Mashtronic meet Emok in Portugal Flow

Under the wings of Flow records and Nova Deluxe on the 6th of October 2006 in the Nuts Club, Mashtronic (Bedrock, mashtronicmusic.com) are going to appear live for the first time in Portugal.

The host DJ Pena has another trick up his sleeve this time. Phony Orphant and Iboga records manager DJ Emok (Iboga dk | Flow pt).

Don't miss it if you are around Portugal or can travel there.

Progressive ZOOM

If you are looking for a cool progressive and minimal trance line up this summer try the open air ZOOM festival in Winterthur Töss, Switzerland.
The party starts at the 12th of August and features some of the best names in the scene.

Live artists include Ticon from Digital Structures, D-Nox and Beckers, Andre Absolut, Solead and V-Tunes from Domo.
Some great DJs playing this year so make sure you catch Plusquam prog legend Mapusa Mapusa, Beckers, Steve Active, Meta, Shimono, B52 and many others.

Have fun!

Freq goes sub with Iboga

Freq always had the talent of raising a few eyebrows with his music and production quality. So it comes of no surprise to see him delivering yet another high quality album.
Iboga who managed to snatch him early on, present his latest album Gosub 20.

The album kicks off with Brazil (brush mix) which is slow, calm and smooth, like a starter. Space Noodle progresses into more familiar upbeat patterns next. The familiar Freq leads are in action here.
Silent Circuits follows to lift the mood by starting to explore a more sophisticated sound with the leads and the beats in sync.
Byte Me is more aggressive (as the title suggests) and introduces a galloping bassline with some familiar trance elements.
Stone Shaker keeps up the pace with hard hats and tight percussion. There is a night feel slowly creeping in.
Beatstreet a personal favourite comes next. High energy progressive music with fresh sound ideas, strong kick with matching bassline and cool effects sweeping in and out. Best track by far.
What A Feeling? keeps the pace with some more fresh progressive melodies and the bass dragging along a great beat. Getting closer to progressive house here.
Singularity (Part 2) fails to impress as much but is still a well structured and cleanly produced art piece.
The album finishes with the ambient Aisha. Atmospheric music, to relax the brain with eclectic calming waves of sound.

Overall this is a good album. It would be even better if it maintained the levels of Beatstreet and What A Feeling?, that really demonstrate Freq’s ability to morph and change his sound.

Thanks Iboga.

Minimal Criminal Rio

If you are looking for some cool unreleased minimal trance check out Mininal Criminal. Rio de Janeiro based Dj's Valerio Zhyin and Bruno Echoes have interesting things to say with their music. Also try to find some of their latest releases on Zenon and Cosmin Consiracy records. This is fresh and well produced minimal progressive psy-trance.

Track previews

• Holy Macro
• Leprechaun Lexicon

More here.

Headstick serves Progressive Greek Gourmet

Stronger than ever before Headstick records is back with an all Greek progressive trance dish. Served on the rocks or straight on the beat, this compilation will please even the most demanding ears.

There is an electro influence throughout the CD starting with the patiently powerful Stereo Glass by 9West. The textures are complex but the progression piping hot with a sweaty club atmosphere. Not much sauce as the chef would have ordered.
Right next Dima challenge your taste buds with Head On, a slightly darker, dragging rhythm that implodes into a classic prog trance tune.

Well known Drone delve deep in their progressive side with Hanging Out At Night. Drone really know how to cook a great track and this is no exception. Electro influenced with a fat creamed up bassline and lots of spice on top.
The first collaboration sees the working of In A Dood Mood between Damod and Vagua. A patient affair with a steady build up to gourmet heaven.
Things go even more eclectic with the addition of Gio Red preparing Agressive. This a dish served cold in the morning with lots of smiles and anthemic feelings in the air.
Midnight Pulse have Resolve boiling in your ears. Another progressive track that keeps you dancing throughout the morning leaving you hungry for more.

If deep erotic melodies are your thing, Kijj by Neomatic does not dissapoint. It has that unmistakable Ibiza feel combined with a stripped down energetic beat and uplifting percussion.
The progressive trance maestro is back Searching. Vagua deliver an extremely pleasing sound straight from the oven. Some of the best the Greek cuisine has to offer. The style is fat bass and strong rhythms with the melodies torturing your soul and swinging body.
Some great music here and the last track from Atropa titled Wanga Tanga is cooking. A little more laid back than the other tunes in this compilation but still sounds passionate and resourceful enough to take you on a final journey.

If Heastick did restaurants I would be a regular, this is for sure, but most importanlty the label manages to discover the most talented chefs in the Hellenic progressive trance scene with worldwide appeal.

Guys the service was great but you forgot the tzatziki.


Preview and buy from Saiko sounds or Psyshop

Progressive Techno Trance

Rewired by Jester records redefines progressive techno trance as we know it. Minimalistic hard beats with dark undertones and euphoric melodies.

Canadian Jester's DJ Clown presents a blend of techno-trance artists from the well known Three Point Turn, Authentic and Spirallianz to talents such as DJ Preach, Nuclear Ramjet, Kali Frogz, Triac, Tao, Metalogic, Hidra, Toltech and Axiomata.

Tho dark melodic anthems stand out. Les 3 Machines from Authentic loops into a deep techno-trance spiral with the melody reminding of Carl Cox's darkest hours and BP Talk from Spirallianz with its utopian soundscapes and new age acid house influence.

Costa Neo Zoolander

Ricky 'Can Costa' Ryan is without doubt one of the shining progressive house stars to come out of Argentina this year. Another great release with VapouRise.

The original mix is strong, clear and damn funky. The production booming and shining. Fantastic track!
The B-side belongs to Shafunkers that give Can Costa the deep and melodic progressive treatment. Maybe even better than the original.

This 12' leaves you begging for more.

DJ Elias Tzikas Downloads Deep Records

2010 Update: Since we wrote this post a long time ago in 2006, Elias Tzikas has had a stellar DJ career, releasing a number of tracks on Epsilon Trax, Elevation Recordings, Shayan Music as well as legendary Platipus. His tracks went on to be played by John Digweed, Hernan Cattaneo, Satoshi Tomiie, Kosmas Epsilon, Jimmy Van M, Chris Fortier, Trentemoller, Martinez, Matthew Dekay plus many more.


2006 Post:

Deep Records presents She's Scared EP from Elias Tzikas, a progressive trance artist from Thessaloniki, Greece.

The EP features three tracks with a minimalist but melodic approach that dominates the Greek progressive scene. The title track She's Scared stands out with its melodic textures and soft beat. Saved has a solid bass with the percussion and trance sounds melting on top. Early Grave (strange choice of title) is a chunky retro affair. The deep drive and dreamy melody dress this slow atmospheric builder.

Job well done, Elias. Looking forward to the next one!

Igneous Skips the Insect

"Igneous" Chris has released music on most major record labels and travelled the globe. With this album he celebrates 10 years in music production with his best personal work to date, titled 'Skip Insect'. After the debut 'Encephalophagus' followed by 'Skint' this third album is taking his sound to further depths of a heavily rhythmic and esoteric trip.

The magic of Igneous (previously known as Igneous Sauria) is revealed in the repetitive percussive textures, the deeply atmospheric sounds and a tribal struggle with the forces of progressive psychedelia.
Be prepared to be surprised. The more you listen to this album, the more you realize that there is more to this unique blend of psychedelic music.

The sounds are eclectic and the beats commanding. The production quality evolves from crystal clear into booming with deep dark basslines surrounding your ears, placing Igneous in the avant-garde of trance producers.
There is always a fine line between deep and dark and this new album never crosses it. The sound is thoughtful, skeptical and some times even philosophical. An intellectual rhythm pattern that keeps you dancing.

Skip Insect opens with a retro feel and reminds of the earlier Igneous Sauria. Stripped down with a jungle feel marks the turn to a more persistent and powerful progressive beat.

Amphibian gets things going with its imposing atmosphere and dramatic build up. This is a new sound for the night time and it kicks butt.

Dr Evil is another steady slow build up. The percussion is smashing the bass heavy core and the sounds keep adding to infinity.

Just get out is a more outgoing affair and here things get really deep with the fat bassline dominating.

Multispin is another classic Igneous work of art. The spiral is never ending. Sounds rotate around a solid bass in a twisting and twirling deep meditation mode.

Tb1 is a deeper journey and here Chris reaches his most esoteric side. There is something so honest about this track. In the deep dark tribal moments we don't feel alone, the sound is our friend.

Stay with Us (Fool mix) seduces the listener into an addictive sound structure. There are no limits here, voices from the deepest corners of the brain with no beginnings and no ends.

Stacked heads towards a morning progressive feel taking the listener away from the night in minimal style.

Baking Powder is perhaps the weakest link here and although a great chill out finish, such a track does not fit well with the highly innovative and fresh kicking sound in the rest of this record.

If you think that this is just another prog trance record then think again, or better listen again.
This new album by trance pioneer Chris Tatitzikidis aka Igneous is one of those releases that you cannot ignore.

Trance Inception

Groove Control records has released a progressive tech-trance compilation titled Inception.

Lots of fantastic tracks here, well written and properly built in true deep progressive fashion. Solid grooves Go Swiftly from Brisker and Magitman followed by Sharon and Robert's minimal atmospheric Desire.
A more percussive galloping Flame on Fire declare that Science is God with Pharam & Dominic Plaza going deeper, minimal and subliminal just Once.
After all that the Tone is set even darker by Snake Sedrick only to be confirmed by Shuma's Technology.
Brisker and Magitman return with a strong remix on a Andre Absolut track called ElevenT1.
But try to Hold On until the end because Groove Control save a great progressive anthem for the finish. Manuel Duego delivers a phat and phunky tune that fits anywhere, anytime.

If you like deep and minimal, this is the one!

Progressive Hibernation

Iboga is back in 2006 with Hibernation, a compilation CD with some of the usual but also very unusual suspects.

James Monro and Dickster kick off with a strong full rhythm Wash out. Yotopia keep things interesting enough with Newborn. Out of the Blue Morax takes things deeper psy-progressive followed by a minimal dry groove called R.I.S.E. by Ace Ventura. Pimpin hot and to the point.

The surprise here is a scandal collaboration between Anna Hefetz (Annarchy), Dick Trevor (Green Nuns of the Revolution) and George Barker (Slinky Wizard) titled Eargate.

A deep tribal number by Sun Control Species and a dirty progressive groove by Elegant Universe put an end to this CD compiled by Yuli Fershtat.

Iboga progs!

Plusquam Trance Kodama

Plusquam compilations tend to set the new standard for the harder side of progressive trance.

Decoy gets things going here with Cat Magic in his unique minimal style. Sentient keeps up the pace with a harder and darker Dissolve. Freq delivers a strong (but not so innovative) Sunglider.
Bitmonx vs Fabio roll out a tough groove named Deep Sense followed by Earsugar's Foretaste.

Let me take a pause here and present the best track of this compilation. Fitalic comes up with another progressive trance monster with the title My Destiny. Strong groove, deep rolling bass line and an unforgiving repetative rhythm. Simply amazing.

The compilation by Japanese label DJ Satoshi Aoyagi comes to an end with Ryan Halifax and Andre Absolut.

Whilst this is not the best CD from the Plusquam label, it's a must for all those who like their progressive music bordering with psytrance.

Deep, dark and dirty

If you are into heavy tribal house then Deep, Dark and Dirty from Moth won't let you down. The A-side from The Underground Sound of Madrid record label contains Himalaya. A constant beat with some heavy tribal undertones driving and pounding all the way through, this is a dancefloor winner.

The B side Deep, Dark and Dirty is a different style alltogether. There is a melodic base here with some subliminal chanting that makes this track ideal for the morning vibes.

Pink is the new black

Marc O Tool is back with a twisted complex anthemic new 12 inch on Electribe records titled Pink is the new Black. The A side is a hypnotic groove accompanied by bleeps and shrieks. This progressive tune is definetly one for the patient and hard-to-lose night crowd.

The flip side contains Dancie Rampage. A cleaner and more four-to-the-floor afair with a sweet piano reference.

Another quality release from Marc O Tool.

Aqua Progressive Soul Glider

The progressive trance scene celebrates another notable release by Aqua. The new compilation titled Soul Glider features some dancefloor monsters.

'Little Sisters' by Minilogue is rockin high with a crystal clear production and a well thought-out groove.
Chris Micalis You Win mix on 'Vaportrail' by the Baggage Handlers also stands out with its mellodic shine and nicely built percussion.
Madoca win the electro-tech competition with a break-driven 'Drift' but D-Nox and Beckers deliver the mega-monster here in a dirty funk trance mayhem called 'Day After'.

Other artists here include: Fitalic, Formulate, Murat Uncuoglu and Motion 040.

7/10

Progressive Joyride

Candyflip records returns in 2006 with 'Joyride', a progressive trance compilation by the label's head of A&R DJ Stratos.

There are more than a few established names here and lots of surprises from the Greek Candyflip DJ.

Trance legend James Monroe opens up with the atmospheric break-beat Locked In. A slow remix from Antix on Freq vs B. Hartless follows building up nicely.

The more upbeat Blue Shape from Gio Red takes you to deeper progressive trance waters giving way to the Last Score by Greek progressive outfit Drone.

Motion take things to electro with their inspirational Hesitation followed by a dirtier funky groove in My Number One by D-Nox and Beckers.

The album's surprise is an Atmos track remixed by Argentinian trance maestro Hernan Cattaneo and J. Tonks. The rich and complex texture fits Hernan Cattaneo's DJ mixes like a glove.

Another unexpected offering Joyride comes from progressive side-project Influq. You might have never heard of them but does Wizzy Noise sound more familiar?
Its a very good track with great production and enough to keep you on the dancefloor.

Last but not least comes the electro-break Vintage Strain from Flame on Hire. A great finish to a great album.
You can experience the music in your car, your bedroom and the dancefloor and it will always leave its unique quality mark on your ears.

Happy 2006!