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Protonica is a duo from Berlin, and this album is described as “Progressive Trance”. Which it isn’t. Well, not really.

Opening track Planet Gaia is progressive, for the first minute and a half when a fullon bassline drops. That ol’ fave bouncy bassline that reminds you of 2001, because that’s when it was invented. Yes, Search is fullon. So quite why it was marketed as Progressive is beyond me, but probably has something to with marketing.

The thing is, as fullon goes it’s actually not bad. Its less-is-more, floaty approach makes Search a strong morning album, with plenty of nice touches and good runs to make you sit up and take notice.

Ice Impressions stands out, with its fluid progression and touchy-feely melodies in the final section that are perfect for those moments on the dancefloor when the – er… - “memories of the night” are still just about with you, and you’re doing everything you can to “dance it back up” a bit.

Morphing Lights has those arpeggios that Silicon Sound and Jaia used to use. They drive the track on neatly into a euphoric and largely cheese-free conclusion. Best of the lot would have to be Upstream, which combines oldskool melodic runs with proper Berlin acid: the escalation is perfect, the energy tense, and when the 303 comes out to play you’re in proper trance heaven.

Elsewhere however, things are just a little too nondescript. Ovnimnoon’s remix of their Orion Sleepers goes nowhere, and the final two tracks Life Zero and Hall Der Waldgeister sound unfinished.

It’s a pity, because a stronger album from these boys would have quite rightly made big waves across the scene. There’s something very special in their combination of styles and the way they manipulate the energy behind their music, which leads me to conclude that one day they’re going to produce something amazing. While Search isn’t quite there, if you like the mornig-y Oxygen Records sound, you’ll find yourself pleasantly at home here.