First Impression

Analog Pussy’s label devotes a solid release nodding the head to the next generation of psytrance producers. Their goal is to highlight the upcoming names in the tech-trance fusion scene which has to be a good thing, with new artists sharing album space with more established artists like Solar Fields, Nuclear Ramjet and, naturally, Analog Pussy themselves.

Audiomatic’s Trees is a busy percussive number pondering, well, the nature of trees… all the while maintaining a flexible groove and a decidedly deep flavour. Ma-G-Ma’s Raum Und Zeit is a snarlingly scary tune with deep acid and heavy synth riffs with a shockingly eerie breakdown and a final section that seriously has you running toward the light as reality closes in around you. Lovely.

While I bring myself back to earth, the unique groove of Canadian goth-trancers PTK sits in, and again it’s shocking. I always thought Canadians were a happy, affable bunch but the insanely menacing flavour of this brings that into serious doubt. It’s in a very bad mood and it wants to drag you down with it – one of the darkest tunes of the year. Ma-G-Ma steps in again with Awakening, a tune that’s classy and insanely individual. It builds up to a huge and gargantuan breakdown, with the 303’s breaking wind all over the place, until it drops into a smurfy dayglo mental melody – just what you need to seriously keep them on their toes – before crashing down into a deep and dynamic legs-everywhere trancer. Classic.

Brazil’s Cicero pops in with Trouble, a deliciously laid-back bit of tribal house really, with plenty of shifting and a groove tighter than England’s defence against Argentina last week (sorry but I had to get that in somewhere). Analog Pussy’s Spooky Loops is certainly just that, with a disturbingly fat synth lead at its centre. Space age monkey funk.

With Solar Fields’ characteristically heart-warming Third Time finishing off the album, the overall effect is of a superbly-compiled collection with some genuine surprises and enough substance to keep everyone happy. Highly recommended.