(Iboga/Cosmophilia)

Upon first glance of the cover of Antix’s debut Album I was struck by the artwork permeating it. The photo imagery of a tree has been merged with what appears to be the synthesis of a more metallic type construction. Resting in the background is a mix of blue lines and a permeating darkness. A New Zealand artist by the name of Hinge was responsible for this design. Interestingly the visual merging of the seemingly organic and the synthetic was an excellent representation of the ensuing aural feast.

Also based in New Zealand, The Strom Brothers (Antix) music could be labeled as Psygressive. Slower and more “progressive” in its sound than pure psy-trance, it still manages to maintain the trance inducing soundscapes and rolling basslines but conveyed in a more minimal fashion. From the opening track Darko I was hit with a thumping dark tribal beat. Moments later eerie atmospherics gave way to a deep rolling organic groove and suddenly my butt was moving of its own accord. It’s hard not to imagine yourself under the stars stomping your feet against the bare earth when your listening to this album (particularly if you’ve experienced a party in a forest under the stars). Nevertheless their dark tribal progressive style would surely go down a treat in the confines of a club such as Sunny Side Up. Most of the 8 tracks on this LP are quite similar in nature, subtle percussion, deep in the jungle tribal kicks and intricate soundscapes that drift in and out of your headspace. It’s a credit to the production work of these guys that the subtle and minimal shifts of sound evident in their tracks still create such a resounding effect. It’s very evident to me that less is more approach seems to influence the construction of their music. On The Rock uses a more traditional psychedelic bassline that is used as the backing for deep housey pads and a subtle creeping melody that very much smells like a sunrise tune! In contrast to most of the other tracks Capella rips and roars and demands to be thumped out in the heart of the night. This time the dark tribal kicks are accompanied by hard edged acidic riffs and tearing psychedelic squelches. My personal favourite though is Hit The Frog N’ Toad which immediately opens with lush atmospherics that warm you to the very core. Very much another minimal morning track that builds slowly and steadily through it’s intricate developments in percussion and melody. Listening to this album I’m transported into nature once again, the sun is rising through the trees and when that deep organic groove kicks in I’m lost amongst the crowd.

Interestingly on the cover of the album Antix have provided us with a definition of the word Lull. The meaning of which is “cause to feel deceptively confident; (of a storm etc.) become quiet .n . a period of quiet or inactivity.” With a debut like this I can certainly see why they’re confident. Nice work boys. So, can we claim you as our own just like we did with Russell Crowe?