As masters of hallucinogenic trance Infected Mushroom are back with their creative blending of styles. This israeli duo go a few steps beyond the standard and cough up not only classical peices but also a harsh, funky and acidic flavour! Read on.

Yes finally it is released, "Converting Vegetarians". The fourth album of Israels most famous psytrance act. A double cd, trance and freestyle released on Brand New Entertainment Israel,

Amit Duvdevani & Erez Aizen. Infected Mushroom take psychedelic trance and freestyle electronica beynd their boundries by using a combination of acoustic and chunky electric guitars & distorsions and mixing them up with acid tones, light melodic breaks, relentless beats and soaring angelic vocals.

CD 1 - Trance Side
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01. Albibeno
02. Hush mail
03. Apogiffa night
04. Song pong
05. Chaplin
06. Economix
07. Scorpion frog
08. Deeply disturbed
09. Semi nice
10. Yanko pitch

CD 2 - The Other Side
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01. Converting vegetarians
02. Elation station
03. Drop out
04. Avratz
05. Blink
06. Shakawkaw
07. Pletzturra
08. I wish
09. Ballerium
10. Selec ta
11. Illuminaughty
12. Jeenge
13. Elevation


What surprised me when i first heard about the double cd release was that one of the cd's was gonna be freestyle electronic music. That kind of music spiced up with the Infected twist can't be anything else but great for the psychedelic ear! Infected Mushroom always manage to create and build up that very special atmosphere of theirs around their productions with their yummy baselines, special kicks and excellent percussive work along with those twisted melodies, taking it to their own level of sound and analog resonance. I guess there is only one word for it, Infected. Now its time to put the cd on...


CD 1 - Trance Side -

Ten tracks, all of them great productions. Albibeno contains a nice introductional melody, good to start the cd with. But it doesn't take long before those infected beats starts along with those yummy baselines I absolutely adore. Around 5 min it reminds me of one of their older tracks and that shows that infected mushroom will never loose their shroomy touch, i want more of those trancey melodies!
Hush Mail starts with some of the strangest samples ive ever heard, but in some weird way they make me happy hehe. Their choice of percussive sounds is really tight and breaks into one of those nice baselines again. Further in to the track i realize i don't hear any echos or delays at all, now this is what i call a tight production as those rythms constantly sticks to the track!
Apogiffa Night starts off by sending me into darkness and then breaking into an insane build up that should be setting a parental advisory sticker on the cd hehe., Psychotic stuff blended with twisted melodies. Tight all the way through.
Song Pong, an atmosphereric start spinning around along with sweet rythmistic melodies breaking down into a kickass psychedelic track with soaring trancy peices of joy!
Chaplin, another atmospheric start but now with a more trancy feel to it. Baselines entering together with another groove melody that really shows the sound of this duo in all it's spectacular forms. Funky build ups which at 6 min breaks into a fast infected track ending a little bit too fast maybe.
Echonomix, melodies put together with nice percussives and infected drums ending with trancey feelings.
Scorpion Frog, another one of those infected mushroom songs which shows how almost any kind of instrument can be blended with trance if you just do it the right way and choose the right scales. Violins together with a tech beat building up to a fast and interesting song. A production with this kind of work behind it can't be anything else then very good. This is what i love with infected mushroom, when they create a track with an unusual choice of instruments, twisting it into their own unique peice ending with a beautiful result!
Deeply Disturbed, the single reviewed here at I:Vibes not too long ago, one of the best psychedelic productions this year in my opinion. A Great set of guitar sounds are used in this fast and energetic song. Stompy Stompy, one unique beat with a great baseline and suddenly a trancy guitar melody by berry Sakharof blowing me away! Berry's voice building up into screams and breaks down into the same great guitar melody and ending with a spacy dark melody. This is by far one of the best tracks on the album.
Semi Nice, after a great song like deeply disturbed i really wonder what will come next. All elements in this track work together very nice allthough the instruments used here i never think has been used in a trance track before and thats what makes this track so cool and very enjoyable! At 3 min the track starts to say bOIIng and around 5 min it feels like this track is close to musical infected perfection!
Yanko Pitch, a trancy fast melody going together with nice beats with a disturbed stompy feel to it building up to a real dancefloor killer, i can't imagine a better way to end a cd like this other then by full force!


Cd 2 - The Other Side -

Converting Vegeetarians, a track breaking into funky beats and nice melodies together with cool vocals great for late night listening, Chunky all the way through with constant grooves generated by the mix of atmospheric synths and instruments!
Elation Station, a happy intro fills my ears along with trancey resonance, breakbeats i never could expect blends in perfectly with the rest of the song which has a very melodic touch to it.
Drop Out, this is a beautiful track. Some of these loops will stick inside my head for a long time. The break at 2 min sends shivers down my spine. A unique mix of guitars and synths.
Avratz, a nearly depressive intro to a dubby and dark long song with roaring rythmistics around 90bpm.
Blink, one of a kind from Infected Mushroom. Beautiful vocals by Michele Adamson. a stunning set of lyrics from a singer with an angelic voice. Great production not to be missed!
Shawkawkaw, i would call this peice of music psychedelic breakbeat invented by this duo. A chilly touch of nice guitars working together with the other sounds in harmony and a really infected, dark touch of psychedelic sweetness!
Pletzturra, nice dub beats and piano melodies creates a peacefull view of life upon listening. Some male vocals are also featured here and the ending of this track is probably the most twisted peice of music ive ever heard, totally remarkeble!
I Wish, when it feels like nothing can surprise me anymore a really funky loop of beats starts swirling in my speakers, this track has a little electro sound to it. A Really funky track with a melodic touch.
Ballerium, chunky beats and soaring 303's creates a chillout atmosphere around the good build-up., the new melodies entering is better then the earlier ones all the time, pretty cool yes!
Selecta, a little bit harder then the past tracks, it sounds like livedrums to me. A Track bended to it's max with those electric guitars! This song also has one of those totally fucked up endings which is so damn innovative and so well produced alltogether so you just floats with the flow!
Illuminaughty, Michele Adamsons voice fills me again. Almost as good as blink but this track is more breaky and fast. Starts out dark and ends with joyfull ambient noises.
Jeenge, probably my favourite track on this cd. So incredibly relaxing but still groovy, this one sticks with me forever. If i ever play a Dub set this is definatly the opening tune.
Elevation, an infected melody kicks into the last track while some beautiful trancy tones melts in nicely with the slow beats, a perfect one of a kind ending to a one of a kind cd.

Conclusion:
Alltogether Infected Mushroom has managed to maintain their own infected sound while also managed to twist the tones around even more by producing the absolutely beautiful freestyle cd. A great album from great artists producing since 1996 and this is the outcome of 6 years of friendship between two of this worlds most innovative artists. If you like Infected Mushroom then go out and buy this cd, it is one peice of music you need to have on your cd shelf! For parties, for relaxing, but most definatly for home listening!