Hux Flux – Division By Zero

There are some nice ideas and some tweaky sounds here from Hux Flux, but the rolling full on basslines and beats dilute the psychedelic effect to some extent. This is apparent in the use of syncopated snares and percussion, which, though effective at points, come across as an attempt to spice up what is otherwise a bit of a rhythmic straightjacket. The overall result to me is interesting, but it just lacks the mysterious intrigue of the first album which remains a glitchy Goa classic that lures you in. ~*~

Finally, after years of waiting, Dennis Tapper from Sweden is out with his second album. His first album (Cryptic Crunch on Koyote Records) became a huge success in the psytrance scene all over the world, and suddenly Dennis Tapper was performing live everywhere. Personally I saw his live show in Morocco, in Greece and in Sweden, and it sure was great every time. Then we stopped hearing from this guy. He stopped releasing music and stopped performing live. But, surprisingly, here he is back, this time on Swedish Spiral Trax Records.

His first album was mostly hard banging trance with some really far out crazy sounds, which he got famous for. Now it seems like he has gone a more drifting way. The first track is a very nice, drifting track, with some really trancey floating vibes. It is the new style most Israeli artists etc. release these days, but here we get more psychedelic sounds and more variety. This is somewhere between full on and progressive trance. Reminds me a bit of Orion. Great track that sounds much more melodic than his first album. Track 2 has a bit darker sounds. More of the crazy vibes we got in the first album, but with a more progressive touch. Track 3 is one of my favourite tracks on this album. Totally psychedelic sounds swirling around together with some totally twisted melodies. Groovy bass lines and a tripped out vibe. Track 4 continues in a drifting, progressive vibe. Pure morning trance. Beautiful sounds and melodies, totally groovy rhythms and a totally tripped out vibe.

Track 5 is another favourite of mine. The bass line in this one is so groovy! Really jumpy sounds and melodies that for sure will make people stump like mad men on the dance floor. Fantastic! Track 6 goes darker, still with a lot of really twisted psychedelic sounds. Track 7 almost bubbles of psychedelic sounds. The rhythms are stumpy, and we don't get as much melodies as in the first tracks on this album. Really crazy trance, but done in a cool way. Track 8 goes the same direction. Where does he get all those fantastic sounds from? The last track on this great album is a beautiful psychedelic down tempo track. Beautiful sounds and some kind of Arabic flute. Nice one.

This album was actually better than I expected! For sure one of the better psytrance albums of 2003. Hux Flux still has a lot of those twisted sounds he is well known for. The main difference from his first album is that his new style is more progressive and more massive. Now we get atmospheres and more melodies, instead of only hard rhythms and random sounds. Recommended!

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