A small update this time, but as I’ve recently mentioned a couple of things on TYFTH’s Facebook page and twitter a post here is slightly overdue.

The biggest news is that the compilation is with the production plant, and in the works as we speak. The visuals and DDP images for the CD were being checked a few days ago, and the nightmare-inducing payment has also been made. Just a matter of sitting tight until it all arrives.

That means that a release date announcement is extremely close – I’m away for a few days at the end of the month, so whatever happens I’m thinking it might be best to look at an early August release. As much as I’d like to hand out the release for free, getting the sounds and visuals to these levels has inevitably required professional-standard production. It would be nice to recoup some of the costs, then, but as a small thank you to everyone I’ll be running a (very easy to enter) competition with one pre-release copy of the album as a prize.

Also, it might interest some that I’ll be adding occasional sounds and images to TYFTH’s twitter account that either inspired the release or speak to the atmosphere that TYFTH is going for, in amongst occasional bits of news and mix links.

The final track of the compilation sees another brave soul taking on the remix of a classic, and this time it’s Hyphen with a brand new version of Alek Száhala’s Dryad Machine. The original remains one of my favourite tracks of all time, but Hyphen has wisely steered away from matching it for aggressive psychedelics and instead updated it with a fresher feel, higher bpm, and some lovely touches of his own style.

This preview gives you an idea of how the track builds from the classic break into a climactic mix of melodies – the fusion of styles really works, and this might be one of the most flexible tracks on the compilation, in terms of finding its way into sets across the freeform scene.

There you have it, then – thanks for following the previews as they’ve gone live, and for all the support, feedback and questions so far. Thank the gods that this evening (almost) saw an end to the major delays over the past couple of months, and it’s conceivable that the album will be sent for manufacture tomorrow. Rest assured that there’ll be joyous announcements to that effect, as and when, as well as news on the release date.

Re-form are next up on CD 1 – Attitude Problem is an absolute journey of a track and another that nails the blend of old and new that the compilation is trying to promote. With all the darkness and filtered, psy-styled elements you’d have expected in years past, this time there are weightier leads, crisper acid, and some nice surprises in the breakdown. A brilliant tune, then, and a dream come true for long-time Re-form fans.

Where would a TYFTH compilation be without Nomic? I’m very happy to say that In Praise of Shadows will be featuring a brand new track from the man himself, once again bringing back memories of older releases while keeping his current sound to the fore. Caldera is a superb track that builds brilliantly towards the end, and the emotion in the breakdowns is up there with any of Nomic’s recent work. Some lovely, older-school acid really rounds things off, it’s just what I was hoping for.

Track 6 is yet another special one – this time it’s Grimsoul, taking a trip back in time to revive the spirit of Melancholy Overdose. Sentimental Pain covers all bases of the In Praise of Shadows mission statement with beautiful, melancholy melodies and twisted filters that take you all the way back to 2006. The 10 years of production experience since then are very clear though, and crucially the track is a clean, very obviously modern creation.

I absolutely love the track – even unmastered it was a huge success at CODEX last year, while Grimsoul himself has tested it on Finnish crowds with very positive results. Huge thanks to him (and all the artists involved, really), for taking my sales pitch on board and coming back with such brilliant music.