Cosmosis

In the mid-1990s guitarist Bill Halsey and Jez Van Kampen established this psychedelic trance outfit. Their earliest release, "Cannabanoid," appeared on Transient Records in September 1995 and was followed by several singles such as "Deus," "Morphic Resonance," "Gift Of The Gods," and "Howling At The Moon." During the same period they issued material as Laughing Buddha on TIP Records, including the December 1995 pairing "Infinite Depth"/"Andromeda." The following year Transient presented the debut Cosmosis album Cosmology, which met with strong approval. After Laughing Buddha delivered "Karma/Earth Medecine/Megamorphosis" on TIP in 1997 the pair chose to work separately, Halsey retaining the Cosmosis name while Van Kampen continued as Laughing Buddha. Transient issued the second Cosmosis album, Synergy, in March 1998; that spring Halsey joined a tour of South Africa, Australia, Japan, and the USA coordinated by Transient and Phantasm Records. Cosmosis tracks typically feature funky multilayered riffs alongside the most psychedelic abstract noises and effects, which appear and vanish while darting through the mix to create a three-dimensional impression. Although many psy-trance artists had begun favoring a leaner style that relied less on swirling effects and riffs, making Synergy less novel upon release, the caliber of its production and arrangements together with the sheer scale of the tracks overcomes any preference for prevailing fashions. Halsey occasionally adds guitar, notably on "Down At The Crossroad," and has lately been accompanied in live settings by either the DJ Pied Piper or guitarist Wei.