Various - Life: Styles - Coldcut

Harmless: 2004

It's a shame the Life: Styles series didn't last long. There was a clever idea going for it among all the other 'electronic producers show off their record collections' market, in that it featured personally influential songs that weren't specifically themed (afterhours, chill-out, early crate exposures). Right, mixtape action then. That’s fine, but apparently not much of interest in the overstuffed compilation market of the '00s. And now that online playlists, mixtapes, and podcasts offer much of the same, CDs like Life: Styles are all but good as dead. Damn it, I was kinda hoping to find more of these someday.

If their tracklists are anything to go by, they'd make for handy bluffer's guides to funk, soul, jazz, and '70s curiosities. Coldcut are no exception, though as the duo from Ninja Tune had a raging hard-on for all things break-beat orientated, you can expect some interesting funk choices for their contribution to Life: Styles. For instance, More and Black claim they picked up Betty Harris' There's A Break In The Road for the sole reason of the title. Yep, in their never-ending pursuit of new 'breaks' to sample and use in their DJing, they went into a slice of soul-jazz blind, thinking a fresh drum solo could be found within. Boy, have I ever done that kind of shopping before, though almost entirely based on covers rather than titles.

There’s about eight other funky tunes on here, though likely only the last two will be immediately familiar to most (The Temptations’ Power and Otis Clay’s The Only Way Is Up). I’m more interested in the funk-fusion numbers, like Chowen Few’s Do Your Thing (reggae!) and The Galylads’ Soul Sister (um, soul?), but they’re all cool tunes regardless.

There’s also quite a bit of French connection music on offer too. Richard de Bordeaux & Daniel Beretta drum up some psychedelic francophone rock in La Drogue (he, he, I think they said “hashish”), Axel Krygier goes down the trip-hop road in Taxi Nocturno (yeah, it’s not all old musics here), and early jazz ‘n electronics dabbler Bernard Estardy shows up under his La Formule Du Baron guise, though La Gigouille’s a straight-up funk jam in this case.

And now for the oddities! Well, okay, T La Rock & Jazzy Jay’s It’s Yours isn’t odd in the slightest, but the Def Jam classic sure stands out as odd in a compilation filled with music other than hip-hop – guess Coldcut wanted to show the ‘breaks’ connection? The track preceding it, Cornershop’s The Easy Winners, is certainly an odd one, a sort of future electro-funk offering from what Lord Discogs claims to be an indie rock band. Ah, they bandwagon jumped during the ‘electronica’ boom, didn’t they. But no, the real highlight for goofy nonsense is none other than Archie Bleyer’s Hernandoz Hideaway, something of a minor hit in the mid-‘50s, and all tango-camp. I guarantee once you hear that hook (even in sampled form), you’ll have it stuck there forever after.

Juno Reactor - Labyrinth

Metropolis: 2004

Labyrinth feels like the culmination of years of experimentation coming together, talent finally reaching the vision Juno Reactor saw possible (holy shit, what a pretentious way to open a review...). There were early glimmers of Ben Watkins breaking his project out from bog-standard psy trappings, but it wasn't until Shango where he took his first proper risky steps. It was regarded as... well, I'll get to that eventually. It must have given Watkins a strong shot of confidence though, as Labyrinth goes full bore outside the psy comfort zone as anyone could get.

Right, so part of that was likely getting more soundtrack opportunities, and the success of The Matrix franchise didn’t hurt in giving Juno Reactor more exposure (not to mention greenbacks). It got Watkins thinking bigger and bolder while putting together Labyrinth, as there’s quite a cinematic tone to the whole album. The opening salvo of Conquistador I & II may as well be your first act – the former dark, quiet and moody as the atmosphere of some desolate Spanish landscapes reveals itself, the latter erupting into a big action set piece with those galloping beats, tribal drums, and snarling lyrics (Danny Trejo stars). It’s basically what the opening two cuts off Shango would sound like if they sexed it up and downed LSD-soaked tequila afterwards. Awesome!

The rest of Labyrinth plays out in similar fashion, tracks jamming various genres into a blender, and everything coming out tasty. Want a little more thrash in your Juno? Try Giant, but stay for the operatic vocals too. Still hanker for the old psy? Mona Lisa Overdrive’s got you covered, but with more tribal fusion than you got on Bible Of Dreams. One of the few folks that found Watkins’ best ever single was Pistolero? Here’s War Dogs for your fix, now with backing orchestra! Prefer the mellow moments on prior albums? The one-two soft-punch of Mutant Message and Angels And Men should serve you fine, though the former uses its calm as a prelude to a musical eruption mid-song.

All this is fine and dandy, but everyone knows you save your best for the climax at the end, and Navaras serves as a perfect capper to Labyrinth. Apocalyptic choir, piercing industrial synths and beats, orchestral swells, tribal chants, and a meditative breather in the middle before erupting with the bedlam at the end again. Wait, how am I fighting the final boss of a Final Fantasy game all of a sudden here?

I can see why Mr. Watkins felt compelled to explore ever further deviations from the psy sound he grew popular with on Gods & Monsters - how could he top Labyrinth? Whether it’s the best Juno Reactor album remains open to discussion, as many still prefer the older sound to the genre exploration found in the post-Shango albums, which admittedly continues to be hit or miss. Labyrinth finds the mark about as close to flawless as he’s gotten though, and is definitely worth your time and pennies.

Zyron - Italo Classics: Mix 1 & 2

(~): 2004

These were a pair of mixes available from a DJ by the name of Zyron at Discogs, not an official release of any kind (and sadly no longer uploaded, though maybe he’ll offer a link if you ask). I don't review online sets here because, as there's no hard copy or proper Discogs entry, I don't count them as part of my current listening project (and Lord knows it'd add a ton more entries to the list, which I certainly don't need if I ever want to get through everything sometime this decade). However, back when I primarily listened to CDs on the go, I had to burn MP3 sets to discs, and as anyone who's done so back in the day can relate, sometimes you wanted special custom-made labels for those special CDs. I actually made several such mix CDs for myself, including a few running series for fun. Since I'm including them in my listening project, I may as well write about the music on these too, since they usually have unique tunes I won't get a chance to talk about otherwise.

Like italo disco! Oh man, is there any form of music more deliciously retro and cheesy than this one? Synth pop may have had the 'credible' groups to its name, and hi-NRG may have had the gay scene in its (front) pocket, but italo found a unique role between the two, bringing infectious tika-tika rhythms, off-beat basslines, tinny brass, and catchy hooks under one triumphant banner. Almost exclusively a European thing, the scene churned out a ridiculous number of hits that you'll swear you've heard somewhere else before (most likely recycled in following dance-pop genres).

The two mixes Mr. Johan “Zyron” Åstrand did were apparently done as a lark, but if you ever wanted a primer on the italo genre, they’re about as solid an introduction as you could ever get. So many classics are included in the mix: My Mine’s Hypnotic Tango, Baltimore’s Tarzan Boy, Scotch’s Disco Band, Fancy’s Slice Me Nice, Baby’s Gang’s Disco Maniac, Primadonna’s Angel You, Digital Emotion’s Get Up, Action... I could go on. It’s not a total italo-fest though, as a few nods to space synth – the (primarily) instrumental ‘proper musicians be here’ branch of eurodisco - crop up too, with cuts from Laserdance, Cyber People, and Hipnosis.

As for the mixes themselves, the first one is a little slower and – dare I say it in any relation to italo – funkier. The second is more upbeat for the most part, with a little ‘ballad-breather’ in the middle. Given the difficulty this music tends to be for smooth blends, Zyron ‘cheated’ by using beat-loops in mixing software, plus gave many tracks some post-mixdown shine so the low-quality nature of those old vinyls wouldn’t wonk things up track to track. All said, a solid job done for music that still has trouble being taken seriously, but who cares what scenester snobs think when the tunes are as delightfully fun as these are!

Frankie Knuckles - His Greatest Hits From Trax Records (2013 Update)

Trax Records: 2004

(Click here to read my original TranceCritic review.)

Hey, kids, are you tired of blasting electro house at festivals, knocking you over with over-the-top 'complextro' nonsense? Have you ever wondered if house music could be simple and groovin', but without sacrificing catchy hooks and kick-ass bass? Then let's take a gander at the roots of the genre, born and raised from the good ol' American city of Chicago. Wait, where are you going? What do you mean you can get your fix elsewheres? New York? Ireland!? Ya'll be trippin', I say. Ain't no house like Chicago house, right from the source. And no, I'm not talking about The Source, from which became synonymous with Frankie Knuckles even though the two likely never even talked to each other over the phone.

Ugh, this isn’t working. I’m just blathering nonsense. Against all odds, that original TranceCritic review I wrote years ago has held up. Yeah, the grammar’s still clunky in places, and I come off pointlessly defensive in the opening paragraph (does it really matter what my sexual orientation is?), but all the information you need’s right there in white on black. And any sort of ‘updating’ I could relay about Knuckles’ music on Trax has been co-opted by the seemingly never-ending ‘classic house revival’ narrative that’s developed in the past while. Hell, I just touched upon that with Hercules & Love Affair.

So I’m left with a 2013 Update with nothing to update on. That said, and half this wasteful exercise over, I’m going out to get drunk right now, and when I come back, let’s see what I’ve to say.

*tick-tock, tick-tock, not much time passed on the clock*

Well, that was pointless. Sure, I got drunk, but all too quickly for my liking. I must be exhausted, a theory totally corroborated by the wonky work hours I’ve had since getting back from vacation. Normally I work late evenings, but it’s been early mornings this past week, screwing up my sleep cycles. Thank God for energy drinks, even if they do weird things to your insides and possibly eyeballs (why do I see so many blobs and dark dots floating about?).

Is anyone still reading this far? If so, don’t be expecting some sort of new epiphany regarding Frankie Knuckles and his greatest tracks from Trax while I’m in this drunken state. The CD remains as good as when I first heard it; so instead, here’s a c+p of my concluding paragraph from my first review:

This release is a good introduction to the house sound of the mid-80s. A vibrant, hedonistic, sexual energy runs through these songs, capturing the carefree days when a gay man could escape the torment of prejudice and lose himself in house music. The tragic breakout of AIDS sadly cut short those years, and, like any scene that sprouts from innocent intents, it will never occur again. This is the soundtrack to those times and, no matter your sexual orientation, you can’t help but get lost in the moment as well.

The Misted Muppet - From The Legend (Original TC Review)

Trancelucent Productions: 2004

(2013 Update:
The opening few paragraphs are a good example of the convoluted ways we'd occasionally look for unique angles to review music at TranceCritic. All that mumbling about fantasy influences, though definitely in need of being touched upon given the material, still ended up being overlong and undoubtedly tedious for those just wondering about the music.

Speaking of, I'm surprised at how well this CD's held up. From The Legend remains one of the best full-on psy albums I've heard, in that I hardly grow weary of playing it for the duration - almost always there's those two or three tracks that'll drag psy albums down to mediocre levels, but not here. And holy shit, does Toward The Castle kick ass! I think I enjoy it more now than I did back then. Shame Misted Muppet didn't do much after this.)


IN BRIEF: Fearful full-on trance.

Metal has it. Folk has it. New Age kind of has it. Orchestral definitely has it. Yet, for some reason, electronic music is bereft of it. What is it? Why, songs dealing in fantasy, of course.

Now, I’m not talking about references to fairies or unicorns as heard in some of the more fey forms of trance music. I’m talking full-blown, sword-wielding, magic-casting, mud-on-your-boots, dragons-on-your-neck fantasy. The kind young teenage boys absorb themselves in with Tolkien novels, Forgotten Realms quests, and online Ultima sessions.

Of course, the reason for this is elementary. EDM, with all of its fancy, hi-tech sounds and effects, is normally concerned with two things: the dancefloor in the present, and the music of the future. Fantasy, with all its historical milieus, has no place in the realms of synths. Attempts at melding the two often sound conflicted - either electronic elements are neutered to the point of sounding no different than New Age compositions, or they overwhelm fantasy’s organic textures.

However, if any EDM camp has a decent shot at bridging the gap, it’s probably psy. With properly executed parties, psy already has a mystical quality to it. Additionally, the psy-sters love their Tolkien imagery of magical mushrooms and exotic forests. A natural progression in making that jump to full-blown fantasy seems likely enough provided someone has the production chops to attempt it. Enter The Misted Muppet, I suppose.

Comprised of Dagan Israeli and Tal Hassidi when this album was released, the duo are yet another member of the ever growing Israel Full-On Mafia (unofficial name, but if it works for Swedish house...). To distinguish themselves from the glut, Misted Muppet filled their music with traditional fantasy themes inspired from movie soundtracks: dragons, warriors, wizards, epic quests - you name it. While this concept sounds good on paper, does it translate will into full-on psy trance? Let’s find out, then.

They certainly don’t waste any time in getting their agenda across. The Mist starts with the sounds of a battle: horses are galloping, swords are chopping, and people are dying, all to the refrains of a mournful piano melody (bearing some resemblance to Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells opening). A piercing, wraith-like wail quickly interrupts the intro, and we’re plunged into typical full-on territory.

...for pretty much the rest of the album.

Oh, it’s certainly better-than-average full-on, and Misted Muppet are quite clever with their chosen template. However, if you have no interest in this style of psy, or can’t stand releases where each successive song follows the same structure as the last, then this release isn’t for you.

That out of the way, here’s the finer details of what you’ll hear on From The Legend.

The album is roughly divided into three stanzas, with each track in said stanza bearing similarities to one another. As mentioned, the opening song of From The Legend makes decent use of orchestral samples to start the track out before diving into familiar full-on sounds. The next two follow suite, with symphonic swells setting ominous tones before driving rhythms burst forth. As for the psy sounds, it’s most of the usual stuff: wiggly acid, squiggly synths, bubbly bells, etc. Misted Muppet’s material stands out though, as everything is intensely chaotic, yet well suited for their environments. Aside from brief breakdowns for breathers, there are always two or three synths going at it. And, remarkably enough, where psy trance is concerned, they never sound disjointed together.

Misted Muppet simplify things a little with Midnight Tales and Innocence. Rather than the frenzy action of the previous tracks, things get reduced to more typical trance fare; this includes a heavier reliance on loops and, gasp, extended breakdowns. Heh, really, these features aren’t too obtrusive in this case, and Muppet do make nice use of some ethereal female chants at points. But, ugh, what’s with that build in Innocence? It could have been better handled, me thinks, had the sounds used not been so annoying.

Up to this point, From The Legend has had a decent sense of flow more akin to a live PA set than an album narrative, which is fine if you go into this expecting it. However, if the fantasy artwork had you hoping for the tracks to provide something of an epic quest, you may be a little disappointed thus far.

The good news is Misted Muppet do bring it for their final act. Toward The Castle, as the title suggests, has a sense of urgency that’s been absent in previous tracks; storm clouds roll in as a deliciously warped synth line worms about to driving rhythms. A squiggly bit of acid marks the climax, which isn’t quite the payoff I’d have liked after the first half, but at least it’s suitable in setting us up for Mercenaries, where opposing forces appear to collide as piano melody gets tweaked out.

And, to cap this metaphorical battle off, Might And Magic wraps things up with triumphant ceremonial bells and trumpets along with all your usual full-on fare. Actually, some of the melodies sounds like something you might have heard in the computer game of the same name. I can see this one being popular with the RPG geeks, er, players out there.

As for the album’s title track, well, it suffers from ‘One-Track-Too-Many Syndrome’. There’s nothing bad about it, but it’s filled with too many sounds already heard, and the unique feature - droning, wailing synths during breakdowns - are hardly as interesting as all the quirky things we’ve heard elsewhere. At least the intriguing ambient piece Defender Of The Past makes for a nice epilogue though.

So, yeah. Pretty decent full-on album here. It’d have been cool to hear Misted Muppet attempt to expand their fantasy motifs more but this is a first attempt at it, and perhaps a second album will see them shake free of the standard full-on trappings a little more. The willingness to even try an album like From The Legend is worth a couple brownie points anyway.

Various - Evolution Of New Sounds

Large Records: 2004

Large Records is a house label based out of Chicago. Welp, you know right there this compilation’s gonna be class. It’s also been in operation since the mid-‘90s, when they lured in talent such as Kerri Chandler, DJ Sneak, Roy Davis Jr., and 95 South, some of whom still release occasional singles through Large. In fact, several prominent house producers have singles on this label, though Large doesn’t seem to have cultivated many exclusive artists. For a while during the ‘00s, Jeff Craven - Large’s director - compiled a clutch of releases for CD, with such titles as Rhythm Lounge and Electro Jazz. Oh yeah, we’re getting deep into the deep house vibes with this label.

Evolution Of New Sounds has a little more in mind than your standard ‘deeper-than-thou’ house music. Maybe it was due to the electro revival being in full swing when this came out, but there is a futuristic bent to some of these tracks. Shame the concept never went anywhere, this being the only entry Large released while Rhythm Lounge got a whole four volumes. I guess the label figured it wiser to pursue DJ mixes instead with their Get Large series.

Anyhow, this CD features many of Large’s regulars. Kerri Chandler’s here! Jay-J’s here! Roy Davis, Jr.’s here, twice! Recent signee Glenn Underground’s here! Home-grown Solar House is here! Peter Hecher, who never released anything on Large beyond Evolution Of New Sounds, is here, twice! A couple one-offs from Natural Rhythm and Pete Moss round out the rest, so a solid roster. On here!

For those fearing this will be too ‘electro-y’ for your deep house palette, fear not as things are kept mostly on an boogie-dub flavor. Jay-J and Macari’s Hold Onto You bumps wonderfully, while Hecher’s Funkdafied blends up-front production sounds with vintage funky house vibes. Elsewhere, Roy Davis, Jr.’s Soul Music works in some guitar licks, Chandler’s Fix Is U features saxophone solos and spoken dialog, and Natural Rhythm’s Nu-Bionics has your trumpets and Moogs. Much of this probably sounds like your stock deep house tropes, but each producer work these elements into deep grooves with skill and finesse. D’es guys, d’ey know d’ere deep house. Spicing things up further are scattered stabs at dubbed-out broken-beat and jazz-proper, Glenn Underground, Pete Moss, and Solar House doing the leg-work on these cuts.

Unfortunately, the idea of ‘evolution’ doesn’t really stick out on many tracks, except for the second Hecher tune, Respect 2 Giorgio. As you’ve probably assumed from that title, it’s very retro-sounding, making use of classic synths and driving rhythms that make sense while cruising late-night Neo-Tokyo. There’s still a deep element to it, but compared to most of the other cuts on this CD, far more futuristic than the funk and soul in play throughout. Evolution Of New Sounds could have used a few more like this to really stand out from the pack. Instead, it’s just another solid collection of deep house.

Various - DJ-Kicks: Daddy G

Studio !K7: 2004

Listening to a single compilation for over a week certainly spikes the urge to buy more music in the meanwhile (need... something... different!), so I figured it was as good as any time to pick up a few more of those DJ-Kicks mixes I neglected over the years. Good Lord though, if it isn't a difficult decision to choose which ones to check out. So many releases, so much eclecticism.

Actually, this one wasn’t too difficult a choice, still being on a reggae dub kick when perusing though the series. Seeing this one from the Massive Attack member Daddy G was enough to get me intrigued, plus I was also curious to hear how Studio !K7 would follow up their 2003 flirtation with electropunk (or whatever), and ol’ Erlend Øye wasn’t quite as sexy an option as ol’ Grant Marshall.

This came out a year after Massive Attack had released the critical shrug that was 100th Window. Folks may have been initially dismissive of the album, but there was still enough positive publicity in seeing anything released by them at that point that !K7 tapping Daddy G for an edition made good sense. What we’re offered is less of a DJ mix, and rather a “personal favorites mixtape”. Hey, if former Massive Attack member Tricky got to make a Back To Mine CD the year prior, why not?

As can be expected of a chap who practically helped invent what would become known as trip-hop, there’s a nice mix of funk and soul to get us warmed up. Speaking of Tricky, a rare white label “Version1” of Aftermath is included, sounding incredibly grainy and under-produced; somehow, a trip-hop classic like that makes more sense that way. Also making sense is hearing dubplate version of choice reggae tunes like Barrington Levy’s Here I Come and Badmarsh & Shri’s Signs. Not making sense is the inclusion of Foxy Brown’s cover of Oh Yeah of Toots & The Maytals (yep, that’s Bob Marley lurking in there) - why not offer up the original?

There’s also quite a bit of Massive Attack material here, mostly in the form of remixes they did. Included is the one that put the group on the map, Nusrat Fateh Ali-Khan’s Mustt Mustt. World beat was rather trendy in 1990, and this remix does show hints of it, but there’s definitely something cleverer going on with the beat programming compared to typical sample-raiders. Two tracks come as a surprise though: the Mos Def collaboration I Against I, which only appeared on the Blade 2 soundtrack, and the Perfecto Remix of the stone-cold classic Unfinished Sympathy. The former’s rather cool to hear, almost as though Mr. Def used an old, forgotten Gary Numan tune as a sample to rap over. But Oakenfold to close out? I dunno ‘bout that, man. It’s an alright remix, but quite stuck in early ‘90s Balearic mode. Give me grit and grime with this tune instead any day.

Ornament - Bleu

Cyan Music: 2004

Yep, it's been another round of used CD buying for yours truly, though I went about it in a different manner this time. I feel stupid for not realizing this before, but you can browse through a third-party store's inventory at Amazon like you're flipping through racks in a shop. There's a danger, however, in that the temptation for blind purchases increases exponentially. Well, it does for me anyway. I'm like a moth to a flame whenever I see a cover with interesting artwork. So long as I have a vague idea of what kind of music's within, I'll drop a few dollars for a gamble.

A quick check of Ornament’s Bleu at Discogs provided me with all the info I needed, the Recommendations list suggesting the likes of Shpongle, Ott, and assorted Ultimae releases. I’m sold. Wait a couple weeks, and voila, let’s see if this turned out alright.

Elgarhythms, the opening track, seems promising. Laid back vibe, dubby sounds ...almost Balearic in tone, which is odd considering the winter wonderland on the cover. As the song progresses, I’m starting to worry. There isn’t anything about it that strikes me as bad, yet if feels like we’re treading paths well worn by the likes of Bill Laswell, and rather substandard at that. Oh dear, might this be one of those albums, filled with meandering dub jams that, while never awful, comes away as pointless diddling only stoners can vibe on? Nah. The second track, Hypernicus, allays such worries, with soft rhythms and droning glacial pads. It does takes a few more cuts before returning to that style though, so be wary if you’re not a fan of the former.

Yeah, I was a little worried at first, but Ornament - comprised of a pair of studio guys from Australia, apparently - do keep things respectable with their dub jams; titular Bleu in particular tickles all the right dub-pleasure receptors in my noggin.

Their exploration of expansive Arctic (or Antarctic, I guess) soundscapes is where they find their stride. Plenty of sounds and samples they use could have come off as corny or cliché in lesser hands - talk of ‘eskimos’ in To Love Is To Laugh, or the use of woodwinds, voice pads, and ethnic chants in Yehuvaroom (by the way, are these tracks supposed to be lower-case titled?). Ornament never tumbles over that edge though, keeping things classy and restrained, their music drawing you in and easing you along their motif. The closing piece, ambeyond, is a perfect capper, desolate ambient drone that feels like you’re standing on frozen ice sheets in polar night, brisk wind biting into your iced-over skin. Are we sure these guys aren’t Scandanavian?

So in all, bleu turned out to be a sound blind purchase (okay, with a minor peek). I’m hesitant to say ‘pleasant surprise’ because I had some idea of what to expect (snow covered cover... winter themed music?). Check it out if you stumble upon it.

Felix Da Housecat - Devin Dazzle & The Neon Fever

Emperor Norton: 2004

Felix da Housecat had to have felt some pressure when it came time to follow up his ridiculously successful Kittenz And Thee Glitz. What was no more than a fun ode to music and style decidedly retro turned into a phenomenon, and Felix found himself a fashionable tastemaker, a figurehead of electroclash, and a DJ-slash-remixer in demand. That scene was short-lived though, burning itself out on ironic kitsch in but a few short years. He had to push forward to stay relevant, but how does one accomplish such when your whole (re)claim to fame's based around something purposely dated?

He managed it though, not by reinventing the game as before, but jumping on a few trends that were gaining steam in the year of 2004. Disco punk makes its presence felt, especially so courtesy of What She Wants (with James Murphy on vocals no less!). There’s celebrity navel-gazing/bashing in the form of Everyone Is Someone In L.A., some kinky grrl-power pandering with Short Skirts, Hunting Season, and my god is this ever turning into a boring review.

Bleh, I don’t know why either. I like this album. It’s fun and though lacking any of the insta-classics that were on Kittenz, I’d call Neon Fever a better overall experience. For one thing, no damn phone call or interview interludes; just song after song celebrating this weird, gaudy late-70s/early-80s notion of high times on the Sunset Boulevard. A lot of people gave approving nods to it, and Watching Cars Go By somehow became a crossover hit few DJs felt ashamed to play. Sasha F’n... um, Sasha used it on Involver! What the deals, eh?

Yet, something about it feels off eight years later. No doubt there was a great amount of hype leading to Neon Fever, and Felix had turned into such a charming success story that folks from all parties were eager to see him maintain that momentum. We enjoyed this album because we wanted to, and whatever faults there happened to be were easily dismissed. Unfortunately, forgettable subsequent albums had everyone questioning that former optimism. Where once there was celebration in dusting off classic bits of italo disco, there instead came scoffing at a lack of originality. Innovative trend setter? Bah, more like lucky guy at the right time with the right people in the studio.

So therein lays the problem above. A regular review of Neon Fever at this late stage will either be apologetically analytical, or ridiculously disparaging - here, with me actually liking the damned thing, probably the former. Felix da Housecat simply has gathered far too much critical baggage in the years following it to treat anything within a vacuum anymore. Kittenz is still regarded as a classic, for good or ill depending on your stance over trashy electro house music. Neon Fever, however, is something only fans of that scene will enjoy, where ‘the larger picture’ doesn’t matter. It seemed more important at one point, but like so much celebrity fascination, you now wonder why.

Afrika Bambaataa - Dark Matter Moving At The Speed Of Light (2012 Update)

Tommy Boy: 2004

(Click here to read my original TranceCritic review.)

It’s time for a confession. I knew about Afrika Bambaataa within my first year of enjoying 'techno', even heard a couple tracks. I didn't know who he was though, until nearly three years later, and even then I had no idea of his legacy. I can only claim pre-internet teenage ignorance, but far as I was concerned, ol' Bam' was responsible for such euro-dance hits like Feel The Vibe and Feeling Irie, thus he was a euro-dance guy, but not as successful as major players like 2 Unlimited, Haddaway, or Culture Beat. Hang your head in shame, teenage Sykonee. Hang it low.

No doubt, that contributed to me covering Dark Matter Moving At The Speed Of Light for TranceCritic, as I hoped whatever trancecracker readers we acquired at the time would learn something about the Godfather Of Hip-Hop (a.k.a.: the Amen Ra Of Universal Hip-Hop Culture; a.k.a.: the Father Of The Electro Funk Sound; a.k.a.: the Grand Poobah Of Funky Vox; a.k.a.: the...). Sadly, it was one of my early stupid-long reviews, so who knows if my goal was achieved.

Where does this leave us now, nearing a decade on? Limbo, I guess. Make no mistake, this is still a solid album, even if the back-end drags, but it came out when crunk reigned supreme. The positive party vibe of Bambaataa’s music couldn’t cut it against the raw, sloppy aggression from Lil’ Jon’s factory. The other side of club culture didn’t pick up on this either. Only Metal got played out, though I suspect it was DJs making use of an updated version of a Gary Numan classic.

No matter what he does in the twilight of his career, Bambaataa’s legacy will remain intact. Cuts like Planet Rock and Looking For The Perfect Beat are guaranteed to play out for several years to come (hopefully without any silly trend-whoring remixes along the way). It’s just a shame his last proper album failed to carry on his resurgence brought about in the late 90s, when everything about its execution dictated it should have.

Or... I dunno. If folks won’t throw some love for Dark Matter, how about his euro-dance years? Yes, yes! Oh come on, how can you resist such goofy hoover fun like Pupunanny? What, you prefer that UB40 collaboration? An old roommate had that on vinyl. I wasn’t even tempted to hear it. Yeah, working with Fort Knox Five in recent years was definitely the wiser choice for ol’ Bam’s résumé. And of course there was Leftfield, James Brown, Uberzone, Adamski, Westbam, Black Devil Disco Club (no, not Black Rebel Motorcycle Club), several others...

Okay, ol’ Bam’s done good for himself. Do yourself good too and check this album out if you haven’t already.

Various - Creamfields: Mixed By Paul Oakenfold

Thrive Records: 2004

For the inaugural Grammy Award For Best Dance/Electronica Album in 2005, Paul Oakenfold’s DJ mix Creamfields was among the nominations. As it stands, it’s the only DJ mix to ever be nominated in the category, which makes sense since a DJ mix isn’t an album of original material and probably shouldn’t have been there in the first place. Why was it, then? As anyone will tell you, it's because the Grammy Nomination Committee’s filled with morons. They probably didn’t even realize ol’ Paul had only half-a-dozen tracks to his name on the double-CD, but he did have that pop charter Starry Eyed Surprise a couple years prior, so throw him on the ballot for the name recognition. See, club culture, we’re hip to your music. We know you like that Pauly Oaksenfield guy.

Still, wouldn’t it have been funny if he had won that year? Could you imagine the huge can of worms opened? All DJ mixes would have to be considered then. In a sense, that could work, as plenty of DJ mixes have just as much artistic merit as producer albums. Oh, who are we kidding? A Grammy for DJ Mixes would turn into a worse debate gong-show than even the DJ Mag poll.

Back to Creamfields, I recall this was hailed as a proper return to trance-form for Oakenfold, with many of his fans believing he’d given up his pop pursuits by getting back to his roots (re: the music his fans first loved him for - I highly doubt they’d want him to go all the way back to his Happy Monday roots). Of course, that didn’t happen, as his follow-up artist album A Lively Mind (also a Grammy nominee because it’s Oaken F’n Fold!) jumped on every EDM bandwagon he could find in Hollywood. Not that it should have surprised his fans since Creamfields is something of a bandwagon jump itself.

McProg - the lightweight, poppy variation of progressive house - was gaining traction in 2004; right alongside it was Markus Schulz’ ascendency, who offered a form of progressive trance that emphasized low, rumbly basslines contrasted with twinkling melodies. Oakenfold noticed, and CD 1 of Creamfields prominently features this sound, including cuts from Schulz and others of similar stock (Andy Moor, Probspot, Young Parisians, and Interstate being the biggest names). It’s a fine enough mix, though nothing you couldn’t find on a typical Coldharbour collection.

CD 2’s an odd one to conclude on, mixing a few genres up into baffling set. Opening with proggy breaks is fine, and it’s not long before we’re in trance territory, some tunes apparently winks to the sort of goa Oakenfold used to play out. Unfortunately, every so often, it’s broken up by pop remixes, throwing whatever marginal flow was built off the rails. Guess he couldn’t fit them on CD 1, so here they are instead. Gotta show off that new U2 remix, after all. Maybe he’ll get a Grammy nomination for it!

Sandoz - Digital Lifeforms: Redux (Original TC Review)

The Grey Area: Cat. # KIRK 07 CD
Released 2004

Track List:
Disc 1: Digital Lifeforms
1. Armed Response (7:43)
2. Chocolate Machine (7:34)
3. Digital Lifeforms (8:05)
4. Human Spirit (7:00)
5. Drum Meditation (7:01)
6. Limbo (8:47)
7. Zombie Astral (8:27)
8. Beam (6:47)
9. Steel Tabarnacle (7:52)
10. White Darkness (9:10)

Disc 2: Redux
1. Communicate (With The Future) (7:03)
2. Ocean Reflection (8:53)
3. Tribal Warfare (7:43)
4. White Tab/Steel Darkness (Tetrodotoxin Mix) (9:27)
5. Erzulie (7:27)
6. Human Spirit (Original Dub And Roll Mix) (6:59)
7. Zombi Savane (7:02)
8. Medium Cool (10:15)
9. Shanpwel (6:04)
10. Mirror (3:37)


(2010 Update:
I think I underrated this album at the time. Yeah, I enjoyed it when I first picked it up about a month before I wrote this review, but Digital Lifeforms has gone on to be one of my most heavily replayed CDs ever since. For all its dated attributes, I cannot deny the fact the music here is just so damned good. I hope this clunky review won't turn away other potential listeners.)


IN BRIEF: Malians and machinery melded.

It seems one thing you can count on in electronic music lately is re-issues. With so many rare, underground releases fetching high prices on eBay, you can be rest assured some producers and labels feel they’re missing a potential gravy train. Mind, it isn’t always their fault if they didn’t initially realize this. Many releases hardly make an impact during their first year or two. It’s usually through gradual exposure and word-of-mouth praise something garners ‘cult classic’ status. The scarcity of such releases only adds to its mystique and, before you know it, you’re paying a hundred bucks online for the chance to own an original copy.

Because of these inflated prices, it’s quite nice to see such ‘cult classics’ getting re-issues, often with added bonuses like B-Sides, rare remixes, and other assorted gobbledygook. Of course, I wouldn’t doubt collectors who own the originals moan and groan about this (mainly because if slightly de-values their own investment, despite whatever other excuse they tell you) but it is a great way for newer fans to catch up on old releases at a reasonable price.

Digital Lifeforms is easily one such release. Originally produced by Richard Kirk as a means to explore other musical avenues after a decade of industrial with Cabaret Voltaire, the album garnered many plaudits for its more ‘intelligent’ take on techno (remember, this was at a time when acts like The Prodigy and 2 Unlimited were tearing up the charts). While by no means the only individual to approach techno with a ‘not-just-party-music’ ethos, Kirk’s work as Sandoz certainly made a mark with his unique tribal fusion. Unfortunately, it was released on the UK indie ‘audiovisual’ label Touch, whom has a tendency to produce limited copies of their releases due to their artistic endeavors (their approach is similar to printing only a few paintings for an art gallery). As such, the album was doomed to obscurity by all but the most dedicated collector... until now (well, early 2004, to be specific).

The history out of the way, exactly what does this ‘cult classic’ sound like, and does it hold up in this day in age? Before I answer that, I should ask you, the reader, three questions:

1. Can you dig rhythms that sound like they come straight from Roland drum machines?
2. Do you like repetitive loops to some degree?
3. Does your taste in music allow for somewhat under-produced sound?

If you answered ‘no’ to any of these, and figure there will never be a ‘yes’ to them for all of your musical life, then you may as well hit that Back button in your web browser and forget Digital Lifeforms; this album is not for you; try something from Anjunabeats instead. I wouldn’t go so far as to say the sounds of Sandoz are dated (especially when gritty underproduction seems to actually be the current trend in EDM lately), but Kirk’s industrial roots are still present, as he seems to hold no qualms about dirtying some of his patches if it meshes with his ideas.

Opener Armed Response is as good an example of his production technique as any. His percussion is kind of grimy, his string samples blatant, and his bassline muddy. Strangely enough, it all works in Kirk’s own way. There is an undeniable tribal energy to be had, even if it is somewhat mellow. Granted, this track could hold more appeal were it cleaned up, but then it wouldn’t be Sandoz, now would it?

If you found Armed Response too abrasive for your liking, the good news is the rest of the tracks are tidier in arrangement, if not always in production. Chocolate Machine starts with looping samples of woodwinds before the machinery settles in. The rhythm is very crisp, sounding like some sort of factory; however, various samples and pleasant melodies give this track an organic quality that tends to lack in much techno. Every element has plenty of breathing room, letting the resonance drift from beat to beat without getting drowned out in effects. It may sound sparse but Chocolate Machine is still a nice little track.

Title track Digital Lifeforms has an effective yin/yang thing going for it, mixing it up with cute little melodies and ominous string pads. Admittedly, some of the sounds used could have come straight from a SNES game. Heck, I can even identify some of the more bubbly bass sounds as pre-sets form my father’s old Roland synths. Given how far sound production had come even by ‘92, you’d think this track shouldn’t have stood a chance. Yet, there’s something oddly entrancing about the sparseness in Kirk’s style. Chalk it up to the catchy melodies, however simple they may be.

Human Spirit sees Kirk starting to indulge in the more tribal aspects of the Sandoz project. Over a looping chant, sweeping sinewaves and simple echoing hooks snake around 4/4 rhythms. This track’s sparse repetitiveness is quite trancey, and probably would have appeared on some very early trance compilations had more known of it. Well, okay, this was probably closer to ambient techno than classic trance, but the two weren’t that far removed when you boil down to it. Oh, and what’s with that old funk sample tagged on at the end? I don’t know which I find more amusing: the fact it actually works, or that the ‘damn’ bit is bleeped out! Heh, crafty, that Kirk.

Diving into some groovy dubbed-out soundscapes is Drum Meditation. It’s a pretty lethargic track, casually bobbing along as oddball sounds pop in and out over synthetic and organic percussion. Yeah, there’s not much to it, but it's decent chill fodder in any event.

Building upon the template laid out in Human Spirit is Limbo, a track which structurally does the same thing but more vigorously. The sweeping synths are clearer, the rhythm far more energetic and punchy, and the tribal chants catchier. Of additional note is the bassline: while many of the Sandoz basslines have been deep, grumbly beasts, the one in Limbo is a serious groover. No more apparent is this than some two-thirds into the track; when it drops after a rhythmic build, you won’t be able to help but bob your head in time.

Using some tribal percussion to set the pace, Zombie Astral is even more brisk than Limbo. However, it’s far more interested in subtlety, as the only element beyond percussion that does more than loop is a bubbly bassline played at a very low frequency. The synth pads and horn riffs surrounding it are nice little add-ons but don’t draw much attention to themselves.

We’re now reaching the dubbed-out outro section of Digital Lifeforms, and the final three tracks are quite nice at what they do. Beam sounds like an ambient dub version of Limbo (indeed, the same tribal chants are used); Steel Tabarnacle’s paranoid soundscapes are griping, and has a bassline with wonderful resonance; and White Darkness, while probably the most disjointed track on this, has some interesting movements between tribal percussion, chants, and dubby melodies. These tracks are a great way to finish out the album, drawing you into a hypnotic trance as the slight sounds and warm pads envelop your ears. You probably won’t even notice that dated percussion anymore, even if it was a turn-off in the earlier portions of the disc.

The main attraction out of the way, I suppose you’re wondering what’s up with the second disc now. To sum it up, most of these bonus tracks don’t measure up to the first disc, which isn’t too surprising. They are, after all, tracks that for various reasons never made the cut. A couple of them have appeared elsewhere but mostly are all unreleased.

While Kirk has arranged the bonus tracks to form some sort of flow, the ideas tend to be disparate form track to track. Listening to it, I get the impression he had a lot of avenues to explore his own techno when Voltaire was winding down. In the process, he refined it into his own style, of which became the basis for Digital Lifeforms. And, despite the tracks not sounding quite as definitive as the first disc, there are definitely some intriguing moments to be had for even the casual Sandoz fan. Here’s a summary:

Communicate (With The Future) - Bit of a chipper slice of ambient techno, with digitized voices speaking the title; reminds me of Bobby Bird’s work of the same era.

Ocean Reflection - Loopy; spacey. Decent example of old school trance, though could just as easily be considered techno with repeating pads.

Tribal Warfare - Bassline sounds like it’s been lifted by many modern ‘electro’ house producers. Decent tribal techno workout with bleepy hooks.

White Tab/Steel Darkness (Tetrodotoxin Mix) - White Darkness spread over extra echo effects and slightly funkier rhythms.

Erzulie - This bares the closest resemblance to the Digital Lifeforms material, which makes sense as it was a B-Side to one of the singles. Warm pads, bumpin’ tribal grooves, horn hooks, but still a notch below the griping qualities of disc one.

Human Spirit (Original Dub And Roll Mix) - Could also be called the House Mix, as the rhythms get funkier, the funk sample gets looped quite often, and, um, that’s about it. Pretty fun.

Zombi Savane - Kirk has a try at some acid house, with a warbley bassline, tongue-in-cheek samples (“Get higher, baby”), and somewhat gritty hooks. Aside from some flutes though, nothing distinctively Sandozian.

Medium Cool - The first Sandoz track, and boy does it show. It’s basically most of the elements found in Drum Meditation looped to eternity, with various, unremarkable percussion fills to spice it up. The least interesting bonus to be had.

Shanpwel - The most interesting bonus to be had! Funky tribal breaks with chants overtop and quirky drum programming so it doesn’t just sound like loops. Heck, I’d say this is even better than some of the material on disc one, although it hardly fits the same theme.

Mirror - Noodly ambient track with ‘dark’ sounds setting the tone. It’s a shorty so at least it doesn’t drag.

Whew. What a long-winded review, eh? I suppose it can’t be helped. Digital Lifeforms is, after all, a highly recommended album by old school techno, IDM, and even dub fans. To try and wishy-wash around the details wouldn’t do this release justice (even if I did get a little brief in descriptions towards the end of it, heh).

Given the scarcity of the original Digital Lifeforms, this Redux edition is definitely worth your attention if you’ve been curious of the Sandoz project -you get all sorts of unique sounds which were new territory for its time. Amusingly enough, with the whole electro and minimal trend going on lately, this release has the benefit of still sounding relevant well over a decade since it first cropped up. Isn’t retro a grand thing?

Score: 8/10

ACE TRACKS:
Limbo
Steel Tabarnacle
Shanpwel

Written by Sykonee. Originally published 2006 for TranceCritic.com © All rights reserved.

Vector Lovers - Vector Lovers (Original TC Review)

Soma Quality Recordings: Cat. # SOMA CD037
Released 2004

Track List:
1. Girl + Robot (5:13)
2. Tokyo Glitterati (4:18)
3. Telecom Meltdown (4:32)
4. Electrobotik Disco (4:51)
5. Funk & Droid (5:10)
6. Electrosuite (7:46)
7. Yamonte Sundown (6:16)
8. Futures In Plastic (5:02)
9. Kissed You by The Fountain (2:34)
10. Lake Nocturne (3:31)
11. Metrolux Forever (4:39)
12. Solitare (4:17)


(2010 Update:
It was with this album that I firmly planted my "what is and isn't electro" flag, going on a many year, mostly futile, crusade to save the sanctity of the good name electro. Begrudgingly, I've since accepted electro has now come to encompass drunk-stomp fart abrasiveness, but if you want to hear some electro with class, check out these tunes. I still do.)


IN BRIEF: Robotic romance.

Vector Lovers is Martin Wheeler, a self-professed lover of things robotic and anime. You may remember his music on such compilations as Balance 007 - Chris Fortier or Soma Compilation 2005, and, um, very little else it would seem. Give it some time though, because Wheeler’s debut is potentially a slow burner (yes, he’s released another album since this one, but let’s just focus on the debut for now).

I suppose the thing that may have initially held Vector Lovers back is the fact it is electro. This normally wouldn’t be a problem but when anything with a dated, fuzzy, or analogue synth is branded electro these days, it’s not surprising someone would off-handedly mutter, “Oh, it’s just another ‘electro’ release.”

In this case though, Vector Lovers is 100% true-blue electro. This is robot music as Kraftwerk, um, crafted. Music for robots to disco dance to. Music for machines to tour neo-Tokyo to. Music for cute anime girls in mecha-suits to make love to. Well, maybe not quite that far, although given some of the cartoons that come out of Japan it wouldn’t surprise me.

Still, Wheeler fully intended manga-esque images to crop up while listening to Vector Lovers, as is evidenced by the anime artwork he drew himself for this album. Let’s see how it turns out here.

Girl + Robot is aptly titled, as it sounds like a robot serenading a girl. No, seriously! With underlying electro beats and backing synths, a robotic noise seemingly sings. Midway through, a lovely little melody on bells emerges, creating a touching atmosphere as the robot continues to sing. If Kraftwerk had ever collaborated with Kitaro, they’d probably produce something that sounds like this.

Keeping with the theme of ‘machines in love’ is Tokyo Glitterati. A delicate melody over sparse electro rhythms sets the tone of this track, allowing wintery pads to conjure up melancholy emotions as they play. The elements are fairly simple, and Glitterati is quite short for the themes it sets, but this is still a wonderfully touching song, once more proving you don’t need to over-produce electronic music to evoke emotions.

If the opening two tracks are where the robots met and fell in love, then this next segment is where they go out on the town. Telecom Meltdown brings the pace up a bit, settling into laid-back techno. Quite the minimal track, the simple subdued synth stabs and jazzy electro organs makes me feel as though I’m casually cruising through a Tokyo district filled with flashing neon lights, passing humans and androids bustling about on the sidewalks.

Elektrobotik Disco sounds much like how the title reads. The funk-fuel is injected but we’re still cruising along to zap stabs, synth sweeps, and robo-talk. I can’t understand what the robotic voices are saying, and I suspect that’s kind of the point. As techno always intended, Wheeler is creating music for droids, or at least the futuristic possibility of it. Luckily, us puny flesh creatures get to enjoy it in the here and now.

The vibes get more hectic as we move onto Funk & Droid. Perhaps the title is self-explanatory, but let me provide a little detail. It starts out as you might expect with house rhythms and squelchy hooks sounding like some sort of chunky R2-Unit. Some two minutes in though, this track will leap out at you with added beat rolls and subdued sweeping synths. From there, the squelchy hooks really let loose, bringing Funk & Droid to wicked heights. Can the funk get any better?

Hell yeah it can. Electrosuite takes elements we’ve heard from the last couple tracks, cranks the funk further, and throws in a robotic voice saying “Electrobotik disco beat; Always keep the electro sweet” in time to the rhythm. Wheeler even mixes the words up to keep things fresh. And those squelchy synths! My God are they ever funky! This is electro house done fucking proper, my friends. It’s utterly irresistible; you’ll be moving your body no matter how unfunky you be. Electrosuite is what Daft Punk’s latest would have sounded like if they’d given a damn. You’d be forgiven if you’ve forgotten there’s more to Vector Lovers than just super funky electro house.

In case you did forget, Wheeler brings us back to some of the themes established at the start with Yamonte Sundown. Similar in its yin/yang approach as Girl + Robot, it starts out with moody, dark sounds and simple breakbeats as robotic voices utter unintelligible things again (Electrosuite’s the only track on this album you’ll be able to understand the robo-talk). Halfway through, a nice bleepy melody joins the foreboding song, eventually taking over the track entirely as the former elements withdraw. Yamonte Sundown isn’t nearly as dynamic as some of the tracks that came before, but is still an engaging listen nonetheless.

As if to prove he isn’t just a two-trick pony (hey, that’s still more than most producers), Futures In Plastic has Wheeler flexing the electro muscle to the limit. This track is more in vein of the newer forms of electro acts like Drexciya and Jedi Knights are known for, and it fortunately remains distinctive enough to remain a part of the Vector Lovers theme. The beats sound pretty erratic, yet groovey enough to not get lost. Along with bubbly synths and spacey pads, Futures is quite fun to listen to as it never settles into standard loops.

Kissed You By The Fountain is a bit of charming electro with an innocent cuteness in the melody. It certainly plays to the whole anime feel more than the robotic feel, although there are enough quirky machine noises in the background to remind us they are still about. It’s not long though, so let’s move onto the next track.

With Lake Nocturne, Wheeler stumbles. Hey, it was a good run while it lasted but it’s rare to come across an album of all killer, even from producers that show some incredible talent in their chosen field. I can hear what he was shooting for with this track, a sort of melancholy, introspective piece with a synthetic flute-ish instrument carrying the bulk of the melody. Unfortunately, his use of rhythmic sounds are annoyingly garish, and there’s just not enough substance in the background elements to save this. At least it’s a shorter track, so we can quickly get back into something more engaging.

We’re on the chilled-out outro segment of this album now, as we move into the ambient techno domain that made Boards Of Canada such darlings of the musical elite. Metrolux Forever has some nice melodies to go along with the synthetic sounds but Solitare outshines it with the simple Ballerina-Box-like melody over sparse metronome clicks and warm backing pads. A very lovely little tune, Solitare is a perfect closer to this eclectic album.

As I understand it, Wheeler initially had Vector Lovers available only as a CDr through a custom website before Soma picked this up for wider distribution. I’m glad they did. For a label known more for its gritty tech house and techno, this is a bit of a quirky release to add to their catalogue. Still, Soma has been known to take chances in the past (who do you think released the first Daft Punk single?) and it pays off here.

This album is definitely worth checking out for everyone who enjoys electro, as the music is pulled off with stunning finesse for a debut album. Wheeler does funky electro house without a hitch but it's the wonderfully touching melodies in tracks such as Tokyo Glitterati and Solitare that manage to elevate this above many electro acts - proper and poseur - with his own unique style. Whereas most electro tends to be like Ghost In The Shell, Vector Lovers is more like Armitage: robots may one day live side by side with humans, but it will be as affectionate comrades rather than with the technology overwhelming our souls. In Wheeler’s mind, the future is an inviting place.


Score: 8/10

ACE TRACKS:
Tokyo Glitterati
Electrosuite
Futures In Plastic


Written by Sykonee. Originally published 2006 for TranceCritic.com. © All rights reserved.

Frankie Knuckles - His Greatest From Trax Records (Original TC Review)

Trax Records: Cat. # CTX-CD-5007
Released 2004

Track List:
1. The Night Writers - Let The Music Use You (7:55)
2. Marshall Jefferson - Move Your Body (6:43)
3. Jamie Principle - Waiting On My Angel (4:01)
4. Kevin Irving - Children Of The Night (3:53)
5. Frankie Knuckles - Your Love (6:43)
6. Screamin’ Rachael - La Vie (3:56)
7. Frankie Knuckles - Baby Wants To Ride (8:34)
8. Dezz - Boom Boom (7:45)
9. Frankie Knuckles - It’s A Cold World (5:43)
10. Frankie Knuckles with Jamie Principle - Your Love (You Got The Love Remix) (6:26)
11. Frankie Knuckles - Bad Boy (6:15)


(2010 Update:
Timing can be everything. Just a couple weeks before writing this review, I'd finished reading the excellent book Last Night A DJ Saved My Life, which provided quite an insight in the 80s gay house scene. I can honestly say I'd not have understood the context of the music on this CD without reading that book first.

Also, this review features possibly one of the best concluding paragraphs I've ever written. At least, I think so!)


IN BRIEF: A soul thing, a spiritual thing... and sometimes even a gay thing.

I am not gay. The thought of another man in a sexual manner does nothing for me. While I don’t find the notion of two men being intimate with each other as something abnormal (to each their own, right?), neither do I find it arousing. The gay lifestyle is as foreign a concept to me as a woman’s. Simply put, I am way hetero.

That all said, after listening to Frankie Knuckles Presents, I have to admit the notion of being gay sure sounds a hell of a lot of fun.

In what should be a bit of unexpected info to no one, the Godfather of house music is indeed gay, played to predominately gay audiences (most of which were black as well), and produced music that would undoubtedly appeal to such a crowd. This compilation features nearly all the songs Knuckles had a hand in that were released on Trax Records, a label that gained acclaim for tons of house classics and notoriety for dodgy business practices.

Okay, a good chunk of the music on here could be construed as being ambiguous for its target audience twenty years on. However, when you envision this stuff playing to dancefloors filled with sweaty, gyrating gay men on uplifting drugs, it just makes more sense that way, especially when vocalist Jamie Principle is present (nearly half of this compilation).

The disc opens with a pair of tracks that many equate to the classic Chicago house sound: Let The Music Use You by The Night Writers (a Knuckles pseudonym) and Marshall Jefferson’s Move Your Body (which Knuckles produced). The production is fiercely raw and simple, yet there’s something irresistible about it nonetheless, and you couldn’t picture these tracks having the same hold on you if they were re-done with modern equipment, as many, many lukewarm ‘9x and ‘0x remixes can attest to. The vocal prowess of Ricky Dillard in Let The Music Use You lifts you up as Knuckles’ production accommodates him to keep building this track with soulful energy. And when the main rhythm and piano loop starts in Move Your Body, it is quite possibly one of the defining moments in house history. Even if the track does nothing more than alternate between various drum, string, piano, and vocal loops from there on out, the energy from that first drop carries over to the very end.

However, these two tracks aren’t a good indication of what to expect on this release. Rather, Waiting For My Angel is more indicative of the Knuckles sound on Trax. With its bubbly bass, analogue synths, tinny percussion and vocals washed in reverb, the sound is unmistakingly 80s. It conjures up that seedy, decadently sinful inner city neon flavor that was the decade’s clubbing calling card. Of interesting note on this particular track is Jamie Principle’s performance: save a few breathy moans and effeminate giggles late in the track, he sings far more ‘straight’ than we will hear later on.

Kevin Irving’s Children Of The Night is one of the few tracks here that stretches the Knuckles association a bit thin; he’s merely credited as the mixer, certainly an integral part of the studio process but hardly one that normally goes recognized. While having this slice of housey-italo blend is nice, it unfortunately does showcase one of the big problems Trax Records was known for: sketchy producing. Granted, everything on here does contain some really rough sound but we tend to overlook that much in the same way we overlook the rough sound quality of 60s rock music -the music manages to still move you in spite of this. However, Children Of The Night is poor even for Trax Records. There’s just no resonance to be had, and the song comes out sounding incredibly flat. It’s not I.F.O.R. piss-poor, but glaringly obvious in this case.

Moving on, we come to Your Love. You may know this track as the original backing to You Got The Love (also included on this disc, though under a different name). The lush pad work, catchy bassline and arpeggio hook are all here, though in far rawer incarnations. Also, Jamie Principle has the vocal duties on this one, elegantly crooning between heavy sighs. Your Love, above all else, is incredibly stirring, especially at the apex of the track when the backing pads rise to their highest note with the female chorus. As the track ends with a bit of choir backing and Jamie erotically moans, “I can’t let go”, the lush, tender nature of Your Love will fully embrace you, even if the sexual orientation seems ambiguous.

Screamin’ Rachael’s La Vie is another song merely mixed by the Knuckler, and it shows as this track doesn’t hold much similarity to the ones bearing his name alone on here. Rather, La Vie is more italo in nature, although it does contain some funky slap bass guitar to complement the stuttery synths.

Baby Wants To Ride. Hoo, boy. You may want to hold onto your hats if Jamie’s moans and giggles in the earlier tracks were too gay for you. Here, he breathily speaks about various things while Frankie’s funky bass and sinister synths drone in the background. What starts out as some sort of commune with God turns into a reflection of a sexual encounter with some gal, playfully delivered with all the sexy slyness Prince was known for; prudes’ll probably blush at some of his moaning, heh. When some extra percussion is added mid-way through (the rhythm is pretty sparse), Jamie goes into some odd political tangents. Ultimately, the general gist of it is America’s double-standard of claiming to be a free country, yet discriminating gays. All in all, it’s a pretty cool sounding track but seems to wander aimlessly at points.

Boom Boom from Dezz (Knuckles again only credited as the mixer) is an example of early acid house: big, cavernous rhythms, some associated lyrics, and the TB-303 getting a simple workout. While nowhere near as complex as the little acid box would later get, there are some interesting tricks pulled on Boom Boom, especially when it gets a bit distorted near the end. Nothing sequenced here, just raw, improvised knob-tweaking over a backing beat. It is even more aimless than Baby Wants To Ride, though, and at nearly eight minutes in length, you may lose interest since Boom Boom really is sparse. Pretty much one of those songs that makes better sense on a dancefloor.

Another Frankie & Jamie collaboration is next in the form of It’s A Cold World, a somber, reflective song that probably spoke to several gays coming to grips with their sexuality. Knuckles doesn’t miss a chance to play off of Principle’s lyrics, making use of an eerie synth pad towards the end to complement the song’s themes. Sadly, the mastering of It’s A Cold World isn’t the best, as you do hear some unfortunate frapping of the bass and distortion of the lyrics at points.

I guess when the original bootleg of You Got The Love first cropped up, Frankie took it upon himself to make an ‘official remix’ and release it commercially legit. That’s what we get here, although I wonder why Jamie Principle is credited but not Candi Staton on this CD’s tracklist? He only provides a bit of backing vocals here. Oh, how is the song? Well, my associate critic J’ already covered all the details in his review of the latest re-release of You Got The Love, so you can check that one out if you want. As for my personal opinion, this is a decent bit of diva house, and probably the ‘cleanest’ sounding track to be had here (mainly because it was produced a few years later than the others). And you still can’t beat the moment when the backing pads hit that high note, even if they aren’t as prominent here as they are in the original Your Love.

And finally, at the end, we get the absolutely unabashedly gay song Bad Boy. Very happy, very fey, and very quirky, it’s a cute track, but I wouldn’t dare play it to a homophobic frat party. The track list credits this to Knuckles, but this is a Jamie Principle song. Every single vinyl that has had Bad Boy on it has had Principle’s name on it. Why credit it to Knuckles and Knuckles alone here? Hnn... it seems the sketchy labeling of Trax Records continues, even in retrospectives such as these.

For that matter, despite the choice tracks to be had on Frankie Knuckles Presents, the overall presentation leaves a bit to be desired. This is hardly the entire Frankie story, as we’re only getting a slice of his discography. Mind, that’s to be expected since this is only the material that came out on Trax but those seeking a more comprehensive collection may have to wait a little longer. The other gripe I have is the sound quality on some of these. Yes, I know house veterans would be screaming ‘sacrilege’ if anyone tampered with the original masters, but let’s be fair here. Many of them were kind of shoddy to begin with and, in this day of digital marvels, wouldn’t it be nice to perhaps give these classics a proper sound treatment so we can enjoy them in their full glory? I’m not asking for a “Greedo shoots first” kind of change, just an “eliminate that pink blob under the landspeeder” kind of change.

Still, this release is a decent enough introduction to the house sound of the mid-80s. A vibrant, hedonistic, sexual energy runs through these songs, capturing the carefree days when a gay man could escape the torment of prejudice in the world and lose himself in house music. The tragic breakout of AIDS sadly cut short those years, and, like any scene that sprouts from innocent intents, it will never occur again. This is the soundtrack to those times and, no matter your sexual orientation, you can’t help but get lost in the moment as well.


Score: 7/10

ACE TRACKS:
Marshall Jefferson - Move Your Body
Jamie Principle - Waiting On My Angel
Frankie Knuckles - Your Love


Written by Sykonee. Originally published 2006 for TranceCritic.com. © All rights reserved.

Miss Kittin & The Hacker - First Album (Original TC Review)

Emperor Norton: Cat. # ENR 7052-2
Released 2004

Track List:
1. Life On MTV (4:22)
2. Frank Sinatra (3:54)
3. Walk On By (5:04)
4. 1982 (5:17)
5. Stock Exchange (5:22)
6. You And Us (4:25)
7. Flexibility (6:25)
8. L'Homme Dans L'Ombre (4:15)
9. Slow Track (2:55)
10. Nurse (5:13)
11. Stripper (4:58)
12. DJ Song (3:03)
13. Walking In The Sunshine (5:14)
14. Frank Sinatra (2001) (4:55)
15. Stock Exchange (Adamsky Remix) (6:32)


(2010 Update:
I never did strike up a conversation with the sexy business women...)


IN BRIEF: Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best.

What is it about seemingly unproduced EDM that instantly conjures up the 80s? Simply put, because such sounds were created, and thus heavily used, in that era, the images associated with the decade have a tendency of springing to mind. In addition, because electronic production has improved by leaps and bounds since those early, innocent years, the notion of making any music with such dated technology seems absurd unless you are deliberately making music in tribute to the era.

Such seemed to be the main draw of the emergence of electroclash and disco punk at the turn of the century. With its raw, tinny, primitive soundscapes, one could not help but draw comparisons to 80's music, allowing trendy hipsters to enjoy it, in the very least, on an ironic level. But one can only push their tongue in their cheek for so long before it pokes right through. The whole scene died a quick death, with indie rockers picking up the pieces to create a new wave of, er, new wave bands.

That electroclash sputtered out isn't all that surprising; most EDM micro-scenes normally have a lifespan of two to three years, depending on how quickly talentless hacks flood the market with piss-poor knock-offs. However, looking back on it, what's quite surprising is that a great number of these acts that spearheaded the whole movement managed to create such catchy music with the barest of musical production, an almost knee-jerk punkish reaction to the over-the-top theatrics of the most popular EDM of the time, trance (specifically of the Dutch variety).

Take Miss Kittin & The Hacker. The music on their first album is EDM stripped down to its most raw elements of 808 rhythms, analogue synths, and bubbly acid bass. Meanwhile, Miss Kittin's lyrics are delivered in a rather emotionless monotone of the barest substance. At the time of its initial release in 2001 (and even earlier with a few singles off here), First Album was the perfect antidote to all the pretentious bombast causing several EDM scenes to suffocate on their own self-importance. Four years on, however, music scenes seemed to have clued in and a wave of tighter song writing with less emphasis on over-production has taken over. Has Miss Kittin & The Hacker's collaborative debut managed to hold its own and remain relevant in a sea of copycats? Let's take a listen and see.

The album doesn't waste any time with pleasantries. Life On MTV jumps right into raw, simple percussion and ugly synths playing a simple, bleak melody. When this isn't going on, Miss Kittin (real name Caroline Herve) takes over with robotic spoken words regarding, well, life on America's music station I guess. This is an incredibly sparse track but The Hacker (real name Michael Amato) manages to fill in the gaps with just enough resonance to suck you in, if only briefly. However, Life On MTV is as good a gauge for this album, as nearly the rest of the songs follow this production technique. If you don't get much out of this opener, chances are you won't get much later either.

Not with Frank Sinatra, though. Even if you despise the musical aspect of it (which is rather minimal, really), you can't help but laugh at the lyrics, "Suck my dick/Lick my ass." I mean, c'mon! The fact it's delivered by a woman is enough to incite giggles by itself, but when said in such a sincere method, you're going to get instant sing-a-long satisfaction from a crowd. And the fact it appeals to whom can relate to this song's theme of decadent celebrity behavior, and those who like to mock such people, you have a guaranteed hit on your hands. Shame it took nearly four years for people to catch on.

Walk On By continues the thread of living the fa-beau-lussM life as an ode to catwalk modeling. While Miss Kittin's heavily distorted lyrics aren't much to get excited about (they sound about as enthused as the expressions on some of those model's faces, which is the point I suppose), this is definitely a cool sounding track despite its repetitiveness. Those synthetic tinging hi-hats never fail to please ardent techno fans.

As one of the first singles the duo produced, 1982 still holds up remarkably well thanks to some funky rhythms but I'm just not feeling it quite as much as these last two tracks. I guess the electro vibes and kitschy lyrics are already starting to sound too same-y despite the fun themes present. There are some nice synth sounds on this track but compared to what's to follow, they really don't stand out all that much.

Especially compared to the ones on the next track, Stock Exchange. Do they sound old? Sure, but that's the absolute beauty of these synth chords. It's amazing despite their rather cold sound that they can contain such a rich range of warmth. They wonderfully complement the song's tale of an escort's sad life pleasing businessmen (one interpretation, anyways). The rhythm's quite perky as well with offbeat bass quite typical in trance music. In fact, Stock Exchange is something I'd be more willing to call "electro trance", far more than what normally gets branded as such.

Alright, time for a slight tangent here as I tell a little story relating to this song. While Stock Exchange may be about an escort, sometimes I can't help but think of it in a more literal sense, as about an actual woman working on Wall Street, and sick of the rat-race it involves. Why? On the bus I take home from work, sometimes I see this one particular woman who fits the description of the character from Miss Kittins lyrics, including a pink business suit! When I first heard Stock Exchange, this woman was sitting beside me on the bus, which I could not help but think it was strangely coincidental. Sure, you see familiar faces all the time when you take the same bus routes almost daily, and I'd seen this businesswoman countless times before. But to have her sit down beside me as Stock Exchange is playing? Strange. Oh, and to answer the obvious questions: yes, this woman is rather lovely; no, she's probably ten to twenty years my senior; and no, despite sharing the same bus on occasion, I've never actually talked to her before as I'm usually worn out from work anyways. Hmm maybe I should change that one day...

Oh, yeah. This review. Um, let's get back to it, shall we?

The duo take a bit of a departure from the style that opened the album up with the next couple of tracks. Instead of aloof observations about pop culture, Miss Kittin takes the opportunity to talk about the pair themselves while Amato's synth chords get darker and de-tuned. You And Us and Flexibility are very similar in this regard, as they are strictly dancefloor material without much emphasis on lyrical content. The same could be said about L'Homme Dans L'Ombre, although my French is pathetic, so I really haven't a clue what Kittin's going on about for half this breakbeat-ish song. Despite the similarity to these songs, I quite enjoy the synths. Yeah, I'm a sucker for analogue synths. Sue me.

The three song run of murky dance beats ends with Slow Track, as much of a filler track as I've ever heard since nothing much of interest happens here. Even Kittin can't seem to think of anything interesting to say to complement this one. Perhaps it's workable for a downtempo set in a pinch but there's plenty of better material to be had out there. I guess Amato wanted to show he could do more than just dancey songs?

Enough with the gloom, you say? How about some tracks with a little more zest then? Nurse and Stripper certainly are more playful to listen to and Miss Kittin gets more involved than simple droning. Nurse especially should please those looking for more of a return to the subject matter in the earlier portions of the album.

On this 2004 edition, one of three bonus tracks is featured next in DJ Song. Something of a B-Side, I guess Emperor Norton figured they might as well include it on the re-issues. It's not too bad of a song, baring similarities to Life On MTV (but then, don't most of these anyway?) but doesn't add much to the plate either. I'd imagine it's to the DJ culture what Frank Sinatra is to the celebrity culture.

Walking In The Sunshine is as pleasant a song as this album is going to have, providing an optimistic outlook on life after all the self-loathing (intentional or acted) filled to the rim with all the desolate soundscapes. On the original release of First Album, it was a nice capper to end on but we get a couple more bonus tracks on the 2004 edition, both remixes of the top hits.

Frank Sinatra (2001) is basically a revamping of the original to make it more club friendly when this music was blowing up big. Miss Kittin also cranks up the snootiness of her dialogue, making it even more fun to sing along to than before. The Adamsky (also known as Adamski to the old-schoolers) remix of Stock Exchange is wonderful. Taking the heartrending theme of the original and running with it, the song sounds even more tragic than ever before. Little guitar strums harmonize with a frailer sounding Miss Kittin (who re-sung the lyrics and by sung, I do mean she actually sings this time) while the fills in between get funkier and dirtier. In particular, this track stands out from the rest because it's so much more different.

Yeah, that's the thing about this whole First Album. Aside from a few standout poppy hits, the similarities of all these tracks will please fans of this style of music, and bore the rest. Since I like it, the ranking here goes up a little. If you don't, it'll go down a little more for you. More variety would have been nice but it's solid enough for what we get.

As for whether Miss Kittin & The Hacker's debut has dated four years later, I'd give my answer as a definite no. After all, the sound on First Album was dated to begin with. It isn't going to date any more but considering the current trend of infusing dated sounds in EDM to give them more grit, it may just be one of the most modern sounding releases around.


Score: 7/10

ACE TRACKS:
Stock Exchange
Frank Sinatra (2001)


Written by Sykonee. Originally published 2005 for TranceCritic.com.© All rights reserved.

CJ Stone - Satisfy My Love (Original TC Review)

Bump!: Cat: # BUM03 (12" single)
Released June 9, 2004

Track List: 1. Satisfy My Love (Vocal Edit) (3:32)
2. Satisfy My Love (Radio Mix) (7:08)
3. Satisfy My Love (Original Mix) (3:18)
4. Satisfy My Love (Massimo Nocito Remix) (7:44)
5. Satisfy My Love (DJ Shog Remix) (7:47)
6. Satisfy My Love (Club Mix) (7:20)
7. Satisfy My Love (CJ Stone vs. Shy Bros. Club Mix) (6:26)

(2010 Update:
Definitely the first case of me grinding an ax over a producer, though somewhat tame compared to later reviews. I think it's because my distaste for euro trance hadn't quite reached its breaking point yet, though that definitely wasn't going to last.)

IN BRIEF: Stick to Euro house and leave trance alone, Stone. You just aren't good at it.

I've mentioned before how sometimes I'll hear a track from a producer for the first time and may become an instant fan of that person's work due to the strength of such a track. However, this is a two-way street and there have also been a number of producers I came to thoroughly despise after hearing an offering of their work for the first time.

One such man was CJ Stone. For the reason, let me take you back a couple years.

It was the turn of the millennium and anthem trance was beginning to fade from popular taste. Unfortunately, many producers hadn't seemed to catch on to the trend so the breakdowns, builds, and supersaws kept getting bigger and, of course, more redundant (unless you were new to the scene, of course). This wouldn't have been so bad in my eyes since I could easily ignore it while enjoying the 80s revival but a bit of trouble started when the major labels began to notice sagging sales.

Oh, what to do? I'm sure they cried. Why, the same thing all major labels do when struck dumb with new ideas: rehash old ones.

No matter what anyone says, aside from big beat and hip-hop, the most commercially successful form of EDM was euro house circa 1990-95. The combination of catchy pop melodies, sing-a-long choruses, and infectious energy still resonates to this day, and probably will for many more years to come. Obviously, this was the source to tap into to help rebound sagging sales in the dance arena.

While some acts saw commercial success (Lasgo, Alice Deejay, etc.), it wasn't enough to stop the bleeding. Instead, to commemorate the ten year anniversary of some of their biggest singles of the euro house era (and all time, really), the major labels re-released them with updated remixes.

I was intrigued, to say the least. Euro house was the first EDM genre I dove into completely and utterly. Ask me who some of the acts were and I could list off a dozen without a second's thought. While I moved onto other things eventually, the music still holds a special little place with me.

So, when I heard that the power group Snap! was going to have an update on their smash single Rhythm Is A Dancer (a wonderful little semi-trancer itself), I eagerly checked out who would get the duty for it. Many excellent trance producers had done Snap! remixes in the past (Oliver Lieb, Resistance D, Dance 2 Trance, Rollo & Sister Bliss) so surely they'd get someone just as excellent, right? Right!?

Alright, maybe I shouldn't have expected much from a then unknown to me CJ Stone but I did expect at least a little creativity. Instead, we got a paint-by-numbers supersaw trance anthem with the original's vocals just dumped on top. Maybe it would have been creative when that template was still fresh (like 125 years ago) but it was an utterly lackluster affair and a horrible update on a classic track. I swore off anything to do with CJ Stone from there on out.

Until today.

While as a reviewer I have a large selection to choose from what I'd like to cover, it would be highly unprofessional to only review what I like. It would turn TranceCritic.com into nothing more than a gusher's site, a very boring proposition. So, even if it may not be up my alley, I will give material from producers I'm not particularly fond of a shot. Just as unprofessional of me would be to let personal bias pre-judge what is on this single. While I'm not expecting much (I mean, c'mon; it's euro trance -if anything, it's gotten even more cliché ridden), I'll give anything a fair shake.

Most of the time the first mix on a single is a radio cut (called the Vocal Edit here), often cramming all of the major elements into a serviceable three-to-four minute sound bite. No exception here as we dive right into the meat of Satisfy My Love. There are quite a number of elements to work with here: driving rhythms; melodramatic synth washes; vocodered vocals lodged quite firmly between the realms of Dirty Vegas and Eiffel 65 in their effectiveness; little guitar strums; a rather interesting high-pitched synth lead; and superfluous sputtering supersaws. Oh, and yes there is a breakdown and build but, in a mix this short, it's almost inconsequential. In fact, this whole mix is, really. There's just way too much going on for such short periods of time that nothing gets a chance to settle. Undoubtedly most of these elements will be given more attention in the longer mixes so this one is pretty much ignorable.

The Radio Mix is mainly an instrumental and makes good use of that rather eerie synth lead, introducing it after some standard lead-in and a mild breakdown. Following it up with synth washes and harmonizing, driving rhythms is an effective momentum builder but it is sadly squandered by going back into an even longer breakdown, re-introducing the synth lead again for some reason at an incredibly tedious pace. While the song bumbles along for a bit, that other overused trance cliché -the Corsten synth- bubbles up a bit as a new element and, while it tries to get more intense a little later on, there's just no energy left to this song, almost all of it having dissipated after a rather promising start. Ah, well, it could have been worse; those annoying supersaws could have made an appearance instead (note: this is foreshadow).

Now this Original Mix is much better. Relying on house rhythms, the vocals flow with the song much better. Bouncy synth chords punch through the chorus and the eerie lead is relegated to a supporting role where it actually sounds much more effective. The vocals, really insubstantial fluff in the trancier versions, actually carry a little more weight here. Sure, the content is still kind of silly, but in the more light-hearted rhythms of this mix, their sing-a-long vibe fits quite nicely. The Massimo Nocito Remix mainly retains the same vibe as the original and expands upon it with a few longer stretches focusing on the synth chords, pianos, and mild breakdowns (blissfully none of which completely halt the song dead in its tracks).

DJ Shog gives us a remix that bares hardly any resemblance to either version of Satisfy My Love. In fact, this sounds like a completely different song altogether. A stormer of a hard trancer, the only thing retained is the synth lead, and that just sparingly in a rather useless breakdown midway through the song. Why is it useless? Well, nothing in it really relates back to the rest of the track. As soon as the breakdown finishes a minute and a half later, we're right back into the thick of chunky, guttural acid lines like we'd never left. What's the point in introducing a new melody in a breakdown if you aren't going to make use of it later on? Might as well just skip the breakdown all together and keep the momentum going strong throughout. In all, I get the impression DJ Shog just had this track lying around unreleased and used it for the remix, tagging the synth lead in the breakdown just to tie it into the original somehow. Hey, it's not an uncommon thing to happen in the industry, friends.

The next two mixes -returning to the elements heard in the opening mix- are essentially the same as well, the first retaining the vocals and the second taking them out and adding a little more bump to it. However, they are both ruined by, you guessed it, superfluous supersaws at the peak of builds. Of course, you have to get through two breakdowns and builds to even reach them but, by that point, who'd even be interested in hearing these clichés? For one, the Club Mix's use of them completely overshadows the need for the vocals as you can tell the whole purpose of the track is for that big moment when the supersaws break out at the peak of a second climax. Second, even when you don't have to concern yourself with vocals in the CJ Stone vs. Shy Bros. Club Mix, they come on with such force, pompousness, and arrogance, everyone who's heard such techniques run into the ground in the past (essentially anyone who's been listening to this brand of trance for more than two CDs) will laugh their asses off at how ridiculous their delivery is. Mind, they could be going for over-the-top theatrics but, given how serious the rest of these two mixes present themselves, I highly doubt it. I do like the breakdown three and a half minutes into the second of these two mixes, though -some nice, old trance sounds used there.

In the end, Satisfy My Love works when it's not trying so hard to be a serious trance track and instead opts for pleasant euro pop fluff. Almost all vocal trance tracks should take that hint in the future.

As for CJ Stone, well, I'll give him some due with the housey Original Mix and a somewhat unique synth lead but those supersaws are just trash. I doubted my opinion of him would change much with this release and, considering the same clichés are still here, it's going to remain the same for now. Better luck next time, fella’.

Score: 4/10

Written by Sykonee. Originally published 2005 for TranceCritic.com.© All rights reserved.