Missing Reviews (January 2002 - April 2002)

Louk

Hibernate - Maglox EP [Agitate]
This four tracker from Canada's Agitate recordings label contains some very weird techno tracks. "Watchin You" plays around with an odd kick drum pattern and twisty FX which then lead into an evil detuned riff that is ok but the track in general feels like it needs something more. "Fiercite" ups the pace a bit and has quite a cool lead. The track is much more minimal in terms of arrangement but adds some seriously deranged synths that add to the weirdness of this production. "The Tank Theme" plays with a very evil saw lead on top of some manic percussion and this leads into some very dark stabs that are set to terrorise as soon as you hear them. While "Evil Hoedown" has a warped bassline over a distorted and very punchy rhythm. A nice break comes in but the track again feels like it could have more. This EP has some good tracks and some not so good so I'll let you judge. For more info then check out http://www.agitaterecords.net

Hibernate - Advent EP [Agitate]
The second four-tracker on the Canada based Agitate records is also by Hibernate. This record takes a more trance influenced feel with support coming from Armin Van Buuren and a few others. Kicking off with the Original Mix of "Advent" this track starts quite well but there are some synth parts I am not overly keen on. Next up is the Original Mix which is a little better and featuring an Electro style beat along with a fully charged riff. On The Flip, "Breakout" is a quite nice and uptempo trance number, sounding a little similar to "Carte Blanche" by "Veracocha" in places it is quite a cool number indeed. Finally "Mane Sonitus" isn't really my cup of tea at all to be honest, having some good ideas it is the vocal and a riff which could do more in my opinion that ruin this track for me. All in all a reasonably good record and for more information check out www.agitaterecords.net

Circuit Boy - The Door [Diki]
Coming from the Diki label based in Belgium, this three tracker is a fantastic piece of progressive house. On the A side, "Mr Sam's Definitive Deep + Dark Session Mix" starts with some deep and driving percussion which leads into a wicked bassline. Really spacey vocals come into action along with some weird strings. The track then launches into some frantic 303s . The track at this point sounds very nice indeed. On the flip "Corvin Dalek's Creme De La Face Remix" takes a more darker turn on things with really punchy drums and lots of industrial fx over a really groovy bassline and the really twisted vocals off the Mr Sam mix. While "Danny Tenaglia's Planet Tweak Remix" starts with a really odd kick drum loop before launching into some distorted synths and a dark growling bassline. A bit different to his usual productions, the synth riff that follows is very nice and the track sounds cool. Definitely check this track out if you are into your progressive. Nice one!

Persistance Of Vision - Space Touch [Enigma]
Another release on Enigma this month, coming from "Persisance Of Vision" also known as Jose Garcia an Georges Goderis. The "Chineese Mix" of "Spacetouch" starts quite promising with some nice strings and a cool rhyhtm but then goes into a horrible riff that does not feel right at all and ruins the track in my opinion. The Original mix on the flip is even weirder with some tough drum programming, a simple bassline and a riff thats all over the place. Not exactly the best release to come from Diki and it's sublabels this month by a long way.

Temple Of House - La Bush 1 [Enigma]
This is part one of a two part release on Enigma recordings. With two tracks on offer I was a little bit disappointed to be honest. The "Joachim J Danc Of Love Mix" of "Trancedollars" by "Starmarket" starts with a pretty weak kick and some quite bad vocals along with some odd synth parts I can't get my head around. Some cool strings come in but that's the only good thing about this track. Not really my sort of thing at all. The "Joachim J Nice Mix" of "Activate" by "Quadra" on the flip is much nicer but still lacks a percussion part that would work well. Some nice strings and synth underlays are the order here with a nice progressive feel. Unfortunately I feel the tracks potential has not been discovered which is a bit of a shame. I'm not quite sure what to make of this release at all.

Temple Of House - La Bush 2 [Enigma]
Part Two of this EP kicks off with Venise Purple's self titled track. This is a pretty straight forward trance track with a pretty twisted bassline and odd percussion along with squelchy 303s and odd synth work. Some cool strings come in but the track generally lacks something in my opinion. "SAS" by "SAS" is a simple house track with a repeated synth loop and pretty jerky percussion. A bassline is added that doesn't really fit in with the track in my opninon and this is another one that lacks something. Again I'm not totally convinced about this EP either. Look for it when released so you can see if you agree.

Michael Forzza - After Moments [Perimiter]
This release on Diki recordings offshoot "Perimeter" is a very odd piece of techno indeed. "Electrosphere" on the A side makes use of very odd percussion loops and filtered FX which sounds really spaced and weird. The track doesn't do much at all but definitely is intended for the more weirder DJs to play. "Inhale" on the B1 is more of the same with a simple drumloop that is played with throughout the whole track with lots of FX on top as well as some manic filtering. While the Re-Worked version of "Electrosphere" has some very punchy drums over the FX loops on the original. This track doesn't sound bad at all. All in all this one is a bit hit and miss but has it's good side. Check it out to see for yourselves.

TSYT - Colourblind [Source Of Gravity]
Release number Eight for the Source Of Gravity label (and of course production team!) comes from TSYT, who is also known as Mark Wheawill. His own mix of "Colourblind" is a very cool progressive track with spaced out FX and flanged strings over a wicked bassline and deep, dark percussion. Some very nice synth underlays follow and the singing that comes after really works too. Being a lengthy ten minutes long you can definitely imagine the Bedrock lot loving this one! The Dub Mix starts with a sparse percussion loop and is generally a more stripped down mix of the original. Having a warped bassline and funky drum programming, this is another one set to work a treat. Both of these tracks are quality progressive productions that really do impress and this track has already seen a wide list of DJs supporting it. Look out for it when released!

Mark Wheawil - Angell's Kiss [Source Of Gravity]
Mark Wheawill has recently been a very busy producer by the look of things and this two tracker which he's produced is the Fifth release for the Isle Of Man based Source Of Gravity. The "Intelligent Groove Mix" of Angels Kiss is a very twisted number, with some really spaced out vocals, quirky synth stabs and a very nice melody over the typical style of arrangement you've come to expect from this guy. This is A very cool production and I am impressed. On the flip the "Original Mix" makes the track sound even weirder with odd key changes over a simple arrangement. I can't really comment on much more on this mix as it is a little empty but still very nice. Both of these tracks are very nice and I can see fans of Source Of Gravity stuff loving this. Definitely one of the best releases in ages!

Outlanders - Silent Conflict [Gravitation]
For their third release, Gravitation Recordings (based on the Isle of Man) enlist the production talents of the Source Of Gravity team and Mark Wheawill under their "Outlanders" alias. The Confusion Dub of "Silent Conflict" is a pretty nice tech house track with a cool bassline and tough funky drums but overall the arrangement lacks something and sounds pretty week in my opinion. On the flip, "Katakana's OdB mix" is much more like it, taking on a more deeper and darker approach, with some wicked sweeping synths, excellent percussion, a nice bassline and to top things off some awesome FX sweeps. You can't go wrong with this mix in my opinion. This track has already received support from the likes of Danny Slade, Scott Mac, Chris Cargo and the Evolution team. A Quality track worth checking out.

Source Of Gravity - Full Moon [Source Of Gravity]
Source Of Gravity team up with Mark Wheawill again this month for their fourth release. What we have here are remixes of the release that kicked the label off. Here are two very nice tracks of deep and hard progressive house. The Chris Cargo mix is very dark indeed with tough mechanical drums and a grinding bassline. Some swirly synths are added until the track drops into a really nice break and some "Moonlanding" samples" Things kick back in nicely and the track sounds very uplifting. Mark Wheawill's mix on the flip takes on a more minimalistic approach with some very warm synth chords over a funky arrangement consisiting of a very cool bassline and nice percussion with some eerie FX.. The track drops to a very cool break and when it kicks back in its hard to resist dancing to. The word "NICE!!!" springs to mind while playing and this track has had keen DJ support from Danny Slade, Lee Foster, Fred Numf and Chris Fortier. Another very cool track from the Source Of Gravity team.

Mark Wheawill - Tension [Gravitation]
Another one from Mark Wheawill this month! Can you believe it! Still I'm not complaining as both of these tracks are damn good. "Tension" is so weird it's off the scale. A really pumping arrangement with some of the spaciest FX and melody arrangements known to man combine to create a blinding track which is no doubt devistating the stranger dancefloors around the country. I really like this! On the flip we are treated to the Tipple remix of "Eastern Joy" this is a more uptempo number with a very nice string opening which leads into a very cool bassline and sparse percussion. A really cool synth part comes in three quarters of the way in and things really kick off nicely. A fantastic production. Support from all over the place with Lucien Foort, Christopher Lawrence, Danny Slade and Andy Jarrod loving this one. What a brilliant two tracker this is.

Source Of Gravity vs Rus Stewart - Atlantis [Source Of Gravity]
Hailing from America, Rus Stewart teams up with Source Of Gravity for their sixth release. Both "Atlantis" and "Earth To Mars" are pretty cool productions indeed. "Atlantis" is a nice progressive number that makes use of some conga drums over some cool Hi hat programming and synth parts. The track drops to a very nice string section which sounds very cool when turned up loud and really adds to the track. On the flip Source Of Gravity's "Martian Dub" of "Earth To Mars" has some very cool melody ideas but the track is strongly let down in my opinion by some generally weak percussion. The riff that comes in on the 2nd breakdown is really cool and if only the percussion was stronger I'd be giving this 10. Another cool two tracker from the Source Of Gravity team who clearly can do no wrong at the moment!

Scooter - The Logical Song [Sheffield Tunes / Edel]
Hailing from Germany, the very highly rated producer "Scooter" returns with this doublepack. I'm not too sure about some of these mixes but a few are cool. The "Club Mix" of "Logical Song" is a very fast paced trance track, with a cheesy bassline, some nice synth underlays and the vocals on this are pitched up which sound really horrible in my opinion. A chopped up breakbeat follows and this really doesn't do much for me. The "Extended Mix" replaces the underlay with a pretty cool synth riff that suits the track more, the vocals are still there however with some very dodgy and new synths. Not my sort of thing at all. While The "Clubstar UK Mix" has some very nice ideas but the track sounds pretty weak overall but includes some excellent strings and a nice riff. On record two, I pretty much skipped over the "Starplash Mix" as this is aimed at the more commercial DJ and not really my thing at all. However, after puttign the "Jay Frog Mix" on I was very impressed as it is a hard trance mix which uses some 303s to great effect over a tough drum pattern and cool bass part. Using as little of the vocal as possible things sound very nice when the track kicks in after the break. Finally, the "D-Bop UK Mix" is a very watered down trance version with some awful MCing and cheesy stabs and didn't do much again. If you see this record then definitely check out the Jay Frog mix, as there is little else which will please in my opinion.

DRS - Reactivate [Toolbox]
This Dutch imprint return with a very tech inspired three tracker from DRS. "Reactivate" is a cool slice of tech house, with some mental filtered synth stabs that work well over the chopped up breakbeats that follow. The arrangement may be simple but it definitely worked on me. "3rd Grade" has some warm strings over a pretty frantic percussion section. Some reversed synth stabs add an element of twistedness to the track that does sound cool. Some more loops are added in the second half which also works. "Pergressive" is another cool tech house number with driving percussion and some swirly synths. Very repetitive but I really liked it and I can see the likes of Sterling Moss or Tom Harding playing this one. Again this label who have only recently been established manage to impress me. Hopefully all the future releases will be just as good. Good Stuff.

Juan Editez - Vox Populi [K-1]
This Dutch imprint return with a very tech inspired three tracker from DRS. "Reactivate" is a cool slice of tech house, with some mental filtered synth stabs that work well over the chopped up breakbeats that follow. The arrangement may be simple but it definitely worked on me. "3rd Grade" has some warm strings over a pretty frantic percussion section. Some reversed synth stabs add an element of twistedness to the track that does sound cool. Some more loops are added in the second half which also works. "Pergressive" is another cool tech house number with driving percussion and some swirly synths. Very repetitive but I really liked it and I can see the likes of Sterling Moss or Tom Harding playing this one. Again this label who have only recently been established manage to impress me. Hopefully all the future releases will be just as good. Good Stuff.

Clive O'Riordan - Calling All Ravers [Mr Progressive]
The fourth release for Croydon Based Mr Progressive is a very odd number of "Jumpy" trance. This track manages to last a mammoth ten minutes long. Having one of those Lock 'N' Load style rhythms, this track has some very cool parts but an overall lack of timing definitely makes it sound weird. Filtered synths and a weird bassline come in and the track definitely sounds very twisted. Some synth arpeggios follow about half way through the track but overall this one is a bit dissapointing. The last release was quite promising but unfortunately I'm not keen on this one at all.

Combined Forces - Winter Music Conference Sampler [Combined Forces]
The company that kicked off my reviews page back in 2000 return with this 11 track CD comprising of a selection of their forthcoming tracks. First up is "In Your Face" by "DJ Remy", and this is a very punchy slice of Progressive House. Having some really cool drums and swirly synth parts that lead into some manic dark stabs, this one is really set to impress. "Time Keeps Me Alive" by "Don Diablo" is a a hip hop track which really didn't do much for me at all considering how good some of Don's other tracks are. Featuring breakbeats, scratches and some vocoded singing this will no doubt appeal to fans of something a little different. "Freedom" by "TBA" is a wicked funky house number with filtered synths at the ready and a general happy uplifting feel to it. A very nice track indeed. "Holding On" by "Damien J Carter" takes a more disco-influenced turn on things with brass loops and really catchy vocals all over some very shuffly percussion and a funky bassline. Not really my sort of thing but a good track of its genre. "Bulldozer" by "Triangel" is a wicked techno track that rips speakers apart. Menacing drums along with a dirty bassline that messes with your head. Very minimal in it's arrangement, it shares similarities with "Darryl Bayes - Wormhole" on Sonar Recordings. A very cool track indeed. The original to "Beyond The Moon" by "Alpha Breed" is a huge favourite of mine. Released back on Deal recordings in 1999, it is back with a mix from Freejack. His mix starts all deep before letting a monster synth underlay and riff come in which really does make you want to reach for the nearest lightstick and turn it up on full volume. This mix is seriously worth checking out. Being eight minutes long "Deep" by "San Project" is a minimal house number with some synth parts I really don't like. However, It has a nice bassline and cool percussion. It's just the synth content I do not agree with. "Departure At Gate S" by "Solid Sessions" is a very cool breakbeat track with some awesome melodies and it is one of those summer tracks you would like to chill out to in boiling hot sunshine. As summer is well on it's way, I think this is the perfect chance to try this track out and to see if this combination works. "Angularity" by "Freejack" (also known as producer Jack Molenschot) is a very twisty trance track with a mental bassline and bouncy percussion. Nice synth sweeps and a really deranged melody are what this track is all about. Cool stuff indeed. "Beat The Silence" by "DJ Isaac" has already been hyped by many DJs and I know for a fact that names like Alex Ball, Chris Davies and Judge Jules have all given this one a spin. A hard trance number that launches into a mental riff, evil vocals and a hard marching rhythm that it is almost impossible to resist dancing to. Finally there is "On The Edge" which is again by "DJ Isaac" and this production is another hard track with a riff that cuts through any speaker over some wickedly hard percussion and a warped bassline. All in all here are 11 tracks which range from OK to Fantastic, proving that Combined Forces are still keeping ahead of the game with some quality releases to come. Nice!

Nimrod - You Know 007 [Eve]
London's Eve recordings return for release number 53. Produced by Nimrod (also known as Tim Scott), what we have here are two progressive tracks that ooze quality. Pablo Gargano's mix on the A side is a very cool track which drives away at your speakers with mental percussion and a really nice bassline too. The vocals that come in are really dreamlike and definitely go well with the track. While the original on the flip takes a more funkier approach with a mental synth underlay and generally more uplifting feel to it. With the vocals sounding really fresh and helping you to "Lose Yourself" by dancing away while listening, this is sure to impress. A very good release indeed and Eve yet again prove that they can stay in front with a very nice, cutting edge progressive track. Fantastic stuff

Flutlicht - The Dark Blue Series [Blockbusters]
One of my favourite production teams of the last year has been DJ Natron and Reverb (also known as Flutlicht). The kind people at Drizzly have decided that for those of you who missed out first time, to issue the four most popular Flutlicht Tracks on one vinyl so you instantly know this record will be out and out quality. Kicking off with the hugely popular Icarus track, which I reviewed early last year. This uplifting slice of trance made it's way onto Negativa recordings in the UK. Next up is Mutterkorn and to be honest I'm not so keen on this track compared to the others on the vinyl, sounding a little like "Barber's Adagio For Strings" this really doesn't do that much for me. On the Flip and my favourite track on the record is the awesome track "Ahmea" which has had strong support from Mark EG and some other DJs. This is another stomper of a tune which no doubt lives up to the success it has received so far. Finally is "Das Siegel" which is another track receiving a lot of hype, having some cool percussion, a nice bassline and mental synths this is another one which works really well. All in all here are four tracks which still sound as fresh now as first time round. No doubt Flutlicht are set for even more big things to come in the near future. Good Stuff

The Poet - Der Mond [ANP]
Release number three for ANP recordings comes from mysterious artist The Poet. Featuring remixes by some of Germany's most weirdest and diverse producers you know you are way out of your depth from the word go. The DJ Worris mix of "Der Mond" is quite evil having a buzzy synth part which tears a new hole in your ear as well as light percussion and generally eerieness, things are definitely not what they seem with this mix. Next up is Reysahn Khan's effort, he decides to go for a very odd version of this track, having some very good ideas but overall this mix does not really sound as good as his Shi Du Khan tune. On the Flip, London Mania's mix is extremely different, making use of the evil vocals over real dark spine tingling synths and tough percussion, this is one that is intended to scare. Finally, my favourite mix is the Westwood Bros mix which bashes away at the speaker with rock solid percussion and FX, dropping the track so that the female vocals off the original can come in and then coming back in full effect to do mass damage. You can't go wrong with the Westwood Bros really can you? Stick with their mix on this four tracker, by far the best. Nice one!

Mario Laroche pesents Club Trancer One - No Return [Illuminate]
Illuminate feature again this month with this track by Clubtrancer One. Already receiving a fair bit of hype from DJs Mark Sinclair and the very nice Juno, this two tracker kicks off with a mix provided by "Tom Deluxe". His version is nice and hard with some uplifting touches and a riff that although sounds a little bit cheesy, made me dance after hearing. A very good track indeed. On the flip we are treated to a mix by "More Mellow" which although has a few subtle differences to the Tom Deluxe mix does sound quite similar to it and doesn't feel so good. Still, in my opinion it it isn't a bad track and is well worth checking out. To sum things up if you like the lighter edge of Hard Trance you will no doubt love this. I would definitely check it out when released and with any luck you will have the riff of this track stuck in your mind to whistle at various points throughout the day. That's what happened with me!

Search 7 - Wide Open [Axwax]
In my opinion, It would be pretty hard to top the last Axwax release and this production by Search 7 definitely has a good go. Spread accross two records, this track has a wide variety of mixes. The Club Mix has a very punchy drumloop and a manic synth underlay. During the break there are some wicked strings before a some synth stabs comes in that make up the riff. The Commander Tom mix is suprisingly very progressive (considering his productions on Noom!!) and this favours a strong kick and a Picotto style bassline before dropping down to the riff which is an octave higher than on the Club Mix. Little else happens here to sustain interest unfortunately. The Original Mix takes a much more trance influenced approach with an awesome bassline, funky drums and the very cool strings and synth stabs as found on the Club Mix. On record two, things kick off with the "Paul Hutsch" Mix. Starting with one of the weirdest drumloops known to man, this mix definitely takes the more progressive approach adding some Ride Cymbals on top of the percussion and an odd synth underlay that drops to the break. During the break some very twisted FX comes into play over mental strings and this kicks the track back off. The synth stabs from the original aren't on here which is a shame as they would have suited perfectly, but it is still a very nice track. On the flip the In Progress Mix is again quite progressive in its arrangement but has lots of very nice trance-influenced synth parts that sound fantastic. Definitely worth a listen, and finally the W.E mix takes on a funkier approach, having a really twisted bassline before dropping into the riff that has been manically affected. The track then drops before everything returns to normal and the track definitely sounds like a winner. There you have it, 6 very cool mixes of "Wide Open", all thats left to say is Check it out and you won't go far wrong at all!

Westwood Bros - Special Tactics Volume 2 [Construct Rhythm]
I have been quite a strong fan of Construct Rhythm over the past two years and with a release like this one from the Westwood Brothers it really is no suprise why. Following on from the excellent Special Tactics Volume 1, I am left suprised that my ears are still intact and this three tracker is definitely set to create some damage in the style of volume 1. First up is "Tactics 4" which in my opinion takes no prisoners at all. Hard speaker damaging drums as well as a grinding synth that tears another layer from your ear and tonnes of distortion make this one up and with a combination like that you can't go wrong. Next is "Tactics 5" and this is quality! The main hook in this is a two note stab which really pounds out on top of the solid bass and drum arrangement. Definitely one of the best techno tunes I have heard in age and finally is "Tactics 6" which makes use of a strange vocal that will spin the average punter out. You really can't go wrong with this or the other two tracks on this record. It goes without saying that this and (if you haven't got it already) Volume 1 should be purchased as soon as possible. Excellent stuff. A real treat.

Polartraxx - World Of Fantasy [Illuminate]
I have been quite a strong fan of Construct Rhythm over the past two years and with a release like this one from the Westwood Brothers it really is no suprise why. Following on from the excellent Special Tactics Volume 1, I am left suprised that my ears are still intact and this three tracker is definitely set to create some damage in the style of volume 1. First up is "Tactics 4" which in my opinion takes no prisoners at all. Hard speaker damaging drums as well as a grinding synth that tears another layer from your ear and tonnes of distortion make this one up and with a combination like that you can't go wrong. Next is "Tactics 5" and this is quality! The main hook in this is a two note stab which really pounds out on top of the solid bass and drum arrangement. Definitely one of the best techno tunes I have heard in age and finally is "Tactics 6" which makes use of a strange vocal that will spin the average punter out. You really can't go wrong with this or the other two tracks on this record. It goes without saying that this and (if you haven't got it already) Volume 1 should be purchased as soon as possible. Excellent stuff. A real treat.

DJ Shog - This Is My Sound Remixes [Logport]
Release number seven for the Logport collective is provided by DJ Shog and it is rumoured that this tune is apparently now coming out on Nu Life recordings in the UK. With mixes from CJ Stone, Green Court and Wavescope, this three tracker definitely provides a wide variety of mixes covering all the different styles of trance. With CJ Stone and Green Court in my opinion both taking the more cheesier approach with an OK supersaw riff, it is Wavescope who's mix does the damage for me. Sounding quite similar to the track "Inspiration" by "Polartraxx", this production has it all, a nice hard kick drum, a tough bassline and a really dark synth that is set to make sure that chaos occurs. All in all you can't go wrong with this mix and I would definitely check it out. Also the Original mixes are worthy of a listen to as well. Good stuff Drizzly.

Mirage + DJ Ari - French Affairs [ANP]
For their second release, Germany's ANP label enlist the production talents of Mirage and DJ Ari. With three mixes on offer, the Simon Le Grec mix of "French Affair" started qutie promising with some very cool synth underlays, nice and tight percussion and a cool bassline but by the end I felt a little disappointed that nothing much more happened. The "Mirage Mix" takes on a nice and funky turn with some obvious techno influences and this really impressed me. I particularly liked the pads and synth sweeps on this tune as they work a treat when turned up loud enough. Finally the "Original Mykonos Mix" is a very cool breakbeat track which has synth pads similar to "Flying Madness" by "Soho" which is not a bad thing at all. A very uplifting summer tune which no doubt will go on to bigger things in my opinion. With this track and "Der Mond" by "The Poet" the ANP label are evidently a name to watch. Quality.

Connector - Interference [Additive]
The second track on Additive this month comes from Connector (also known as S Renes). You may remember this track when I reviewed it last July on it's RR imprint. Thankfully the fantastic original mix is still here with an excellent interpretation done by Natural Born Grooves. Their mix adds a twist to the track making it a lot more funkier with some manic filtering of the stabs from the original mix. Some really nice percussion comes and a wicked bassline into play and combined with the stabs make this track wicked. The original still is as fresh as ever, a nice twisty track with loads of reversed synths along with tough percussion that you can't resist stomping to and a wicked bassline. Being one of the highlights of last summer in my opinion, hopefully now that it is on Additive this track should get the success it deserves! Nice one!

Scumfrog vs Bowie - Loving The Alien [Positiva]
The First of three tunes for Positiva this month comes from the producer Scumfrog (also known as Jesse Houk). He has decided to do a take on David Bowie's 1985 hit "Loving The Alien" and update it taking on a funkier house approach. I do not particularly like the new version to be honest. Having not heard the original back in 1985 I do not know if it is better or not. This version plays around with some funky drum programming, a groovy bassline and some cool synth parts but doesn't do much to grab my interest to be honest. However on the flip there is the wonderful "8 Days 7 Hours" which is similar in style to "Loving The Alien" but is much more uplifting in my opinion. Definitely works well and you should stick with this track as I think that it is the better of the two and no doubt when release both tracks will get the success they deserve.

Barthezz - Infected [Positiva]
Regular Readers to my reviews page (err...I'll take that as nobody then!) may remember me mentioning this track back in December on its Tremolo imprint. Now it has been licensed to the excellent Positiva recordings in the UK with new mixes from Nuw Idol, Basstoy and DJ Errik. Spread accross two records, Record one kicks off with the Original mix. Not a lot has changed in the past five months as I am not very keen on it at all. While Basstoy's interpretation takes the track and turns it into a funkier number playing about with a few elements off the original. On record two things kick nicely off with Michael Spiegel's Nuw Idol mix. Taking a stronger, darker approach to things, this mix manages to play around with the riff for the main part of the track, before letting it peak towards the end. This happens over a really tough drum section. QUALITY! Finally, DJ Errik turns the track into a minimalistic techno interpretation, similar to his "Minimal Obsession EP" on Logport. Some cool ideas on this mix but it doesn't really do much to draw interest. My advice is to stick with the Nuw Idol mix on this one as it definitely stands out as the best mix. Nice one Positiva!

Ortz - We Don't Talk [Additive]
The excellent Additive recordings in London deliver their latest two tracker produced by OrtZ. Licensed from Iceberg Records, this production is a very cool progressive house tune which is set to impress. Gordon Kaye's "Fireball Mix" on the A side is a pretty funky number with a cool bassline, excellent synth parts, twisted FX and very nice vocals which combine to give this track a Summer-Tune feeling. A very nice string breakdown occurs half way through the track before everything kicks off again. On the flip, the Asle mix goes for the deeper approach with some excellent 303s and FX over the fantastic vocals. The track then drops to a guitar part before some synth stabs come into play. The track kicks back in and definitely this is one that will no doubt do well. Quality production! There is an acapella provided of the awesome vocals, which is wicked to scratch with, so what more can you ask for? Another top release for Additive!

Marc Et Claude - Tremble [Positiva]
One of the most succesful labels in the UK at the moment is Positiva and this quite nice production by Marc Et Claude is definitely aimed at the more commercial DJs. The Riva Mix of Tremble starts with a very nice drum loop which follows into a wicked synth underlay and some awesome strings. There are some excellent vocals which follow and break the track down and when the riff comes in, things sound very uplifting indeed. This is a Quality track which definitely has the potential to be huge. Also on this release there is a Megamix of four rare remixes of Marc Et Claude's productions if you missed them first time around. Comprising of The "Kay Cee's 99 Elvissa" mix of "La", the "John Johnson" mix of "I Need Your Loving", the "Moonman's Flashover" mix of "Ne" and the "Marco V" mix of "Lovin' You", this is a quality megamix that sounds wicked when playing computer games to! Check this out when released. A very good two tracker.

Charly Fath - SOS [Neo]
After the extremely well received "Nebuchan", Neo have decided to enlist producer "Frank Trax" to do a remix of Charly Fath's offering. This mix has some cool ideas, with a very nice synth underlay, some cool strings and very bouncy percussion. However the track is a bit too similar to Nebuchan for my liking as it uses a formula which has already been done. The vocals aren't that good either. However, I strongly expect that this track will go on to be huge as it has an edge that in my opinion would definitely appeal to the more commercial trance fans out there.

Louk