Khetzal "Corolle"
Top level Music reviews

Author: Per Kristian Slagsvold

Publishing date: 06.11.2005 15:26

Review by PKS
Third melodic release from Suntrip Records...

Suntrip Records based in France focus on the melodic side of psytrance. They started the label because they were tired of the stereotyped full on that has ruled the scene the last few years. Here they are out with their third release, this time the debut album by Khetzal (Matthieu Chamoux). He has previously released tracks on Kagdila and Agitato, but also a track on the chilled Ultimae label.


Khetzal "Corolle" Suntrip Records 2005 (SUNCD03)

1. Listening Winds
2. Anamatha (Feat. DJ Zen)
3. Bells Of Sarnath
4. Narayana
5. Ganesha Pramana
6. Indian Attic
7. Djaningar
8. Nyiragongo
9. Avasari

This album starts quite downtempo (120bpm), but still melodic. Track 2 starts slow too, but becomes a bit faster. Here we get eastern vocals that some might recognise from tracks made by some other chill artists. The vibes you get from this reminds me a lot of oldschool goa trance. Melodic all the way. Track 3 throws us into much faster goa trance. Here we are back in the hypnotic goa style, which I haven’t heard much of since 1997. Track 4 has a pretty cool drift. Pure old school vibes from beginning to end. Nothing new here, but fun to listen to this style again. Track 6 is the fastest track on this album (160bpm). You rarely find this fast psytrance tracks anymore. Very hypnotic, intense track with eastern influences above. I’m sure this could be a hit if it was released ten years ago. Track 6 follows the melodic goa trance direction too. Quite happy trance with playful melodies. Track 7 slows us down a little. Uplifting, still with some mystic vibes. Track 8 takes into some drifting soundscapes. Melodic, but not cheesy. He finishes the abum with a totally relaxing track, with sound of water, psychedelic sounds and light melodies.

This album is for those of you who didn’t get enough of this melodic style ten years ago. The sound you get on all these tracks are inspired by melodic goa trance. Personally I would have wished some more new influences and modern sound in these tracks, because it actually sounds like it was released ten years ago. But, quite refreshing to hear some melodic tracks like this again anyway.
PKS (shivapks@hotmail.com)


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Khetzal "Corolle"
Death Posture 09.11.2005 14:58
Soundtrack for weekend Hindus!

The Suntrippers are out with their third old-school release… This time it’s the debut album of French producer Matthieu Chamoux who has released a few compilation tracks on Kagdila and Agitato Records… I’ve not heard those, but I really liked the uplifting, melodic goa-trance track he had on the Apsara compilation under the Avigmati name… That was stellar so my hopes for this debut album are pretty high…

Let me take you thru the tracks…

#01: Listening Winds [120 BPM]
The title pretty much sums it up… This is chilled, windy melodic trance… We start out kinda slow – forest sounds, birds, cicadas, etc… Soon the melodies are unleashed… Joyous, uplifting synth-galore with a Raja flute to balance things out… Nice and chilled with the distinct old-school melodic feel to it… A nice little opening track, but nothing that gets my juices flowing…

#02: Anamatha (feat. DJ Zen) [132 BPM]
This track was originally released by DJ Zen on the 2003 Kagdila compilation Peace Therapy… This is a longer, re-worked version though… At first it’s very reminiscent of the previous track, but after a couple of minutes it gets faster… The ethno-tribal influences are rich here – complete with native vocals and chanting… After a couple of minutes the first acid-line makes an appearance and the track shifts into proper goa trance… Sweet! Fuck yes; this is pure, true-to-the-roots nu-school goa trance… Less multi-layered and climactic than Filteria – and more Eastern influenced… But damn, this is good… Uplifting as hell and very trance-inducing! Sweet!

#03: Bells Of Sarnath [150 BPM]
Woow – check out the huge, morphing intro here… This is Filteria style new-school goa, though maybe with fewer melodies in the foreground… I like the pace + the native influences, but I could have wished for even more complexity… Also the ending seems strangely out of place… But it’s still a pretty good, uplifting track…

#04: Narayana [140 BPM]
We’re taking it down a notch for this track, but basically it’s the same thing again… Pure, un-spiked goa trance as it sounded ten years ago… Obviously the production techniques have improved dramatically, but the underlying emotions are just the same… A sonic trip down memory lane… I even get shivers down my spine when the acid-lines kick in for the final run… @ 5’08 it’s just pure goa bliss! …Amazing!

#05: Ganesha Pramana [160 BPM]
And here’s a visit from Ganesh – the four-armed, son of Shiva & Parvati bearing the head of a one-tusked elephant… Oh yes, this is more highly Hindi-influenced Goan trance… This is by far the fastest track here, and the intensity level is nothing short of impressive… Would mix perfectly with Filteria or ancient Pleiadians… The acid is flowing freely and the Eastern influences are all over the place both melodically and spiritually… The peaks are truly climactic and dancefloor friendly… A sweet, sweet track!

#06: Indian Attic [140 BPM]
Again we’re taking it down a notch, and as the title suggests we’re once again treated to a venture into Eastern inspired melodic trance… The kick is really phat in this one… Perhaps even the hardest on the compilation – reminds me a little of ancient Shidapu…Also the layering seems to be more advanced here… Nice!

#07: Djaningar [130 BPM]
Take it a notch further down, and we’re as close to chilling as you can with kicking beats… This is wobbly, deeply groovy, melodious trance… Morphing sounds, filtered beats and a controlled rhythm section… Pretty nice, but even more action wouldn’t hurt… Also the space-samples seem oddly out of place…

#08: Nyiragongo [138 BPM]
And here comes the surprise… Up until now, pretty much everything on this album has been predictable to some extent… But this track takes a more techno/tribally inspired approach to melodic goa trance… How cool to be totally swept of your feet like that, as this is indeed very different from the rest of the album… Reminiscent of late 1990es X-Dream I think… Tasty!

#09: Avasari [100 BPM]
As legend prescribes it, we’re really chilling out for the final track here… Yeah, this is ambient! Experimental stuff, kept within a melodic, Goan framework… Nice, but not exactly the chill-out I prefer these days…

Well, well… Another Suntrip release that stands out from the crowd… Just how much old-school goa is released nowadays? Besides from the Suntrip Records output, pretty much nothing, that’s how much! And though this album didn’t do as much for me as neither the Filteria album, nor the Apsara compilation it’s still pretty damn interesting… Evidently I can’t help comparing this to the Filteria album, which fit my tastes better… I could have wished for even more complexity, and perhaps the Hindi-influences are a little over the top sometimes… Also the flow is a little off and I would have arranged the tracks differently… But besides from that, I don’t have anything to criticise here…

There are enough kick-ass tracks here to validate a purchase – and there are no bad tracks per se… Also the artwork is nothing short of beautiful and fits the music perfectly… Suntrip Records has once again proved that melodic goa is still very much alive – even in 2005! Way to go guys – you continue to distance yourself from the usual suspects! Old-school fans should most definitely check this out… As should fans of uplifting, joyous goa trance 2005-style… This is very it’s at! Enjoy!

Favourites: 2, 4(!), 5(!), 6(!), 8

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