Artist: Saiko-pod
Title: Phutures and Options
Date: 2002-06-17
LP/CD: SPITCD/LP013

Track listing:
1. Two Dots
 
 
2. Silent Running
 
 
3. Phutures
 
 
4. Options
 
 
5. Wednesday
 
 
6. Groove Moderator
 
 
7. Magnetic Force
 
 
8. Apollo
 
 
9. Going Down in Chinatown
 
 
10. Tron

Intelligent trance and downbeat from the Koxbox lab.

Stalwarts of the Danish scene for some time Frank'e and Ian Ion started working together in the early 90´s. Frank´e had made his name as a DJ, influenced by bands such as Kraftwerk, Front 242, Tangerine Dream and the New Beat sound when he met the producer Ian Ion, known for his work with The Overlords. Together with a third member, Peter Candy, they formed Koxbox.

After a couple of singles, Koxbox got picked up by German superstar DJ Sven Väth, who signed them up to his seminal Harthouse label. Six singles followed before the first album "Forever After". The album was widely recognised and increased the band's profile considerably.

In 1997 Koxbox signed with London electronica label, Blue Room Released, and in November 1997 the album "Dragon Tales" was released. Dave Fowler pretty much summed up the reaction to the album in Muzik magazine; "Probably the most in-yer-face psychedelic outfit ever"

The same year Koxbox remixed Juno Reactor and Slinky Wizard and at the same time Frank'e and Ian formed the band Psychopod which released a couple of successful singles on T.I.P. Records. The following year, Peter Candy left the band and Frank'e and Ian spent most of the year working on film music and a new album.

In the summer of '99, Koxbox put the finishing touches to "The Great Unknown". This was a radical departure from the known Koxbox style, slower and more funky, but retaining the crystalline production and exquisite application of state of the art technology for which the band is known. The album was signed to the German trance label, Novatekk.

"The Great Unknown" went on to become one of the best selling psy-trance albums of the new millennium, backed with a number of gigs all over the world that established Koxbox as one of the leading bands on the scene. And with the following single, "A Major Problem in Australia", they broke into new markets with a variety of remixes in a progressive style.

After the success of "The Great Unknown", Frank'e and Ian set out to work on the Psychopod project and give it a new spin. After the demise of T.I.P. Records, they decided to take the project in a new, more club oriented direction. So the twosome decided to change the name to Saiko-pod; "Saiko" meaning "great" or "the highest" in Japanese.

In the beginning of 2002 the first Saiko-pod album, "Phutures and Options" was finished and licensed to Spiral Trax.

"Silent Running", "Groove Moderator" and "Phutures" with their massive club potential have already caused huge attention from across the board and will soon be remixed by the top Scandinavian acts. The magnificent downbeat of "Wednesday" could easily fit on any Ibiza chill-out compilation. Plus the full-on assault of "Magnetic Forces", "Apollo" and "Tron" are making "Phutures and Options" one of the most mature trance album in ages.

74 minutes of intelligent trance and downbeat that builds on the Koxbox tradition for punch and innovation!