Cosmic Gate - The Drums (Back2Back Mixes) (Original TC Review)

E-Cutz: Cat. # EC2005/05 

Released September 2005 

Track List: 

A. The Drums (Back2Back Mix) (8:45) 

B. The Drums (Back2Back Dub) (8:45) 

(2010 Update: Straight-forward enough. Typical 'average' release. Cosmic Gate's change of sound was still unanticipated though, so it dates this review somewhat.)

IN BRIEF: Not quite the hard trance version of Little Drummer Boy. 

Cosmic Gate's a funny group for me. Despite their tracks containing elements my personal bias often detests - specifically overlong breakdowns and builds - I've generally enjoyed what I've heard from the duo. Granted, it hasn't been much, but you can't keep tabs on trance without running into your usual suspects like Exploration Of Space or Tomorrow on occasion. Whether it's their interesting sound patches or their crafty use of rhythms, their songs manage to work for me. 

Yeah, that's it. Dem riddims! No matter how gratuitous the breakdowns get, the peaks in Cosmic Gate's work rarely feels anti-climatic because the following rhythmic payoffs are serious movers. Far too many hard trance producers seem to forget this, figuring four-to-the-floor hits with off-beat bass throbs are the way to go. Cosmic Gate knows better, hence their tracks are more memorable than their peers (some nifty hooks at times hasn't hurt either). So, you can imagine I was quite interested in this single from the duo with a title consisting of the most rhythmic of all instruments. 

Apparently, The Drums was the first single made and released when Stefan Bossems and Claus Terhoeven paired up to make some tunes. This recently released Back2Back version is taken from the second volume of a series of DJ mix compilations they produce called, shockingly, Back2Back. 

And things start out quite nicely on this single. With plenty of lead-in rhythm, The Drums has more than enough time to work its grooves. A mild breakdown three minutes later introduces a buzzing sawwave, filling out the aural background without being obtrusive. The energy building in this track is promising. Unfortunately, things slide down after a longer breakdown starts just after the four minute mark; this sucker is a whopping two minutes long! Despite a continuous throbbing beat in the far background, it isn't quite enough to keep the momentum going for such a long downtime. 

Making matters worse is the main hook, which is introduced as the build begins. It's far too simple and lacking enough punch to get you excited for when the peak finally hits. Striking a single note every second beat just isn't going to cut it. The Drums seems to finally get going again a little around a minute after everything comes back together but we're only a few bars away from your obligatory minute-long rhythmic lead-out. 

There's a dub on the B-side of this, which is the exact same song, sans some spoken dialogue in the breakdown. In its absence, you get a long stretch of just the throb of the distant bass. This actually helps in creating better tension than having some gal going on about taking you on a cosmic journey. The anticipation for a hook, or a hi-hat, or anything, absolutely aches for release. It's just a shame the hook is so drab; it can't hope to ever release all that pent up tension. 

I guess the big question on everyone's mind is how does this version compare to the original. I honestly couldn't say, as I've never heard a decent version of the original. After plenty of scouring the net for a sound sample, the best I found was a thirty second snippet of opening rhythm you commonly find at Amazon (and I have my reasons for not using a p2p to find it). From what I could gather, though, the Back2Back version certainly is more energetic, more finely produced, and makes better use of current sounds. In short, everything you'd expect of an '05 remake - a modern shine on a tried and tested track. Cosmic Gate fans will undoubtedly be excited to have a piece of old Gate goodness re-released for the modern times, especially since the original single of The Drums is getting harder and harder to find as time passes on. 

For the rest of us, however, this single may be a bit of a letdown if you were expecting something more along the lines of the duo's more famous work. It isn't all together bad but since this is a remake of Bossems and Terhoeven's earliest efforts, the lack of any kind of innovative or memorable hook shows the pair had yet to nail down a sound that would remain timeless as they would in the coming years.

Score: 6/10 

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

Cosmic Gate - Different Concept, Part 2 (Original TC Review)

E-Cutz: Cat. # EC 2004/2
Released April 2004

TRACK LIST
A. Bilingual (8:37)
B. Monotune (9:02)

(2010 Update:
Wow, who would have thought this was going to be the end of Cosmic Gate's hard trance era. This review is definitely a product of its time, as the duo's whole change of direction isn't even touched upon here.)

IN BRIEF: More quality from the Cosmic Gate crew.

With some good, solid percussion that progressively adds layers driving the first two minutes of Bilingual, Cosmic Gate's most recent EP sets us up for quite the stomper of a track. Things calm down briefly as bass kicks begin to throb from beyond a murky veil, allowing a pulsating saw synth to slowly emerge from the background. Less than a minute later, the percussion kicks back in, the synth becoming more focused and punctual in time to the rhythm as it slides across the stereo spectrum. Soon though, things fade off again to the throbbing bass kick permeating the background. A great little piano melody fed with a bit of reverb plays out, eventually gaining momentum in itself as some synth pads join as well. This breakdown goes on for perhaps a little too long (a minute and a half) considering how driving Bilingual started out but there's enough momentum carried over into the piano melody to keep at least some part of the body moving.

And anyways, once things do get going again, the anticipation built up to the return of the main synth lead and percussion is enough to really get you moving. Things play out quite typically from here, with the main synth lead and piano melody alternating turns in carrying the song to a brief percussion lead-out; however, when the elements used are as good as they are here, this can make for a good set piece.

Monotune on the flip gives us techy percussion to start out, setting up a respectable pace. Over two minutes later things calm down, allowing a crunchy, stuttering saw lead to emerge from the background, eventually gaining enough momentum on its own to allow the percussion to fade away for the time being. As it gains intensity, the synth smoothes itself out, becoming fuller in sound until...

Um, it just dies, actually.

After a second's pause, the synth starts up again, starting from a low tone to build in intensity as it leads into heavy, driving percussion, embellishing from Monotunes opening percussive elements. When these two ingredients feed off each other's energy, we are fed some incredibly vigorous stuff for a good minute. After we are given a chance to catch our breath with some reduced percussion, the song cycles itself over again, adding a bit of a pulsing bass and a few extra effects to mix a little diversity before capping off some eight minutes in with a simple percussion lead-out.

I rather enjoyed these two cuts from Cosmic Gate. Granted, they aren't going to re-define trance anytime soon but neither do they dilute the name either. This is solid, four-to-the-floor material that knows its role as set pieces tailor made for getting the crowd moving. The pauses in momentum are, for the most part, welcome respites from the intensity of these tracks, although I did feel Bilingual's carried on a bit longer than it really needed to. Still, this is a welcome release to any fan of hard trance's collection.

Score: 7/10

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