The whole 'Krash Kourse' concept came about rather recently. Although the producer, Yuto Nagayama, had been making Psytrance tunes for years, he wasn't concerned with putting any sort of label or name to the project. He was in an experimental stage and all he wanted to do was make some heavy beats, and just have a good time. As the project evolved, specific genre brackets and artist names started ... [More]to emerge out of the woodwork. He settled on the name of the album project 'Krash Kourse' for one specific reason. . .

He feels the name to be quite appropriate, considering the whole history of his Psytrance production can be traced back to a few nights of grueling musical headstuffing. He was a little over 16 years old and had no formal music production education. But Yuto knew what he wanted to do?he wanted to make some head-banging tunes! So he crammed his head full of popular Psytrance tracks and immediately began to imitate the sounds in a demo music program he had downloaded the previous day. Within 24 hours he'd completed his first full-length track - it was horrid, but nevertheless complete, and he was satisfied.

Since then, he's been producing Psytrance music. It remains one of my favorite styles of music to create to this day. He loves the jacked up pace, and the hardcore distortions. He also loves the variety and the endless possibility available in psychedelic music. In his mind, when it comes to Psytrance, there are few boundaries.

With Krash Kourse, you can expect to hear a sound that, at times, is similar to popular artists like Infected Mushroom, Skazi, G.M.S., Talamasca, Yahel, Asterix and others. These artists have all influenced Yuto in their own way - and played a significant part in helping him create his own sound. However, he'd like to think that, by now, he's come up with a trippy structure and style that is truly his own; something wholly original. In his opinion, every 'Krash Kourse' track has a pretty definite 'theme' to it; something that Yuto feels is missing in many Psytrance tracks he's heard over the years.

He structures most of his tracks with a very definable 'chorus', by playing a particularly catchy mesh of sounds at least twice in the duration of the track. These 'choruses' usually appear towards the middle and towards the end of the tracks. And considering that many Psytrance artists tend to overlook this particular format, makes him think that the 'Krash Kourse' sound is something that will be dubbed, "original."

If Yuto could put the whole concept of 'Krash Kourse' into one phrase he'd say........"Expect the Unexpected".

Brutal and unrelenting, festive and party-like, dark and moody, shrill and psychotic, mellow and thematic; these are all words Yuto would use to describe the collection of tracks that is 'Zoo Krashers'. It's a 10-track, animal-idiom titled, hardcore psytrance album that's as distinct as Yuto himself.

The collection of tracks features everything: from laser-laced power kicks and raw, ripping bass lines, to dirty metal guitars and juicy synths; soundtrack orchestra and acoustic strings to jittery vocals and eerie distortions?with some marching drums and motorcycle guzzles thrown in for good measure. The album, however, holds a steady, 145 bpm, and boasts more than a few electronic tricks and treats.

Tracks such as 'Enter The Dragon', 'Doggy Style', 'Monkey See, Monkey Do' and 'Rat Race' stand as the feature 'Party Tracks' of the album. Tracks like 'Dead Duck', 'Scaredy Cat', 'Armadillo' and 'Tiger Eye', havet a more brooding - and at times darker - eerie sound. Not to be forgotten are the mellow and intensely moody tracks 'When Pigs Fly' and 'Sheep To The Slaughter (We March)', the latter being a thematic dedication to the battlegrounds of the world.

Yuto would call this album an experiment of sorts. He did exactly what he wanted to do with it, and he took it in the directions he wanted to take. He held nothing back, and he followed no specific rules or regulations. Basically, he trusted his past experience and musical instinct. He created this album just the way he'd like a Psytrance album to sound. And, if he should be so lucky, he'll find others who share his opinions. ;)!