The world’s most popular – and probably most widely respected trance and trance-related label celebrates its 100th release with this double CD.
CD1 – Classic
It’s not often that you get the pleasure to review an album like this one. Above and Beyond have built a trance empire that spans the globe. The Anjunabeats brand is now known from Goa to Rio and aptly named, this album reflects the broad spectrum of music that is the modern day trance.
The scene is set perfectly with a Coco & Green remix of the opening track, Cara Dillon vs 2Devine’s Black is the Colour on CD 1, the older school of the two CDs. Its cute, bouncy electro groove rises into the more widely recognised Above & Beyond trance sound. From this point on you expect diversity. This expectation however is short-lived. The funky edge seems to dissolve about a third of the way through the mix and we get back to the well-loved A&B basics – big club trance! This is however no disappointment. Some of the mixes at this point seem a little rushed which takes away slightly from the resonating class that is written all over this mix. But what the hell, the tunes are brilliant.
Just when you think you might start to get bored with constant build, vocal, break, drop combo, you get surprised. The mix almost perfectly starts again about halfway through with a long filtered breakdown that makes you think you are listening to a second intro. And then - oh what a drop! You feel instantly invigorated – the mix is brought back to life in true A&B fashion – genius.
From here on in it’s A&B as we all know it – big breaks, building, filtered-in synths, arpeggiated grooves, tight percussion and sharp lead melodies hitting home that trance is certainly not dead; tracks like Boom Jinx feat Key’s Eternal Renaissance – a massive open trance tune with a simple and very catchy over subtle key changes and a thumping kick – you’ll be humming it for days. Nitrous Oxide’s North Pole is big trance with a clever melody - developing subtly and building and building seemingly endlessly. The drop is to die for – punchy and solid. Oceanlab’s Satellite is quite simply classic vocal trance and absolutely superb.
I have seen A&B play several times and even had the pleasure to take the decks from them for the legendary Gallery at The Honey Club in Brighton. They have never tried to be set-builders in their club sets. But the beauty of this album is just the opposite – well built and structured starting at 134BPM and rising steadily. The unique thing about its structure is that you’d be happy listening to this at 10PM or 4AM.
As you’d expect there are plenty of vocals, plenty of hands in the air moments and the mixing is tight as a nut. Set against a backdrop of perfect harmonies, CD 1 is a blend of big trance grooves and pensive vocals. It’s an album that recognises the diversity that trance is nowadays, and the main reason that we continue to see the world DJ charts dominated by trance DJs.
Best track: Boom Jinx feat Key – Eternal Renaissance
Best mix Oceanlab – Beautiful Together into Sunny Lax – P.U.M.A
CD2 – New and deep
Starting at 132BPM, it’s a very progressive beginning to what on the whole is a progressive mix. Looking down the tracklisting of CD2 of Above and Beyond’s Anjunabeats 100, and after listening to the first CD, I can’t see this continuing for long. Wrong again!
This mix continues with some of the new rising (and risen) stars of the trance world today. It’s a contrast to the first CD of this album representing how “trance” music is developing; into a more progressive, classy form of dance music. THE most in my opinion.
Although not limiting themselves to this, artists like David West, Andy Moor, Maor Levi and the Signalrunners (all featured on this album) have ensured that the banner of trance can now be flown over more deep and progressive house grooves whilst still maintaining the original source of the trance sound – the mood of the breakdowns and the melody. This is captured effortlessly during the first half of this mix.
The mood changes nicely in this mix about a third of the way through – the bass drops and there is a more sinister feel to it that works well although seems to lose a little of the progression of the mix. But oh no, Smith & Pledger’s mix of Amsterdam by Luminary picks it up again with one of the most dreamy vocals you could imagine. Pure class and extremely well placed in the mix, picking you right up…we’re back in business. And what can I say? It’s up and up from here on in - building and building, spine-tingling and full of energy.
Although an absolute corker of a set, some of the mixes are disappointing – they lose a bit of pace, a little imagination and could be tightened up. It’s not the beat matching - which is spot on – it’s difficult to put your finger on it. Having said that, at 136BPM over halfway through, it is supposed to be a progressive trance mix and with that in mind the mixing can be forgiven.
A few tracks worth a mention (although I could mention the whole lot):
David West feat Andreas Hermansson’s Larry Mountains 54 – extremely well produced, slightly dirty, slow trance with a house groove and a sweet vocal
Signalrunners’ Aria Epica – a perfect guitar lead with big electro bassline to get you going, and Above & Beyond present Tranquility Base’s Surrender – pure class and easily one of the best tracks of the last 5 years.
Best track: Above & Beyond pre Tranquility Base – Surrender
Best mix:David West feat Andreas Hermansson – Larry Mountains 54 into Above & Beyond vs Andy Moor – Air for Life
Tracklisting:
Disc 1
- Cara Dillon vs. 2Devine - Black Is The Colour (Coco & Green Remix)
- Super8 & Tab - Helsinki Scorchin
- Above & Beyond - No One On Earth (Gabriel & Dresden Club Mix)
- Boom Jinx feat. Key - Eternal Reminiscence
- Tranquility Base - Razorfish (Above & Beyond Progressive Mix)
- Alt + F4 - Alt + F4
- OceanLab - Beautiful Together
- Sunny Lax - P.U.M.A.
- Rusch & Murray - Epic (Above & Beyond Remix)
- Daniel Kandi - Child
- P.O.S. - Summer Sun (Remember)
- Nitrous Oxide - North Pole
- Aalto - Rush (Super8 vs Orkidea Remix)
- OceanLab - Satellite (Original Above & Beyond Mix)
- Super8 - Alba
- Above & Beyond - Alone Tonight
Disc 2
- Anjunabeats -Volume One [Anjuna Deep Remix]
- David West feat Andreas Hermansson - Larry Mountains 54
- Above & Beyond vs Andy Moor - Air For Life
- Aalto - 5
- Maor Levi - Reflect
- Signalrunners - Aria Epica (Bart Claessen Remix)
- Luminary - Amsterdam (Smith & Pledger remix)
- Endre - Kallocain (Robert Nickson Remix)
- OceanLab - Clear Blue Water (Ferry Corsten Remix)
- Smith & Pledger - Believe (Smith & Pledger 2004 Remix)
- Nitromethane - Time To Die (Seraque Remix)
- Above & Beyond pres. Tranquility Base - Surrender
- OceanLab - Sky Falls Down (Armin van Buuren Remix)
- Jono Grant vs. Mike Koglin - Circuits
- Matt Hardwick vs Smith & Pledger - Day One (Above & Beyond Mix)