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Gabriel & Dresden - Gabriel & Dresden - 01-Nov-09 02:08 AM
Couldnt agree more about this album being a grower. I bought it a few years ago around the beginning of my Trance obsession and it was on the strength of their reputation and "Tracking Treasure Down". When I got home to listen I was deeply disappointed for much the same reasons as the negative review on here talks about; the vocals were boring and it was severely lacking in ideas. No matter how many more chances I gave it (of which there were many), the only track that I could bring myself to like was "Eleven". However, sometime this year everything clicked and I began to see the positives of this album very quickly. Its worth stressing that this is not an album for fans of regular trance, it is far more rooted in Progressive/Tech House and all of the trancier material (Let Go/Enemy/Dangerous Power/Tracking Treasure Down) stays well away from traditional elements. What this album does have is originality, tight songwriting, well-chosen vocalists and a pheonmenal flow from beginning to end.

Seeing as it cost me £5 for a brand new copy, I now consider "Gabriel & Dresden" a stupidly good bargain. If youre open-minded about dance music, this could be a very rewarding purchase.

Ohmna Feat. Nurlaila - Key Of Life - 18-Oct-09 05:04 AM
A fair few people will be aware that "Key of Life" originally surfaced in April of 2008 under the title "Balance (How Does It Feel)". It was played in the first hour of Armin van Buurens A State of Trance special for his album "Imagine" and had quite different vocals and lyrics to "Key of Life", rooted far more in real life (and the pursuit of love) than the spiritual. In my opinion, the vocals on "Balance" are far more suited to the bouncy progressive house production which has remained largely unchanged. However, this revamp was definitely worth it for the Marlo remix which makes excellent use of the new vocals under sharp, progressive and surprisingly uplifting production. This was also one of my personal highlights from the mammoth ASOT 400 special, it was played in Armins set on day 1 and whenever I hear "Key of Life" Im reminded of an unforgettable night.

Sebastian Brandt - Technology - 16-Oct-09 01:17 PM
Well, the first thing to say about "Technology" is that its an incredibly strong release, but while the more up-front Original and Daniel Kandi mixes may be better in the club, the Mikkas remix is the real star of this single. It is very well produced (although rather quiet on the digital release) and is carefully built up with tribal drums, dark ambience and subdued teasing of the main synth found in the original. The synth is brought with a techier edge before the breakdown, which is by far the best of all 3 mixes here. A somewhat gentle, melancholy melody is used before it moves into beautifully dark hard trance for the remainder of the track. If the track sounds uninteresting, itd be because of my below-average writing skills. I would highly recommend heading to a download portal and sampling the this remix, its a vastly overlooked production.

Alex M.O.R.P.H. - Sunshine - 11-Oct-09 10:41 PM
2008 was a year severely lacking in standout Uplifting Trance (especially compared to this year) and while it would thus seem less prestigious to call this the best Uplifter of 08, it really isnt. The original mix of "Sunshine" is a very solid production but it lacks that unique quality to distinguish itself from the slew of similar productions, where this release excels is the stunning Nitrous Oxide remix. Krzysztof didnt stray too far from the formula of the original but what (seemingly little) he did was intesify the melody and by god does it work.. even those distant, heated effects looped throughout the track improve it tenfold. N20 shows his production genius once again by turning "Sunshine" into the warm, intense Uplifter that it should be. Essential.

Judas Priest - Turbo - 09-Oct-09 07:41 AM
Im sure every Judas Priest fan knows the cons of the "Turbo" album: it deviated into synth-heavy Pop Metal territory that any true fan of the genre would scoff at, the guitars were somewhat watered down and the subject matter (particularly on "Parental Guidance") seemed ill-fitting for a then 35 year old Rob Halford to be singing about. But what about the positives? No one can claim it has the same artistic value as their 70s albums, but while Turbo is often perceived as a mis-step in their career, it is a well produced, well written/structured and above all an incredibly *fun* mis-step. Halford, having battled drinking and drugs that roughed up his voice in the early 80s, came back with a strikingly clear and powerful voice - arguably the best hes ever sounded. In addition, Tipton and Downings arrangements continued to put other bands of the era to shame, just listen to the way "Out in the Cold" and the solo in "Turbo Lover" progress. Essentially it comes down to whether you can stand its digital production, subject matter and overall sound. "Turbo" is a great album in its own right and certainly better than any other Hair/Pop Metal album by a long, long distance.

Some trivia: it was originally meant to be a double-CD vaguely-concept album called "Twin Turbos". Being 1986 and a major record label, it was turned down and their material was condensed into this final single-CD record. What if, eh...

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