Search - Various Artists :: Renaissance Awakening (Mixed By Dave Seaman)

With his Back To Mine, the DEFINITIVE Seaman album

Anand Subramaniam | Chennai, INDIA | 02/10/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Every now and again, a DJ will come out with a mix that condenses everything he/she stands for sonically. Digweed had GU014:Hong Kong & Disc 2 of Communicate, Sasha had GU013:Ibiza. Renaissance:Awakening is Dave Seaman's magnum opus, the perfect high-energy foil to his other, down-tempo masterpiece in the Back To Mine series.Disc 1, unusually, crackles and vibrates with an almost tribal vibe, irrespective of the fact that it is high-bpm fare. Beginning with "Circulation Ltd", Seaman moves quickly through bass-heavy, brooding rhythms, before exploring now-classic tracks like the Humate mix of Schiller's "Ruhe", Killahurtz' "West on 27th" and Silvio Ecomo's "Standing". The ambient atmosphere gets even edgier when he follows "Save Me" with "Goldrush" and then proceeds to deliver an object lesson in hands-on, Protools-free mixing when he effortlessly drops Kundalini Rising's "Kayomani" (those of you who have heard the version on Gatecrasher's GSS release will be shocked at how the same track pushes a totally different vibe). Perfect closer to the disc - "Love Has Come Again". But if you thought Disc 1 was good, Disc 2 takes things to a totally different altitude. The beat-free, spacey synths of Voyager's "Motion" give way to the insistent, subliminal "Ocean Wave" by Clearwater. Mixing technique reaches a fever-pitch of perfection when Seaman lets the vocals of Satoshi Tomiie's legendary "Up in Flames" ride all over the backdrop provided by The Shaker's "Melon Kolic". Gloat's "Skidaddle" employs a hard, dense bassline interspersed with minimal, harsh synths to create the best track on the disc. By the time Seaman closes out with the floating, vocal trip that is BT's "Dreaming", you've already got your money's worth twice over.Why is it a classic? - Endless replayability, with sound that doesn't seem dated even today. No drop in quality between discs. Superhuman mixing showcased on both discs. Tracklist that could well double as a Top Trance Tracks of the Past Decade compilation. If you're a Seaman fan (as I am), you probably need no reasons - this album appeals to you on levels totally beyond the rational or the logical.Disc 1 : 5 stars. 'Nuff said.
Disc 2 : Off the chart. In my Top 5 mixes of all time.
Overall : Buy it. Please. If by some amazing combination of circumstances you don't like it, you'll still end up selling it to a fan years later for a lot more than its original worth, so at least give it a chance. You won't regret it... Scout's Honor."

By far the best trance CD to date.

Alex Rischard | Washington, DC USA | 12/14/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I own all of the global underground and renaissance CDs and this is by far the best. I also own all of oakenfolds work. Dave Seaman is the only DJ who plays in the same ballpark as Oakie and with this mix he hit a home run. The songs are incredibly catchy while being trippy. Both CDs are a continuous flow from begining to end, NO JOKE: Buy it if you can before it's too late. Had I not bought it some time ago, I wouldn't hesitate to pay $100 for it. Seriously if you aren't ready to invest, find a copy from a friend or whatever and listen to it, if you truely love trance than you will understand how I feel about this CD and buy it...."

Wake Up!

LexAffection | Philadelphia, PA USA | 01/13/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This Renaissance release grooves. It flows. It moves you. Everything, from the transitions, to the mixing techniques, the EQ and the vocals, the fades and the change of styles, is placed perfectly. I really cannot imagine better places for any of the aforementioned attributes of this CD than where they already are. Albums like this particular one encompass pretty much each and every reason why Dave Seaman is becoming one of my most respected and spun artists out of a dauntingly long list of others.



Pity it is out of print. Most classics become so, it seems.



This double-disc set encompasses such a myriad of styles that it is overwhelming and pleasurably enveloping simultaneously. The vocals on 'Save Me', 'Dreaming' and 'Up In Flames' are fantastic, they really are - and the set has a 'worldly groove' vibe to it, with some tracks which sounding as if they'd arisen from India, Africa & Spain. But these influences do not dominate the album, making it a mishmash of multicultural trance tunes - they merely add dashes of flavor to the mix, making it even more incredibly unique than it already is based on its own technical achievements.



The real magic lies within the track selection. The way each song flows and actively keep the listener involved, participating in this wonderful journey... I absolutely guarantee there is no point where I found myself wanting to skip ahead even ten seconds. Seamless, catchy, cheeseless, distinctive & dignified progressive trance music - TWO WHOLE DISCS WORTH -is what the buyer will "Awaken" to.



And it is truly an Awakening amongst the veritable ocean of anthemic dance music we find ourselves struggling to breathe amongst today.

As another reviewer stated, having heard this mix before I would not hesitate to pay up to one hundred dollars for the two CDs. It is just *that* rare that one finds a pair of cds that can be listened to sequentially, and then suddenly nothing else seems desirable... the two need to be replayed! And replayed, and replayed, and replayed....



~Lex"