Pleiadians – I.F.O. [I.dentified F.lying O.bject]

CD trays had to be transparent, with some art behind of course, you can't put black trays on a triple digipak release like this, unless you seriously lack style and class.

Waited for so long for a proper re-release and this one fully met my expectations. The extra CD's make it perfect. A remarkable job by DAT records. EPIC!

It's somewhat a hard task to write something decent about a release that's pretty much the wet dream of every goa fan. This release spans three full cds, making it a perfect statement what Pleiadians sound was all about circa 1995-1997. Not only you get the excellent debut album, but once again (or should I say once more?) you'll get to hear a retro liveset by these Italian wizards that showcases a full new side to IFO. The original being very expensive to buy these days and the live set giving you grand display of true 90s live philosophy, it goes without saying that this release has made a lot of old school aficionados happy.

The third cd ain't something you could call "leftovers" either. Their early compilation and vinyl material is almost all here. During my years listening to goa trance, I've slowly started to appreciate the raw and "to the point" sound more and more. These days I simply adore what these guys were doing around 95; tracks like Pleiadians or Cyberland are aggressive and magnificent in their melody work, even if not technically as developed as you'd come to expect from Pleiadians brand. A slight error seems to have occured while compiling this third disc. What happened is both Cyberland and Analogue Step were recorded at wrong speed (compared to the original). Maybe this little error was meant to be? Hah, all I can say for myself I definitely like these new versions a whole lot more! Cyberland gains a great energy level and, well sorry to say this, but Analogue Step was always my least favourite Pleiadians track. The slower pace, however, gives the track a fantastic hypnotic feel.

Like the other reviewer said, an essential release if there ever was one.

Monumental release! There is not a single doubt in these two words when speaking about this repress of IFO with two more CDs as a present for us, the Goa trance lovers!

This was a chance for people (like me) to obtain the most-acclaimed classic of the Pleiadians, without spending ridiculous amounts of money for a scratched copy. This goes also for the vinyl only tracks, some of which are very hard to find thus expensive as well.

But most of all, of course, it was the Live set I was looking forward to as the rest I had the opportunity to listen both live and digital and we all know how magnificent it sounds! The live set is not full-on IFO material though the tracks bear the same names. There are obvious influences from their next output - Family of Light - in the music. Something that I immediately fell in love with as it sounds more coherent and mature, rather than total craziness. Of course, this is a matter of taste but the blend does it for me. Listen to Alcyone for example. Slower, with more acidic lines and bass, still preserving those wicked buildups and melodies. Mind-staggering!

To sum it up, this is an essential item for any Goa trance fan! Do yourself a favour and grab one of these before they run out. Every single detail on this release has been taken care beautifully and you will love every part of it - from the artwork, to the booklet, and each second of these masterpieces inside.