Sunday 11 November 2012

Various Artists [Platinum Trance] 

Here's another double disc set that stretches the genre boundaries that i used to be straitjacketed with, this stuff was 'off limits' in my love of music two years ago, but i'm setting myself free from not liking certain types of music, instead of saying 'why should i listen to that type of music?', i now say 'why not!', this is a perfect double album to set as an example of why all music has great stuff within its ranks, if only you cast off the prejudice of the type of music you love, and explore outside your comfort zone, i'm excited by the new love i'm developing for new areas of music, on the whole this is bright trance, nice and electronic, and very much something to dance to, it's only my very first listen, but already i feel it's going to be a treasured set of music.

On Ebay i'm always looking out for another Trance album to advance the boundaries my recorded music library, i liked the front cover of this album, a very mechanical looking illustration, or possibly nuclear, but it goes along with the music perfectly, almost machine driven rhythms, a grey background, with a yellow wheel of some sort [a fan?], the lettering is also modern and perfectly apt for the image.

The tracks which got me really excited were 4-5, 9-10, 14-15 & 17, this makes disc one very heavy with likes, and disc two somewhat ordinary, maybe this was possibly because i listened to disc one first, and by the time i got to disc two i wasn't so wowed / taken aback by things, next time i listen to these discs i'll make sure i play disc two first, i also gave these discs a quick 'intro' on my disc player [plays the first ten seconds], and some of these intros are extremely inventive and catchy, tracks 3-6, 9-11, 16, 20-21, 25-26 & 28 sounded great this way, the very best two tracks i liked the most were 9 & 10, and i would like to give a synopsis of these two here.

9 Noire - Out Of Darkness, i can't find a music link for this, this is a shame, it's such a good track, it's a very beats driven track, nice pulsating bass at the beginning, and tap tap cymbals come in after half a minute, but it's the sharp organ sounding counterbeat that really makes the track [0:57+], and there's a knocking sound after [1:11+], reminiscent of some Tangerine Dream i've heard, it's quite hypnotic, themes come and go in waves, and it's really quite addictive, string synths come in [2:36+], and a more complex knocking rhythm starts [2:51+], it's nicely layered, there's variations and slightly quiet phases, which bring in a heightened awareness when the old louder rhythms start up again, there's a female speaker within the track, and this gives it a sort of vocal focus, and slots it in nicely with the title of the track. 
10 Ruff Driverz - Waiting For The Sun, the following track is even better, with a delicious intro of deep bubbly solo bass and drum [0:00-0:14], and cymbals come in right after, giving it very much a flavour of Drum & Bass music, and i love the way that the odd loud resonant drum hits really do make a difference [0:27+], and those same drum hits get much more excited, and the trumpet solo comer in [1:25+], this is now a very prominent instrument for the rest of the track, nice trumpet warblings at times, the music slows down, and there's a short trumpet melody [4:20+ & 5:02], the second time a guys voice comes in, and pronounces the title of the track, and infectious song.