stub004

It took me a few listens to get into this album. My first impressions was that it is a little bit generic; all atmospheric reverb and no real substance. In a way, I still think this is partially true, but I've come to recognise that War is as... See full review

Mistique has been a huge relief since it opened in 2009. There are very few other labels (Panda Recordings, Silk Digital) pushing quality progressive trance and house so hard. They've successfully broken names like Timewave, Kay-D and Canadian... See full review

This album is a brilliant example of what the genre of full-on psy-trance should sound like. Like most other releases in the field, it has plenty of fat, pumping basslines. However, it's the other aspects that make it stand out. For example, the... See full review

This interesting DVD covers the Australian scene known as 'doofing'. 'Doof' parties are named after the onomatopoeic word for a beat, and are attended by 'doofers'.

The parties are always held outdoors in the bush, sometimes legally, sometimes... See full review

Upon listening to this the first few times, I wasn't impressed. It sounded like a jumble of sounds - a live improvisation session, and not a particularly good one at that.

Around my third listen it began to come alive, and I realised just how wrong... See full review

What a shame that such a stunning A-side is let down by everything else.

While these days Eric Prydz is well-known for his ability to loop small musical sections for a seemingly infinite amount of time backed by very little else, this track was... See full review

When this was released it was HUGE. The A side was being hammered everywhere - commercial house nights, progressive gigs and techno events.

'Knockout' is a very unique track consisting of electro-house stutters and starts, plenty of scratching and... See full review

This album was my first experience with Fitalic.

The album is fairly bog-standard big room progressive house, but each track is interesting enough to make this release stand up as a whole. The formula is pretty simple: open with a kick drum, add a... See full review

I've tried quite a few times to get into drum 'n' bass with little success. However, upon listening to this CD I was finally swayed and began to understand what people see in the genre.

Each track on this CD is a layered gem, tying jazzy and dubby... See full review

This a beautiful album which shows how good trance can be without resorting to taking influences from other genres. 2007-2009 have seen many producers going elsewhere for inspiration, sick of the old formulaic uplifting sound. De Govia, however, is a... See full review

Horrible, just horrible.

This song is the culmination of a decade's worth of development in the world of trance. It represents everything awful that the genre has ever produced.

Hands-in-the-air breakdown...Check.
Heart-tugging, poorly sung... See full review

The A Side of this record is bland and uninteresting, but the B Side is a euphoric, instantly recognisable smash-hit with a killer bassline and beautiful build-up.

Like most Paradise Soul productions, it ties reedy strings with clean, raspy... See full review

HOM-Mega is very hit and miss. Out of Israel, they tend to focus on the newer "full-on" sound despised by many psy aficionados who prefer the older "Goa" sound.

While full-on psy-trance is brilliant if done properly, HOM-Mega misses the mark far,... See full review

Tthe A side is a strange blend of styles, fusing ethereal, almost Kraftwerk like strings, with echoing drum hits at long intervals, and slow piano chords reminiscent of Vangelis. Overall the track would have an extremely vintage feel if it weren't for... See full review

The A side, "Bad Machines" opens with a British fellow talking about a factory that occasionally produces "Bad Machines" before an uncharacteristically hard bass line takes over. At first I thought Silicone Soul had at last given in to the cheap... See full review

I was impressed with a few releases from this producer a couple of years back in "Spin That Wheel" and "Rave Your Mind", which produced the excellent tune "Crush The Bits". Thus the mention of this new album pricked up my ears.

Though unmixed, this... See full review

First up is swiss maestro Deetron, with an epic ten minute take that blends his trademark strong percussion with smooth pads and subtle builds. Backed by a punchy mid-range kicker with vague hints of female harmonising, strong progression keeps the... See full review

The first thing that struck me about the release was the artwork; fantastic! The image above doesn't quite do it justice. Inside the cover is no different, with a clever sketch of an audio waveform clearly saying "Out Of This World".

The title is... See full review

The original is bland; exactly the kind of trance I despise Markus Shulz for playing and releasing. Nicely melodic, but with little energy and groove to back it up. The percussion is extremely weak, leaving the track feeling very "floaty", rather than... See full review

This album is full-on psy-trance at its complete and utter worst.

Cheesy vocals and MCing, screechy, over the top melodies, guitars - this has the lot. Perhaps the only redeeming factor found here is the chunky bass lines, but even they are... See full review

This is perhaps the best album I know of in any genre.

Psychedelic and Goa aficionados are often scornful of the “full-on” genre, due to the shallow, one dimensional approach that many producers pursue, and an abundance of vocoded vocals, guitars,... See full review

The second CD is not too bad, but it's just a copy of an earlier-released Anjunabeats CD.

However, the first CD is rubbish; I've been using it as a coaster for the past year or so. The track selection is ok, it's just that the mixing and flow are... See full review

After some of Shlomi's amazing early works such as "Bagpipe", I was a little disappointed by this album.

It seems a little bit like he's trying to be "minimal" just for the sake of it. Rather than coming off as "a small set of noises creating an... See full review

The whole point of a remix is to make something new of a track - to perhaps improve it, or perhaps make it worse, in some people's eyes.

Hence why neither of these remixes retain the original's vibe, yet are both brilliant tracks in their own... See full review

This is an amazing release, both sides have been championed by many big DJs, yet never seemed to receive much hype or popularity.

"Alias" is a STOMPER. Slamming guitar hits underscored by a shaker in very unique percussive arrangement. The kick is... See full review