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Louk’s Reviews!

These are all my reviews from February (oh dear!) to May so quite a few that I thought I would keep you up to date with. That’s why there are so many for three months as I usually do around 20-30 a month anyway!

All reviews here are of my own personal opinion, more often than not they are to give you an example of what I think of the track (or in some cases how mental I went when I heard it!) and are intended as honest (hence the low scores here and there). Tunes here are either from record labels, distributors, friends or simply tunes that I’ve bought from record shops (like The Disc, Record Box, HMV, Germantrance etc)! As usual thanks to all the suppliers of tunes…!

These are in a random order judging by how the records are stacked in my record box and I’ll get them onto the websites at some point today.

ZIPPY + HINSLEY - "Shelter Me" (Banging Whites)
Continuing the trend of one sided white labels that appear to be flooding the markets this month is this hybrid of Capella's wicked "You Got To Let The Music" and vocals from Shelter Me. The result is a pounding slice of energetic trance which will no doubt cause severe dancefloor damage when released. 9/10

RETOX - "Lost In Love" (W/L)
Another anyonymous white hailing from the midlands from Retox, this time remaking Legend B's "Lost In Love" with the vocals of Signum's classic "What Ya Got 4 Me". As you can imagine the results are quite a furious hard number with one of those types of trancey riffs that make your ears perk up! Cool Stuff! 8/10

BILLY DANIEL BUNTER + JON DOE – “Believe” [UK Hard]
Right this review goes for each of UK Hard 13, 14 and 15. All three of them are as usual class, especially the B-Sides, with “Power Of Life”, “Believe” and “Alright” featuring soaring trancey riffs and the usual Jon Doe and Bunter style of production that I love. All three have been played and work wonders. The A Sides are wicked too for those who like it tougher. Wicked! 10/10

PERVADING CALL - "Destiny" (Above The Sky)
After hearing the this tune has received, I must admit I didn't really favour any of the mixes on Disc 1 from Aces Delight and Informers, however on Disc 2 is the wonderful hard trance remake by Fog Area favourites Skydiver, their mix boasts sheer quality through and through and you would feel a fool missing it. On the flip is a B Breaks mix for those who like an alternative approach. 9/10

THE SHOVE BROTHERS - "Paranoia" (O20)
O20 Have come up with one of the best warm up tunes I think I have heard this year with the Danjo + Rob Styles mix of "Paranoia", employing a really catchy synth riff that still lasts in your memory six or seven tunes later alongside tough percussion and an all round quality arrangement on both their mix and the original, I know i'll be playing this for a while! 10/10

PROPULSION - "Fragile" (Planet Zogg)
Kicking off the label for all things psychadelic and hard comes this release from Propulsion. It's fair to say that although this one is a bit weirder than usual it is still a cool two tracker thats perfect filler material and has received some radio plays from me in the past! 7/10

DALEY + ALEX CALVER – “Go Bezerk” (Short Circuit)
Alex Calver is a genius, I can’t say anything more than that and here he teams up with Nottingham’s Daley (who we had the pleasure of seeing recently at Qube in Leeds on a Saturday Afternoon of all things). I find it hard to believe that anyone into both their London techno and their hard house can’t like this because the A side I was jumping around the record store listening to. With a Defective Audio remix on the flip as well this one has seen it’s way instantly into my box and on the radio! 10/10

IAN VAN DAHL - "Where Are You Now (Part 3)" (Freestyle)
Ignoring the fact that this is Ian Van Dahl (pretty hard to do I know considering how criminal some of her other tunes are), there is a fantastic G+M Project mix on this one that is definitely worth playing. Keeping the vocals to a minimum and concentrating on a killer riff I love this. Unfortunately for the other mixes, if only this had been a cover of the Generator like I first thought I’d probably like it more. 8/10

RETOX - "Listen Up " (W/L)
Being a huge fan of the original, this clever little white manages to rework Jonah's "Shhh...Be Quiet!" to a devistating effect! With sheer energy overload right up till the break when chaos occurs, you just know that this one will be a winner! Amazing release. 10/10

PASSIVA - "Clouds Like Heaven" (Captured Music)
Passiva quite impressed me with their twisted remix of Ferry Corsten's Indigo tune and here he returns with Clouds Like Heaven. Out of the Original mix and the Faraway Project mix, my favourite has to be the Original but both are more than worthy of a spin in my opinion. Cool uplifting trance suited to the Godskitchens of this world! 8/10

PEON MUSIC – “Next Exit To Hell” (Peon Music)
Right, forget the other three tracks on this unless really really minimal techno is your thing, Killer is the one on this one. This is a quality bass laden techno track with loads of spaced out percussion that really does work wonders. At pitch 0 it does sound slow but a boost in the right direction works wonders and the energy of this one is unleashed. Love it!!! 10/10

LISA PIN UP – “**** This ****ing ****” [Nukleuz]
If you, like me, have actually heard this, you will wonder what on earth Lisa Pin Up is playing at. This tune has to be the most direst thing I think I’ve heard from her I’m afraid. If only there was an instrumental mix I would like this more but this is simply bouncy hard house with moronic vocals. The B side mix by Phil York + Jason Cortez thankfully keeps the vocal to a minimum but it’s nowhere near the quality of the other Nukleuz tunes doing the rounds at the moment. 4/10

DIGITAL COWBOY vs DANNY GILLIGAN – “Kill Bill” [Vacuum]
I knew it wouldn’t be long before either of the Kill Bill movies were sampled and top man Ingo and London boy Danny do it with style. This is a bass laden techno-influenced hard house monster with tribal chants and tough percussion and it sounds so good that I can’t possibly describe it in words. All that can be said is when I heard this one Saturday afternoon in Leeds in the shop I ran to the counter grinning. ‘Ave it! 10/10

TIMEOK - "Seven Floating Ways" (Above The Sky)
I'm normally a fan of Timeok's stuff but for some reason neither mix on this one did much for me, however this doesn't mean it's a bad track just that I feel this isn't Above The Sky's best work by a long way considering the stuff they usually knock out. If you are a fan of Octagen's (Paul Moelands) material you may favour his remix but this one doesn't do much for me. 6/10

DIGITAL INDIO – “Positive Asset” (Defcon)
Coming from Germany comes this, the seventh release for Defcon. While their past material hasn’t really inspired me, this four tracker provides some interesting tribal techno which would work well in a warm up for sure. The pace is a little slower than what I am usually into but I suppose we have to take things slowly at times eh! Not bad. 6/10

DIRTY BASS – “Decay Returns” (Dirty Bass)
Continuing the trend of putting out releases with a bassline that’ll definitely terrorise the neighbours, the latest effort from Steve D-Bass is definitely worth checking. With Decay Returns being my favourite of the two even though Tears In The Rain is quite catchy, this is some speaker destructive techno that’s definitely due a play. Wicked. 8/10

DIGITAL DELINQUENTS - "Forever" [Equilibrium]
I can't get over how fantastic this release is. I really can't. Whoever the Digital Delinquents are, this angry vocal trancer is sheer brilliance. John O Callaghan provides the best mix of the two for me but there is also a fantastic GTR rework on the flip, which leaves me thinking you would be foolish if you missed out on this one. Quality Trance! 10/10

ANDY BAGGELY + GENIX PRESENT ORACLE - "The One" [Equilibrium]
Making quite a name for themselves in both production and DJing Andy and Genix come up with a wonderful three tracker for Equilibrium. Digital Delinquents provide the best mix for me (they don't appear to be doing anything wrong at the moment) but the other offerings from Rusch + Endre and the Original mix are also worthy of a spin! Noice. 9/10

THE OUTLAWS - "Minimal Rhythm" [Kadabra Digital Wizard]
There are times when minimalness on a record is good, and this is certainly one of those! This record emphasises the point that keeping things "stripped down" so to speak works so well. Sounding similar to the classic "Hale Bopp" by Der Dritte Raum but with a more techno feel to it, this is lovely! 10/10

KAY D SMITH + MARC TALL – “Praiseworthy Tunes” [Sniper]
I’ve said it before and I will say it again, this is another one of those tunes that made me profusely nod my head like a madman when I heard it in the shop. All three mixes of this are sheer genius but my favourite is the more laidback Hoipoloi mix which concentrates on having an electro influenced synth riff that nags along in your mind some tunes later. Wicked techno. 9/10

HUNTERMANN – “Discotech” [Kadabra Digital Wizard]
To say this track is huge and has had a massive following already is an understatement, DJs like Marco V, Soundfixation and Adam Sheridan have been caining this for all it’s worth and it’s hard not to like. What we have with Discotech is a tough techtrance monster produced by Kay Cee (he who gave us the amazing Escape) and the melody on this is so infectious I dare you not to be hooked. Instant purchase! 10/10

DP – “Infectious” [W/L]
It has to be said that when I first heard this record I was a dribbling wreck, running up to the DJ and asking what it was called and then instantly bought it. Having the instantly recognisable Digital Pressure production and featuring the vocals from "The Virus" by Mutiny on top of one amazing riff, this hard trancer is sublime. Sheer brilliance. 10/10

RIKKI DE CLERK – “Sunrise” [Mondo]
You can tell summertime is here! Thankfully this lovely slice of trance has been re-released after not receiving the support it should have first time round. I think the fact that it is on Darren Tate’s Mondo will do wonders for the track’s success due to the fact that almost everything on Mondo is wonderful. Fantastic stuff. 9/10

ALEXANDER GUSTAFF – “Sex Machine” [Terratrax]
Ever since their "Tell Me" release, I've been keenly following Mark Norman's speaker devastating trance. Their mix of "Sex Machine" is indeed marvelous. On the flip is the Original mix which is also quite cool too and both mixes use the vocal extremely well. Definitely one for fans of Marco V or Mac Zimms. 8/10

SANDER VAN DIEM – “Terms” [Twisted Pulse]
Hailing from the Netherlands, this lovely trancer from the fledging Twisted Pulse imprint is one of the perfect warm up tunes for a trance DJ, featuring a lush vocal trancer one side and an instrumental the other that works wonders, this (like the first release) will no doubt amass huge DJ support. Cool stuff. 8/10

MARC JOHNSON + DAVE HOLMES – “Jerico” [Elasticman]
Ian M provides the mix that stands out for me on this one, such a quality hard and energetic trancer with excellent vocals from the Prodigy and a class riff. The bassline is sheer twistedness too with some blatant techno influences. It’s hard to believe dutch wonder Dave (M. Alici) did all the Steve Morley stuff too but this is fantastic as well. Essential Purchase. 10/10

DJ SPOKE – “You're Ready 4 Me Remixes” [Progressive State]
After going mental to this tune at many a night out and it giving memories of a specific free party on Dartmoor, it has to be said that the new mixes of You're Ready 4 Me aren't really as good as I had hoped. One mix goes even more trancier and one mix is the Harder mix (by DJ T-Rex) which is the one I opted for. Not bad mind. 7/10

RALPH NOVELL – “Wrong Love” [Skywarp]
German protégé Ralph Novell kicks off Alphazone’s Skywarp label and for me I can’t decide which mix I like best, both are intense numbers which will no doubt work for fans of Alphazone’s usual stuff. I don’t think it’s the best production they’ve done however but many DJs I know disagree, so check it! 7/10

MAGNOLIA - "All In Vain" [Data]
Despite having a fan-base of DJs that cross the line of commercial a bit too far for my liking, I actually have a lot of respect for Data and do own lots of their records (Oliver Lieb's Subraumstimulation being a firm favourite). This track by Magnolia has a wicked mix by Dogzilla that is far different to I expected, although I'm not into the Original so much. 7/10

JUPE – “Never Surrender” [Impact]
Jupe has been making quite a name for himself appearing on many labels and as well as this Phil Reynold’s Impact have got the Nick Rowland + Dave Wright to provide one of their best remixes yet. Both mixes are stunning but as usual Nick + Dave know how to make a riff that sticks in your head and do it with style. I really like this and I know for a fact I’m not the only one. Mental. 9/10

HENRY CULLEN - "Council Estate" [Apex]
Although there is a tune called In My Head on the A side it is the B side on this one that does it for me, I absolutely love this tune. Much more funkier than what you’d normally expect this tribal techno monster just begs to be played and I can’t resist I’m afraid! Sheer quality through and through this is another pounder from the D.A.V.E! 10/10

GLOBAL INTERFERENCE – “Serenity” [Above The Sky]
You can always rely on Tony Burt for having a knack at signing hugely effective tunes that make your spine tingle when you hear the riff and this release by Global Interference has to be the label’s finest work for me. It’s all down to the mix by Dutch wonders M.I.D.O.R and Six4Eight but to put it bluntly, you would be idiotic to miss this one! 10/10

SKYDIVER – “Witchcraft” [Cases]
After a recent record shop I picked up this little beauty on the Cases label and what is on offer is a quality hard trance anthem in the style of ‘Out Of The Blue’. I’m surprised to find out this is actually the B-Side but sometimes the best tracks around are the B-sides. If you like anything in the style of Wavetraxx you will like this. 8/10

LEIGH GREEN – “Vivid Dream” [CD-R]
Yorkshire boy Leigh has delivered another blinder for us to check out in the form of Vivid Dream, a far trancier effort than his usual stuff and equally as stunning as his past productions. Featuring a K90 or Phil Reynolds-esque riff, the Trancefloor mix of this is the one that works wonders. I seriously can't wait for it to be on vinyl. Magnificent. 10/10

GUY MCAFFER - "Raw R.03" [R.A.W]
Proving himself as the man who puts out the Party Techno, guy is here with yet another blinding remix session for his R.A.W series. Both mixes are ace but the A side gets me every time and sends me jumping around the room with a slight air of glee. What an amazing tune!! Nothing else needs to be said except if you love tough driving Techno check it out! Wicked!! 10/10

CALLY + JUICE – “All You Bastards” [Nukleuz Black]
Nukleuz Black have found themselves appearing in my record box and receiving radio play loads. Here they get welsh wizards Cally + Juice to provide one tune and Alex Kidd from Goodgreef with Dark By Design for the other. No matter how much I try I can't like the A side but Rough Stuff isn't a bad number. Not the best but still reasonable. 7/10

SON KITE - "On Air" [Digital Structures]
This double-pack from Germany was indeed quite a surprise. The Lemon 8 mix is an effective warm up track which does make you feel like you are literally on air, with tough percussion, a chuggy bassline and floaty synths I had no hesitation in playing this out. The other mixes however aren’t as good but I suppose that’s life! 6/10

CEYLON - Immortal [90 Degrees North Special]
The debut release for this label (Apogee’s fantastic ‘Every Step’) was a huge favourite of mine last year and Ceylon (Alphazone) have also enlisted Lisa Abbot’s help for this trancer. I quite like all three of the mixes but the Alphazone instrumental mix is the one I prefer the most. Check it. 7/10

PINEAAR + BAMFORD - Black Magic [Pitch Control]
Launching the new 10” Pitch Control label are rising stars Pineaar + Bamford. Both sides of this one exude fumes of hard dance and the A side features a rather techy mix by Anne Savage which is actually really good. I can’t decide which mix I like best as both are as good as each other but rest assured it’s been a pleasure playing this one. 8/10

VANGUARD - Ultimate Insight [Kadabra Digital Wizard]
Definitely proving to be one of my favourite import labels at the moment, the Kadabra collective have managed to come up with yet another cool tune from Vanguard. The Ricky Fobis mix is the pick of the two for me but both have an edge of playability around them. I prefer the last two releases mind but this one isn’t bad in the slightest. 8/10

TWILIGHT – “Far Beyond” [Waterworld]
Waterworld have given us many classic tunes (such as Master + Servant – “Dreaming”, which I still love to play!) and this release from Twilight is ace! Featuring a remix by Prestige, Waterworld deliver a two tracker that wouldn’t sound out of place on Drizzly and the like. Definitely one which makes me smile when I hear it too. Quality. 9/10

STERLING MOSS + ANNE SAVAGE - "Gomper Stomper" [Race Trax]
Kicking off his new imprint, Sterling Moss follows on from the Raceway (how amazing were they!) releases with this two tracker with Anne Savage. The name Gomper Stomper has provided much amusement and both sides of this one are cut up funky loops over techno that work so well. Engineered by Guy McAffer too so you know it’s a winner. 8/10

5.5.5 - Radio Single [Sigma]
Italian label Sigma consistently strive to prove they are purveyors of all things banging and this release from 5.5.5 features two mixes of twisted hardstyle you know will do severe damage when played. It has to be said that this is nowhere near as good as M.O.D.U.L.O by Jimmy The Sound, but still not a bad hardstyle track. 7/10

ORGAN DONORS – “Rhythm Divine” [Nukleuz Green]
Consistently having the knack of making tunes in an ever so banging way, it's fair to say that Matt and Scott's latest attempt for Nukleuz is out and out quality. The Pound Your Senses mix is like nothing else, being a completely twisted spoken vocal led hard trancer with overwhelming results, and the flip is ace too. Love it to pieces! 10/10

TEKKOID – “Edge Of Darkness” [Sys-X]
My favourite hardstyle imprint at the moment deliver yet another storming track that’s pretty much guaranteed to screw with your mind like all the others. For a label that has only released four tunes in eighteen months it has to be said they sure pick the right ones. Definitely proving that this Alblasserdam label are the pioneers of Cult Hardstyle (if such a thing exists!). 10/10

ALPHAZONE – “Revelation” [Waterworld]
I don’t know why but there is something about Alphazone’s stuff that doesn’t quite grab me despite the fact that everyone else rants and raves about them being the best thing since sliced bread. This release like the others I can see the appeal for on both sides for the trancier DJ but for some reason I find myself not liking it as much. Weird that. 6/10

LEIGH GREEN + L-E-V8 - Join Hands [Distructiv Special]
Kicking off the new sublabel of Leeds based Distructiv is this wicked little trancer from Leigh + Rich. Bournemouth boys Pants + Corset have made a wicked reworking but it's the original that does it for me. If you are into spoken vocal UK style trancers then this one is certainly for you. Fair play! 8/10

R.F.O - "Dig The Bass" [Nukleuz]
Forming part of a two track EP with a tune by Masmada on the flip, R.F.O delivers for us a blinding dark and hard number with tough percussion, a dirty bassline and a hypnotic riff and spaced out vocals that work so well when played. I personally am loving this as it is truly irresistable. Wicked. 9/10

WITNESS OF WONDER – “Emotion In Motion” [ATCR]
Oh how I love the ATCR stable, providing many a fine release (Cloudwalking easily being their best) and I still give Medea feat Justine – Universal a play. Anyway aside from this the new one from Witness Of Wonder is a lovely floaty trncer which Mr Van Buuren made Single of the week. The Thrillseekers remix is also worthy of a play but the original is the better of the two. Another smasher from Tim Stark’s label! 9/10

TIESTO FEAT BT - "Love Comes Again" [Nebula]
We all know this is going on to bigger things, what with the biggest DJ (according to a DJ mag poll that I personally have issues with) and one of the biggest producers (whos tunes I have personal issues with) so as you can tell I wasn’t going to like that. Leaving my prejudice at home today this actually is a very cool track and the Mark Norman mix is phenomenal. The only thing is I really can’t stand the vocals. Apart from that it’s really cool and you should check it! 7/10

D.A.V.E THE DRUMMER – “Hydraulix 13.3” [Hydraulix]
Good ol’ Henry Cullen gets in the help of Iginition Technician (who were wicked when I saw them at Tekfresh) and Croatia’s Carl Max to do remixes of Hydraulix 17 as well as a mix by D.A.V.E himself. I must say Carl Max steals the show with a tough and dirty session of filtered madness featuring the ever prolific Wham sample. Loving it! 9/10

STRANGE DAVE + MARK AUSTIN – “The Reckoning” [Flashpoint]
Never heard of either of these two but they got Alex Calver to engineer their tune for them and an Ali Wilson remix so that’s good enough for me. What do you expect really? Two tough tracks with the fantastic original doing it for me. I really do like this track and have gladly played it out. Flashpoint are definitely one to watch for 2004. 9/10

LOGI WAN - "Live In The Now" [Future Sound Corporation]
After having a massive amount of hype from DJs such as Abyss, Jon The Baptist, Iain Cross and other South west heroes it’s wicked to see James Logan’s debut release for Italian masters Future Sound Corporation. Let’s get to the point, Live in the now is nothing short of brilliant but even more surprising is Invisible on the flip (a collaboration with Jon The Baptist and Iain Cross). To quote an expression, GET IN!! 10/10

TRANSLUZENT FEAT BE – “Angel” [Ark]
I’ve never heard any of the stuff on Ark before but this one is alright. Concentrating on the more funkier sound, what we have here is a two tracker that as you can imagine is suited to warm up sets. I’m personally not sure if I would play it out but already it’s amassed a load of DJ Support. If you like funky seek it out. 6/10

STRAIGHT OUTTA CL’AHM – “On The Edge” [W/L]
As soon as I put the needle on this and heard the riff I knew it had to be purchased. This hard remake of Compended by Edge 1 is amazing, sounding similar to tunes on labels like Freezing Point and Nukleuz with the classic riff you know that this will work wonders when played. The break on this is simply astonishing in my opinion. A wicked hard house remake. 10/10

U.N.N.O – “2 Fast 2 Furious” [Arte]
Definitely winning the award for the most blatant Benny Benassi soundalike to do the rounds, this track is hilarious, I actually prefer it to Satisfaction if I am honest. Featuring vocals about driving cars, electro beats and a dark dubby synth riff, I am sure that if you have a sense of humour you will love this. My co presenter Ian absolutely loves this and plays it every chance he gets. Very amusing. 7/10

P.B.S – “The Sound” [Execute]
What is it with Ingo, two years ago I was trying to avoid his sound like the plague but he has turned himself into one of my favourite producers at the moment with me instantly buying every tune he touches (unless that means I am becoming a northern monkey!). With all that aside both the original and his mix of this are quality and full of energy and I have no hesitation in playing them out. Fair Play! 10/10

THE ELITE – “Club Experience” [Future Sound Corporation]
The deadly trio (from scary Weymouth) of Jon The Baptist, Iain Cross and Meri deliver three blinding tracks for Future Sound Corporation. I’ll be honest and say that the A Side wasn’t to my liking (which is surprising as usually anything Jon turns me into a dribbling wreck). Addictions is the tune of the EP for me oozing quality through and through and Enjoy this trip is also worthy of a spin! 9/10

MRS WOOD – “Joanna 2004 Remixes” [Reactivate]
Launching the Reactivate series is a rework of this classic. With the Tony De Vit mix still there for those who missed it a few years ago and a new reworking from Ian M and Stevie B this makes the perfect kick off tune for the label. The pianos are still in place too but it’s the Ian M mix that does it for me. I think the forthcoming material from this label shows great promise too. 8/10

JAY’S ON E - "Party Time" [Balloon]
This tune definitely reeks of all things commercial and if you are into your Special D’s and your Scooter’s you will love it. I must admit that when this on the wrong speed I thought this sounded wicked as a hardcore tune but on normal speed… Forget it! If this was played at a party I’d rather stay at home in bed with my cocoa listening to Radio 4. 2/10

EDDY AIRBOW – “French Riviera” [Airlab]
French wonder Eddy Airbow launches his progressive and tribal label with this three track EP, out of all the tunes French Riviera is my favourite but this release is definitely worth checking out for some tribal material to start off your set. Cool stuff. 7/10

MAURO PICOTTO – “Iguana” [BXR]
This had to be reviewed simply because it’s got a smashing Yoji Biomehanika remix, all that can be said is the four and a half minutes listening to this will completely blow your mind, so twisted. The only complaint is that it’s so short but its fantastic. Check this place! 9/10

VINCENT DE MOOR – “Flowtation (Remix)” [Shield]
Northern boy Leigh has made his finest tune yet in my opinion, remaking Vincent De Moor’s classic Flowtation, this fast trancer instantly gets you wanting to jump around (or is that just me?) when the break comes in and has received many a play from me. On the flip is a remake of ABBA’s Lay All Your Love On Me which I personally cannot stand but it’s well produced. 10/10 (for Flowtation)

Hope you enjoyed reading all that

All the best
Louk