Chi-a.d. ‎– Virtual Spirit

This album has a special place with me. After I listening to a bunch of newschool "Goa Trance", and even lots of stuff from 1998-2001, I always find myself back at this album. And every time it confirms what I suspected all along -- that good music does not need to be loud, noisy or have dozens of extra layers of sounds thrown in there. Nor does it need to copy Etnica or mimic the common elements to goa trance past. More precisely: the best music, from an artistic standpoint, never does.

What a masterpiece! In the fashion of a true artist, Dave Young makes this music sound so simple and easy! I sometimes find myself wondering if it's not too simple. But after listening closely, all the layers are still there, they're just arranged in such a beautiful way where they build the overall sound rather than adding noise! What a novelty this artistry is these days!

On top of that, this is also a really creative album. In fact, most of Dave Young's goa trance, up into 2002 at least, employs a lot of creative and unique sounds, starting with "Virtual Spirit". Usually they are softer sounds combined with acid sounds, though they widely vary. So I also recommend you look at his second and third albums after this, as probably some of his best tracks show up there.

The one flaw that seems to persist throughout many of Dave Young's tracks is the overuse of samples. He has some nice samples, but repeating them 4-6 times in a track is overkill. In particular "Astral Warrior" suffers from this, but at least it is an awesome sample. :)

But other than that, it's flawless! And I don't think a couple extra samples could ever be annoying enough to ruin this music!

In my opinion all "newschool goa trance" artists need to listen to this album and follow Dave's example in terms of being creative and not producing loud noise. Those seem to be the two greatest problems with music these days and this album is perhaps the best example of goa trance that does not suffer at all from either of them!

I also love how this album has nothing to do with space travel or aliens. It's really a huge all-around milestone in goa trance. 10/10

PS - This album can be bought directly from Dave Young on his website, along with his other albums, in mp3, and hopefully in FLAC too some time soon. But it also warrants the cost for an original if you can find one.

This is surely Dave Young's masterpiece album (though some of his best tracks are not found here), and, personally, it is one of my most beloved CDs. The "Goa Trance" label is actually i bit misplaced, the style hovers just between goa, acid and hardtrance (tons of 303 throughout), and with portions of ambient as well - not so strange if you check out Young's background in the british hardtrance scene. This album is permeated with references to native american rituals and thought and environmental issues - an interesting shift from the eastern/mystical tradition of most goa.

What really sets Virtual Spirit apart though is the amount of sheer energy put into some of the tracks! From track 3 to 7 this is pure dancefloor madness, all of these tracks are instant trance classics in their own right. If I had to choose one favorite it would have to be Serpent's Fire - the break is positively lethal and gives me goosebumps every time! The first two and last two tracks are more laidback and ambient, still beutiful.

So basically this is what you get when you skillfully take the energy of hardtrance, mix it with the complexity of goa, and dump a truckload of acid on it. To quote from the CD leaflet: "There are worlds within worlds! Venture into the world of Virtual Spirit and have your energies raised to a point where, if only for a moment, you too can glimpse a new life, a new future, for all to follow. Become one with the music which knows no bounds, see beyond seeing, look beyond the sound! Life is to be lived, Not passed by!"