Eden Transmission - I'm So High

This track is interesting in many ways: first, it's early-sounding uplifting psytrance that's overtly melodic -- not a common denomination in the acid- and hoover-dominated "mental" scene that served as trance's embryo in the early 90s. Second, it exemplifies an early moment in the evolution of psychedelic trance, a moment in which the exciting and novel tension between the following two elements becomes bold and productive: a) the edgy, almost nightmarish tendencies of what would later emerge as darker psy (note the creepy, dissonant strings in the first 4:00 of the track here, and the whispered "i'm so high" that evoke the earnestly macabre side of any ecstatic drug-induced trip) and b) the lovely, utopian melodies that are made possible and even necessitated by such ecstasies (which are here made lyrically explicit by the above-cited sample of a whispering female psychic traveller). Third, it exemplifies the beginnings of a tranceward drift in the customary experimental house of the San Francisco rave scene of this epoch -- Eden Transmission were tight with the Hardkiss kids, and bear many similarities to other far-out acts from The City, such as Freaky Chakra, and even Voice Farm... to trace the historical origins of west coast trance, one really must take into account this milieu. Fourth, it really is two separate mixes on the logo side, but the two tracks aren't chopped by a break in the groove, so you can do your psychonauts a big favour and play it all the way through (about 10 minutes, pitched up to +3 or so, as I tend to rub it into the mix.)

Now, this sounds awfully academic, so let me wax more plain, more subjective, more conversational. I LOVE this track. I love playing it in the middle of a late-night set, between trippy rave trance tunes, as a sort of blissed-out respite from the neverending tyranny of the four-four.

The narrative is this: a trippy, creepy, dissonant, spacey stoner groove drifts off into nothing, and then comes all back home with a glorious, almost post-prog rock strain that, yes, is "heaven for the lifted," to use the phrase of a simple- and well-spoken reviewer. The effect is stunning, euphoric, and utterly, utterly weird. Heaven.

Absolutely, totally essential listening for any trancehead who pines for the idealism and the far-out, dilated experimentation of this bygone era.

Fpr me, this records sits right on the edge of trance and techno-house. It doesn't fit any of the cliches of trance but remains en-trancing. Bottom line - it's a beautiful track that doesn't need pigeon-holing.

Those stutter vocals and strobe lights on high equals heaven for the lifted. Psychedelic trance of the kind and quality you've never heard before staple record staple record staple record. At least that's what I thought when I first got it. this still remains an essential record for anyone who thinks they know trance.
sasha probably played the hell out of this along with anyone else up and down the west coast and into freaked out music.