Two labels.
Two groups of hard-working individuals.
Once seperated by a channel of frigid water - then
connected by a bridge between the two very different
cities they inhabit. Now, they share an office
building, own and operate a distribution company
together, and have come very close to conglomerating
into one collective progressive trance giant. Yet,
even as the past couple years have passed and Iboga
Records and Digital Structures have gotten closer and
closer to being the "same label," the two sects are
still miles apart in some of their thinking as it
relates to the production and distribution of good
music.

One needs only look at their respective catalogs and
release dates to see the primary difference between
the two. Iboga Records is a bohemoth when it comes to
the release of new music. Year after year, their
calender has been stuffed with new albums and new
compilations. New Remix maxis and new singles -
popping up. Seemingly every month a new album comes
out that puts the world on its heels. What's so
surprising about Iboga, however, is that their
following is so strong and production envelope so far
pushed, that they can afford to put out so many albums
without the fear of "putting out crap." Label after
label have tried and failed in this paradigm -
focusing NOT on quality, but instead on quantity -
and, in the end, have fallen off the map for not
stressing the former. Iboga has reached a zenith where
they can release album after album - like a well oiled
CNC machine - knowing perfectly well that every one is
as high quality as the last.

Peter Digital, Gavin, and all the people running the
Digital Structures/MPQDX label have an entirely
different philosophy. They believe in order to
properly promote, advertise, produce, and distribute
an album; the artist must work together with a massive
web of others to ensure that everything is done
PERFECTLY. There can be no breaks in the chain. There
can be no mistakes made by ANYONE along the path.
Every single person, from the Studio Designer to the
guy who puts the stamps on the packaging, is
responsible for the sales and success of the album.
Obviously, this process takes a lot of time and a lot
of patience; both on the parts of the people involved
and the people anxiously awaiting the release. Because
of this, 2004 was a year that saw Digital Structures
produce the album(s) for ONE - yes ONE - artist. And
though the Colours project from Son Kite was some of
the best audio and visual art to ever be released, it
is possible to say that "an artist a year" is not a
very strong pace. :-( In comparison, Iboga released
Freq's "Strange Attractors," Beat Bizarre's "Pandora's
Groove Box," Frogacult's "Something for Sundays" (one
of my personal favorites of all time), three
compilations (SETS 03 & 04 and "Playground") and two
Maxi's containing Frogacult Remixes on one and BLT
Remixes on the other.

This year, the story was the same from the
Malmo/Copenhagen collective. While Iboga was bombing
the market with gems from Beat Bizarre, Phony
Orphants, Antix, Behind Blue Eyes - and another great
series of compilations; Digital Structures was biding
their time; preparing what looks to be a pair of
AMAZING releases from newly re-acquainted Robert
Elster and Rickard Bergloff (aka Vibrasphere). In
June, they gave us the fruits of their year's labor -
a highly eccelectic and fascinating album from French
Artist, JAIA. The album "Fiction" was a smash hit on
dancefloors across the world. Tracks like "Serial
Groovers" and "Orchestra 2.0" blew people's minds and
everyone assumed that DS was getting back on a more
regular release pattern. Soon, remixes of Orchestra
2.0 by Son Kite side project "Minilogue" hit the
market and, coupled with Ticon's smash 12" "Spin
Cycle," DS seemed to have their acts back together.

But that was it. A great album and a couple 12"
singles from the label personally responsible for
giving us three of the most impressive, influencial,
and ingenius projects the world has ever seen. (Son
Kite, Vibrasphere, and Ticon). Peter and Gavin went
back below the radar - and news of a new Ticon Album
soon joined the rumors of new Vibrasphere material. I,
for one, was disappointed. Though well aware of Peter
and Gavin's drive and work ethic, I was fearful that
the label was in trouble or perhaps things in Malmo
were going awry.

Well, three days ago - all my anxiety, all my worry,
and all my perceptions were proven 100% null and void.
As it was three days ago that the new Ticon album
"Zero Six After" finally arrived in my mailbox from
Psyshop.com. After working late for two nights and
missing my chance to pick it up, I finally cornered
the building manager and made him let me into his
office after-hours. About two minutes later, I was in
my truck - driving without a destination - and
listening to what, in my opinion, rivals the Antix
album as the year's best release. Through downtown
streets and then onto the highway, I couldn't have
cared less about the gasoline I was burning. The
bazooka sub was throbbing and the custom JBL system
was giving the inside of my little truck the feel of
Portugal's "Hard Club." Ticon was BACK!! And they were
back with a vengeance! A few more listens and a series
of conversations with other people - all revolving
around the Swedish duo, their catalog, their gigs here
in USA and Canada, and the way they've come so far -
and things couldn't be any better!

Ticon is one of the few artists around the globe who
can effortlessly go from prog to full-on and back to
prog. Throughout their history, they've had smash hits
which have been bordering on "full-on." "We are the
Mammouth Hunters," "Come See us at the Zoo," and
"Ghost in the Machinery" just to name a few. Then you
have the stompier side of Ticon - tracks like "The
Clown Smells like Gasoline" and the epic "Waiting for
the Knights." And the smoother side - with "Back to
Basics," "Input, Output, Kaput," and "Rattlesnake."
The list goes on and on and these guys seem to have as
many musical personalities as the schizophrenic that
just escaped from Matawan without packing his lifetime
supply of Lithium. They are so diverse, it seems like
Filip or Frederick could sit *alone* in a dark padded
room and have an excellent conversation with twenty
people - all from different countries and in twenty
different languages. For two guys in their early 20's
- the diversity and skill they have shown as they've
progressed have been their most impressive trait. As
my friend Pat Karmakanik says, "the versatility is
what makes Ticon so great!"

The new album, "Zero Six After" (which I think has
something to do with the fact that Ticon has been
together producing for the last six years) is no
exception. In fact, it takes the paradigm to a new
level - showing even newer and MORE cutting edge sides
of Ticon. Yes, the album contains a consummate
"full-on" track - which is called "Chicken Shaker" and
appears as track 8. (And, as side note, the track is
a whopping pumper of a jam - produced at 140 bpm with
a panned vocal sample that sounds like a yell - the
track just makes you wanna do that whole "punch the
air" kinda thing. I'll admit, I'm pretty reserved, but
I've been known to do a little shimmy in my living
room when this gem plays through our system. Even
Marria will grab the hula-hoop and start going when
chicken shaker graces the system) And yes, it has some
of that classic Ticon "cheese" (and I mean that in the
best way possible) with tracks like "Kids of the 80's"
and "You make me wanna drink more." The former being
what starts out sounding like a David Bowie Remix and
the latter which will just bring back amjor memories
of Tracks like "Supermodel Girlfriend" and "Maestro,
Bring on the Drums!"

Right now, though, the best track on the album (for
me) is track 5 - "Poem for Granny" - which, in my
ears, clearly and explicitly shows the influence that
fellow countrymen, Sebastain Mullaert and Marcus
Henriksonn have had on their younger producer
colleagues. When Kooler's "Harold and Maude" first
came out - it was caned and caned by progressive and
full-on DJ's alike. There was nothing deeper, nothing
more intense, and nothing more groove-driven than that
track. Similar praise can be given to Son Kite's
"Focus" and their Remix of Llopis's "Centrafuge." I
remember hearing Gavin play a morning set following an
epic live set from Vibrasphere - and he closed the set
with that Remix and then, as the final killer, "Harold
and Maude." It was the first time I had heard that
Kooler gem and it is burned in my memory forever.
Though I was in my truck heading north on RT 93 when I
first heard "Poem For Granny" - the response was
distinctly familiar. A minute of opening material,
another minute of a firm and deep kick drum and nice
"get ready" pattern. And then, about 2:20 into the
track - it hits - 135 BPM of UNDULATING AND THROBBING
DEPTH!! The heads move and the stomach just FEELS IT!!
Had I just eaten, it was possible this track could
have made me vomit. Olympic Athletes take note - this
is another track to play from a big sub during a
workout. The sub-bass alone is enough to tense and
work the abdominal muscles!! :-) Needless to say,
the track is sick and shows a depth that I can't
remember hearing in any other Ticon tracks from the
past.

Another gem, in my ears, is "In Stereo;" a track where
the first few seconds will have you thinking your copy
of the CD is defective but in the end will leave you
wanting to play it on "repeat 1." By the time the
track gets into its body, its a funk-driven, deep,
groovy killer which features a sick bassline that
enters at 3:56 into the track. The track isn't as
dance-friendly and upbeat as some of the others on the
album, but it's one of the most audibly pleasing
tracks on the album. Meanwhile, the following track
"Rit it Up" - featuring another funky line and some
great vocals about "the revolution" is just as good!
:-) And lastly, perhaps a track as good as "Poem for
Granny" - a musical masterpiece called "Analog H" -
which, as Karmakanik as informed me, is actually a
remix of an old Union Jack track off Platipus Records!
Talk about paying tribute to the forefathers! :-)

While Iboga Records may be putting out GEM AFTER GEM -
breaking the mold of progressive trance labels across
the world - Digital Structures is still working
tirelessly to put out only a few albums a year.
However, though the amount of music may be vastly
different, the quaility of the music is dead-nuts
equal. The new Ticon Album, "Zero After Six" joins
Jaia's "Fiction" as another glowing example of this.
After almost a year in the studios, Frederick
Gilenholt and Filip Mardberg have given us another
killer to file next to "Rewind" and "Aero" in our
collections. They may only put out a few a year, but
in doing so, Digital Structures is proving that
whatever they do put out will invariably be massive
smash. The new Ticon is a perfect hit! I HIGHLY
reccomend it!