Dimension 5 – Transdimensional

Legendary stuff. One of the most intense albums of all time, it never lets you go. Before goa and psy I listened to some techno stuff that bordered on trance, datpiff trap mixtapes, metal albums. When I was on a search for the hardest music known to man, I wound up here. It was the album that opened up the new world of trance music for me. Who was Dimension 5? I really don't know. In the world of goa trance it's like every artist was related by two degrees of separation at the most, but D5 was sequestered away on their own label and only once or twice ever appeared on a real various artists compilation (destination goa and goa-head don't count, I'm talking curated label comps).

This album is an epic voyage, which is what everybody says about every trance album they like. But rarely has it been more true than here. A proper hero's journey. Sonic equivalent of Siddharthas awakening, the Odyssey, Naruto, etc. Properly psychedelic as well. I hate the association of this genre with drugs because the stereotype cheapens people's perception of the whole thing, and I don't have a positive stance on mind altering substances. But back in the day, I did partake although I didn't exactly enjoy it. My wildest experience was taking 900mg of DXM, a hit of acid or so, and some datura seeds. What I saw cannot be described, but the riffing at the two-and-a-half minute mark on Harmonic Convergence comes close to portraying that experience.

While it's clear these guys are seasoned musicians, the music does sound very "home studio". All the drums are ran hard down the center and sound raw like they were arranged out of a SP1200 like rap producers did in the 90s. It only adds to the effect, in my opinion. But overall the levels are all well mixed and there is clarity in spite of the ruggedness. I have no idea what the original CD sounds like, but I'd say the mastering on this one isn't too bad. It's raw and pretty damn loud but not bloated and eq'd all totally weird like the Suntrip and DAT Records reissues that came later.

My tastes in trance have changed a lot since the days I used to wear this disc out, but I still come back to this album when I need something of epic proportions.

Antidote, Omega Centaurus and Depp space 5D with pitch minus 4 get more grip and more groove. But its is all about Flow is the monster with bpm aeound 100, nice for a break within the set

This is 100% my favourite Goa album of all time.

This is high-powered dancefloor energy, like Astral Projection on uppers! It does lack deeper complex melodies or memorable hooks, but the synthlines it does have bring effective colour & spacey energy. There's also no complex song structures here, and all the tracks do sound similar to each other, so don't expect big worlds being created ala Juno Reactor. As a no-nonsense dancefloor-banger, however, it's perfectly suited.

There's no real standout strong (or weak) track, with the exception of Deep Space 5D which has an evocative hook and later on dreamy pad. More ambition of this nature among the other tracks might've elevated this to a 5-star in my book.

Transdimensional is a hyped cult-like album which won't disappoint as long as you understand its nature as a goa banger rather than a psychedelic thinker. It's never boring, it's always energetic. I enjoyed having the whole CD on twice-in-a-row, tho' I was never wowed.

A word on the remastering from the ubiquitous Tim Schuldt: it's been the trend for almost 20 years now to maximise loudness & the dancefloor-friendly elements. This can be positive, negative or neutral...depending on the actual musik, the setting and your mood. Some might say the remastering here has all three: negative in that the presence of the trance-lines has been lessened, positive in that the kick is much more upfront and generally the overall sound appears to have more clarity (it sounds close to a 2010's production). And neutral in that the musik itself speaks louder than the mastering. So it depends on where you stand and how you perceive sound. Personally for old-school trancey-goa I prefer more presence in the synth-lines than the kick, but famously the 1997 issue of the CD is somewhat hard to get hold of. Interestingly, this remastering trend of more clarity & contrast can also be seen in the cover re-design which now has more contrast, deeper-saturated colouring and increased sharpness (or clarity), whereas the original cover-image is softer & smoother. What you prefer is a personal subjective thing rather than an objective truth.

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Update: I've since got some old Goa Head CD's with a couple of Transdimensional tracks on them, and frankly they sound better (for home-listening) than this issue: smoother, more hypnotic, less harsh, less upfront.

Tech-info: I use Gemini CD-DJ with XLR-Outputs going into Allen & Heath mixer, which go out to a pair of ESI Near08 active monitors with an extra Adam Sub7 Woofer for the superlow frequencies between them...so has some ooomph but obviously not on a level of pro PA's. I expect for big soundsystems at clubs/festivals the modern remastering would make this CD sound more consistent with any modern DAW-productions the DJ might spin, whereas if the DJ played an old Goa Head (or indeed the original 1997 CD) then it might sound jarring being mixed between contemporary psy-goa. This may also apply for home-DJ's on their own systems.

Always loved this album from the word go, partly due to the fact I was living next door to Charlie Clarke when himself and the lads were recording the album, so was getting updates as it was happening! I even own one of the first demos as well as the album when it was released! My name is even mentioned in the special thanks alongside John Peel n Fluke! A bangin album with a mellow ness about it from beginning to end!!! Such great memories for me personally, even named a shop I used to own 'Utopian Dreams' after my fav tune! Nik Hall

Just got this and am definitely not disappointed. This is one of the best psy/goa albums ever - there are a few that compare (Blue Energy, Alien Protein, for example) but only a few. I knew the standout track (Deep Space 5D) from an old mixtape, but had never heard the whole album before. It's all perfectly balanced trippy party music, without ever having a cheesiness.

This is my favorite Goa trance album of all the time. Through the simplicity of the structure of the songs, we perceive the traces of a real genius. The whole album is a work of art and takes us into his world all along listening. The sounds used are unique and pleasurable. Please buy it NOW !

Legendary Tracks:
Psychic Influence, Deep Space 5D.

All the other tracks are very good.

An old classic, fortunately repressed thanks to Suntrip Records.

What defines a classic goa record ?

1) Simplicity over complexity

Take that, new-schoolers. Hear how simple the dreamy and uplifting "Deep Space 5D" is. Learn how to use space and time instead of adding huge layers of ultra-complex melodies one atop each other, then drowning everything into an ocean of reverb. Learn to know how the mind reacts to certain sound and patterns - learn buddhism.

2) A universe in each track

Ten tracks, ten unique moods. From cosmic mysticism to numbing bliss, notwithstanding the mind-fucking psychotropic experiences of both "Omega Centaurus" and the incredible "Harmonic Convergence". The melodies stay in memory for a long time, and for nothing in the world would I let them flow away.

3) An ending (Ascent)

No, this has nothing to do with Brian Eno. Or does it ? Learn that a downtempo track is not a pitched-down full-on stomper: again, it has to tell a story of its own. how the best Transwave tracks always were their slowest one ? Speed is a measure, not a goal. "Flow" is beautiful, oneiric and chilling to the point of being terribly addictive.

This may sound paradoxical, but classic records often define their own rules. A tip to . "Transdimensional" is unique although no other album could define more flawlessly what goa trance is about. Yes, they are other classics out there - but guess what ? They use their own rules as well. It's no use trying to catch their spirit these days - they are already way beyond stars, between past and timeless hyperspace.

Re-releasing one of the most sought after old school albums will with time must probably show to be one of Suntrip Records greatest moves. Many upon many old school afficionados have been eagerly waiting to grab hold of what is most certainly one of the center piece jewels of the royal crown.
The general idea is that "Transdimensional" has been rarely matched in of quality, and very few (if any) albums have since exemplified so flawlessly the spirit of goa trance.
As far as the tracks themselves are concerned, most are hard hitting party orientated numbers, meaning they all go pretty high up in the BPM range, are accompanied by neck snapping kicks and decorated with aboundings of cherubic melodies. Similar structures, yes, boring, no. A fair amount of these tracks have with years become favorites in hearts of plenty listeners, namely the trancey dreamer Deep Space 5D, and the explosive Psychic Influence and Harmonic Convergence.
The massive leads hit it on the nail in every track, thus enabling each tune to have that something particular which makes it a stand out on its own, while all shine equally in the context of the whole album, which is mixed by the way.
Pretty unique feat, and that is why "Transdimensional" is at the top of the heap when talking about the greatest accomplishments of the melodic old school goa trance genre.

This album is rated highly for a good reason. It's perhaps one of the best Goa albums ever. Definitely a must have.

All the tracks show a unique style that can be attributed to Dimension 5, at least in their early releases and first album. I don't think I've ever heard a Goa track with quite the use of acidic sounds used in all these tracks. They are all very melodic and high energy, and they use samples very well.

The first 9 tracks are mainly high energy, complex, and building. They all tell their own story and are mostly all amazing tracks! The best ones IMO are probably Deep Space, Psychic Influence, Harmonic Convergence and Omega Centaurus.

Flow is somewhat a cool down track as it's name suggests, and is really also amazing, though being very different from the rest.