Infected Mushroom - B.P.Empire

When this Cd came out Infected where at the top of their game: world-renowned and rulers of the psy-trance scene in Israel. Never looking back, IM remained committed to their promise since the beginning not to repeat themselves and to continue experiment stylistically as they did in Classical Mushroom, their 2nd album. While it had been critically acclaimed, many listeners felt it was too far off the "mainstream" psy-trance genre, and perhaps because of that IM brought their 3rd album closer to the pounding, up-tempo sensation of their 1st album. But make no mistake, this album manifested its own new, fresh, unique sound.

After Infected's second album, which delivered a classical-music oriented resonance, B-P-Empire pushed the psy-trance boundaries into jazz and funk, mixing game-music with something that sounds like the ending credits score in movie. The bass and melodies never leave you cold in new water, though. The emotional deliverance of each track is very well preserved, and the classic build-ups IM fans are familiar with are ever present. All the songs are exceptionally well-produced, a quality consistent with all IM releases.

Infected musical expertise and creativity, compiled with their high-profile samples and production skills make their music a joy for any objective listener. You can't go wrong here, but you can be disappointed if you are looking for a specific, old-school goa sound. IM dropped this in the 90's, move along.

So, DOES being a popular psytrance act mean you cannot satisfy the hardcore psytrancers at the same time? In the case of IM today, undoubtedly! And perhaps the first signs of trouble surfaces here.

Not that there are no decent tracks ON BPE. There are just no exceptional tracks, and most of the time I'm unsure where IM wants to take me. It's psytrance, alright, but for silent reflecting, I find, rather than dancing. Title track B.P. Empire and Noise Maker seems more focused though and would most likely dispatch the bones off to the dancefloors. The remainder is forgettable or even annoying with its use of guitars (hence the reference to the current disasterous status of IM).

And, no, Dancing With Kadafi is not praised by everyone. But IF you like DWK, you will probably like the entire album.

A pretty epic trance album. Infected Mushroom stands out from most Goa artists due to their use of guitar and piano in the songs - as well as other live instruments from time to time. But this is why I like Infected Mushroom so much... Because of how much they sound different then the other trancers out there.

Stand outs for me on this album are Never Ever Land (awesome acoustic guitar mixed in the beats), Tasty Mushroom (has a classical feel to it) and of course the monster known as Dancing With Kadafi which uses so many different styles and instruments its crazy.

Goa and Psy lovers should pick this one up right away.

My favorite IM release. Beautifully structured from the minimal yet still psychadelic 'Never Never Land', all the way to the grand collage of 'Dancing with Kadafi'. This is IM at their peak.

Beautiful big and open. Very melodic, with hints towards
the IM/Sakharov sound of "Birthday". Intensly emotional
and visual disc; movie music with a touch of
klesmer-psychedelia. Not heavy at all.
Let your family hear this one when they drop by for a
visit, it will do them good :)