Michael Lanning ft Charity Havens - Bound For Ascension
Blue Haze - A Time To Reflect
Rhino Drum - Underground Sound
Michael Burns - Sunshine In My Shadows
Jacob Todd ft Kevin Clark - Nothing Is Real
Main Element - Delta Of Venus (Chris Salt Remix)
Steve May - Open Day (Luke Chable Quakes & Craters Remix)
Chimera - Natural High
Slacker - Tutikinegi
Shiloh - Mana
Tilt - I Know You?re Afraid
Track Listings (13) - Disc #2
Pavel Bidlo - My Pills
Rennie Pilgrem - Coming Up For Air (Mara mix)
Ozgur Can - Connected
Dirty German ft Mirko Meyer - Be Together (Main Pass)
Rhythm Unlimited - All I Wanna Do
Pig & Dan - Basement
Moonface - Our Prediction
MCCP - Deeper Inside
Musgrove & McGrath - Freakout
Quivver & Sutton - Cold Rush
Chris Salt - Atmospheric Graffiti
Ben Camp - New World
Shpongle - Beija For
Following in the footsteps of James Holden?s last edition of the Balance series was never going to be an easy task, but if any man has the tools to do the job, it's Anthony Pappa. Having a varied career that has seen him p... more »lay all around the world, in addition to being the figure that launched Global Underground's Nubreed series which saw his face (and that blue jacket) splattered all over the world, Anthony has already proven his worth, but since the release of his 2002 compilation Resolution on System Recordings, he's slowly dropped off the radar, but returns to the helm of the latest in EQ's Balance series. This compilation sees Anthony take his skills to the next level, the first CD being a voyage through the world of ambient and breakbeat with tracks by up and coming artists like Blue Haze and Luke Chable, sitting alongside material from established names such as Slacker, Main Element, and Tilt. Diversity is the theme of the second CD, leaving a snapshot of the more twisted style that fans of Anthony Pappa know and love. With some of the finest material around at the moment carefully programmed into one cohesive mix, featuring tracks and remixes from Shpongle, Rennie Pilgrem, Moonface, Mara, and Quivver, it's the fitting end of an album that shows Anthony Pappa's ability to Balance all manner of different sounds, making him the perfect candidate to join this acclaimed series.« less
Following in the footsteps of James Holden?s last edition of the Balance series was never going to be an easy task, but if any man has the tools to do the job, it's Anthony Pappa. Having a varied career that has seen him play all around the world, in addition to being the figure that launched Global Underground's Nubreed series which saw his face (and that blue jacket) splattered all over the world, Anthony has already proven his worth, but since the release of his 2002 compilation Resolution on System Recordings, he's slowly dropped off the radar, but returns to the helm of the latest in EQ's Balance series. This compilation sees Anthony take his skills to the next level, the first CD being a voyage through the world of ambient and breakbeat with tracks by up and coming artists like Blue Haze and Luke Chable, sitting alongside material from established names such as Slacker, Main Element, and Tilt. Diversity is the theme of the second CD, leaving a snapshot of the more twisted style that fans of Anthony Pappa know and love. With some of the finest material around at the moment carefully programmed into one cohesive mix, featuring tracks and remixes from Shpongle, Rennie Pilgrem, Moonface, Mara, and Quivver, it's the fitting end of an album that shows Anthony Pappa's ability to Balance all manner of different sounds, making him the perfect candidate to join this acclaimed series.
CD Reviews
Excellent work from Anthony
David B. | Cleveland, OH USA | 08/05/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If you think you had Anthony Pappa's style all figured out, this release will show you a versatility you may not have expected from this excellent Australian DJ. Excellent taste in music combined with his flawless technical abilities results in one of the most interesting, enjoyable mix CD pacakges of the year. The first disc showcases a mellower, more melodic side of Pappa, a departure from the trademark hard trippiness of his productions and live sets. On the second disc, Pappa turns up the energy but never strays into cheesy territory. All in all, a worthy addition to the top-notch Balance series, especially following the standard set by James Holden on Balance 005."
What is up with these reviews?
Luke C. Kramer | Miami, Fl USA | 05/14/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I can not believe the reviews I am reading for this release.
Hands down this is one of the best progressive compulations of 2004. I think that it is up there with Sasha's Involver album and I have yet to understand why there are so many mediocre reviews for this dual set from Pappa. I know that Holden is a very tough act to follow,(lord knows I have seen that prodigy a few times and love his work), but this release from Anthony is top notch. I am a huge progressive fan to say the least, so I am more in touch with the first C.D., rather than the second. As far as "continuity" and structure, it is about as good as it gets. The mixing is f**king superb. The planning for the first C.D. is very well thought out and is deeply, deeply emotional. Pappa, if you are reading this, I want to thank you for putting this jewel together. I have it in my player and I have no plans to take it out in the near future.
I was born and raised in South Florida and have seen countless D.J.'s and producers countless times at Space , Crobar and WMC.
Yet, the next time you come down, they better roll out the red carpet for you, cause you are friggin' awesome! D-L-T-B-G-Y-D."
Amazing style & mixing ability
Craig | Vic, Australia | 09/29/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I'm not a big Pappa enthusiast but when i saw the tracklist for CD1, it had me sold.
Cd1 starts with the chilled "Into the storm" by Luke Chable and progresses into some very melodic breakbeats. It has a very calm mood with groovy basslines and includes standout tracks such as "Michael Burns - Sunshine in my shadows", "Main Element - Delta of Venus" and the beautiful "Mana" from Shiloh.
Cd2 takes the very deep dark progressive edge, dark vocals and chunky beats is the layout for most the tracks with these standouts: "Ozgur Can - Connected", "Musgrove & McGrath - Freakout", "Shpongle - Beija Flor". The last trakc on the albym "beija flor" is an amazingly produced tune blending upbeat breakbeats with spanish guitars and brazilian chanting vocals, however im not quite sure it fits the style of the cd.
I personally prefer cd1 down to the fact that im a breakbeat fan and just about every track is a hit for me. Fans of prog house will drool over cd2"
Beautiful,,,, a piece of artwork
Brian D. Hornbeck | Avon Lake, OH | 02/23/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Disc 1: an easy 5 stars
Disc 2: 4.5 stars
Anthony Pappa truly does do a good job on this compilation. I am a stickeler on the quality of mixing and the first CD is downright gorgeous. What really distinguishes this disc from the second disc is the diversity of the music genres. Disc 1 beautifully blends the essentials of breaks with low key progressive house. The disc drives the rhythm home while dazzling you with the atmospheric/soundscapes that he produces in the background. CD 1 = perfection
CD 2 while still being powerful lacks the overall dynamics of disc 1. This is simply because Pappa decided to go strictly with prog house on this one. What truly holds this disc together is the spectacular mixing that is witnessed on disc 1. However different, the mixes still maintain that high level of difficulty that is necessary for someone as picky as myself to stay highly interested.
Overall this is a brightspot in the sea of CDs that I own and I will continue to enjoy it for years to come"
Track Listings (14) - Disc #1