Niko Skorpio, one of the core members of the Finnish label Some Place Else, recently released this album. The name Psilocybe Necrophilia would refer to a species of the genus Psilocybe growing on decaying flesh, although I haven't been able to find more information on this particular species. The basis for these recordings is Niko's cassette collection from the eighties, which was maltreated in various ways. It results in six tracks and over fifty minutes of ambient, drones and noisy experimental music that at times is rather claustrophobic. Album opener "The Day The Night Embraces" is a short soundscape of reversed sounds (guitar strumming perhaps?) and some singing. "Uncut" is a similar short and heavily distorted, even psychedelic, soundscape. But the majority of the album is reserved for four long and dark soundscapes. "Unended" is a tranquil track that forces me to turn up the volume in order to discern all the details. The others are much more restless, with throbbing drones, reverberating sounds and the occasional recognisable fragment of music. This is not drone or dark ambient music by the book, it's often too restless and bizarre for that. The references to a magic mushroom are not undeserved. As a whole the album is not always easy to swallow and I notice that it is the dronier tracks like "Numberless Reflections" or "Unended" that appeal to me right away. As a slab of experimental music it certainly is well done, but this slab requires its place, time and probably several listening session to really wrap your head around. Not instantly accessible, but then again, that's not the kind of music Some Place Else specialises in. - Originally written for the Dutch weblog IkEcht, English translation by the author.