Forest
Various Artists
Various
Forest
Doof (Israel)
One of my favourite labels at the moment, Doof have a reputation for no-bullshit hard as nails psytrance with a truly twisted bent. U-Recken vs Zion open proceedings with Furies, a bustling and jumpy kickstart that moulds more conventional busy fullon with darker sounds. It has that quality that makes you want to crank up your stereo as far as it will go, which you need to do to fully appreciate its tricks and builds. Double REL’s Scum OF The Earth crashes in like a stag party landing at Amsterdam airport, and then proceeds to do just as much damage, with stacks of changes and some utterly delicious sounds. Entropy’s The Messenger takes a while to kick in, and sits squarely with a solid, Bonky-esque groove with squeaks and slurps flying around everywhere. One massive breakdown later and it peaks into one of the most danceable pieces of gnarly pie ever witnessed. Tooth Fairy from Zirkin vs N3xu5 has nothing of a fairy-ish atmosphere about it… the full twist jostles with breaks that are suspended in mid air, and all the action happens firmly in the bottom end, with more bass than I think has ever been committed to a recorded medium of any kind. N3xu5 pops back in again with The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, a wonderfully pounding groove that builds before taking a slight detour, then coming back in a truly staggering fashion – huge chainsaws, relentless bass, and a final section that really beggars belief: the chord changes are an utter energy-enhancer, and really work a treat here. Iron Madness take things into migraine territory with Maniac Police, which would be a much better soundtrack to an outdoor party getting busted than a billion Party Pooper’s. Deep sirens add to the dancefloor paranoia already peaked by a caustic backbone, utterly mental structure, before those deliciously evil noises mimic a police siren. Fucking class. Zirkin & Rev’s No Game is a clattering maniac with a heavy, fat riff in the middle that sounds a little like it could be – don’t shoot me – like it could be GMS. There, I said it. But a GMS who are genuinely growling, and genuinely mad. And possible genuinely scientists. REV steps up on his own with Sunday Driver, which muscles and molluscs its way nicely along, though without holding quite so much individual clout as the others on here, and it just leaves the wonderful Blanka to close the album with Forest: a slower tempo, but it has everything you need. Gnarl, twist, evil stomp and a good dash of wiggle combine with a damn sweet, hardly-there high-end melody to have you grinning into the break and the sunrise beyond. This is utterly brilliant stuff: consistent and, for the most part, utterly individual and truly exciting. Bored with the norm? Then look no further. Nighttime trance of the highest order.
