Nick Warren – Global Underground 018: Amsterdam

On my copy some songs in the beginning of CD2 are jumping, but there's no visible scratches or damage on the CD.
Somebody else has this problem?

The folks at Boxed surely love Nick Warren, as this is his fourth Global Underground set (that's more than any other dj can claim). Each of the three previous Warren efforts has been distinctive in style, so it's not surprising that GU018 Amsterdam is startlingly different from GU011 Budapest, his previous set. Budapest was intense, uptempo, squelch-laden, trancey, and unrelentingly banging (but no, it was not "cheesy," people). This time around, Warren has moved more in a more eclectic direction, including tracks that span trance, techno-trance, tribal-ish house, and even some touches of funk. What unites many of these selections is a tendency to establish a particular rhythmic/musical groove and then to stay there for long periods of time. In other words, some of the tracks may seem "monotonous" to people not previously steeped in the world of (relatively) noncommercial electronic dance music. Personally, I think the results are satisfactory (especially if the music is played LOUD), but the set is just uneven enough to add a tinge of disappointment to my overall reaction.
The first cd starts out outstandingly, with two lovely, textured trance tracks, including the phenomenally beautiful "Eternity" by Ariane. The groove then turns toward housey-tribal material that while certainly excellent overall, does tend toward the repetitive, and this style may not please everyone. The subtle progressions of Warren's own Way Out West track, "Intensify," have grown on me with repeated listenings, and Main Element's "Hedfuk" is outstandingly intense and hypnotic. Mumps' "Mechanisms E-H" veritably exudes infectious energy. On the down side, however, Hipp-E and Tony Presents Soul Interactive's "Riddem Control" seems to spin its percussive wheels endlessly, and a glitzy, pounding track like Fluke's "Bullet (Cannonball)" (those grunting-style male vocals!) simply seems to me not to fit well within the mood and flow of the mix overall. James Niche's "Isolated" has a bouncy, infectious trancey quality that make it a winner (it would have fit in well on "Budapest"), but the final track on the first mix, Soul Driver's "States of Mind," is musically undistinguished while employing Middle Eastern-style vocals that seem more jarring than trance-inducing.
The second cd includes a series of tracks that explore rhythmic textures of different types, and this makes for pleasant listening, but does not leave one with the impression that the music overall is memorable. Inserted within this generally techno-trancey style is a single track that incorporates a truly infectious hook, Revolt's "Dive Into the Deep." Personally, I love this record, but its role within the quite different flow of the set overall seems a bit problematic.
Also: in GU018, Warren has selected three tracks that prominently feature sampled spoken vocals (unlike Paul Oakenfold's unfortunate experiment in "Perfecto Presents Another World," however, these are intrinsically parts of the records he plays, rather than something added on in gimmicky fashion). Clearly some listeners find such samples (about music, about drugs, about Mr. Peterbilt's sexual avocation) to be "cool," but I think that such samples are more effective within the context of a live set (a one-time event) than in a cd set which listeners are expected to play repeatedly. In other words, the interruption to the flow of the music and the gimmicky quality of the samples can cause them to become tiresome relatively quickly.
There are a few flaws, but this set by Warren has sufficient musical intensity and overall quality to make it well worth the money. Despite the claims of some would-be experts on the craft of beatmixing, Warren knows what he is doing in this regard and is certainly a first-rate technician on the turntables. This is not the best GU set ever (even for Warren), but for fans of electronic dance music it's still likely a welcome addition to a cd collection.

I Never really enjoyed this one at first, but when visiting it again, it's really grown on me, especially CD1. the mixing isn't marvellous but the track selection certainly makes up for it. From The Word, Eternity and I'll Call You (Thin Red Man Mix) on CD1 to Groove Attack and Sparc on CD2, there's a banger on every corner of both discs. Nick Warren is really starting to become one of my favourite DJ's of Global Underground. This one, Brazil, Budapest, Reykjavik and Shanghai are my favourites of Nick Warren's GU Efforts, like with this one, i didn't like them, then they grew on me. This one is definitely going to be the next one in my Long box collection for sure. It's a GU Must have. Ya Know, Money's one thing, but soul is another. :)

I always think a lot of DJs miss a trick with Fluke’s Bullet though - with its momentous build to the first vocal and then the driving main bit. Cue’d right, it’s devastating in the right context - the difference between just another mix and something really ace

Barrels along. Good to run too. Nick Warren rarely disappoints. Just realised I downloaded 035 Lima ages ago and haven’t listened to it yet 😀

This is Nick's last GU comp (or any mix comp for that matter) that was mixed on actual turn tables and for that I gave him 5 stars. Its a great prog mix with a lot of great tracks and this was getting towards the end of the prog house craze. Nick has always been one of my favorite Dj's along with Dave Seaman, I guess you'd say they're my Sasha and Digweed seeing as both of them are the gold standard for a lot of people. This is for sure a must have for any true prog house fan of that era.

Absolutely stunning classic with one of the best track selections ever made on a mix compilaton, especially CD2, which remains as a good childhood memory as I read the other reviews. But man..... Those mix transitions are soooo dumb at some places, sometimes he starts a new track from nothing, and cuts down the other one played before without fading it out properly; exactly sound like it's mixed by an automatized computer program, which randomly decides when and how to mix into another one... The only thing that saves this one is the excellent track selection as mentioned above.

Well, both discs have top notch openers. "The Word" by Weekend World and "Groove Attack" by H-Bomb are brilliants at his own rights. The tracklist himself isn't the strongest in the global underground catalogue but still pretty solid tough. Specially the 2nd disc.

The second disc is definitely better than the first. The first is just unmemorable, there aren't any standout tracks, there isn't any progression, and it can sort of bore the heck out of you. On the second disc, there are just some really driving, deep trance tracks that build up the energy and I applaud Nick Warren on the superb track selection.

The thing that really struck me about this mix is how different it is from Nick's other GU mixes. This mix starts out with "The World" perhaps the greatest opening track that I have ever heard on a mix CD and contiues on in strong fashion with "Eternity". The mix has some other key moments but it seems like the majority of these 2 CD's are bogged down by boring house tracks like the Peace Division mix of "Intensify"(I don't understand what all the hububb is about Peace Division personally) and "Mechanism 4-H". The second disk is able to make up for some of the weaker spots on the first disc, but it seems like it only hits full stride as its ending. Not a bad mix, just not a great one. 3 out of 5.