Search - Sander Kleinenberg :: Essential Mix

Intense, percussive, housey, and well-crafted

Douglas A. Greenberg | Berkeley, CA USA | 03/29/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Netherlands' Sander Kleinenberg has emerged over the past couple of years as a rising star in the world of progressive dance music, both as a producer and a dj. His Global Underground "NuBreed" two-disc set from last year was truly a triumph, and not long ago he was recognized in Great Britain for having crafted the best Radio One "Essential Mix" set for the year 2001. These musical skills are well in evidence in Kleinenberg's new one disc release, "Essential Mix," the latest in a series released by Warner designed to showcase outstanding young dj's. Although progressive dance music gets little recognition in this country, Warner actually seems to be making some effort to promote this disc, which is excellent from start to finish. Although Kleinenberg has been known for trancey material like "My Lexicon," here the mood is definitely progressive house-oriented and strongly percussive. Particuarly in the first part of the mix, the tracks tend to be beat-heavy, even tribal, with virtually no melody and endowed with a generous dose of spoken vocal loops. People familiar with Peace Division will recognize this style, which includes PD's own "Seriously Twisted." By the fifth track, "Burnin' Up," performed by the venerable Funky Green Dogs (remember "Fired Up?"), the sound moves a bit more melodic (but just a bit), yet remains intensely percussive and deep. A good dj knows to vary the pace and style within a set at least a bit, and Kleinenberg does this skillfully by including the Jacked High remix of Blackwatch and Greed's "Gentle Rain," which features a wistful female vocal. The deep, even dark progressive groove picks then up again, however, with Kleinenberg's own storming remix of Hedi's "Revolt." Overall, the latter portion of the disc, featuring work by progressive stalwarts DJ Remy and Redanka, is more trancey and high-energy, as befits the "peaking" portion of a mix intended for a dance club environment. Overall, Kleinenberg's track selection and sequencing pack a huge wallop, and his mixing is impeccable. The only flaw I can perceive here is that it almost seems as though he is trying to pack the tracks too closely together at times, perhaps trying to include a disc and one-half's worth of material within a single disc. This renders the pacing just a tad claustophobic. In light of the overall quality of the disc, however, this really is but a minor issue. Fans of deep, rhythmic progressive dance music owe it to themselves to pick up this "Essential Mix.""

PROGRESSIVE LIKE KLEINENBERG...

Roger Riddell | Lexington, KY. United States | 03/22/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"With the release of his GU Nubreed follow-up "Essential Mix" CD, Kleinenberg proves he is indeed, a force to be reckoned with in the ever growing, ever changing universe of progressive house. In case anyone hadn't noticed, tribal house is the "progressive" word du jour.



Kleinenberg truly has a finger on the pulse of the current electronic dance movement that is slowly but surely spreading the globe Like Mutiny UK & Satoshi Tomiie's respective, infectious virus'. The mix is a dark and swirling percussive maelstrom that builds like a thunderstorm and closes with elegant progressive trance - a DEFINITE journey.



Standout tracks include the deranged tribal funk of Peace Division's "Seriously Twisted", KAO's sonic granite "Stonegroove" and the Thomas & Noble electro soundscape of "Timeflies" which closes the CD amid the opening vocal tracks from Lexicon Avenue's haunting "From Dusk til Dawn."



For Fans of Satoshi Tomiie, Creamer and K, Digweed and the like, "Essential Mix" is as must for any Progressive house collection. Kleinenberg's track selection and mix prowess are absolutely flawless in their arrangement and subsequent execution.



If Kleinenberg's mix is any gauge of sounds yet to come in 2002, Progressive House is in for quite a journey, indeed."

Sander kleinenberg does it again

Gus | 03/30/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Sander Kleinenberg gives you a quality mix...The mix begins very dark and tribal and ends a little more trancy...A must have for progressive minded people!!"