"I had my first introduction to "The Thrillseekers" (aka Steve Helstrip) after hearing his Stargate 009 Radio Broadcast, and I was blown away, immediately looking to seek out an official release by him.
The man under the alias of "The Thrillseekers" has made one hell of a mix cd here. It is fifteen dollars for two discs of insanely good trance with so much range. An astounding breadth of trance sub-genres becomes mixed and beat-matched within this compilation in such a way that I find myself not regretting in the least the fifteen dollars the album cost me.
Solarstone's Destinations V.1 was, simply put, a 'decent' album; it did not live up to the hype that I had heard. The Thrillseekers' "Night Music V.1" was released on the 'Water Music Dance' label (as was Destinations V.1) and I did not know this until opening the disc when it arrived. I was put off at first, expecting to encounter the same let-down I had experienced with Solarstone's effort. Regardless, I popped the disc into the player.
What a choice that turned out to be!
What was projected was atmospheric & sometimes Balaeric trance purity; crucial twists & turns save this album from being cast off into the realm of trance mix obscurity. Fairly enjoyable vocals (of which I am not normally a fan) along with a lack of the decidedly played-out "four on the floor" kickdrum produced a classy style to this mix. The Thrillseekers has the ability to lay down some *sick* bass lines/grooves and transitions at the most precisely needed moments.
I highly recommend this album to anyone who listens to anything from Sasha to Ferry Corsten to Armin van Buuren to Hybrid to Above & Beyond. It's pretty much an impeccable venture for Helstrip, who has built himself quite the peak to surpass with his next effort.
Buy it. Seek a thrill; you'll find one. Check that - you'll find many.
~Lex"
Keep going back
M. Byer | Mountain View, CA USA | 12/12/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I've got a LOT of trance in my collection (Van Dyk, Digweed, Sasha, Van Buuren, Collins, etc), but recently I've kept coming back to The Thrillseekers CD. A good mix of speeds volumes and rhythms. Not so repetitious that your head wants to explode with boredom. Some great vocals in there as well and of course some obligatory cheese. A solid effort and both CDs continue to hold up after numerous listens."
Good flow
J. Wahlgren | boston | 07/20/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This album has a great flow from track to track which defines any good trance album. The highlights on disc one are tracks 1, 5, & 6. The Thrillseekers exemplify solid trance here. A little Paul Van Dykish on Summer Sessions. Definitely worth the price for a double disc."
Sometimes...
large farva | 10/16/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"...we all need a break from the sun-and-beach melodies that seem to clog the trance genre nowadays. This it is - looming on the horizon like some sort of monolithic epic, with nothing but a cold, black shot of some windmills in the middle of nowhere staring you in the face; you'll get chills just putting the disc in the tray. In what will surely be remembered as a hallmark year for trance music lovers, Steve Helstrip delivers a double disc effort that is head and shoulders above the rest. From the moment disc one plays, the vibe is cold and spacey, almost desperate, but not lifeless. Battered between the funked-up abusive bass of Andy Moor, and Ferry Corsten's droning low frequencies for the few vocal cuts, disc one just explodes with devastating impact on tracks like "Skyform - Infinite" and the over-played destined-to-be-classic "Haylon - Starfighter" (the hypnotic offbeat synth is incredible). The pace is unrelenting for the rest of disc one, though not in the usual sugar sweet uplifting trance fashion - the whole disc has a stark, incredibly bleak feel owing a lot to the track selection. Dripping wet, cold, starving and shaking like a sick heroine addict that ran out of black-tar relief, you'll be left begging for more.
Disc two contains a mix of productions that Helstrip had a hand in creating. A much less draining affair, but one that will doubtlessly give you some relief from the cosmic radiation of disc one, disc two is a great mini-catalogue of The Thrillseeker's work to date. Variety ranging from tastefully retrained hook of AvB/Tiesto classic "Alibi - Eternity" to the dramatic swells in "Witness of Wonder - Emotions in Motion" through bouncing and soft melody of pet project release "Hydra - Affinity" disc two serves as a testament for Helstrip's talent for working both sides vinyl press.
A must have release for 2006, Nightmusic V.1 is a bold statement to all the detractors and naysayers longing for trance of decades past. Steve Helstrip is on the forefront, pioneering a bridge that spans the gap between the future, present and past. If it gets to be too much, just remember you can always go back to the sun and the beaches.