(Central Station/MRA)

Andre Tanneberger blazed into the dance industry with his first release under the ATB moniker – 9pm (Till I Come). Since then he’s produced five ATB albums, the last four of which have made it into the German Top 10. His latest release CD is Seven Years. It’s something of a best-of album and, as you would expect, includes the massive 9pm, as well as 19 other self-produced works.

The CD opens with the 2005 hit Humanity. Rank 1 and Alex MORPH have both remixed this tune – a testimony to its appeal. Tiff Lacey provides the vocals. Let You Go was released in 2001, however this CD features the 2005 rework. It’s ambient and, surprisingly, features male vocals. Believe In Me is another recent production. It’s got that curious house-trance vibe. Trilogie Part 2 is more chill-out than club. Things are still mellow for Take Me Over. It retains a slight Iberic feel.

There’s a delightful air to Far Beyond. This song, to me, represents Tanneberger’s skills more than the more commercially popular 9pm. He relies heavily on vocals in tunes like Here With Me and Ecstasy. Tiff Lacey and Roberta Carter Harrison are both regular vocalists. Marrakech, track 9, is the title tune to the movie ‘Mindhunters’ starring Val Kilmer, Christian Slater and LL Cool J.

Piano chords open Long Way Home. Trainspotters should easily recognise the lyrics to You’re Not Alone. It is, of course, a remix of the 1997 original sung by Olive. Many of ATB’s tunes sound…well, similar. Most artists do retain many similarities across their production work, but for ATB this is something of a drawback. Light Euro house-trance music can get stilted very quickly, and with 20 tunes on this CD, the same sound becomes frustrating. I want some bass, a quirky beat or some dirty lyrics.

The Summer, a song I’d never heard before, sounds almost identical to 9pm. The CD rounds off with ATB’s best known tracks – Killer, Don’t Stop and 9pm (Till I Come). If you’re an ATB fan, you probably have all these tunes, particularly his more popular ones. After 7 years in the industry however, I think ATB is entitled to release his best-of compilation.