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As though the massive boom in releases and available music wasn't enough - it seems like parties, events, and festivals made a huge leap forward in 2005 as well. With new concepts in digital downloading - especially from legitimate royalty-based sites like Beatport.com - the access to the music increased by a factor of 10! With the "relative simplicity" (read as: it's beyond me!!) of new software programs like Reason and Appleton Live - a throng of new producers popped into global view while established acts improved their live-sets dramatically. 2005 was a continuation of a trend that's been sweeping the musical world for a few years now - that being one which creates new levels of accessibility approaching infinity. Psyshop's "label page" grew by a number almost in the three-digit realm, new distributors stepped up and new importers established themselves in all corners of the globe. Competition increased - for both gigs and album sales - and, in the dogfight, it was the proven and established who usually came out on top.
It's that time of year again - time to post my personal TOP TEN lists. I stress, however, for anyone thinking of bombing my inbox like in year's past; these lists are nothing more than my *own personal opinions.* There was no vote to decide ANYTHING you'll read below. There was no contest to see who could get rated higher. There was no e-mail survey sent to get the specific opinions of specific people (though outside opinions are weighted and appreciated.) The lists below represent my personal favorites in the many fields of trance music culture. That's all they are. They are opinions and they matter just as much or as little as anyone else's opinion. So, if you're looking for some kind of definitive and/or authoritative word on the matter - please look elsewhere. :-)
I'll start with possibly the hardest to choose of all the lists. The artist-full-lengths. With the rise of new talent and the means of production becoming more and more available to more and more intelligent people - the amount of new music that flooded the market this year was immense. Some newcomers made a big splash. Others never sold a 12". What remains constant, however, is a good feeling that the music is taking steps forward. For every act that stops making music, another seems to emerge. All the while, above the riff-raff, the leaders of the pack remain in their darkened studios; making music NOT with the thoughts of whose going to buy it, but instead with the thoughts of pushing the sound in new directions. These elite know they have talent and they mold and shape the way we all hear organized sounds. Some of these elite put out albums in 2005. And some of those albums appear on the following list. And others... well... let's just say I wish I could make a top 20 in the category... With all the new artists and all the amazing new material from established ones - this list was pretty hard to make...
>>>>>So here they are... My top ten artist full lengths of 2005. <<<<<<<<<<<<
1. Antix: "Twin Coast Discovery" (Iboga)
Is there any doubt in anyone's mind? Is there any question? Is there any argument that can possibly make sense and say there is a better album this year? Hayden and Barton Strom have done it yet again. No artist has risen quicker and stayed on top with more vigor than Antix. The release of "Lull" established them - and now, "Twin Coast Discovery" furthers their impeccable reputation as one of the greatest deep progressive producers on the globe. Clarity, emotion, and tracks that import a definitive feeling of longing and nostalgia - this album is an emotional journey!! Favorite Tracks: "Le Lascard" and "Hiding Place."
2. Prisoners of the Sun: "Creating Social Success" (Tribal Vision)
With the success of their first album "Are You Scientific Enough?" - it looked as though Prisoners of the Sun were going to be a global phenomena. Then, as quickly as they appeared, they seemed to completely disappear. Only releasing singles on labels like Manta, Iboga, Medium, and many others - it seemed like POTS was to never have a "second album." Suddenly, "Creating Social Success" appears on up-and-coming progressive bohemoth "Tribal Vision Records" - and, let me tell you, it is a HUGE success! Anyone who liked "Are you Scientific Enough" will love this album. Pitched down a bit, (the tracks vary from 128-140 BPM) the sweeping and open feelings of these tracks are indisputably tangible! This album clearly says POTS was never gone - they were just biding their time to release this monster smash!! Favorite tracks: "Tussy De Luxe" and "Dandy Division."
3. Behind Blue Eyes: Behind Blue Eyes (Iboga)
And finally - we welcome a new force in the global progressive culture! With some of the latest "break-ups" among progressive artists - people have been searching for that "new group" that was going to come and stand us all on our heads! To my ears, that "new group" is Iboga's "Behind Blue Eyes." Crushing and massaging basslines, gentle stabs and melodies, and that wonderful quirky "Beat Bizarre" sound - this album showed up and has been a fixture in my CD player since I got it! I am looking forward to many more amazing releases from these guys!! Favorite tracks: "Excerpts from Dreams" and "Brumbasse" (original AND Emok remix).
4. Phony Orphants: "It Cetra" (Iboga)
What can you say about these guys that hasn't already been said? Two guys. They both own and operate successful progressive labels. They both are amazing DJ's. They are both as technically saavy and productionally gifted as they come. And they both seem to have a knack for knowing what the world wants to hear. Mikael "Emok" Dahlgaard and Jeppe Ornkilde (aka Phony Orphants) have given us yet another gem to go along with "Symphony" and the numerous singles the two have released. "ETC" is clearly a new direction for them, however. They've kept that deep, driving (in the desert) feeling in their tracks - but a new electro influence has crept in and made the tracks funky, dancey, and at times even "fun." Another absolute GEM!!! Favorite tracks: "Got what it Takes" and "Sex, Drugs, and Rock n' Roll."
5. Elastic: "Air" (YSE)
Achilles Theodoskikus, a 22 year old greek mastermind also known as FOG, gives us this amazing gift. Personally, my own stereotypes and past experience have taught me to steer clear of most releases on YSE. However, when I heard the sound samples of this gem, it was impossible NOT to click the "buy" button. The production quality, depth, and downright brilliance of these tracks is undeniable. The tracks start simple, then increase and unfold seemingly into infinity. Minutes seem like hours as entries and exits create atmospheres perfect for introspection or dance. Some tracks reach a plateau and then just keep going - on and on - and it's a utopia! The only thing that breaks me out of some of these tracks is the end of the track! Another artist who I cannot wait to hear more from!! Favorite tracks: "Essence" and "Final Cut."
6. Ticon: "Zero Six Åfter" (Digital Structures)
One of the primary themes of the year in releases was versatility. The best albums in both the full-length and compilation departments were those that represented a variety of tracks - ranging in both style and in pace. There are few artists on the globe that represent this versatility better than Filip Mardberg and Frederick Gilenholt - aka Ticon. With releases peppering the past six years - I cannot think of any artist who goes from 128 Bpm to 140 bpm, from smooth to funky, from deep to danceable, with more ease and more fluidity than Ticon. The new album, "Zero Six After," shows them at their best - featuring dancefloor groovers, to funky electro, to deep driving hypnotic trance. Their third released full-length and certainly on-par with the other two. Favorite track: "Poem for Granny."
7. Jaia: "Ficton" (Digital Structures)
According to Digital Structure co-head, Gavin, Peter Digital's philosophy is "to take time on every release the label puts out - to only put out a few albums a year, but make sure those albums are the very best they can be." 2005 represents a perfect example of this philosophy. Though Digital Structures only released two artist full-lengths - they BOTH made a huge global impact and BOTH are phenomenal. Ticon came last month, but DS's first release of the year was French artist, Jaia's, massively artistic presentation "Fiction." The album is an eccelctic collection featuring both full-length tracks as the even numbers - and mini-tracks/intermissions as the odds. Choral segments, strings, and electronica all combine on this gem. And anyone who heard his live-set at Gaian Mind Festival 2005 should know how good the album is! Favorite tracks: "Orchestra 2.0" and "Serial Groovers."
8. Aerolink: Skypilot (Tokyo Dance Records)
Another versatile gem - ranging from 130-143 bpm through 9 distinct tracks... Bird Calls, classical guitars, and a host of sounds you wouldn't expect on a trance album - this album simply rocks. Major thanks to Dave Dittmer for introducing me (and all of the Boston crew) to Aerolink's jaw-dropper one night during a late night deco install. Heads were bopping, smiles were going, and the album set the mood perfectly! Favorite track(s): SkyDive (Parts 1 and 2)
9. Gaudium: Nordic Nature (Spiral Trax)
Gothenburg's "Spiral Trax" is an interesting story. In fact, their history would make some pretty cool reading if anyone were to ever write it all down. They exploded into the global eye back in 1997 and released a compendium which is now symbolically known in my mind as "The Old Testament." Singles from Noma, S-Range, Atmos, and then finally the zenith known as "Headcleaner." Later, releases from XV Kilist, Hux Flux, Logic Bomb, Vibrasphere.... the list goes on.. Then, all of a sudden, as though compelled by some outside force, Anti and the Spiral Trax/Acid Casualties crew began to swing way over towards the house end of the spectrum and many wrote the label off as a "trance" label. With the release of this gem, I like to think Spiral Trax has put itself back on the proggy trance map. Very well produced, very entertaining - this is a complex collection of tracks, many of which were played on dancefloors across the globe. Another I like to listen to all the way through - enjoying almost every single track. Favorite track: "Walking in Circles."
10. Funky Dragon: "The Algol" (Synergetic Records)
To this day, I can't figure this one out. I was driving to Maine with Marria to visit my grandparents. We stopped to look at Basset Hound puppies and had a cup of coffee. We were on our way to another stop at Sprawl-Mart so Marria could get some duct tape for her hula-hoops. It was warm out. The Red Sox were playing the Twins in Minnesota and lost that night when Adam Hydzu made yet another base-running blunder - representing the tying run in the ninth and then getting picked off to end the game. We ended up having to stay in a hotel that night as my grandparents house was under repair. We ate broccoli and mushroom sandwiches that night - and drank Nestea ice tea. And the whole time all this was going on - playing in the truck stereo and then in the boom box in the hotel - was THIS ALBUM from Vienna, Austra. It was the first I had ever heard of Funky Dragon and it was bought on a whim because I liked the sound of a few samples. It's pretty "pacey" - but the tracks just have "something" about them. Head-bopping, fist pumping, toe-tapping grooves track after track after track!! Just an amazing album!! Favorite Tracks: "The Algol" and "That's It."
Special Props to the following that deserve mention.
1. Andromeda: Sensations (YSE)
2. Shiva Shandra: Change of Air (Sinn-Tec Records)
3. Interphaze: Move to the Groove (ZMA Records)
And now onto the compilations - an equally difficult list to assign. With so many new labels popping up and so many new artists putting out their first tracks on these comps - it's so tough to find even one that can be written off as "bad." Some have that ONE AMAZING track and then only a few nice ones besides. Some have a handful of nice tracks and a handful of average ones... Some have the same artist writing 60% of the tracks on the album - and some have a collection of tracks - each of which are written and produced by a different artist. So, here's what I came up with based upon what I found myself listening to and liking the most...
>>>>>>>>My Top Ten label compilations of 2005: <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
1. "Antix Twin Coast Remixes" (Iboga)
You have got to be kidding me? Who does this? Haven't these people ever heard of the old saying "too much of a good thing isn't good?" Everything has to be a balance. If you buy the V8 engine, you HAVE to get poor gas mileage! It's a rule! If you want Manny Ramirez on your team, you HAVE to deal with some of his little antics. If you want to mill or turn solid magnesium, you HAVE to be willing to pay the high price of chip disposal! For everything "good," you have to have something "bad" to even it out. Well, when Iboga Records goes on trial for breaking the laws of the universe, I'll gladly sit on the jury! While Twin Coast Discoveries was easily the best album of the year, so too were the remixes the best compilation! You take some of the best tracks of 2005 and have them remixed by some of the best artists on the planet and you're simply asking for something magical! This album is exactly that! It's like Manny Ramirez being the same baseball talent he is now, but acting on and off the field like Hideki Matsui! It's like milling a massive magnesium fixture and finding the waste has vanished into thin air! It's perfect! There is no "down-side" to any of it!! Take your pick every single track is amazing - though my personal favorites are the remixes by Ohrsten Nors and Phony Orphants...
2. "Groove Control" (Nervine Records)
An album which, in my opinion, didn't get as much attention as it deserved. Though a couple of the tracks were brilliantly played by Psy-Booty's Rob-Ot at a show in Boston, I heard very few of any of these tracks in the DJ sets I heard this year. A fine collection of funky and deep progressive masterpieces - bordering very close to the house line - "Groove Control" was a product of Nervine Records - a label quickly coming to join Iboga and Nano-Beat as one of the finest labels around. While Frank Beckers had a lot to do with the album (two tracks - one as Beckers and one as Space Safari) - the compilation was packed with new artists and established greats like Fitalic! It even had a solo track from Robert Elster of Vibrasphere called "Random Reset Machine." and some cover art dangerously close to being pornographic. :-) Favorite track: "Funky Tramp" by Funky Badgers.
3. "Set 06" (Iboga)
This is getting almost funny? Am I going to leave OUT any of Iboga's releases? Seriously, though, anyone who heard and appreciates this album knows just how good it truly is. Starting with a smashing remix of a Freq track by Sun Control Species, the whole album goes deeper and deepr from there - like starting up on a mountain top and slowly working your way deep into the earth's core - passing gem after gem on the way! An Ace Ventura remix of Becker's "Switch", another from Zen Mechanics, and some DEPTH from Manuel Diego. Compiled by DJ Frequence (aka Freq), its no wonder it had a defined "direction" it was travelling. A killer for all ears. It has tracks that drive, tracks that thump, and tracks that are as close to house music as you'll get. Favorite track: "Volvoli" by Nasser.
4. "Rainbow Serpent 2005" (Green Ant)
Someday, Marria and I are going to attend one of these festivals. If not the Rainbow Serpent, then Earthcore - the 2002 version which Marria attended while living "down under." For now, though, all we have is the amazing CD compilations that Green Ant gives us after each festival. The 2004 version was intense - with an Antix remix of Paste's "Code Bed" taking the cake as the best track. The 2005 version topped even that! Track after track of audio pleasure. Starting off with an Antix remix of an old Pitch Black track and going through tracks by the likes of Atmos, D-Nox and Beckers, Sun Control Species, Decoy, and Lunaspice. This album has it all and has been one of the staples in my collection since it arrived. Favorite track: Atmos: Mental Luggage (2005 live version).
5. "Limelight" (Tribal Vision)
Since the huge success of "Urban Legends" - Prague's Tribal Vision Records has become one of those "Can't Miss" labels. Still considered a "new" label in comparison to some of its elders, Tribal Vision used 2005 to establish itself on the global market. Releasing which to my ears is the second best artist full-length of the year, TVR also released two compilations which appear on this list. "Limeight" is the first of those. Featuring tracks from Minilogue, Flowjob, Ticon, Holm & Anderson, and a host of other well-known artists, this brilliantly mastered gem caught the ears of DJ's all over the world and easily makes this list. Favorite tracks: "Leeloo" by Minilogue and "Cloud Politics" by Flowjob. (When is Flowjob going to put out a full-length???)
6. "Street Art" (Tribal Vision)
The "other" TVR compilation on this list is just as good as the first. In fact, due to the fact that I just got it *TODAY,* it finds itself at #6. When I'm sure once fully digested, I'll wish I had put it up closer to the top. Highlighted by a Jaia Remix of Vibraspehere's downtempo masterpiece "Manzanilla" - the album includes tracks from RAI, D-Nox &Beckers, and Minilogue juxtaposed side by side with newer artists like Sonify and SOG records genius "Greed." Tribal Vision went out of their way to make this a gem and it certainly is. Favorite tracks: undecided (but I'm definitely digging the Jaia Remix of Manzanilla and the really cool Flowjob track)
7. "Audio Sinndicate" (Sinn-Tec)
Ånother label - this one from Germany - that has quickly caught the attention of all those enamored by the proggy sound. Sinn-Tec, however, is known for their fixation on a much more german prog - slightly faster and a little more fierce than their neighbors to the north. With the success of their other releases - most notably a compilation called "Intense Activity" and Shiva Shandra's outstanding full length "Change of Air" - its no wonder this album was played across the globe (though it did precede both). In fact, it has a stretch of FIVE consecutive tracks which are ALL simply fantastic. It was hard to pick a favorite off this, but after hearing Dean Manning play it over a big system at the Firefly Festival in Northern Vermont, I think I'm going to have to go with "Mask Tamburine" by Viashiyas - a driving throbber which always gets the asses shaking and the hula-hoops spinning...
8. "Posse" (Domo Records)
Domo Records - a label that started as a store in Israel and has since branched out to include an office in Zurich Switzerland and a Swiss sub-label (VP Records) - has been putting out some really nice albums the past two years. Last year's compilation "The Swiss Connection" remains one of my favorites from the year - and this year, "Posse" joins that list. A sonnenvacuum remix of Sonic Soul's "Pornodelica," a Ticon Remix of Sub 6's "Seventh Son" (which appeared previously on a VP cd-maxi), a track from Ace Ventura and Intelabeam called "Nasty Peach" and a gem from V-Tunes highlight this excellent top-to-bottom album. Favorite track: "Third Trial" by V-Tunes.
9. "Tokyo Underground" (Stargate)
Another one of those "when am I going to get to go?" CD's - one that represents a festival that I WILL someday get to attend! Stargate Universe - an annual festival thrown in the mountains of Japan - has gotten a reputation as one of the world's best sources for outdoor prog. So much so that artists from around the globe have commented on how Japan is their favorite place to play. Son Kite even made their 2004 smash DVD around a trip to Japan they had for a gig. This CD - published by Stargate Records, a label managed by the same folks who throw this amazing party- is just a taste of what one can find at this festival. A BOMB Paste remix of Antix's "Free as We are" (which is easily my favorite on the album) coupled with tracks from Thomas Penton, Tetraktys, and Vibrasphere make this an album that stayed in the truck for many a nice road trip.
10. Set 05 (Iboga)
Of any track I listened to and played in 2005 - there is a track on this album which I played and listened to more than any.... by a long shot!! One of my all-time favorite artists produced it and now, allegedly, it could go down in history as the last track they ever write together. Whether this be a farewell to a great band or just praise for what I consider the best track of 2005 - I want to make sure to give all the credit in the world to FROGACULT and their masterpiece "Bye She Said." It appears as Track #4 on this compilation; surrounded, of course, by great material from Son Kite, Flowjob, and a Zen Mechanics Remix of Ace Ventura's "Cardiac Arrest."
Other compilations that deserve Major credit....
1. "Get the Lead Out" (Psy-Booty Records)
2. "Avalanche of Sound 4" (Avalanche Records)
3. "Grand Avenue" (Moonflower Productions)
4. "Aerocruz" (Groove Zone Records)
So yeah - there's the digitally recorded music... (I didn't buy enough vinyl this year to feel comfortable making a top-ten list). There's just so many and I know I'm leaving something out. I always do... :-(
And now we head onto the parties... another category usually hard to pick. After all, what makes a good party? Sometimes, you get the perfect venue and the perfect lineup - but you end up swallowing something bad and can't have a good time... Then there are times when you go to some unknown campground in the wilderness, hang out with ten other people, listen to locals play bad DJ sets through two powered JBL 15" monitors and have the best night you've ever had! Some parties are good because you DON'T go to them... and others are GREAT until the police show up or until the promotor announces that the headliner is stuck in Amsterdam until the next day.. Here in the States, it's impossible to tell which parties are going to be good and which parties are going to turn out disastrous. And I guess that's what makes it fun to be involved with them weekend after weekend after weekend. Basically, I've learned to never have expectations. Never think any party will be better or worse than another. Like meeting new people - go in with no assumptions, no pre-conceived notions, and ALWAYS look at the positive aspects of every situation - even if the only positive you can find is the fact that you're sitting under a tarp in the pouring rain with your *best friends*; all laughing even though there's no music and no hope of leaving for at least 6 hours! :-) Under such a system, I find most parties turn out OK.
>>>>>>>and here are the best parties that I attended in 2005.<<<<<<<<<<<<
1. Son Kite live in Montreal (April)
Supplied to us by Melanie and Olivier of MusicAll Box Productions, this weekend in Montreal was one of the best Marria and I had all year. Strokes of sheer luck landed us at a hotel within walking distance of the venue and with a clear view of Montreal's skyline. Further luck put us in contact with Olivier and Melanie - two of the coolest people we met this year - and the rest seems like manifest destiny. After a pretty heavy, yet very dance-friendly set by Rickam, Sebastian and Marcus took the stage to play one of the greatest live-sets I have ever heard! Scheduled for 90 minutes, they played for over two hours (though it seemed like a heartbeat) and Marria and I danced side by side for the whole thing! No words were exchanged, barely a comment made and as I remember my eyes were closed in a peaceful trance for at least the last hour of the set. All their greatest work - played through a very well-tuned and EQed system - to a crowd of insanely excited people underneath a perfect visual/video display from the MusicALL Box crew. After the set, all we could do was collapse in the chill-out room and listen to DJ Seb before getting back out on the main floor for Marcus's DJ set... An hour or so later, we found ourselves in the hotel room, drinking orange juice and watching lizards and chameleons dance on the ceiling. Simply a magical and remearkably memorable party!!
2. Firefly Festival in Vermont (July)
I think the most important thing to note about this weekend was that it was made great by both the weekend itself (July 1-4) but also by the previous weekend - when Sonic Beating and Redtail members designed and then built the 20' x 12' stage that was used for all the music for the festival. It was that weekend - directly preceeding the weekend of the actual party - which I put in the same breath with all the other "best parties" of 2005. No music. No visuals. No crowds or spectacles; just a whole lot of mud, a whole lot of lumber, two trucks full of tools and a handful of dedicated builders. I had just as much fun building that stage with my friends as I did performing and partying with them on Independence Day. But let's not forget about the party itself! The stage was packed with musical talent from Incus to Psylab to Sonic Beating/Changmian and Circle DJ's. Redtail's collective's "Sola" was lighting up the dancefloor in preparation for it's massive unveiling at Burning Man 2005 and our campsite had no less than 11 Bostonians and two NorthHamptoners residing in it! It was indeed like a "little Burning Man." The highlights are numerous - especially the music of Psylab, the sonic beating sound pump, and a wonderful cracked out conversation with Joe Gigs about the Red Sox pitching and the Pats' 3-4 defensive front - but the stage building weekend made everything all the sweeter!! I LOOK FORWARD (if there is one) to a Firefly 2006!
3. Iboga Night at Hard Club - Porto, Portugal. (September)
While it may be impossible to beat a week-long vacation in Portugal - one that you're basically required to take by your employer and one that you're actually being given a full-time paycheck to go on - I think it may be even harder to beat a vacation in Portugal where you get to attend back-to-back Iboga Records label parties in two different cities. Well, this weekend falls in at number three for Marria and I - but again, can be described as one of the best week(end)s of 2005! Friday night in Lisbon was sort of a debacle. Crowded club with not much space to dance coupled with poor ventilation and sub-par sound made for a rough time. It was saved, for the most part, by an excellent early night set from DJ Banel and a chance encounter with an old friend - but when compared to the following night at Hard Club, the party in Lisbon falls straight from memory! Not only would I say Hard Club is the best indoor venue I've ever been in, but the pristine sound system that night was used by the likes of Emok, Banel, a live set from Antix, and a local DJ, Tata, who opened the night and played a wonderful set. Another one of those nights where dancing controlled everything - non verbal communication was king - and Marria had this amazing moment where she actually realized that she couldn't understand a word ANYONE was saying despite having the feeling that she was talking with everyone. Neither one of us, to our fault, speak a word of Portuguese. :-) Easily a great party! In fact, it was the fourth time we had heard Antix live and the FIRST time that some act of God didn't interupt or cut the set short in some way..
4. Halcyon @ The Pine Barrens (July)
This party holds a very special place in my mind. Not only was it my first-ever trip to the Pine Barrens, but it was also the first time I had gotten to spend any meaningful time with two people who Marria and I became tight with over the course of the year. The party itself was incredible - going all night with nothing but great music from Eitan, Pat Karmakanik, and a guy from Montreal who simply tore the place apart. It featured a great conversation I had with this guy Kevin, who I had never met but we started talking baseball and it was over from there - and some cool deco from Eitan and Mimi. But the rides to and from New Jersey were what really made the party for Marria, myself, and our two friend, Paal and Teri. A traffic jam on our return could have been a nightmare in the works - but a quick stop in a rest area yielded a woman walking two of the coolest Boxer puppies we had ever seen. An hour or so of playing with those guys (to the woman's delight believe it or not) and the four of us were back on the road feeling much better about things! The whole trip - from driving there at night and having to find the place - to talking and dancing to great music on a clear night - to driving back and being graced with those two puppies. It made that Monday at work tolerable despite the fact that we got back to Boston around 3:00AM on Monday and had to leave for work four hours later... It was the kind of party I wished could have gone on forever!
5. Gaian Mind Summer Festival (June)
For the past two years, this festival has been the number one in this category. Easily! By far! Hands down! Nothing can compare to the Four Quarters. Nothing can compare to the hard work, planning, and effort that goes into bringing the world's finest trance talent into one of this countries most beautiful places. Andy, Allen, Sharon, and the whole Gaian Mind crew have done NOTHING but bring joy and happiness to the trance lovers of this country for the past few years! This time around, however, things were different - and I don't even know yet why... Maybe it was the fact that the lineup on BOTH nights was packed to the gills with sets that everyone wanted to see - making it hard for people to stay up all night on BOTH nights.. Maybe it was the increased attendance and subsequent taxation on the land and resources. Maybe it was my own expectations and my own disappointment in seeing something I love be, for lack of a better word, desecrated. Like I said - I don't know what made the Gaian Mind different than the last three - but it was. Maybe the promotions team is doing TOO GOOD a job at promoting it... Who knows? Even with that "feeling" - the festival was still a MASSIVE success and an AMAZING time. The Sonic Beating Sound Pump was in full effect as Nick Binary and Dave Dittmer put their preverbial "best feet forward." Ånd those blessed with the chance to perform through it made no mistake. Live sets from Jaia, Antix, Lost Baba and the Bastard, and Deviant Species highlighted a great lineup. While DJ sets from Gavin, Allen, Binary, and a special Sunday afternoon set from Hayden Strom were the heights from the DJ's... New shower facilities, the coffee dragons, pristine swimming holes - it looked and sounded like Gaian Mind festivals of the past - but there was just something missing - or maybe there was just something there... Either way, it made the list at number 5 and I can only think the 2006 version will be awesome too!
6. Shangri-La @ The Pine Barrens (August)
After the crazy fun of my first trip down there, I wasn't about to miss my next chance to head down to the Pine Barrens for another PSI party! And again, like Halycon, it was one hell of a party! With the Light-o-Matic sound system newly configured, the TOUCH Samadhi crew took to the decks and let it rip for the whole night. Kri, Blue Spectral Monkey, and another whopping live-set from Lost Baba and the Bastard blew the place apart! And again, like was the case with the first, the musical lineup was only half the fun! Rigging up a tent structure off the back of my truck, Marria and I's little "campsite" became a small haven for socializing and lots of laughs throughout the night. Even former Bostonian, Katy Schnieder, came by to shoot the breeze and share around the special gift she had been given. New trancers from New Haven, CT who had come with Paal turned out to be amazing guys - and a late morning conversation with Sharon (who had come prepared with a massive shade tent :-)...) made the whole night a smashing success. Great music, great visual decor (special thanks to Serena, Paal, and Teri) and great company made this night - again - one never to forget!!
7. The Deep End @ Redtail (November)
Now that the gig is up, I feel its time to give some major credit to Boston's Redtail Crew. Renting out an 8,000 square foot industrial space on the seventh floor of a south boston building; the seven or eight members of this collective have been throwing all night parties here in Boston for the last two years. Changmian/Sonic Beating has been lucky enough to host three of them - and this year was the last they'll do. As of December 31, the lease in the building will be up and the crew will have to seek a new place, possibly getting away from such parties. The future is up in the air - but for Leonid, Ryan, Sage, Chris Wagner, Katie Hazard and the whole Redtail Collective - I'd like to say THANK YOU for allowing us those nights of magic and wonderment at your loft. "The Deep End" was indeed such a night. The sound pump going - DJ's played until 7:00AM - featuring sets from former Anitya Resident, Mathwin (now living in San Francisco) and a closing set from Gnomefatty's own DJ Greenman... It was one of the last parties at the Redtail Loft and one of the best ever! THANKS AGAIN to the whole crew!! Even with the neighborhood "issues" - you guys constantly came through and gave all of Boston something to be proud of!
8. Psyforia's final outdoor bash '05 (September)
Its funny... the minute things move outdoors is the minute things simply get insane! Psyforia is a perfect example of this - reaching attendance's well over 300 people during the warm outdoor summer months, and then tumbling back down into the low 100's once the cold hits and the event goes indoors. This year, for the final outdoor installment, the Psyforia crew invited Mayur up from NYC to play the closing set - and he did NOT disappoint! Under the cover of a crystal clear night (we didn't have that at the first outdoor party - literally holding the event in a torrential thunderstorm with a barefoot Nick Binary bravely holding the DJ tarp structure up with an aluminum tent pole) and some amazing visuals from Ed Vizzie from Psylab and Jared from the SB crew - the party went off the whole night. When the plug was finally pulled a few moments after 2:00AM, the dancefloor was still packed and people were screaming and whistling for "one more track." Boston may say it doesn't like "progressive" - but they certainly loved what Mayur was dishing out that night! Call it anything you want, but there was almost 300 people there and few of them, if any, stopped moving that night!!
9. Spring Party @ Redtail (April)
This party was made special not so much by the party itself, but by the night BEFORE the party that the crew spent at the loft doing an all-night deco installation. From 8:00pm until well after sunrise, the hardworking Psychedelic Friends Network - lead by frontman, Bob Trahpek - worked their fingers to the bone installing one of the finest displays that the Redtail Loft had ever seen. (Though I still say Leonid's work at the Omni-Tribe event was the best ever). Jumping from ladder to ladder, operating a drill press, and running three rechargable zip-guns, the crew stepped it up a notch...or five! George and Alanna (now of Asheville residence), Dave Dittmer, Dean Manning, Ammon EP, Nick Binary, Marria and I, Bob Trahpek - the crew was on! It was also that night that Dave Dittmer introduced us all to a new album from Aerolink and it was that night when everyone in the room - myself included - fell in love with it! The following night and the next fe weeks - highlighted by DJ sets filled with Aerolink tracks, the Changmian/Sonic Beating crew was never closer and never more in tune. I credit the closeness we acheived partly to that Redtail event - both the night of set up and the night of partying. Onwards we went through the year - and closer and closer we all became.
10. PSI/Random @ Boom in NYC (November)
Plain and simple... Marria and I hadn't been to New York City in a few months - and it was exactly what we needed at that time. The venue was small and crowded and the party ended abruptly at 4:00AM - but sets from Pat Karmakanik, Random, and that same guy who played such an amazing set at Halycon were enough to keep people moving - even through three power failures! Moreover, Marria and I had the chance to catch up and chat with people we hadn't seen in a few months and were starting to wonder how they were. Mayur and Katie, Ben Light-O-Matic, Jeff DMT, Johanna, Pat, Kamal - just to name a few... It was great to stand there and listen from the dancefloor or just sit outside and chat it up with friends. And, needless to say, it was great to finally meet one of the newest promotors in New York, Theo, who had a year's worth of successful and amazing parties inside and outside the city! Not only do we hope Theo will have more parties, but we hope all of New York will attend them every chance they can! He showed his mettle throughout 2005! For sure!
Special Mention:
Ceila-Fest 2005: in the thickly settle residential neighborhoods of wherever, massachusetts!! Lured by the idea of a "festival" - I accepted/spearheaded a crew gig, recruiting Marria, Ammon, Eric Spaceship, and Nick Binary to join me at it. Expecting a "festival" - what we got was a suburban backyard family bar-b-que... I can't tell you of my embarassment!! Still, though, it turned out to be one of the most memorable nights of the summer. Good food, hula-hooping housewives, and great tunes from EP, Spaceship, and Binary made us leave saying "see - they're down with the trance in suburbia." Even the opening act (a jam band called "Boatyard Resin") was simply amazing in their musical performance!
2005 was a pretty busy year for both Trance Culture and Marria and I personally. For the first time in my life - and after having about forty different jobs in five different industries - I was able to hold down the same job for an entire year. Meanwhile, Marria went to work for a disorganized grassroots magazine here in Boston and, upon the magazine's inevitable TANKING, was immediately hired by the graphics and logo department of a local design and sign company. With 50 and 45 hours a week being the norm in our respective shops - our ability to go out and party dropped a bit. When we did atend parties, they were usally ones we were "working" at (if you can dare call it that) or helping organize. Because of this - our ability to simply "let go" took a beating. It was a rare occassion for us to lose ourselves in dance this year and an even more rare occasion where we found ourselves at parties where we didn't have some kind of "responsibility." There are far more good facets of our situation than there are bad. However, the primary bad facet is this: Of the hundreds of sets we were present for this year - we "heard" a little less than half - and, of those, only a handful stood out. So this year, for the first time ever, there will be no seperate DJ SETS and LIVE SETS top-ten lists.
>>>only one list of the TOP TEN MUSIC SETS... Without further babble - here they are<<<<
1. Son Kite: LIVE in Montreal, Quebec; Canada. (April)
Words? Not needed! Amazing!
2. Antix: LIVE @ Hard Club in Porto, Portugal. (September)
Fourth time's a charm!! Simply brilliant! See #1.
3. DJ EMOK @ Hard Club in Porto, Portugal. (September)
The best set I've ever heard Emok play! Even better than the one he played at Boston's Anitya two months before the "Cross Link" compilation came out and he was busy playing all the potential tracks for the album trying to get a feel for what would go over with the crowd. By the response of the crowd to his set that night, it's no wonder Iboga Records put out some of the best music EVER this past fall and winter.
4. Jaia: LIVE at Gaian Mind Summer Festival. (JUNE)
5. DJ GAVIN at Gaian Mind Summer Festival.
6. DJ Hayden Strom (special Sunday afternoon set) at Gaian Mind Summer Festival.
The three HUGE musical highlights of this whole festival for me... Coming strong from across the globe, these three delivered the proggy goodness and kept the party going well into Sunday afternoon.
7. Pat Karmakanik at Shangri-LA in the Pine Barrens. (August)
After a night of devastating full-on from the TOUCH Samahdi crew, Karmakanik took the decks and treated the supple dancefloor bodies to one of the finest progressive sets of the summer. With tracks from Phony Orphants, D-Nox and Beckers, Minilogue, and Ticon - Pat showed why he's able to play both styles and play them well. In a year governed by versatility, Pat truly was a shining example.
8. M-Field LIVE w/ DJ Rob-OT at Halloween Psyforia. (October)
With new material popping up on Psy-Booty Records, J and Rob were re-united for a month in the studio this past December. While we'll have to wait for many of the tracks to be released on Psy Booty later in 2006, the teasers they provided us with that night were more than enough to give us all something to look forward too. Here's to great things coming from Alpha Channel, M-Field, and DJ Rob-Ot in the coming year!
9. DJ Mayur at the final Outdoor Psyforia for 2005. (September)
Just back from wherever the hell he was coming back from :-) - Mayur landed in Boston and took the progressive sounds to new levels on this fine night. In the midst of a relatively large genre war here in Boston, Mayur had even the "I only listen to full-on" people dancing and screaming all night. One of the best - if not THE best - outdoor psyforia we've ever had, people still talk about that set and ask when Mayur will be returning for an encore performance!
10: Dr. Spook vs. IcyCoil (DJ tag set) at Shangri-La. (August)
And this set was simply magical... plain and simple.... 8:00AM. Karmakanik had just played an immense set and people still wanted more. Enter Spook and IcyCoil - both travelling from the West to attend the event. The set had a little bit of everything and even closed with some track that sounded like it was recorded in the 1940's... A perfect way to end one of the finest parties of 2005!
Special Mentions:
1. The Changmian/Sonic Beating DJ's Special Monday morning tag set at Firefly. (july)
Drunk, baked, tripping or a combination of the three - I don't even remember what Eric Spaceship, Ammon EP, Nick Binary, and I played that morning. All I remember clearly was that 7- 10AM on July 4th, 2005 were three of the most bizarre and joyous hours of my life!
2. Shmumer at The Milky Way (December)..
A gem for all fans progressive! Minilogue, Jaia, Phony Orphants and others. It simply made everyone ask "where has this guy been for the past five years?"
And now - as if you haven't read enough... the most fliud and ever changing category of them all. And, subsequently, the one with the MOST potential choices. After great deliberation - and with no real criteria and/or objectivity - I throw down my favorite ten tracks of 2005... warning you that they'll probably change about ten times between the time I send this e-mail and the time you finish reading it... (Well, some of them anyway...) :-)
>>>MY TOP TEN FAVORITE TRACKS OF 2005!<<<
1. Frogacult "Bye She Siad" (Iboga Records)
{Appears on V/A: Set 05 as Track #4}
2. Prisoners of the Sun: "Tussy De Luxe" (Tribal Vision Records)
{Appears on "Creating Social Success as Track #9}
3. Antix: Hiding Place (Fiord Remix) (Iboga Records)
{Appears on "Twin Coast Discovery" as Track #8}
AND the accompanying remix: Antix: Hiding Place (Phony Orphants Remix) (Iboga Records)
{Appears on V/A: Twin Coast Remixes as Track #2)
4. Nasser: Volvoli (Iboga Records)
{Appears on V/A: Set 06 as Track #9}
5. Minilogue: Little Sisters (Sprout Records)
{Appears on Sprout 12" single released in July}
AND the acompanying remix from the same single:
Minilogue: Little Sisters (D-Nox & Beckers Remix)
6: Atmos: Mental Luggage (2005 Live Version) (Green Ant Records)
{Appears on V/A Rainbow Serpent 2005 as Track #2}
7: Jaia: Orchestra 2.0 (Digital Structures)
{Appears on "Fiction" as Track #4)
AND the remix - Jaia: "Orchestra 2.0" (Minilogue Remix)
{Appears on Digital Structures 12" Single released in September}
8. Freq: Carbon Based Life Forms (Sun Control Species Remix) (Iboga)
{Appears on V/A: Set 06 as Track #1}
9. Fitalic: Farscape (Antix Remix) (VP Records)
{Appears on a VP 12" Single released in April)
10. Ticon: Spin Cycle (Digital Structures)
{Appears on a Digital Structures 121" released in March}
special mention: Interphaze "In Your Eyes" (ZMA)
{Appears as Track #9 on "Move to the Groove}
......there are just too damn many.... :-) :-)
On a final note - but still on topic :-) - HUGE WISHES and Cheers go out to Boston's Jake Harris (aka "Winslow" aka "PsyJacked") for joining the Peace Corps this past year and shipping out to rural Peru. He's been there for almost 6 months now and is rocking out in both his responsibilities as a volunteer and as a DJ/promotor doing gigs in the Peruvian hillsides. He is greatly missed here in Boston y everyone who knew him! We all look forward to seeing him in Peru or getting him back here to drop some dancefloor bombs once again! GO JAQUES!!!!
so yeah... if you're still reading... THANK YOU.... and if you wanna post similar lists - PLEASE DO (just so I don't feel like the big dork I am...) 2005 was a great year - hands down - and MAJOR THANKS GO OUT to artists, DJs, promotors, and production crews from around the globe. The United States/Canada may have a long way to go before its trance culture is on par with other countries - but I like to think with some of the dedicated and intelligent folks here in Boston and in cities like New York, San Francisco, Asheville, Seattle, Cleveland, Madison, Montreal, Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver and beyond - that we're all making pretty huge leaps in that direction! ONWARDS!!!!
It's that time of year again - time to post my personal TOP TEN lists. I stress, however, for anyone thinking of bombing my inbox like in year's past; these lists are nothing more than my *own personal opinions.* There was no vote to decide ANYTHING you'll read below. There was no contest to see who could get rated higher. There was no e-mail survey sent to get the specific opinions of specific people (though outside opinions are weighted and appreciated.) The lists below represent my personal favorites in the many fields of trance music culture. That's all they are. They are opinions and they matter just as much or as little as anyone else's opinion. So, if you're looking for some kind of definitive and/or authoritative word on the matter - please look elsewhere. :-)
I'll start with possibly the hardest to choose of all the lists. The artist-full-lengths. With the rise of new talent and the means of production becoming more and more available to more and more intelligent people - the amount of new music that flooded the market this year was immense. Some newcomers made a big splash. Others never sold a 12". What remains constant, however, is a good feeling that the music is taking steps forward. For every act that stops making music, another seems to emerge. All the while, above the riff-raff, the leaders of the pack remain in their darkened studios; making music NOT with the thoughts of whose going to buy it, but instead with the thoughts of pushing the sound in new directions. These elite know they have talent and they mold and shape the way we all hear organized sounds. Some of these elite put out albums in 2005. And some of those albums appear on the following list. And others... well... let's just say I wish I could make a top 20 in the category... With all the new artists and all the amazing new material from established ones - this list was pretty hard to make...
>>>>>So here they are... My top ten artist full lengths of 2005. <<<<<<<<<<<<
1. Antix: "Twin Coast Discovery" (Iboga)
Is there any doubt in anyone's mind? Is there any question? Is there any argument that can possibly make sense and say there is a better album this year? Hayden and Barton Strom have done it yet again. No artist has risen quicker and stayed on top with more vigor than Antix. The release of "Lull" established them - and now, "Twin Coast Discovery" furthers their impeccable reputation as one of the greatest deep progressive producers on the globe. Clarity, emotion, and tracks that import a definitive feeling of longing and nostalgia - this album is an emotional journey!! Favorite Tracks: "Le Lascard" and "Hiding Place."
2. Prisoners of the Sun: "Creating Social Success" (Tribal Vision)
With the success of their first album "Are You Scientific Enough?" - it looked as though Prisoners of the Sun were going to be a global phenomena. Then, as quickly as they appeared, they seemed to completely disappear. Only releasing singles on labels like Manta, Iboga, Medium, and many others - it seemed like POTS was to never have a "second album." Suddenly, "Creating Social Success" appears on up-and-coming progressive bohemoth "Tribal Vision Records" - and, let me tell you, it is a HUGE success! Anyone who liked "Are you Scientific Enough" will love this album. Pitched down a bit, (the tracks vary from 128-140 BPM) the sweeping and open feelings of these tracks are indisputably tangible! This album clearly says POTS was never gone - they were just biding their time to release this monster smash!! Favorite tracks: "Tussy De Luxe" and "Dandy Division."
3. Behind Blue Eyes: Behind Blue Eyes (Iboga)
And finally - we welcome a new force in the global progressive culture! With some of the latest "break-ups" among progressive artists - people have been searching for that "new group" that was going to come and stand us all on our heads! To my ears, that "new group" is Iboga's "Behind Blue Eyes." Crushing and massaging basslines, gentle stabs and melodies, and that wonderful quirky "Beat Bizarre" sound - this album showed up and has been a fixture in my CD player since I got it! I am looking forward to many more amazing releases from these guys!! Favorite tracks: "Excerpts from Dreams" and "Brumbasse" (original AND Emok remix).
4. Phony Orphants: "It Cetra" (Iboga)
What can you say about these guys that hasn't already been said? Two guys. They both own and operate successful progressive labels. They both are amazing DJ's. They are both as technically saavy and productionally gifted as they come. And they both seem to have a knack for knowing what the world wants to hear. Mikael "Emok" Dahlgaard and Jeppe Ornkilde (aka Phony Orphants) have given us yet another gem to go along with "Symphony" and the numerous singles the two have released. "ETC" is clearly a new direction for them, however. They've kept that deep, driving (in the desert) feeling in their tracks - but a new electro influence has crept in and made the tracks funky, dancey, and at times even "fun." Another absolute GEM!!! Favorite tracks: "Got what it Takes" and "Sex, Drugs, and Rock n' Roll."
5. Elastic: "Air" (YSE)
Achilles Theodoskikus, a 22 year old greek mastermind also known as FOG, gives us this amazing gift. Personally, my own stereotypes and past experience have taught me to steer clear of most releases on YSE. However, when I heard the sound samples of this gem, it was impossible NOT to click the "buy" button. The production quality, depth, and downright brilliance of these tracks is undeniable. The tracks start simple, then increase and unfold seemingly into infinity. Minutes seem like hours as entries and exits create atmospheres perfect for introspection or dance. Some tracks reach a plateau and then just keep going - on and on - and it's a utopia! The only thing that breaks me out of some of these tracks is the end of the track! Another artist who I cannot wait to hear more from!! Favorite tracks: "Essence" and "Final Cut."
6. Ticon: "Zero Six Åfter" (Digital Structures)
One of the primary themes of the year in releases was versatility. The best albums in both the full-length and compilation departments were those that represented a variety of tracks - ranging in both style and in pace. There are few artists on the globe that represent this versatility better than Filip Mardberg and Frederick Gilenholt - aka Ticon. With releases peppering the past six years - I cannot think of any artist who goes from 128 Bpm to 140 bpm, from smooth to funky, from deep to danceable, with more ease and more fluidity than Ticon. The new album, "Zero Six After," shows them at their best - featuring dancefloor groovers, to funky electro, to deep driving hypnotic trance. Their third released full-length and certainly on-par with the other two. Favorite track: "Poem for Granny."
7. Jaia: "Ficton" (Digital Structures)
According to Digital Structure co-head, Gavin, Peter Digital's philosophy is "to take time on every release the label puts out - to only put out a few albums a year, but make sure those albums are the very best they can be." 2005 represents a perfect example of this philosophy. Though Digital Structures only released two artist full-lengths - they BOTH made a huge global impact and BOTH are phenomenal. Ticon came last month, but DS's first release of the year was French artist, Jaia's, massively artistic presentation "Fiction." The album is an eccelctic collection featuring both full-length tracks as the even numbers - and mini-tracks/intermissions as the odds. Choral segments, strings, and electronica all combine on this gem. And anyone who heard his live-set at Gaian Mind Festival 2005 should know how good the album is! Favorite tracks: "Orchestra 2.0" and "Serial Groovers."
8. Aerolink: Skypilot (Tokyo Dance Records)
Another versatile gem - ranging from 130-143 bpm through 9 distinct tracks... Bird Calls, classical guitars, and a host of sounds you wouldn't expect on a trance album - this album simply rocks. Major thanks to Dave Dittmer for introducing me (and all of the Boston crew) to Aerolink's jaw-dropper one night during a late night deco install. Heads were bopping, smiles were going, and the album set the mood perfectly! Favorite track(s): SkyDive (Parts 1 and 2)
9. Gaudium: Nordic Nature (Spiral Trax)
Gothenburg's "Spiral Trax" is an interesting story. In fact, their history would make some pretty cool reading if anyone were to ever write it all down. They exploded into the global eye back in 1997 and released a compendium which is now symbolically known in my mind as "The Old Testament." Singles from Noma, S-Range, Atmos, and then finally the zenith known as "Headcleaner." Later, releases from XV Kilist, Hux Flux, Logic Bomb, Vibrasphere.... the list goes on.. Then, all of a sudden, as though compelled by some outside force, Anti and the Spiral Trax/Acid Casualties crew began to swing way over towards the house end of the spectrum and many wrote the label off as a "trance" label. With the release of this gem, I like to think Spiral Trax has put itself back on the proggy trance map. Very well produced, very entertaining - this is a complex collection of tracks, many of which were played on dancefloors across the globe. Another I like to listen to all the way through - enjoying almost every single track. Favorite track: "Walking in Circles."
10. Funky Dragon: "The Algol" (Synergetic Records)
To this day, I can't figure this one out. I was driving to Maine with Marria to visit my grandparents. We stopped to look at Basset Hound puppies and had a cup of coffee. We were on our way to another stop at Sprawl-Mart so Marria could get some duct tape for her hula-hoops. It was warm out. The Red Sox were playing the Twins in Minnesota and lost that night when Adam Hydzu made yet another base-running blunder - representing the tying run in the ninth and then getting picked off to end the game. We ended up having to stay in a hotel that night as my grandparents house was under repair. We ate broccoli and mushroom sandwiches that night - and drank Nestea ice tea. And the whole time all this was going on - playing in the truck stereo and then in the boom box in the hotel - was THIS ALBUM from Vienna, Austra. It was the first I had ever heard of Funky Dragon and it was bought on a whim because I liked the sound of a few samples. It's pretty "pacey" - but the tracks just have "something" about them. Head-bopping, fist pumping, toe-tapping grooves track after track after track!! Just an amazing album!! Favorite Tracks: "The Algol" and "That's It."
Special Props to the following that deserve mention.
1. Andromeda: Sensations (YSE)
2. Shiva Shandra: Change of Air (Sinn-Tec Records)
3. Interphaze: Move to the Groove (ZMA Records)
And now onto the compilations - an equally difficult list to assign. With so many new labels popping up and so many new artists putting out their first tracks on these comps - it's so tough to find even one that can be written off as "bad." Some have that ONE AMAZING track and then only a few nice ones besides. Some have a handful of nice tracks and a handful of average ones... Some have the same artist writing 60% of the tracks on the album - and some have a collection of tracks - each of which are written and produced by a different artist. So, here's what I came up with based upon what I found myself listening to and liking the most...
>>>>>>>>My Top Ten label compilations of 2005: <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
1. "Antix Twin Coast Remixes" (Iboga)
You have got to be kidding me? Who does this? Haven't these people ever heard of the old saying "too much of a good thing isn't good?" Everything has to be a balance. If you buy the V8 engine, you HAVE to get poor gas mileage! It's a rule! If you want Manny Ramirez on your team, you HAVE to deal with some of his little antics. If you want to mill or turn solid magnesium, you HAVE to be willing to pay the high price of chip disposal! For everything "good," you have to have something "bad" to even it out. Well, when Iboga Records goes on trial for breaking the laws of the universe, I'll gladly sit on the jury! While Twin Coast Discoveries was easily the best album of the year, so too were the remixes the best compilation! You take some of the best tracks of 2005 and have them remixed by some of the best artists on the planet and you're simply asking for something magical! This album is exactly that! It's like Manny Ramirez being the same baseball talent he is now, but acting on and off the field like Hideki Matsui! It's like milling a massive magnesium fixture and finding the waste has vanished into thin air! It's perfect! There is no "down-side" to any of it!! Take your pick every single track is amazing - though my personal favorites are the remixes by Ohrsten Nors and Phony Orphants...
2. "Groove Control" (Nervine Records)
An album which, in my opinion, didn't get as much attention as it deserved. Though a couple of the tracks were brilliantly played by Psy-Booty's Rob-Ot at a show in Boston, I heard very few of any of these tracks in the DJ sets I heard this year. A fine collection of funky and deep progressive masterpieces - bordering very close to the house line - "Groove Control" was a product of Nervine Records - a label quickly coming to join Iboga and Nano-Beat as one of the finest labels around. While Frank Beckers had a lot to do with the album (two tracks - one as Beckers and one as Space Safari) - the compilation was packed with new artists and established greats like Fitalic! It even had a solo track from Robert Elster of Vibrasphere called "Random Reset Machine." and some cover art dangerously close to being pornographic. :-) Favorite track: "Funky Tramp" by Funky Badgers.
3. "Set 06" (Iboga)
This is getting almost funny? Am I going to leave OUT any of Iboga's releases? Seriously, though, anyone who heard and appreciates this album knows just how good it truly is. Starting with a smashing remix of a Freq track by Sun Control Species, the whole album goes deeper and deepr from there - like starting up on a mountain top and slowly working your way deep into the earth's core - passing gem after gem on the way! An Ace Ventura remix of Becker's "Switch", another from Zen Mechanics, and some DEPTH from Manuel Diego. Compiled by DJ Frequence (aka Freq), its no wonder it had a defined "direction" it was travelling. A killer for all ears. It has tracks that drive, tracks that thump, and tracks that are as close to house music as you'll get. Favorite track: "Volvoli" by Nasser.
4. "Rainbow Serpent 2005" (Green Ant)
Someday, Marria and I are going to attend one of these festivals. If not the Rainbow Serpent, then Earthcore - the 2002 version which Marria attended while living "down under." For now, though, all we have is the amazing CD compilations that Green Ant gives us after each festival. The 2004 version was intense - with an Antix remix of Paste's "Code Bed" taking the cake as the best track. The 2005 version topped even that! Track after track of audio pleasure. Starting off with an Antix remix of an old Pitch Black track and going through tracks by the likes of Atmos, D-Nox and Beckers, Sun Control Species, Decoy, and Lunaspice. This album has it all and has been one of the staples in my collection since it arrived. Favorite track: Atmos: Mental Luggage (2005 live version).
5. "Limelight" (Tribal Vision)
Since the huge success of "Urban Legends" - Prague's Tribal Vision Records has become one of those "Can't Miss" labels. Still considered a "new" label in comparison to some of its elders, Tribal Vision used 2005 to establish itself on the global market. Releasing which to my ears is the second best artist full-length of the year, TVR also released two compilations which appear on this list. "Limeight" is the first of those. Featuring tracks from Minilogue, Flowjob, Ticon, Holm & Anderson, and a host of other well-known artists, this brilliantly mastered gem caught the ears of DJ's all over the world and easily makes this list. Favorite tracks: "Leeloo" by Minilogue and "Cloud Politics" by Flowjob. (When is Flowjob going to put out a full-length???)
6. "Street Art" (Tribal Vision)
The "other" TVR compilation on this list is just as good as the first. In fact, due to the fact that I just got it *TODAY,* it finds itself at #6. When I'm sure once fully digested, I'll wish I had put it up closer to the top. Highlighted by a Jaia Remix of Vibraspehere's downtempo masterpiece "Manzanilla" - the album includes tracks from RAI, D-Nox &Beckers, and Minilogue juxtaposed side by side with newer artists like Sonify and SOG records genius "Greed." Tribal Vision went out of their way to make this a gem and it certainly is. Favorite tracks: undecided (but I'm definitely digging the Jaia Remix of Manzanilla and the really cool Flowjob track)
7. "Audio Sinndicate" (Sinn-Tec)
Ånother label - this one from Germany - that has quickly caught the attention of all those enamored by the proggy sound. Sinn-Tec, however, is known for their fixation on a much more german prog - slightly faster and a little more fierce than their neighbors to the north. With the success of their other releases - most notably a compilation called "Intense Activity" and Shiva Shandra's outstanding full length "Change of Air" - its no wonder this album was played across the globe (though it did precede both). In fact, it has a stretch of FIVE consecutive tracks which are ALL simply fantastic. It was hard to pick a favorite off this, but after hearing Dean Manning play it over a big system at the Firefly Festival in Northern Vermont, I think I'm going to have to go with "Mask Tamburine" by Viashiyas - a driving throbber which always gets the asses shaking and the hula-hoops spinning...
8. "Posse" (Domo Records)
Domo Records - a label that started as a store in Israel and has since branched out to include an office in Zurich Switzerland and a Swiss sub-label (VP Records) - has been putting out some really nice albums the past two years. Last year's compilation "The Swiss Connection" remains one of my favorites from the year - and this year, "Posse" joins that list. A sonnenvacuum remix of Sonic Soul's "Pornodelica," a Ticon Remix of Sub 6's "Seventh Son" (which appeared previously on a VP cd-maxi), a track from Ace Ventura and Intelabeam called "Nasty Peach" and a gem from V-Tunes highlight this excellent top-to-bottom album. Favorite track: "Third Trial" by V-Tunes.
9. "Tokyo Underground" (Stargate)
Another one of those "when am I going to get to go?" CD's - one that represents a festival that I WILL someday get to attend! Stargate Universe - an annual festival thrown in the mountains of Japan - has gotten a reputation as one of the world's best sources for outdoor prog. So much so that artists from around the globe have commented on how Japan is their favorite place to play. Son Kite even made their 2004 smash DVD around a trip to Japan they had for a gig. This CD - published by Stargate Records, a label managed by the same folks who throw this amazing party- is just a taste of what one can find at this festival. A BOMB Paste remix of Antix's "Free as We are" (which is easily my favorite on the album) coupled with tracks from Thomas Penton, Tetraktys, and Vibrasphere make this an album that stayed in the truck for many a nice road trip.
10. Set 05 (Iboga)
Of any track I listened to and played in 2005 - there is a track on this album which I played and listened to more than any.... by a long shot!! One of my all-time favorite artists produced it and now, allegedly, it could go down in history as the last track they ever write together. Whether this be a farewell to a great band or just praise for what I consider the best track of 2005 - I want to make sure to give all the credit in the world to FROGACULT and their masterpiece "Bye She Said." It appears as Track #4 on this compilation; surrounded, of course, by great material from Son Kite, Flowjob, and a Zen Mechanics Remix of Ace Ventura's "Cardiac Arrest."
Other compilations that deserve Major credit....
1. "Get the Lead Out" (Psy-Booty Records)
2. "Avalanche of Sound 4" (Avalanche Records)
3. "Grand Avenue" (Moonflower Productions)
4. "Aerocruz" (Groove Zone Records)
So yeah - there's the digitally recorded music... (I didn't buy enough vinyl this year to feel comfortable making a top-ten list). There's just so many and I know I'm leaving something out. I always do... :-(
And now we head onto the parties... another category usually hard to pick. After all, what makes a good party? Sometimes, you get the perfect venue and the perfect lineup - but you end up swallowing something bad and can't have a good time... Then there are times when you go to some unknown campground in the wilderness, hang out with ten other people, listen to locals play bad DJ sets through two powered JBL 15" monitors and have the best night you've ever had! Some parties are good because you DON'T go to them... and others are GREAT until the police show up or until the promotor announces that the headliner is stuck in Amsterdam until the next day.. Here in the States, it's impossible to tell which parties are going to be good and which parties are going to turn out disastrous. And I guess that's what makes it fun to be involved with them weekend after weekend after weekend. Basically, I've learned to never have expectations. Never think any party will be better or worse than another. Like meeting new people - go in with no assumptions, no pre-conceived notions, and ALWAYS look at the positive aspects of every situation - even if the only positive you can find is the fact that you're sitting under a tarp in the pouring rain with your *best friends*; all laughing even though there's no music and no hope of leaving for at least 6 hours! :-) Under such a system, I find most parties turn out OK.
>>>>>>>and here are the best parties that I attended in 2005.<<<<<<<<<<<<
1. Son Kite live in Montreal (April)
Supplied to us by Melanie and Olivier of MusicAll Box Productions, this weekend in Montreal was one of the best Marria and I had all year. Strokes of sheer luck landed us at a hotel within walking distance of the venue and with a clear view of Montreal's skyline. Further luck put us in contact with Olivier and Melanie - two of the coolest people we met this year - and the rest seems like manifest destiny. After a pretty heavy, yet very dance-friendly set by Rickam, Sebastian and Marcus took the stage to play one of the greatest live-sets I have ever heard! Scheduled for 90 minutes, they played for over two hours (though it seemed like a heartbeat) and Marria and I danced side by side for the whole thing! No words were exchanged, barely a comment made and as I remember my eyes were closed in a peaceful trance for at least the last hour of the set. All their greatest work - played through a very well-tuned and EQed system - to a crowd of insanely excited people underneath a perfect visual/video display from the MusicALL Box crew. After the set, all we could do was collapse in the chill-out room and listen to DJ Seb before getting back out on the main floor for Marcus's DJ set... An hour or so later, we found ourselves in the hotel room, drinking orange juice and watching lizards and chameleons dance on the ceiling. Simply a magical and remearkably memorable party!!
2. Firefly Festival in Vermont (July)
I think the most important thing to note about this weekend was that it was made great by both the weekend itself (July 1-4) but also by the previous weekend - when Sonic Beating and Redtail members designed and then built the 20' x 12' stage that was used for all the music for the festival. It was that weekend - directly preceeding the weekend of the actual party - which I put in the same breath with all the other "best parties" of 2005. No music. No visuals. No crowds or spectacles; just a whole lot of mud, a whole lot of lumber, two trucks full of tools and a handful of dedicated builders. I had just as much fun building that stage with my friends as I did performing and partying with them on Independence Day. But let's not forget about the party itself! The stage was packed with musical talent from Incus to Psylab to Sonic Beating/Changmian and Circle DJ's. Redtail's collective's "Sola" was lighting up the dancefloor in preparation for it's massive unveiling at Burning Man 2005 and our campsite had no less than 11 Bostonians and two NorthHamptoners residing in it! It was indeed like a "little Burning Man." The highlights are numerous - especially the music of Psylab, the sonic beating sound pump, and a wonderful cracked out conversation with Joe Gigs about the Red Sox pitching and the Pats' 3-4 defensive front - but the stage building weekend made everything all the sweeter!! I LOOK FORWARD (if there is one) to a Firefly 2006!
3. Iboga Night at Hard Club - Porto, Portugal. (September)
While it may be impossible to beat a week-long vacation in Portugal - one that you're basically required to take by your employer and one that you're actually being given a full-time paycheck to go on - I think it may be even harder to beat a vacation in Portugal where you get to attend back-to-back Iboga Records label parties in two different cities. Well, this weekend falls in at number three for Marria and I - but again, can be described as one of the best week(end)s of 2005! Friday night in Lisbon was sort of a debacle. Crowded club with not much space to dance coupled with poor ventilation and sub-par sound made for a rough time. It was saved, for the most part, by an excellent early night set from DJ Banel and a chance encounter with an old friend - but when compared to the following night at Hard Club, the party in Lisbon falls straight from memory! Not only would I say Hard Club is the best indoor venue I've ever been in, but the pristine sound system that night was used by the likes of Emok, Banel, a live set from Antix, and a local DJ, Tata, who opened the night and played a wonderful set. Another one of those nights where dancing controlled everything - non verbal communication was king - and Marria had this amazing moment where she actually realized that she couldn't understand a word ANYONE was saying despite having the feeling that she was talking with everyone. Neither one of us, to our fault, speak a word of Portuguese. :-) Easily a great party! In fact, it was the fourth time we had heard Antix live and the FIRST time that some act of God didn't interupt or cut the set short in some way..
4. Halcyon @ The Pine Barrens (July)
This party holds a very special place in my mind. Not only was it my first-ever trip to the Pine Barrens, but it was also the first time I had gotten to spend any meaningful time with two people who Marria and I became tight with over the course of the year. The party itself was incredible - going all night with nothing but great music from Eitan, Pat Karmakanik, and a guy from Montreal who simply tore the place apart. It featured a great conversation I had with this guy Kevin, who I had never met but we started talking baseball and it was over from there - and some cool deco from Eitan and Mimi. But the rides to and from New Jersey were what really made the party for Marria, myself, and our two friend, Paal and Teri. A traffic jam on our return could have been a nightmare in the works - but a quick stop in a rest area yielded a woman walking two of the coolest Boxer puppies we had ever seen. An hour or so of playing with those guys (to the woman's delight believe it or not) and the four of us were back on the road feeling much better about things! The whole trip - from driving there at night and having to find the place - to talking and dancing to great music on a clear night - to driving back and being graced with those two puppies. It made that Monday at work tolerable despite the fact that we got back to Boston around 3:00AM on Monday and had to leave for work four hours later... It was the kind of party I wished could have gone on forever!
5. Gaian Mind Summer Festival (June)
For the past two years, this festival has been the number one in this category. Easily! By far! Hands down! Nothing can compare to the Four Quarters. Nothing can compare to the hard work, planning, and effort that goes into bringing the world's finest trance talent into one of this countries most beautiful places. Andy, Allen, Sharon, and the whole Gaian Mind crew have done NOTHING but bring joy and happiness to the trance lovers of this country for the past few years! This time around, however, things were different - and I don't even know yet why... Maybe it was the fact that the lineup on BOTH nights was packed to the gills with sets that everyone wanted to see - making it hard for people to stay up all night on BOTH nights.. Maybe it was the increased attendance and subsequent taxation on the land and resources. Maybe it was my own expectations and my own disappointment in seeing something I love be, for lack of a better word, desecrated. Like I said - I don't know what made the Gaian Mind different than the last three - but it was. Maybe the promotions team is doing TOO GOOD a job at promoting it... Who knows? Even with that "feeling" - the festival was still a MASSIVE success and an AMAZING time. The Sonic Beating Sound Pump was in full effect as Nick Binary and Dave Dittmer put their preverbial "best feet forward." Ånd those blessed with the chance to perform through it made no mistake. Live sets from Jaia, Antix, Lost Baba and the Bastard, and Deviant Species highlighted a great lineup. While DJ sets from Gavin, Allen, Binary, and a special Sunday afternoon set from Hayden Strom were the heights from the DJ's... New shower facilities, the coffee dragons, pristine swimming holes - it looked and sounded like Gaian Mind festivals of the past - but there was just something missing - or maybe there was just something there... Either way, it made the list at number 5 and I can only think the 2006 version will be awesome too!
6. Shangri-La @ The Pine Barrens (August)
After the crazy fun of my first trip down there, I wasn't about to miss my next chance to head down to the Pine Barrens for another PSI party! And again, like Halycon, it was one hell of a party! With the Light-o-Matic sound system newly configured, the TOUCH Samadhi crew took to the decks and let it rip for the whole night. Kri, Blue Spectral Monkey, and another whopping live-set from Lost Baba and the Bastard blew the place apart! And again, like was the case with the first, the musical lineup was only half the fun! Rigging up a tent structure off the back of my truck, Marria and I's little "campsite" became a small haven for socializing and lots of laughs throughout the night. Even former Bostonian, Katy Schnieder, came by to shoot the breeze and share around the special gift she had been given. New trancers from New Haven, CT who had come with Paal turned out to be amazing guys - and a late morning conversation with Sharon (who had come prepared with a massive shade tent :-)...) made the whole night a smashing success. Great music, great visual decor (special thanks to Serena, Paal, and Teri) and great company made this night - again - one never to forget!!
7. The Deep End @ Redtail (November)
Now that the gig is up, I feel its time to give some major credit to Boston's Redtail Crew. Renting out an 8,000 square foot industrial space on the seventh floor of a south boston building; the seven or eight members of this collective have been throwing all night parties here in Boston for the last two years. Changmian/Sonic Beating has been lucky enough to host three of them - and this year was the last they'll do. As of December 31, the lease in the building will be up and the crew will have to seek a new place, possibly getting away from such parties. The future is up in the air - but for Leonid, Ryan, Sage, Chris Wagner, Katie Hazard and the whole Redtail Collective - I'd like to say THANK YOU for allowing us those nights of magic and wonderment at your loft. "The Deep End" was indeed such a night. The sound pump going - DJ's played until 7:00AM - featuring sets from former Anitya Resident, Mathwin (now living in San Francisco) and a closing set from Gnomefatty's own DJ Greenman... It was one of the last parties at the Redtail Loft and one of the best ever! THANKS AGAIN to the whole crew!! Even with the neighborhood "issues" - you guys constantly came through and gave all of Boston something to be proud of!
8. Psyforia's final outdoor bash '05 (September)
Its funny... the minute things move outdoors is the minute things simply get insane! Psyforia is a perfect example of this - reaching attendance's well over 300 people during the warm outdoor summer months, and then tumbling back down into the low 100's once the cold hits and the event goes indoors. This year, for the final outdoor installment, the Psyforia crew invited Mayur up from NYC to play the closing set - and he did NOT disappoint! Under the cover of a crystal clear night (we didn't have that at the first outdoor party - literally holding the event in a torrential thunderstorm with a barefoot Nick Binary bravely holding the DJ tarp structure up with an aluminum tent pole) and some amazing visuals from Ed Vizzie from Psylab and Jared from the SB crew - the party went off the whole night. When the plug was finally pulled a few moments after 2:00AM, the dancefloor was still packed and people were screaming and whistling for "one more track." Boston may say it doesn't like "progressive" - but they certainly loved what Mayur was dishing out that night! Call it anything you want, but there was almost 300 people there and few of them, if any, stopped moving that night!!
9. Spring Party @ Redtail (April)
This party was made special not so much by the party itself, but by the night BEFORE the party that the crew spent at the loft doing an all-night deco installation. From 8:00pm until well after sunrise, the hardworking Psychedelic Friends Network - lead by frontman, Bob Trahpek - worked their fingers to the bone installing one of the finest displays that the Redtail Loft had ever seen. (Though I still say Leonid's work at the Omni-Tribe event was the best ever). Jumping from ladder to ladder, operating a drill press, and running three rechargable zip-guns, the crew stepped it up a notch...or five! George and Alanna (now of Asheville residence), Dave Dittmer, Dean Manning, Ammon EP, Nick Binary, Marria and I, Bob Trahpek - the crew was on! It was also that night that Dave Dittmer introduced us all to a new album from Aerolink and it was that night when everyone in the room - myself included - fell in love with it! The following night and the next fe weeks - highlighted by DJ sets filled with Aerolink tracks, the Changmian/Sonic Beating crew was never closer and never more in tune. I credit the closeness we acheived partly to that Redtail event - both the night of set up and the night of partying. Onwards we went through the year - and closer and closer we all became.
10. PSI/Random @ Boom in NYC (November)
Plain and simple... Marria and I hadn't been to New York City in a few months - and it was exactly what we needed at that time. The venue was small and crowded and the party ended abruptly at 4:00AM - but sets from Pat Karmakanik, Random, and that same guy who played such an amazing set at Halycon were enough to keep people moving - even through three power failures! Moreover, Marria and I had the chance to catch up and chat with people we hadn't seen in a few months and were starting to wonder how they were. Mayur and Katie, Ben Light-O-Matic, Jeff DMT, Johanna, Pat, Kamal - just to name a few... It was great to stand there and listen from the dancefloor or just sit outside and chat it up with friends. And, needless to say, it was great to finally meet one of the newest promotors in New York, Theo, who had a year's worth of successful and amazing parties inside and outside the city! Not only do we hope Theo will have more parties, but we hope all of New York will attend them every chance they can! He showed his mettle throughout 2005! For sure!
Special Mention:
Ceila-Fest 2005: in the thickly settle residential neighborhoods of wherever, massachusetts!! Lured by the idea of a "festival" - I accepted/spearheaded a crew gig, recruiting Marria, Ammon, Eric Spaceship, and Nick Binary to join me at it. Expecting a "festival" - what we got was a suburban backyard family bar-b-que... I can't tell you of my embarassment!! Still, though, it turned out to be one of the most memorable nights of the summer. Good food, hula-hooping housewives, and great tunes from EP, Spaceship, and Binary made us leave saying "see - they're down with the trance in suburbia." Even the opening act (a jam band called "Boatyard Resin") was simply amazing in their musical performance!
2005 was a pretty busy year for both Trance Culture and Marria and I personally. For the first time in my life - and after having about forty different jobs in five different industries - I was able to hold down the same job for an entire year. Meanwhile, Marria went to work for a disorganized grassroots magazine here in Boston and, upon the magazine's inevitable TANKING, was immediately hired by the graphics and logo department of a local design and sign company. With 50 and 45 hours a week being the norm in our respective shops - our ability to go out and party dropped a bit. When we did atend parties, they were usally ones we were "working" at (if you can dare call it that) or helping organize. Because of this - our ability to simply "let go" took a beating. It was a rare occassion for us to lose ourselves in dance this year and an even more rare occasion where we found ourselves at parties where we didn't have some kind of "responsibility." There are far more good facets of our situation than there are bad. However, the primary bad facet is this: Of the hundreds of sets we were present for this year - we "heard" a little less than half - and, of those, only a handful stood out. So this year, for the first time ever, there will be no seperate DJ SETS and LIVE SETS top-ten lists.
>>>only one list of the TOP TEN MUSIC SETS... Without further babble - here they are<<<<
1. Son Kite: LIVE in Montreal, Quebec; Canada. (April)
Words? Not needed! Amazing!
2. Antix: LIVE @ Hard Club in Porto, Portugal. (September)
Fourth time's a charm!! Simply brilliant! See #1.
3. DJ EMOK @ Hard Club in Porto, Portugal. (September)
The best set I've ever heard Emok play! Even better than the one he played at Boston's Anitya two months before the "Cross Link" compilation came out and he was busy playing all the potential tracks for the album trying to get a feel for what would go over with the crowd. By the response of the crowd to his set that night, it's no wonder Iboga Records put out some of the best music EVER this past fall and winter.
4. Jaia: LIVE at Gaian Mind Summer Festival. (JUNE)
5. DJ GAVIN at Gaian Mind Summer Festival.
6. DJ Hayden Strom (special Sunday afternoon set) at Gaian Mind Summer Festival.
The three HUGE musical highlights of this whole festival for me... Coming strong from across the globe, these three delivered the proggy goodness and kept the party going well into Sunday afternoon.
7. Pat Karmakanik at Shangri-LA in the Pine Barrens. (August)
After a night of devastating full-on from the TOUCH Samahdi crew, Karmakanik took the decks and treated the supple dancefloor bodies to one of the finest progressive sets of the summer. With tracks from Phony Orphants, D-Nox and Beckers, Minilogue, and Ticon - Pat showed why he's able to play both styles and play them well. In a year governed by versatility, Pat truly was a shining example.
8. M-Field LIVE w/ DJ Rob-OT at Halloween Psyforia. (October)
With new material popping up on Psy-Booty Records, J and Rob were re-united for a month in the studio this past December. While we'll have to wait for many of the tracks to be released on Psy Booty later in 2006, the teasers they provided us with that night were more than enough to give us all something to look forward too. Here's to great things coming from Alpha Channel, M-Field, and DJ Rob-Ot in the coming year!
9. DJ Mayur at the final Outdoor Psyforia for 2005. (September)
Just back from wherever the hell he was coming back from :-) - Mayur landed in Boston and took the progressive sounds to new levels on this fine night. In the midst of a relatively large genre war here in Boston, Mayur had even the "I only listen to full-on" people dancing and screaming all night. One of the best - if not THE best - outdoor psyforia we've ever had, people still talk about that set and ask when Mayur will be returning for an encore performance!
10: Dr. Spook vs. IcyCoil (DJ tag set) at Shangri-La. (August)
And this set was simply magical... plain and simple.... 8:00AM. Karmakanik had just played an immense set and people still wanted more. Enter Spook and IcyCoil - both travelling from the West to attend the event. The set had a little bit of everything and even closed with some track that sounded like it was recorded in the 1940's... A perfect way to end one of the finest parties of 2005!
Special Mentions:
1. The Changmian/Sonic Beating DJ's Special Monday morning tag set at Firefly. (july)
Drunk, baked, tripping or a combination of the three - I don't even remember what Eric Spaceship, Ammon EP, Nick Binary, and I played that morning. All I remember clearly was that 7- 10AM on July 4th, 2005 were three of the most bizarre and joyous hours of my life!
2. Shmumer at The Milky Way (December)..
A gem for all fans progressive! Minilogue, Jaia, Phony Orphants and others. It simply made everyone ask "where has this guy been for the past five years?"
And now - as if you haven't read enough... the most fliud and ever changing category of them all. And, subsequently, the one with the MOST potential choices. After great deliberation - and with no real criteria and/or objectivity - I throw down my favorite ten tracks of 2005... warning you that they'll probably change about ten times between the time I send this e-mail and the time you finish reading it... (Well, some of them anyway...) :-)
>>>MY TOP TEN FAVORITE TRACKS OF 2005!<<<
1. Frogacult "Bye She Siad" (Iboga Records)
{Appears on V/A: Set 05 as Track #4}
2. Prisoners of the Sun: "Tussy De Luxe" (Tribal Vision Records)
{Appears on "Creating Social Success as Track #9}
3. Antix: Hiding Place (Fiord Remix) (Iboga Records)
{Appears on "Twin Coast Discovery" as Track #8}
AND the accompanying remix: Antix: Hiding Place (Phony Orphants Remix) (Iboga Records)
{Appears on V/A: Twin Coast Remixes as Track #2)
4. Nasser: Volvoli (Iboga Records)
{Appears on V/A: Set 06 as Track #9}
5. Minilogue: Little Sisters (Sprout Records)
{Appears on Sprout 12" single released in July}
AND the acompanying remix from the same single:
Minilogue: Little Sisters (D-Nox & Beckers Remix)
6: Atmos: Mental Luggage (2005 Live Version) (Green Ant Records)
{Appears on V/A Rainbow Serpent 2005 as Track #2}
7: Jaia: Orchestra 2.0 (Digital Structures)
{Appears on "Fiction" as Track #4)
AND the remix - Jaia: "Orchestra 2.0" (Minilogue Remix)
{Appears on Digital Structures 12" Single released in September}
8. Freq: Carbon Based Life Forms (Sun Control Species Remix) (Iboga)
{Appears on V/A: Set 06 as Track #1}
9. Fitalic: Farscape (Antix Remix) (VP Records)
{Appears on a VP 12" Single released in April)
10. Ticon: Spin Cycle (Digital Structures)
{Appears on a Digital Structures 121" released in March}
special mention: Interphaze "In Your Eyes" (ZMA)
{Appears as Track #9 on "Move to the Groove}
......there are just too damn many.... :-) :-)
On a final note - but still on topic :-) - HUGE WISHES and Cheers go out to Boston's Jake Harris (aka "Winslow" aka "PsyJacked") for joining the Peace Corps this past year and shipping out to rural Peru. He's been there for almost 6 months now and is rocking out in both his responsibilities as a volunteer and as a DJ/promotor doing gigs in the Peruvian hillsides. He is greatly missed here in Boston y everyone who knew him! We all look forward to seeing him in Peru or getting him back here to drop some dancefloor bombs once again! GO JAQUES!!!!
so yeah... if you're still reading... THANK YOU.... and if you wanna post similar lists - PLEASE DO (just so I don't feel like the big dork I am...) 2005 was a great year - hands down - and MAJOR THANKS GO OUT to artists, DJs, promotors, and production crews from around the globe. The United States/Canada may have a long way to go before its trance culture is on par with other countries - but I like to think with some of the dedicated and intelligent folks here in Boston and in cities like New York, San Francisco, Asheville, Seattle, Cleveland, Madison, Montreal, Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver and beyond - that we're all making pretty huge leaps in that direction! ONWARDS!!!!
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