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Various Artists - Ultimate Trance 3, Mixed by Above & Beyond, Christopher Lawrence and Alex Megane
Created On March 28th, 2006 by sketchell
- CD
(Central Station/MRA)
Central Station’s Ultimate series enjoys a well deserved reputation for high quality and value for money. With releases available in many flavours, the Ultimate collection does a bang up job capturing sets from leading Disc Jockey’s. Once again this latest installment is worth its weight in gold, with the big guns of trance delivering their own unique takes on the trance sound. Included are two mixes from trance trio Above & Beyond, a pseudo-artist mix from Christopher Lawrence and a musical journey from Alex Megane.
Up first is American Chris Lawrence. Although previously released as Unhooked: The Hook Sessions, the inclusion of this mix in the Ultimate package has been cleverly designed to coincide with Lawrence’s tour of Australia. Aimed more at the lounge room than the dance floor, this musical jaunt is deeply engaging and eminently enjoyable. Composed of eleven broody and dark progressive monsters, Unhooked is a well executed showcase of the skills of one of the trance scenes brightest stars.
Comprised exclusively of Lawrence’s own work, Unhooked is not intended to be a measure-perfect DJ mix. Instead, it acts as an aural showcase of his 11 best productions from the now defunct Hook Recordings catalogue. Filmer opens in languid style, a hazy downtempo cocoon of merry keys drifting over sailing pipes. From there on in Lawrence’s production talents are obvious. The pick of the bunch is 24/7, a track that harks back to the heydays of deep Oakenfold style trance. Notable mentions also go to the anxiety inducing Wasteland, the twisted adventures of the Navigator and the ice cold synth atmosphere of Defiant.
Moving away from the dark and mysterious, Above and Beyond’s discs are full of the warm trance sound that makes all the problems of the world temporarily melt away. I spent many a night drifting off to sleep after a big night out in Amsterdam listening to a dreamy Above and Beyond Mixmag cover disc called Lazer Kissed Trance and these mixes are happily equally enjoyable.
As previously mentioned, Ultimate Trance 3 features two Above & Beyond mixes. Even though these mixes have been previously commercially released as Ajunabeats Volume 2 and 3, thanks to the foresight of Above & Beyond, they remain relatively timeless.
Peppered across the two discs are 27 tracks that explore the melodic and uplifting side of trance. Music like Larry Mountains 54, the happy bleeps of Hijack, Lucas and Beltram’s Trust Me and current favourite Made of Sun all star on Volume 3. The equally impressive Volume 2 includes the disarming Gabriel & Dresden remix of No One On Earth, Super 8’s magical Cre8, a smashing Probspot Remix of Endre’s I Kill For You and my pick of the lot, Tranquility Base’s Surrender.
Berlin based Alex Megane changes tack, dishing out music that gets faster and more uplifting as the mix wears on. Producing under a prolific amount of monikers including Cosmic Culture, Alex M and Desperate Deejays, Megane has enjoyed much German chart success, having remixed tracks for the likes of DJ Dean and Accuface. Unafraid of unleashing armadas of high octane trance, Megane’s mix features wave after satisfying wave of synthesizers, sharp melodies and pounding drums. Exactly the kind of music your neighbours want to hear at 3am!
A full frontal assault on the senses, Megane’s mix is pure, euphoric energy. Unlike the deeper sounds of Unhooked, this mix is all about the dance floor. Quality stadium trancers like The Mystery’s Feel 4 You (Dub Mix), DJ Shog’s Jealousy (Club Mix) and the refreshing Energizer Reworked, are delicious! Add to this the tingly goodness of 2004’s monster Technodisco, Megane’s very own Time of Your Life (Ohm Boys Remix) and his surprisingly good Ballanation No. 4 remix, and you have an amazing eighty minutes of music that in this reviewers mind is the most enjoyable of the four mixes.
Those of you who already own any of the previously released mixes will have to ask if picking up smashing sets from the top guns of trance is worth the price. Shouldn’t be too hard a decision!
