Music Review: PTX - Color Your Ears

PTX is back with his second album, released late last month on Noya Records, featuring remixes of Black & White and Etnica, as well as collaborations with Xerox & Illumination and Onyx.

This album follows the typical Israeli psy sound - full on and pumping. What it lacks it subtlety and depth, it makes up for with sheer brute force, pummeling listeners for a solid 60 minutes, letting up only for the final track, Alufa, a melodic piece quality of electro-house.

A good mix of "light" and "dark" melodies, Color Your Ears is a good release both for fans of a more euphoric sound, as well as those who prefer twisted melodies and scarier themes. In fact, a lot of the tracks start happy and melodic and descend into madness, or vice versa.

Like fellow Israelites Xerox & Illumination, PTX seems to lack direction at certain points, discarding melodies altogether and replacing them with an entirely new element, only to bring back the original sound two minutes later. As a result, the music can become incoherent, which can be irritating, but also keeps things entirely interesting.

PTX is not short of a melody either - whether it's typical trancey arpeggios, screeching guitar (actually used well, believe it or not), or dark, bubbling acid, each track has sound that really envelops and sticks with you. Blade (PTX Remix) is the best example of this, employing the extremely catchy melody originally conceived by New Order for their track Confusion, but translated here into a squelchy acid line instead. However, as mentioned earlier the hook drops in and out just a bit too often, and seems to lose the impact that it could otherwise have had.

Black & White - Blade (PTX Remix)

Less "catchy" tracks on the album are also highly entertaining as well, using more complex melodies and sounds, such as Off The Record, mixing light and dark sounds and employing a memorable bass line and interesting vocal sample to devastating effect. This is perhaps the most impressive track found on the release.

PTX - Off The Record (Original Mix)

At times, besides a lack of coherency in the tracks, the melodies can also tend to be a little convoluted, with 3-4 different sounds competing for attention, and detracting from the tune overall. Complexity is admirable, but not when it detracts from the music. In this case, less would be more. However, at times when less noise is present, this record's excellent mastering shines through. Engineered by the very talented and seemingly omnipresent Ido Ophir, PTX's fat bass lines and clean, driving percussion are displayed brilliantly, improving the listening experience markedly.

The percussion is one of the more enjoyable aspects of the album, with clear, raspy hats injecting plenty of rhythm into every track, and sharp clappers often providing energy at the start of a new phrase.

The bottom line: this is a brilliant release that misses the mark slightly at a few points but really deserves a lot of praise. Each track is well considered, well produced and makes clever usage of effects, some of which are rare or never thought of before. However, it's not a mould shattering piece of work. Pumping bass lines, trippy vocal samples and euphoric melodies - Israel has been doing this for many, many years. If you're looking for something different and ground breaking, look elsewhere. However, if you just want to sit down and rock your socks off, pick up a copy as soon as you can. Here is a good place to start.

Below is a preview of the closing track, perhaps a turn-off to big psy heads, but also offering a nice change to the rest of the album for those who enjoy this kind of music.

PTX & Ophir Leibovich - Alufa (Original Mix)

Music Review: 5 Golden Years In The Wilderness

Released on the 23rd of June is a new 3 CD pack from Buzzin Fly, titled 5 Golden Years In The Wilderness, selected of course by label boss Ben Watt, and surprisingly (and pleasantly) unmixed! (Note: above image has nothing whatsoever to do with this release, I just think it's cool).

The name Ben Watt is synonymous with good music. One of the most ardent, cynical chin strokers I've ever used to go to pieces at the mention of the name, and not without reason.

This release is a fine example of Watt's sensibilities; it's an eclectic mix of upbeat house, scattered with beautiful melodies, delightful vocals and pure passion. Plenty of Watt's own work can be heard, such as A Stronger Man, Pop A Cap In Yo' Ass and Lone Cat.

Disc 1, titled Up, is a collection of the label's greatest accomplishments, deeply veined with pianos, sax, strings, trumpets and all the usual housey accouterments. In short, all the elements that have given Buzzin' Fly the excellent reputation that is has today. The highlight of this is Rodamaal feat. Nicinha - Musica Feliz (Alex S Classic Club Mix), which makes use of some understated percussion, tantalising Latino vocals, disco strings and gentle piano. It positively drips with honey. The rest of the disc follows in similar fashion, with a heavy focus on melody and vocals, backed by very danceable beats. A perfect pre-party disc.

Disc 2 is surprising in that it takes a step back where disc 1 forged ahead, consisting mainly of down tempo and chill out tunes, such as the serene One Week On Cuba by Kayot. The title, Down, is entirely descriptive of the content. Again, a heavy focus on melodies is evident, but this CD works far harder to establish mood and atmosphere than the first, which is all about the party. Mlle Caro & Franck Garcia's Mon Ange is absolutely moving, so utterly drenched in emotion and sadness that it instantly banishes the happy thoughts conveyed on the first disc, instead calling up memories of Shlomi Aber's contemplative 2007 album, State Of No One.

Disc 3, Forward, is clearly where Watt has unleashed his creativity to full extent, with bouncy, shamelessly electronic tunes paving the way for a classy end to the release. The tracks here use more artificial sounds that anywhere else on the release, full of techno bleeps and heavy pad sweeps, a reminder of the direction the label is headed in. Unfortunately, this CD is a let down in comparison to the first two, with a less conservative yet more bland selection of music and feeling very rushed, like it was tacked on at the back rather than carefully considered.

Two good discs out of three isn't a bad strike rate, really, and although disc 3 isn't as good as the rest, it's still an extremely good listen, making this release extremely tasty as a whole.


Disc 1 - Up

01 Darkmountaingroup - Lose Control
02 Ben Watt Feat Estelle - Pop A Cap In Yo' Ass (Radio Edit)
03 Rodamaal Feat Nicinha - Musica Feliz (Alex S Classic Club Mix)
04 Justin Martin - The Sad Piano (Charles Webster Remix)
05 Ben Watt - Lone Cat
06 Justin Martin - Nightowl
07 Rodamaal Feat Claudia Franco - Insomnia (Ame Remix)
08 Manoo and Francois A - Traffic
09 Mlle Caro and Franck Garcia - Dead Souls (Radio Slave Remix)
10 Ben Watt Feat Sananda Maitreya - A Stronger Man

Disc 2 - Down

01 Kayot - One Week On Cuba
02 Unity - I Love You
03 Two Armadillos - Nostalgia
04 Rocco - Thursday Night Friday Morning
05 Lephtee - So Far Back (The Nova Dream Sequence Remix)
06 Mlle Caro and Franck Garcia - Mon Ange
07 Jimpster - Square Up (John Tejada Remix)
08 Automagic - Do You Feel?
09 Barbq - Barbi In Love
10 Manoo and Francois A - A Day in December

Disc 3 - Forward

01 Stimming - Kleine Nachtmusik
02 Barbq - Music From The Great Plains
03 Rodamaal Feat Claudia Franco - Insomnia (Kemistry Remix)
04 Spencer Parker - Chiho
05 Gavin Herlihy - Give Me A Funf
06 Lovebirds - The Beat Goes Boom
07 Here Today - Good News

Music Review: Nifra - Ready

Today's review deals with trance newcomer Nifra, hailing from Slovakia, whose interesting tag line on myspace is "yeah, I produce myself". Released on Markus Schulz' label, Coldharbour Recordings, the pack features the original, and two remixes.

The original is bland; exactly the kind of trance I despise Shulz for playing and releasing. Nicely melodic, but with little energy and groove to back it up. The percussion is extremely weak, leaving the track feeling very "floaty", rather than driving. However, that's not to say that all tracks need to be hard-hitting, but a bit of percussion would be nice to keep things interesting.

The bass line is flat out boring, doesn't really "work" with the track, and thus becomes monotonous quickly, which leaves listeners with a kick drum, clapper and the melody to entertain them. The melody is nice and "trancey" in itself, but also dreadfully generic, leaving very little to continue with.

Using an old adage, "you can polish a turd..." and this has been polished immaculately. Well produced, it has employed great mastering and clean sounds, maybe by Nifra, maybe not, who cares. It's rubbish.

Next up are Randy Boyer and Eric Tadla, who I still admire for their remix of Imogen Heap's Hide & Seek. Thankfully, they've done away with the original bass line and replaced it with something a little more appropriate, adding a bit more energy and blending the line to make it less noticeable, which really grinds in the original. Adding some more interesting pads was also a good option, though the long, long breakdown at the start of the track is annoying. Overall, a passable track, but really very generic, not one that anyone will remember in a year.

Lastly comes Robert Nickson, creator of the brilliant track Spiral back in 2004. Nickson's sensibilities are quickly revealed, as he is the only person on the release to have bothered with any decent kind of percussion, injecting some nice hi-hats. Additionally, he's added a very subtle acid line, similar to that in Spiral, meaning the track is interesting for more than one minute, unlike the first two. An overly large kick-drum is a bit off-putting though, as it drowns out the other elements in the track.

Nickson's effort is quite obviously pick of the release, but still falls down in the end due to an overly drawn out breakdown, and a nice but extremely repetitive hook, which really grates towards the end. Additionally, the usage of effects is lazy. The main build, arguably the "focus" of each track in modern epic trance, features the same hook repeating over and over, a kick drum roll, bass drop, and then the same hook continuing; very uninspiring. This one could have been very promising with a bit more effort and ingenuity, but just fails to hit the mark.

Music Review: Digicult - Out Of This World

Digicult is a fledging full-on psy act consisting of Bert De Becker & Davy Piessens, based in Ghent, Belgium, which seems to be hosting a lot of talent right now.

Dacru Records is one of my favourite at the moment; label boss De Becker, also known under his pseudonym "DJ Nemesis", and his co-founder Eskimo, (not to be confused with the son of John "Phantasm" Ford!), have a great ear for music. In particular the Orientation series CDs compiled by De Becker are quite good. The music on this label is by no means deep, but it's not cheesy either. It's music made for dancing and enjoying, not analysing.

With that in mind, step into the world of Digicult and see what they have to offer with their second album...

The first thing that struck me about the release was the artwork; fantastic! The image above doesn't quite do it justice. Inside the cover is no different, with a clever sketch of an audio waveform clearly saying "Out Of This World".

The title is apt because each and every song is themed around space, aliens, interstellar travel and the like, right from the cosmic tones of the opening, Star Travel, to the last track, The Return, featuring Fatali. While I admit a deep love for "themed" albums, I feel that this one went a bit over the top. Every track contains a copious amount of "space" vocal samples, with a vast majority being taken from American documentaries, the speakers clearly being geeky astrophysicists or the like. This I didn't enjoy at all. It's good for samples to have a certain mystery or strangeness surrounding them, and these satisfy neither criterion.

Also grating is the sheer over-usage of samples - every song has one. Like huge emotional breakdowns in epic trance, these feel like they are more there because they "had" to be rather than for actual artistic merit.

On the upside, most of the snippets seem relatively unique, though the nice female "we are now charging..." sample heard in Domestic's Limited Addiction rears it's head again. I'd be interested to know where this originally came from if anyone knows.

However, samples aside, this is a generally pleasing album.

It's more trance than psychedelic, with "rolling" bass lines being the only real link to the psychedelic scene. I think this is a good transition album for someone wanting to make the jump between the two.

The opening track has a distinct "cosmic" Euro feel to it, not unlike PPK - Resurrection (cringe!). However, rather than use a cheesy hook and weak percussion as PPK did, Digicult takes it up a notch, adding a delicious bass line, minimal hi-hats and loads of gorgeous melody in various forms; string plucks, synth stabs and raucous arps. It would be incorrect to call the album "formulaic", but all the tracks are cut from much the same stuff as this. The lead sounds are engaging, mostly eventuating in medium-intensity builds and bass drops, though it's clear that the producers are wary of making things too epic, and the energy is maintained right from start to finish as a result.

Some different flavours can be heard in tracks six and seven, my favourite two on the album, with Awaken The Dream having a faintly Indian feel to it in the second half, a nice nod to the roots of the genre and a great dancy track to boot.



Following this is Magic, which dedicated psy heads will no doubt hate with a passion, but which I think is pretty cool. Infected Mushroom have copped a lot of flak for trying to combine guitars with psy, and I think in some cases it's warranted, but Digicult have done a good job here in my opinion, using 80's style guitars that sound like they've been lifted from a sitcom's opening theme. Sounds horrible, I know, but listen to the sample to hear otherwise.




All in all, a nicely rounded album with perhaps lacks depth, but makes up for it with consistency and doesn't take itself too seriously. Digicult won't win any accolades for inventiveness or originality, but that doesn't mean this album isn't worth listening to. On the contrary, it's highly enjoyable if you can get your head past the annoying samples.

Music Review: Booka Shade - Charlotte

From the forthcoming new album is Charlotte, which continues in the same vein as past works. As usual, will be released on Get Physical of course.

The first track on the release is simply labelled "remix", leading me to believe the new album will contain the original mix. This tune sounds like a leftover from Movements, an album I have enjoyed many times over. It has the same smooth bass line, the same clapper sounds, and the same warbly synths as many of their previous tracks. Added is some soft female harmonising which is a nice touch.

However, while this is undeniably "pure Booka", Charlotte (Remix) is missing the infectious hooks and catchy strains that made Night Falls, Body Language and Mandarine Girl so popular, instead employing an unmemorable melody which will no doubt impact the song's airplay.

While hardcore fans will no doubt still fawn over this release, I'm disappointed to see such a sameness of sound two years on. Though generally this is a solid track, cruising along with typical Booka ease, somehow dancey and relaxing at the same time, it still feels a bit dusty, as we've heard this exact same sound too often. Nevertheless, a good listen.

The second track on the release is "Booka's No Pain, No Gain Mix", which really adds little to the aforementioned description, being more for DJ programming usage than anything else it would seem.

Third up is the Dubfire Remix. YAWN.

Why the hell does everyone go crazy for Dubfire productions? Ali's music makes me positively sleepy; it's a fine example of "plodding" techno; music that has no soul, no rhythm, and goes no where. In this generic track, that great Booka bass line has been removed and replaced with a monotonous string pluck and boring hats. Horrible, absolutely horrible. This would be fine if there was melody to keep things happening, but the melody has been largely stripped back too, leaving nothing but pure poo with which to indulge our ears; six minutes of dubby bass line and minimal percussion with minute variations.

Three tracks in and I'm less than impressed.

But! In flies newcomer Matchbox, with his "Right Or Wrong" remix, single-handedly saving the day!

Matchbox's version adds a happier bass line, switches the Booka percussion for something slightly different, and pours a whole lot of emotion on top, a stark contrast to Dubfire's cold remix. Providing most of the feeling in the track is a blissful breakdown which uses an array of interesting sounds, but ties them altogether nicely, with my favourite being the 80's style tom-toms. Altogether is has a more serene feel than the other three tunes, and clearly shows that Matchbox put of lot of work into this, as rising producers out to impress the world tend to do.

On the other hand, the other three songs feel positively heartless and rushed; the efforts uninspired producers completely comfortable within the scene, knowing that their names alone will be enough to make people go gaga over their work. On the whole, a disappointing release, but worth it for the last track alone. Sample below.

Music Review: Fabric 40 - Mark Farina

Chicago house veteran Mark Farina is on duty for Fabric's latest installment, released next month.

"Jackin" and "funky" are two words I heartily dislike using when it comes to House Music, however they are the two most apt that comes to mind at this very moment.

Like a lot of Fabric's stuff, this one is crammed full of tracks - 21 of them.

While full of constant change, at no stage does Farina's boppy take on house music feel rushed, with a smooth blend of beats meshing together beautifully over seventy-odd minutes to create a wonderful early-evening style listen.

Surprisingly heavy kick drums (for house anyway) form a large basis of the mix, with plenty of raspy percussion giving that "jackin" feel, underscored by strong bass lines and sparse vocal patches to liven things up. To give a feel of continuity despite short song durations, Farina has wisely used vocal snippets over the top of various tracks, pulling things together and giving the impression of one long, long song, rather than a compilation.

Of course, if you know Farina, you know what to expect - his style hasn't changed much in the past decade, and the plethora of sets on the internet are an accurate yardstick as to how this man crafts his works. In this mix, there's even a bit of acid tucked away, in the Tommy Largo remix of Frank Solano - The Blues Line.

Elsewhere can be found sprinklings of flute, piano, and other "housey" accoutrements, testament to Farina's loyalty to his sound, despite the current worldwide downturn in the popularity of this kind of music. I for one found it highly enjoyable ; it's been a while since I've had a good dose of Chicago, and it's a pleasure to receive it from someone with such confidence and experience in their sound.

Though solid, at times the mixing is a little bland or even bass heavy, though never interfering enough to annoy, and ensuring a graceful and highly classy hour worth of music.

If you're a house fan, this is a must-listen:

01. Giom – Together
02. Chuck Love – Yellow Truth (Atnarko Mix)
03. JT Donaldson & Uneaq – Why Not Rock?
04. Ricardo Rae – Lead The Way
05. John Larner & Slater Hogan – Gettin’ Ready
06. Inland Knights – Where Ya At ?
07. Homero Espinosa - Got This Feeling (LNS Disco Dub)
08. Alexander East – Believe En Me
09. Frank Solano – The Blues Line (Tommy Largo Remix)
10. Kris G – Feel My Love (Bobby Valentine Remix)
11. Non Believers – Stasera
12. Johnny Fiasco – Last Word
13. Mood II Swing – Closer (Oliver Desmet & Fred Everything Mix)
14. James Curd – Pick Up What I’m Putting Down
15. Rylan White feat. Olly Brunton– There Goes The Neighbourhood
16. Lawnchair Generals – Broke Acid
17. Jeremy Joshua – Make Dat Shit (Derrick Carter Remix)
18. DJ Sneak – Mumbler
19. Prztz – Brutality
20. Mark Farina – Das Shibuya (Cheeba Remix)
21. King Kooba – Hoose Musik

Music Review: Mekk

Released last week on trance label Discover Dark was Mekk - Save Your Soul/Resistance.

Mekk is an alias of Rob Stevenson, best know for his work under the name Activa. Stevenson is an extremely talented producer, however what he does can be defined purely as "cookie cutter" trance, working to that tired formula of big breakdowns and bigger build-ups that trance purists hate so much. Regardless, I find that although this is true, what he does he does extremely well. His track have great rhythm, clean melodies and strong percussion, ensuring an enjoyable listen, even if not unique.

His work under Activa has particularly caught my fancy in the past few years, with an output of great tracks such as Genetic, Airflow and Liquefaction, which was produced with Matt Abbott.

A few of his other aliases are also impressive, while some are extremely poor, such as his work under the name Eluna, which hovers in that annoying (and extremely boring) gap between progressive house and progressive trance that Markus Schulz cultivates so freely.

The Mekk alias is arguably one of his better names, with an emphasis on darker, techier work, harder bass lines and less "hands in the air" superfluousness. The first release under this name was Twisted/Restless, in 2006.

Save Your Soul (Dark Dub), the A side on this release, follows heavily in Restless' footsteps, with an almost identical bass line, consisting of a harsh wave, not unlike those found in electro-house, but far smoother and harmonic. As expected, this is backed by a heavy, prevalent kick drum that draws up images of stomping feet and banging heads.

The main melody could be loosely described as progressive-ish, with a nice pad feel that's really only there to stop the bass line getting boring, not to be the main focus of the track. In the breakdowns however, it mutates into something nicer, enhanced by Stevenson's usual array of well-executed yet predictable effects; reverb, delay, snare rolls, yada yada.

Again; impressive track, but completely mundane. Great for a hard-hitting 4am set.

On the flip side is Resistance (Activa vs Mekk Mix), which loses the electro-ish bass line and replaces it with a more traditional trancey one, but adds some nicer hi-hats to the equation, keeping this side of the release just as energetic. That hard edged kick drum reappears, featuring nearly as much mid-range power as in the lower end, ensuring it sounds great even on small speakers, testament to Stevenson's clean mixing and general production skills. However, at times it can slightly overwhelm the other element in the music, reflecting Stevenson's obvious desire to keep these tracks as energetic as possible.

Resistance is far more euphoric than the darker A side, but still with that techy edge expected in Mekk releases. Again, another nice track you'll enjoy now, but nothing that you'll have fond memories of in two years time.

Music Review: Your Face Is A Mess

Released earlier this month was a remix pack of Gel Abril - Your Face Is A Mess, on Be As One Imprint, a fledgling Israeli label run by Shlomi Aber.

Abril's original track was released in November last year, and this release adds three smooth techno versions.

First up is swiss maestro Deetron, with an epic ten minute take that blends his trademark strong percussion with smooth pads and subtle builds. Backed by a punchy mid-range kicker with vague hints of female harmonising, strong progression keeps the track extremely cohesive, enveloping you in melody as it slowly adds elements such as tight string plucks, shuffling high hats and swirling white noise builds. No real "peak time" element to this one though, it focusses solidly on mood rather than energy, and achieves much with seemingly little. It's Deetron's careful layering that creates this.

On the B Side, the UK's Mark Broom takes it a little more upbeat, though keeping the progressive, moody feel. In comparison to Deetron's lengthy story, this feels positively rushed, though no less impressive, with some similarly subtle builds, but a far better usage of the sinister, whispered vocals from Abril's original, popping in and out of the mix throughout the duration of the song and creating something arguably more interesting than the A Side.

Finally comes Itamar Sagi's remix. If the name seems familiar, it's because Sagi appeared on Shlomi Aber's State Of No One album last year, collaborating to produce Same But Different. Sagi's version takes a very different tack to the other two, going for a more housey feel with his percussion, and overlaying sharp, catchy synth stabs, creating a great sense of urgency. However, what this gains in approach it loses in execution. It lacks the beautiful melodies heard elsewhere on the release, and doesn't have the same sense of effort behind it, though it's still a commendable piece of work.

Full samples below.

Music Review: Booka Shade

Soon to be released on Get Physical is Booka's new one, City Tales, the title track of which can be heard on M.A.N.D.Y's Fabric Mix, using the Neon Dub Mix.

Forget the Booka Shade you thought you knew; this one is dark, and vaguely scary; a far cry from the catchy Body Language or Night Falls. No, the first track of the release, the club mix of Planetary is far more like Triple Identity, one of the duo's darker and lesser known tracks.

Opening with some very von Stroke-ish whistling, Booka's strong sense of rhythm is immediately apparent, with a lighter tech-house kick being followed by some vaguely African sounding blippy noises not unlike those in Eric Prydz' Tigerstyle, under the Cirez D alias, and followed later on by croaking frog noises of all things.

What really makes Planetary, however, is a strange wavering organ, which sounds, strangely enough, like wind and other "night" noises filtering through...a city, a big, terrifying city. This comes to a peak in the middling breakdown, where the organ gets harsher and harsher, playing out in a descending note pattern with more and more scream injected to it every time, which sounds great. From here out, it's reasonably happy to the end.

The dub mix of Planetary is quite similar, but features less melody and more "bounce", making it a bit more club friendly.

The Neon Dub of the title track sees a return to brighter territory, using similar percussion to the first two songs but stripping back nearly all the nasty elements and injecting some faint paino-ish noises and some (again) very von Stroke, The Whistler-ish "uh" noises by a male vocalist. This is my least favourite song on the release, but one which I predict will be more popular with crowds, simply for it's greater sense of groove and shuffling rhythm.

Music Review: Fabric 38

Released later this month, Fabric's next installment is mixed by German tech-house duo M.A.N.D.Y.

Strangely enough, the single CD mix features some twenty-five tracks crammed onto it, but don't let this fool you into thinking this is a poor mix; I mean, this is M.A.N.D.Y!

After a short intro, the set opens with the almost Caribbean strains of Yello's Bananas To The Beat, full of harmonic chanting and stripped-down percussion. Two points: yes, this is the same Yello that did Oh Yeah, which Booka Shade and a few others remixed in 2006. Secondly, the fact that this track was produced in 1980 gives you a good idea of where the mix is going; this isn't some overblown "newest, most underground techno" wank fest, it's a collection of tracks that fit superbly together in an expression of aural bliss. Mind you, a vast majority of the tunes are brand-spanking new, and sound terrific, which is a side-effect of living in the heart of Germany, the power-house for this kind of material.

Moving on, and things get melodic by track four, Mederico by Guillaume & The Couto Dumonts. What's most astounding is how seamlessly the pair have managed to blend music nearly 30 years old with that of 30 days old; it's not easy at all.

Some brilliant, fresh tunes can be found in Lucio Aquilina's beautiful Magic M, which sounds a lot like Shlomi Aber's recent work; deep, melodic and emotional. On the "dirtier" edge, Robag Wruhme's Dopamin rounds out a nice dark peak in the set before things begin to soften again.

Overall, a brilliant mix. From deep and melodic to dark and edgy, then back again, it tantalises and ensnares. I must admit, I'm really not much of a set listener, generally I don't have the patience or often the time, and being a control freak and half-arsed DJ myself, I love choosing what comes next. This CD is testament to M.A.N.D.Y's skill; for there wasn't a single song or transition I didn't enjoy, even after twenty-five tracks, from the very beginning I was hooked and made the time to listen. Highly recommended.

01 Intro
02 Yello - Bananas To The Beat (Original Mix)
03 Minz - Darkslide
04 Guillaume & The Coutu Dumonts - Mederico (Original Mix)
05 Quarion - Karasu (Crowdpleaser Remix)
06 Gui Borrato - Tipologia (Lucy Remix)
07 Mark-Henning – Sticknote (Original Mix)
08 Decimal – Idiosynkratik (Original Mix)
09 Lucio Aquilina - Magic M (Original Mix)
10 Booka Shade – City Tales (Dub Mix)
11 DJ Yellow & Astrid Suryanto - To The Top (Guy J Remix)
12 Dubfire - I Feel Speed (Audion Remix)
13 Martin Eyerer & Toni Rios – Chorizo (Original Mix)
14 Robag Wruhme, Wighnomy Brothers and Rolf Oksen – Dopamin
15 poxyMusic feat. Gina Mitchell - Warpaint (Claude Vonstroke Remix)
16 Djinxx & X-Pansul - Spanish Kebab
17 Matchbox – U Can Get Sonar
18 Deadset - Farm House (Deadset Dub Tool)
19 DJ T - The Dawn (Nass Remix)
20 Simon Flower - The Whisper (Mark August Remix)
21 Raz Ohara –Kisses– (Kabuto & Koji Carnea Rmx)
22 Basic Soul Unit - Tunnels (Sebo K & Metro Remix)
23 Lopazz - 2fast4u (Julian Ganzer Remix)
24 Mike Monday - Bhalobashi (Sideshow Dub Mix)
25 M.A.N.D.Y - Don't Stop (Original Mix)

Music Review: Lights & Colours

Released on Berlin based label Moodmusic last month was Dave DK's debut album, Lights & Colours.

I was impressed with a few releases from this producer a couple of years back in Spin That Wheel and Rave Your Mind, which produced the excellent tune Crush The Bits. Thus the mention of this new album pricked up my ears.

Though unmixed, this tech-house collection is fairly carefully crafted, beginning with the the pad-laden and oh so mellow Sweet Yellow, abounds with clicks and echoes, and soon progressing onwards.

By the time Dave works his way into track four, Illuminated, things have stepped up a notch, with insistent loops and a slightly funky edge being added. Things never really get too heavy though; this is more the kind of music you play in the early evening or early morning; it has a very relaxed feel.

Arguably the two highlights are Fading Lights featuring the angelic-sounding Ira, the only vocal track on the album, as well as Volar, a hypnotic piece that begins to close out the CD with a slow-morphing melody interrupted at regular intervals by airy, horn-like synth stabs.

If this had been released three to four years ago I have no doubt that it would have been hailed as groundbreaking, but this late in the game this kind of progressive tech-house sound has just been done to death, and as a result a potentially stand-out album instead comes across as generic and unmemorable.

It would be accurate to compare Dave DK's groove to that of Booka Shade or perhaps even Trentmoller's more down-beat pieces, such as Physical Fraction. The only difference is that the aforementioned pair are far more skilled when it comes to writing hooks and keeping tunes unique and recognisable.

Dave, while an extremely talented producer, is just lacking that last 5% "catchy" element to ensure people listen to his songs again and again.

Like Shlomi Aber's State Of No One, this is an album I will enjoy for the next fortnight then likely never listen to again.

Music Review: Boltzmann - Transformers

Today is a very interesting review, and one that I'm excited about.

Home Made Electronica is a young Croatian label just getting itself off the ground, and although a few of their releases do nothing for me, quite a few really grab me, this being one of them.

Transformers is the first release for Boltzmann, who has been producing for a mere three years.

On the A side, this is immediately apparent. The tune screams "amateur!", but not in a technical way. On the contrary, the track is well polished with some nice mastering, it's just that the melodies scream "hey, hey, this is my music, listen up!". All too many producers these days are making clinical, tight-knit melodies that are clever and enjoyable, but don't have much emotion. This track is the complete opposite - it's almost like an anti-minimal theme song, with tons of euphoria and a soaring, unpredictable melody that's immediately likeable. This "amateur" sound is extremely refreshing; you wouldn't be likely to say this is the best song you've heard in recent times, but it's extremely stand-out in it's approach, and therefore memorable.

Boltzmann's near exclusive usage of hardware in his productions is revealed both in the warm sounds he creates and the structure of the melodies themselves. Transformers is extremely reminiscent of Kraftwerk's early work, particularly Popcorn, both in melody and construction. It's almost like a throw-back to the 70's when synthesizer arpeggiaters were a novelty; every element in the track is simple, without the jazz of added effects, but all the parts work together beautifully.

To describe it technically; the track is based around a heavy kick with plenty of punch, while sharp snares make up almost all the percussion. The track's main momentum is generated by guitar-like growls in building sections, and blissful deep arps in the chorus sections. This backing arp has been cleverly side-chained to pop in and out of the mix at regular intervals, and it sounds great.

The main hook is pretty much your standard "hello, I'm a synthesizer" type of tone, but works very well.

I hate to mentioned his name again because I do too often, but if you like Rex The Dog, you will enjoy this. It has that same modern-vintage synth feel and raw emotion of melody.

Now, onto the B Side.

Laganitz is at first less impressive but after a few listens reveals itself to be just as good. It's a little more melancholy, but with a similar feel to the A side, utilising short snares and a punch kick.

The biggest pleasure in this track is in the breakdown, which uses some breakbeat and clever acid melodies.

This release, along with others on Home Made Electronica, can be found at beatport (direct link to the label), or in record stores if you're an old-school crate-digger. Joe Fisher - Dark Pharmacy is another one to check out, a great little tech-house number with a tricky melody and some warm pads.

Music Review: Rex The Dog - Circulate/Italian Blond

This one was released err...last month on Kitsuné. However, due to beatport's militant territory restrictions and my own inability to reach a record store during work hours, I only managed to pick this one up today.

The first thing that should be said is that this record will not disappoint previous Rex fans!

Adding to a string of quality releases, this one follows a more "retro" theme which harks back to Rex's roots in the early 90's under his previous alias (cough). I'm of the opinion that the album will follow a similar theme to this release, styled more on 90's style snare hits and shallow pads than the acidic, broken feel of earlier releases such as We Live In Daddy's Car.

The A side, Circulate, begins with a completely "old school" drum loop like those in the late 80's, the kind that instantly makes you think "ergh...drum machine...with limited samples too". However that distinctive Rex charm follows not far behind with an ever so catchy yet reasonably complex hook composed of short jaunty blips that tail off at regular intervals into long, fast-fading notes, the way a train horn does when it speeds past you (that sounded terrible, but that's the best way to describe it!). Of course, the whole track is backed by that customary Rex percussion of light snares and punchy, mid-bass kicks. This one won't set dance floors alight at 1am, but it will be a great 10pm or 6am track, with a laid back yet happy feel.

Italian Blond is obviously built on similar elements to the unreleased (album perhaps?) track Italian Skyline, and both are stellar. The intro gets straight to the point with a light hat and a bouncy electro-house bass line that soon develops into an Atari meets Ableton kind of melody, with simple, high blips, backed by some vaguely emotional pads. The key to this track is the mildy acidic breakdowns, again, most likely a hang-over from Rex's days as an acid house raver! Like Circulate, this one is an early evening or late morning track.

Not much to say about either of these songs, simply because, like all releases from this producer, they are brilliant, catchy and danceable, yet impossibly hard to describe.

Just go and buy the damn release! It's awesome.

Music Review: Sander and Eric

First up is the new Pryda release...or should I say "soon to be released"? Yes, I'm embarrassed, but that's ok, because I'll buy it eventually.

You gotta love the Prydz man. He's hardly released a bad track in his life. Like all his previous work under Pryda, Muranyi is a seemingly simple, melodic, progressive and completely sublime track.

The opening is rather boring but that's all forgiven by the beautiful melancholic melody after the first break. The main bit sounds a bit like an old video game mated with Ableton Live. Distinctly analogue, the predominant sounds aren't blippy, but long, pad like tones.

The track is a little lacking on percussion, but that's more than made up for by the other elements in the track. The backing pads are strong as usual, and the breakdown is quite nice too. Effects have been put to good use, with reverb and delay on a percussive drum in the breakdown creating a nice "rolling" sound, similar to Gabriel Ananda's Doppelwhipper.

This one won't rock dance floors, but it will be a good end to the night. Great closing track.

I'm eagerly awaiting the new Pryda album, if it ever comes.

Next up is Sander van Doorn's new stomper, Riff. Admittedly, I don't like the direction he's going in right now, but overall this is a good track.

For home listening, it's a bit useless unless you live in a nightclub, but on a large system, this one is great. I remember clearly hearing back it March when I saw Sander play, though at the time I had no idea what it was.

This one is tech-trance but definitely takes a lot of influence from electro-house. As is the norm for Sander, the track is very well structured, and has some nice percussive elements. The main melody is a cross between an electro-house saw wave and a mid-nineties rock riff.

Nothing progressive about this one; it's very "bouncy" and makes you want to jump up and down, not move side to side or nod your head. The intervals between the chorus sections are rather boring, and contrast a bit too sharply in my opinion.Obviously contrast can be a good thing, such as in Marco V's Red Purple Blue/Blue Purple Red/Red Blue Purple/Blue Red Purple...damn, why can I never remember the correct track name? In this case though, I think the track could do with a bit more coherency and have some more interesting elements injected between the floor-stomping parts, which are quite good themselves.

Definitely this will be big in the next few months as a mid-set crowd destroyer; of which I look forward to, however, what I don't relish is how quickly I will get sick of it. Big "shelf life" factor here.

Music Review: Black Souls

Today's review is from a new-ish label founded in 2005, Black-Chrome Records. This is only their third release, but their demand for quality hasn't lessened.

However, while Black Chrome may be in it's infancy, artist Oliver Moldan has been producing for almost a decade now, and it shows.

"Black Souls" is a wonderfully dark, yet distinctly euphoric piece of progressive house.

The whole piece is underscored by a heavy, late 90's style primitive kick drum, which gives it beautiful charm.

At first listen, I originally thought I was in for another piece of boring minimalistic tech-house, albeit with a fatter bass line. Clicks and swooshes punctuate the first minute of the track, but they soon grow in volume and work in with a dark pad and some wind-like long "swoosh" noises.

Like most of Moldan's previous work, especially under Prawler, with Peter Jürgens, "Black Souls" displays wonderful progression. The song builds tension beautifully, and teases for a long time before it delivers. Lasting for just under ten minutes, there is barely a dull moment.

"Black Souls" is inherently likeable, the kind of song that you could play for you Grandma to hear her say "that's nice deary, but it's very repetitive". Only during some of the darker acidic breakdowns could the senior citizens complain.

The main melody is comprised of beautiful, almost trancey bells which seem to have no discernible pattern, yet remain entirely coherent. If you slipped over you could easily lose yourself in this melody for days (that was a very strange turn of phrase?!).

On the downside...well, I can't think of one just yet. I might have to work on it.

The B Side is a remix by Steffen Herb, an artist I had never heard of. Herb has only a few low-profile releases to his name, the oldest I could find was from 2003. If any piece of work will make him a name, this could be it.

Herb's version of "Black Souls" adds some more punch to the kick drum, and lightens the overall impact of it, giving a more bouncy electro feel.

Thankfully, he's been clever enough to keep Moldan's original melody, which completely makes the track, but rather than leave it at that, wonderful reverb effects have been added to a counter melody that sounds like water droplets echoing through a drain somewhere.

At times the track is slow to progress, and you find yourself wondering when the next element is going to come in, but on a dance floor this would not be noticeable, as opposed to sitting in a comfy chair at home armed with an analytical mind.

The highlight of this track is a wonderful breakdown which lasts for a full 90 seconds, yet somehow manages to avoid feeling contrived as trance breakdowns often do (I'm not suggesting that either of the songs on this release are trance though. Progressive house all the way!).

Both sides of this release are enormously pleasurable listens, but I'd pick the original over the remix.

Music Review: Silicone Soul

British duo Silicone Soul has been responsible in the past for such lovely gems as "Feelin' Blue" and "The Poisoner's Diary", and since it's been some time since their last release, I approached this latest one on Soma Quality Recordings with some amount of interest.

The A side, "Bad Machines" opens with a British fellow talking about a factory that occasionally produces "Bad Machines" before an uncharacteristically hard bass line takes over. At first I thought Silicone Soul had at last given in to the cheap electro-house craze that has been raging around them, but I couldn't have been more wrong.

Yes, this definitively electro-house, but it's not cheap in any way, and Silicone Soul has lost none of their unique identity. The breakdown is infinite proof of this, with beautiful strings and piano, which they always seem to do so well. I was reminded a lot of Moby's brilliant "Play" album during this section of the song.

The harder parts of the song cannot help but call up the words "Yello" and "Oh Yeah" in my mind. The bass line is alarmingly similar, and the dark vocals are filtered to sound extra deep, and wouldn't sound out of place if replaced with "ooooooohhhh yeaaaaaah".

This one has a lot of main room appeal, but definitely not at the biggest clubs. It's simple enough to bring the masses to the floor, yet has enough depth and vibe to attract more passionate music fans too.

On the B Side, "Stolen Sunset" and "3am" are a return to Silicone Soul's more traditional sound, albeit still a little harder edged.

"Stolen Sunset" has an extremely progressive feel, and would not seem out of place next to Martin Landsky early on in a Sasha and Digweed set.

If I have one criticism of this track, it's that the bass line is rather boring. However, what it lacks here it just makes up for with other elements. Slow acid synths rise and fall in the background, as a more solid acidic melody takes the fore, accompanied by some plucky strings and a celtic style pipe of some sort.

The whole track is laid onto a series of heavy, prolonged pad sounds which gives the track a dark mood. However, the bass line remains seemingly unchanged for nearly six minutes.

"3am" feels quite progressive too, but not in the chugging main room way that "Stolen Sunset" does. Contrary to the song title, this is a song for home, not 3am at a club.

Again, dark echo sounds back the whole track, while this time some not so plucky strings loaded with delay play out their way slowly, drawing you into the music.

A little annoying at times is the constant clicking that has been used every second beat. A sound closer to a clap or snare as traditionally used would be better, or at least a dampening of the clicks. While it's good to hear something different, often the reason a sound is nearly always used is because it works, and there's no point changing it. This seems to be the case here.

"Bad Machines" is my pick of this release. It has far stronger percussion elements than anything on the B side, and makes up for it's simpler melody with more energy and groove.

The B sides would need significant work done on their bass lines if they were to really impress me, however they will still be joining my playlist.

Music Review: Pluton/Saturn

Like all artists eventually seem to do these days, Sebastien Leger has started his own label, aptly named "Mistakes Music". Perhaps the proliferation of small, personalised labels is what has seen the market flooded with crap in the past few years. I'm firmly of the opinion that artists, even the most accomplished, need to be told when they've done bad and consequently return to the drawing board.

Owning your own label ensures that no one can just say "no", because the power is in your hands.

The A side is a stuttering bit of electro-fart with a strange, hollow bass line drenched in reverberation. In the past I've admired Leger for his stuttering, disjointed productions, his remix of "Kazane" being a good example. At the same time Leger was fist using this style, Oliver Huntemann too was producing his first solo work under "H-Man", with a similar sound. Both producers were so successful with this sound that it began to appear everywhere.

"Pluton" has none of the nous of Leger's past productions. It feels strained and formulaic, and it's about as easy to dance to as a drum and bass track. I suppose what I'm getting at is that although Leger's previous productions were disjointed too, they had a discernible rhythm. In contrast, this one is sure to confuse already brainless punters who find a simple 4/4 beat hard enough. Just as cringe worthy as the sporadic electro blips is the robotic vocal "move it" repeated roughly every two seconds.

If this wasn't bad enough, sounds have clearly been recycled from my favourite Leger track, "Bad Clock".

On The B Side, "Saturn" is more impressive, and a small step away from Leger's usual style.

Melodic pads form the majority of the track, with a sound very reminiscent of Pryda indeed. However, it still retains that elusive Sebastien Leger element in a chunky bassline and some strange yet pleasing blips towards the start of the track, a little too risque to really be the work of Eric Prydz.

This one is strangely progressive for Leger too, without the usual peaks and wild synths found in earlier work such as "Take Your Pills" or "Hit Girl".

Again, this track feels very formulaic, the breakdowns are all too expected, as are the individual sounds that make them up. I definitely think Sebastien needs to step back to the drawing board, or at least have someone say "no".

Nevertheless, I'm entirely certain that both tracks 0n this release will be receiving copious play around the world within a few short weeks.

Music Review: Skydive From Venus

Today I'm reviewing The Detroit Grand Puhbahs' latest release, mainly because the B side contains a cracking remix from Swiss techno man Deetron, who has been consistently serving up delicious tracks in the past few years, and firmly established himself as one of my favourite producers of late.

DGP and Deetron have worked together before, on DGP's track "Ride", which has the catchiest vocals I've ever heard, somehow without being cheesy. Deetron's remix added an even more infectious bass line to create a well rounded track which I can't help singing along to.

As for DGP's new release last month on Det.ele.funk, the A side, titled "Skydive From Venus" is a strange blend of styles, fusing a blend of ethereal, almost Kraftwerk like strings, with echoing drum hits at long intervals, and slow piano chords reminiscent of Vangelis.

Overall the track would have an extremely vintage feel if it weren't for the strange squealing space blips laid over the top at seemingly random intervals, and the sound of radio static in the background.

This one has no dance appeal whatsoever; it doesn't even have a constant beat through, just echoed drum hits, however this is certainly one you can sit back and enjoy at home.

To me, this seems like a strange departure from Detroit Grand Puhbahs' usually crude lyrics and immature themes, in fact, I'd describe this one as positively deep.

On the B side, Deetron's remix takes it to the dance floor, as usual. The slow pads and strings are no longer sweeping, echoing chords, but rapidly pulsing melodies, driven by an added bass line.

What still remains however, is the atmospheric feel to the track. Like Ritchie Hawtin's classic "Spastik", under the "Plastikman" alias, this one has a constant feel of building, with no big bass drops in sight.

This is the kind of track you play immediately before you drop in your biggest, most dance-floor destroying bomb for the night.

Come to think of it, it's not unlike a more upbeat version of Daniel Stefanik's remix of "Intercity" , originally by Johnny Wagner.

Unfortunately for Detroit Grand Puhbahs, despite producing a brilliant, deep track, Deetron's remix will surely be receiving plenty of play across Europe in coming months from artists like Stephan Bodzin, Oliver Huntemann, DJ T and Joris Voorn.

Music Review: Black Smoke/White Smoke

A while ago I reviewed Artic Quest's "Renaissance". Today I'll be looking at the followup, "Black Smoke/White Smoke" which was released last month.

Emiel R. Ten Hoor, the man behind the Arctic Quest moniker, is a producer who seems to go for quality over quantity. In the last four years he has had less than ten releases, most of them brilliant. Besides his originals, "Renaissance", "Offbeat" and "Raygun", he is also a proficient remixer, having released a great version of Electrovoya's "Whispers".

Black Smoke and White Smoke are a real milestone for Ten Hoor, who is getting to that point in his career where he will either keep producing great records and cement himself as a respected producer in the minds of many for years to come, or perhaps begin the slide into mediocrity that many producers do as they run out of ideas or cannot resist the allure of money (a.k.a "Selling Out".)

Ten Hoor has pleased me, first off, by making a cool cover for the record itself. I like the cartoon, it's original and vaguely amusing.

On the A side, "Black Smoke" opens up with Ten Hoor's typical well-layered percussive elements, and the usual longish, uncomplicated intro, which I have been thankful for more than a few times when mixing.

It's a sign of just how popular electro-house has become that even trance, a genre typically a world apart from others in culture, attitude and sound, has started to show influence from it.

Black Smoke's main melody is much more of an electro-house "boop" sound than the usual trancey "diw", however it clearly defines itself as the latter with the usual uplifting sound, albeit a little less than you would expect from most trance.

Like "Renaissance", Black Smoke is quite progressive, and builds rather subtly, however it lacks the "peak time" builds found in Renaissance. Due to it's more laid-back progressive nature, this is a fantastic opening or closing track.

One thing I particularly like about this track is the double kick drum beat at the end of each phrase before a new sound is introduced. In my mind this is a real throw back to the 90's, which works extremely well with the distinctly modern elements in the track.

Though Black Smoke is very pleasing, The B side, "White Smoke" is disappointing. Whereas Black Smoke uses electro-house elements to good effect, this side sounds like a regular electro-house track sped up a little, and really brings nothing interesting to the table, besides the fact that it will be more popular on the dance floor.

Uncharacteristically of Arctic Quest, the percussive elements are weak, and saw-wave synths are plentiful. The main melody is almost Beverly Hills Cop-ish, with high bleeps and short synth stabs. The song has a good energy to it, but is frankly not all that moving.

While I may say it "brings nothing to the table"; I'm judging it against the A side. Compared to most electro-house tracks being released at the moment, this is still quite an impressive piece of work in a sea of ersatz main room tracks.

Overall this is a strong release. I predict "Black Smoke" to be big over the coming few months; I know I've already included it in a recent mix!

Music Review: Kyau and Albert: Worldvibe

Trance duo Kyau and Albert's second album was released in December 2006, making this review about three months late, or even later if you consider that most of the singles from the album had been long available before being pressed onto a single CD.

Nevertheless, let the reviewing begin.

The release consists of two CDs, both unmixed. Disc 1 is the real meat of the release, featuring thirteen euphoric yet down-tempo trance tracks. While other reviews have heavily criticised vocalist Albert's singing, the fact is, I found it hard not to enjoy his lighthearted, catchy warbling, whether studio bolstered or not. Trance purists would quickly point out that a majority of the tunes are more tarted-up pop music than true trance, and I'm inclined to agree, but stop for just a second to consider the rest of the album before you pass judgment.

Out of the thirteen tracks on CD 1, Albert provides the vocals to just five, with six instrumental tracks, and Viola Manigk and Julia Lutat lending their talents for the last two, so if you're not overly fond of Albert there's still plenty here for you.

Although unmixed, it is entirely clear that much thought has been paid to the transitions between songs and the entire flow of the album. What it may lack in range, it makes up for in consistency. Besides one tribal influenced track, a majority of the music is stock-standard modern trance, vaguely satisfying yet still essentially lacking. No one song seems to stand out except for perhaps their biggest hit; "Are You Fine". Though lacklustre in the vocal department, "Are You Fine" is far stronger in melody than any other song on the album, which for dance music is essential.

The fundamental difference between pop music and true dance music is that dance music doesn't rely on vocals to express a point or entertain. Pop music, on the other hand, takes a bland beat and adds a catchy phrase over the top. Kyau and Albert have toed this line very carefully. The end result is something not unlike Rui Da Silva's smash hit "Touch Me" from the year 2000, which won fans on both sides of the fence, whether hardcore trance heads, or teenage pop fans who want nothing to do with the trance scene in any way.

Part of this is eschewed in the fact that Disc 1 is toned down greatly, leaving hi-hats and heavy kick drums out of the way. For the car this is a perfect driving CD. Lighthearted, catchy and fairly consistent over the entire hour.

Disc 2 is where you can really hunker down to enjoy an ear bashing at the hands of some heavy bass. Again, if you're not terribly enamored with Albert's vocal stylings, Justine Suissa or Molly Bancroft may well float your boat. This bonus CD features remixes of Oceanlab's "Sirens Of The Sea", Gabriel & Dresden's "Tracking Treasure Down" and Ridgewalker's "Find", featuring vocals from El.

Of course, plenty of Kyau and Albert originals are still present on this disc, with upbeat, club versions of "Kiksu", "Walkdown" and "Are You Fine" showing the way. I rather enjoy the lyrics themselves to "Walkdown", and was delighted to learn that the words are not "no matter if I break, the alimony" as I thought, but "no matter if I breathe, the air I need", after studying the CD insert, which helpfully contains the lyrics to each song, so the teeny-boppers will never have to miss a syllable.

On the strength of the second disc alone, this CD is not worth the purchase. If however, you enjoy the watered-down trance of CD 1, by all means go ahead and buy it. While you may not find that rare track you'll still be loving in five years time, the shelf life of the release is still long enough to justify owning it.