Well the shit has been piling up for the past month or so
& I finally have a few free moments to get some reviews
in.
various: DigiDub 16 millionth of an inch (incoming)
Not what you might expect from Incoming! This compilation
is packed with thumping dancefloor tunes w/ 130+ bpm's.
Ethnic & trippy samples worked into the mixes. #1
has quite the same feel as a fast Transglobal Underground
tune. #2 is bouncy, less "ethnic" w/ a straightforward
synth line & dubby background echoe. #3 sounds like
a Zion Train tune speeded up +6. Overall this one sounds
like what is left after throwing a Nation records
compilation, a Rising High compilation and a Universal
Egg compilation into a blender. Novel sounds, formulaic
song structure, interesting to listen to at times, though
probably my least favorite Incoming release (i don't
feel this one will stand the test of time very well).
Various: Trance Atlantic 2 (Volume)
Well Volume seems to be pumping out the releases. The full
listing for this is probably on their web site
http://www.demon.co.uk/volume
this one features a jungle tune w/ a jazzy feel by Jamie Myerson,
a tune by K Hand that samples C&C's remix of Aretha Franklin's
version of Deeper Love which is pretty good dance floor fare,
but pales by comparison to the original tune which it samples.
Josh Wink's "just a track" has some quirky synth sounds in it,
but the monotonous Strictly Rhythm house beat is so stale
even birds won't bite it. Wamdue kids' People is a bit
formulaic, but much better than many of the other house
tunes on this comp., a little like todd terry vs. coco
steel & lovebomb (though a little more variation in the
beat wouldn't hurt, but then again Volume tunes aren't
generally the most innovative stuff around).
Stand out tunes: Lenny Dee & the outlander's "Emotional
response" has enough variation in melody, beats & synth sounds
to keep your interest through it's duration & would make
good dancefloor fare to boot. Single Cell Orchestra's
Threefold sounds a little like Crystal Method & is about the
only tune on this thing under 120 bpm's.
Otherwise most of the tunes on this are throwaways.