June 2008

Tiesto - “In Search of Sunrise 7 – Asia” - Black Hole Recordings

From Los Angeles to Ibiza and everywhere in between, the “In Search of Sunrise” series has become quite a favorite of mine as well as many others around the world. If you’ve heard any of the previous releases, you are rather aware of the quality these discs exude. Recorded in Thailand, the latest offering focuses on the passion and tranquility of the Far East showcasing the soothing musical sounds of King Unique – “Yohkoh” and Zoo Brasil – “Crossroads” in addition to the catchy vocal hooks of Jerry Ropero feat Cozi – “The Storm” and Dokmai – “Reason To Believe.” This is one of those rare CD’s that both relaxes and excites me. If you are in search of a great CD, look no further.

Mark Knight - “Toolroom Knights Vol 4” - Toolroom Records

After already spotlighting such DJ’s as Martijn Ten Velden and Wally Lopez, it’s nice to see the label boss finally get behind the decks himself and show us what he does best. Disc 1 starts with a soulful flavor with tracks like Dennis Ferrer – “How Do I Let Go” and builds into the vivacity that is Mark’s mix of Underworld – “Beautiful Burnout.” If you were ever curious how his marathon sets at the Ministry of Sound were, this disc basically condenses one of them for you. Disc 2 on the other hand wastes no time and starts of with a bang. With tracks like Mescal Kid – “Magic” and Adam K & Addy – “Sub Cultured”, this disc brings home the kind of forward thinking I have come to love so much from his sets.

Skylark - “i-Panik” - NRK Music

It’s a little of a surprise to me that with the impressive resume Skylark has from remixing Kylie Minogue to Deep Dish and even being nominated for a Grammy that this is their debut artist album. After listening, it was well worth the wait though. The result is 11 tracks of deep groovy ambient techno. The 2 tracks that left the biggest impression on me are “i-Panik” and “Who Cares.” Disc 2 has Nic Fanciulli and Andy Chatterley hand over the creative duties to some of their favorite remixers who reinterpret the album wonderfully. Standouts include the Funk D’Void remix of “Blocked” and the Joris Voorn remix of “Movin.” This is a really good package that I highly recommend.