artist: Entheogenic country of origin: UK/Austria style(s): Psychedelic, dub, ethno-ambient, ambient trance, world beat essential releases: Entheogenic (3D Vision)

By the turn of the third millennium dancefloor trance - a mutant off-shoot of techno - had unquestionably become a mainstream phenomenon. But the more progressive psychedelic or "Goa" trance scene, a multi-coloured world of ethnic sounds and overtly trippy grooves, remains resolutely underground. It's appeal is more selective and it's certainly more genuinely intense than the cheesy Dutch sound that now dominates mainstream trance clubs and commercial dance radio stations.

This sub-genre has clearer melodic roots in the German ambient of Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze and an increasing number of artists on the scene have picked up and continued to develop that downtempo psychedelic tradition. Sphongle's several albums are probably the best known examples, but arguably even more psychedelic is this magnificent self-titled debut by Entheogenic - the Austrian-English duo of Helmut Glavar and Piers Oak-Rhind. Thick dub grooves, layered trance melodies, drum 'n' bass madness and Eastern and Mid-Eastern sounds are fused with stunning production. It's so rich in texture that on first listen you might find yourself turning away, in the same way that you avert your eyes from an overwhelmingly bright, colourful light show. But repeat listens soon reveal depths, and some dark corners, too. Oak-Rhind and Glavar have an impressive ear for melody, harmony and dynamics and if the intelligent ambient trance sound is your sound you'll find yourself returning to this again and again.

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