Search - Mark Shimmon & Decipher :: Decoded

Excellent deep, dark progressive mix

Douglas A. Greenberg | Berkeley, CA USA | 10/09/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It seems as though in 2001 some of the best progressive house/trance mixes are coming from relatively unknown dj's, and that's perhaps how it should be, given the "underground" nature of most of this music. Briton Mark Shimmon has come up with a powerful mix of dark proggy tunes here, and the package is made all the more appealing through inclusion of a bonus cd of unmixed tracks from his Decipher label (mainly from Shimmon himself, including some recorded under his pseudonyms Twister and Savannah).The sound here is deep, trancey, pounding, and hypnotic, and if prospective buyers want to know what other artists/recordings are "most like" what you'll get here, think in terms of Bedrock recordings generally, and also the work of dj's and remixers like Jimmy van M, Taylor, John Digweed, Tarrentella & Redanka, Fred Numf, and James Holden. In other words, it's Progressive, get it? People interested in lighter, uplifting, "melodic" trance, deep house, tribal house, breakbeat, etc., should steer clear. Overall, there is not a lot of variety in the style of tracks included, so for most people I suspect it's a "love it or hate it" kind of situation. I happen to love this style of electronic dance music, and think this is one of the best progressive releases to come along in the past few months."

One of the sharper progressive trance releases in 2001

Richard Diaz | 11/05/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Here's a sharp lil' two discer courtesy of Mark Shimmon, a showcase of his production prowess and DJ skills. The mix is a precisely blended slice of progressive trance, foreboding synths and alien effects riding over insistent kick drums. Not one for your mum, yes, but a spot on soundtrack for a drive down a lost highway. After a long tease he drops Prototype's "Control of Sound", storm blasts and title refrain kicking the set up a notch. Occasionally ominous, even inaccessible at times (Dark Driver's "Revision 2") there always remains a spry beat to keep you going, and just enough vocals to snare you further into the web ( notably, deep-seeded groover "Twisted Logic" from Seconds Out). For added value there's a collection of his own singles from the past two years. Reliably solid craftsmanship, but unmixed and focused more on execution than innovation, this won't likely crack from the plastic too often. Consider it a bonus, then, to one of the sharper progressive trance releases in 2001."