New releases last two weeks: Psy/Goa Trance

Review: Following his acclaimed 'Love Dub So' EP, Nick Barber's Doof returns to Mysticisms with The Love Mixes-early, raw recordings from cassette-only archives. Made in 1990-91 while studying philosophy in Cambridge, these tracks fuse the spirit of Pink Floyd and Goa's Full Moon parties with the rise of UK trance culture. Crafted with minimal gear and pure DIY energy, the recordings capture the wide-eyed excitement of a scene still being born. Hand-dubbed and passed around at afterparties, one tape reached Mute Records and it was that which sparked Doof's Novamute debut. Now remastered, The Love Mixes offers an unfiltered window into the roots of electronic trance.

Review: Norwegian producer Ekkel, co-founder of Ute Records, returns with four sharply drawn tracks for Seismic's third release. His blend of 90s-indebted progressive textures and rhythm-forward minimalism remains intact, though with new, more interior inflections. 'Hradec Fog Fever' is the steadiest of the lot-clean, rolling percussion and tight low-end restraint-but it's 'Owl Foot' that lingers, pairing whispered vocal snippets with eerie atmospheres and subtle motion. On the B-side, 'Drum Ring' builds unease through gritty kicks and unresolved phrases, echoing trance motifs without ever fully revealing them. 'Endphase' teases a moment of release via distant melodies, but soon undercuts it with brittle, clipped drums. This is dance music in a minor key-focused, evocative, and unusually meditative. A smart addition to Seismic's emerging catalogue, and a compelling statement from one of Norway's most consistently interesting underground names.

Review: Headek Records second release is as good as its first, with The Eyes of Goa's Syncrosonix EP diving into deep, hypnotic Goa trance sounds. Both standout tracks-'Syncrosonix' and 'Goagoa'-come in dual versions that merge the raw energy of classic Goa with bleep-laced techno futurism. It's a heady blend of bold basslines and acid-drenched sequences on both parts of 'Syncrosonix' with turbocharged drums sweeping you off your feet. 'Goagoa' is all shimmering bleeps and sleek synths so the result is a high-intensity, time-warping experience that pulls you into a vortex of rhythm and light that will expand your mind. These tunes really celebrate trance's timeless transformative power.

Review: French techno alchemist Vardae is the latest artist to feature on German experimental drum & bass label Samurai Music. Vardae has dabbled with 85/170bpm speeds before, most notably on his excellent 'The Kaipos' EP. This time we get a full EP's worth of deep techno-influenced drum & bass, a sound that is familiar to anyone following recent trends in the deeper scenes of techno: acid lines, forest drums, mystic vocals, etc. The opener 'The Light Motion' is a halftime groover with fluttering percussion propelling it forward. The second 'Chaeming Your Soul' has a more recognisable drum & bass rhythm underneath, bringing to mind Overlook and UVB-76's back catalogue with powerful acid washes over the top. 'Voices Of Depossesion' has a conventional four-to-the-floor beat but at a blistering BPM and 'Flaming As A Cloud' ends with an excellent drum & synth-ony. One for fans of Marco Shuttle, Pessimist, et al.

Review: In January 2025, Al Wootton visited Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio, which is home to a rare archive of vintage drum machines. Once there, he recorded the unique rhythms and quirks of these machines and captured their raw character. Back in the UK, he transformed those recordings through processing and layering to create this new EP, Rhythm Archives. The result is a stripped-back but impactful exploration of rhythm that draws from industrial, dub, post-punk and proto-techno influences. The record stands as both a creative tribute to the iconic machines and their makers and a nod to MESS's mission of preserving electronic music heritage and making it accessible through public engagement and education.