Amazon.com

An oasis of calm amidst the turbo-fueled clubbing tornado that is Ibiza, Café Del Mar is the White Isle's original home of red-eye chill-out vibes and weepy sunset soundtracks. The series of compilations bearing the bar's name, meanwhile, have long patented that authentic sound of Balearic bliss (even claiming Madonna as a huge fan), and this seventh volume maintains the high standards. Founding DJ Jose Padilla may have long moved on, but his successor, DJ Bruno, is clearly well aware of the old adage about not fixing what ain't broke. There's the usual mix of names well known (Moby, Bedrock, Nightmares On Wax) and head-scratchingly obscure (Uko, Lux, Aromabar), but the sound of beautiful music for loved-up and lazy beach bums stays the same. Frankly, this sounds as good at home as it does on the early-morning terraces of San Antonio. --Calvin Bush ... Read more

Reviews (28)

Drifting and Dreaming
Of all the Cafe Del Mar CDs I have (3,5,6,7 and 8), I enjoy listening to this one the most. Jose Padilla has moved on, but Bruno clearly understands the definition of "chillout".
Lux's opener, Northern Lights, sets the pace, and is followed by a remix Afterlife's Breather 2000. Incidentally, Steve Miller has a hand in both groups, and both reappear on Volume 8. Apart from Northern Lights, Deep & Wide's Easy Rider, and Beautiful Strange by Bedrock are worth mentioning. Among the best tracks is Moby's Whispering Wind, which was later included on the Play b sides. I do not know why it wasn't on Play, because in my opinion, it is better that anything on Play. Nightmares On Wax have done an amazing remix of a song by Bush, Letting The Cables Sleep. Bush are a rock band, similar to Blur and Oasis, but this track fits seamlessly onto the album.
This disc is good after a long day, during an easy day, at any time during the day. You can listen to it, or play it in the background. It's not good if you need some solid music to get your teeth into, but otherwise, it's great.

unique downtempo grooves
A year after buying Vol. 7 and Vol. 8, I still find myself spinning these grooves up. Timeless downtempo joy.

Nikolai Safavian Says Get This
This tops the Del Mar collection. It is also among the best played in clubs in Bukara and Baku. Every person has music moments that need this.

I'm definetly hooked
This is the first volume of this series that I got. All I can say is, superb!
The quality of the music in this CD is absolutely amazing. If you're looking for something calm yet trendy and cool you will definetly like this.
I'll be adding more volumes to my list very soon.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU
I'm so grateful for such beautiful music. Put this on, the whole world opens up. It is so gorgeous it makes you glad to be alive. That ain't no jive! You need this CD in your car, at the bar, even in war. It extends your vision SO FAR! That beat, so great--don't hesitate! Hear it--with God you've got a date. For this CD there's not enough stars to rate. Thank you all world class musicians for CHILL OUT DOWNTEMPO--It's heaven sent for us below! ... Read more

Album Description

German dance compilation featuring the finest in trance music featuring such artists as Talvin Singh, Afterlife, A New Funky Generation, dZian and Kamien, Mandalay and many more. 15 tracks in all. 1999 release. Standard jewel case. ... Read more

Reviews (32)

Another great downtempo cd to add to my collection
I can't really say that I am all that into the Cafe Del Mar series. My only other copy is volume 8 and that one it took me awhile for the music to grow on me. I found volume 6 (Jose Padilla's last contribution to the series) in the used cd bins today. I really liked what I saw as far as the track list goes. I love Mandalay's "Beautiful" and Talvin Singh's "Traveller". As I am listening to this cd, I am definitely more impressed with this series than I have been wtih Ultra Records' downtempo series "Ultra Chilled". I find the Cafe Del Mar series far less commercialized than some of the chill out compilations that I have come across in the past year. I truly enjoyed volume six of Cafe Del Mar a lot more than volume 8. Although I thought "The Messenger" by A Funky Generation was a totally useless track, I thought as a whole the album was a solid collection of contemporary downtempo music fitting for a night after hitting the nightclubs. I can almost see myself stretched out on the sands of Ibiza while listening to this cd. Just an incredible cd of today's best downtempo/chill out music.

really smooth and mellow
Definetly the best way to describe it, smooth and mellow. It's a real chill CD. I first bought Cafe Del Mar 7, and then 6. I found 6 to be so much more sensual, and truely some of the vocals, melodies and rhythms on this can twist into you and wrap you up for the nite. I can't take my ears away from the CD when I listen to it! Outstanding Tracks...dZihan and Kamien 'Homebase', Mandaly 'Beautiful', Paco Fernandez/Levitation feat. Cathy Battistessa 'Oh Home' (unreal vocals) and my most favourite track-Humate '3.2 Bedrock' (it's like a light mix of soulful dance...just gorgeous). It's one of those CD's that's able to adapt itself to different type's of tastes, just gorgeous, and really recommended to anyone who's in the chill scene. The final in the Cafe Del Mar series produced by Jose Padillaand a beautiful one at that. Let's hope there's more to come in the future, and Cafe Del Mar will continue in it's lush soothing tones. Cafe Del Mar Volumen Seis, a beautiful compilation.

The best of the 10 CD series
I absolutely love this CD. I own all 10 of the Café Del Mar series and I think this is by far the best one. Numbers five and seven are also quite good as well. Give it a try!

NOTHING LIKE THAT GROOVY AMBIENCE--GREAT FOR HIGH FINANCE
Wow I love that modern feeling where the ambience is created to initiate creative action all day long. It's the groovy heartbeat that puts me in the flow. I get ideas--it's great for making dough. It makes me happy--like all of life's a show. The world's my oyster--I got all my ducks in a row. Lucid sights and sounds--can I be any more alert? The past is below, I've transcended the foe. Out of my 60 new downtemp CD's I'd rate this in the first ten. I loved it so much I bought all of the cafe del mars. With this music on all day and night, my spirit shoots to the stars.

Doesn't Get Much Better Than This!
I don't own a lot of chillout related CDs and there's a reason for that: Most of them are predictable with the same song used over and over again on various compilations that pretty much copy each other's ideas. I enjoy trip-hop and lounge music but it's very hard to find a flawless album that you can pop into your stereo or discman (whichever one's handy) and let it play without skipping a single beat but this is a rare exception. Aside from 'Chill Out In Paris 2' [mixed by David Visan], this is SO FAR the best I've heard in this genre and it's my first Cafe Del Mar experience so I was pleasantly surprised. Jose Padilla did a great job at compiling and mixing all this together and I'm curious to scope out anything else he's done. It flows at a very nice pace (mostly mid-tempo speed) and has many different atmospheres to keep it fresh and inventive. There's not a dull moment on here and while the entirety of 'Vol. 6' is amazing, I find myself especially enjoying Mandalay's breathtaking remix of "Beautiful" (I never tire from listening to this particular piece) and the world grooves of Nitin Sawhney's "Homelands" (I've been meaning to check his work out for a long time now) and the gorgeous "Adios Ayer". And, of course, anything by Talvin Singh is worth hearing... The whole thing is, really.

I truly love this and am more than impressed. ... Read more

Album Description

Since the release of "Shango" in 2000, Juno Reactor has been involved in many projects including the production of several tracks for "Matrix: Reloaded" and "Matrix: Revolutions", as well as a greatest hits comp, "Odyssey 1992-2002". "Labyrinth" has nine tracks, two of which are songs from the Matrix movies. It'll rule the dance floor with its trance style elements and hard hitting beats. ... Read more

Album Description

Debut album from Finnish artist whose lead single,'Sandstorm', has become an international smash. Alsoincludes the follow-up single 'Feel the Beat'. 11 tracks,including two remixes by JS16 of the two singles. 2001release. ... Read more

Reviews (56)

Before The Storm is "Out of Control"
Walking into a local CD store the other day, I found a used copy of Darude "Before the Storm" on a clearance rack for $4.99. I hesitantly shelled over my five dollars and purchased my first Darude CD. Having once spent over $17 on Ian Van Dahl's CD "Ace", I am now terrified to buy DJ's with one outstanding track. More often than not in the electronica community, a DJ with a single will have about one good song, that being the single. I figured worst-case scenario, at least I would have Sandstorm on CD version.

How wrong I was. Putting on "Before The Storm" was trance bliss for over an hour. In fact, after several listening I would end up skipping Sandstorm and start the CD at "Burning", a track that outshines the first song quite a bit, in my opinion. Darude uses fast-paced, multilayered synthesized beats creating a very trance-y, overall hyped sound that really gets you moving or keeps you moving from Sandstorm.

Following "Burning," "Feel the Beat" resorts back to more of a Sandstorm-y sound. It's as if Darude is using his massive single as a template for this song. Nonetheless, it still is an awesome track and is unique in its own way. "Before The Storm" tops off with "Out of Control", my personal favorite track on the CD. "Out of Control" is the type of song that makes serotonin be secreted in trance lovers. It is hands down not only a better song than Sandstorm, but also a much more artistic and deep song. It is tied with my favorite songs in all of trance. Absolutely Amazing.

After OC, a fast paced song, Darude shows us his ambient side with "Touch Me Feel Me". Relatively speaking, this track is slow and chill, but fits into the CD nicely. Calm Before the Storm segues nicely starting slow and gradually speeding up to a danceable level.

Certain criticisms come with the next three tracks, "Let the Music Take Control", "Drums of New York" and "The Flow". All three tracks although do have some cool mixing, just aren't nearly as catchy as the rest of the CD. "LMTC" I particularly disliked, for its attempt to be almost a hip-hop song. I just wasn't feeling it.

Darude is a talented DJ and this CD shows it. He is capable of many different forms of electronica from trance to drum and bass to ambient. He created Sandstorm, a dance music classic at this point. And in all fairness, other songs very worthy of becoming classics one day.

Overall, "Before the Storm" is well worth the five dollars I spent on it. And even if you don't see it on a clearance rack, I would still say get it.

Good stuff for Dance music fans!
... Mostly of the songs are without voices and not so radio friendly, this is pure trance that some radio stations started to play that eventually gave them a few hits. Finnish group Darude have made a very good debut CD, lots of nice melodies with good beats. "Calm Before the storm" sounds a little like sandstorm but slower. Then we ofcorse got "Sandstorm" "Feel the beat" and "Out of control" which are the best, unfortunately the "out of control" single released was with some female vocals that totally destroyed the track, the original trance version was alot better and not very commercial either, the original version is on this Cd and that's one reason to buy it. "Burning" is a little like "Calm before the storm" it's a litte slower then many others, but good too. "Touch Me Feel Me" is also recommended. Good Cd overall.

EXCELLENT MELODIC TRANCE/ELECTRONICA MUSIC!
I first off want to comment on the only three stars given by Mandy and her rating. I hope she sees this because it is VERY important that she does: You obviously have a craving towards the rough side of electronic music with edgy and explict lyrics and natures of hard and negative aspirations. Truly this is not what real and beautiful music was originally intended for. Sure people use the "styles" broken off and perverted to express all kinds of weird, strange and negative emotions. But on this CD, you will find MOVING, EMOTIONAL, and BEAUTIFUL MELODY AND BEAT. That is what this CD is made in the essence of and that is why I can accept melodic techno/trance/electronic music because it keeps the CENTER OF MELODY AND HEART. This CD surely shows it. You say he repeats the same thing? Have you ever heard the expression MORE THAN ONE WAY TO SKIN A CAT, Mandy? Surely this CD should prove that you do not have a sensitivity it seems to the heart and melody and rhythm that this CD clearly shows. I looked at and listened to songs from your recommendations. They are far from the awesome beauty that CD's like this portrays. Songs like "Angel Falls", "Send Me An Angel", and many others who keep this CENTER and even songs from the Afro Celt System show this. You can waste your time on a misunderstood and ignorant perception of what you THINK this CD is, but you have what is called BLOCKED MIND SYNDROME. You will never hear what is TRULY awesome and beautiful and CENTERED. And it is not in the eye of the beholder. It is in the eye of those who SEE IT ALL for what it is.

Selling cyanide as exctacy to techno freaks is fun
This is the sound of diarrhea.

I want to stab every people who ever danced to the horrible "Sandstorm" track. I mean, common you fools : this is probably the worst Dance track ever. People who go to clubs are ten times more stupid than a pool cue (which I will use to DESTROY EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU !). I pray to Zeus that you all get hit numerous times with a hammer.

There's a lot of great dance music : latter day New Order, Ladytron, pop-era Kraftwerk, Depeche Mode...

I really like to kick small dogs.

Before the Storm
Before the Storm~ Darude is a nice surprise since Finland is not know to make any good music. This album is a change for the better and is a funny and cool album. ... Read more

Amazon.com

For some, outfits like producer Nick Bracegirdle's Chicane are not easy to swallow. Isolating the more jubilant properties of trance, the beat is a light bounce, levitating above club-dance brainlessness, sounding like a house music hybrid meant for sparkling sunshine instead of dark and sweaty warehouses. They exist in an idealized, pseudo-enlightened fairy tale filled with bright colors and youthful beauty. But that's not the problem. What rankles purists and picky fans is the audacity with which these "techno" artists go after the unconverted common folk, dragging electronic music out of its druggy, "in-crowd" pretensions. Bracegirdle and contemporaries like Olive, Sneaker Pimps, and BT (the last, most noticeably on his Movement in Still Life) are waging a turf war on the boundaries between techno and pop music, each using different tactics and borrowing from different sources. Chicane throws out an especially cutting salvo in the battle here, and it's a doozy. None other than Bryan Adams lends his raspy tenor to the subtle grooves and euphoric dreaminess of "Don't Give Up." It's one thing for Liam Gallagher to lend his pipes to a Chemical Brothers track, or for BT to tap Tori Amos for the ubiquitous club hit "Blue Skies," but Bryan Adams? Is this heresy? Or an ingenious use of vocal color that yields an incredibly hummable dance anthem?Maybe it's best not to analyze What It All Means. Just sit back and enjoy the summery grooves, trusting these ongoing musical inspirations to become whatever they need to be. --Matthew Cooke ... Read more

Reviews (82)

A Great Blend of Techno and New Age
Chicane has done it, combining great techno beats with haunting vocals. Chicane combines the best of techno and new age to make some of the most creative music ever. Chicane gets the help of many people, one major name is Maire Brennan, on the songs "Saltwater", the singer from Clannad. Also appearing on the CD is Bryan Adams, on the track, "Don't Give it Up". However if you don't want the new age feel, there are some tracks such as "Halcyon" which are pure trance. The best song without singing on this CD is "Low Sun", it has a great beat and a interesting Island sound. Another track you may want to hear is "Overture", it is the opening track and gives you the feel of what the rest of the cd is like. Songs like Overlap and Andromeda have a upbeat sound and also are great to listen to when trying to do work or just relaxing, buy this cd now!

a timeless classic
Here is a feature length album from Chicane. I recently bought this disc for two reasons: 1) my interest in dance music has revealed many songs that have either been performed or remixed by chicane, 2) many reviewers have given this album high praise. So it was with high hopes that I unwrapped this disc and pushed play. From start to finish, my ears heard one quality song after another. This is a true album and in this genre, I tend to listen to a lot of compilations as it is often very hard to judge the quality of an album by a pop single. Having heard many of the tunes already in compilation form, I gave it a try and a funny thing happened. I just kept playing it over and over. Must have listened to it entirely through about 20 times now and I still love it. Usually, I will buy a few discs and listen to them over a period of time before truly enjoying them, but this one blew me away right from the start. One caveat; as this is not a mix cd, don't expect it to flow as seamlessly as the dj discs do. Otherwise enjoy. I hope these guys have something new on the way soon because I want more!!

an ok background filler
I was introduced to Chicane via a friend giving me a copy of the track Halcyon and I just loved it. So with a positive first experience and all the amazon online reviews raving about the album Behind the Sun I went out and bought it.
There are a few stand out moments such as Halycon and Don't Give Up but for me the rest of the album really fails to fly. Personally I find it a bit dreary and thats really what all these reviews are about, personal opinion. This album is also not helped by the fact a lot of it sounds like stuff I have heard before eg I listen to Saltwater and all I can hear is Harry's Game by Clannad.
For atmosphere I would rather listen to Delerium or Conjure One not this.

boochiboy
Wow!

Some kind of a cross between Dance & New Age with a great attitude.

The Critics say this & that about this CD......I am not really a Trance fan, but this CD works really well, with the beats used.

Dance, Spiritual, Meditation??? Does that really work together?
YES IT DOES!

For me I hear the music style of Flock of Seagulls, Enigma, Tangerine Dream & Enya...but again, you can do some serious clubbing with a few of the tunes as well.

I am very please with this CD..... I beleive you shall be too!

Over the sun and rainbow
This album is simply beautiful to listen to, reminds me a little of Röyksopp. It's a slow album, relax-dance. Wonderful songs with good melodies. "Saltwater" is a good example of that. A hit the same year as this album came out. If you like it then you will like the rest too. "Low sun" and the dream dance song "Overture" are my favorites. There are 2 versions of both Saltwater and "Don't give up", one of them is with Bryan Adams. They are most famous for slow instrumental songs but that version is actually great. "Autumn Tactics" is not instrumenal either, it features a female voice. A pleasant album overall. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

From Private Dance Parties to the Gym
I originally heard many tracks (more or less the same remix) on Best of Club Hits 1 on a European party vacation. They sound just as good here on this AMAZING double-disk compilation. Most tracks on disk 1 have lyrics making them more palatable for the mainstream dance enthuse while still keeping the beat going for the underground clubber. You'll recognize vocalists like Moby or disk 1, track 13, "I'll Fly with You" masterfully blended to bleed into previous tracks. I wasn't tiered of either disk or find the beats repetitive or dull after the party faded to dawn. I liked it so much that I took Best of Club Hits 1 to downtown Tokyo and went on a 4-hour run. The manic and colorful energy of this enormous city made an unforgettable visual impact, PERFECTED only by its Best of Club Hits 1 soundtrack!

Fabulous Dance Compilation
If you are just looking for a great collection of some of your favorites from the last few years then this is definitely it. Check out that track listing! UBL pretty much picked the cream of the crop but then this label always seems to throw the biggest, best and some say the most mainstream commercial songs, into all of their compilations. If that's your pleasure you'll love this package.
Good clean fun! ... Read more

Amazon.com essential recording

The Rolls Royce of trance-house mixes, and every bit as cool as the polar bear on the sleeve, this first edition of Sasha and John Digweed's Northern Exposure sets is the tightest and most effortless of the series. With 11 superbly arranged cuts from the likes of William Orbit, Rabbit in the Moon, and the Future Sound of London, not one moment is wasted. The disc's flavor is decidedly organic and wholly evocative of all-night mountain raves or desert parties. Starting with the early-morning stretch of Keiichi Suzuki's delightfully sunny "Satellite Serenade," the duo swiftly build the tempo up to the breezy ambient plateau of Morgan King's "Free" before heading into harder house territories. The metronomic pulse and atmospheric chanteuse vocals of Fuzzy Logic's "Obsession" form an incremental crescendo with Orbit's "Water from a Vine Leaf." Being a condensed version of the European release, the closing salvo from Banco de Gaia's "Last Train to Lhasa" confirms the since-validated fact that these Exposure journeys have infinite potential; Sasha and Digweed are among the first DJs to create mix sets that tap into earthy, human emotions. It is precisely this unique flavor that will make you yearn for a dance floor, beach, or campsite, packed with deliriously dancing bodies. Yes, really.--Steffan Chirazi ... Read more

Reviews (101)

First of a fantastic trilogy
Two warnings: 1. This is NOT a trance album, not even a "real" house album. This album takes you more to the chillout side of dance (i.e. Ambient-House). 2. This album is addictive. You may find yourself in a position when you can't click the eject button to take the CD out.

Sasha & Digweed are considered to be the most respected and of the most sophisticated DJs today. Listen to this CD and you'll know why.

The CD is a chillout mostly, begining with two 'real' ambient tracks (FSOL's "Cascade" is their best track ever) and slowly builds up to a harder beat with tracks like "Obsession" and a fantastic remix for William Orbit's "Water from a vine leaf" (yes, Orbit existed before "Ray of light"). Surprisingly, the tracks begin to mellow down a little towards the end, unusuall for mixed CDs - but puts you in the right mood, with tracks from Apollo 440 and Banco de Gaia (a very fast mix for "Last Train To Lhasa"..).

One thing that I must mention : This is only half of the story. This edition (the US edition) contains only one CD! I have the UK (original) edition that comes with two CDs. The second CD is a bit more trance like, but is as good as the first. I wonder why they sell it a single CD here (probably to sell two seperate CDs and make more money).

An expertly-crafted journey into a dream-like soundscape
The mix CD. Whereas the market is flooded with a bunch of substandard, cookie-cutter, no-name DJ garbage, it's comforting to know that we can always turn to the true masters of the Art. While the pace of Northern Exposure 1 may be a little slower than their individual Global Underground sets (which are also excellent), the technical prowess displayed within this mix by Sasha & Digweed is extraordinary. While listening to it - even when I was paying attention - it was difficult to discern just when they were mixing in the next track and when they weren't. No mistimed beats, no unbalanced mixing levels, no mismatched tracks. The songs blend together so seamlessly that they can't help but stir your emotions. The problem with most of today's mixes is that while they are accurately mixed, they're rarely seamless. This CD belongs in every aspiring DJ's collection, for both inspiration and study of technique.

I love both CDs in this set, but if you're more into the faster sound of today's trance mixes, buy the import, since disc 2's considerably faster than disc 1, although expect songs from the mid-90s, as this mix was created in 1996. However, disc 1 has some of the most amazing mixing around to date, and is definitely my favorite of the two, making the purchase of the US release (which doesn't come with disc 2) a great choice regardless... and a more economical one if the import price gives you second thoughts.

Bottom line is that if you're a fan of these guys, you already have this set. But if not, click that "Add to Cart" button NOW! You won't be disappointed.

In case you are replacing your original copy....
Just wanted to point out that this compilation is meant to be (by which I mean when it was originally released in the UK) a 2 disc set, one called North and one called South. I ordered this only to find out that on this US version you only get the one disc (North). It is still very good, but just thought I would warn those expecting a two disc set.

Dig weed?
I don't know about you, but I never heard any of these songs on the TV show "Northern Exposure". But seriously. Hard to believe this disc came out 7 years ago. Despite the fact that it's now considered to be old, it is a great set. "Sasha" and "Digweed" put these tracks together seemlessly. I really like to think of this as just one long track, which of course is the point. I might have liked other choices more, but what's here is still classic. This is more mellow than it is aggressive, but at the right place and volume, it should take you where you want to go. There may be better sets out there today, but this will still give you an "Out Of Body Experience".

Pure bliss...
So that's what all the fuss is about! This is about perfect. It's a bit different than their later works, but Digweed and Sasha find perfect harmony here. Digweed, who likes the subterranean and Sasha, who prefers to soar above the clouds, meet half way here. What a mix.

This album is something of a mystical journey, taking you deep within and ascending ever higher until about halfway you find release. You can really feel the grooves.

It's definitely worth the hype.

My only bother would be that you gotta pay out the nose to get the second disc (issued, apparently, everywhere but in the U.S.). Why isn't it available in the states? ... Read more

Reviews (6)

uggghhh
Do not buy this vocal crap. You can get two Ferry Corsten for the price of this unmixed, vocal crap. Please, do not waste your money.

THE Trance Album
When I got this CD, I flipped through it and was neutral about it. But when on the airplane I listened through it fully, I realized that this wasn't just your average trance album. It was THE trance album. Many people do not like Trance Music, and if they don't they will probably dislike this album a whole lot. BUT, for those Trance Fans out there, this is your album. I will go through each song and review them now. Let me just say that not every song is great, but the fact that some of the songs are probably the best ever makes this album so amazing.
1. Lasgo: "Alone" (4:00) (B+) This song really is overplayed on the radio, but that happens with every Lasgo song. Good song.
2. BT: "Simply Being Loved" (4:38) (A-) Though there are much too many edits to the song, this is a very good song.
3. Motorcycle: "As The Rush Comes" (3:30) (A+) One of the best songs on the album. That haunting tune just keeps on impressing me. The vocals aren't the best, but does anyone pay attention to them truly in the song?
4. DJ Sammy: "Sunlight" (3:15) (B+) The vocals aren't the best, but the music gives you a good feeling. DJ Sammy did better on "Boys of Summer" and "Heaven".
5. Ian Van Dahl: "Reason" (2:58) (B+) This song is old, so I'm surprised to see it here. It's a good song.
6. 4 Strings: "Diving" (3:32) (A) Very good song. Vocals are good, tune is great, much better than 4 Strings' first song.
7. Darude: "Music" (3:30) (B+) The music (heheh) is great but the vocals are not great. It's supposed to sound like that, crazily.
8. Andain: "Beautiful Things" (4:09)(A) Very good song. Great vocals, great tune, makes you feel good.
9. Oxygen feat. Andrea Britton: "Am I On Your Mind?" (3:17) (A) Some of the words I can't understand but the rest is all great. The vocals are great, and this mix is very well...uh...mixed.
10. Divine Inspiration: The Way (2:58) (B+) Well, I really like the background beat. The lyrics OK, the music is great.
11. Paul van Dyk feat. Hemstock & Jennings: "Nothing But You" (3:32) (A-) I love the music. This, I think, was a cell phone commercial in the UK according to the Now 55 inlay. Jan Johnston & Kym's vocals impress me and they go well with the tune. The name of the song is weird though because it has no relevance to the lyrics.
12. KMC feat. Sandy: "Get Better" (3:42) (A-) Very good song. I like the lyrics, the vocals are so-so, and the music is super.
13. Kontakt: "Show Me A Sign" (3:45) (B) The worst song on the album, though all the songs are so good this song really doesn't turn out to be bad. The vocals are good. The music is nice and the tune is catchy. It just isn't a good song, though.
14. Terra Skye: "Is This Love?" (3:48) (A-) I really like the tune and vocals. This song is old and should have been put on Best of Trance 3, but whatever. Very good song.
15. Kate Ryan: "Desenchantee" (3:38) (A+++ etc) THE BEST SONG ON THE ALBUM BY FAR. VOCALS ARE GREAT, MUSIC IS WONDERFUL, THOUGH IT IS IN FRENCH IT IS SO CATCHY THAT YOU WON'T CARE. YOU CAN GET A TRANSLATION ON THE INTERNET ANYWAY. THE SONG IS ABOUT CHAOS AND NOTHING BEING RIGHT, BUT THIS SONG CAN'T GET ANY MORE RIGHT. MY FAVORITE SONG.
That wonderful song (15) concluded this wonderful album. I don't see how it can get much better; maybe replace the Kontakt Song with Jan Jonston's "Am I On Pause?" or something good like that.
THE GOOD:
"Desenchantee" "As The Rush Comes"
THE BAD:
"Show Me A Sign"
THE UGLY:
"Music" "Simply Being Loved"
DEFINITION OF DESENCHANTEE:
Disenchanted.
OVERALL GRADE:
A-/A

Great overview of the Trance genre...
For a compilation album, this is really great mix of trance music. The mix of songs by various artists even manage to flow well from one to the next. The three best trance artists from this era are all represented: Lasgo, Ian Van Dahl, and 4 Strings. Several other very popular artists (though not particularly favorites of my own) are also represented such as DJ Sammy, Darude, and Paul Van Dyk. If want a really good mix of songs, particularly if you're looking for a broad overview of some of the best Trance out there, then this is an excellent place to start.

Not The Best, But It's Alright
Robbins Entertainment has just released volume four of "Best Of Trance". Do not let the name "Best Of Trance" fool you. I hope these people at Robbins Entertainment are not using the name just for ripping people off. The first two volumes were excellent, but volume three was mostly boring. Volume four has okay trance, but I have heard better trance than some of these songs.

This isn't a mixed compilation. This is the kind of album where there are g a p s i n b e t w e e n the songs instead of the mixing where the songs sound like they've runintogether. Fine by me whether it's mixed or not.

Lasgo's back with their single "Alone". It's a nice song. It had enough success to make the radio in the US. I heard it on Star 93.7. BT's in this compilation with "Simply Being Loved". It wasn't the mix I expected to hear (I was thinking about the version from "Ultra Dance 04"), but still okay. I just feel bad that BT's got into a feud with Paul Oakenfold recently and BT used to release for Perfecto. Motorcycle's "As The Rush Comes" is in here. I kinda grew to like this trance song to be honest with you. I don't know why. I really enjoyed Darude's "Music". I just liked the vocals in it. There's also "Nothing But You" by Paul van Dyk. (The first PvD song in Robbins "Best Of Trance" series and PvD is a trance master. Another reason why the name of these compilation CD's are a joke.)

There have been better singles by these artists than these singles in "BOT 4". "Diving" by 4 Strings was selected instead of "Take Me Away", DJ Sammy's "Sunlight" was chosen instead of neither "Heaven" nor "Boys Of Summer" and Kate Ryan's "Desenchantee" (sung in another language) was chosen instead of "Scream For More". These songs are still okay but it still could've been better. All the other songs are kind of boring. But they're not as boring as most of the tracks in volume three.

Volume four is better than volume three, but not as good as volume's one and two. They should put Ferry Corsten in one of these albums. Ferry's gifted. Remember that this isn't the best of trance but it's okay trance. Maybe Robbins Entertainment should have called it "Robbins Trance Collection" or something like that.

Best Of Trance, Vol. 4
The latest installment in the "Best Of Trance" series from Robbins Entertainment is a very good trance CD. This isn't your hard-hitting, euphoric trance - this is euro-pop trance. Some call it cheese. I sort of enjoyed all of the songs here, they all sounded the same, though. This isn't a mixed CD, and the tracks are mostly radio-edits, but that certainly doesn't take away from the sheer ammount of tracks on this CD. I'd rather have quality over quantity. This CD has lots of very pop-ish dance tracks that not everyone would enjoy. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this CD to the hardcore dance addict - but for those who enjoy euro-pop trance, and to anyone looking out to get started in this genre. Certainly not the "Best Of", but it will have to do... ... Read more

Album Description

2004 Grammy Award Nominee Sasha returns with the highly anticipated follow-up to the hottest and most critically acclaimed electronic music album of 2004: Involver. To be clear, the most exciting thing about this release is that this is not "Involver 2", the Involver concept is Sasha finding the space between artist, producer, and DJ. Fundacion on the other hand, is a whole new take on DJing. He's given up the turntables and CD players in exchange for a custom designed mixing setup that uses the Ableton "Live" software and a one of a kind controller that Sasha has dubbed "MAVEN" to create a never before heard kind of mixing.

To showcase this new technology and its sonic capablities, Sasha launched a bi-coastal residency (at New York's Crobar and Los Angeles's Avalon) with the closing party in New York being the launch party for the fruition of the entire endeavor: the Fundacion mix CD.

Fundacion will be the recorded version of what Sasha has been doing live at his residencies: effortless on-the-fly re-edits, mash ups, and flawless blends. ... Read more

Album Description

16 DJ Mixed Trance Hits! Mixed by The Happy Boys ... Read more

Amazon.com

Paul Van Dyk’s pop sense dominates Reflections, giving his squeaky-clean progressive trance a catchy, yet disposable weightlessness. As a DJ, Van Dyk is beyond human, existing in that rarefied "superstar DJ" realm filled with exotic locales and sweat-soaked masses of young, beautiful fans. But on record, his reputation as a master spinner takes a backseat to his songwriting/production work. Even 2001’s The Politics of Dancing, billed as the DJ’s first proper mix record, was given a dollop of post-production gloss. Too often, there’s a feeling something is missing, that blood and sweat has been replaced with something cold and muted. With a variety of guest vocalists on hand, Reflections comes close to a proper "crossover" record without taking the verse-chorus-verse plunge, and this actually gives it some heart. Jan Johnston’s cheerful mantra on "Like a Friend," for instance, makes for a lovely bounce, like a lullaby with a beat. More often though, the ear drifts into a nostalgic desire for early mornings spent in dark clubs, listening to Van Dyk spin music with a little more meat on its bones. --Matthew Cooke ... Read more

Reviews (68)

Peaks too early for its own good.
I like Reflections. It's a solid album, with some nice touches and ear-shaking beats, that unfortunately peaks too early for its own good.

Paul van Dyk's fourth studio album starts incredibly strong, with the sensational club-worthy cut Crush. This great track is unfortunately the highest point on the album, and after here it's only down hill. Time Of Our Lives is an entertaining diversion, though it doesn't feel right. Nothing But You is classic PVD. Reflections, Buenaventura and Connected are solid, even if they lack that memorable punch of previous works like Words, Beautiful Place and Love From Above. Knowledge, however, is an abysmal low, with PVD clearly trying to emulate his comrade BT, and sadly failing. But the biggest blow to the album comes in the form of Jan Johnston, who's voice has been heard just a bit too much in the genre, and too much of a nice thing eventually makes it a chore to deal with. Johnston is featuring four times on the album, and that's four times too many, especially given the weak lyrics provided either for her or by her (not sure which, and really don't care either). Every track she's on would have been a great instrumental track, and would have seriously helped the album out to no end.

As I said before, I like Reflections. It's not as muddled as BT's lastest effort (Emotional Technology), but lacks the creative genius of Seven Ways or the technical perfection of Out There And Back. Still, it's an enjoyable, if somewhat rough-around-the-edges album. It's not bad, but some minor touches (and the absence of Jan Johnston) could have made it great.

paul van dyk goes crap
listening to this cd, you will hear such profunditities as, "In the kaleidescope of chaos; we're going to extremes; and people have lost their dreams (no dreams)" You will also, after a lengthy intro, hear a generic house soul sister petulantly intone, "I know you want meeee" just before the groove starts ramping. You will also hear various well-trammelled hip-hopisms like a black man saying "yeeeah... right about now..." and various other penetrating observations. If this sounds like a must hear, go nuts.

It's PvD
I just bought the album as soon as it was released in 2003 - And recently I bought the Special Edition of Reflections which comes with a bonus CD with nice remixes on tracks like 'That's life' and 'Buenaventura'. I have read some of the reviews and most people did find the new album somehow different to what most people is accustomed to hear from Paul van Dyk. Like if something is missing.

On the one hand, I think the album has strong and weak points. Some tracks didn`t quite fit on the album and I agree with the idea that it is almost full on vocals, which makes the album sound poppy and cheesy. But on the other hand I think that Paul is just being honest with the music he produces. As Paul himself has explained 'every track has its own little story' and so I think that in order to understand the album you need to sort of find out what's the message the artist wants to bring across. There are some articles and video interviews on Paul van Dyk that you can look for.

Even though this album is not a masterpiece of art. I think this albums still has some nice tracks: 'Crush' 'Time of Our Lives' 'Like a friend'&'Connected' are some of them. But other than it doesn`t present anything new, anything innventive that can be called 'Electronic Dance'. I have to admit the fact that thanks to Paul I got into Electronic Music... and you may start as I did. Before I knew nothing about PvD I bought the album 'Out There & Back' (More mature and intense album), then after that you can buy 'Seven Ways (Experimental and mistical album)' which was the album that catapulted Paul into the top 100 salecharts (This album was voted as number 1 Album of the Year by the readers of DJ Magazine when it came out).

As a mention before I liked 'Reflections' even though it doesn`t measure up that well and there's too much variety on the tracks. But if you have the opportunity to buy Paul's previous albums and/or see him live you won`t be dissapointed. On the contrary, you will be amazed of what a DJ and producer like Paul van Dyk can do (I have seen him a couple of times and he`s just amazing in a way).

So my advice is: Do not listen to this album until you have listened to the previous ones ('Out There & Back' and 'Seven Ways').

Paul Van Dyk Rocks The Block With Reflections
Well it's the newest album of Paul Van Dyk, it really shakes your world!! First of all the 1st track called Crush is simply awesome, good vocal background and nice beat, the 2nd one called Time Of Our Lives is a total fable with a teaching, really touches with Vega4 in the vocals. The 3rd one is called Like A Friend truly dazzling, the 4th track is Reflections and this track really moves the mood of everybody, the 5th song Nothing But You is sensationally performed by Hemstock & Jennings moves the soul, the 6th song Buenaventura is highly dazzling keeps you moving, the 7th song Homage is one of the greatest in this album touches the soul and mood of everyone, the 8th song Never Forget is outstanding and with a great beat, the 9th song Knowledge is kind of funky and with fresh beats brought to you by the greatest Paul Van Dyk, the 10th song That's Life really shakes you a 5 stars. the 11th song Connected it sensationally moves your body, the 12th song Spellbound is really hypnotizing and puts you on the groove, and finally but not last one of my favorites is Kaleidoscope with a kind of moving and grooving sounds from a synthetizer it really probes what Paul Van Dyk is: The Best DJ in the world!!!

It's PVD...
Though many people would disagree, but I think this is the best PVD album yet!

Crush - This was really Second Sun's creation, PVD just took it, remixed it, and called it his own. A very fresh trance track, but I like the extended mix better on the "Crush" single.

Time of Our Lives - A top notch track by PVD and Vega 4 BUT after listening to this for the 110th time, the lyrics are getting very annoying...

Like a Friend - Crap track, don't even listen, I don't know why PVD included this track. Reason why this is the worst track? The chorus is a sentence repeated about 8 times, and it sounds like it is trying to hypnotise you. Behind this track though has a very nice story (gist: PVD saw India's poverty and donated money to charity, result = this track)

Reflections - A suttle but dancable trance track. Has a very nice vibe to it. It does have the annoying repeated chorus but unlike "Like a Friend", this doesn't sound bad at all.

Buenaventura - Featured from the mexican film Zurdo, this track has a great melody to it. It is just another one of those great pvd trance tracks.

Homage - Great track. The vocals really does it for this track.

Never Forget - A boring or chillin track, it really depends what mood you are in when listening to this.

Knowledge - A great hard break/hip hop track but the vocals really screw this track up. Fresh beats though.

That's Life - Vocals done mainly by PVD, but got some help from Vega 4's vocalist. Very nice track, even better is the pvd remix featured on the bonus CD (ONLY on the special edition).

Connected - Featured on the motorola commercial, this one of those trance tracks that come and go. Only a one time listener.

Spellbound - Vocals and beats really brings this track alive. One of my top three from this album.

Kaleidoscope - Now this is my favorite track from the album, semi hard trance track but it has the common soft melody pvd produces. Would buy the album just for this track. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Elektra lived through Moby's wild musical mood swings only to have him jump ship to V2 Records where, on first try, he produced a genius, groundbreaking album that made him a household name. What's a hapless major label to do? Why, put out a quickie compilation attempting to cash in on his newfound fame, of course. Moby Songs is a veiled "Best of the Elektra Years" collection of the techno wizard's singles released under the Elektra umbrella. The problem with this disc is that Moby's discography is Babe Ruthian in its homerun-to-strikeout ratio. Furthermore, his best work occurred before and after he signed with the label. That leaves Elektra pulling 6 of the 13 tracks off of Everything Is Wrong (Moby's only consistent work while signed on). The rest is culled from his famously awful alt-rock offering Animal Rights, his collection of soundtrack work I Like to Score, and the title track from the Move EP. Moby Songs only serves those who are more morbidly curious with a snapshot of the man's scattered track record. Those who are interested in his finest should stick with his self-titled debut (which includes the rave classics "Drop a Beat," "Everything," "Next Is the E," and the original version of "Go") and Play. --Beth Massa ... Read more

Reviews (32)

A good collection of Moby songs
Ok, so my last review was lame heres a new one...

First of all here is the actual track listing

1. First Cool Hive 2. Go 3. Into The Blue 4. Now I Let It Go 5. Move [You Make Me Feel So Good] 6. I Like To Score 7. Anthem 8. Hymn 9. Feeling So Real 10. God Moving Over the Face of the Waters 11. Alone 12. Novio 13. The Rain Falls And The Sky Shudders 14. When It's Cold I'd Like To Die 15. Living 16. Grace The collection consists of 8 songs from "Everything Is Wrong", the other 8 are from "Move", "Animal Rights", and "I Like To Score", If you own those or plan on buying them you should skip this collection, if you don't have any of them you should try it out, it is a good collection, most of the songs are beautiful and calm.

Moby is up there with the greatest! A collector's item.
"Songs" basically summarizes the New York DJ's efforts from 1993 to 1998, allowing listeners who are new to his music, or who might have first heard of his work through his 1999 VERY GOOD album album "Play", a chance to get exposed to his earlier work.

I would like to cover each of the songs real briefly, so it can be made evident how eclectic an artist Moby is:
1) First Cool Hive: You have heard it. Sounds a lot like some of the "Play" songs.
2) Go: first written by Moby in conjunction with David Lynch and Angelo Badalamenti (long time scorer for Lynch's movies), has certain elements from Twin Peaks 'Laura Palmer's Theme.
3) Into The Blue: sweet Mimi Goese's voice accompanies Moby's music. Song #14 has Mimi Goese as well, and both rank among the best of the album.
4) Now I Let it Go: like a celtic melody, very quiet an soothing. I let it go as well...
5) Move (You Make Me Feel So Good): very dance-oriented tune. Most likely you've heard it on some disco floor.
6) I Like To Score: a very funky down-tempo guitar-driven tune, very contagious, very hard not to tap on the floor to it if your listening to it while sitting.
7) Anthem: a trance tune with some Gregorian chants/Opera voiced over.
8) Hymn: very sweet, piano-drive tune, very "Play"-like as well.
9) Feeling So Real: a very 'pop' techno tune. Not one of my favorites from the album, in all honesty.
10) God Moving Over The Face Of The Waters: one of Moby's most beautiful compositions. You've heard it, I'm sure. If you haven't you need to.
11) Alone: just feels like walking on your own through the middle of the desert... at night... a 10+ minute epic.
12) Novio: (boyfriend, in Spanish) another beautiful Moby tune, revisiting the Gregorian chants theme.
13) The Rain Falls & The Sky Shudders: one of those songs to sit down an listen to on a rainy afternoon. Actually has the sound of the rain in the background.
14) When It's Cold I'd Like To Die: Mimi Goese interpreting yet another beautiful tune with Moby's music.
15) Living: very optimistic tune with a guitar leading it into
16) Grace: Moby's closing statement for this compilation album says it all. Incredible song. Not hard to find some Brian Eno-like influences in it.

Whether your musical preferences are along the lines of dance music, new age, Gregorian chants, or just about anything, this album deserves room in your collection. It carries incredibly beautiful as well as vey contagious songs, that will make you respect Moby (as I now do), and most likely expand your collection to contain all his albums.

Equivalent to Sonic Wallpaper
I found this CD to be pleasant, soothing, unobtrusive background music. I enjoyed "Play" and other of Moby's work; however, I found this CD to be to be the equivalent of sonic wallpaper - it's there, but it is meant to fade into the background.

Music fans can do much better
Moby's "Songs" is basically a collection of some minor work from his stint with Elektra, and as such, is an album that should not have been made. Moby as an artist is overrated to begin with, so a trip into "Songs" is especially unnecessary.

To begin with, Songs opens with "First Cool Hive", a track that is very reminiscent of the most repetitive and irritating elevator music of Enigma, a band which has become nothing but the butt of jokes. There was some hope that the album would improve as "Go" and "Into The Blue", the two most tolerable tracks on the album came on, but they still offered very little for an appreciator of music to sink his or her teeth into. Things head back downwards as sappy, unoriginal tracks like "Anthem" and bad party music tracks like the despicable "I like to Score" and the weak "Feeling So Free" started playing from my stereo. Moby seems to be trying to serve boring and pretentious music to fans that haven't bothered to try the better Stereolab albums over Moby's predictable, one layered collection of songs. In fact, the whole album feels like shallow, predictable, and uninteresting music by a minor talent. That's to bad, because Moby at his best offers up some hypnotically catchy tracks, especially when a talented vocalist backs him up, but then again, Moby at his best is few and far between, and Moby at his worst dominates in Songs.

Those who like music that doesn't challenge them to listen can add a star, and if the purchaser of the album also wants no more than a nice piano segment or a little background music while they read can add an additional star. Those who seek originality and creativity in their music can take the last star away.

Interesting
I hate techno, rave, dance music, etc...but I have found Moby's mobysongs quite interesting. I slip over the dancy, techno tracks and go to the ambient tracks. Here is where Moby connects. He is kind of like the modern version of Brian Eno with a pop flair. In fact, I wish he would become more Enoish and drop the dancy stuff altogether! Mobysongs is a good place to start for someone new to Moby like myself as is the similarly interesting (for the same reasons) Play. Give it a listen. ... Read more

Amazon.com

In a music landscape filled with slick, but predictable mix cds, we can thank the dance gods for Sander Kleinenberg. Hailing from The Hague, Holland, his willingness to venture into more cerebral material lifts This Is Everybody Too into the same tech-space dreamland that gave its predecessor, Everybody such a lovely kick. The electro and experimental tangents are more in the foreground here, as both discs in the 2-disc set are woven throughout with sparse sounds from the likes of the Junior Boys ("Birthday") and Robag Wruhme (the schizophrenic "Hugenduble"). But along with the New Wave fixations and highbrow electronics, Too gets dirty as well, especially on Kleinenberg's own ultra-funky "The Fruit" from Disc 2. And there's nothing intellectual about the big thumps and up-vibe house melodies that drop on songs from Deepsky, Ericke, among others. Few DJs, in fact, can pull off a compilation with such appeal to both the brain and the body, but that's just another day in the office for this man. --Matthew Cooke ... Read more

Album Description

16 DJ-MIXED SMASH HITS! MIXED BY THE HAPPY BOYS ... Read more

Reviews (20)

THANK GOODNESS WE DON'T LIVE IN THE 80'S ANYMORE!
Oh My Gosh! This is possibly the absolute best trance CD in all time! Now you may have heard trance party volume 1 and didn't like it, but, please just 4 get da bout that one and buy this one! This CD has excellent written all over it! Excellent songs, Excellent vocals, Excellent and smooth transitions too! I, like many others i'm sure, are just dieing waitin to get the next volume! volume 3!!!! You havta get this CD now! This will probably be a collectors item someday! Just imagine what this CD would sound like if it were made in the 80's! It would be so cheap soundin, it wouldn't even be funny. I'm so glad i live in a modern world so there can be awesome music like this!

Trance at it's greatest!
This is my favorite kind of music, and this CD has it all. From PPK's haunting "Resurrection" to Dee Dee's promising "Forever" from Marc et Claude's "Tremble" to DJ Encore and Engelina's "I See Right Through To You" (by far one of my favorite songs of all time), this CD is sure to delight you if you're a hard party going, music loving, clubbin' kind of person.

If you are at all interested in this CD, make sure you check out Louie DeVito's "Dance Factory," Encore and Engelina's award winning album "Intuition," or anything by Iio, Darude, Amber, or Rui Da Silva.

Damned Good Trance
From mild Trance to Hard Trance...Great Mix!!

WHEEE!!!
This was one of the very first trance CDs I ever got and man, was I glad I got it! OK, I'll admit that the songs aren't mixed together very smoothly, but they make up for it in the quality. Every track on this CD is pure gold; "I See Right Through To You" especially. I'd recommend this to anybody who is fairly new to trance music because this is a great introduction to it.

amazing cd
I bought this cd last year...and I haven't got tired of listening to it. This is the type of cd where u can listen to the entire cd with out skipping a song. Its an amazing cd with great trance. Especially Tukan-light a rainbow...Ian Van Dahl-will i?...and PPk-ressurection. Hands down the best trance cd i've ever listened to...definatly worth while to buy. ... Read more

Reviews (49)

Trying new things: some work, some don't
When I heard Juno Reactor was coming out with a new album I was very excited. From the taste I got from the Pistolero single it looked very good. The CD isn't bad. It's not their best (Beyond the Infinite is, in my opinion), but it is good.

It starts off with Pistolero which is a very interesting mix of synthesized sound and music from spaghetti westerns. All in all, they pull it off and it sound really good. The second track is a harsh sounding track with frenetic, tribal-sounding drumming. It's good too. Track is a calmer, bass-driven, low-key track that is a well-placed change of pace.

Track 5 is my favorite. It's what I've come to love about JR and has the same energy that dominates Beyond the Infinite. Track 7 falls into this category too and is another highlight of the album.

Tracks 8 and 9 are also calmer. 8 is almost ambient and 9 seems strongly influenced by God is God from Bible of Dreams.

Juno Reactor has never sat back and rested on the success of prior albums. This one is no exception. They experiment with new things and definately are continuing moving forward. Shango is enjoyable, but I don't know if they will ever top Beyond the Infinite. If you enjoy anything by JR, you will like Shango too.

This, is awesome
This is an awesome CD by the gods of GOA that are Juno Reactor.

Pistolera - Excellently played spanish/mexican style guitar, combined with superb vocals and an excellent beat.

Hule Lam - Definately reminds me of Conga Fury. African drumming and singing, with Junos own awesomness mixed in there.

Insects - Extremely basey slow pased song. You'll need good speakers to pick out the lowest notes.

Badimo - Dark lyrics, slow tempo, low sound. All I can picture when I'm listening to it the Cave-Rave scene from Matrix Reloaded, in slow-mo.

Masters of the Universe - Mood swing! Fast tempo, extremely busy. Female singing, I think they've used her before because I recognise the voice, but I'm not sure.

Nitrogen part 1 - Slower than MotU, but faster than Badimo/Insects. Almost depressing, but not quite.

Nitrogen part 2 - Faster than part 1, and a much different mood. It was featured in the racing game 'Kinetica', slightly edited. Very good song.

The last two are ambient tracks. Good when you're in the mood, but I rarely am, so I haven't really listened to them yet.

All in all an excellent CD. Not quite as good as Beyond the Infinite, but still great.

HIGHLY reccomended for any fan of Techno/Trance.

The Only Incredible Trance I've Ever Listened To
From the first gorgeous guitar note on the song Pistolero to the sonic landscapes of Song for Ancestors I was completely won over by this cd. I originally heard of Juno Reactor way back in 4th grade because of a song they did for Mortal Kombat, but never paid attention to them because I thought it was just another techno band. This sad process of exposure to their music occurred over the past 8 years, and much to my regret I didn't purchase one cd from them until last year. If you've ever watched The Matrix Trilogy, they're in there. The music from the historic Freeway Chase, Burly Brawl, and final battle between smith and neo were all written by Juno Reactor (except for one that was a collaboration). Believe me, you will not regret buying this cd. Pistolero effectively blends the classic guitar sound of spaghetti westerns with psychedelic trance (and yes, they used a live guitarist for the entire thing). Insects is a dramatic and bass heavy song that'll get your head bobbin' before you know it. Masters of the Universe is also known as the song from Kid's Story in Animatrix when he skateboards from the agents. Thankfully the best song on the cd is the one song that can't be bought as a single. Nitrogen Part 1 was simply my favorite song of all time. This may be hard to stomach for some people who can't understand how a song without lyrics can convey any amount of emotion. You may be surprised, not just at how good the song is, but that the song actually transforms in the last few minutes. Trance songs are notorious for being unimaginative loops with a droning bass beat. Nitrogen Part 2 is basically a raver's dream come true. And Song for Ancestors is just beautiful. Warning: this is a new breed of trance that blends live and computer generated music, and it's damn good. There's some very nice ethnic vocal singing mixed in to Masters of the Universe and Song for Ancestors that brings to mind the gorgeous intro to Conga Fury. Another thing I recommend is to listen to this music alone in your room with your eyes closed because these songs actually paint pictures in your mind if you relax enough. Buy this cd now, please. Two other cd's I recommend from them are "Bible and Dreams" and "Beyond the Infinite" (which is out of print, but I was lucky enough to get it from a private dealer).

Good adventure in electronica
I have amassed quite a collection of electronic and ambient albums and i have my favorites. This may turn out to be one of them. First, I am introduced to Pisterelo and I feel I am in an old western fighting off Mexicans, then the second track takes me to an exotic tropical isle with tribal cerominies around a huge bonfire on white sandy beaches. Later, in Nitrogen part 1 and 2 I find my self in a quasifuturistic industrial multiplex trying to stop illegal chemical disposal that could lead to an enviromental catastrophy! I am completely nuts, no?

very cool sonic experience
Sonicly speaking , this cd uses non-cliche warbles and squakes in just the right amount as well as drums that successfully avoid sounding like cliche old school dance (which is the worse drumming ever); full , rich , deep drums aalong with tasty breaks in songs give this cd a five stars .The overall cd has an eery vibe somewhat to it which gives it an added kick of appeal .I'm not in the least interested in dancing and bars but this fact goes to show this isn't a shallow cd . ... Read more

Reviews (1)

limited vocals, limited song lengths...
Yes, i'm one of those vocal lovers, and this one is a bit too repetitive and tribal for my tastes, with a few exceptions including Kristine W, Deborah Coooper, and Lisa Hunt, all of which are hot vocal tracks. Here, they seem out of place because they are surround by endless minutes of nothing but beats, and occasionally, a hot riff. As for the song lengths, if you're hoping most of these are pretty long versions of some hot tracks you've been hunting for, you'll be mostly disappointed. here's the breakdown:

CD1:

1. 6:53
2. 6:24
3. 4:55
4. 4:25
5. 7:26
6. 5:32
7. 6:24
8. 4:42
9. 5:39
10. 4:59
11. 5:32
12. 4:27

CD2:

1. 5:03
2. 4;11
3. 6:39
4. 5:24
5. 5:39
6. 5:54
7. 7:30
8. 4:36
9. 4:55
10. 4:33
11. 2:12
12. 7:37 ... Read more