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Have you ever bought a really good CD with the name Ibiza on it? I have not. Ibiza is the capitol of dirty commercial party culture in Europe, and there are endless releases connected to this island, but almost all of them really lacks of quality. The weird thing is that there are really many big psytrance artists who has moved out to this island and built their studios out there! I could mention many; GMS, Etnica, The Antidote, Dado etc. Ibiza isn’t exactly known for the best psytrance parties either, so hopefully it is the weather conditions or something that has driven them to this Island. But, it seems like most people who go to this place get a bit infected by the commercial sound. Take a listen to Zorba (side project of GMS) etc. Now has some of the guys out there started a new psytrance label on this island called MP Records, now out with their first compilation called Waves From Ibiza. Here they try out a more clubby style than we are used to from these talented artists.
Waves From Ibiza 1 (MP Records) 2003 (MPCD001)
1. Dino Vs. Dado – Highlights
2. The Antidote – Meccanoids
3. Dado Vs. Bamboo Forest – Le Chat De L’Espace
4. The Antidote Vs. The Third Day Fundation – Tidal Wave
5. GMS – Look Out
6. Mindelight – Scratch Delight
7. Green Light Vs. The Antidote – Full Moon
8. GMS Vs. The Antidote – Highnoon
9. Deedrah – Cycles Of Life 2003
There are a lot of interesting collaborations on this compilation. First out a collaboration between Dino Psaras who released an album this year on Oktava Records (Lick It) and Dado aka Synthetic aka Deedrah etc. It seems like Dado has had a lot to do with this compilation, including the mastering. In this track it sounds like Mr. Psaras has done most of the work. He has shown several times that he likes to mix in influences of old acid techno in his trance tracks. And that’s what they have done here too. Old school acid techno, almost cheesy sounds and melody, mixed with modern psytrance grooves. Not exactly what I would put on at a party these days… Track 2 is by Serge Antidote. He has is own unique style in most of his tracks. Sort of monotonous, hard, stumpy rhythms, with some really special psychedelic sounds and melodies swirling in now and then. This track goes as usual, but is a bit more minimal than we are used to. Less sounds and melodies, just a pumping groove. Sounds more clubby and boring in my ears. Track 3 is a new really interesting collaboration between Dado and Bamboo Forest! Bamboo Forest released their really great debut album on the Japanese label Vision Productions this year. This is actually my favourite track on this compilation. Typical drifting, melodic trance from Bamboo Forest, with a touch of Dado. Nice one. Track 4 is another track with The Antidote involved, here in a collaboration with someone I haven’t heard about before called The Third Day Fundation. This track sounds pretty groovy, put minimal, without much sounds and melodies. Very clubby, and not of the kind I want to hear on a party.
Then we get a track by the growling GMS guys Riktam and Banzi. Typical full on GMS stuff, with heavy rhythms and jumping psychedelic sounds. As repetitive as it can get from one band. The only thing that changes a little bit with their music is that it sounds a bit more commercial and clubby each year… Track 6 is by a new upcoming duo from Mexico called Mindelight. They do it really clubby, with a cheesy little melody, but it doesn’t sound that bad. Track 7 is a collaboration between The Antidote and someone called Green Light. This one starts in the well known pumping Antidote style from the first second. It sounds pretty monotonous, but it sort of builds up in a progressive way. Track 9 is also an Antidote track, but here together with the GMS guys. Here you get the stumpy GMS sound, but an Antidote drift and sounds. The last track is a track by the man himself, Deedrah. Here he gives us a new version of the old Transwave classic Cycles Of Life! The original version is definitely best, but this very remixed version isn’t bad either. It sounds a lot like the style on his latest Deedrah album he released this month on Solstice Music and Spun Records. Melodic trance, with deep, almost hidden rhythms.
This compilation has definitely a more clubbier sound than we are used to get from these artists. I expected something really great when I first saw the track list of this compilation, but when I thought over the compilation title, my expectations weren’t that high. Now that I have heard it, I think it’s an average compilation. Too bad they focus on the more clubbier things, instead of going deeper and more psychedelic.
PK (shivapks@hotmail.com)
