Main Page | DJ Crash Top 10 | Music Reviews | Guest DJs Top 10 | House Charts | Top 40 Charts | Hip Hop Charts | Input Your Top 10 | Guest Book

 

 

 

Trance Review

 

 

 

 

Reviewed by

DJ Crash

Covering Trance, Techno, Breakbeat and Special Beats

 

 

 

 

DJ Icey

City of Groove

FFRR

I like the Partners in Crime remix of not a test.

**** - Not a Test, *** - City of Groove

 

Paul Van Dyk - For an Angel

Great epic track that takes you through a fantastic journey. It touches me each time I play it. The crowd response is just as good.

***** - PVD mix, ***-remix

 

Taylor - Slide (Hook)

Fierce trance that has enveloping synth swishes over a relentless and

driving bass keyboard hook on the "Original Mix'. "Third Man' mix is

stripped down and contains more percussion, a harder driving beat, and drum

changeups that make the release special. A whistle blower for sure. (AD)

 

Front BC - The Front (City of Angels)

Drum and Bass that is ultra complex, and perhaps a tad overproduced and a

little thin compared to the stuff coming out of Canada and the UK. Its

certainly eclectic and trippy at times, but where's the bass? (AD)

 

The Crystal Method - Keep Hope Alive BT mix (City of Angels)

In spite of the fact that we still haven't gotten over BT's extremely lame

live performance at Sir.cus in Montreal a couple of years ago, we have to

recommend you pick up this 12". BT builds in his classic drum lines and

light feathery touches that add richness to this track. This one will light

up rooms right across North America - of this we are sure. It is a journey

in itself.

 

Lunatic Calm - Dub The Dice Fatboy Slim Mix (City of Angels)****

Fatboy Slim is a genius. We already gave him CD of the year last year, for

Better LivingÖ His remix work is awesome too, as this 12 inch provesÖ.

Totally fucked up jungleized breakorama that you really have to hear to

appreciate. Flip the record over and compare it with the original and you

will see the kind of magic Fatboy Slim can work.

 

Freaky Chakra - Downspace (Astralwerks)

Extraordinarily complex electronic fragments come together in a totally

danceable way on 'Downspace'. The arrangements are a bit thick and trancey

at times but the low end saves the day half way through the record. How do

these guys compress so many sounds into a coherent track? Its mind-boggling.

 

Keoki - Inevitable Alien Nation (Moonshine)

Keoki's new mix CD starts off a bit strangely with "Every Home A Prison" by

Coldcut, but soon picks up speed, peaking with Dansa's "Spiritual Being".

We only wish he had played this good when he was last in Toronto.

 

Junkie XL -Saturday Teenage Kick (Attic)

Hard techno with rock power chords blended in. Call it post electronica,

post nosebleed techno, but call it creative. The Dutch have always found

ways to make daily living more interesting (coffeehouses, dikesÉ). Junkie

XL prove that you can have the soul of a rock musician and still produce

danceable techno.

 

Darshan - Awakening (Flying Rhino)

Smooth and uplifting trance that we can picture going over big with the

trance purists. But this CD is also friendly enough to be listenable.

 

Novamute Kompilation -2CD - (Novamute )

Evolution can also be regressive. Here we have a techno track compilation

done by all the current heavyweights like Luke Slater, Darren Price,

Plastikman, Steve Stoll, Speedy J. Sounds cool eh? Well when we gave it a

listen we realized that most of these tracks sound alike. This CD should

work in theory, but it doesn't in practice simply because your ears start

getting tired after hearing 4/4 beats over and over without too many other

distinguishing features. We bet that if you bought each artist's work

separately you'd be more satisfied, and more impressed with each artist's

individuality. But when we heard them in a comparative situation we started

getting critical.

 

Omar Santana - Hardhop Tricked Out (Moonshine)

Far out breaky treatment of Man Parrish's classic 'Hip Hop Rebop' opens

this mix CD. The CD peaks with Zemoto by The Bleachers, and again with

Tanith's Bronco - both tracks acid drenched escapades into euphoria. If you

are a breaks person, you will want pick this up. Includes Imperial

Stormtrooper's HM3, Crystal Ice, and Panic Button, as well as tracks by Red

Lotus and Dark Side of The Shroom.

 

Morcheeba - Big Calm (Indochina/Warner)

Ranging from trip hop styles to twangy steel guitar country flavored tunes,

this CD showcases the wispy vocal talents of Skye Edwards (if you have

never heard her, her voice is a bit like Nicolette's). Get it for those

lazy summer afternoons at the cottage.

 

The Essential James Bond - (Silva/Koch)

A CD by the Prague Philharmonic being reviewed in TRIBE? Why not, when it's

a complete collection of the music from 18 James Bond movies. Its mellow,

sure, but you can't listen to jungle all the time eh? Sweet tunes that will

restore brain cells after a night of eardrum bursting 180 db audio. No

vocals, just soothing real instuments. Oooooooo James!

 

Digital Empire - Electronica's Best (Cold Front/BML) 2CD

With the onslaught of Electronica compilations in stores now, its

refreshing when a decent one comes along. Digital Empire is rammed to the

max with heavyweight artists and good tracks that have come to represent

'electronica'. This doublepack contains tracks by BT, Rabbit & The Moon,

Fatboy Slim, The Chemical Brothers, The Prodigy, PropellerheadsÉÉ. You get

the picture... This is a big compilation and excellent value for the money.

 

Big Dirty Beats - compilation (Moonshine)

The name of this CD is totally appropriate. Thumping deep bottomed crunchy

beats for the jeep. Bassbin Twins Fat Boy Slim remix of Out Of Hand,

Wreckage Inc.'s The Chase, and Full Stop by Bonobo are highlights. A high

quality comp with a tons of low end.

 

Freaky Chakra - Black light Fantasy (Astralwerks)

Balsy electronica that may start off a little slow but goes mental by track

6, Vectorhead. Get this CD for the outstanding 'Living In The Future'/

'Dreams' segue. A total freaky electronic trip that zooms you into the

future. Pink Floydian richness with danceable beats.

 

Techno In The Mix - Mark Verbos Mix (Cold Front)

Nice hard techno that starts with an evil tune called "My Mouse Likes

House" and grates into the brain with tracks by DJ Apollo, Joey Jupiter,

Influx, and Atomic Babies. Well mixed good selection, good techno.

 

Funkungfusion - 2 CD (Ninja Tune)

I once saw this book called "The Art of the Criminally Insane" (or

something like thatÉ), and it contained a sampling of paintings and

sketches from straightjacket city. Some paintings, as you would expect,

were of garish headless torsos. The rest were of rainbows, and pretty

flowers and stuff. Now you get an idea of how Funkungfusion is put

together. Just when you are settling into some nice mellow grooves - wham,

a headless torso of a hip hop track, splat, a deep cold cut scratchorama

with howling laughter samples. Insane.