy-Harmonics, an influential Australian trance label that became a major force during the early years of Goa trance. Behind this project is the legendary producer Ollie Olsen, also known from his work as Shaolin Wooden Men and The Visitors (with Andrew Till and Geoffrey Hales). Released in 1993, Ancient Future captures the embryonic movement in transition from straight trance and techno to something recognizably psychedelic. There are hints of ethnic vocals and hypnotic acid lines amidst the more calm and contemplative atmospheres that characterize this album. Tempos remain fairly low—from about 110 to 130 BPM—and the beats themselves are simple and straight-forward. The title of the album fits perfectly—there is a sense of both the primitive and the technological in this pioneering work.

Morphic Resonance is an exercise in simplicity. Only about half of the song features any sort of beat—it is padded by plenty of mood-setting ambiance. It builds slowly, deploying a single crystalline tone that seems to shimmer in the air alongside a sparse arrangement of Indian vocals. This soft and seductive opening number makes a very strong first impression.

There Is Nowhere To Go But There melds a minimal tribal groove with gloomy atmospheric themes in a mind-numbingly monotonous manner. This is not altogether undesirable; the results are extremely haunting. Interesting work—even if it seems to lead nowhere.

Think plods along with a bass-heavy groove and light hints of sparkling synth-work. It seems a little less developed than some of the others here.

Ancient Future resembles the sound of early releases on Dragonfly Records to some extent—perhaps due to a more prominent use of acid lines. The arrangement meanders through more than nine minutes of somewhat aimless dabbling, but it still sounds decent enough.

Sea Of Tranquility is an eerie piece of pure ambient music. No beats or percussion intrude on this unnerving trip into the void.

Chemical Angels achieves a sense of profundity through the use of a rich canvas of deep atmospheric sounds. The unchanging rhythm is drab, inhibiting some of the enjoyment of the otherwise captivating detail work in the higher frequencies, but this remains a substantial effort.

You Know is the most upbeat song on the latter half of the album. It is somewhat reminiscent of Orbital’s classic song Remind, released that same year. Arpeggiated melodies swirl throughout the introduction, boldly presaging the oncoming beat. An electronic delight.

Morphic Resonance (Slight Return) is an ambient revision of the opening track, bringing the album full circle.

Ancient Future bridges the gap between psychedelic trance and its various electronic music predecessors—techno, house, “ambient trance,” and new wave. It is one of a handful of groundbreaking albums that set the stage for the rise of the global psychedelic trance counterculture in the mid-nineties. While it was likely to have been highly influential on the development of trance culture in Australia, Ancient Future appears to have been somewhat overlooked elsewhere despite a Nova Zembla re-release in Europe. I suspect this album has been overshadowed by Transmissions and Abduction, the debut album releases from Juno Reactor and Eat Static. In any case, Ancient Future remains one of a handful of forward-thinking releases that helped to shape the scene in 1993. Anyone with an interest in the earliest roots of psychedelic trance would do well to check it out.

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Discogs // Detailed release data.
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Byte Me is the third album from Shift (Chris Hoy), one of the leading names in South African psytrance, a style notorious for incredibly powerful beats, killer melodies, and an extremely fat sound. Shift’s previous album Excession matches that description but this one is a little different. Byte Me is fairly experimental and diverse; Shift explores a variety of approaches while remaining true to his sound.

The album opens in uncharacteristic fashion with a breakbeat remix of Dubmention, previously released on Doppler FX. It is a refreshing change of pace to hear broken beats blended with elements of psytrance but the prominent use of vocals really spoils the track.

The Rift is initially much more stripped-down than the usual South African psytrance tune. It develops toward full power as the track proceeds, unleashing a vicious assortment of snarling melodies and deadly bass line hooks. Solid work, but this is only the beginning.

Dune II is a remix (or update) of a killer song released on Utopia 2 in 2005. This version lacks the theatrical introduction of the original but the rest of the track is much fatter. The beats are smashing, the atmosphere is psychedelic, and the melodic riffs are simply massive. I prefer the original version of Dune for its prominent use of the film score, but this one is good as well.

Pagan Sunrise opens with an arresting atmospheric theme before getting down to the business of building a killer full-on groove. Scattered synthetic flourishes infuse the early moments with an eerie sense of foreboding. The mood is transformed with the return of the mystic morning atmospheres in the central break; from here to the very end, Pagan Sunrise is absolute enthralling. Wow!

Sin In Motion proves to be menacing, twisted, and threatening. The mood is set with spooky atmospheres that shimmer and slide between the pounding synthetic beat. Grinding leads rip into the air with perfect timing. The arrangement is, as usual, absolutely ideal for a good stomp.

Slide wastes absolutely no time in propping up a strangely cockeyed lead, immediately imposing a sense of delirium on the proceedings. Indeed, this is a fairly unbalanced piece of work, lurching from beat to beat with a drunken swagger.

Shift’s remix of Real Men Don’t Dance (originally by DMMT) marks the energetic peak of the album. The cheeky samples from the original aren’t so bad; Shift alters the hell out of them, distorting them into an unintelligible digital haze. There is no time to be troubled in any case, as this track is in constant flux. Cosmic melodies spar with wailing leads that rip into the stratosphere, tribal chants and a hint of drums provides an irresistible rhythmic hook, and the massive bass line runs through all manner of complex configurations. Bloody wicked!

The title track Byte Me shows yet another facet of Shift’s production abilities. This time around the approach is uplifting, lightening the mood toward euphoria—almost sounding positively Israeli at times. In contrast to the hectic segments at front and tail, the body of the song is deeply contemplative, ushered in by an atmospheric break that features a great sample: “on the cusp of the new millennium an eerie anxiety permeates our culture regarding the possibility of extra-terrestrial life.” The sum total of these parts is another blinding dance floor thriller.

The remainder of the album is given over to a pair of short experimental tunes that sound more like Artifakt than Shift at times. Ear Dis features a slow and funky voodoo groove and an assortment of Rasta samples. Komatose is a seductive slice of distorted breakbeats and menacing metallic melodies faintly reminiscent of Xerox & Illumination’s Funkenstein. Both efforts are interesting at the very least, if only for their novelty value.

Byte Me is a daring album that pushes the envelope of South African psytrance. Shift made a serious attempt to try out some new ideas with this release. Some of it works and some of it does not. As a result, reception of this album has been very mixed. Longtime fans of the South African style might find it too cheesy, but I find myself enjoying most of it—particularly Pagan Sunrise, Byte Me, and Real Men Don’t Dance. Whether this will age well is another matter—I suspect time will only serve to highlight the disparity between the successful experiments and those that miss the mark. Still, it is certainly worth checking out, especially if you enjoy the South African style and would like to hear something a bit different from the norm.

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Stardiver is the second album from Electric Universe (Boris Blenn), one of the old masters of German Goa trance. This release continues in the vein of Electric Universe’s 1995 debut, One Love. Cosmic trance melodies, smooth analog rhythms, and the regular use of breakbeat loops typify the Electric Universe style of this time period. Most of these arrangements are quite simple and repetitive, but this approach works when the composition is sufficiently interesting. Stardiver was originally released in Germany on Spirit Zone Recordings but was soon picked up for re-release in France and Israel by Substance and Phonokol. Due to its widespread distribution and accessible character, Stardiver became a “gateway” album for many new listeners. This CD is lightly mixed, much to the chagrin of DJs everywhere.

The album opens on a high note with Alien Encounter (Part 2), a gorgeous piece of cosmic Goa trance. Light breakbeat rhythms, bubbling acid melodies, and hypnotic leitmotifs dominate the song and set the tone for the entire album. The journey continues with From The Heart, a collaboration with DJ Sangeet. This is a little more epic than the opener but not quite as convincing. Radio S.P.A.C.E. features the strongest integration of breakbeats yet. Blissful cosmic melodies make this one stand out from the rest. The Rising Sun sounds plain in comparison—it simply doesn’t stand out.

Although Michael Dressler left the group shortly before the release of Stardiver, his work can still be heard on the three tracks taken from the Sunglider vinyl single, originally released in 1996. The first of these is perhaps the biggest hit of the album: Online Information. There really isn’t much to it—bubbling acid lines and a raspy breakbeat loop cycle and flow above a standard trance rhythm for the duration. Although groundbreaking in its day, this track doesn’t sound all that special to my ears.

Luna Overdrive raises the energy level of the album with hard-hitting breakbeat-laden rhythms and soaring acid lines. It sounds a lot like the rest but the beefier production value gives it an edge. This solid tune was later re-released in remastered form on Retrodelic Vibes 2 in 2005.

At this stage the album begins to falter. Technologic is an uninteresting exercise in monotony. The two edits that follow—Astral Voyage and Sunset Skyline—aren’t particularly memorable. The full-length originals might be good but these clipped versions are simply too short to get into. Matters begin to improve with the title track Stardiver, another collaboration with DJ Sangeet. Here we return to the deeper tempo of the opener and the cosmic qualities of One Love.

Alien Encounters (Part 1) rounds out the album with an excellent piece of downtempo trance—the best track yet! It sounds quite a bit like Visiting Venus from the previous Electric Universe album, One Love. As with his later work as Galaxy, Blenn deploys electro-breaks, warm analog bass, and smooth flowing melodies to create a genuinely hypnotic musical experience.

Stardiver is an average Goa trance album that enjoyed a surprising amount of commercial success, possibly due to its overall accessibility. It is regarded as a classic of the genre by some—perhaps for nostalgic reasons—but I don’t see anything special in it. I would argue that Boris Blenn has written much better material. The problem with this album is that it has, as one TRiP reviewer wrote in 1998, “little sense of adventure.” In spite of the fact that Stardiver is widely credited for popularizing breakbeat usage in psytrance in 1997, there isn’t anything very challenging about it. There are no twists and turns, no surprises. Ultimately, Stardiver is a decent album—one that old school fans will probably want to check out at some point—but not in any way essential.

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Sunflavoured is the second full-length album from Klopfgeister, a German duo consisting of Jens Schefzig and Thorsten Paul. Klopfgeister released their debut album Sweet Compromise with Balloonia Records in 2005 after appearing on the Uplifter 2 compilation from Mental Arts in 2004. Their style is fairly straight-forward rendition of tradition German progressive psytrance as pioneered by groups such as Element, Tarsis, DJ Sangeet, and Ololiuqui. This album focuses on festival-friendly progressive treats with some crossover potential.

The journey begins with a luxurious piece of downbeat trance that churns along at exactly 104 BPM: Smoke A Bagpipe. The lead melody is exactly what you might expect to hear with a title like that! Soaked in rich atmospheric swirls and backed by deep tribal beats, this unconventional introduction makes a great first impression.

Sunflavour exhibits the kind of fine craftsmanship and reserve we have come to expect from the top shelf German progressive producers. Smooth and seductive atmospheric programming places this track soundly within the domain of morning trance. The uplifting aspect of this production feels genuine, not forced. Very nice.

Disco Stu Doesn’t Advertise takes a different approach, digging deep into snappy grooves shrouded in elegant melodic flourishes. It feels as if Klopfgeister has channelled the mood and style of Phony Orphants with this production—the slick rhythms are strongly reminiscent of It Cetra, one of the best progressive albums of 2005. This isn’t the only connection to make; the prominent vocal samples parallel those of Native Radio’s Neuromancer, a memorable German trance anthem released on Vibration 4 in 2001. Neuromancer explores the visceral experience of dancing; Disco Stu Doesn’t Advertise seeks to portray the sense of eternal vitality that defines the perfect dance floor moment: “There was a feeling. Life is a party. The party was life.” Forget any misgivings about the somewhat derivative nature of the track; Klopfgeister have done a fantastic job setting the mood and capturing the feeling of an excellent party. This is something special.

Previously released on Back From Beyond, The Hills Have Eyes is a sleek and classy song with a captivating futuristic mystique. The drums are tightly programmed, the atmosphere is deeply serious, and the melodies are smooth and sublime. Another favourite.

Riders Of The Eucalypse opts for a thicker, bouncier groove—somewhat similar to what we have come to expect from groups like Magnetrixx, Symphonix, or Day.Din. With a strong emphasis on snappy melodies, it seems promising, but the execution leaves something to be desired. The frivolous samples taken from Back To The Future don’t really help the case.

My Little Pink Pony takes a similar approach to that of Sunflavour, exploring the subtle side of morning with tightly integrated breakbeats and layered atmospheric melodies. Decent, but nothing special.

Zathuration continues in the same vein with a steady groove and moderate hints of trippy morning melodies. Songs like these decay under stringent examination; they fare much better in the background or in the mix. Bland.

Luminosity 2006, an update of a track released on Klopfgeister’s 2005 debut, is recorded live in Berlin. As such, the production quality is not quite as good as the rest. At eleven minutes in length this track is by far the longest of the album. It develops in small increments, gradually building energy using traditional trance techniques. Even though it doesn’t stand out this is still a nice piece of music.

Organizm rounds out the album with a welcome excursion into funky grooves and soothing atmospheres. Klopfgeister spice it up with a hint of trumpets, making this sound a little something like the track Serial Groover from Jaïa’s excellent album Fiction. This is the sonic equivalent of a blissful afternoon at the beach. Wonderful!

Sunflavoured is a subtle piece of work that starts strong and then slides into the doldrums. At times it might sound like any other progressive release on the market these days—the style is not particularly distinct. Still, there are some very good songs on here, and it would be a shame to pass this one up simply because parts of it are relatively nondescript. The first four tracks shine with quality, as does the timely finale. If the middle portion of the album were stronger this would have been a very fine release. Instead, it is merely above average—something nice to listen to at home or throw into a mix, but not exactly essential.

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TimeDrained is a progressive psytrance project formed by Martin Schultz Hinrichsen (Nox Lupi) and Rasmus Tue Jørgensen (Pythagoraz), both from Denmark. Their sound is very much a blend of Beat Bizarre and Frogacult with a little Vibrasphere thrown in for good measure. Dilemma is their debut full-length release—eight tracks featuring smooth progressive beats drowned in glistening atmospheric manipulations and organic sound textures. Continue reading the rest of this post »

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Reverse Engineering is the third album from Ololiuqui (Volker König), a veteran producer from Hamburg, Germany. Continuing in the vein of the pumping organic rhythms of Valves (1998), Reverse Engineering marks another step into the deep end of progressive trance. The album is distinguished by clean and simple analog grooves, fat and funky bass lines, and a slight hint of “disco pop” and other hints of influence from the 1980s. The combination is subtle yet distinct—few other artists possess a sound like this, although Element and SBK come close.

Feel opens the album with an easygoing demeanour, taking its sweet time to get started. Once the groove settles in the listener is treated to an intricate set of funky rhythms and snaky hooks. Bright and colourful atmospheres sustain interest while the story builds. Very nice! Reverse Engineering takes a darker turn but follows a similar pattern. The bubbling beats churn and wriggle while a heady lead barrels down the wires. Honk lightens things up with a loping beat and blissful atmospheric work. The results are simple and straight-forward. I Can See… marks the return of former Ololiuqui collaborator Oliver Elschenbroich. Massive bass grooves topped with ornate melodic flourishes make this a stand-out track. The altered vocal hook might not suit some listeners but I feel as if it works in context.

Restarter feels a little like a song from the old days of Ololiuqui. It has more of a tribal drive but lacks a unifying theme. Concepi has a higher tempo and more of a bite. The extensive samples from Mission To Mars don’t do much for me but the rest of the track is all right. Ping pong percussion and a rippling bass line lend this some character. Chunks sounds very much like house music. Deep bass and funky beats combine to form an irresistible groove on this one. This piece is deceptively simple but the quality of it shines through nonetheless! A favourite. The Deep is a cheerful piece of progressive trance that rehashes much of what has come before in a pleasantly forgettable way. Beautiful rounds it out with light breakbeats and plenty of soothing atmospheres.

Reverse Engineering is a decent effort that works fairly well as a cohesive listening experience. It could have used a few stand-out hits, but some albums are made for unobtrusive background listening—as this one is. Throw it on in the middle of summer when you have something else to do and you might find it works well. If you enjoy this, be sure to check out the previous Ololiuqui album: Valves.

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In Search Of Water is the first substantial offering from Swiss producer Midimal (Christian Merki), a rising star in the progressive psytrance world. Midimal’s discography is sparsely populated—featuring no more than a handful of songs released on obscure compilations—but he has accumulated many years of experience as a DJ and producer in the Swiss psytrance underground. Subtitled “a dive into progressive realms,” In Search Of Water is a concept album unified by the presence of aquatic themes in the choice of track titles, the use of samples, and the overall feel of the music. Midimal’s bright and melodic style rests comfortably with the likes of FREq, Motion Drive, Vaishiyas, Zen Mechanics, Lish, Yotopia, and Liquid Soul (who also mastered this CD). Unlike many other progressive psytrance acts, Midimal has not absorbed any of the electro influence that is currently fashionable—this is pure psychedelic trance for the morning hours! Continue reading the rest of this post »

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In the history of German Goa trance, few early albums are as enduring as Electric Universe’s debut full-length release, One Love. A product of the combined talents of Boris Blenn and Michael Dressler, One Love shimmers with cosmic energy and authentic spirit. Through the use of bubbling acid lines, emotional melodies, and ethereal atmospheric pads, Blenn and Dressler capture the essence of the old school vibe.

One Love is neither difficult nor challenging. There is little variation in terms of rhythm or melody within any given song, but somehow—perhaps through the innate simplicity of Electric Universe’s compositional style—the album’s propensity for repetition almost never hinders the flow of the music. There is always some kind of hook for the mind to grasp; some sort of lead to follow. Since there are few instances of anything untoward that might cause disengagement, One Love promotes the realization of an authentic state of trance.

With these conditions in place, the sublime appeal of this album should become clear—One Love exemplifies the finer qualities of the old school Goa trance style. As with a number of other classics, it is possible to direct the experience of listening to One Love inward in order to stimulate the imagination in subtle ways. When the conditions are right, a transcendent sense of “travelling without moving” seems entirely possible. This is what the old school sound is all about!

The eponymous album opener is a classic slice of dreamy “space age” Goa trance originally written in 1994 after Blenn and Dressler attended the inspirational VooV festival in Germany. One Love is to Electric Universe what LSD is to Hallucinogen—an early break-out hit that defined the group’s sound and established them as one of the early legends of Goa trance. Exceptional!

Out Of Time draws the listener deeper into the cosmic mystery at the heart of the album. Whereas One Love begins with the main theme in full bloom, the first few moments of this piece are much more haunting. As the sharp acidic tang of the leads pierce the darkness, the pressure builds, and the journey truly begins. Very nice.

Orange Night incorporates light breakbeat rhythms into the existing cosmic trance template. Bubbling acid lines and nostalgic melodies combine to yield another solid trance experience, but it isn’t quite as effective as the two previous outings.

The shorter tracks have their weaknesses. Both Equilibrio and Galaxia suffer from pacing issues—they drag, overwhelm, or don’t quite manage to flesh out their central ideas. They sound convincing in context yet don’t quite hold up under scrutiny.

With Electronic Pulsation, the tempo drops, and the album slides into the deeper end of the spectrum. The slick drum programming heard here is perhaps the best of the album; Blenn and Dressler employ a number of appealing hooks in the arrangement of the pulsating rhythm of this song. The pristine acid lines are just as refined—beautiful melodies waver in the air like shining crystals transformed into sound. Aside from the title track, this is the best song on the album.

Virtual Landscape drifts along, pregnant with hidden meaning and significance. Again, despite the rather simple composition, every element is brought to bear in such a way that a kind of synergy takes place—the sum is much greater than the parts. Too bad the spell is shattered in the last few minutes; the use of a hard snare really interferes with this otherwise luscious piece of downtempo trance.

Visiting Venus has long been regarded as one of the finest old school chill out songs, and I would have to agree. Backed by a bass-heavy set of electro-breaks, this song sways with serene melodies and smooth atmospheric sounds. There is a very visual quality to this music; it seems tailor-made to inspire thoughts of alien worlds. Gorgeous.

Nexus rounds out the album with another strong piece of ambient trance. This piece evokes the feeling of floating in a tropical sea—sparkling atmospheres flow in and out with luxurious ease. It provides a satisfying finish to Electric Universe’s first full-length album.

One Love is one of the finest Goa trance albums of 1995. With its soft analog sound, luxurious atmospheres, and blissful melodies, One Love is a cosmic trance gem that has withstood the test of time. Admittedly, the album is not perfect—it sages toward the middle, and it certainly could have been much more polished. Considering the year of release, these deficiencies are easy to forgive—after all, Blenn and Dressler were still learning the ropes at this stage. It is a testament to their raw talent that One Love still sounds as good as it does! Anyone with a taste for the cosmic style of old school Goa trance is likely to love this album to pieces. Good luck tracking it down!

More Information

Discogs // Detailed release data.
Psynews // User-based review forum.
Electric Universe // Artist home page.
Psytrance.pl // Polish-language review.