An entranced pantomime – induced by sound, guided by vision!

Portuguese/Austrian label Ketuh is out with their fifth release… This time another compilation compiled by label guru P_Mac with the help of DJ TV from the Czech Republic… I got a taste for Ketuh releases with KTHCD004 “Suspended Reality” which had handful of really great tracks, and I’m hoping this one will too…

Let me take you thru the tracks…

#01: First up is Gappeq from the Czech Republic with a hard-hitting, evil track composed of spacey, metallic, electro sounds, badass basslines and some really cool, sharp acid riffs that’ll haunt you for a while… I like the orchestral composition this track has… It’s been called ‘deep and futuristic’ and that’s a fitting description… Nice track!

#02: Next up is Ketuh regulars Killer Buds from Brazil… And they have fungus in their banza – whateverthehellthatis!? A promising intro indeed, but I’m slightly disappointed by the ‘standard bassline’ that is present throughout the track though… The Buds make up for it though, with some very tasty, yet sick side orders – The synth work is indeed impressive here and I’m a sucker for nicely done build-ups and stomping climaxes… And in that sense, this track delivers – in fact, for the second part of this track, you almost forget about the copy-paste bassline as your senses are bombarded with a phat wall of psychedelic madness… Sweet! ;o)

#03: And now, for the holy trinity of remixes… Portuguese N3xu5 kicks off with the well-know Professor Xavier quote from X-Men: “Mutation. It is the key to our evolution. […] This process is slow, normally taking thousands of years. But every few hundred millennia, evolution leaps forward” … The quote itself is cut-up and parts of it are repeated… The track itself has a lot of power, lurking below the surface waiting to be unleashed, but it is not before after the 5 minute mark that we are truly exposed to the blasting sound of N3XU5 – after the ‘fake ending’ the track takes a slightly different direction – with the emphasis on flaring, yet subtle acid-riffs and synth melodies… Not bad at all!

#04: Parts of this track annoys the hell out of me… Like the distorted ‘what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-my-stereo?-intro’ and I’m not sure what to make of that screechy acid line and the bizarre voice-samples… But luckily the annoying parts are only temporary – most of the time, this is some funky ass-wiggling stuff… But I could’ve done without the weird parts – decent track!

#05: And now: The heartbeat track! Phyx from South Africa which delivers a tribal stomper seasoned with aciiiiiid…Especially for the second half of the track… Rolling, pointy acid-riffs that cuts through air… Very hypnotizing this one – it builds and builds, all the way through - I dig it! Brilliant!

#06: Second instalment from Gappeq calms things down again… The title may be Genetically Dirty, but in fact this track is digitally clean… Well – compared to the rougher/more gritty sound of the previous 5 tracks at least… I like the sterile approach – and especially the well-structured nifty little melodies made up by simple bleeps… Nice percussion work too for the last couple of minutes… A different track, but interesting nonetheless…

#07: Shiva Space Technology regulars Lemurians makes a surprise appearance here, with the urgent question; “Who shot the DJ?” … This strays off their usual path, being darker and has an eerie, haunting atmosphere… Crisp production, razor-sharp synths and an overall phat groove… Nice track!

#08: We stay in Germany, this time to the sound of Rastaliens, who treats us to a wicked tune with their trademark, tribal Rasta-sound… The percussion arrangements are impressive as always, and the ‘Panjabi MC - Mundian To Bach Ke’ part actually sounds cool with some psy-elements to back it up… Straightforward tribal and melodic morning trance here – Tasty!

#09: My first encounter with Shrink was on the last Ketuh compilation “Suspended Reality” – which was very nice tune taking into consideration it was their debut… And this track by the Portuguese duo is even better… This is morning trance, with floating, almost epic melodies lain on top of foundation of rich, funky basslines and groovy percussion… Well-polished, and a very nice ending to this compilation…

Overall, this is a nice compilation… The not-so-good tracks are outweighed by the good tracks… I’m not sure whether I like it as much as I like “Suspended Reality” but it’s a damn close race… Depending on your point of view, the lack of cohesion between tracks (stylewise) could either be a problem or a refreshing approach – I’m inclined to the latter, but I’m guessing that some of the hard-core Ørebro-goons will complain about the ‘missing’ flow… I’m not complaining though, as I like my trance in all shapes and sizes… ;o)

If you like your psytrance with a dark and oddball twist – and the occasional acid riff and stomping night-time bassline … Well, then you’ll most likely like this compilation… Check it out while we wait for the next Ketuh compilation “Peacemaker” which should be hitting the airwaves in October 2004!

Favourites: 1(!), 2, 3, 5(!!), 7