Filteria - Sky Input

DeathPosture, Dec 03, 2004

Meet Jannis Tzikas a.k.a. Filteria: Originally from Greece but now residing in Stockholm, Sweden. He’s a 21 year old music producer and basically the personification of goa trance anno 2004. He’s been lurking under the surface for some time now, developing musical skills in the art of melodic goa trance. His love affair with classic goatrance has now materialized in this debut album, released on Suntrip Records – a fresh label, recently started by psynews.org godfathers Mars & Anoebis -dedicated to bringing melodic, psychedelic trance back into the scene…

After months of hype following his much acclaimed live-performances throughout Europe, the much anticipated album is finally here – before I pop it in my stereo, let me just take a second to comment on the very lovely artwork cooked up by Ukiro…

Let me take you thru the tracks…

#01: Operation Pulse [144 BPM]
First up is Operation Pulse which kicks things off with an eerie Twin Peak like intro… But it’s not long before a couple of Filteria-acid lines pop up… At first they’re playing around merrily, hinting what’s about to unfold… And the prophecy was right – before you know it, you’re in the middle of a multilayered, complex, highly melodic morning stomper… And that really encompasses what I love about Filteria’s style… Trippy, spacey, magical!

#02: Stars (Starstuff Remix) [146 BPM]
Holy fuck – this one makes the soft hairn on my arms become punkies… *g* This is a full-blow, climax-ridden, melodic morning tune in the true goa-sense with heavy Eastern influences and wall-to-wall psychedelia… I can’t believe how many layers this has – and how Jannis continues to amaze me with the endless amount of melodies he pulls of out his sleeve… Thick, strong, Pleiadians influences - beautifully crafted… Get stoned and watch the stars – and let this be your soundtrack!

#03: Navigate [148 BPM]
Try navigating through this… This is the fastest track here - goatrance with a distinct darker flavour… Twirling acidlines, stiff kicks, Jupitor6 distortion and hardcore tweak-o-rama… Check out the digital birds – that hummingbird must’ve slurped some acid instead of nectar... Pheew – this track is so intense… Brace yourself!

#04: The Snuggling Snail [144 BPM]
“I watched a snail crawl along the edge of a chocolate declare. Thats my dream. Thats my nightmare” Jannis samples the Apocalypse Now spoof on Celebrity Deathmatch… The snail-track is also a little darker than the most melodic parts of the album… It has a bouncy feel to it – the pads are somewhat raw, and the melodies highly trance-inducing… I really dig the breaks and build-ups – and the tons and tons of melodies put forth here…By real analogue synths mind you! Klonk (the sound of my jaw dropping…)

#05: Domestic Modulator [144 BPM]
Return of the melodies: extended edition… Now I’m guessing the title is a subtle, friendly nod to the kings of the past: Pleiadians… Again, we’re treated to some of the most complex, multilayered, deeply melodic stuff I’ve listened to for ages… Twirling, catapulting, perplexing, gut-hitting, intoxicating – strong words, but still no where near describing how good this is…

#06: Ultimator! [146 BPM]
Prepare for eleven minutes of ultimate bliss! This actually kinda reminds me of that climax part from X-Dream’s track Eleven… Interknitted layers of sonic sound manipulation constructed of blazing synth galore and psychedelic trickery… I’ve always been a sucker for flaring acid riffs, and here I get more than I bargained for… I mean – just listen from 6’20 and onwards… Sheer excellence!

#07: Galactic Rays [147 BPM]
Digital drops, acid farts and electronic burps make out the intro here – and after about a minute, we’re hit by analogue lightning - IFO-style… Old school with nu-school production techniques… Another highly intense piece, that sends shivers down an old trancer’s spine… This will teleport you back to 1996 faster than you can say ‘space cadet’ – and what a trip down memory lane this is… Check out the climax @ 8’03 – bom bolibompa! Amazing!

#08: Sky Input [146 BPM]
“If you do not know the present, how can you claim to know the future?” Right on – The title track wraps things up very nicely with a softer kick, atmospheric pads and the ever-present twirling acid-lines… Very well-constructed, constantly building and evolving and an overall very nice ending to a truly magical album…

Holy mushroom! Listening to this album is a breathtaking experience – a sonic blast that’ll catapult you well into space… Prepare to be totally blown away – it’s one of those freak occurrences where you’re just completely sucked in by the magnitude of the music… And damn, I like those occurrences… This album encapsulates the original essence of highly melodic, multilayered, climaxing, uplifting, epic, trance-inducing goa trance… Just like the pioneers did back in the nineties – though with modern production techniques… The Pleiadians-link is evident, but this is far from plagiarism – this is a musical testament paying reverential tribute to an era long lost… And damn, it’s been ages since there was a goa trance release, but now it’s here… ;o)

As stated above, listening to this is a very intense experience, and personally I sometimes feel like Ricky Fitts in American Beauty, when he says: Sometimes theres so much beauty in the world I feel like I cant take it, like my hearts going to cave in… What I’m trying to say by quoting that is that occasionally the intensity level can be intimidating … My senses are bombarded and I feel overwhelmed at times… But that’s a good thing right? I’m just not often that new music does that to me… On a related note, I could also wish for some of the many build-ups to be just a little longer for extended pleasure – but hey, I’m only nitpicking here! This album is among the best I’ve listened to in a long time! I give this my highest recommendation – and encourage any fan of melodic goatrance to check it out! Rest assured, this is an instant classic – you do not want to be without this! Enjoy!

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