Vibraspirit 11 – Sundance

When the first Vibraspirit album came out in 2001, psyreviews loved it and said it was the best album of the year, before most of that year had even come along. And the same is about to happen this year too. One of the most downright staggering compilations in recent memory, Vibraspirit 11 kicks off with Angry Dwarf’s Continuum, one of the most brave, distinctive, melodomorphic tunes I’ve ever heard. Starting out with a shuffled feel to the rhythm section, it picks up melody upon melody and becomes incredibly busy in the mid and topranges, cascading sounds after sounds after sounds, an utterly bombastic telefantastic opener. Toast3d’s Makes No Sense is a more down to earth, ‘conventional’ psytrance kind of affair, with a mix-friendly bassline that picks up some sweeping, talpa-like noises in a swooshing pattern that comes alive all of itself. Vibe Tribe’s Ananda is possibly the best thing to have come out of Israel this year, perfect production and classy, glassy mastering hover over the bones of a tune that’s simply very f*ing well put together. The midsection is almost reminiscent of Alien Project circa Midnight Running (i.e. when he was still good), and then it picks up several notches at once before dropping into one of the best breakdowns I think I have ever heard, in any style of electronic music. The drop is sublime, falling into pure goa bliss, managing to avoid cliché while still keeping melody, drive, energy and a touch of that little otherworldly something. Max’s Eternal kicks off with a great sample from Bill Hicks, and drops into pure Australian madness. Seriously: there is no other country this tune could have come from. Melodies are everywhere (think a more caustic, shifting Misted Muppet) and the groove underneath shifts like a wobbly mulch beast. A Van Morrison sample (really), nasty noises, several guitars (under-used, which is nice) gives way to a brief heavy metally bit and then a huge, expansive trancescape unlike any I’ve heard in such a long time… huge melodies, clean vibes, lovely noises all falling into place…. perfectly. Up next is the wonderful Misted Muppet, with Photos Of Ghosts, possibly their best work next. Gone are the big breakdowns, but the big melodies are played off against a crunchier, almost more industrial vibe. It’s rockin, basically, and the textures morph in a deliciously warped way: breakdowns with almost hallucinogen-sounds, snarling at ya like an angry gypsy; a baggy yet nasty outdoor daytime stompy groove, I only wish that last section went on longer! A new tune from Serbian powerhouse Talpa is going to be fairly eagerly-anticipated, and once again he’s proved he can do Infected Mushroom better than Infected Mushroom can, with a tune moving and sliding in a very Infected-circa-Classical way. The layering here is very impressive, great on headphones and really begs to be played on a big rig. It suggests a lot more maturity in Talpa’s producing, even in the nine or so months since his album, and this further goes to seal his position as one of the most exciting, original producers around at the moment. Xatrik’s Play This Tune is well-named, and ought to get it some airtime among binned DJ’s flicking through the case logic. A simpsons sample for good measure, it’s a largely nighttime and snarly affair, with a deep and divin’ groove that almost sounds like being dunked in and out of water by a twisted fairground ride after the polar icecaps have melted and brought the sea level up a few metres. Pr0teus is an artist who’s been making quite a few ripples lately, and Parasight is among the best of his I’ve yet heard.. scuffled, shuffled beats, fat riffs and a delicious breakdown that defies description. But let’s have a go: “psychedelic flamenco flossed through Jean Michelle Jarre’s lower intestine”. That’ll do. Utterly sublime, deliciously clever, 100% loveable killer kick arse music. With the emphasis on kick. And arse. Rhombus’ intriguingly-named New Wave Saturday Nigh Chickens thunks in with a funky, disco-loopus groove, with huge lines and tasty, stuttered melodies all over the place, before a two-thirds-blue-monday breakdown comes in, sending everything into a delicious electromanic philtered disco psychedelic breakdown. Phew. There’s almost no words left for Transparance by Mexico’s Smuhg, possibly one of the nicest tunes to have emerged from this still relatively fledgling Central American trance scene. An epic morning trancer of interstellar proportions, it’s all about swirling, escalating melodies, done the best way since the likes of Human Blue eight odd years ago. It keeps on getting bigger and better, and is in danger of keeping you grinning way past your lunchtime. All in all, this is a staggering album, with not a dud tune on it; these days, a rare feat. Label boss Franny has had a long line of plucking amazing music and whacking it onto outstanding CD’s, and this is unquestionably his trump card thus far. Psyreviews loves this to bits and simply cannot recommend it enough. If you’re bummed about the state of music this year, you clearly haven’t heard this album. End fucking of.