November Reviews

For those of you who like the funky percussive beats

LAMOEN
INCREASE
Silicon

At times I am renowned for being blunt, therefore I fail to see how you can avoid purchasing this monster if you class yourself as a Trance DJ. After a rather heated argument with the local Post Office about where my copy of this had disappeared to, it arrived on my doorstep the next day and the results are phenomenal. Production wise it's your Typical Silicon (amazing) but this one also features a very catchy hook and tonnes of energy. I love it! 10/10

XLR PROJECT
ENDING THE WAR
High Fish

Promoting the increase of undiscovered and exceptionally talented artists, the High Fish boys launch their label with this ecstatic trancer. Not only is the fact that it features Dorset wonder Jon The Baptist’s best remix to date but the original from XLR Project (who provided us with the highly played ‘Space Program’) is something special as well. Quite a strong debut! 9/10

SOL 7
IN ENERGY WE TRUST
Go For It!

I’ve always rated the Go For It label, ever since I started buying records and if truth be told they never have received the success they should have done in my opinion. In Energy We Trust is a trance track of the highest order although the mix on the A side owes a little bit of inspiration to ‘Pure Thrust’ by Basic Dawn. I’m not one to judge however and love it to pieces. Essential! 10/10

NOSTRUM
MONASTERY (REMIX)
Rave

The latest in a trend of whites from the ever mysterious Rave records reworks the legendary Nostrum classic. One would think this was named after the Torquay haven but I'm guessing not. Anyway, this remix basically takes the Original and injects some red bull into it with a strong kick and tough bassline that works wonders. The riff is there in it's glory too and this is top notch! 8/10

VAN FABER + D-SUSA
OVERFLOW
Inspired

The third release from Colchester based Inspired will certainly raise an eyebrow or two. What's on offer with this release is a main room trancer similar to the Godskitchen sound accompanied with a soaring melody that'll work well in a warm up set. The Johan Kivi mix on the flip has slightly more power to it and would certainly get a play or two from yours truly (pitched up of course!). Nicely done. 8/10

KAY D SMITH
Where Is Beagle
Supertech

I always get excited when a new label appears, especially when it's an EP that is hard as nails and finding out that Kay D Smith is involved makes me stop what I am doing and rush after a copy. 'Where Is Beagle' is a monster of a track, with such an evil kick drum, menacing vocals and twisted riffs akin to that you would find in a lunatic asylum. Oh deary me how this must be purchased!! 10/10

X-COMPLEX
THE WALK
Nukleuz Purple

Deciding to cover a track by The Cure (which were a bit before my time I must say), and being a huge favourite with BK, this track is slightly different to the norm. In all honesty I only really rate the Techno Club mix of this track as the others go down the electro route, which is too experimental for me. However they are not bad productions at all. It’ll do! 6/10

HYPERCORE 303
FUTURE EXPRESS
Anthem

Another top release from one of my favourite Italian exports, apart from Spaghetti of course. Anthem truly is on a roll as this release is mind blowing as the riff on the Original mix of ‘Future Express’ manages to supercharge you like a 240 volt power supply. The remix on the flip side, although sounding more like a production from 1998 is also glorious! 10/10

JESSLYN
Omnia
Silicon

No sooner have I just managed to get the melody from ‘Tonka’ by Jesslyn out of my head then a new instalment comes my way. Like ‘Tonka’ this features one immense melody and I predict the tech trance mix will go on to huge things. Really catchy effective trance is the order of the day with this one and with Tiesto already backing it I’m sure the rest will follow. 8/10

ED MANT
X-TAC
Wave

Launching the nu-breed in Welsh trance is this hard hitting two tracker for Nottingham's Wave recordings, and to give Ed his credit both ‘X-Tac’ and ‘Ascension’ are furiously energetic. Although the tracks themselves border on standard they do make excellent set fillers and more than earn their place in my record box. 7/10

KEVIN
ALL IN MY MIND (REMIXES)
F+W

After a rather successful outing on white label earlier this year, Kevin's anthemic trancer now has remixes from Soren Weile and Hepba, both stay quite true to the original though Soren's mix is slightly tougher and is my favoured of the two. Both sides are faultless and will win favour with many a DJ like all the other releases on this label. Like Carlsberg, I don't think the Danish want to see this one leave either! 9/10

4 RISING STARS
FEELIN ME
Power Station

Combining the talents of the Disco Brothers, Breeze and Styles is this wicked anthemic trancer. With Breeze + Styles on board, the rave influence is indeed strong and Lisa Abbot’s quality vocals ensure this will be played by both softer and harder DJs alike. Also check out the high quality mix by Phynn. Not bad at all! 8/10

MICHAEL SPLINT feat SASJA
SECRETS
Big Star

'I Feel Free', The previous release from Michael ended up being played all over the summer last year and with a plethora of mixes to choose from, 'Secrets' is destined for the same. A strong vocal trancer with the Blyant + Tusch mix standing out for me. The other offerings from Airbase, DJ Choose and the Original all work wonders too. Check it! 8/10

GLOBAL INTERFERENCE
GENESIS
Above The Sky

Tony at Above The Sky always jokes that I like pitching most of the releases on his labels to +8% but they really do sound so good sped up. I cained the life out of ‘Serenity’ through my Radio Show earlier in the year and this is a warmly welcomed follow up as both ‘Genesis’ and ‘Orion’ are of a similar ilk. Tough yet floaty trance for the masses! Look out for it! 9/10

STAR ALLIANCE
MYST
Red Alert

The Italian stalwarts of Hard Trance return with this astonishing release from Star Alliance (DJ Dyno). I feel guilty for never giving Red Alert the praise they deserve even though I buy the majority of their output. In fact, when checking out their new releases in record shops, I am usually found wide eyed and grinning manically! Anyway, both mixes are excellent and I have a feeling this will be hard to find so Happy Hunting! 10/10

TOMMY PULSE + SAVAGE
CALLING GOD
Stealth Industries

All the way from Holland is this monster from Tommy Pulse and this plus the other five releases on Stealth Industries have been huge with many a UK Hard Trance DJ (including myself). With a breakdown that contains twisted vocals, gated strings and a riff that is out of the ordinary, this one is massive! 9/10

BABYLON FEAT RINY
23 MINUTES
Tremolo

The last release that Babylon produced for Tremolo (although awesome and a big tune for me personally) didn’t quite get the attention it deserved but I think that this release with a mammoth Marcel Woods remix will end up being huge. Although not as catchy as “Seduction” this is a cool tech trancer that is certainly worth a spin. 8/10

SEBASTIAN MARX
TEST FLIGHT
Open Source

OK, this track isn’t really trancey but at the end of the day a good tune is a good tune and this is simply blinding! Kicking off the label from London’s Electronik Music distribution, this slice of percussive chaos reminds me why I still have a fondness for kick drums! From the very first beat, this one comes straight at you like a rock on the end of a catapult. Coming to a free party near you soon I’m sure! Mental! 10/10

JON DOE + BILLY DANIEL BUNTER
COMPLETE DARKNESS
UK Hard

Since the massive launch back in 2001 with the amazing "Long Way", There hasn't been a single release so far (out of sixteen!) that I haven't purchased. While the A-Side borders on the 'Iffy' side of things, the rather spectacular "Complete Darkness" on the flip, with it's dark hard build up and soaring riff guarantees this one a firm place in my record box! 10/10

FERRY CORSTEN
SWEET SORROW
Tsunami

Dutch legend Ferry never ceases to amaze me and it’s really hard to put a genre on what “Sweet Sorrow” is, but for all intents and purposes let’s just call it electro trance. With a remix from The Thrillseekers that I skipped over (definitely not up to the usual standard of his usual stuff) the Original is a mind blowing track that is the ideal set opener. Not bad at all! 8/10

DIGITEK
KERNKRAFT 4000
Nukleuz

You should all know the original of this (and the severe disillusion the title caused!) when it smashed the national charts. Here Digitek provide a harder reworking which is alright but doesn’t live up to the Original at all. On the flip is an energetic hard house track by Plymouth legend Chris C where he teams up with Madam Zu and Ben Kaye and certainly takes no prisoners. Quite good. 7/10

HOSHIKO FT KYARA
SUNGLASSES
Nitrox

Nitrox are shaping up to be quite a strong label and certainly provide quirky floorfillers for those into their sneaky tunes! The Original mix of this one is the better of the two in my opinion with a simple yet effective riff and a pounding bassline and the remix isn’t bad either. Look out for it. 7/10

VEHEMENCE
WE’RE COMING IN
Unhooked

It's amazing to see that at least six years on (since I started buying
records), the wonderful Combined Forces imprint in Holland are still
going, and they have not lost their edge at all. This release from
Vehemence is a peak time stormer, with a mindblowing riff and tonnes of
energy, which launches the new Unhooked imprint and I can't wait to queue
up for the next release! 9/10

SCOTT MAC
FUNK HOLE
Limited

The pioneer of 'hi-tech future funk' launches his new offshoot with this belting two tracker. "Funk Hole" and the rather twisted "Arrumba" are perfect set fillers for both techno and trance DJs among us with clean cut production, tough funky basslines and frenetic percussion. Like all the previous releases this one should be massive! Top stuff. 9/10

DANZIEL
PUMP IT UP
Data

Despite the preconceptions that might occur, Data recordings are in my opinion a label of high quality and I do look forward to hearing anything they come out with. This latest release from Danziel has a storming trance remix by Gladiator that works wonders and an even better remix from Natural Born Grooves that adds a funky techno influenced edge on the original. 8/10

LESTER FITZPATRICK
KOSMIC VENTURE
System

Again stretching the description of trance to it’s limits is this four tracker from Lester, all four tunes are extremely techy in style but the amazing “Slam!” works well in both techno and trance sets. The title track Kosmic Venture is also set for my box. Definitely one of the better releases of late. 9/10

MARS 69
EMOTION
1969

This is the first release that I’ve checked out on the 1969 label but rest assured the quality is high and I’ve been raiding the Internet trying to track down the previous releases from this dutch lot. The original is the pick of the two (already a “tried and tested” track with Judge Jules), being a tough funky trancer with soaring strings and a breaks mix on the flip this is certainly worth a purchase. 8/10

UNKNOWN
WHO IS ELVIS?
Rave

Reworking the classic Phenomania track from years gone by, this white from the ubiquitous Rave series is an extreme hard trancer. Like the previous releases in the series the track itself is quite memorable (featuring a cheeky sample of Elvis himself) and has already had airings at events such as Hindsight, Technology and at Eyecon across the UK. A Reasonable effort. 7/10

LOST WITNESS feat ANDREA BRITTON
WAIT FOR YOU
Nebula

Lost Witness have provided the UK with some epic trancers of years gone by and here they return with the wonderful Wait For You. The original mix is a lovely trancer that will go on to huge success. With a variety of remixes to choose from out of Kevin + F (all the way from Denmark), Quadraphonic and Extres 3, the Kevin + F remix is the pick of the bunch for me, a true trancer with class. Awesome 10/10

MARK EG
LIVE AT MAGMA REVOLUTION
Tidy

Everybody's favourite lunatic in the UK (and a big inspiration to myself),
surprisingly launches this series of live recordings from the Tidy Magma
event. In true Mark EG style, you can imagine the smashed records flying
everywhere accompanied with psychotic dancing from the man, whilst
listening. Kicking off with a tremendous techno reworking of Happy
Birthday, then proceeding into 10 more slices of chaotic hard trance, this
is essential listening! 10/10

DJ CENTAURY + DJ CHILLI
PARTY GUIDE VOLUME 1
WPM

Causing quite a stir with their excellent releases on the Drizzly
collective, this compilation from Centaury + Chilli certainly contains its
fair share of future trance anthems. With faultless mixing and featuring
tracks from the likes of Diver + Ace and the Tom Costelloe cained
'Thinking Of You' by the Ohm Boys, I am sure this one will end up a nice
stocking filler for any trance fan. Being in the Christmas spirit and all
that !! 8/10