Dutchman Marco V has truly come a long way since the first Combi:Nations compilation back in 2004, which was undoubtedly a wicked three-disc compilation full of progressive, trance, and techno spread across a “full night”, with each CD flowing together impeccably. Since then Marco V’s sound has evolved and moved with the changing trends, moving away from the uplifting yet aggressive trance of his early days and shifting to incorporate more electro/minimal that now features in his sets. The much anticipated third edition of the Combi:Nations series has finally been released worldwide, and this latest installment clearly shows his newer direction, including two discs filled with tunes in Marco V’s distinct style. The discs are titled ‘Before’ and ‘After’ this time around, and aim to bring both a full-on dancefloor mix plus a deeper blend of post-party tunes, all featuring tunes that are doing it for Marco V right now.

‘Before’ doesn’t mess around, starting the CD off with deep no-nonsense beats courtesy of Marco V’s new track Universal Enemy, working in with the festival vibe and starting out just like he would in the middle of a huge long day of partying. The harsh techy beats keep a-coming, with Alex Conners’ synth-heavy Trust. You can already feel the crowd lapping it up! The bassline just keeps getting stronger with Beats Cool’s Body Trip, though it brings the annoyance levels to their peak, but he recovers by the time Patrick Alavi’s awesome stomper Hell Yeah drops into the mix, adding a funkier feel with its vocal hits and infectious short breakdowns.

The second of Marco V’s tracks to feature is Possibly But Unlikely which takes the pace up a notch, followed by two more slices of very familiar vocal-influenced tastiness with the Feel It remix by Thomas Gold as well as Creamer & K’s Something To Lose remixed by Starkillers, the latter working a catchy-as vocal that brings you right up. Going all tribal on us, Mario Ocha vs DJ Fist’s Showtime adds that festival flare to the party atmosphere, before then dropping into the drums-drenched, wicked DJ Raymundo’s Framebusted, the beats just keep getting deeper, dirtier and more danceable!

Gradually, the mix evolves into a more rapid intermingling of deeper techno tracks with Javith, Salazar & Gil’s Kukenan, bass-filled Bang Goes The Drum by Tony Arzadon and even a hit of tech-trance from Sander van Doorn. Throwing in Marco V’s remix of Higher State of Conscious didn’t feel appropriate here, although I do like the remix (yet am quite well and truly over this track at the moment!). The last three tracks wind it up cleanly with upbeat tech-house tracks plus a wicked Your House is My House sample in DJ Simi vs DJ Marotta’s My House.

‘After’ is truly for the post-party recovery at home, starting off very gently with Djuma Soundsystem’s Les Djinns in a remix by Trentemøller. The guitar beats in this just hit the spot as they build, making this a very tasty starter track for CD 2. Although an after-party CD, the energy is still lurking in the shadows and Taste T’s Sealed drives it on, keeping with the guitar-focused beginning, and adds a smooth sexy repeating vocal. The party definitely ain’t over yet. Bringing the morning in, Raw Shape’s Sunrize eliminates any down-feeling and brings a warm glow to the set, with its wicked bassline that has a lush breakdown. Unfortunately this is ruined by Robbie Rivera’s piano-ladden Escape however is recovered by Samuel L. Session’s uplifting )Velvet_. Things then really hot up with Marco V’s absolutely super sturdy remix of Meck’s Feels Like Home, which features the wicked sample of 90s classic Don’t You Want Me by Felix. No coming down just yet thought with the superb melodic techno-like K-10 by Mistress Barbara.

X-Press 2’s Kill 100 is remixed by Marco V himself, who’s made it into a rather calm yet nicely flowing track. Stepping back into ‘After’ territory, with a dash of weirdness, Marco V works in Margot’s Torch and Kupon’s Zoom In together and somehow it works. From here on, he loses me in a myriad of melodic techno/housey tracks that for some reason kept losing my attention. Alexander Maier’s Road of Injury brings me back, along with the rework of the 90s classic Marmion’s Schöneberg, then finishing up with a very deep, intricate remix by Audiofly of Remo’s Mizar.

Overall, this compilation showcases Marco V’s ever evolving sound as he delivers an upfront, cutting-edge mix. The mixing is impeccable and the CDs are filled with numerous Marco V re-edits and remixes. The diversity of the first CD shines through in an unbelievably nice way. Combining tech, electro, techno and vocals, it sounds very fresh and utterly danceable. Diverse in sounds, CD 1 however can at times change around too much and lacks direction, relying on a somewhat minimal feel at times, leaving you waiting for what will happen next. Disc 2 is definitely more down tempo, supposedly for relaxing yet it still maintains a strong energy in parts that would ensure your feet were still tapping long after leaving the party, yet also finishing up on a minimal sound. As always Marco V is ahead of the rest, discovering gems that other DJs seem to miss. Combi:Nations III is not only for the Marco V fan but for anyone seeking something different that isn’t genre-limited and pushes boundaries. Get it.