Various – Schizm

Crazy forest music for the people!!!

I really see this as the best VA-release of 2004. fresh and foresty. Have to say Tamlin - Fjaqek is my favorite track here, damn it makes me happy :) The opening track "Pimperknucle - Size 8" is real bouncy, and of course Derango delivers a bomb!
But really a bunch of real nice tracks on this release! Can also feel a hefty influence of Suomi-style here, no doubt! Just real trippy shit!

Fucking crazy stuff! :D
Reminds me alot of old suomisaundi, but actually more innovative. The madness does not stop with compilation. The Derango track here was their fastest one in 2004 and is still one of their grooviest and best output. There are really no bad tracks, but 3, 4, 7 and the hidden track do it for me the best.

Super-edgy, kool, psycho-punkadelic fungus trance!

Gi’iwa Productions from Australia are on a trance-mission… They aim to “provide a platform for truly innovative artists who strive to push the boundaries of acceptable psychedelic trance-floor music”… Right, so chances are that these tracks will not sound like full-on Astrix clones, but will be of a more deviant nature… A quick look on the track list reveals only a couple of well-known names to me, but from what I can tell, this is most likely to be a compilation of tracks with strong references to bizarre Finnish & Australian stuff… Let’s find out…

Let me take you thru the tracks…

#01: [144 BPM] 1st up is PimperKnuckle from Mejiho… The promotional text claims this is “electro-jazz fuelled venture into freakdom”… Ha ha… Oh yes, this is the dark side of jazz… Mushroom jazz… This is darkish, yet not as dark as some of the stuff about to come… So we’re actually chilling out now… Is that so hard to comprehend? I like the fusion between electro, jazz and psy – very funkadelic! Nice groovy opener!

#02: [136 BPM] We fly halfway around the globe for the next track – namely to Israel, which is not exactly renowned for trance music with Finnish/Australian sound… But who the hell cares, this is such a happy track – reminds A LOT of Squaremeat/Texas Faggott… Very well structured, packed with all kinds of funny samples, and happy bits of melodies… All laid on top of a pounding bassline… Very sweet track!

#03: [143/50 BPM] Prepare to be blown away by this insane tune… We’re in Sweden now, and in this track Tamlin presents us with some crazy, fucked-up pitch-changes over a severely retarded bassline… Aaaargh, this messes with my head… Weird off-key beats, cut melodies, dark, eerie atmosphere…Very cool! Not for the fainthearted – beware! Sweet track!

#04: [150 BPM] “Speed? Yeah! What do you know about it? You just pass the stuff out. I take it!” Oh fuck, this is one Insaaaaano track… I can’t help but trip to this – Ulf & Erik, I dunno what kind of mushrooms you guys stumbled across in those deep, dark Swedish forests, but you better pass them around… I want in! One of the best tracks on this compilation!

#05: [150 BPM] Time for Denmark’s Alrune to showcase some monkey combat… ”So, I see you are trained in the art of monkey combat?” A demented mish-mash of percussion and haunting melodies mixed with your random animal noises and downright bizarro madness… Oh that bass, oh my, oh my…! Hardcore pop-music for the anti-pop consortium!

#06: [145 BPM] This track was forged by the mighty Reece himself in the deep Australian recesses… Highly psychedelic, acid-driven and somewhat more dance friendly than some of the other tracks here… From 3’05 and onwards, you can just close your eyes and fly away to another dimension… Beautiful structure – the perfect mix of well-structured morning melodies and twisted psychedelia!

#07: [150 BPM] Back to the deep, dark forests of Sweden, this is Derango with a hard-hitting sensory attack…I mean, play this anywhere and I’ll guarantee you that you walls will be dripping with sweat… This is some fucked-up, relentlessly retarded, trance-inducing, dark, gritty, stone-age night-trance with the most demented melodies I’ve heard in a long time… Would fit in perfectly with most StoneAge/Schlabbaduerst stuff… Dudedudelidedelidoooo!

#08: [151 BPM] We cross the North Sea back into Denmark with the first track to be released by Brian Møller a.k.a. The Vicious Spiral… And he’s not lying – vicious it is… It’s dark, it’s spooky and gritty… Haunting even… Sometimes a little to gritty and off-key for my taste, but I’m looking forward to hearing more from my fellow Dane… Decent track!

#09: [148 BPM] And for the “official” last track, we get a track by Greek veterans Weird Alchemy – supposedly their last ever!? Starts out with various robotized voices pitched up and down…”funky weirdness” – Yeah, to say the least… This has epic, even floating melodies laid on top of trippy, fast-paced, acid driven grooves… Tasty, yet not as tasty as what’s about to come…

#Hidden track: [?? BPM] Ahh, we’re treated to a FULL hidden track… Not just a short, boring ambient piece like you usually get as a hidden track… This is a track by Neuron Compost called “Supergrrlz” … And what a fine track it is… After a slow couple of minutes, it really picks up and reveals itself to the Jedi…Though fasted-paced and highly psychedelic in nature, this track maintains a natural funky groove and I can’t help smiling when listening to this… Those funny kiddy samples along with “techno music is dope” are hilarious… Great track!

I had a difficult time, coping with the last couple of “Finnish-Sauna-insane-psy-trance” CDs I’ve reviewed… But this is different. I don’t know quite how to explain it, but is somewhat more varied. Don’t get me wrong, most sauna-trance is VERY varied; this is just varied in a different way – a way that enables me to listen through the whole CD without loosing interest… And that’s pretty much the best recommendation I can give a CD…

This is not for everyone though… Purists, be it full-on or progressive should looks elsewhere, whereas fans of truly innovative, highly experimental and deeply psychedelic fungus trance will love every minute of this… Recommended! Bounce motherfuckers! =D

Favourites: 1, 2(!), 3, 4(!!), 6(!), 7 + the hidden track (!)

Now this is THE compilation my brain, legs and ears
have been craving for ... and after playing it the 1st time,
all the other parts of my body just seemed to funk along.

Totally fruitcake schizodelic freakout psy, or rather:
yummy²

No fillers, only k***ers - from superfunki to ultrafreaki;
very hard to pin down, yet as this compi does not contain
any track to be labelled 'progressive' (within psytrance)
this is a true progression in psychedelic music.
No formula music, but pure psy, to & from the heart.

I'm praying everyday this label will stay alive long enough
to wipe even this compi to the purple horizons of Saturn
and even longer to shake the brains of my greatgrandchildren.
Thumbs Uppp down under to Gi'iwa!


Personal favorites:
- Tamlin's 'Fjagek': the most fruity track in a long time;
- Neuron Compost 'Izilop Pop': one totally goosebumped WOW!
- Derango's 'Secret Surroundings': only for the headstrong *

:: keep em coming ::