Shivlink Records, one of the staples of trance music innovation since the genre's birthplace along its native country of India's beaches, is back and stronger than ever with its latest compilation of killer four-on-the-floor full on tunes. Ten tracks by artists both new and veteran, hailing from nearly every known continent on the present globe, have pitched in their best efforts and talents to produce a superb compilation set to become one of the instant classic slices of today's 21st centruy psychedelic trance cake. Iced on both ends by superbly composed intros and outros by musical genius Tesseract, Shivlink has outdone its already impeccable reputation amongst the global scene in its choice of tracks for "Renew". Perpare yourself for a digital ride amongst the psychedelic sunrise as these ten artists lead your ears along a timeless safari fusing the best of the old-school with cutting edge experimental manipulations sure to redefine your perceptions of what awesomely evocative psytrance is and ought to be.
Track by Track
Sygnosis ~ Drama Dose
A synergous mixture of harmonic guitar and uplifting gated electro-trance melodies foretells a story explained by crisp, full-on bassbeats and pensive, tension-building synth riffs. Sygnosis' arrangements of powerfully composed riffs and tight-as-stitching pads and melodies lead to musical moments that your head can bob to, your feet can twist to, and your body can ride along.
Argon ~ Deep Sense
Dirty bass riffs lend stark contrast to the delicate vocal synth pads which hallmark the intro to this masterful track. Lying somewhere in the ambiguity between morning and full-on music, here acid riffs wage an epic battle with gossamer, ethereally sublime background to create a dance space of harmonic sunrise bliss swirled with energy-raising dancefloor suspension.
Mixed Emotions ~ Humanized Robot
Echoed arpeggios and filtered vocal utterances paint a sonic pointilism of trance dance energy. Beginning on the minimalist tip, with subtle introductions of layers and sonic mutations, the sounds of "Robot" are carefully engineered across the four dimensions to provide feelings of pulsating spaciousness, marrying into an amalgamation fit for outdoor twilight or sunrise second winds.
2 Minds ~ Black Out
Pads and layers graceful as liquid metal slide atop foundations of meaty bass and glitchy beats, both broken and straight. Before this track reaches its midpoint, the energy is in full swing, and rife with synth hits and acid riffs designed to create cacophanic footprints across myriad dance spaces. Fresh breakdowns perform their function of allowing you to breathe just enough to get the tension winding even further.
Twisted Reaction Vs StargateX ~ Jean Tonic
An innovatively spacious intro ushers you into a maddenly fresh arrangement of body-surfing pads and glitchy rhythms perfect for ramping the energy on otherwise bedraggled dancers. Just the right of riff and melody hits ahrd alongside thick basslines to punch much desired life into the playlists, coalescing into an all-in-all stomping trance rocker fir for smiles and foot tickling.
Decerto ~ Renew
An anecdotal Morgan Freeman amongst clouds of digital collusions paves the way for gritty bass and techy electro rhythms. Digital ripplings tug your body to and fro while incessant riffs hammer at your neurons with the grace and flair of a 21st-century piano and a French tickler. Nomadic leaves cut throgh your brain waves like butter, leaving egos with little to do other than dance.
ITP ~ Guatemala (Volcano Rmx)
Weeping guitar wails, tim e-reversed glitchy synth stabs, and full-on sixteenth-note bassbeat rhythms for the meat of this psy-trance stew, served thick and hot and full of undulating layers and sonic innovations bridging the gap between tried and true musical mechanisms and cutting-edge sonic technology, and the results are humanized digital dancefloor madness.
TimeZero Vs Cyber Motion ~ To The Freedom
What an energy-builder! Every layer seems to serve well to bring the musical energy from states of silence to ego-crushing waves of selfless dance aerobics. Frenzied morning trance melodies lifting you to the clouds and beyond coupled by the energies of thumping bassbeats will serve well to keep the energy and tension high and tight, making this the perfect soundtrack to many a psychedelic sunrise.
Gothica ~ Predator
A track on its own level in comparison with its mats on the tracklist, Gothica's "Predator" takes a turn towards the darker side of full-on morning trance with a piece that isn't fraid to show its malevolent side... accompanied by the many light-bearing riffs is a vaguely perceptible arrangement of darker, shadowier undertones with stellar moments of tension and timing manipulation fit for the discerning trance enthusiast.
Reverse ~ The Day After
If this track is any example, Reverse will surely be an artist to watch out for. Fruitful cocktails of high spiritualism and psychedelia spills out of the bassbins like a sublime verbless commandment, one of dance, positive vibes and human meaning. Eerily sexy vocals, masterfully arranged melodies which pulse in energetic ways, and cascading bass all contribute to an album-ending experience sure to please and leave you wishing for more.
