Deep dark acid slammin' trance grooves
GDuthie | Northern VA, DC Metro area | 04/19/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"A really good 2 disc set if you are tired of the same old dreamy trance. Anthony Pappas is amazing; good track variety and it's not all mellow like most trance is. I really liked the last 3 tracks on the first disc; my favorite being "moments of space"; the game Command and Conquer comes to mind. The second disc is more acid driven; especially as you approach the latter half of the disc. I got this and Digweed's GU14 Hong Kong; and they go together perfectly; both dark although Digweed is a bit more mellow. If you like hard pumping acid-driven trance I'd highly recommend this disc."
Stunning programming, one of the best mixes of the era
Christopher Culver | 10/28/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Some six and a half years after its release, Anthony Pappa's NUBREED001 mix stands as one of the great achievements of progressive house in that era, and it's astounding how little it sounds dated when most of the DJ compilations of that era are now revealed as, well, embarassing.
The first thing one notices about Pappa's mix is its dark overtones. This is one of the first mixes in the progressive style of 2000, where bright synth sounds have generally disappeared, replaced by a soundworld mainly concentrated in the bass range with little jabs at higher registers. Sound scary and dull? It's quite effective here, never showing the blandness of subsequent mixes like Digweed's LA release in the Global Underground series. Moonface was one of the first producers in this style, and two of his tracks are present here. Pappa's mixing is solid, but he does nothing amazing with the ProTools technology Boxed Records provides, unlike, say, Sasha in his IBIZA release. The programming is really what makes this mix great.
The first disc starts off with Narkotik's "Conditions". We move through a variety of sounds with Moonface's "Synchronized Knowledge", Two Right Wrongans' "Sorry Mate, You Got the Wrong House" (one of 2000's standout tracks), and the James Holden remix of Timo Maas Pres Mad Dog's "Better Make Room". The only overt vocals of the whole mix come towards the end of the first disc. There's Sloth & Dormant's "Here And Now (Ebe remix)", Trancesetter's "Roaches", Odessi's wild "Moments of Space", and Nova's "Welcome To The Future (Humate mix)". Pappa uses these vocal tracks not as a sappy attempt at a climax, but more to show off different timbres in order to offset the weight of the bass.
With the second disc, something downright magical happens. While the first disc explores many moods, the programming of the second concentrates all the elements of this style Pappa prefers. To make a comparison with modern classical music, which I started listening to after house, the set is like Lutoslawski's Second Symphony with its first "Hesitant" movement and then its focused "Direct" second movement. Two tracks by Chab and Moonface respectively provide a setup, and then from GF's "Burning Man (Gee Shock remix)" through ASAP's "Heavy Water" it's pure energy. Cass' "Emotion Surfer (Hyperion remix)" is a stunner, and I'm only left wondering why this great track wasn't put on more compilations. Astral Projection's "Liquid Sun" appears here in a remix by Cass & Slide Remix, the trippy sound one would expect from this producer turned into fantastic progressive.
Toward the end of the second disc the cooldown comes when Pappa introduces breaks, first with Hybrid's "Theme from Wide Angle". This Dark Skies remix is quite different from the version that appeared on WIDE ANGLE, almost sounding like a different track altogether before the twangy guitars come in. The mix ends with the stunning ten-minute "Lydian and the Dinosaur" by Hi-Fi Bugs, one of Phil K's monikers.
Pappa actually went fairly downhill after the real of this album, starting to mix lots of cheesy vocals and rock-music remixes into his sets. NUBREED001 is the culmination of his early period and a stunning tour of a great era. Do check it out if you enjoy progressive house."
Track Listings (25) - Disc #1
