1st & best of the Global Undergrounds
Doctor Trance | MA, United States | 06/10/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"There's a reason GU must have picked Tony for the first of their now 9 year running series: he was a mixmaster at the top of his game back in 1996. I am not sure there was a better DJ in the late 90's than De Vit. He spun hard house, with only a smidgen of trance and progressive stuff, so all the reviewers who constantly smear Tony's 2 CD's as the worst of the GU series are just ignorant to his sound or don't prefer it over prog. house/trance.
Let's also note that his mix WAS recorded live in a club in Tel Aviv, unlike the rest of the GU mixes to follow, which were all studio mixed and edited through computers. You hear no crowd noise because it was recorded straight from the turntables to a DAT recorder. There was also no editing done afterward. Basing the mix on that alone, there isn't a DJ in sight who could mix tracks like these (150+ BPMs) as perfect as Tony did. He had been DJ'ing for 15 years prior to this, so it's no wonder he had perfected the craft.
As far as the other GU's, only Dave Seaman's incredible Cape Town trance mix compares to this one in terms of sheer perfection in a 2 disc set. I do have to say that Tony's Tokyo mix was unfortunately not as sound as this one, as the track selection was nowhere near as good as Tel Aviv. It's still a good mix, but not up to the heights this one gets to.
It all started here GU fans, and while some of you may prefer GU's 2-27 better than this one (barring Tokyo) one must admit that in terms of mixing, track selection (for this genre), and an ecstatic energy level never to be met again in the new millenium, this one is most certainly the best."
Bare and primal
andrew bradford | Charlotte, NC | 05/13/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Tony De Vit (deceased), godfather of hard house and HI-NRG, has put together a perfect mix of sub-sonic techno that was perfect for the first issue from G.U. Tony has a unique style of bringing forth his music in this set. I don't know much about the man and I never saw him live, but I do know this, I like this set. It's easy to understand. Thats what makes it so good. Further more, the mixing is crazy. How do you mix songs together, seamlessly mind you, at 140 bpms without losing the way in the rhythm? Tony helped to pave the way for the present day faces of hard house such as DJ Irene, Bad Boy Bill, and Richard 'Humpty' Vission. So for those who think that the era of hard house and HI-NRG is over, it's not. Purchase this cd, do not use while driving (there should be a warning label on the cd concerning this), and listen to the golden era of hard house/HI NRG. Also, his Trade set is good, but nowhere near the sharpness and volume of this set. Favorite track-none."
Standing alone in the eye of the storm
B. Farrell | Dublin, Rep. of Ireland | 03/04/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"A superb collection of nu-nrg/hard house tracks which build to a ferocious climax. The way De Vit (RIP) pitches up the penultimate track (Format One) to an almost insane level is worth the asking price alone."
Track Listings (11) - Disc #1
