This album is, to me, the definition of psychedelic trance. It's a breathtaking and incredibly inspired journey through… I'm not even sure what! There is indeed an essence of some "great unknown" present throughout the album. It can be a challenging listen at first, but ultimately I find it is very rewarding experience.

"Statement" is 40 seconds of a robotic voice gradually reducing the sentence "my country is a state of mind" to a mere "om". The down-tempo, slightly dubby "Go Fly A Kite" comes next, featuring some weird singing and bubbly, trippy synths. The title track picks up the pace, delivering a diverse ten-minute blast of funky psychedelia that at times exhibits a delightful touch of silliness and never lets go of the listener.

"6 Cells" follows in a similar vein, though more progressive and not quite as far out as its forerunner. Shuffled beats and synths dominate here, reinforcing the funky aspect of Koxbox's sound. "Crunchy Moles" begins with a speech sample from what sounds like an Australian anti-piracy campaign. A trancey bottom-end under more trademark Koxbox funkiness leads us to a climax that is both beautiful and amusing — a vocoded voice singing "crunchy moles"? What the hell? I love it.

"DJ Traveller" is a short interlude with an odd airport announcement, ending with a chill-inducing "we wish you a very nice flight… into space!". This is where "Geomancer" takes over and presents to us the more sinister side of the album. The funk is still here, but the overall tone is now more serious.

Continuing the darker sound comes the epic "Lunar Bin", a twisting and turning ride through space. At six minutes in, the beat is broken and you know something major is about to happen. Koxbox do not disappoint, and the following three-minute finale of the track is a dazzling burst of deep psychedelia.

"Doppelgänger" resumes directly where the previous track ended, gradually slowing down and destroying the sound. We then get a speech sequence, backed by pads whose sound I can only describe as shining bright light. The ending feels like waking up from a fever dream, and with "King of Jazz" we're standing on Earth again. It's an experimental but safe-feeling jazz-psy-breaks piece with some echoes from previous tracks — "6 Cells" in particular — that nicely wraps up the album. It's so varied it's hard to believe it lasts for almost ten minutes.

I must have listened to this CD about 60 times now, and it never gets old. It's amazing that it was released ten years ago — the production is on a par with what you'd expect from an album created today.

Absolutely recommended for anyone who enjoys the slightly more experimental side of psytrance.

Undoubtedly the most mature Asura release to date, Life² is a stunning musical journey from beginning to end. The flow of the album is natural and effortless, starting with the massive Golgotha, then seamlessly flowing through relaxing atmospheres (such as the Galaxies) as well as the more aggressive goa-influenced pieces (the title track, for instance), and ending with the beautiful, contemplative La Chanson De Carla.

Absolutely amazing. There's not a single track here that I would consider anything less than brilliant. I have a feeling I'll remember 2007 as the year of Life² for the rest of my life!