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Real Trance

G. Finch | CT USA | 01/29/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Many albums go under the Trance banner but few come up with the real goods, many are watered down with commercial or dance tracks. I found this to be a great Trance album and a must for the real Trance lover. With peaks and troffs and a sprinkling of vocal tracks it has been a favourite to listen too. If you are in to the likes of Tiesto and Armin Van Burren then you will really get off on this album.

"

CD2 spoiled it for me!

D. Joel | USA | 12/19/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I hate to take issue with the "good doctor" (Doctor Trance, that is), but I don't believe this release is "the best 2 disc trance mix ever released."



I hope I won't be flamed for this, but IMHO this set is "too hard" to be the best trance set ever. The first 7 tracks of CD1 were excellent, with a good mixture of melodic and progressive trance. The following 6 tracks weren't bad, but nothing special. The last 2 tracks brought a smile to my face again. I wish I could speak as favorably of CD2. It started out promising on the first few tracks, but with track 4 the "hard trance" kicked in and it continued relentlessly until the very end. By "hard trance" I mean hard driving bass lines with little or no melody. Some of it reminded me of the "industrial techno" (music with a lot of noise, but with no soul) I used to listen to in the 90s, and I never did develop a liking for it.



I realize some of you (especially previous reviewers) must love hard trance, but I don't believe that particular style appeals to the majority of trance lovers. If you want a good 2 disc set that does have a broader appeal, and one that could probably be in the running for the best 2 disc trance mix ever released, try the new release by Thrillseekers, "Nightmusic: Vol. 1." It does have a couple of hard trance tracks, but for the most part it is melodic and progressive trance at its best. I would go so far as to say that CD2 of that mix is the absolute best trance has to offer at the present."

Still the best mix i own.

Trancemaster 0454 | 07/13/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Although I dont agree with Doctor Trance on everything (especially PVD's "Politics of Dancing 2" which is still one of my favorite cds, and also "Kingdom: Passport to the Netherlands" by Ferry Corsten- another favorite), I'm glad i looked at his review before buying this. I have about most every other mainstream trance mix from the top dj's over the last few years, and this one tops them all, mainly because every song is quality and it gives a good "German feel". The WHOLE cd is energetic and uplifting. I haven't heard much Cosmic Gate before this cd, and also they have been catapulted to the top of my list. If you're into good European trance/dance music, this definetly is for you; this mix is from two of Germany's best.



Disc 1: Melodic Trance: If you're into this, you'll like this cd. Most tracks are on other mixes i have and they've been around for awhile ("Zonderland", "Adrenaline", "Behind Silence"), but they're still SO good. The 8 Wonders remix of "Zonderland" sounds even better than the original (which is still one of my favorite songs, giving some of this disc a "spacey/tech feel"), and the vocal tracks on this cd are great (Home with Tiff Lacey- the best). Cosmic Gate's own tracks ("I Feel Wonderful", and "Race Car Driver") are catchy and well done. "Language" is another good melodic track. Near the end it starts to pick up especially with Re:Locate (another good producer), getting you ready for the next disc. Really this cd is a warm up for disc two, which is faster, harder trance. 5/5



Disc 2: If you like hard European trance, this cd will definetly make you happy. "Call it a Day" sets a fast pace at the start, showing how intense the rest of the cd gets (it only gets faster). "More than a life away" is amazing, I dont know what other dj's did to this song. "Another World" and "The Movie" are other great tracks. All the other songs are good, and there is still melody, it's just fast and brutal. This cd flows extremely well, and each song sounds like it comes after the next naturally. Keep in mind there is only one vocal track on this disc ("More than a Life Away"), but it's still damn good. 5/5



Overall, this cd gives you a good "European" experience to what trance really is straight from the club (thats much better than the US). If you enjoy dj's like George Acosta, Armin Van Buuren, Paul Van Dyk, or Christopher Lawrence, you'll enjoy this mix. I would compare this to "The Politics of Dancing 2" by PVD, "Night Music" by The Thrillseekers, any of the "State of Trance's" by Armin Van Buuren, or "Destinations" by Solarstone (Still this one is better, even to ones this year). If you've been looking for that good mix of hard/catchy trance from the best, look no further. I know its hard to find, but if you have the chance to buy it, it's more than worth it."