Album Description

The world’s most revered DJ mix series returns with an absolute stunner! This time around, in Global Underground’s continued effort to bring the world’s most exciting electronic music and party cities to you at home, Danny Howells took a trip with the GU crew to Miami. On a thrilling Halloween night, thousands of fans packed into the world’s most popular nightclub, downtown Miami’s Club Space to hear Mr. Howells drop a legendary main floor set of Disco classics, Detroit techno and thumping up-front House before exiting to the club’s terrace to play a jaw-dropping sunrise set full of atmospheric experimental music reminiscent of disc one of his last Global Underground release, last year’s acclaimed 24:7. That night became the inspiration for Danny’s first release for our signature series, Global Underground #027 Miami. The album is a sublime mix of genres featurning the likes of Bent, Silicone Soul, Ashtrax, Throbbing Gristle and Danny’s favourite record of all time, the breathtaking disco stunt "Hills of Katmandu" by Tantra.

A ten-year veteran DJ, with an unearthly ability to connect with his audience, Danny has consistently ranked high on every official and unofficial best DJ list there is. First making his appearance on the Global Underground imprint with his 2000 mix, Nubreed #2, Danny has gone on to gain notoriety as a ground breaking producer and remixer. His credits include a 2004 British Top 40 single ("Dusk ‘Til Dawn"), production collaborations with Deep Dish and remix commissions from Robbie Williams, David Morales and BT.

With the long standing tradition of Global Underground to tap the absolute crème talent to helm the GU series, Miami is sure to emerge as the essential dance music compilation of 2005 and Danny Howells will continue to rise as a star of today and tomorrow’s electronic music hierarchy. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Simply Amazing -- House at its Best
Global Underground 27 : Howells in Miami is one of the best mix CD's I've ever bought. At first glance, Disc 2 is more likeable. It's techy, and a little faster than disc 1. It's fun and very danceable. However, the real gem of this set is clearly disc 1. From begining to end, it is one of the best things I've ever heard. Danny Howells himself calls disc 1 his "baby." It really shows! Put it in and you will find at least one part of your body moving to the grooves he's put together. This is simply house at its best.
These wonderful tracks are super-funky, and are very versatile. You can play it loud and dance, or keep it soft and chill out to it. Please, do yourself a favor, and treat yourself to one of the best kept secrets of house music. Danny Howells has such an ear for music, this CD comes straight from the soul. Get this CD, and then SEE HIM LIVE!!! He will not dissapoint.

Most danceable Global Underground set Satoshi Tomiie
I would recommend purchasing the booklet, which in some stores is the same price as the jewel casing.

Anyway, this double disc set is ear catching right from the start, which seems to be the going trend given the sets released by Cattaneo (Renaissance Volume 2) and Fortier (Balance 007), which also catch the ear from the first track of the first cd.This set separates from theirs once Danny Howells begins to make an emotional connection with his audience with track 2 on disc one (Light Shine).From here, the listener is always waiting to see what he's going to throw out next, mainly because he uses artists that aren't well known trance/house names.

He lights it up in the middle of both discs, and has a knack for choosing tracks that mix well together, similar to Sasha and caters to the mature house crowd.

This mix is also more emotive than his 24:7 disc 2 set, and sounds more like his 24:7 disc one set with danceable beats.I would compare him to Nick Warren in terms of connecting with his audience/crowd, while also packing in the emotion of an Oakie in his prime ('99).Pick up this Global Underground if you want to smile and nod with headphones on, or turn it up on your stereo with his second disc.A winner indeed.

dirty, housey, techno, disco, progressive,...its got it all
Danny Howells, an up and coming veteran to the dance scene shows off his skills with GU 27. I have never really heard Howells until now besides that he opened up for Digweed a number of occasions.Howell's broad range of musical style and creativity flourish on this 2CD set.CD 1 is more of a "lighter, groovier" set aimed at the early morning scene of the Terrace at Club Space.Cd2 is a little bit wilder and more clubbish.Both sets are seamlessly mixed, expecting no less from the GU series.I have been listening to house for a couple of years and I have never heard the different sounds that Howells puts on here.It is a very stylish cd that somewhat odd but still maintains the dirty, housey feel that Howell fans can relate with.This CD is a great addition to your GU collection.

Very Good "Deep/Progressive House"!!
This is my first experience with ol' Danny boy.I can't really say that I was disapointed at all.The only downfall to these discs is that it is in fact Deep House.I remember all of the hype that 24:7 got, and I really wanted to purchace that disc, but I never did.I purchaced these 2 discs in hopes that Danny would be the one Dj that would take us all out of this "deep", "slow", "un-energetic" phase that Electronica as a whole has become in the last 6 months to 1 year.Not the case.But these mixes impressed me only on the technical side of Mr. Howell's great knowledge of mixing.A very well produced mix of "Deep" to "Progressive" House.I fairly gave this production 3 stars because it is infact a great production, but just like most every Electronic CD of 2005, it lacks that "energy" that Electronic music is known for.

What a joke!...that anyone would spin these at a club/lounge
Is this a joke?Seriously people.I'm into a lot of kinds of trance/house/electronica, and NOBODY would book a DJ to play this steaming pile collected by Danny Howells.Not a single good track.He says himself in the coverjacket that a lot of his records are "really/extreemly rare."Know why?Cuz they blow and nobody wants to hear them!It also shows people dancing/partying in the pics.These tunes would CLEAR a dancefloor and would be found annoying in a lounge setting.This is definitely UNDERGROUND, and will stay so, but only due to nobody liking it - NOT that it's sooo cool from the "untainted" dancefloors out there that it falls under the radar. ... Read more

Album Description

A masterful DJ, John Digweed has been playing in nightclubs since the age of 16.With a succesful career and consistent US tour dates, John is undoubtedly one of the most popular names in dance music. In addition, he’s a broadcaster, a producer, a promoter, and an active A&R executive, working hard to give new artists their first break, on his decks or on vinyl.

Together with Fabric Records, John presents Fabric 20, featuring tracks and remixes by Pete Moss, Martin Solveig, Angel Alanis, Michael Mayer, DJ Rasoul, Josh Wink, Slam, and many more. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Arguably Digweed's best work.
This CD answers right back to Sasha's most impressive solo album Involver, innovating new styles for himself as Sasha did, but in totally different directions.I have never heard Digweed be so electronical, it's very acid synth in a lot of places and much less dark than most of Digweed.There is also more female singing and lyrics compared to his previous productions, and while I am usually not a fan of actual song type electronica, I love every second of this album.My choice for top track is Venom, an amazing piece of synth mastery by one of the best DJs in the world, I recommend this CD for anyone who loves good music, it's as good or better than his Hong Kong GU set, and pure innovation for the new age.

okay.....maybe
I love digweed and essentially everything he has done.I also love the way progressive has been going.What I don't like is this boring album.It lacks feeling.Okay for a mix, but not what I would expect from the man on a major release.His KISS 100 show is generally better than this.

DIgweed is sick sick sick....absolutely flawless
john digweed is the master , proven with his yet another dubbed out cd in fabric 20...i just want to imagine what his 5 hr set would be like....

It's time
Well I have had enough.I have had enough of the people who keep listening to music that they must not even like the genre of, and rating the album on their own tastefulness.You have no idea how many times I am looking to purchase a new album and I read a review that scares me away.Well later on the down the road I'll read another review from a different album so it will steer me back and I will end up buying it.Who are these people, noone knows, but apprently they have terrible taste in music.One of the reviews for this album is "average".OK OK now to the album.The farthest from average you could ever possibly imagine.This reviewer couldn't be further from the truth.Thank god later reviewers showed me the light and allowed me to purchase this album.The first three reviews should be deleted.This album is 5 stars bottom line.I don't know what it is.Maybe they have dated ears and can't hear good music.It's sad.

The beat don't stop!!!
A wonderful CD, filled with electro/techy tracks that feed the ear with a new progressive sound. Breaking all former bounders, this CD displays a new sound that is distinctly John Digweed. Masterfully mixed and complied, with breakdowns that kill. Peak performance by the master of progressive!!!!
... Read more

Album Description

Renaissance and Dave Seaman return with the second installment of The Therapy Sessions two-CD mix set.This year budding Australian DJ/producer Luke Chable handles the bonus guest disc honors with a tough, breaks-fuelled extravaganza that draws heavily on his fellow Melbourne compatriots, alongside some of his own acclaimed tracks and remixes. Dave’s disc takes him in a new distinct new musical direction.Taking cue from his Group Therapy moniker – featured here with an exclusive reprise and remix of new wave stars Tears for Fears ‘Closest Thing to Heaven’ – Dave drops a fresh-faced blend of electro-tinged funk with rock elements that will take your breath away. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Back to Therapy
While I did like the first Therapy Sessions with Seaman and Phil K, it didn't exactly blow my mind. It was good by all means, but I just didn't enjoy it as much as previous Seaman efforts.The second trip to Therapy proved to be much more therapeutic.With Seaman and Luke Chable providing class tracks on two discs, this is a compilation that needs to be picked up. Seaman is on disc one and brings a bit of everything to the table. It's progressive, it's housey, it's electro, it's brilliant. Top tracks are hard to pick cause everything is good, but I would have to say Mellow's "Drifting out of Sight", Holden & Thompson's "Come to Me"(My personal favorite, the vocal is amazing!)& Stel & Elliott's "Finding Time".
Now Luke Chable on disc two. For those who don't know the name Chable, he is a phenomenal dj and producer. He is responsible for "Melburn" which appeared on the first Therapy Session. Chable's disc is a breaks trip that borders on funk,tech,& progressive. Although most tracks are breaks, there are some 4/4 tracks that blend in perfectly with everything else. Just like Seaman's track listing, it's hard to pick favorites, but Rene Amesz "Fragile", Uberzone's "2kool4school"
(old school Uberzone...Quality),& Luke's own "Skyline Road"(A perfect closer to a great disc).
Honeslty, pick this up. Seaman and Chable do no wrong on this one. Therapy is a wonderful thing.

Another Winner
Dave Seaman again shows why many consider him the king of progressive Trance. Luke Chable's set is one of a kind with awesome breaks. Must Have! ... Read more

Album Description

You could say it's been a long wait for Tiësto's rabid fans to get their hands on a new mix compilation.

His last mix, was Nyana, released in May 2003 and in between, Tiesto was voted the World’s Number One DJ by readers of both DJ (UK) and BPM Culture (USA); released his artist album Just Be and the soundtrack to his performance at the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympic Games in Athens 2004, entitled Parade Of The Athletes as well as the hit singles 'Traffic', 'Just Be', and 'Love Comes Again' (featuring BT); and two acclaimed live DVD's from the Tiësto In Concert events in 2003 and 2004.

In Search Of Sunrise 4 is Tiësto's tribute to sun and sand, open air venues and long summer nights, inspired by his tours through Latin America in 2004 and 2005, where he visited Brasil, Argentina, Peru, Costa Rica, Colombia and many many more.

His travels through these countries, especially the party atmosphere and the warmth of the people made such a deep impression that they would form the main inspiration for this new release. Tiësto has selected some of the finest tracks from his playlists, and has signed tracks especially and exclusively for this compilation. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Like riding the subway...
It's taken me some time to warm up to this.I'm used to the other big names in techno which has kind of caused me to limit my thinking.Rather than a whip smart ride through the electronic universe, this one takes its time.

It's kind of like riding the subway.When you first get on, you're kind of anxious, in a hurry, can't wait to get where you're going.Then you ease into the ride, the rumble of the rails hypnotizing you, lulling you into the ride.Once in the groove, you begin to notice the sounds.You hear the screeching of the rails, the people talking (when they talk) and the obvious sounds.Then you begin to notice the little sounds; the newspapers ruffling, the music from someone's headphones, the shuffling of feet.You are present, you are aware and you cease the anxiety of hurrying.

This mix is like that.It's a steady trip through some low rumbling bass lines and some subtle sounds arising from within.There is no hurry and it is so nice.Instead of the trance anthems and the building crescendo to a predictable, albeit nice, climax, this mix just carries you along.There are some pleasant surprises along the way but nothing that derails the ride.It's a great mix.Over time, I may give it five stars.

Dramatic & melodic -chunky & progressive..just excellent
OK - I 'll keep this short - but if you dig your house with slices of melody, basslines that make you move, and overall outstanding production values - then just stop reading this, add it to your cart, and checkout. The mixing is flawless as well and I can't wait to see him when he comes around here. I had always heard about this guy and finally picked up this newest compilation of his. I've been addicted to this one ever since.
GET IT

Best Progressive Compilation of the Year
The first melodic, spacey, trance journey compilation I've experienced in quite some time. Awesome stuff. The perfect mix of white label unknown gems and standout (Quivver) production magic. Great flow, great mixing, just a few mediocre tracks. Have been disappointed with recent releases (GU:027 Miami) but was presently surprised with this set. Orders of magnitued better than Hernan Cattaneo's first Renaissance: The Masters Series release. This made my Thursday night!
- B

THIS S IT!
THIS IS THE MOST PROGESSIVE SOUND GOING THE DAVE SEAMAN OF SOUTH AMERICA HERNAN MIXES LIKE NO OTHER FORGET ALL THESE TRANCE GUYS !
THIS MUSIC ROCKS YOU TO FEET ! ITS AWESOME ! PITY I MIISSED HIM AT WMC MIAMI AS I LIVE HERE EX UK TO MANY PEOPLE TO MANY PARTIES !
HERNAN PLEASE COME BACK GRACIAS

The Electronic Enlightenment Grows Brighter
Most of you may know of Hernan Cattaneo from the set he performed in Mooonpark in 2002 with Sasha.Many people hadn't heard of him then, and were awed with his technical proficiency and dark, progressive Latin tribal.He immediately vaulted onto the international stage, and became recognized as one of the premier House and tribal DJ's.

If you haven't heard any of Cattaneo's sets yet, his primary influences of set construction and effectual tonality would be: GU's Danny Tenaglia, Godfather: Juan Atkins, and even Underworld's Darren Emerson.Modern Artists to compare him to would be Matthew Dekay, Chris Micali, Satoshi Tomeii, Sander Kleidenberg, Deepdish, and Jon Digweed.Odds are if you dig their sets, you'll really get into Cattaneo.

Now, this collection is phenomenal.It's the best straight house set I've ever heard, by far; even though I really like some of the Balance contributions (more progressive), and some of the Nubreed projects from GU...

Anyway, Hernan really goes Underground with CD 1.Pole Folder is a strong opener, but other than that, the rest of the artists (Azad Rizvi and Tom Middleton excluded) were fairly unknown to me.I love that.Very little things make me more happy than the presence of white labels and unknowns mixed with cream into a set.Track 2 is a great neo disco move, with pleasing new millennia threads woven into the aural tapestry.Real interesting tempo and mood transition from the darker first track.Hernan glides into the 3rd track with beat matching precision, and picks up the bpm with a funky tribal tone.
Then something happens that really flies me back to my home city.Deep Chicago house.Precursed with shadowed-pounding bass, a mournful, elegiac saxophone speaks, its appearance like a mythological Greek ship floating from wispy synthesized echoes.
The rest of CD 1 keeps true to its foundations and holds a dark/funk/disco tone with plenty of creative quirks and seamless mixing.

CD 2, however is what will flip you like a flapjack in a pan.

1st track.Say hello to your old friend Quivver, and a newer friend, Space Manouvers.Beat picks up from song one, and keeps a deep house bass line with constant high shakes.
2nd track.Enter Graham and Blades.Funky punches of bass and snare, complimentary high snips and sweeping synth; you're suddenly in a four seater plane flying over rugged Cuba.
3rd & 4th tracks.Jeff Bennet emerged with his 'Swapping' vinyl in 2003, and Avantages, Direction Changes, Untertaken, and doubting faces E.P.s in 2004, punching into the house fans hearts with authentic beats and quirky use of engineering equip.Cattaneo uses his vinyl here with respect and potentcy.

It's about dam time Snake Sedrick got recognized and used in a major set.His dark tribal and 2004 vinyl works with Andro, i.e. "She is my Destiny", "Solid & Liquid State", and his other lone works have gone severely unnoticed.Here, "Fields" gets an overhaul by Blue Haze, a darker more monotonous polish from the original.

Dousk and Micah have strong shows here, the John Dalagelis unreleased vocal vinyl being a gem for me.Hernan showcases here serious international talent and connections.For you that are deep in the scene, you know that the Greeks with Dousk, Nikola Gala, Kosmas Epsilon, G-Pal, The Greek, and many others, are just dominating the progressive house scene.Hernan, a native to Argentina, I believe, expands previously held ethnic boundaries and pushes the limits of house into a gloriously appetizing multi-hemisphere aural brew.

On the topic of mixing styles, Cattaneo bit ch slaps the listener with breaks around 59 minutes in.I love, love, love progressive breaks, and I love them even more with haunting female vocals.
The second CD closes out with powerful reminisces of Dave Seaman's Therapy sessions and a heavy pulsing undertow that is the heart of evolving progressive electronica.

This is a phenomenal mix, worth every penny you can spend on any commercial house purchased on Amazon.Cattaneo provides four or five different genres of house, breakbeat, and progressive trance/tribal in this masterful compilation.I truly feel that he is one of the fathers that is going to push electronica to where it should go, and consequently should be heard by every person who is serious about the music.

Highest Recommendation ... Read more

Album Description

In a time when the words progressive house are no longer as chic as they once were, it is artists such as Chris Fortier who are genuinely pushing the sound forward. No greater example would be Chris’ 2002 Bedrock compilation mix CD. Rather than including big names, he chose to create a platform for artists such as Meat Katie, Jay Tripwire, and Randall Jones before they went on to greater success.

While some U.S. DJs boast about playing the world, few can genuinely claim to cover as many international air miles as Fortier. Since a Bedrock/Babelicious UK tour with John Digweed back in 1997, Chris has gone on to consistently tour the globe over the past 8 years. Chris’ DJ roots can be traced back to Central Florida in the early 1990s. As one of the pioneers of a scene which mirrored the UK at the time, Chris held residencies at the legendary Aahz nights. These visionary nights served as a platform to bring Sasha and John Digweed to America for the first time, and establish an "Orlando" scene that would become the benchmark for the rest of the U.S in the subsequent years.

As Chris’ careers moves well into it’s second decade, he continues to juggle his worldwide schedule with his solo production career, while heading back into the studio for his first international compilation in two years, compiling the seventh release in the acclaimed Balance CD Series. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

MASTERPIECE x3!!!!!!!
This collection showcases great sounds in techno, prog house, and electro beats.Simple.Sounds great when you are in the mood.My favorite being cd 2.if you are always open to new sounds and letting them grow on you, get this collection.

Is this were prog. house is going??????? I hope not!!!!!!!
Let me start by saying I love all of Chris Fortiet's previous mix comps. I can even say I somewhat like were the prog. house sound is going, Digweed did it great on his new fabric release, as well as Dave Seaman leaning toward the more techno like edge of his new Renaissance mix. But I think Fortier has dip a little to deep into the obscure parts of his record case for this cd. The first two cds seem to have no melodic beat to them what so ever, while the third seems to get there a little to late. I have read the other reviews and have listened to the cds many, many times to try and find what it is that catches the ear but its not there. I must say that it truly pains me to write a review such as this for a DJ how is in my opinion one of the best in the business.......but it must be done. With what we know as prog. house changing from its more melodic, smooth, and flowing styles, to a more tech house or electro beats there still needs to be a flow a melody to the music and this cd lacks both.

Sorry Chris ... But this is plain AWFUL
I have to say this is the worst CD by Chris, ever. In fact this is the worst "progressive house" cd of the year, if not the last few years. Now let me preface that by saying I don't even think this can be considered "progressive house." I personally was quite glad when prog house turned back to its melodic roots in the last few years, and moved away from the boring "go no where" darkness that threatened to bury it. Well this CD sets the genre back another 5 years, again if you even consider it as part of the genre. I keep up to date with the new releases, and recognizable artists, and was surprised to find not even one recognizable name on this cd. Well I found out why. Virtually every song on here is crap. That's not to say I expect to see a bunch of big names artists on every track, but at least throw us a bone! I hoped that by the time I got to the so called "bonus" disc it would start to go somewhere. Oh it went somewher, and that was straight into my garbage can. I think maybe Fortier has been hanging around Sean Cusick too much. If you're into that "I'm to cool for a melody" crap, then yes this CD is for your. I HIGHLY recommend you borrow this cd from a friend, or at least listen to the samples. If you're a fan of even the slightest melody, this CD will make you want to kill yourself. :( Sorry Chris.. but please do an "atmospheric breaks 2!" That was your best work to date! :)

One of THE BEST PROGRESSIVE mix-comps released to date.
This is definitely in my top 10 Progressive House mix compilations EVER, and I'll explain why.

I know EXACTLY why other "Prog" listeners wouldn't like this: They're still into the same top-40 Progressive House sound of 2001. I'm not looking down on people for that, but don't deride this CD based on that silly comparison to the older Prog sound. This is what I call "progressive" because it has evolved. Although, it's truly very odd that this is a Chris Fortier compilation. If you've been following Fortier for the past several years, you'll notice that this came out of nowhere! Majority of the sound on this CD is NOT his traditional Housey style, but that's what makes it great!

Recently, Progressive has quickly fused in with what has been known as Minimal/Micro House, and I welcome this change! I think it all started with people like Phil K, Luke Chable, Habersham, James Holden, and the Border Community crew in the last 2 years or so. I think they (and a lot of smaller-famed DJs like myself) were some of the first ones to breaks out of the Prog House norm and play something FRESH and unique. James Holden, especially, did a complete 180 (anyone remember the title "king of the pixies"?... lol) for the better. I don't want to necessarily say all the rest of Prog DJs "jumped on the bandwagon" of these guys but that terminology probably puts it best because these guys were the first ones with the courage to take it to the next level, and they should be credited for that. Check out Sasha's new GU Fundacion set that'll be released soon. I'm sure that lot of you "Prog purists" might stop whining then because "Oh, that's so cool because Sasha is doing it" now. (Digweed already did it with his recently-released Fabric mix CD).

With a bit of that history in mind, this CD is absolutely fantastic in its creative progression from that sound, and as a mix on its own. It clearly shows the divide (for lack of a better word) between the traditional Prog sound and the fresh new sound! I'm not gonna go on much into detail (for one, I'm not getting paid for this), but I'll say that the track selection, set programming, mixing, danceability, and listenability is immaculate for the most part! Some of the fresh sounds on this CD (that are not traditional "prog") come from 2 Dollar Egg, Agoria, Alex Smoke, Anthony Rother, Carl Craig, Jussi Pekka, Lucas Rodenbush, Mathew Jonson, Mr. Velcro Fastner, Pascal FEOS, etc., and the known key players include the likes of Rabbit In The Moon, PJ Davy, Kobbe & Nitro, Kelly D, Bent, Micah, etc. For the most part, though, this CD charts relatively (if not completely) unknown producers (especially in the Prog community).


The sounds are so fresh, funky, creative, and asthetically poignant! This is a much needed breath of fresh air that Prog needed. This is the complete package. This is the future. Don't sleep on it!

Best Fortier set to date
The prior reviewer who rated this negatively probably hasn't "progressed" mentally beyond the boring, plodding, bog-standard-prog-fodder, go-nowhere progressive-house sound championed by Sasha, Diggers, etc in the late 90's. That stuff is dated and wasn't that good to begin with even back then, in that it mostly arose out of a reaction to the death of trance and simply represented orchestral sounds with mean basslines and jaded-sounding vocal samples - a minor step forward from trance at best.

Prog has been a pretty tired sound for about 5 years now, slowly dying off due to its lack of depth or creativity. Granted, there are still those who refuse to move forward, such as "joe mama", and those who continue to churn out garbage, such as Palash, Tiesto, Sander Kleinenberg and Hernan Cattaneo (albeit the South American appears to be finally attempting to broaden his sound).

This set shows Chris firmly taking a bold step into the minimal tech/tech house camp...and served as his chance to prevent being type-cast as just another prog-fodder DJ. His Bedrock set hinted at his broad musical tastes, with tracks by dub-house champions Solomonic Sound, and tech-house tracks by Philly resident Deep C and Canadian Jay Tripwire.

If you like DJ sets by Ricardo Villalobos, Richie Hawtin, Mathew Jonson (the man behind the simple yet brilliant "Typerope" track from a year or so back), Kompakt label-head Michael Mayer, DJ Koze or Dirk Diggler, then this mix set is for you. Full of tech-house (Alex Smoke, PJ Davy, Eddie Richards), electro (Anthony Rother, Kiki and Silversurfer), minimal tech and techno (Mathew Jonson, Claro Intelecto, Robag Wruhme, Rene Breitbarth, Agoria), this mix displays a broad spectrum of the current sounds rocking it out there. Hopefully, more American clubbers can "wake up" a little bit, be a bit more open-minded about novel sounds (to their ears), and try to diversify their restricted tastes a bit more with this release. ... Read more

Album Description

Internationally renowned DJ/Producer/Remixer and all around modern music catalyst Paul Oakenfold returns with a melodic trance monster of an album on "Creamfileds." Throughout his storied career, two releases have stood out as the quintessential Oakenfold mix albums: 1998's "Tranceport" and the recently certified Gold 2002 release, "Perfecto Presents Another World."Both of these releases embodied the uplifting, grandiose trance vibe that helped firmly establish electronic music in the global mindset.With "Creamfields," Oakenfold revisits the vibe of these timeless mix albums, yet in classic Oakey style, he does it with a whole new bag of tricks for 2004

Oakenfold takes the role of the DJ one step further on "Creamfields."The album features original Oakenfold re-edits of every track plus new remixes produced exclusively for this release, including the exclusive Oakenfold 2004 remix of U2's smash "Beautiful Day", an exclusive remix of Oakenfold's collaboration with Jane's Addiction's Perry Farrell, "Time Of Your Life", as well as club anthems from Mauro Picotto, Nubreed, and D:Fuse. With "Creamfields", Oakenfold delivers a full two CD's of the classic uplifting melodic trance sound that he has become famous for, and the re-edits and remixes bring the continuity of the album to a whole new plateau. "Creamfields" is the album that Oakenfold fans have been waiting for. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Tiesto, one of the world's most popular DJs, tries to broaden the playing field with his second artist record Just Be. Mostly self-written (except for the BT collaboration "Love Comes Again" and a remix of Samuel Barber's "Adagio For Strings"), his disc goes for transcendence right from the start with an earnest, uplifting string arrangement on "Forever Today." He keeps reaching, alternating dense-but-danceable new material with a few recent remixes ("Nyana" and "Traffic"), and vocalist Kirsty Hawkshaw provides a blissful vocal on the soaring "Walking On Clouds." Yet dance floor Nirvana stays well out of range. By focusing so heavily on trying to evolve, Tiesto neglects his bread and butter: the build. Live, crowds froth at the mouth for his next beat to drop, and while that hot energy is not necessarily the goal here (check 2003's mix record Nyana for that), a better flow would help this record considerably. Though offering ready-to-remix parts, the whole of Just Be is too impatient to sound deep and forgets to let the peaks come naturally. --Matthew Cooke ... Read more

Reviews (46)

Gets better with each lesson....amazing!!
1. Beautiful string melody that sounds like film soundtrack music that turns into an electronic version of the same tune. Love it! 5/5 stars
2. Amazing song as Bt and Tiesto are both amazing; great for dancing. Love it! 5/5 stars
3. Another good dance song. Great! 4/5
4. Ethereal laid back vocals. 4/5 stars
5. Not the best track. 2/5 stars
6. Sort of gothicy-sounding. 4/5 stars
7. Pretty but breathy female vocals, kewl electronic sounds. 2/5 stars.
8. Starts out sounding like new age tribal music then the beat and trance comes in and develops into a masterpiece playing the old world against the new.
9. This along with tracks 1, 2, 3, 8, and 10 could be dance club songs. Beautiful intermittent vocals. Great! 4/5 stars
10. Ok, not as good as Barber's original, but still a great song. My favorite along with 1 and 2. 5/5 stars.

You have to listen to this cd without the mindset of it being a dance or hardcore trance album, for predominantly it's not. It's absolutely beautiful tho, and does have good dance tracks. It's ethereal, lighter trance at many parts. This DJ really shows his ingeniousness and compositional ability on this album. Absolutely wonderful!!!

a must-have dance album
Not the typical tiesto album....but just as good if not even better. Tiesto has shown that he is just as great a composer as a DJ and mixer. The first track, Forever Today in my opinion is a statement by Tiesto about electronic music, and its basically being the modern extension of classical symphony as far as musical purity and supremacy. Thats my interpretation - the track starts with about 3 minutes of pure symphony much like that heard in movie scores of today and has a wonderful melody, then the song evolves into an electronic song with the same melody eventually resurfacing and making the song soar. Awesome. Then comes Tiesto's and BT's collaboration Love Comes Again which any Tiesto or BT fan will not be surprised nor dissappointed in - its great. Traffic and Nyana are Tiesto's current solo dance floor ventures and have been remixed by several other artists for a reason. UR, Sweet Misery, Walking on Clouds, A Tear in the Open, and Just Be are vocal-accompanied ballads of a sort and each is somewhat simple yet original and enduring, I've listened to them countless times and am still going...A couple are one-track pieces but a couple may be suited for DJ mixes at the right times...One thing is for sure, Kirsty Hawkshaw is amazing. I didn't know of her before this album but I'm an instant fan. Hands down, for anyone who considers themselves a dance music fan, this is a must-have since its a big chapter in the career of the world's current best DJ (and its musically superb).

Good one
At first, I didn't like this CD at all. Only Tracks 02 and 10 were immediately satisfying. But, this CD takes some time to get used to. Now that I have listened to it a lot, I like Tracks 01, 02, 07, 08 and 10. It's my favorite CD because, among all of DJ Tiesto's CDs, this one feels the most pertinent to my own life. The best songs on the CD inspire and move you - like good Trance music should do. I highly recommend it.

Wow
I was a fan of Tiesto as a DJ, but now after hearing the tracks on this CD....I can say that he is also amazing at producing some of the best music in the trance genre today. I highly recommend this CD to anyone who wants to be taken on a smooth and intoxicating journey.

What an album
blah blah blah.....that's what a lot of people say....but i'll tell you this....This album is amazing...I bought the album and never gave it enough time in my CD player...I saw Tiesto sometime later and then heard it again....this album is just great...Lately many DJ's are coming out with their own albums and experimenting with new sounds....Tiesto has definitley produced a masterpiece and is gonna be one of his best for a long time....I have seen Tiesto 6 times in concert and own all his CD's....this one is up there with Magik Vol. 6, and ISOS series...A MUST BUY FOR ALL TIESTO FANS!!!! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Of all the genres within electronic music, trance probably gets the worst rap. The music is guilty by association with the hippies that worship it with a religious-like fervor. And if executed poorly, its dramatic crescendos sound like pretentious, pompous pap. But a good trance DJ can save a string of the genre's records from falling down the drain of all-too-common gargantuan breakdowns and endless wind-ups. Paul Oakenfold might be the DJ to rescue trance from itself; Tranceport features a veritable who's who of trance records and producers--Sasha's remix of Gus Gus's "Purple," a few tracks from seminal trance producer Paul van Dyk, and the driving, impenetrable "Enervate" by Transa. Oakenfold's mixing is impeccably suited to trance: long, drawn-out bleeds of sound seep from one transcendent track to the next. --Tricia Romano ... Read more

Reviews (281)

the definition of trance
this is the first trance or dj album i ever bought. when i first plugged it in, i hadn't even heard trance before. my mind was soon blown away. this album is perfection, taking the biggest records of 97-98 and churning them all out into a continous line of some of the highest quality, most banging trance money can buy. whenever i'm shocked at some of the horrible trance there is in the world (cough...tiesto...) i can always turn back to this album and learn that it IS possible to make epic trance. Every single track is great and there's absoulutely no filler. when each track reaches their climax, it's always breathtaking. even though Oakey is not known for his incredible mixing skills, the mixing on this album is just fine even though it's usually simple. and one last thing, if you are a newbie reading this and you haven't heard Oakey or trance yet, DON'T TRUST THE SAMPLES! they sound very bad. trust me, the disk is a lot better. Don't think about it, just go buy this CD. you'll love it, I swear.

One of Oakey's great works
Love him or hate him, no dispute exists about Oakey's significant presence in the trance landscape. Personally, I admire much of his work (Tranceport was the CD that initially got me into the genre), although I do not place him above other equally talented DJ's like Digweed, Sasha, Tiesto, and PvD. Having said that, I do believe that Tranceport is one of the finest trance works ever made. I think Oakey's greatest strength is in his track selection and sequence, and this is on display with Tranceport. Oakey takes you on a journey, beginning with the Dream Traveler, which is a terrific opening track. He continues with Rendezvous, and in the middle of the CD, gives you a nice refreshing break from all the beautiful madness with Someone, with the wonderful vocals. Oakey continues with favorites Cafe Del Mar, and 1998. Any great trance CD always reaches its highest point at the end, and this one does not disappoint with Gamemaster (somewhat cheesy vocals but it works), and Enervate. Yes, most if not all of these tracks were popular at the time, which no doubt lends to Tranceport's popularity. Yes, Oakey does a good, if not great, job mixing on this CD. But all the criticism put aside, it is a great album for its track selection and sequence. Just a shame that Oakey has seemed to have burned out (or sold out?) in more recent times with Swordfish and Bunkka.

A classic of the genre...
In the trance world this is arguabley Paul Oakenfold's first and last great work. Released around 1997/98 this album is still sought today and likely to be the hardest Oakenfold album to find. I usunally only see one copy (if at all) under his name at the record stores. If you are just getting in to the genre today this album is a must.

Top Flight
Tranceport is just an incredible cd, true if you take a bunch of the best trance tracks around and make a cd, you'll end up with a damn good one. But not this good...after listening to this cd I can't imagine hearing these tracks out of order again, they are blended and mixed to perfection. If you want to sit back and relax, go on a long drive on a nice day, or just play something at work...this is it...This is a trance cd..but you will not find a better cd in any genre than Tranceport. And to qualify my review, I am an avid clubber and listen to all kinds of electronic music, but trance isn't usually one of my favorites..that is how good this cd is.

#1 trance album
when i was introduced to trance this is the cd that sold me. in my mind this is the best trance cd ever created. paul oakenfold is a turntable genius. seeing him live is also one of the best things you can do for yourself. ... Read more

Album Description

Following the ULTRA.DANCE series tradition, ULTRA.DANCE 06 contains the biggestclub and radio dance tracks mixed by two of the hottest DJs in the US - VIC LATINO and THE RIDDLER of WKTU-NY.Both Ultra and the mixers have an incredible saleshistory.This volume's monster track is a remix of Kevin Lyttle's "Turn Me On".Get ready for a dynamite double disc with bonus ringtones and the hot new Eric Prydz video - "Call On Me". Be one of the first 10,000 people to purchase the album and receive free ringtones from Shape UK and Eric Prydz.Also included in the package is the steamy hot video for "Call On Me".Pick yours up today. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

i think Ultra.Dance 06's ego is bigger than the album itself
i've mostly been into the ultra.trance series, but eventually moved away from it when i started hearing songs that were so 'ghetto' that they couldn't possibly be categorized as trance in the first place, let alone wind up on an album who's main sales pitch is trance music.

the same thing has happened with the ultra.dance series....and for some strange reason more trance tracks have appeared on this album, which probably means the dj's that compile these selections don't really know what they're doing. typically in the ultra series collections, you don't see the really good dj's compiling the stuff (like oakenfold/van buuren/tiesto). instead we get wannabe disc jockeys like the riddler, vic latino, johnny vicious, etc...that seem to all want to get mad props/recognition, and in the process of striving for fame, they lose thier credibility by intermixing generes/going off on a tangent of music on an album that's supposed to feature only one genere of music. for ultra.dance 06 i can cite 3 or 4 different generes of music that this album touches. and for those that like dance but not hip-hop/r&b, they will have put up with it, because these "amazing" dj's felt those songs had to be on the playlist.

but when looking at new compilations that come from these 'big time' dj's, including Louie DeVito (who's compilations i gave up on at least 2 years ago), the trend i've noticed is how they have this magic ability to select songs that just sound real bad. for example, 'Out Of Touch' (disc 1) sounds like it was compiled in a garage using a 386 and compiled twice over using mp3 encoding. seriously, some of these songs cannot be played loud on a high end system because they sound like trash. but if you people keep on buying into it, then you support the garbage.

despite all this bashing, there were a few good songs on this album. but i've basically had enough of the ultra series. i would say if you like this album, you would like the 'trip in house' series of albums better.

Just Alright....
Not one of the greatest Ultra CD's and I love most of them. The first CD sounds like something from the 70's with the girl vocals. Kinda disco. Its just OK.

Till There was this CD!
No Matter how 'mediocore' the other songs/mixes on this cd may be, buying this album just for rachael starr's 'till there was you' was worth the $17!! This is one of the greatest prog/ house tracks i've heard in a long time, and i just found out rachael produced the song herself from an interview she did. the vocal melody is very different from others i've heard, and she really treats her voice like a finley tuned instrument. a girl who produces and sings?? get your hands on this one however you can.. vinyl or cd

Like the cd but...
Outside of me purchasing the album for its music, i also wanted to see this 10,000 free ringtone giveaway...and to my surprise it's quite a little lie. when you open the booklet it tells you that you need to have certain cell phone service - and verizon is not on the list. So therefore you can't even get the ringtones. Oh and you can only download 2 of them - and 10,000 can do this until they all run out. But you yourself do not get to choose out of 10,000. One is eric prydes and the other is UK lola's theme.
Cell phone providers accepted:
AT&T
Cingular
T-Mobile
Nextel
Boost Mobile
I wish they'd say that somewhere on the back b4 i bought the cd. I feel dissapointed and feel i too deserve free rintones not just people with those cell phone services.

Waist of Money
The album is a waist of money. One song is worst than the next. Of course, it's a matter of opinion though. None of the songs have any energy. You can't workout to it, let alone "Dance" to it. "Ultra Waist." ... Read more

Album Description

Producer, remixer, and DJ extraordinaire Rauhofer releases his fourth volume of the wildly popular "Live @ Roxy" series straight from his residency at NYC's club Roxy. This specially priced double CD contains rare new exclusive remixes as well as Peter's own signature mixes of Madonna, David Morales, and others. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

A heaven sent masterpiece
In Search of Sunrise 1, is one of the most cherished pieces of music ive ever listened, really it takes you to a level that is trully spiritual particularly with inspirational songs like Gouryella's "Walhalla" and Lange's "I believe", this compilation likens inspirational music to the Chilean folkloric group Illapu - album "Multitudes", who although a different genre and inspirational meaning to their words, is very uplifting, because it touches the heart, and makes you realize the connection of the music to our whole existence, and the goodness of which abounds us, ISOS1 is mixed by Tiesto, an individual who not only has superior mixing skills but a heart which is able to translate to others the awesome beauty of the musical art of uplifting trance at its best, so if you are reading this i recomend you to buy it and listen to it and be inspired, and realize the beautiful gifts God can give us in our lives, including all that is full of goodness around us.
Although i must say i am disgraced of how trance today is identified as a musical catalyst to pleasure drug use especially the youth which degrades the body and soul...music is not there for that use. I agree with Tiesto on this point too!

All I can say ISOS1 is a inspirational masterpiece and Tiesto, you r awesome! Someday i hope well meet up and chat :)

Great Mixing & Track Selection
I think this is one of the best Ablums from Dj Tiesto, along with -Live at Innercuty-. If you don't know much about electronic trance music but you find it interesting or something, then get this album, it's melodic tracks will touch your soul.

Best out of the ISOS series
This is the best out of the 3 ISOS series. This one isn't as hard as ISOS II but not as soft as ISOS III. Track selection is very good.

A gift from heaven! Tiesto ROCKS!!
I love this guy. I have been collecting trance cd's since the early 90's and I have to say ISOS is simply the best mix of collective tracks I have heard in sometime now. I have a few of Tiesto's cd's already including Magic 5,6, and 7. I picked up Nyana a few months back and wasn't entirely pleased with the track selection. But Tiesto has won me back!! Yes!! ISOS starts out cool and melodic to slowly get your vibes going then kicks in midway with BT's track, and finally adds the extra intensity for the last 4 tracks that will have your head doing moves you never thought possible. I particularly love track 13, Lange's remix of Remember by The Morrighan, that does things to me no other track has done since...jeez,Velvet Morning. Absolutely superb!! Another cool perk I like also about the cd is there are great female vocals incorporated into many of the songs. Not only can you dance...you can also sing along if you want to. BTW, I also have ISOS2, and while very good, does not match up to the first release IMHO. Best I've heard since Paul Van Dyke's 'Politics of Dancing' and George Acosta's 'Miami' CD1. Just wish it was a 2CD album. But stop listening to me. Go out and get the damn thing already!!

The best trance-CD ever
Simply put, the best trance-CD ever. Ferry Corstens "Live at Innercity" comes close, but nothing beats this album. ... Read more

Album Description

More than an anthology, Underworld’s 1992-2002 'Best of' album includes unreleased tracks as well as some mixes available for the first time on CD.16 re-mastered tracks from the original. Over two and a half hours of music.

Underworld 1992-2002 is not the full story.Underworld's back catalogue is too vast and rich for that, but it's a gripping one all the same, marking each step along the twisting road from (to paraphrase the Clash) Romford to the world. If Underworld's music has ever chimed with a moment in your life, these are good memories. The best. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Fans Should Venture Into This Underworld
Unless you have been following the English band's entire career since its formation in the early-90s, and through its radical transformation from rock to ambient trip-hop to intelligent dance music, and hence have every single they've ever made, '1992-2002''s variety of the band's stylistic trends should provide an enjoyable retrospective glance at Underworld's classics.
The highlights on Disc 1 are definitely the trippy 1994 hits 'Mmm Skyscraper I Love You' (with otherworldly lyrics - '..and I see Elvis, and I hear God on the phone...'- and a muted, eerily perpetual beat); 'Dirty Epic' (the complexity of this dub track rivals the best of Orbital and q-ziq); and 'Dark & Long' (close your eyes, pretend the world just exploded and you're floating through space - the impact of this long and amazing track).
Those songs led to the opening track of Disc 2: the incredibly dark and energetic 'Cowgirl' astounds with its ever-increasing layers of rhythm and melody. 1994 track 'Born Slippy' is a modern dance classic, the monotonous lyrics have become the symbol of Danny Boyle's druggie hit 'Trainspotting'. The film's extended soundtrack belongs to Underworld's composition, which masterfully represents the addled mind of an addict. 'Push Upstairs', from Beacoup Fish, is a classy dance track, visualized very well in an amazing video everyone should check out - it dilutes the song's pretentiousness with fuzzy gorgeous landscape images; by itself 'Push Upstairs' wears itself out after three minutes. 'Moaner', on the other hand, benefits from its regularity - it starts off with an instrumental accelerating beat that doesn't let up until the last second, and then starts from the beginning with the supplement of emotionally charged lyrics. 'Moaner' would be a craze at any club.
The rest of the tracks do not particularly stand out, but they do emphasize the quality of Underworld's highlights. Complex and stunningly vivid, '1992-2002' is Underworld's reminder that they are one of the most complex and gifted trios in contemporary dance music.

Must own collection
This is not only a greatest hits collection, it's a collection of Underworld music that is making it's debut on CD. The stand out disc of the 2 is disc one which contains remastered classics from Underworld. The standout tracks are Rez (first time on CD), Bigmouth and Dirty which are both previously unreleased tracks. It's great to hear the early techno tracks from this group that in my opinion, revolutionized what people thought dance music should sound like. Disc 2 features two Underworld classics, an original cut of Cowgirl (you may remember this one from the movie Hackers) and Pearls Girl, my personal favorite Underworld track that is very difficult to find. Underworld creates techno and dance music the way it should be, each track is a long and ever evolving journey into the subconscious. If you've never given the group a chance, this is the place to start. Good techno like this is tough to find, if you dig this CD I must also recommend the Chemical Brothers greatest hits and mr.deviant's "Techno Obsession". Both of those CDs belong right up there with this one by Underworld.

An excellent collection
Two discs of pure techno heaven. However, some prodigy fans will hate this because most of the tracks are repetitive, but isn't most music repetitive?
Oh and as requested, I want to recommend another instrumental CD, a killer instrumental CD, by Mr.Deviant called "Techno Obsession". It's a killer mix of power rock and hard dance music. Check it out if you don't fear any conspiracies.

THE Underworld collection
This is an excellent retrospect on the band Underworld. It's a million times better than the Chemical Brothers dissapointing hits collection. Disc 2 of this collection contains all the hits that fans from "Born Slippy" on will recognize and enjoy having on one disc, but the stellar disc here is disc one. Disc one contains some very rare tracks including some I have heard on old rave compilations that were presented in edited form, here you get the uncut versions. Tracks like "Bigmouth" and "Dirty" will bring back some old school rave memories for sure. Disc one is Underworld in their experimental stage, before they found their winning songwriting formula found on the "Beaucoup Fish" CD.
This set is worth every penny, and I agree with another reviewer here that mr.deviant's "Techno Obsession" is a killer hard dance CD worth picking up too : )

Disc 1 Provides New Content ; Disc 2 Fails to Do So
I wish Underworld had simply released only the 1st disc, and charged less for the set. Disc 1 is great, as it offers several rare tracks; Big Mouth, Dirty, mmm Skyscraper I Love You, & Spikee. These songs are all great, and make the CD worth purchasing... or at least purchasing used. Disc 2, however, is less exciting. It contains 9 tracks, 4 of which are either identical or slightly modified copies of songs from Beaucoup Fish. CD 2 is basically filled with slight variations on songs that are already in any Underworld fan's collection. I wish that instead of re-releasing a bunch of songs that people already have, Underworld had released more rare material. If anything, I think that the original songs are better than the remixes. In general, the originals tend to have longer and more complex lyrics. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Not exactly dance-pop as commonly defined by Erasure or the Pet Shop Boys, Dirty Vegas's self-titled album nonetheless fits into the genre. In fact, "trace-pop" is arguably the best definition, as it is the likely offspring of Madonna's Ray of Light and Electronic's seminal debut CD. Promising, yes, but the songs become rather indistinguishable from one another, mainly because the vocals--compressed and folky--lend a sameness to tracks that are otherwise diverse in tone and pace. About half the album really shines. "I Should Know" marries a thumping techno beat with a euphoric Disney-like wonderment. "7AM" boasts the best melody on the album. The instrumental "The Brazilian" showcases the song's strength underneath the homogenizing vocals. And finally, "Days Go By," featured in a popular car commercial, mesmerizes with synthesized bongos and cosmic rhythmic brush strokes.--Beth Massa ... Read more

Reviews (104)

The best album of the year by far
Okay Ms. editor at the top, I don't know how you can compare this to Erasure nor Pet Shop Boys, and to even mention Madonna in the same sentence is absurd. This CD is wonderful.. the lyrics are amazing, great writing, very nice and mellow with a few faster tracks. This is not trance nor house nor any it is its own, this is raw, brit, intelligent, no one hit wonders, 'days go by' to me is not the best song on the CD. I actually skip past that song now after hearing the rest. The songs don't all sound alike if you understand electronic music. The songs 'lost not found', 'all or nothing', and 'simple things part 2' are all wonderul. You want a cd with great lyrics and something with meaning with a story, you have come to the correct place. Every single song on this cd has emotion and meaning, it is a good soundtrack for ones life. I cannot wait for the next cd.

Great - but lacks mainstream appeal
I have listened to this album all the way through at least 20+ times. I, probably like everyone else, bought this album for "Days Go By," but soon fell in love with the rest of the tracks. I don't even listen to the single anymore. This album lacks main-stream appeal with it's darker grooves and different brand of vocals. I am a fan of darker electronic music though. Despite the fact that Dirty Vegas is "Electronica," they do include a lot of acoustic guitar on this album.

The album starts out with the catchy "I Should Know," starting out with a solo acoustic guitar and then diving into the dance beat. "Ghosts" (Track 2) was my favorite track for a very long time. The dreamy melody goes great with the point of the lyrics "All I ever wanted was to feel the way you feel." The mixing from this song to "Lost Not Found" was impressive, but I fould track 3 to not be as rewarding. The single "Days Go By" is initially the highlight track but after repeated radio plays, I found this song boring. "Throwing Shapes" (Track 5) and "The Brazilian" (Track 10) are more trance songs than the rest. I was a big fan of the dark "Candles" (Track 6) and its lighter follow-up "All or Nothing." "Alive" and "7AM" (tracks 8 & 9) I found to be more vocal and not as satisfying as some of the other tracks. "Simple Things Part 2" is quite possibly the best song on the album. The depressing lyrics and less techno guitar riff followed by DV's cover of Pink Floyd's "Another Brick In The Wall Part 2" make this song really impressive.

This album is great driving music, especially at night. The variety is impressive and every song on this CD puts an image in my head (especially "Candles"). I disagree with some of the other reviewers on this site. This is definately a worthy album of your money. I look forward to Dirty Vegas' next release.

GOOD!!
Dirty Vegas knows how to make people move. It's hard no to dance (or try to dance) with these tracks. My favorite tracks are Days Goes By, 7am, Alive, Ghosts, and I Should Know. Very good album!!

drive, she said....
Crowded House meets The Crystal Method. Believe it.

Careful...it can get addictive!
On a road trip from Philadelphia, PA to Grand Junction, CO - I was introduced to Dirty Vegas. Yeah, I had seen the car commercial and dug the groove, but it wasn't until I had the opportunity to hear the entire album that I could really appreciate what I was hearing.
Dance music and acoustic guitar? Crazy, but it works. I love way the songs are crafted - I like that you can understand the words and sing along. I like that it's peppy one minute and a little laid back the next. I liked it so much, it was the ONLY cd played in my car for 4 months straight!
So - if you are looking for something a little different or maybe you just want to change your own theme music - pick up this cd! :) ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Greatest Tiesto mix - aptly named release
This CD is a must have for all Tiesto followers, and should be the first CD to buy if you are new to this wonderful DJ. I like all types of Trance and appreciate the variety that exists within the genre--from Diggers to Oakey. I would have to say if you are looking for a CD that you can dance to and that takes you on an uplifting journey, then Heaven Beyond is a must have. "No More Tears," the 2nd track on this CD, by itself is worth the money.

One of the best Trance CDs ever !
This CD shows Tiesto as he was prior to year 2000. At the time, though not yet recognized as a top DJ, he was in fact at his prime. If you are are into Trance and are looking for melodic and possibly melancholic music, then this CD is for you. The choice of tracks is absolutely perfect, there are no fillers - everything is just quality Trance.

one of a kind
When I first listened to this CD about a year or so ago I was blown away. I have yet to encounter another cd that more fully embodies emotional trance. Having listened to many other tiesto albums, I can say without a doubt that this cd is like no other. Tiesto's Magik 5 is simply masterful.

Super-terrific (after magik 6)
One thing that's been made obvious, it's difficult to get tired of listening to DJ Tiesto's stuff. It's bummmpin sound all the way around. Not every song on this thing was a smash hit, but nothing was disappointing either. Track 2, Allure "No more Tears" is the best of 'em and it defines the title of this album "Heaven Beyond" cuz it is heavenly.
Another one to add to ur collection.....but it's money well-spent!!

Waoooooo.......!!!
Perfect Just Awesome my second favorite Dj at his best.
DJ Tiesto the true master of Trance out of this world.
Highly recomended CD!
Good Luck,
Hildely ... Read more

Reviews (53)

Best Tiesto album out there

I somewhat like Tiesto, with his collaborations with Ferry Corsten in Gouryella, his independent productions, and of course, his records and remixes, but not to the point of exuberance. Not until I managed to pick up this album.

This is easily the best album that Tiesto has ever done. I was a bit underestimated, considering what I've heard on his "in search of sunrise" mixes. Though, I never thought this type of pure hard trance would be fashioned in a way where it could be transitioned effortlessly, and that's what Tiesto has done.

Overall, an incredible mix by one of the Netherland's best. This reminded me of Paul Van Dyk's "politics of dancing" or Ferry Corsten's "mixed live in spundae". Two very excellent albums that feature hard beats, big bass, and emotional downpoints. The cover's great too. It's probably the best looking cover in my collection. A great example of how fun and dark a club scene appears in an eye of a dj.

This disc is ACE!!!
WOW! This amazing CD was released over 2 years ago, and still runs circles around basically everyone else in Trance! This is the most amazing Live album I have heard to date as well. Anyone who has had the pleasure to see or hear Tiesto, knows that he is definitely on the top of the Trance DJ's, right up there with Paul Van Dyk. Amazing.... just get it... i HIGHLY recommend this outstanding Trance set Live from Amsterdam. It is ACE!!!

The One Hit Wonder Tiesto
I am so tired of tiesto playing the same happy go lucky songs that every other else plays. Tiesto had one good CD, summerbreeze, thats it! All of his other CD's are just the same old crappy club hits everyone else plays. I've seen him live (Ultra Music Festival 2004,wish you were there Gerald) and he plays his one or two signature songs and the rest sucks. This live in Amsterdam is one CD,and we all know he didn't spin for 74 mins. How about putting out a double disc for a change. On top of that, half the songs are 3 and 4 mins long. That "Just Be", he put out blows, really blows. Plane and simple in DJ terms, Tiesto couldn't hold a needle to Oakenfold or Acosta. If I could say one thing to Tiesto, it would be "Please stop putting out crap, please!!!"

frozen in time
This cd is well ahead of its time. In my opinion, this has got to be Tiesto's harder get your ass on the floor type mix...no doubt thats exactly the reason he recoded it live at a club in Amsterdam. Slightly different than the rest of his mixed Cd's. Favorite tracks in order...Viola, forever young, gothic dream, afterburn, cloudwalking and of course silence. These tracks are nothing less than amazing! Beautiful progressive flow with all sorts of melodies, riffs, and cutbacks. A masterpiece. Perhaps the best Live mixed Cd ever made along with Ferry Corsten's live at Spundae....No doubt most trance fans know or have heard about this CD..if you havent check it out, you have everything to gain!

The man
What can i say to the god of trance? He has been the man and continues to dominate over everyone. Taking his cue from long time friend and mentor Ferry Corsten, Tiesto repeatedly soars to new heights time and time again. Being someone who actually saw Tiesto live (Nocturnal Wonderland Sept, 2001 ; Lake Havasu, Ca) I can tell you he is nothing less than amazing. This CD brings alive what so many wish to accomplish. A sense of wonder and being. Nothing else can describe the talent of the man: Awesome. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Pure, weightless elegance, Involver is true to its title, as Sasha comes up with a mesmerizing stunner. Two years after the lukewarmly received artist record Airdrawndagger, the Welsh waxman and frequent John Digweed co-collaborator has retreated into remix territory, but with a twist. In an effort to meld songwriting ambition with his feather-light touch behind the decks, 10 stellar tracks were totally remade in-studio, not just blended together. The result sounds livelier than dagger, putting Sasha's superb instinct for dance flow to work. Still, despite the presence of Felix Da Housecat's "Watching Cars Go By" stomper, it's a very even record; themes patiently recede and resurface from the bubbly bottom of the mix. The warm, warbling melody from Petter's "These Days," for example, reappears long after you think it's vanished for good, lifting U.N.K.L.E.'s "What Are You to Me?" into hypno-dance orbit. Songs like Spooky's "Belong" and Lostep's "In a State" breathe the same air, rising and falling with interlocking rhythmic poetry. It's a daze of a record, ideal company for moody afternoons spent staring up at wispy clouds and vapor trails. –Matthew Cooke ... Read more

Reviews (33)

A Fresh and Creative Platform for Electro
Beacause Sasha's latest release 'involver' interferes with such a variety of exclusive tracks, and it is mixed/crafted in such a 77-minute way, it is probably one the most IMPORTANT electronic music releases in a long time. Here is an album that may require further listening in order to fully understand its gravity. Much like 'Airdrawndagger', it is in a sense somewhat timeless. The art of creative writing, djing, and producing is being transcended once again with Sasha. Although 'Airdrawndagger' remains as one of the greatest electronic track collections of the turn of the millenium, 'Involver' should and will attract a wider spectum of people: those who wish to dance, some who chose to chill, a few who are in search of oblivion.

As an amateur prog/tech music critic I feel it is my duty to evaluate and think of a compilation in a both domestic AND live environment. In reference to the 20 minute section between DJ Spooky's 'Belong' and Lostep's 'Burma', one must acknowledge the pure beauty and energy this would create in a dark, crowded club. Unlike some of today's underground music genres, this new kind of presence Sasha has created is everthing but boring, traditional, generic, or insignificant. 'Involver' promotes the idea of personal signature in the ubiquitous digital world we live in, sasha: a true and important artist.

A New Refresment for my ears. Sasha Hits to the fences
Sasha has put here a mix that you have never experienced before yet it sound so familiar cause it has that new, fresh sound to it that you have been awaiting to hear again. To me it reminds me of the new sounds that came out of the earlier electronica days. This time they are mixed from song to song and come into a new trend or style of techno music. This is good as it seem a lot of DJ's are spinning the other guys anthem mixes and house beats to death and now before its too late, someone (be it Sasha or someone else who wants this music to evolve) needed to take this music a step into the future before it burns out rather than fades away (Some Def Leppard words of wisdom).

Involver is crafted so well that I agree with one reviewer that there isn't a bad song down the list. It's different from what everyone else is doing, a very innovative, creative mix. I too will make a airdrawndagger reference here. If airdrawndagger was a 5 star fresh new style/ prelude of what Sasha was up to, then that would make Involver a 6+ Star complete package mix! I'm not saying this is the greatest DJ mix album of all time but it is truly the best thing in its time (June 2004) to come out this year! I just love the new/old feel of the music and the new direction it goes in. If your looking for a dance CD you'll wait till the last third of this album to get your fix, sorry.

This is a great album to kill time, chill out to and listen to while you wait for the next Mastermind (Sasha or whoever) to come out with the next breathtaking, house style, old school electronica, 1 - 3 Trance anthem beat thing to come into existence and get sold off to you in CD form! Enjoy this one! I'm sure Involver will become known as a "classic" by the fans!

On the brink of. . . berzerk
I was in NYC the week that Sasha Released this album and spun at Crobar. I did not make it to the event that night.

Then I happened to learn that he was doing an in store appearance at Virgin in Union Square. I was only able to hear the last 11 minutes of his set--which I was told was an hour. There were only about 100 some people there.

Basically---if he had spun for a half hour more the place would have turned into a full on all nighter. He blew the first floor off the building------

And it was with tunes from INVOLVER. This is worth noting as I have read people who think he needs to return to his GU:Ibiza ways. At one point, I too wished that INVOLVER--was a floor stomping mad hatter party. But Sasha is really pushing himself as a producer/artist as much as he is already the Man Like who can mix with his right toe alone.

No, you probably won't blow your windows out with this one. But I guarantee, Beyond any reasonable doubt, that this album should entice you to want to hear him spin live even more. He has never been, but cannot, now more than ever, be given the label as simply a great mixer, but an artist as well.

And AIRDRAWNDAGGER is still amazing.

Absolutely Fabulous!!!
Where do I start...Sasha is a God! I have never written a review before because I really never had a need. I have never felt strongly enough about a CD to comment on it, until now. I did not know what I was getting into when I bought this, as I have been mildly impressed with Sasha's previous work. Yes, his mixing is always impressive, but except for Commmunicate and Northern Exposure, I have not been blown away, until Involver.
This CD has taken me places I have not been in a long, long time and I was sober too!!! This is music I have been waiting for: a little bit different, a lot interesting and absolute candy for the ears!
I cannot stop listening, I don't want to stop listening! Involver gives me goosebumps, makes me smile and I find myself talking to myself: "This is amazing", "Wow", "Incredible"
Just when you don't think it can get any better, it does, over and over.
This is a rockin and "rollin'" CD (if you know what I mean :-)
The only downside is track 9, "watching cars go by", it is a buzzkill, just doesn't fit, but track 10, "on my own" makes up for it, and then some, it is incredible, with a fabulous driving bassline that drags you out of your trance, begging you to dance.

I have NEVER heard anything like this and I wish there was more of this out there. If anyone knows of another CD that is similar PLEASE e-mail me: missyL3@hotmail.com, I would be forever grateful.
This is the type of music to listen to really loud, lying down next to a beautiful person. You both will be smiling, and the music will take to some quite magical places.
Thank you Sasha for creating something that I knew was capable but have not been able to find. Oh, I almost forgot, the mixing is, of course, flawless!!

Apology Accepted! ... "Involver" is tremendous
After "Airdrawndagger" I was wary in buying "Involver" but ... after one listen I am accepting "Involver" as a more than adequate apology. Full of complex, driving, rich sounds and very cool beats, he hit it with this one. The first track utterly rawks, with some very 80s Tangerine Dream-like voicings and bluesy-sexy patterns, and it goes from there. A great one to plug in your headphones with, turn up and get lost with. A must have for chillout or afterburns. ... Read more

Amazon.com

A Swiss-born, Italian-raised pianist, Robert Miles serves up numbingly repetitive but lively sub-Moroder disco for 66 unrelenting minutes. While it may make Vangelis sound like Mozart by comparison on the home stereo, this is evidently sheer magic under the mirrorballs of Ibiza, Paris, and Scarborough.--Jeff Bateman ... Read more

Reviews (144)

Great to some, but simplistic to others.
When I first heard Children on the radio (and who hasn't), I thought wow, what a great song. Too bad somebody beat me to it at writing it. Anybody's who's ever played around with a piano for any length of time (not playing sheet music, but just playing around) has already played the overused chord progressions that Robert Miles has played in Children and Fable. It was just a matter of time before somebody throws in some dance beats and suddenly the song becomes a great hit. And I admit, he *did* do a good job with Children, despite it's simplicity. Fable is probably the most overrated song on the album.

The problem with some of the songs is that he repeats the melody too often. Without words, it's difficult to repeat parts of the songs without sounding, well, repetitive. What a lot of dance artists do is put in strange instruments or little twists in the song that keeps each repeating part of the song interesting. Robert Miles doesn't do any of this in half of the tracks, and hence each melodic component becomes an arduous journey to the end of the track.

I like Heatwave for the breakbeat to set it apart from the rest of the CD. In My Dreams for a melodic line that falls on the half beat rather than right on the beat. One and one for the melody. The other songs are just OK, and Red Zone is just unbearable. Ok, I guess the album isn't that bad, but it's not that great either.

"Mr. Flibble Is VERY cross!"
This is the perfect CD to listen to while relaxing with your feet up, sipping tea, and surfing the net. Hey! Try it sometime. This music can be whatever you want it to be with just one twist of the volume knob. Turn it up full blast and it's perfect for driving music or for whenever you need a boost of energy. At normal volume, it makes for great ambiance at the workplace or at home to help you relax and esacpe from the rigours of daily life. Then at night turn it down and let it softly escort you into Dreamland itself. You could listen to this CD all day!

Best Songs? Does it matter? It's true that most of it sounds basically the same but that hash't stopped me from liking it. Seriously though, my favorite single song would be "One and One" (it sounds the most different) followed by "Fable (message version)" and the dream version of "Children".

When you buy the CD (and you should, really) take a look at the back cover and tell me that Mr. Miles doesn't look like he should belong on "America's Most Wanted" rather than mixing magnificent music. Doesn't he LOOK like someone who seeks..."Emotion, Reflection and Peace in Music"? No? I didn't think so either.

Anyway, aside from this meandering review, I can't reccomend this CD enough. Robert Miles is in the same league as Jean Michel Jarre, and possibly even better.

EXCELLENT MELODIC TRANCE CD
To those who seem to again misunderstand and mislabel this CD, shame on you! This is NOT a new age ONE TONE CD. I love the new age music and have many CD's in my collection that are absolutely beautiful. This CD is considered new age as well as melodic and trance music. It is beautiful all the way through. It is to be measured against all others for what melodic music with a beat should be. To the person who said maybe if they toned the beat down a bit or this or that, you are listening to the wrong CD and should have known by the classification that this is a TRANCE RHYTHM cd. It is not going to be made without the beats, and they do NOT distract from the music either. Some electronic music does get rappy and too much hop hop garbage but this is clearly not that. ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT! Anyone who does not see this should look at all the awards and other songs he has. This is a CD that needs to be FELT AND HEARD THROUGH THE EMOTIONS AND THE HEART! I feel sorry for anyone who does not understand that!

Mind-numbing -- and NOT in the good way.
I have listened to this disc many times, trying to find a comfort zone with it, but alas, I must surrender. After the first seven minutes of the CD have passed (and I admit to liking those first few minutes), the rest of the CD becomes nothing more to me than a thumping aural assault. Miles has some very interesting ideas musically, but they get lost behind the relentless hammering and it's easy to lose interest after a while. Perhaps if the volume of the beat was toned down just a little, I could give it another star or perhaps two. I can highly recommend it to dance to, but casual listening is apparently not what's intended with this disc. In summary, great musical ideas overwhelmed by the thump.

Tell Me Fable...
Robert Miles is one hell of a talented man, WOW...I wonder why this album only became famous years after it's release. ''Fable'' became a dance floor hit during in 98/99, the song was constantly played everywhere. It's hard to believe that this CD was originally released in 1996, while it sounds like it was produced years ahead of its release.

The style of music here is dance, moreover there are the piano tunes, which climb along with the beats making the song climax occasionally. In addition to that, you have lightly sedative vocals which mourn through most of the songs, giving them a dreamy mood, one of the female vocalists-- Maria Nayler has a incredible voice which sounds like a hybrid between Nina Persson's (From The Cardigans) and Madonna's voice-- imagine both voices merged in?...the result of that would definitely be pleasant-- and well that's what her voice sounds like. But also she isn't the only female vocalist included, 4 different vocalists are also along for the project.

This album takes you off to a dreamland, telling stories about the mystical and fantasy world, occasionally during the CD it starts to sounds a bit unnerving because some of the tracks feature the most unheard-of sound effects....they sound like they came from another world...- But Hey? that's the whole point of this CD.

My Favorite Tracks are: One And One, Children, Fable, Fanstasya, Red Zone.

This is definitely for fans of trance/house music. This man did a great job!. I also liked the production for the X-Files theme song...unfortunately that's not included here. But other then that-- ''Dreamland'' is a excellent masterpiece and definitely stands a testament to it's time...1996. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Despite Paul Oakenfold's status as "the world's most successful DJ" (according to the Guinness Book of Records, no less), and producing bands like the Happy Mondays and U2, Bunkka is his first real stab at solo superstardom. Abandoning the podium trance with which he made his name, Bunkka sees Oakenfold marrying Hybrid-like breakbeats with rock, hip-hop, and progressive house--not to mention a healthy dose of pop. Add an impressive list of guest vocalists--Tricky, Nelly Furtado, Ice Cube, Perry Farrell, Hunter S Thompson(!)--and a slew of radio-friendly tunes, and it soon becomes clear that Oakey has gone straight for the populist jugular. Fair enough, but no amount of star turns, catchy choruses, and occasional flashes of brilliance can hide the fact that Bunkka is fundamentally a patchy album. It occasionally pushes the right buttons, but its blunt, schizophrenic nature risks compromising Oakenfold's appeal with his traditional fan base.--Matt Anniss ... Read more

Reviews (97)

better than one would expect
seeing as how everyone has loved this album in the reviews posted so far, i will be the devils advocate. the production was the most impressive work, and perhaps oakenfold gets 5 stars for the production, although not groundbreaking by any means, (see BT-MISL, or Hybrid -wide angle for more innovative work).
the album starts off with the amazing; "ready, steady , go"...which def will be popping up in ads and movie trailers soon. then the next 2 songs slag off into mediocrity, with the bland southern sun and the absurd time of your life with perry farrell. However, Oakie comes back stong on the next string of tracks, hypnotised, is a beauty, but the real album center piece is Zoo York, with its sampled strings from "Requiem for a Dream". This song is the one stand out track that demands respect. Perhaps Oakie has it in him to be scoring films after all.
Then comes Nixon's Spirit, with the weird spoken world mumblings of Fear and Loathing's Hunter S. Thompson. Not bad, but not needed. Hold Your Hand is another magical track, that has a bouncy hip-hop feel, and the vocals are perfect. From then on, the album needs to end. Starry eyed surprise with that loser from crazytown is lame and is not memorable, and when the rap/rock fad ends people will wonder why oakie wanted to use him? vocal greatness..no..just for a few more albums sold. the ice cube track, get 'em up, is odd, they edited out the swears, which takes away the impact of the song, get the balde 2 soundtrack to hear the better version. Motion (somewhat of a grower) and The harder they come are just wasted tracks with big name vocalists (i.e. nelly furtado, tricky), a waste of the record companies money. Worth buying for Zoo York alone and ready, steady, go. Not bad for Oakie. Not too bad at all.

Paul Oakenfold is not a talented human being.
Bunkka should be boxed with a 2nd cd, that 2nd cd should be Michelle Branch or one of her teen pop sensation friends (or maybe Crazy Town or whoever he got to help him) because thats the target audience with this album because those kids (when they're not listening to Metallica and Michelle Branch) like to listen to Paul Oakenfold's Bunkka and pretend they're at a rave, which is their #1 dream...too bad their parents won't let them go, time to rebel. I strongly advise that you avoid this album as if touching it would instantly give you AIDS.

This is no sellout
All you ignorant people who label Oakenfold as selling out are, well, just ignorant. As Michael Jackson on South Park said, "That's just ignorant." And it is. Do you think you're coming off as a smart, intelligent, know-it-all trance fans when you say he has sold out? Those two words are so misused and abused together it's disgusting. I don't even have the time to go into this further, it's not worth it. But I wanted to defend Oakenfold and this CD and mention that there is no selling out and it's an excellent blend of styles to create an edgy, well-balanced mix of great music. Obviously, anyone who is saying he sold out isn't truly knowledgeable about music. Try to sound like you know what "true" music is, but you don't. And you people obviously aren't artists yourselves, because if you were, you would know the dire need to completely explore new terrain from time to time. I'm done. Buy this CD for a good time, end of discussion.

you yanks just don't get it? from a brit!!
Bunkka is not like anything Oakenfield has done before, which is good. Amazon double it up with Tranceport which is like chalk and cheese.I'm sorry but the professional reviews do not do it justice.Another guy says it is schizophrenic but that the point the juxtaposition of styles.This CD is not background music you positively have to engage with it.Play it on a Walkman and get a boring job done quicker.Play it in the car (the best place to listen to any music as you are encapsulated)very, very loud and drive fast. Its music to live to, that gets in your very soul.It is music to dance to not dance that has gone we have all moved on.

Not what you might expect
Paul Oakenfold has been one of the most famous trance remixers for a long time now but this is actually his first solo album where he's making the songs by himelf and the result is quite average actually. Remixing others songs is not such a difficult thing, afterall most good dj's are able to make a decent remix or a song.

If you expected many dance songs then you've bought the wrong album, Only "Ready steady go" and "Southern Sun" sound like typical Oakenfold songs. The rest are a commercial mix with Guest Artists that take more place then Paul does. I loved "Starry Eyed Surprise" with rock-rapper Shifty Shellshock, it's no Oakenfold song but it's catchy with a gtood hook. "The Harder They Come" with Nelly Furtado was allright and also nice to see Emiliana Torrini appear on "Hold Your Hand". I never liked "Get Em Up" with Ice Cube cause the Rap-trance mix doesn't fit. "Time Of Your Life" with Perry Ferrel is so so. I Paid attention to the collaboration more then the song itself.

Let's not blame Paul for trying, many others including Basement Jaxx did a album with guest artists, the case here is that making a "own" album is morr then just adding a wide range of guest artists. Paul should have taken his time and created something that the fans really wanted to hear. Sure some songs are good here but they are far from the great trance remixes he normally makes. Average album. ... Read more