Trancendance

Cosmosis

Trancendence

Phantasm (UK)

I was excited to hear that Cosmosis was coming up with a new album this year; not just because his albums are, for the most part, fucking killer but also because it seems that whenever he releases one, it’s always a good year for psytrance. Opener Spontaneous Combustion takes about thirty seconds before we realise how much we’ve missed Cosmosis’ sounds, that distinctive bassline pattern coupled with a meaty but funky kick, samples that sound like Cornfed from Duckman, swirly acid and a groove that maintains all the wiggle we’ve fallen in love with over the course of the last eleven years. It sets the tempo nicely, without going too high. Naked Chicks sampled Dale from King Of The Hill and is instantly back to the high-watermark Cosmosis output of Synergy – fluid acid dances around a smooth backbone, with trademark cosmosis noises flying out from all angles. A delicious sawcut synth drives it along, through plenty of changes before it all cascades into delirium. Nice. Echoes In Eternity is more straightforward but no less effective, keeping a simpler groove and concentrating on the movement of the sounds around the speakers. This begs to be played on a big rig, with subtle changes and a hint of oldskool tweakery, morphing it all into an astounding final run. Inside Yourself is classic Billy all the way, really sounding like it could have been on one of his way earlier albums (but this is a good thing!) Screaming acid, lovely topend tickles and more layers than six bigmacs stacked on top of each other. One Blinding Illumination again moves nicely, not quite as cohesive as the preceding tunes but showcases a more mature and measured approach to creating music that’s psyched and tight, with a wonderful midsection. Stormy Monday is cracking, littered with characteristic samples (which are damn funny), effortless energy, and a truly wonderful final run with a stretchy, rollercoaster synthline leading the way outwards and upwards. Re-Order is one I think everyone’s heard, the remix/retake on New Order’s Blue Monday. It’s not the most lasting tune on the album, but I used it religiously as my morning “get up and do something” tune for about a fortnight. Dancefloor reaction is likely to be mixed, but in the current climate of guitarry psytrance covers and nonsense, this is masterful and shows a lot of the others how it should be done. At the end of the day kids, this scene is all about fun and the placement of an essentially tongue-in-cheek tune at this stage of the album works perfectly. Dead Or Alive sounds a little less like Cosmosis than Cosmosis (if you see what I mean), but when the elasticated 303s start screaming, you know you’re onto a winner. Finally, Tim’s Trip is a gorgeous closing tune; Billy’s downtempo tracks were always special and this is fully in the same vein, with a teary Leary sample and guitar lines that sounds more Grateful Dead than anything else (and all of this is a good thing.) Overall this is a dazzling album. It wears well under repeated listening and, much like the previous Cosmosis albums, is one you’ll still be coming back to years from now. Much respect, and welcome back. (Now how about an ambient album?)