I can't help but notice how much this one reminds me of "Ra - To Sirius". The similarities are many but they're quite different at the same time... "To Sirius" had a more massive spacey vibe while Corolle has a more eastern/organic touch to it. Ra's album is one of my favourites and I must say Corolle is not far behind.
From the lovely intro track "Listening Winds" to the full-blown goa stormer of "Ganesha Pramana" this was one of the most fresh surprises of 2005, without a doubt. Highlights:
Listening Winds - What a great way to start of this album, this one truly sets the mood.
Ganesha Pramana - 160BPM straight out of goa and with an epic EPIC melody! Reminds of the huge melodies of Rezwalker (the Live mix) and Lepton Head (the Deedrah remix). Mind blowing track, maybe a little too short...
Indian Attic - Best track of the album. Wonderful hypnotic sounds floating back and forth all the time, it never gets boring. And when those melodies at 6:05 start all you can do is close your eyes, mmmm. Amazing!!

Suntrip Records based in France focus on the melodic side of psytrance. They started the label because they were tired of the stereotyped full on that has ruled the scene the last few years. Here they are out with their third release, this time the debut album by Khetzal (Matthieu Chamoux). He has previously released tracks on Kagdila and Agitato, but also a track on the chilled Ultimae label.

This album starts quite downtempo (120bpm), but still melodic. Track 2 starts slow too, but becomes a bit faster. Here we get eastern vocals that some might recognise from tracks made by some other chill artists. The vibes you get from this reminds me a lot of oldschool goa trance. Melodic all the way. Track 3 throws us into much faster goa trance. Here we are back in the hypnotic goa style, which I haven’t heard much of since 1997. Track 4 has a pretty cool drift. Pure old school vibes from beginning to end. Nothing new here, but fun to listen to this style again. Track 6 is the fastest track on this album (160bpm). You rarely find this fast psytrance tracks anymore. Very hypnotic, intense track with eastern influences above. I’m sure this could be a hit if it was released ten years ago. Track 6 follows the melodic goa trance direction too. Quite happy trance with playful melodies. Track 7 slows us down a little. Uplifting, still with some mystic vibes. Track 8 takes into some drifting soundscapes. Melodic, but not cheesy. He finishes the abum with a totally relaxing track, with sound of water, psychedelic sounds and light melodies.

This album is for those of you who didn’t get enough of this melodic style ten years ago. The sound you get on all these tracks are inspired by melodic goa trance. Personally I would have wished some more new influences and modern sound in these tracks, because it actually sounds like it was released ten years ago. But, quite refreshing to hear some melodic tracks like this again anyway.

Soundtrack for weekend Hindus!

The Suntrippers are out with their third old-school release… This time it’s the debut album of French producer Matthieu Chamoux who has released a few compilation tracks on Kagdila and Agitato Records… I’ve not heard those, but I really liked the uplifting, melodic goa-trance track he had on the Apsara compilation under the Avigmati name… That was stellar so my hopes for this debut album are pretty high…


Well, well… Another Suntrip release that stands out from the crowd… Just how much old-school goa is released nowadays? Besides from the Suntrip Records output, pretty much nothing, that’s how much! And though this album didn’t do as much for me as neither the Filteria album, nor the Apsara compilation it’s still pretty damn interesting… Evidently I can’t help comparing this to the Filteria album, which fit my tastes better… I could have wished for even more complexity, and perhaps the Hindi-influences are a little over the top sometimes… Also the flow is a little off and I would have arranged the tracks differently… But besides from that, I don’t have anything to criticise here…

There are enough kick-ass tracks here to validate a purchase – and there are no bad tracks per se… Also the artwork is nothing short of beautiful and fits the music perfectly… Suntrip Records has once again proved that melodic goa is still very much alive – even in 2005! Way to go guys – you continue to distance yourself from the usual suspects! Old-school fans should most definitely check this out… As should fans of uplifting, joyous goa trance 2005-style… This is very it’s at! Enjoy!

Favourites: 2, 4(!), 5(!), 6(!), 8