Updated 1 year ago
Editor’s Note, June 25, 2020:
As I was editing the 1996-2020 psytrance history and found this in 2004, I immediately realized I was looking at an underutilized treasure – a lost time capsule from progressive trance’s golden age. A Rosetta Stone that could turn a hard grey old heart into pulsing life.
Dave Henshaw created this list while I was kicking around the idea of the TranceFormer Awards in late 2004 (here is what it ended up looking like in 2006), and his article here was sent out many times in late 2003 in our Trip Out New York newsletter. I loved it. And although I’ve been in the minority and not a super fan of this subgenre, Dave obviously loves it, and it shows, and his Boston references are fucking golden. And at the end of the day, Dave put in just as much work as we did writing the national survey for Mushroom Magazine, and he obviously knew his shit, so he deserves a shout-out and a permanent tribute.
So I cleaned it up a bit and added Youtube links where appropriate. While many details will be folded into the history project, I knew it would be an excellent standalone resource. Now, after 16 years, you can finally witness the inimitable grandeur, insight, and detail of Dave’s writing, with the added power of realtime music, especially towards the end of the list. Enjoy!
PS and you know what? I appreciate this music a LOT more with this guide! – Mac Hinelf
Dave Henshaw from Boston’s Top Ten Lists for 2004
Hundreds of parties happen worldwide every year – featuring thousands of DJs, visual artists, and live-acts. INFINITE numbers of permutations exist which determine, alter, and re-determine how “good” or “bad ” a party is. That said, I begin with this disclaimer: The following lists are merely my personal subjective picks. Little, if any, scientific or objective criteria were used in determining the “best” anything… These lists simply represent the North American parties I attended this year where I had the best time. They list the DJ sets I liked the most and live sets I was most impressed by. As a good friend of mine likes to say, “one man’s treasure is another’s trash… and vice versa.”
And now, may I present my 2004 TOP TEN lists!
TOP TEN PARTIES – 2004
- THE GAIAN MIND FESTIVAL – Artemas, PA July 2004
2004 was the third year of this festival and it keeps getting better every year! What do you get when you combine an ultra-motivated and passionate crew of psy-lovers with an equally energetic owner of pristine Creekside acreage in Pennsylvania? The Gaian Mind Festival, of course! Allen, Andy, Sharon, Orrin, and the whole crew did it bigger than ever this year!! Scorb, Loopus in Fabula, Beat Bizarre, Stella Nutella, Solar Fields… Coffee Dragons!
Immaculate swimming holes! Amazing chill-out and camping areas! A relaxed, mellow camping vibe! The Sonic Beating Sound System! What more can be said?
Easily, the best weekend of the year!
2. OMNI-DANCE 2004 – Echo Lake, NY June 2004
If Curt Schilling and Pedro Martinez were considered starters “ONE” and “ONE-A” for the Red Sox this year, then the same system should be used to align Omni Dance and Gaian Mind 2004. Even with tragedy striking the venue a few days before the festival, the entire Omni-Tribe crew came through at Echo Lake with flying colors! Live sets from Wizzy Noise, Phony Orphants, M-Field, and S-Range! A Dj set to end all DJ sets by Emok! The location isn’t quite as paradisical as Gaian Mind’s – having less camping space and marginal swimming. But what the festival lost in the location, it made up for in musical and visual talent! Time-slot to time-slot the best 2-day lineup of the year!!
3. TICON AND ANTIX (Spectra Production s) NYC, NY February 2004
Spectra’s Last Stand – and what a way to go out! With his pending engagement and relocation to Sweden getting closer; Spectra headman, Gavin Stevenson decided to have one last bash! Despite some tough electrical issues during Ticon’s live-set, nothing could prevent this party from raging well into Saturday’s “normal business hours .” A mind-blowing DJ set from Gavin followed by an equally brilliant live -set from Hayden Strom (Antix). The party was supposed to end at 7:00, but the music just kept coming as Hayden DJed until almost 8:00!
4. OMNITRIBE IN BOSTON – Boston, MA November 2004
The words “Omni-Tribe ” ensure an amazing party, and at no time was this fact more true than one mid-November night in Boston. Still high from the Red Sox World Series win, Boston cut no corners in using its one and only “safe” all-night venue to host the party. Visual work from Leonid Andreev and a crew of dec o-masters set the tone for flawless sets from Omni-Tribe’s renowned DJ’s – Vitalik, Earthling, Kife, Stas, FX Mike… the night was simply magical as the Sonic Beating sound pump throbbed with a zero-percent sound-bleed! By the time Mrs. Sullivan was waking to attend Sunday Services, the Boston
and NY tracers were happily stumbling out of the venue!
5. BOSTON BRAHMAN (DMT Productions). Brooklyn, NY September 2004
Leave it to Jeff to hatch this idea! Take as many Boston-based DJ’s and visual artists as you can, pack them in a van, get them down to NYC (in the heat of an AL pennant race – mind you!), stuff them all into a private residential loft, and have a psytrance party!! Believe it or not, the night went off without a hitch! Almost one hundred people danced to the sounds of Boston’s best until the sun started to peek through the night sky. A poorly placed and poorly mixed DJ set cleared the dancefloor at that time [ed. note – see #9 of top 10 DJ sets for more on this] before the headlining act, Alpha Channel, could take to his work – but nobody could deny that the 11-6 hours of this night were some of the year’s best!
6. MATTAA MANDARA IV (TOUCH Samadhi) – West Virginia September 2004
Click here for the mix
Outdoors in the middle of a Hare Krishna reserve. Two nights of American trance DJ’s and producers. Plenty of good folks, good food, and camping space. Were it not for a Simon Posford party in New York that weekend, perhaps this festival would have been better attended? But any way you slice it, the fifty or sixty people who arrived were treated to sets from KRI, Blue Spectral Monkey, Electronkind, Allen, and many others… Dancing, chatting, and just passing a few days in the wilds of West Virginia made this event memorable for
me! Say nothing about the custom marble work in Krishna’s Golden Palace!
7. ATMOS AND NOMA at SPIRIT (Spectra/Spirit ) – NYC, NY. March 2004
Most people I’ve spoken with do not agree with this choice – citing the poor Funktion One tuning, the strange acrobatics before the party, and the festivities being cut short by 3 hours – thus totally deleting a planned live-set from Noma. Many even said they were not impressed with Atmos’s live-set.
To those nay-sayers, I ask, “what party were YOU at?” Never have I heard Atmos on such a level – and never have I reached the spaces I did that night with Marria and our friends, Andrew, Emily, and Bryan Ladd. Yes, the party was cut short; but to hear Atmos live that night and share words and space with such people! It made the party priceless!
8. S-Range Live at Central Psy – Cambridge, MA May 2004
With the horrible 2:00 AM rule, burgeoning rates for airlines and fees, and the ever-present fear of the police; it is very rare that Boston can afford (monetarily AND legally) to host a talented international producer. So, when Boston’s “godfather,” Johnny Marquis, presented the opportunity to host S-Range, Boston’s crew was on-the-ball! And, of course, S- Range did not disappoint! Busting out material from his forthcoming album and making the 70 or 80 dancers go nuts – S-Range dropped bomb after bomb on the All-Asia Bar – right up until 1:59 AM – and left everyone smiling on their way out the door!
9. Kri at Psyforia (Sonic Beating) – Cambridge, MA October 2004
A specially made Halloween visual display from Bob Trahpek. Two amazing DJ sets from Lauryn and Kri. A pile of free giveaways featuring CDs from Juno Reactor and Boston DJ mixes. Jack-o-lanterns, mountains of candy, costumes, silly string – the night was as wild as a trance party in Boston could ever be! It even left Kri himself in a fantasy world after his set!!
Kri Interview
10. Valentine’s Day Party – South Boston, MA February 2004
An experiment with a new venue that went dramatically RIGHT!! Boston DJ’s – including Ammon EP and Binary – joined forces with Omni-Tribe’s Kife – to pump out sets all the way until the police reared their ugly heads around 4:30 AM… Though the location and gear were kept safe and secure, the music was lowered and then stopped by 4:45. A wonderful night of trance, though – and a mere foreshadowing of greater thing s to come!
TOP TEN LIVE SETS – 2004
- Son Kite at Gavin’s B-Day/NYC December 22nd, 2003
(happened in the calendar year 2003, but AFTER last year’s top-ten lists were released) If music is a religion, then Sebast ain Mullaert and Marcus Hendrikson are high priests! - Loopus in Fabula at Gaian Mind Festival/PA July 2004
The best set of the best party! Matteo worked the crowd into a frenzy and then took them even further before handing the stage to Beat Bizarre. In the words of Blue Spectral Monkey, “the whole thing was just…. BONKY!” - Phony Orphants at Omni-Dance/NY June 2004
One of the many primary reasons Marria and I attended this festival – and Emok and Jeppe did not make the trip a waste! The Iboga/Nano-Beat duo was on point throbbing out a deep progressive sound while creating a thoughtful, reflective, and liquidus atmosphere! - Antix at The Billionaire’s Club/NYC February 2004
A MAC G4 laptop, a mixer, and the house system is all Hayden the Genius needed to display the tracks from the most influential album since “Headcleaner.” Sophisticated, elegant, perfect in structure and rhythm. The live-set was like hearing “Lull” for the first time all over again! - Atmos at Spirit/NYC. March 2004.
Again, many would disagree, but hearing live arrangements ranging from “Jimmy the Plate” to “The Only Process” was worth being thrown out of the venue three hours early. Even the new housier material was made more powerful in the wake of such classics! - Beat Bizarre at Gaian Mind Festival July 2004
After a killer set from Loopus in Fabula, the Dynamic Danish Duo kept the crowd at a peak with an eccentric and quirky set featuring tracks from both “Lewd” and “Pandora’s Groovebox” the peak being a live mix of “Caugama” that I wanted to continue forever! - S-Range at Central-Psy/Boston May 2004
With material never-before HEARD – let alone released – Anthony blew up Boston, found time to attend a Red Sox game, see a few IMAX films, and then prepare for his insane performance at Omni-Dance 2004 a week later. - Solar Fields at Gaian Mind Festival/PA June 2004
The best live-set that nobody heard! A sunrise stroke of brilliance on Saturday morning. A dancefloor of about twenty people was swayed and moved to the atmospheric and blissful sounds of this Swedish downtempo master! - M-Field at Omni-Dance/NY June 2004
With the success of his two prior projects – D-Space and Alpha Channel – J joined forces with San Francisco’s Rob Watson to make “M-Field.” And their set at Om ni was immense! Featuring tracks like Grokwave and Focus, M-Field kept the night crowd booty-shakin’! - Ticon at The Billionaire’s Club/NYC February 2004
Even the problems with the house electricity couldn’t stop Filip and Frederick from busting out one of their signature sets. Completed with vocoder and rock-star presences, the Swedes astounded a packed dancefloor!
TOP LIVE SETS MISSED
(taken from parties I was “supposed” to attend but failed to.. Or parties I did attend but found a way to bungle and miss the live-set.)
- Son Kite at Club Exit/NYC. October 2004
Prior Halloween engagements kept me in Boston that night – but from the reviews and words of my friends, the set was simply brilliant! - Phony Orphants in Toronto, Ontario November 2004
Marria and I drove 600 miles to Toronto to hear this set, but venue security and ownership denied us entry to the room where Phony Orphants was playing. A later investigation uncovered that we were not the only ones who were lied to, mislead, and “stolen” from the Toronto promotors’ guest list. - Ticon at The Eclipse Festival. Montreal, Quebec August 2004
Getting back from two and a half weeks in Europe just hours before we had to start driving to Montreal, Marria and I were half-delirious. We both remember getting home and then waking up on our kitchen floor about seven hours before Ticon was scheduled to go on. We were outside in the truck before realizing we weren’t going to make it…
TOP TEN DJ SETS
- Emok at Omni-Dance 2004 June 2004
After being awake for almost 48 straight hours, Marria and I ended up passed out in our tent half-way through this set… But based upon what we heard of it, and the overwhelming excitement and response of those who heard the full set, there’s no question that this set rocked! Previews of Iboga’s coming killers mixed with Emok’s lovable DJ antics and a man dressed as a fern looking to get as close to the music as possible. ..
2. Gavin at Ticon/Antix February 2004
Coming on after Ticon is no easy task – especially when their live-set had just been interrupted by two house power failures. But, with the grace and skill that has come to define this master, Gavin brought the crowd back together and took things into Antix’s live-set with 90 minutes of killer tracks and mixes. As Gavin said after, “I knew it was time to gather.” And people stayed gathered well past the party’s scheduled end!
3. Stella Nutella at Gaian Mind Festival July 2004
As if live-sets by Loopus in Fabula and Beat Bizarre weren’t enough on that memorable Sunday morning, The Gaian Mind Crew presented the patrons with a ripping set by one of Europe’s best. Having her CD book stolen in New York just hours earlier, Stella spent all night Saturday on the phone and laptop procuring the original and unreleased tracks she wanted to play. At 9:00 AM, she presented those tracks to a packed dancefloor who showed their appreciation until well after the noontime hour!
Stella Nutella Interview
4. Electronkind at Mataa Mandara IV September 2004
The set that defined the festival for Marria and me – and lead the Boston crew to book him for one of our parties here – Dale dropped and perfectly mixed tracks from Son Kite, Higher Human Form, and a host of killer acts creating an atmosphere fit for the religio-bucolic setting.
5. Dino at Omni-Dance 2004 June 2004
A set that has now taken the shape of an 80 minute mixed C D, Dino strayed from the tracks he had prepared and played to the 100 person dancefloor almost totally from the hip. Freq, Kooler, Antix – the set was packed with killers that just seemed to build in intensity with each mix.. By the time his set was over and M-Field took the stage, the crowd was in a groove that defined Omni-style psy-nation.
6. Vitalik at Omni-Tribe in Boston November 2004
After hearing his sunrise set on Saturday y morning at Gaian Mind 2004, I knew this was NOT a set to be missed. Tho ugh it happened at the start of the party, it set the tone for one of the most magical nights in the history of Boston trance. Never before have I entered a party at midnight and seen so many people ALREADY grooving. With tracks from Loom, Chromosome, Psyless Groove, and others – this was easily the night’s most impressive set.
Vitalik Interview
7. Kri at Psyforia October 2004
With a few shots of special rum in his belly, this set left no doubt that Kri can rip a hole in the space-time continuum with the best of them. Coming on after one of the heaviest sets I’ve ever heard played in Psyforia ‘s opening slot (see #10), Kri had no problem taking it up even higher and going even further. An hour into it, I found myself outside on a bench repeating the words “Son Kite, Son Kite, Son Kite,” to myself to recenter my whole musical
existence.
8. Binary and Kri tag-team at Omni- Dance 2004 June 2004
In one of the most magical moments of the year, Kri and Sonic Beating headman, Binary, took to the decks after S-Range’s sunrise live-set. Whether it was planned or spontaneous, it was simply amazing to see these two American full-on experts going track for track and having it amplified by Binary’s electro-mechanical brainchild.
9. Goldilocks at Boston Brahmans in Brooklyn September 2004
In the set that sadly was the last anyone really heard at this amazing DMT party, Goldilocks played a perfect low key set featuring, of all things, a track from Radiohead! It couldn’t have been better placed as he finished the line of Boston Dj’s who played that night and left everyone there with a good impression of what Boston is all about. Though the DJ that followed him sadly killed the party like a slasher-movie villain,* Goldilocks left zero doubt about his skills and presence behind the decks.
*Ed. Note – Found the culprit – it’s one of these guys that isn’t me:
10. Lauryn at Psyforia October 2004
As though possessed by some unknown powers of darkness, Lauryn played two hours like she’s never played them before. Setting a new precedent for Psyforia and completely shunning the “progressive warmup,” Lauryn came out on fire at 10:00 PM and just kept fanning the flames of mayhem until Kri took over at midnight.
TOP MISSED DJ SETS:
1. Emok in Toronto, Ontario November 2004
The Phony Orphants live-set was not the only casualty of that fated drive to and from Toronto! But hey, we did get to see Ray Bourque get inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame!!
2. Jeppe in Toronto, Ontario November 2004
Yup – that night in Toronto! Ohhhh, what COULD HAVE been!!
3. Allen at Gaian Mind Festival AND Psyforia in July 2004
A trip to Europe and a campfire conversation that simply went too far too fast were the causes behind my absence at two sets which have been talked about ad infinitum by friends and other reviewers alike.
The following lists, though still very personal and subjective, are in my eyes, a little less so than the first three… You can play an album, rewind it, and play it again. Not so with a live-set. You can play an album in different settings when you’re in different moods, and through different headphones and sound devices. Not so with a DJ set. A party is, in the words of Ernst Cassirer, “…an event. It is this event NOW – and NOW it is no longer this event.” Personal experience just happens and reflective judgment can’t be made while the party is still happening. One can, therefore, afford to be more objective and data-driven when “judging” recorded music. That said, here goes my babbling attempt at doing just that!…
TOP TEN ARTIST FULL – LENGTHS (the most difficult list of them all!!)
- Frogacult: “Something for Sundays” (Iboga Records; Copenhagen, Denmark)
Well worth the wait, needless to say! This gem was due out in March, didn’t come out until November, and STILL met all expectations! Track for track, an album that feels like a good DJ set! Tracks warm up, charge like a battery, and then just GO! Four and five minutes of the groove where the kick and bass hardly change and each entry intensifies the track just enough to keep the “trance” intact. Subtle slopes up and down, a zoo of exotic animals, eight straight unhittable 89 mph sliders on the outside corner, a perfectly assembled batting order – no visual analogy can do this amazing album justice!
Favorite track: ALL OF THEM. ..no, really..ALL OF THEM!!!
2. Kooler: “Open” (Dragonfly/Kamaflage Records; United Kingdom)
He produces in one of the planet’s best live acts. He has a lifetime of training in classical music. He masters and aids in seemingly every progressive release that hits the market. He has a downtempo solo-project called “OOZE,” and a progressive one called “FILUR.” Now, Sebastian Mullaert has yet another gem to add to his already worldly resume: Kooler. Son-Kite-esque in depth and clarity, the album again plays like a good DJ set. A mere ONE track I didn’t positively adore…
Favorite track #7 – “Awake”
3. Auricular: “Time” (Plusquam Records; Hamburg, Germany)
Many argue that this album has “no soul.” And I’d agree if one’s definition of soul involves a vibrant vitality and teeming life-force! However, this album IS the paradigmatic representation of the German soul-driven, detail-oriented, perfectionistic, and immaculately logical. The production value of this album is far and beyond anything I’ve heard before – CRYSTAL clear in all frequencies and at all levels. Mechanical genius!
Favorite track: Track #8. Brilliant Cut.
4. Beat Bizarre: “Pandora’s Groovebox” (Iboga Records, Copenhagen Denmark)
The success of “Lewd” put Beat Bizarre on the radar screens of all-those progressive back in 2001; and since then, they’ve been all over the globe (literally and figuratively) producing tracks for Iboga, Plastik Park, and even TIP Records. Their style is like none other and their on-stage demeanor as brotherly and “human” as I’ve ever seen. Pandora’s is yet another brilliant example of a sound that cannot be categorized, but simply cannot be ignored!
Favorite track: Track #7 “Caugama”
5. Son Kite: “Colours” (Digital Structures; Malmo, Sweden)
With a resume more impressive than Bill Gates’, the Swedish Sultans took a break from their global schedule to set forth this gem in the spring of 2004. Accompanied by a series of remixes and then another with a supplemental DVD, this truly was the Year of Son Kite. Brilliantly produced, eclectic, and original – the full-length album is the gem of this “total package!”
Favorite Track: #6 “Let Us Be.”
6. Buzzmonx: “Toms N Jerry” (Plusquam Records, Hamburg, Germany)
After major releases on Plusquam, Save-To-Disc, and Plastik Park, it was only a matter of time before Sebastian Plenh (Buzz) and Sascha Haske (Bitmonx) had a full-length. That time came in 2004 and the Buzzmonx project did not disappoint! Deeper and deeper the album goes, reaching an absolute depth with the subtle yet throbbing album title track. One of the rare albums with tracks suited for both a chill-out lounge AND a packed dancefloor!
FavoriteTrack: Track #6 “Toms ‘n’ Jerry.”
7. The Higher Human Form: “Neurohighways” (ZMA Records; Greece)
From literally out of nowhere, this album showed up at my doorstep and had me floored from the get-go! Produced at a much more rapid clip than I’m used to (139-142 throughout), this album had me hooked in the middle of the track Lauryn summed it up best and said, “It sounds like Vibrasphere with more balls” and that was echoed by remarks from others who imagine it sounds like a mix of Vibrasphere and Tetraktys! Dance and think! Think and dance! Take your pick!
Favorite Track: Track #1 – “Immobilized”
8. FREq: “Strange Attractors” (Iboga Records; Copenhagen, Denmark)
The story goes like this: Emok had just finished a DJ set at a festival in Sydney, Australia when he was approached by a wide-eyed young producer named Aran Gallagher. Gallagher praised Emok for the set and told him how inspired the music had made him. He said he had been looking for a new sound and had ideas but just didn’t know how to put them into action. Telling Emok he’d send a demo, he giddily hopped back into the crowd. Five months later, a five-track demo CD showed up at Iboga’s doorstep. After an hour with the CD playing, Emok grabbed his cell-phone, called its Australia-based author, and signed him to a full-length album. The fruits of this story can be heard on this KILLER album!
Favorite Track: #5 – “Spacechanger”
9. Oculus: “A Moment in Time” (Floatation Records; Sydney, Australia)
Again, out of nowhere and, again, floored by an album that’s a little more rapid than what I normally like.. T his pair of young producers from down under came through big-time with their debut full-length. Tracks full of solid basslines and rhythmic high-end percussion sequences, the album ended up accompanying me to more places than I expected when I bought it!
Favorite track: #4 “Lo Ki“
10. Genetic Spin: “Backspin” (Nervine Records)
Shunning the pinings of major record labels worldwide, Genetic Spin picked their own label, Nervine Records, to produce their second full length – only the second album ever produced on it! With the success of their Creamcrop debut, “On/Off,” its no wonder this album got lots of attention and airtime upon its release. A new sound and a new direction – Genetic Spin also passed up their normal slow chuggy progressive style to make an album a little more towards the “full-on ” sound. Call it what you will, but Genetic Spin dropped some bombs on this one!
Favorite Track: #2 – “Lord of the Strings”
HONORABLE MENTION
Atmos: 2nd Brigade (Spiral Trax International; Gothenburg, Sweden.)
TOP TEN LABEL COMPILATIONS
Playground. (Iboga Records; Copenhagen, Denmark)
George Steinbrenner has an UNLIMITED budget, and not even he can create
a lineup this good!! If Emok ever wanted to change careers, I’m sure Theo Epstein could find a job for him! Track after track of Australia and Denmark’s most talented artists. Antix remixing Freq and vice versa! Emo k and Freq teaming up for a track! Banel and Rene Nielsen (Beat Bizarre) doing a track under their new project, “Behind Blue Eyes.” This release makes all other compilations (even Iboga’s) PALE in comparison. Puzzled and Set03 were both strong, but Playground simply blew me away!
Favorite track: Take your pick!! The whole album is FUCKING INSANE!!!!
Ground Grooves (Tatsu Recordings, Germany)
After going through a tough time releasing relatively under-produced full-lengths by Oryx and Magnetrixx in 2003; Tatsu came back full-bore in 2004 with two great compilations and a beautiful full-length from Sensient. Ground Grooves were the second of the two and it’s loaded with Killers. Slow, throbbing, and even funky at times; the two bombs are certainly those from Freq (surprise surprise) and a new artist named “Loom” and their track “The Riddle.” Huge release!!
Favorite track: Track #3 Freq “Life Impulse.”
Groove Zone (Groove Zone Records, Tokyo, Japan)
The first release on this new label and it was a smash! Packed with intensely produced and dance-floor friendly track s, it contains gems from veteran and new artists alike! One of the gems is a track written by Stella Nutella and Chromosome called “Le Groove.” A tribally chanting masterpiece played by Stella at Gaian Mind and then by Vitalik during his amazing Boston set! Metronome, Sentient, Andromeda, and new artist Fine Diner and kept me moving for months!
Favorite track: #7 Freq “We Communicate.”
A Token to Thrill. (Nano-Beat Records, Copenhagen, Denmark)
Iboga isn’t the only fantastic label in Copenhagen!! Owned and operated by a collective of artists lead by Jeppe Ornkilde; Nano -Beat has now released a handful of killer 12″ singles and a pair of sweet compilations. Progressive, Progressive House, electro – Nano-Beat is dedicated to anything pushing the sound in new directions! A gem from Mondayz Millionaires (both Strom Brothers and both members of Phony Orphants) makes a good impression and the album just gets better from there!
Favorite track: #3 Groovesniffers “Naughty Edit B.”
The Swiss Connection (Domo Records; Zurich, Switzerland)
Killer! Simply killer!! This album was first introduced to me by Dave Dittmer, at the Gaian Mind Festival – and it’s an album that I haven’t stopped listening to on a regular basis. A quirky little ditty from Export Audio and an assortment of shiny jewels earn this a spot in the top-ten.
Favorite Track: Track 4: Freq vs. Spherical “Bit Shifter.”
Pure Bliss (Tatsu Recordings, Germany)
The first of Tatsu’s dynamic duo of 2004, the tracks on this album enjoyed a hey-day at the US summer festivals – one of them even found it’s way into Phony Orphants’ live set! Prisoners of the Sun, Expect, and Lunaspice all throw down the beats for this BMW of German psy-compilations!
A Day After.. (ZMA Records; Athens, Greece)
With the success of Battle Royal and “The Higher Human Forms” full-length, it was inevitable that I’d simply click “order” when this album popped up for sale. Freq, Segment, and two killers from Heliotrope made this an unexpected addition to the stack of CD’s I carry to work in my backpack. In fact, for a few mornings (during the playoff stretch no less) it actually replaced my normal morning commuter dose of AM Sports Radio!
Favorite Track: #1 Sun Control Species “Structure.”
Day Time (Submachine Records; Paris, France)
A late addition to my collection, but still one of the best. Now famous for their release of the Tetraktys album and one of Frogacult’s early bombs. “Snowdropped” – Submachine returns with another progressive-psy killer with tracks from former Traktor producer “La Baaz” and a new masterpiece from Phony Orphants!
Favorite track: #3 Antix and DSENS – “Reflect.”
Soul Reflection. (Polarlight Recordings; New York, USA)
Finally! An American trance label puts out something we can all sink our teeth into!! With all due respect to Soular Records and Spectral Concepts, their releases didn’t please me as much as this little Urban treasure did. New York-based artists and producers teamed up to put the Eastern US on the map with this one. Stashuk, BRAZIL, Oscimon – from progressive to downtempo – I was proud to be an America n Trancer!!
Favorite track: #5 Oscimon “Celadrum.”
Cold Cuts (Cold-Groove Records, Canada)
What’s up North America!! From the land where some think “music” means Alanis Morissette and the only good exports are beer and ice hockey stars comes a new label and a brilliant debut release! Mastered by none other than Sebastian Mullaert and Marcus Hendriksson, this album starts deep with a track from Lunaspice and just gets deep er and clearer from there. A little pacey at times, but always dark, driving, and thoughtful.
Favorite track: #5 Axiomata “Concentration” (Tetraktys remix)
HONORABLE MENTION:
Urban Legends. (Tribal Vision Records; Prague, Chech Republic
TOP TEN INDIVIDUAL TRACKS NOT APPEARING ON ANY AFOREMENTIONED ALBUM
Magnetrixx “Filigran” (AP Records, Germany)
Ed. note: Henshaw had originally listed this as “Morgannix” but it shows up as “Magnetrixx “on Youtube
I was SHOCKED that this untouchable cut-fastball didn’t get released on one of AP’s compilations! Appearing only as a 12″ single – the B-side, “Son man,” made it onto CD, but Filigran never did! A groovy, hypnotic, ever-intensifying organic gem from Stefan Lewin’s side project!!
Magnetrixx Interview
Frogacult ” All Seasons” (Psyless Groove remix) (Iboga Records;
Copenhagen, DNK.)
As if the original wasn’t good enough!! Simon Ravnlokke and Lasse Bruhn took their countrymen’s track, keeping the dynamic, driving and thoughtful feel; but gave it a little more hop, a little more eccentricity, and breathed new life into the staccato synth sample! It came out before the Frogacult full-length and made the wait for “Sundays” even harder to bear!!
Son Kite “Let Us Be” (Vibrasphere Remix) (Digital Structures; Malmo, Sweden)
Just take a look at the artists involved. Need I say more? 🙂 A long-awaited second series of single remixes, this track was the best of the batch! The coolest track on the full-length, remixed by one of Sweden’s most talented artists!
Sensifeel “Back to the Future” (Freq Remix ) (Domo Records; Zurich,
Switzerland)
Granted, I had to hold myself back from putting this full-length in the top-ten; but the competition in the category was fierce! Either way, the album deserves mention and especially this wall-ball double which appears on it! Great stuff!
Psyless Groove “Columbian Rock” (Iboga Records; Copenhagen, Denmark)
The compilation was a little disappointing for me – as most of the tracks have been staples in my cd-book for years already – but the solo track from Emok, a Llopis remix, and THIS HIGH-POWERED SUBWAY TRAIN made Iboga’s “set 03” worthwhile. In fact, this track alone was worth the price of the CD!! A total hit from an artist whom I pray will put out a full-length someday!
Kruger and Coyle “The Witness” (Randy Expander Remix) (AC/DC; Gotheburg,
SWD)
Call it “cheese,” “cottage cheese,” “progressive cheese” or “house,” – this track hit my ears and stuck with me all year. Some days I hated it because it was lodged in my head at work like a bad Nickelback tune. Other days I loved it as it played on “repeat 1” during long sessions in the gym. And still, other days I was amazed by the dancefloor reaction it got… From Boston to Quebec to freaking Switzerland – this one got people moving with vocals like a pop-rock hook!
PLEASE CONTACT US IF YOU HAVE A COPY OF M-FIELD IN 2020 (or if you have Jay’s contact info!)
M-Field “Focus” ( J Stottemier and Rob Watson at D-Space Studios; CT,
USA)
After Rob’s sad return to San Francisco, the M-Field project between him and Jay Stottz (D-Space, Alpha Channel, Indigom) seemed to fade away. But nobody can deny the dreamlike few months the two musical brain trusts enjoyed together and the parties they rocked! This track epitomizes their talent and cracks this list with a progressive and intense atmosphere!
Chris Pointdexter “Darkness” (Ticon Remix) (Spiral Trax Int; Gothenburg,
Sweden)
Only a side-project of Swedish genius Christer Gunarrsonn, Chris Pointdexter already has a couple hit 12″ singles and now a CD maxi on Spiral Trax! Though the original version is catchy and driving, the remix from Pointdexter’s equally talented countrymen make the original sound all the better!
Morganixx “Strolch” (AP Records; Germany)
When the hell is Morganixx going to put out a full-length?? I mean, Magnetrixx is the bomb – but has Morganixx put out ANYTHING that hasn’t been completely amazing? From Tropfen” to “Witske Vebelt”! From their 12″ BOMB on AP to this buried treasure! I hope to put Morganixx on a different top-ten list a year from now!
Interview with Magnetrixx
Symphonix “Submit” (Medium Records, Germany)
Another artist in need of a full length – Symphonix has been a mainstay with Medium Records since the label’s inception. This wonderful chugger just keeps going and going!!
HONORABLE MENTION
Midimilz “Cyclic Structure” (Maniac IQ Records)
Stay tuned later on for The 2004 Year in Review Trance Awards – featuring the award for “Album of the Year” “Track of the Year” “Best Musical and Visual Artist of the year” “Local and International Psy Person of the year” among many others…. As an introduction to the coming awards, here’s the first to open the show!! 🙂 🙂
PRESENTING!!
The 2004 North American 2004 Year in Review Trance Awards!
FIRST AWARD:
Production Crew of the Year
Minimal/progressive/Scandinavian Youtube playlist
