Kai Tracid & Lostly - Go Insane (Fatboy Acid Mix)

When did a Kai Tracid record start sounding like the freshest thing in my week? Genuine question, because the man has been making acid trance since the late 90s and “Go Insane” in this Fatboy Acid Mix hits harder than most of what the young producers are pushing out. The whole track is built around a 303 acid line that squelches and climbs and refuses to sit still, the exact sound Tracid has chased his entire career, here sharpened to a point. It builds with an old-school patience that modern dance music has mostly forgotten how to do, letting the acid tension wind tighter and tighter before it finally lets go. There’s no vocal, no melodic hook to hide behind, just that snarling 303 doing all the emotional and physical work at once. This is trance from before trance went soft and cinematic, back when it sat closer to techno and was meant to hurt a little. Lostly and the Fatboy remix keep it raw and resist every urge to smooth the edges or bolt on a big pretty breakdown. I’ve been on an acid kick lately and this scratches it completely, the sort of relentless machine-funk that reminds you the 303 might still be the most expressive instrument in dance music. Veterans are supposed to mellow. Nobody told this one.

Buy / stream this track →