Search - Blue Amazon :: Nokturnel Mix Sessions

Trancey, hypnotic, and uptempo all the way through

Douglas A. Greenberg | Berkeley, CA USA | 10/21/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Blue Amazon is Lee Sofley and James Reid, a British duo who first teamed up in 1995 to compose and perform progressive house electronic music. Recording mainly for the now-defunct Jackpot label, they released some memorable tracks in subsequent years, including "And Then the Rain Falls" and "No Other Love," both of which have been included frequently in dj mixes by the likes of Sasha and John Digweed. Their work was compiled as a full-length mixed cd called "Javelin," which was released both in the UK and the U.S. More recently, they have become more of a live act, featuring both traditional instruments and electronic elements. In this volume of Topaz Records' "Nokturnel Mix Sessions," Blue Amazon has put together a seventy-two minute-plus mix of tracks that consistently reflect a sound that classification freaks might pronounce to be either "progressive trance" or "trancey progressive house." Beginning with the Slacker mix of the highly popular "Roaches" by Trancesetters, the feel, pace, and mood of the mix is pretty consistent throughout; unlike some mixes which begin slowly and develop toward a climax toward the end of the set, Blue Amazon has strung together thirteen tracks that are largely of the same tempo and style. For people who enjoy this highly percussive, throbbing, trancey, minimally melodic brand of music (as I do), the mix should be enjoyable. In particular, fans of the currently ubiquitous Timo Maas should give this a listen, as there are three tracks that feature this German *wunderkindt*. For someone looking for "dark," "uplifting," or vocal styles of trance, I would suggest you look elsewhere.The mixing here is competently done (Lee Softley has a strong background as a dj), but is hardly spectacular. The transition between Tarentalla's "Substance" and Ian Wilkie vs Timo Maas' "Twin Town," for example, seems a bit uninspired. All in all, however, the mix moves along smoothly. If you are considering buying just one or two "progressive" mixes this year, this might not be the one on which to spend your money. There are recent mix cd's by Dave Seaman, Chris Fortier, Noel Sanger, Nick Warren, Danny Zee, and others which reflect more craftsmanship in terms of sequencing and mixing. But the choice of tunes in the Blue Amazon mix is pretty solid, so if you enjoy this style of electronic dance music, you won't regret picking up this cd."