stub004  Add Friend
Member Since: Apr 02, 2007
Rank: 503
Average Vote Received: Correct (3.61, 79 votes)
  last 10 days: Correct (3.81, 36 votes)
Rated 47 releases, average: 3.64
Location: Australia
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Seller Rating: 100.0% positive (1 rating)

Buyer Rating: 100.0% positive (13 ratings)

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 Reviews:

Solar Fields - EarthShine - 22-Oct-09 05:19 PM
There’s an epidemic plaguing the electronic music world – a wave of producers know how to work computers yet have no musical talent. If you can lay down a kick, clap and hi-hat, you’ve got the basis for a track, then all it takes is a couple of random melodic notes sprinkled here and there to keep it interesting throughout. That seems to be the mentality anyway.

Enter Birgersson. Ambient producers can’t rely on beats to give an otherwise poor track legs. Birgersson’s first full-length foray into the world of upbeat music proves this with startling aplomb. Each track is an exercise in storytelling, employing a coherent melodic theme from start to finish with a natural feel that few other producers are able to achieve. His basslines and percussion are surprisingly good too. This is progressive trance as it should be: euphoric, danceable and entrancing, but never over the top. The length of each track ensures a long build of tension that is often only released in a gorgeous flurry of melody in the final minute.

However, the best part of this album is Birgersson’s undeniable attention to detail. Some particular noises or sounds only appear once in each track, leaving you hanging for them the next time you listen. It’s nearly two years since this album was released and I’m still fascinated by the layers of melody which I’m yet to mentally unfold. Highly recommended.

Cirez D - Knockout - 13-Oct-09 11:04 PM
When this was released it was HUGE. The A side was being hammered everywhere - commercial house nights, progressive gigs and techno events.

'Knockout' is a very unique track consisting of electro-house stutters and starts, plenty of scratching and a variety of random sound effects. The closest alternative I can think of is Alter Ego's 'Rocker'. It's a great club track - completely cheese free yet definitely memorable to the masses.

However, while the A side may have been the crowd favourite, for me, the B side is an absolute killer that never got the respect it deserved. Like fellow Swedes Adam Beyer or Jesper Dahlback, this track shows what Eric Prydz can do with techno. It features a thumping bass line, cacophonous, energetic percussion, a repetitive but never-tiring vocal snippet (UPTOWN! or perhaps UP, DOWN!) and not much else. It's just a pure four to the floor floor stomper for your body - not intelligent, but definitely danceable and memorable for a few years to come.

Alphazone - 13-Aug-09 10:55 PM
Alphazone are one of the greatest hard trance acts of all time I think. Perhaps their only weakness was a certain sameness between tracks, but then again, hard trance has never been the most creative or diverse genre. However, to me, the Alphazone sound is one that's instantly recognisable and subtly unique from similar acts of the time. Nearly every single or remix they produced was a monster in it's own right, with pounding drums, chunky bass, energetic percussion and ridiculously in-your-face uplifting melodies with that distinct 'euro' tinge.

Alphazone's greatest strength was undoubtedly their bass lines, which were always energetic and a bit more complex than the usual trance fare. It seems that somewhere around 2005-06, a lot of hard trance producers stopped going for strong bass lines and instead began to focus on booming kick drums, which is more of a hardstyle thing. For me, many tracks lost a lot of energy and dance appeal because of this. May Alphazone's tracks live on as a testament to what thumping, uplifting club trance should sound like.

Fitalic - Shanghai Road - 05-Aug-09 06:13 AM
This album was my first experience with Fitalic.

The album is fairly bog-standard big room progressive house, but each track is interesting enough to make this release stand up as a whole. The formula is pretty simple: open with a kick drum, add a chunky bassline and a bit of melody, then introduce a second melody at the half-way mark to finish the track. Simplistic? Yes. Formulaic? Perhaps. Effective and enjoyable? Definitely.

This is sheer physical music: dance floor fodder. While it's not the most intellectual or innovative of releases, it still displays a certain amount of talent that deserves respect and some of your time. I've been enjoying this one non-stop for the past fortnight during my daily commute, and I'm quite keen to work some of these tracks into a few DJ mixes too.

If you like Nikola Gala's earlier work, Kasey Taylor, Parham & Plaza, Tomic or Moshic, this may be the release for you.

Bomfunk MC's - In Stereo - 04-Aug-09 11:27 PM
This release has had surprising longevity for me.

Like everyone else, I bought the album after getting hooked on the catchy tune 'Freestyler', which was all over the radio and television at the time. The rest of the album follows in similar fashion, with big bass lines, in-your-face vocals and breaks influenced percussion.

While this isn't an album I'm proud to own or one that I'd defend as actually being any good, I can definitely say that I enjoy it. When I'm sick of serious music that requires proper attention, this is a very nice distraction which you can sing along to and nod your head. All the tracks are fun.

It's one of those albums that everyone seems to like too: it's like a far inferior version of The Prodigy, Fatboy Slim or The Chemical Brothers - a mish-mash of sounds and ideas which have a real party feel.

Yes, I would recommend this CD, but only if you can pick it up cheap and don't expect much.

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