Search - Sven Vath :: In the Mix: Sound of the Tenth Season

Hard to Define, Easy to Love, Iberian Techno God does it aga

BernieTheGreatest | San Francisco, CA | 01/12/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I first heard about the Techno God of Ibiza; Sven Vath, when reading through the Ibiza MixMag on a boat leaving the Island in 2001. Sven was so sick, you had to be on the island to even speak about him. Sven is the reason I had to return to Ibiza again a few years later, to experience the Cocoon Craziness. That says a lot.

Since then, I have purchased each Season Mix. My Favorites have been the "Sound of the Third Season" for the seamless way in which the conversations in between and during tracks transport you back to your journey to Ibiza. The sound of the airport bells in Barcelona as they call you for your flight to Ibiza, the discussions in the car on the drive from the club to the afterparty...this CD was flawless and provided an experience that transported you back to the white island. "The Sound Of The Fifth Season" was also a trend setting masterpiece for the DVD that came with it, which was almost exactly like being at Cocoon. A Must Have for any Ibiza Fan.

This latest release, "The Sound of the 10th Season", also comes with a DVD, which I have yet to watch. The CD's I have listened to several times though, and I can easily say, the music is great and transports you to another place, but is very hard to define in conceptual terms, as Sven has pushed the Iberian Techno / Minimal Techno / Cocoon Sound to the next level. The closest comparisons I can make are a Luciano Live Mix or the latest Essential Mix by Dice Loco. If you like Luciano or Dice Loco, you will love this. If you like Sven, you will love this. It's very much on the cutting edge of where Iberian Dance Music is right now, but not so far forward that you can't enjoy it straight away. I have enjoyed this double CD start to finish since the moment I unwrapped it, and am nowhere close to getting tired of it.

Long time Sven Vath fans will note that the usual Sven Craziness is subtle and softly spread through the entire cd, as opposed to having a few tracks that are mindblowingly insane, that you could play and no one could understand. Each track on "The Sound of the 10th Season" is flawless, easy to listen to yet very complex and organic, without sounding slow or premeditated. There are no real memorable peaks or breakdowns per say, but yet every moment seems phenomenal and complex, and blended so perfectly to almost make it look effortless. There are moments you recall; the snake charming flute, the Africans who are 22 looking for work from Zimbabwe and Uganda, etc, but the CD just flows and it's hard to pick a favorite track, yet every track becomes your favorite.

It is definitely one of Sven Vath's greatest works, and will impress (not disappoint) anyone who buys it. The only problem with it, is that it's so well done, it's near impossible to describe."