(Central Station/MRA)

Marco V is oft referred to as the Godd of tech trance. With successful tunes ‘Automanual’, ‘Echoes’ and ‘Stimulated’ under his belt, as well as well-known remixes like ‘Loving You’ and ‘Café Del Mar’, it’s no surprise this DJ is in hot demand at the biggest European parties including Sensation, Global Gathering, and Trance Energy. Fans will be pleased, therefore, that Marco has released 200V, his latest artist album. It is worth noting that all the tunes on this album were written by Marco V and partner in music Benjamin Kuijten, better known as Benjamin Bates.

There has been criticism levelled at Marco that some of his latest tunes, including ‘More Than A Life Away’ and ‘False Light’, lack his sparkling brilliance. Certainly his tracks have taken on moodier overtones, and lack the bombast arrogance of ‘Godd’ or the energy of ‘Loops n Tings’. Whether the listener appreciates Marco’s current musical direction is, of course, a highly personal choice.The oddly named ‘c:\del.*mp3’ appears on this CD, as does favourite ‘Automanual’. The rest of the tunes are new. ‘New Dawn’ kicks off with some grungy tech before verging into sweeping, but fairly mediocre, melodies. If you like your tech slow and haunting, ‘No Place For Silence’ might be for you. ‘Red Blue Purple’ is one of my preferred tunes on this CD – gritty tech that’s bound to make any crowd go spastic.

Vocals can be something of a hit and miss affair, and ‘Stronger Now’ is definitely a miss. Moving right along to ‘Toys For Humanoids’. Marco is clearly showing partiality for dark tech. The evil rough synth in this track might induce some head-caving if dropped at the right moment. Some other tunes on this disc are ‘Second Bite’, ‘Calling The Shots’ and ‘Terminal 18’.

This CD is something of a disappointment. The tracks are aurally interesting, but not stimulating enough to rock the dancefloor. This is odd, because Marco certainly knows how to get a dancefloor pumped. If you don’t believe me, check out the bonus DVD which features footage from Sensation, Amnesia, Trance Energy and more. You also get to check out some video clips, and possess Marco V’s Sensation 2005 live set as an mp3. Not too shabby at all.

Whilst 200V may not showcase the full extent of Marco’s potential, anyone who saw him play at Voodoo’s Birthday at Home (or, indeed, any of his performances around Australia), will acknowledge that this man does tech very well. Buy this one for the tunes, buy it for the DVD, buy it because it’s Marco V and he is, after all, Godd.