But then I found Escape from Reality by Escape.

Element (Marco Lisa) removes the traditional gimmicks of mixing progressive and lets the music ride. His song selection layers upon the next making for an entirely enjoyable set.

My only wish would be for slightly heavier tracks but that’s just me because addition of these would have messed with the flow and vibe of the mix.

Element did a great job with this mix; it’s perfect for a sunny afternoon when you’re hanging around, in the music mood and want something that’ll get your feet moving.

Alright, enough of my blabbing. Check out the mix of the day:

Element – Escape from Reality (Jun.2011) by elementmus

Also, be sure to check out Element on Facebook. Show him some love.

What did Raja and Simon plan for the next album? Where could they go with it? When, when, when!

With each Shpongle album, Raja and Simon showed how influential their impact on the electronic music scene was.

With the first release of Are You Shpongled? the world was caught off gaurd as Raja’s and Simon’s previous releases were heavily Psytrance - respectfully 1200 Mics and Hallucinogen.

So what were these two going to create? Was it going to be the greatest psytrance album of all time?

Not at all. Instead, Raja and Simon surprised everyone by making a downtempo album (now refered to as Psybient): Are You Shpongled?

After the release of Are You Shpongled? the world demanded more and that’s exactly what Raja and Simon planned to give them.

In 2001, Shpongle released their phenomenal album Tales of the Inexpressible.

With such hits as Star Shpongled Banner, Around the World in a Tea Daze and of course A New Way to Say Hooray.

Tales of the Inexpressible seemed like Shpongle has hit its peak. However, this wasn’t going to stop the duo from further releasing their next album…

By 2005, Shpongle were already considered one of the most influential groups in electronic music, but it was finally set in stone with the release of Nothing Lasts…But Nothing is Lost. With Nothing Lasts… Shpongle included an entire new range of instruments, samples and tricks.

Originally created as 8 tracks, Simon divided them into 20 various songs to act as the various plateus of dreaming.

After Nothing Lasts… what else could Shpongle possibly do? They’ve already created 3 of the greatest albums of electronic music, how in the hell were they going to follow it up?

Finally, they released their fourth album: Inneffable Mysteries From Shpongleland, a monumental album filled with new energy, incredible sampling, twisted instruments and of course, the Shpongle touch.

I almost feel out of place reviewing a Shpongle album because you really need to make the judgement yourself.

Reviews will never explain how you feel about each song. Depending on which state you are in, the album can have a whole new meaning. With each listen, a whole new world is opened up from small details you may have missed before.

I always recommend you listen to your albums multiple times, in various emotional states to really decide if you enjoy the album.

Instead of trying to point what each song sounds like or builds upon, I want to share with you what I feel from each song instead of trying to label them.

This is my review of Shpongle’s Inneffable Mysteries From Shpongleland…

Electroplasm
Electroplasm is the first track off the new Shpongle album and boy does it make an opening.

The entire feel of Electroplasm is as if you’re being guided through a middle eastern bazaar full of animals, vendors and many wonders of the world.

Much like the ending lyrics of the song, it literally feels like you’re drunk, wobbling down the street, blowing your mind.

Shpongolese Spoken Here
The second track is aptly named Shpongolese Spoken Here and is one of my favorite track off this album.

The first half of the track is this blast of glitched out sounds and an amazing set of dis-joined lyrics set to a driving, progressive beat. As the second half picks up, it chills back down with an amazing display of spanish sounding guitars.

The song is both extremely trippy but ends you very somber and relaxed.

Nothing Is Something Worth Doing
What an amazing name for an amazing track. Just the name itself puts you into deep thought about how society puts this pressure that you should be doing something at all times when, in fact, nothing is something worth doing.

This is perhaps the most chilled out track on the album. It’s one of those perfect songs that make you reflect about the world around you and allows you to absorb all the wonder of it.

Ineffable Mysteries
Just as you begin to feel very relaxed from the previous song, Ineffable Mysteries throws you right back into the psychedelic world of Shpongle.

You know you’re going for a ride when the voice begins to warp and kicks back in with deep, ethnical chanting. The female voice toward the later half of the creates a warming break for the excellent play of Raja.

This track is the in between, it helps break up the album from the ethnical feel of the beginnign of the album into the more introspective later half.

I Am You
I Am You is my favorite track off the new Shpongle album by far. I remember hearing bits of it from a recording when Shpongle was touring and it blew my mind then and did again, doubly so, on the album release.

I love this song because it’s downright beautiful. The lyrics provoke those deep thoughts you’ve had about people you love, it’s almost too much.

This whole track is a perfect example of the genius of Shpongle, they can’t be matched, it’s perfect.

Invisible Man In A Fluorescent Suit
The 6th song of this album, Invisible Man feels like there is some sort of opposite persona from the one you’ve created and know, yourself.

There is always a part of us that longs for adventure and some kind of completeness, I believe this song is meant to represent this.

In some way, it’s a reflection on yourself through the use of spiraling synths and an, almost, childish rhythm.

It’s definitely a introspective trip.

No Turn Un-stoned
No Turn Unstoned is my second favorite track on this album. I’ve always loved crazy, synthed out voices so this one really does it for me.

The bassline and synths in this album are some of the best on the entirety of the album.

This track really shows the amazing skills of Raja, the flute compliments this track so well. The lyrics are sung by a gentle female voice that is very soothing, very comforting.

Walking Backwards Through The Cosmic Mirror
Finally, we’ve reached the end of the album, the final track: Walking Backwards Through The Cosmic Mirror.

Besides being a very complex and magnificent tune, it really does seem to take you backwards through space and time, it makes you think of what you’ve heard over the last hour of the album.

The guitar work in this track is the best off the album, it’s so menacing, that off note. The bassline and kick drives the song back up to speed, throwing you back into the weird world of Shpongle. It ends you on one final bit of flute, to bring you back into your own world.

Afterthoughts
Wow, what a truly intense album.

It’s been years since Shpongle has released a new album and I’m grateful they’ve waiting this long to build their own experiences to share with us.

I’m very torn between this album and Tales of the Inexpressible.

This album has a much more “darker” sound to it at times, everything felt so much deeper and authentic.

Overall this album goes on regular play for me, it’s one that you’d put on during some experimentation or if you’re relaxing during a rain storm.

It’s the perfect album to sit outside and absorb the stars.

I don’t want to rate it but if I had to give it a final score, it would be: 8.5/10.

For me, I would have loved for the synthed voices to continue through some of the tracks. The older albums felt a bit more psychedelic at times which I would have loved if there were one or two more harder songs.

This is what Shpongle is, this album really shows their perfection and their evolution. Shpongle continues to expand their sound, they can’t be compared.

Put on some headphones, sit in a dark room and listen to this album.

I guarantee that it’ll blow your mind.

Buy Shpongle – Ineffable Mysteries From Shpongleland on Amazon

Although a few of them aren’t directly about raves (using that term loosely), each of these movies have some sort of party element to them with electronic music. Some you may have seen – others may be something new. Either way, here is the Top 10 Best Rave Movies of All Time…in no particular order.

It’s All Gone Pete Tong

First up is the title ‘It’s All Gone Pete Tong’. This movie is about the character Frankie Wilde, a really popular DJ in Ibiza that eventually goes deaf from years of loud music. What’s great about this movie is that it has a pretty killer sound track, really funny scenes, the character Frankie is really identifiable. The film is shot in this pseudo-documentary style where there are interviews with real DJs talking as if Donnie were amongst them.

I’m not going to spoil the movie but it’s one that you can watch over and over because of how solid it is. It shows the rise of fall of Frankie, from the top of his game to a really bleak moment. You get to see these really great party scenes that pull the movie together, mix in a cocaine habit and you get one wild character. Could you imagine losing your hearing when you’re a DJ? You should check it out.

Read the reviews about It’s All Gone Pete Tong.

Groove

Ahhh Groove, perhaps my most favorite from the list. This is the stereotypical ‘rave’ movie. Basically, a group of people break into a warehouse to throw a rave and the kicker…they’re all waiting on Digweed to show up. In between you get all sorts of small interactions between the characters from the DJ that messing up his set, druggies, a flaky marriage, rolling and all sorts of events which you’d think to see at a typical rave.

Although the movie is a bit overblown and styled for Hollywood, there are many events and dialog between the characters that always seem to happen at parties.

What makes Groove so great is that it’s a perfect blend of the party and the people. Each character, although not entirely dynamic, is someone that you like. Each person’s story seems to arch and come together in the end, one of those ‘feel good movies’.

Read the full review of Groove.

Human Traffic

Second to Groove would be Human Traffic. Now, if you get the movie, you need to find the UK version. There is both a U.S. and recut version, but these both suck.

The movie is about a group of friends going out for a weekend of partying. What’s great about the movie is that it deals more about the people, their relationships with one another and growing up as well as trying to figure it all out. Each of the characters are a fairly decent portrayal of being young and discontent.

Every scene has memorable quotes and laughs because everyone involved is so sketch. There’s a bit of philosophy mixed in with it about the party life, politics, growing up and the likes, but it doesn’t make it too preachy.

The crew start off by preloading at a local bar where they break out into song (not as cheesy as it sounds), faking their way into a club, having major fun at the party, landing at the after party and wrapping it all up with a talk about the previous night.

Definitely check this one out.

Read the reviews of Human Traffic.

Go

Go is about a drug deal that goes bad and the people involved with it. The story is split between the characters telling each side. There’s so much going on in the movie that you really need to see it for yourself instead of reading about it.

Go check out…Go.

Read the full review of Go.

Trainspotting

I’m sure you’ve heard of Trainspotting, who hasn’t?

Trainspotting is about a group of people addicted to heroin. The movie is basically a glorification of the drug until it begins to turn sour. From robbing tourists, the worst bathroom you’ll ever see, character twists, self revelations and the trap of it all, Trainspotting has a great blend of comedy and serious scenes.

Trainspotting isn’t so much about raves but it does have a scene where he goes to a few clubs. This would be more like the outside life from the party, what goes on behind the scenes.

Read reviews about Trainspotting.

24 Hour Party People

24 Hour Party People is this pseudo-documentary based on real events about the rising punk scene in the U.K.

I know what you’re thinking, what the hell does this have to do with raves and partying? Well, eventually the main character opens the Hacienda club, this gigantic club in the U.K that hosts a ton of big name acts and antics.

The movie is great because it breaks the third wall as the main character talks to the audience, real people play their own roles and there’s this mentality of ‘just go with it’.

Read reviews about 24 Hour Party People.

One Perfect Day

One Perfect Day is an Australian rave movie about a guy that is really in tune with sounds and music. His girlfriend is also a singer, but he doesn’t get to visit her often, it’s a mix between a love story and the new success of becoming a DJ.

The main character eventually learns to DJ and makes his own songs using the sounds all around him from nature. Not to spoil it but a lot of heavy stuff happens in the movie that changes up the characters. There is a really awesome outdoor party scene which is enough to warrant checking out the movie, reminds me of festivals past.

It’s not one of the movies you’d watch over and over but it should be on your list.

Read the reviews about One Perfect Day.

Rise: The Story of Rave Outlaw Disco Donnie

I must say, I love Rise. This movie is actually a documentary about a party promoter in New Orleans named Disco Donnie.

It opens before the party starts where it introduces the main people involved with party promotion, mainly Disco Donnie. Along the way, Rise includes a few candid interviews with people attending and the life they live. Finally, the movie goes right into the party up, pounding music and dancing peoples, right up til the end.

Rise mixes in a bit of interviewing with each side including the law, seeing what they have to say about it and the mentality they bring to an otherwise perfect party.

It’s a good watch if you want to see the 90s U.S. rave scene.

Read the reviews of Rise: The Story of Rave Outlaw Disco Donnie.

Small Town Ecstasy

Small Town Ecstasy is a really iffy, but also quite great.

Small Town Ecstasy is about a dad who is introduced to the rave scene by his son. The main character is one of those ‘party dads’ that goes to raves with his kids and encourages them to take ecstasy, which brings him trouble sooner than he thinks.

It’s a bit unnerving to see people be so reckless at times but it’s a documentary, so what do you expect? Small Town Ecstasy shows what happens when the party comes crashing down, bringing the people with it.

Kevin and Perry Go Large

This movie Kevin and Perry Go Large is goofy as shit. I’m not joking.

Both characters are just these goofball bedroom DJs that dream of going to Ibiza to play at a big dance club. Kevin and Perry are a bit hard to adjust to because it reminds you of a movie made specifically for kids in middle school but after a while you start to get a grin at what’s going on, the smart little quirks that they make at people and the overall sense of ‘who cares’.

Kevin and Perry is the stereotypical ‘get a girl in the sack’ type thing (think American Pie), it’s about all the goofy stuff that happens to them in the meantime. Kevin and Perry Go Large is exactly what you expect from British comedy – dry, often uneventful but very lasting and fulfilling.

Read the reviews of Kevin and Perry Go Large.

There you have it!

So, there you have it, the Top 10 Best Rave Movies of All Time.

Can we expect more in the future? Yes.

However, for the time being, these are the movies you should check out if you’ve been itching to see some ravey/party movies. Just sit back, chill out, watch the movie and get some good vibes. Each of these movies have different scenes that you’ll love right away and quote it with your friends.

Now, go have a good time.

Got any other ‘ravey’ movie suggestions? Leave a comment!

What’s with the buttons?

This is one of my main problems with DJ Hero; it’s all about button mashing. Much like with Guitar Hero, it’s about being able to hit a button on the right note. With an actual DJ setup, besides a mixer with effects buttons, where do you find any buttons (not counting the start/stop)?

To many people, DJing looks like you’d be playing two records. For others, they know that there’s a lot more going on such as beatmatching, scratching, EQ levels, effects, reading the crowd and so much more.

It’s all just basic scratching

Okay, so buttons aside, what else is the main draw of DJ Hero? Well, one of the major features is the ability to scratch during certain notes. Unfortunately, just like in Guitar Hero, these moments will leave you just going spastic by rocking the platter back and forth. Sure people could try to actually scratch like turntablists, but they aren’t going to.

You’re stuck with the songs

Part of the main appeal of DJing is that you have such a massive choice of music to play from. For DJ Hero, you’re stuck with the package music, which is no good if you don’t like any of them. Additionally, you don’t get any of that warm, fuzzy feeling like when you find that perfect song in the bottom of a crate at your local record shop.

You’re missing out on the party

Okay, you round up a few friends over to play DJ Hero, that’s fun and all but then you’re missing out an entire night life full of craziness. You’re not going to run into the guy riding around the dance floor on a unicycle (seen this), the guy passed out in front of the stage (seen this), the naked girl running around the naked screaming about the apocalypse (seen this) or giving random people rides in Miami to the next club (done this).

Sure it’s fun to have some friends over just to play the game, that’s what it’s about, but then you’re really missing out on seeing a really awesome culture, the people within it and loud, mind altering music at a real party.

Even if you master it, it’s still a game

This is my main problem with DJ Hero, that even if you master DJ Hero, it doesn’t go anywhere. If you put the same amount of time into actually learning to DJ, you’d at least be able to throw a few real parties.

For nearly the same price, you could pick up at least an mp3 controller or a pair of used Numark or Stanton turntables and mixer. With an mp3 controller, such as the Hercules DJ Console MKII, you’d be able to mix any song on your computer, which sure beats the 102 songs that are packaged with it.

Even if you only learned basic beatmatching, which doesn’t take forever to get the fundamentals (though it will take a while to master), you’d still be way ahead in learning to DJ than investing the same amount of time into DJ Hero.

There are plenty of cheap, real DJ mp3 controller setups that you could buy that would allow you to mix your favorite songs while at least building a fundamental knowledge of actual DJing (remember: if you’re serious, you’ll want to upgrade from these).

M-Audio Torq MixLab Digital DJ System – $85.82

Hercules DJ Control MP3 – $139.95

ION Audio iCUE MP3 Computer Music Mixing Station with Software – $125

What I say…

I say skip over DJ Hero if you really want to know what DJing is about.

If you’re just looking for a quick game to waste some time on than be my guest and check out DJ Hero.

There’s always room for improvement with an actual pair of turntables but with DJ Hero you’ll always be stuck with a game.

Get out and mix it up, check out a club or local party with a DJ. Ask the DJ questions about their equipment. DJing for real isn’t for everyone but it’s a ton of fun.

Just my two cents.

What is the Hercules DJ Console MKII

The DJ Console MKII, by Hercules, is an all-in-one mp3 controller which allows you to use the hardware and bundled software to mix your mp3s and begin DJing. Instead of using your mouse and keyboard to DJ on your computer, you’re able to use the DJ Console to replicate some of the feel of spinning the records.

Now, to be directly honest, the DJ Console has nothing on an actual pair of turntables, this is a completely different thing all together, but one of my initial reasons for buying it was so I could throw my laptop and the MKII into a backpack and go wherever I want, without having to lug around a huge DJ coffin with my Technics.

What makes the MKII so great is that all you have is the console, a quick instillation of Virtual DJ and connect it with a USB cable (no power cords!) , then you’re set. It literally takes about 5 minutes to set up and begin DJing.

So, let’s go ahead and look at some of the features of the Hercules DJ Console MKII.

The Overall Design

The MKII is about the size of a netbook and weighs about the same as well. The first thing you’ll notice is the two giant jog wheels, a few knobs, and a host of various buttons, which I will explain in a bit. On the front side is the connection for your headphones as well as port to use a microphone, the volume of these connections are also controlled here. Finally, flipping it around to the back is the audio input/outputs.

The Hercules DJ Console MKII allows you to hook up quite a few additional pieces of gear. It uses two 1/8’ mini jacks for something such as your computer speakers. Additionally, you can output sound in RCA as well as directly hook up a pair of turntables through the inputs. There is, of course, the USB and optional power port in the back as well.

The overall design is fairly sleek, it looks a bit cramped but for basic mixing it gets the job done. The newer models of the DJ Console’s are a bit more spaced out and streamlined but I’m not going to weight it against them. It can easily fit in a backpack for mobile DJing or any other time you get the urge to start mixing some tracks.

The Main MKII Interface

As mentioned before, the main thing you’ll notice when looking at the DJ Console MKII is the 2 jog wheels. These jog wheels act like the turntables. You’re able to rock the jog wheels back and forth to queue up a song, and then release them to start it up. Its fun to be able to control your mp3s in this fashion compared to just clicking play within Virtual DJ.

Overall, the jog wheels are the main feature of the MKII; however, because they are relatively small, you don’t have much room for your hands.

Of course what set of turntables would be complete with any sort of mixer. With the MKII, the mixer is built right into the controller. You’re able to control much of the same things you can with a traditional mixer including the levels, cross fader and additional effects.

Without a crossfader, you wouldn’t be mixing. The crossfader is placed between the two jog wheels and it does its job well. Mix the two songs back and forth using the crossfader or you could always use the volume controls to mix the two tracks.

Additionally, much like a mixer, you’re able to control the low (bass), mids and highs (treble). Without these, you wouldn’t be able to do a few tricks like dropping the bass or panning some of the sounds around. These knobs are exactly like you’d find on a mixer, not much to explain there.

There is also a mouse knob which you can use in place of a mouse to select your songs. Overall it’s not all that useful because if you’re using a computer, you’ll be using a mouse anyways. I’ve played around with it a bit but it just don’t compare to the accuracy and speed of a mouse.

Okay, to cover a few others things, there are also a various mix of other controls such as pitch bend which allows you to slow down and speed up a track. There are also the play and queue buttons which, like their name, allows you to start a track or queue it to a specific point. There are also a few buttons on here to do effects within Virtual DJ such as a stutter, remove the vocals and much more.

Now, here are the only three downsides to the MKII – the autobeat and beatlock buttons and the pitch knobs.

Like their names, the autobeat and beatlock is basically cheating, which doesn’t help at all in the long run. Say you’re queuing up the next song, of course you want to start it at the right point, but with the beatmatch button, even if you don’t start it right on point, and you can press it to automatically sync the two tracks.

Why is this such an issue for DJing? Well, to learn how to beatmatch and mix, you really need to be able to do this yourself, not let a program and buttons do it for you. If you use the beatlock button, you may as well just be playing songs through your iPod. My advice is to teach yourself never to touch these buttons; it will hurt you by abusing them in the long run because you’ll never really learn how to properly mix.

Also, with a regular set of turntables, you have a pitch slider to control the speed of the record. With the MKII, you’re stuck with knobs and although this isn’t the biggest trouble of the MKII, it’s often annoying trying to match the bpm of the two tracks using it because the changes in turning the knob are so minute and seem out of place.

With the autobeat, beatmatch and pitch knobs aside, the overall interface is very intuitive and easy to get used to within a few minutes. The ease of the MKII will allow you to start learning how to DJ immediately, but you should look towards upgrading your setup to a proper set of turntables.

Virtual DJ

Next up is the software that comes bundled with the Hercules DJ Console MKII- Virtual DJ. Although not nearly as powerful as other interfaces such as Traktor, the fact that it comes free with the MKII is a very nice feature.

Virtual DJ can be customized with various skins and effects to add a bit more options in comparison to DJing with vinyl alone. That’s not to say that you can’t learn most of these tricks with Vinyl but they’re fun to occasionally play around with without doing back flips to make it happen. Again, you should always try to learn these techniques using a proper set of turntables, but in the spirit of talking about mp3 controllers, we can let this one slide for now.

Anyway, Virtual DJ gives you a very easy to navigate interface. Displayed within the program are two turntables, a mixer, effect buttons and a browser to find your music. Queuing up a song is very simple as well, all you need to do is drag and drop the track onto the selected turntable and that’s it, it’s ready to be spun.

What’s great about the MKII is that when you use the controller, Virtual DJ also shows what you’re doing on screen. If you are tweaking a knob, the on screen knob also is turned – a nice little visual aspect of the two working together.

Without going into every minute detail about Virtual DJ, it’s a very decent software interface to use with the MKII. It only takes a few minutes to understand what each button and feature does, which will have you up and running in minutes.

In Conclusion

Overall, I rather enjoy my DJ Console MKII. I don’t take it too seriously but it does offer a lot of features and power to start learning how to DJ. It’s always nice to be able to plug it in and start spinning at your computer while you’re working on other things or if you want to be focused on it.

The design is sleek and intuitive – very easy to get a hold of and understand right out of the box.  Virtual DJ is a great mix with the console, the combination of them compliments each other well as an entry level mp3 controller.

Additionally, the price of MKII has dropped considerably. You can now find them online for under $140ish or cheaper depending on where you find them. It’s a decent price to get started if you don’t have room for turntables or can’t afford a high end set just yet.

I say, overall, they’re a fun piece to play with and worth the money I spent.

Overall: 7/10

Buy the Hercules DJ Console MKII

Hercules DJ Console MK2

So, what do you think of the review?  Add your own comments and review, tell me what you think.

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Ghreg is back with his second album – T3. This time he’s on a brand new label called Underground Sound Promotions, a label dedicated to promoting the underground sound and not so known artists.

I’ve been waiting for this follow up for quite some time, so I’m quite excited to be doing a review of it. I figure I may as well start of BeginnerDJ with this review, something out of the ordinary for most but something I think you’d like.

After his first album, Sigilweaver, it’s hard to believe Ghreg can follow up such an amazing album. This time around, T3 pulls out a lot of the stops and just smashes your face with dark psytrance beats.

What makes Ghreg so great is that he doesn’t fall into the usual dark psytrance crowd. Darkpsy is iffy at times because a lot of producers just don’t put a lot of effort into the genre, you always end up with basic basslines and non inspirational leads. Ghreg on the other hand just sends you through all sorts of mind fucts – wizzy noises, great sampling, and basslines which make you shit yourself.

So, let’s take a look at the new album T3 by Ghreg on Earth.

With all pretentiousness aside…

The Lost Coast

Although starting out a bit slow, this track builds up into a bit of guitar sampling and glitchy symphonics which reminds you of some twisted carnival ride at the hands of a drunken conductor. It’s not so much that it pounds at you but instead it acts like a warm up of more to come. With T3 opening with The Lost Coast – you know Ghreg is back.

All Paths Paranoia

All Paths Paranoia is a simple but really great track. The best part about this track is the electronic “voices” throughout the song that talk to you. I’ve always been a big fan of producers who try to have their synths talk to you so this track hits it right on the head. It finally ends in a torrent of clangy and glitchy noises, spinning round and round, almost dizzying but such a wonderful sickening feeling.

Subterranean Bliss

Subterranean Bliss opens with punchy kicks and a nagging stab. Like the name, it gives off this vibe that you’re descending into some kind of darkness. You get the sense that you’re beginning to loose your direction. This is the point in T3 that it begins to move you, you’ve been bobbing your head but now you’re getting in a bit of the body.

Permutation City

Ah, now we’re really getting into the essence of Darkpsy. The bassline is much thicker and dark, the ambiance is beginning to take a cryptic tone and alertness. Like the title, it’s like you’re in some post-apocalyptic world set to a soundtrack of terror.

Diabolical Topologies

This one is just a filler track, a bit of dark ambiance and moodiness that warms up the next track…

Time Body Mechanics

This track came out of left field! At first it sounds like you’re about to listen to a DnB track but the ambiance fades it away, but then, oh shit, it comes back to this Darkpsy DnB beat. This track reminds me of a slightly slowed down Neurofunk track, but with a lot more psy undertones. Time Body Mechanics is a nice transition and breakup of the album, setting the next tone for the rest of the album.

Super Lucid Trajectory

What a sick track. Ghreg begins to experiment with darkpsy dubstep. I’ve heard some dark ambient dubstep before but this is completely different and unexpected. I really wish the track was longer than it was, it has so much force.

Neverware

After that little break of experimenting, it’s right back into the dark psy. This track is a doozy, hitting an 11 minutes, quite longer than the other tracks on the album. This track has this odd flute effect to it which, for some reason or another, makes me think of some demented pied piper.

There’s just so much going on with this track that it’s hard to describe all of the thoughts you get from it. Neverware is perhaps the best track from T3 – it’s such a solid hit.

Apex Stellarium

The final track of T3. Apex Stellarium takes you through one final dark ride. It sounds as if you’re finally leaving some forsaken land to return to the normal world. You’ve finally escaped the grasp of Ghreg on Earth.

Final Thoughts

T3 is rather hard album to review because of Ghreg’s first album Sigilweaver, but in fairness I don’t want to be judgemental and biased. You expected to be pounded by ripping basslines and squelching acid leads but instead it was much more moody and ominous.

T3 overall has this sound as if you’ve just entered some dark and twisted surreal world. Your journey though Ghreg’s land is as if he’s puppetting your every move, leading you deeper into some hellish world.

Overall I’d say T3 is an excellent follow up to Sigilweaver. Instead of going a generic route of filling up and album with similar songs, Ghreg has set T3 apart from his previous work by experimenting with new fusions. Both of the albums will compliment each other well and could easily be listened to back to back or even mixed up.

I like this album. It was worth the wait.

Rating: 7.5/10

Buy Ghreg on Earth – T3