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BK - Klub Kollaborations - No. 3 - 02-Dec-04 01:05 PM
Each tune on this EP could quite easily hold its own as a single, so to get the pair on one record is a real treat! “Final Chapter” is a work of art, an absolute tour-de-force of hard trance. The production is the usual high quality you’d expect from BK, the beats pound along at a faster than the usual rate, the buildups throughout the trach are sublime, and the breakdown is something else altogether! The way the two completely different lead synths interweave and play off each other is real musical excellence and just seem to get better and better as they progress. This really is intelligent dance music that works on your mind as much as it does your body. On the flip we have “Calm Before the Storm”, which is equally as well produced and just as much of an absolute TUNE! From start to finish its class, but the real selling point is that breakdown. “Wow” is all I could say when I first heard it! The build-up at the end of the breakdown is really more of a build-down, as the beats get faster they drop to near silence leaving what I guess could be described as rushing white noise, with the emphasis on the “rushing” bit! I’ve never heard anything like this in dance music, its really original and very effective! Need any more reason to buy this record? Ok, both tunes are absolute beasts to mix with! They’re both structured perfectly with builds in all the right spots and mix beautifully into pretty much any hard dance tune you care to try them with, and work well using variety of mixing techniques.

Guyver / Euphony (2) - Possibly / Carte Blanche - 02-Dec-04 12:45 PM
"Possibly" is a fine example of hard trance, as you'd expect from Guyver, but let's all be honest here: you're gonna buy this record for "Carte Blance". Yes, that is the same Carte Blance as released by Veracocha "back in the day". It was a classic then, and its often hard to improve on my perfection, but Euphony have done the business on it... and then some! This cover/remix/whatever stays loyal to the original; it just gives it tweaks in the right places and toughens it up nicely. The hard trance synths suit the tune perfectly, infact they sound so good that you have to wonder if the original was meant to sound like this, but was just held back by the technology of the time. As for the effect on the dancefloor? Its absolute dynamite! Drop this and you'll have the whole crowd throwing shapes like its 1999 again, only speeded up a litte bit:)

BK - Klub Kollaborations EP 2 - 02-Dec-04 09:20 AM
This is one record that should be heard by any trance purists who say that hard trance isn't as well produced or intelligent as your more standard trance varieties; "Tiptronic" is one of the best pieces of trance you are ever likely to hear! The vocal loop has a tribal sound to it, which you would imagine wouldn't work too well in a hard trance tune, but infact it works perfectly. The first half of the breakdown is nicely chilled, and would work pretty well on its own, but instead it progresses into a much more uplifting second half which will completely blow you away! Rushy is an understatement! Its peak-time hands in the air euphoria at its very best, that manages to sit well in either a hard trance set or a more energetic normal trance set. On the flip Anne Savage provides her usual brand of techy sounding hard house with a touch of funk rubbed in for good measure.

Super8 - Cre8 - 01-Dec-04 07:25 AM
This is a waring to anyone who want to buy this record: once you've played it a couple of times you will not be able to get the tune out of your head!... but then, thats a good thing! :) This tune has the rare quality of working its way into your mind so you'll be humming it all day at work, and you won't be contented until you've played it again to "get your daily fix". I haven't been so in love with a record for quite a while! The synths while pretty simple are incredibly uplifting and perfectly represent the sound of trance at this moment in time. The breakbeat style beats in the breakdown are used to great effect and fit the mood perfectly. Both mixes are class, though for the full effect head str8 to the Mirco De Govia remix (done as a return favour for Super8's remix of Mirco's "Voller Sterne"). Beautiful:)

OceanLab - Satellite - 01-Dec-04 04:35 AM
I have no idea how anyone can slate this tune, its an absolute spine tingler. Maybe they havent heard it played LOUD in a proper trance club. The way the bass cuts out as the vocals start is sheer class and lets you know that something special is coming in the breakdown- which definately doesnt disappoint! That initial drop into the breakdown is magical, and the subsequent buildup has an effect on a dancefloor that has been missing for so long! This is trance the way its supposed to be, uplifiting, emotional, tuneful, and most of all it makes you want to dance! Thanks to the likes of Flip, real trance has been so scared of sounding cheesy that it lost what made us all love it in the first place. Above & Beyond have done so much to help it find its way again, with tunes like this they're showing that sing-along vocals and recognisable tunes don't necesarily = cheesy! If you're at home chilling out then the Coldharbour remix may be your first choice, but when youre in a club- the place where it REALLY matters- you'll be glad that the DJ dropped the original A mix! Trust me, I've seen the results:)