Search - Various Artists :: Trance 2: State of Altered Consciousness

An (apparently) underappreciated dj mix gem

Douglas A. Greenberg | Berkeley, CA USA | 06/30/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Noel Sanger is becoming a kind of Rodney Dangerfield among U.S. trance/progressive house producer/dj's, definitely getting insufficient respect, considering his impressive talents. He released a fine trance mix in 1997 on the Street Beat label called "Beatbox 2000" that almost no one has ever heard of; he subsequently released a competent and at times even brilliant solo album on S.F.P. called "Selections." But whereas some fans may be familiar with a few of his tracks (e.g, the high-energy "Subterfuge"), he has not truly emerged as a big name among U.S. electronic music producers (which at best might be a case of being a big fish in an all-too-tiny pond). With this new 2cd release on the Container Label, however, Sanger fairly begs to have his djing talents noticed and appreciated. The Florida-based producer/remixer/dj has put together a wonderful sampling of current trance and progressive house tracks and has mixed them in inspired fashion. People who enjoy the work of British dj's such as Sasha, John Digweed, Dave Seaman, and Nick Warren owe it to themselves to give this set a listen. The first cd begins in unsual fashion, with a progressive house cover of rocker/balladeer Neil Young's thirty-year-old mournful anthem, "After the Gold Rush." This is a case of a real misfit between lyrics and accompaniment, but still, the track works musically, setting a tone of trancey intensity that is maintained over the rest of the mix. Highlights of the first mix include the rhythmic and hard-driving "Shimmer" by Cliff Tangredi, a fine vocal version of Deepsky's middle eastern-tinged "Cosmic Dancer," Joi Cardwell's soulfully incandescent "Soul to Bare," the dark and multilayered "The Phoenix" by Scott Hardkiss Presents God Within, and to finish things off, Steve Porter's soaring, pulsating, high-energy "Sensor."The second mix is perhaps even more satisfying than the first, beginning with a Timo Maas remix of Lustral's now-familiar "Everytime." Having read this, some potential buyers might be concerned that a product including a number of well-worn titles including Tilt's "I dream," Space Manoeuvres' "Stage One," Bedrock's "Heaven Scent," and Libra presents Taylor's "Calling Your Name" has simply too many oldies to be worth buying. Not so; in most cases (the Tilt track is the exception), Sanger has discovered fresh new or heretofore unheralded mixes of these anthems, rendering the emergent product fresh and definitely worth having. For me, the highlight of the second cd (and perhaps of the entire set) is the inclusion of Carrisa Mondavi's stunning "Solid Ground," as remixed by Fade (Chris Fortier & Neil Kolo). This long and unforgettably haunting, hypnotic, and infectiously trancey progressive house track is one of my favorites of the year so far, and Sanger mixes it into the set gorgeously.The man deserves some respect, and his mix set deserves to be heard. This is one of the best dj mixes by an American dj this year, and I would implore my fellow American trance/progressive fans to take a chance on it."

Worth the price

Douglas A. Greenberg | 05/26/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Floridian Noel Sanger is one of the very best young American trance/progressive dj's, and this two cd set proves it. Unlike so many other recent trance mixes, Sanger includes a number of little-known and unknown tracks and mixes them skillfully. Even when he uses well-worn tracks like Lustral's "Everytime" and Bedrock's "Heaven Scent," he uses mixes that to date have been given little exposure. The second cd particularly is hypnotic and wonderful. A previous reviewer expressed dislike for this set, comparing it unfavorably to Danny Howells' "Noctural Frequencies." However well-done, Howells' mix actually is about 75% house, rather than trance. Noel Sanger's material is indeed trance of the non-cheesy variety, and one of the better American dj mix cd's available."

Always Pleasing

soundinfinite | Louisville, KY USA | 08/16/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I can't help but love this cd. Even people that I know that don't like electronica, find this cd somewhat appealing. The cds fit nicely together, are wonderously mixed, and just take you away one right after another. Not many trance compilations can do this for me, they normaly fall into the basic ordinary flow that is just to play at a party, but this one stands out on its own."