Cambodia / Awake – Dragonfly

Seems to be the norm these days - a smashing compilation gets a CD-only release, and you have to wait weeks before the tracks start appearing on vinyl. Such is the case with UK labels anyway, and here Dragonfly lift two of the best cuts from the recent A Better Life Through Chemistry CD for a double header that's quality all the way. Tallest-man-in-psytrance Prometheus starts with a meaty kick, with a feedback-based stab and some spacey guitars, before picking up trademark Prometheus pads and a cute high-end melody, which by the great power of subtle filters, drives the tune to a kick ass conclusion. Bamboo Forest's Awake is perhaps more conventional, adding melodies and textures to the halfway break, after which point everything crashes in and they slip quietly into fifth gear. Functional beauty, with all the right bits in all the right places. An excellent release, but no substitiute to the heavy-cut quadruple-vinyl album release that idiots like me dream about. -Damion- 3