Two weeks ago, French Psytrance wizard Talamasca dropped off his 12th studio album, We Gonna Rock The World. For this release, he collaborated with no other than the Argentinian guitar beast, Ivan Castro. Combining music genres is always tricky and can quickly lead down a disastrous path, especially when trying to merge psytrance and rock guitar riffs.
But boy, did these guys make it work! The result is a glorious collection of riveting tracks that will happily find their way to the dancefloors and festivals this summer. What honestly needs to be said is that these tracks stay true to both the psytrance and rock genres. Not to be compared to various recent releases that enthusiastically used the “Psytrance” tag even though not much psytrance is to be found in said tracks except for a couple of triplets. By the way, why does it always have to be triplets?
The wizard’s touch
This album, as many before it, showcases Talamasca’s love and respect for the legendary electronica and synthesizer pioneers (e.g. Jean Michel Jarre, Vangelis, and Moroder). You combine that with superbly blended guitar riffs, a dose of the wizard’s touch and you end up with an album that is not only catchy but more so it is mesmerizing.
The album kicks off with ‘Shared Experience’. Talamasca and Castro don’t waste any time getting straight to the point and you are in for a ride. It will prove difficult to sit still while listening to this track! Before you realize it you are rocking in your chair and humming along!
Fantastic bass lines are joined by dream-like synthesizer tones and just when you thought you had it all figured out, Ivan Castro decides to throw in his guitar riffs, taking the track to a whole new level. In the end, you can’t help but have a sense of victory and be in a celebratory mood! It is as if this track was written with the 2018 World Cup Football in mind. (At the time of writing, Talamasca’s France has made it to the final.)
Keep on rocking away!
The rest of the album doesn’t let off the pedal. Talamasca’s infectious bass lines serve as a leitmotif for this entire release and consistently meet up with captivating synth melodies and Castro’s invigorating guitar riffs. The entire release is energetic and uplifting. I speak from personal experience when I say that this music is also great for gaming.
The overall feel of this album can perhaps be best described by ‘The Good Place’, the second track of this album. It starts off with charming and entrancing chimes and you might feel that Talamasca and Castro somehow managed to trap you into a fairytale or lullaby. The track is a direct reference to the television series with the same name and it is Ted Danson who is whispering in your ear that “Generally speaking […], there’s a Good Place and there’s a Bad Place. You’re in the Good Place.”
He is right. We are definitely in the good place.
We Are Gonna Rock The World is out on Dacru Records and available on all streaming platforms. Click here to listen on Spotify.
Connect with Talamasca and Ivan Castro on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/talamasca_official/
https://www.instagram.com/ivancastromusic/