| Music |
| Currently listening to: Stuff by DJs Sasha, John Digweed and Paul van Dyk. |
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| Brief CD Reviews and Suggested Listening |
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| Xpander (EP) by Sasha 1999 My rating: 10 out of 10 |
| This my favorite CD in my small collection, with the title track being my favorite song of all time. Sasha is mostly known as a progressive (trance) DJ, but I don't think the material on this release is what you would normally call "trance." I think it's been called "Euro-trance," "progressive trance," and "ambient trance," but I don't really care what it is. The songs on this album are perfect. With the exception of the very laid-back Baja, all the songs are moderately paced (~150 bpm or less) and are capable of evoking a wide range of emotions ranging from excitement to contentment to sadness. Additionally, all the songs (except for the edited version of Xpander) are over 10 minutes long, so you can expect a lot of the quality build-ups that Sasha is known for. This is actually one of Sasha's first original works in a while (he's mixed many songs by other artists before), but it proves that Sasha posseses a gifted ear. I highly recommend that you pick this CD up (if you can find it) if you like electronica (even if you don't like this kind of music, I think this CD still makes for good listening while driving or just chilling out). For me, Xpander represents the best $11 (MSRP) I've ever spent. I am really looking forward to his next original work, Airdrawndagger, due out early August 2002. |
| Listen to a 20 sec. clip of Xpander [Edit] (250KB) |
| Note: To listen to the song clips, download them ONCE (to save bandwidth) by clicking the link and then selecting "Save This File To Disk." You will need Winzip to unzip the clips. The clips themselves are in mp3 format (all @ 96kbps), so you will also need an mp3 player like Winamp or Windows Media Player to listen to them. |
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| Northern Exposure Vol. 2: West Coast Edition by Sasha+John Digweed 1998 My rating: 9.5 out of 10 |
| This particular album is a mixed set of mostly German trance and is mixed (excellently) by John Digweed (The East Coast Edition is mixed by Sasha). The tempo of the entire album is roughly the same as that of Xpander above, so don't expect to hear any hard German trance. The material selected by Digweed is good, exhibiting a range of moods, but suffers a bit due to the fact that each individual track does not seem to have distinct identity of its own (the whole album sounds like one long track). This just may be a consequence of very good mixing on Digweed's part, or maybe it really is the result of a narrow selection of songs. I can't determine which it is because I've only listened through the whole album twice, which is kind of related to another issue I have about this CD. In order to fully appreciate this (full-length) album, you must listen to it all the way through. Listening to one or two songs or listening to the songs out of order just won't do it (it is after all a mixed CD). Addendum: I've listend to this CD some more and I like it even better. The songs are varied and a few tracks stand out in my mind (Superstring and Enervate), so in response to the above question I had, I think that the mixing is just very well done. |
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| Version 2.0 by Garbage 1998 My rating: 9.5 out of 10 |
| Come Clean by Curve 1998 My rating: 9.5 out of 10 |
| These three albums by Garbage and Curve represent the better mainstream part of my collection. All three albums are similar in that they are great mixtures of electronic noise, over-driven guitars, and dark-yet-ultra-sultry vocals provided by British women Shirley Manson (Garbage) and Toni Halliday (Curve). All three albums get a 9.5 out of 10 because they are great, but as with almost all albums, each has a couple of filler songs that I don't like (which is not the case with Xpander above). Version 2.0- This CD has a more pop or dance feel than the Curve productions. (This isn't a bad thing; I'm just trying to describe the album in more detail in order to differentiate it from the other two above.) The material here is varied, ranging from the slow and sad The Trick Is To Keep Breathing to the schizophrenic I Think I'm Paranoid. All in all, this is a good CD. If you like this CD, then I recommend picking up Garbage's self-titled debut album as well. Come Clean- I think the clip above of Chinese Burn (which is used as the opening theme song for TV's La Femme Nikita on the USA Network) is very representative of this entire CD. This album, I think, has more of rock feel to it than the other two, but with an emphasis on electronic sounds. I can't stand the title track though; it's just very abrasive to my ears. Other than that, I can listen to the entire CD with no problem. Gift- The follow-up to Come Clean, Gift seems to add more electronica to the rock feel of its predecessor This album has a decidedly more techno feel to it. It also has a more melancholy tone in my opinion. There are a few tracks, though, that are more reminiscent of Come Clean like the intro track Hell Above Water (which, incidentally, was used in some of the commercials for the recent Spider-Man movie). |
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| Gift by Curve 2001 My rating: 9.5 out of 10 |
| Listen to a 20 sec. clip of Push It (240KB) |
| Listen to a 20 sec. clip of Chinese Burn (230KB) |
| Listen to a 35 sec. clip of My Tiled White Floor (430KB) |
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| White Pony by the Deftones 2000 My rating: 9 out of 10 |
| Mer de Noms by A Perfect Circle 2000 My rating: 8.5 out of 10 |
| Both White Pony and Mer de Noms can be classified as alternative rock. However, they are not all that similar. White Pony- This is the harder album of the two (although not as hard as previous Deftones work). However, there is variety here from the extreme Elite to the mostly subdued Digital Bath. Chino Moreno's voice actually sounds soothing through most of the CD. Mer de Noms- This album is not all just about yelling and blaring guitars. It has a more somber tone and some bizarre experimental sounds, and even has some violin courtesy of their bass player Paz Lenchantin. Fans of Tool are likely to like this CD because it kind of sounds like them (and the vocalist for both bands is Maynard James Keenan). Side note: the song in the clip above, Magdalena, is one of my favorite songs of all time. It has a kind of beauty to it that I do not know how to describe. |
| Listen to the first 35 seconds of Knife Prty (430KB) |
| Listen to a 20 sec. clip of Magdalena (270KB) |
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| The Sickness by Disturbed 2000 My rating: 8 out of 10 |
| Let's face it. Disturbed is not going to win any awards for having deep and /or intriguing lyrics. This album is all about aggression, pure and simple. The Sickness accomplishes what it sets out to do: to provide some good heavy metal tunes. For that, it gets an 8 out of 10. Curiously enough, it's not the different sounding instruments that set this album apart from my other metal albums, say like Tonight The Stars Revolt by Powerman 5000 (which has a few good songs), but David Draiman's voice. He can talk really fast and make some funky noises. |
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| The Shame Stack: CDs I wish I didn't buy |
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| Significant Other by Limp Bizkit 1999 |
| This is just crap-rock. I don't know what I was thinking. |
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| Sinner by Drowning Pool 2001 |
| I bought this CD just for the hit single, Bodies. I wish I didn't becuase I don't like anything else on this CD. |
| The Someday Stack: CDs I might want to buy |
| From the Global Underground series: Barcelona-James Lavelle Ibiza (Sasha)-Single disc version Brazil (Nick Warren) Hong Kong (John Digweed) New York (Paul Oakenfold) Prague (Nick Warren) Buenos Aires (Dave Seaman) Oslo (Paul Oakenfold) Amsterdam (Nick Warren) Singapore (Darren Emerson) GU Sampler 001: Departures and the rest of the GU series |
| More Sasha and/or John Digweed stuff: Communicate Bedrock series MMII |
| Listen to a 20 sec. clip of Enervate (250KB) |
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| Northern Exposure Vol. 3: Expeditions by Sasha+John Digweed 1999 My rating: 10 out of 10 (Disc 1), 9 out of 10 (Disc 2); 9.5 out of 10 overall (averaged) |
| Listen to a 15 sec. clip of Belfunk (180KB) |
| The last installment of the Northern Exposure series, Expeditions, is a 2-disc set, with Sasha and Digweed each mixing a disc (I think Sasha did Disc 1 because his Belfunk, which is off of the Xpander EP, is featured here). Disc 1 is my favorite of the two, just because of the song selection; it just sounds better to me. It's one of my most listened to CD right now. What both discs have in common, however, is that they both showcase superb mixing as usual. Both discs, in fact the entire Northern Exposure series, are what this album's title says: expeditions. They simply are evocative musical journeys. I would recommend geting this album in addition to the above Northern Exposure CDs. Addendum: I just got the imported edition from Australia and Disc 1 has a song that is not included in the US release: Silence by Delerium featuring Sarah McLachlan. The song falls between Belfunk by Sasha and I Know You Love Me Too by Chris Raven. These 2 songs flowed so well together in the US release, but Silence interrupts that flow. Add to that the fact that Silence was terribly overplayed everywhere, even the alternative version, and you get an okay CD that is not as good as the US version. I give this CD a 9.5 out of 10. |
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| Global Underground: San Francisco by Sasha 1999 My rating: 9.5 out of 10 (Disc 1), 9.5 out of 10 (Disc 2); 9.5 out of 10 overall (averaged) |
| Global Underground: Ibiza by Sasha 1999 My rating: 9 out of 10 (Disc 1), 9.5 out of 10 (Disc 2); 9.25 out of 10 overall (averaged) |
| Listen to a 20 sec. clip of Fibonacci Sequence (230KB) |
| Listen to a 10 sec. clip of Everything's Not You (130KB) |
| This is an *excellent* double mix set, IMHO. I like both CDs. The sets here are supposed to be representative of what Sasha spins in clubs, although having never been to a club, I can only say that they sound like a mixture of the ambient Northern Exposure sound with a bit more house thrown in the mix. That being said, expect to hear a variety of sounds here from ambient to house, and consequently, the requisite peaks and lulls of a typical club set. Be warned though, this album is not like the Northern Exposure CDs, which were intended to be musical journeys into new territory. This album is, however, my overall favorite of Sasha's two Global Underground contributions (the other being Ibiza, the next one down). |
| Another good double mix set, GU: Ibiza is Sasha's second offering under the GU label. It's just as good as his San Francisco, but the style is different; it's all about the big name hits. Despite that, I seem to like Disc 2 a lot more than Disc 1, but that's just me. There are a lot of big names and songs on these two discs, including Orbital's Nothing Left (Breeder Remix), Space Manoeuvers' Stage One (Pariah Remix), BT's Fibonacci Sequence and Mercury & Solace, Sasha's own Xpander, Junkie XL's Future in Computer Hell (Part 2), and Bedrock's Heaven Scent. Of course, the mixing is seamless and the placement of the songs is great as well. I recommend this album in addition to GU: SF above. |
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| The Height of Callousness by Spineshank 2000 My rating: 8 out of 10 |
| I'm sorry. I just lied when I said The Sickness was all about pure aggression. Forgive me? This CD is all about pure aggression. It's even more like metal than The Sickness. There's even a bit of a techno sound thrown into the mix as well. Warning: don't be fooled by the fact that there is no "Parental Advisory" sticker on the front of this one. There should be one for those who care, although it doesn't matter to me. |
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| Okay. So it's not a music CD, but it's a music game (which fits with the whole video game theme of the rest of my site). Frequency is a great music/rhythm game with a simple premise: press buttons in step with the musical notes of a song in order to hear them and progress through the game. Sounds simple, right? Well, it is (only when youre playing on the lower difficulty settings though). The game's simple controls allow almost anyone to get into the game the first time they see it, but the real appeal lies in the music, of course. The excellent song selection is varied in genre, tempo, and length, which all determine the difficulty of a song. You'll hear (and play) rock, trance, drum & bass, house, jungle, hip-hop, industrial, and more. Here's the complete song and artist list: The Crystal Method-The Winner Acrobatik-Exterminator No Doubt-Ex-Girlfriend (remix) Orbit-XLR8R Freezepop-Science Genius Girl Dub Pistols-Official Chemical Lo-Fidelity Allstars-Lofis In Ibiza Fear Factory-Frequency Paul Oakenfold-See It Ethan Eves-Selecta Powerman 5000-Danger Is Go Orbital-Funny Break (Weekend Raver mix) DJ Qbert-Cosmic Assassins BT-Smartbomb Curve-Worst Mistake (Download the entire song at Curve's official site for free!) Jungle Brothers-What's the Five-0 Funkstar De Luxe-Ignition Roni Size-Railing Part 2 Meat Beat Manifesto-Dynamite Fresh Juno Reactor-Higher Ground Toni Trippi-Motomatic DJ HMX-Ibiza Dreamz Symbion Project-Funny Dope Maneuver Komputer Kontroller-Control Your Body Symbion Project-FreQout Robot Kid vs. Inter:sekt-End Of Your World Surgecore-Luge Crash These are the official game songs that you play to progress through the game, but many more remixes of these songs are included for you to try too. What's more, you can remix these songs yourself to listen to and play in. That feature, plus the 4-player capability, really raise the replayability of the game. Go here to find out how to play and for a couple screenshots. |
| Frequency for the Sony PS2 2001 Number of players: 1-2 (1-4 w/ Multitap) current MSRP: $20-$30 My rating: 9.5 out of 10 |
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| Listen to a 30 sec. clip of Worst Mistake (380KB) |
| Listen to a 20 sec. clip of Rabbitweed (230KB) |
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| Northern Exposure Vol. 2: East Coast Edition by Sasha+John Digweed 1998 My rating: 9.5 out of 10 |
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| Global Underground Sampler 003: Destinations by The Forth 2001 My rating: 9.5 out of 10 |
| This CD is a sampler of material from GU: Amsterdam (Nick Warren), GU: London (Danny Tanaglia), GU: Uruguay (Darren Emerson), and GU: Cape Town (Dave Seaman). The tracks have been selected and mixed together by The Forth as a sort of best-of-the-best of the 4 aforementioned GU albums. Overall though, this set is different from the typical GU offerings. It's a bit more mellow and ambient due to the fact that most of the tracks seem to have a minimalist's mentality behind them. There's not too much going on at once; there's a simple beat & rhythm, perfect for a long night drive or just to chill to. I would say that it is kind of like Northern Exposure Vol. 2-West Coast Edition's darker sibling because both have an overall ambient mood, but NE 2-West is much more lighter in tone. The mixing here is also top notch. Great deal here for only $6 (MSRP). |
| Listen to a 20 sec. clip of Down With The Sickness (220KB) |
| Listen to a 25 sec. clip of Cyanide2600 (300KB) |
| Listen to a 10 sec. clip of The Word (120KB) |
| Listen to a 15 sec. clip of Little Bullet-Part 1 (180KB) |
| This CD is the companion to the above CD and is mixed (again excellently) by Sasha. Another great listen, just like its West Coast counterpart, but maybe a bit darker. Is it just me, or do I hear a sort of precursor to Sasha's Xpander in Spooky's Little Bullet-Part 1? Just listen to the clip to the left yourself. |
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| Global Underground Sampler 002: Arrivals by The Forth 2001 My rating: 9.5 out of 10 |
| This CD is a sampler of material from GU: Ibiza (Sasha), GU: San Francisco (Sasha), GU: London (Danny Tanaglia), GU: Budapest (Nick Warren), GU: Hong Kong (John Digweed), and GU: Buenos Aires (Dave Seaman). It is a full length CD though, with over 60 minutes of music superbly mixed by The Forth; it also costs only $6 (MSRP). The tracks have been selected and mixed together as a sort of best-of-the-best of the 6 aforementioned GU albums. The songs here are more house/trance oriented, so expect more energy out of this one than the next one down. Interestingly enough, 5 of the 11 songs here come from the 2 Sasha GU albums. In fact, the song to the left, The Chain, comes from Sasha's San Francisco album. |
| Listen to a 20 sec. clip of The Chain (240KB) |
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| Global Underground: Cape Town by Dave Seaman 2000 My rating: 8 out of 10 (Disc 1), 9.5 out of 10 (Disc 2); 8.75 out of 10 overall (averaged) |
| Well, I got this one because I liked the sample I heard. I've only listened to it once or twice, but all I can say right now is that nothing realy sticks out in my mind. I can say, however, that the first disc is more like a warm up for the second disc; disc 2 has the harder and faster trance of the two. The mixing is also good. Addendum: I've listened to this some more, and I still think Disc 2 is a lot better tha Disc 1. Disc 2 has some good trance on it. |
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| Global Underground: Budapest by Nick Warren 2000 My rating: 9.5 out of 10 (Disc 1), 9.5 out of 10 (Disc 2); 9.5 out of 10 overall (averaged) |
| I just got this one, so I can't really say anything about it yet. I got it because I heard it was good. All I can say right now though is that is the fastest and hardest trance in my GU collection. Addendum: The whole album is filled with decent trance and is mixed well. It's much like GU: Cape Town-Disc 2. |
| Listen to a 10 sec. clip of Guten Morgen (160KB) |
| Listen to a 10 sec. clip of Faster Faster (120KB) |
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| Air 2000 (Import Single) by Albion 2000 My rating: 10 out of 10 |
| Listen to a 20 sec. clip of Air 2000 (Oliver Lieb Remix) (230KB) |
| This is an extremely rare progressive house/trance UK single. It has 3 remixes of Albion's Air 2000, which has appeared on many dance/trance/club compilations, including some GU albums. All three remixes are very good, hence the 10 out of 10. |
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| Airdrawndagger by Sasha 2002 My rating: 9.5 out of 10 |
| Well, here is Sasha's artistic debut album. I was expecting more material like Xpander, but this isn't like Xpander at all. This album is, for the most part, more ambient. The only song that is similar to Xpander is Bloodlock, which is also a good song. There is also a range of syles here too though. You can hear some influences from breakbeat, ambient, drum & bass, and house. At first I didn't like it, but a few close listenings revealed to me how deep of an album this is; it is simply a work of art. But, as with almost any album, there are a few tracks that I just don't care for. Also, this is a continuous-mix CD, but not like his previous mixes where the songs are ingeniously intertwined (this one is mixed more like how the Dirty Vegas debut CD was - one song ends and another begins immediately). |
| Listen to a 15 sec. clip of Magnetic North (180KB) |
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| Northern Exposure (UK Import) by Sasha+John Digweed 1996 My rating: 9.5 out of 10 (Disc 1); 9 out of 10 (Disc 2); 9.25 out of 10 overall (averaged) |
| Here is what Amazon.com calls "the Rolls Royce of trance-house mixes." It is very good (the mixing is excellent), but it does sound a bit dated by now. Disc 1 seems to conjure up visions of serene landscapes because it is the more relaxed of the two and would be absolutely perfect for a scenic drive, a get-together on the beach, or an relaxing evening under the stars. Disc 2 on the other hand is a little more energetic and darker. It is more suited for the dancefloor or outdoor party. |
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| Global Underground: Melbourne by Dave Seaman 2002 My rating: 8 out of 10 (Disc 1), 8 out of 10 (Disc 2); 8 out of 10 overall (averaged) |
| I forgot I had this one. It's okay. I'll listen to it some more and my rating will probably change. |
| Listen to a 10 sec. clip of Soliton Wave (120KB) |
| Listen to a 20 sec. clip of Cascade (250KB) |
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| Arkham Asylum/Ohmna (Import Single) by Sasha 1996 My rating: 10 out of 10 |
| This is early Sasha. It is EXTREMELY hard to find. All I can say is "epic." Two great songs here with almost 30 minutes of music. |
| Listen to a 20 sec. clip of Ohmna (240KB) |
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| Columbia (EP) by Paul van Dyk 2001 My rating: 9.5 out of 10 |
| This is my first purchase from Paul van Dyk, but it's his latest release. I like it because it's good, non-cheesey trance (hard to find nowadays), but I wonder what his previous stuff is like? |
| Listen to a 20 sec. clip of Movement (260KB) |
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| Scorchio (Import Single) by Sasha + Darren Emerson 2000 My rating: 10 out of 10 |
| The follow-up to the hit Xpander, Scorchio was the feel good hit of the summer of 2000 in Europe. It's much more lighter than Xpander though. Listening to this CD conjures up visions of a beach party on a sunny day. |
| Listen to the first 25 sec. of Scorchio [Edit] (360KB) |