The sound of progressive house at its best
Douglas A. Greenberg | Berkeley, CA USA | 05/02/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The very first Renaissance cd release, a 3 cd set mixed by Sasha and John Digweed back in 1994, has become such a sought-after collector's item that copies are sold regularly at online auction sites for sixty, eighty, even one hundred dollars. Part of the allure of "Renaissance: The Mix Collection" is that it represents the birth of a very significant style of dance music, i.e., "progressive house," which emerged with a vengeance around 1992 in Great Britain. Listening those decade-old tunes now, one is struck by the fact that there is such a strong emphasis on vocals, particularly female vocals, and that overall the early progressive house tunes were quite "clubbish" in their sound and style. In recent years, what's now sometimes called simply "progressive" has evolved toward a sound that is increasingly dark, textured, deep, and free of prominent vocals. While overall I think most fans have welcomed this trend as being reflective of the very "progressive" nature of the subgenre, there has perhaps over the past couple of years been a tendency toward some releases that are TOO dark, too abstract, too monotonous, too "chugging." It's within this context that this new two-cd set, "The Sound of Renaissance," appears as a veritable breath of fresh air. Mixed by relatively unknown Renaissance dj Marcus James, these discs embody a certain back-to-the-roots-of-progressive feel, inasmuch as there is a striking variety of tracks and a generous dose of prominent vocals, including offerings by the likes of Sinead O'Connor. What separates these discs from run-of-the-mill "best of club" house mixes, however, is that even soulfully sung vocal numbers like O'Connor's "TROY" and Barraka's "Song to the Siren" feature wonderfully imaginative and yes, progressive arrangements which complement the vocal presentations marvelously.Rather than follow a single consistent style from from start to finish, these discs never cease to entertain, inspire, and surprise by including such nontypical fare as Random Factor's "Without You," replete with a sassy kind of female vocal that is rarely associated with "progressive house." Overall, these mixes are bursting with fresh material that hasn't yet been overplayed, including such outstanding darkish tracks as Northern Monkey's "The Skank" and the driving Markus Schulz remix of Pablo Gargano's "Absolution." These deeper progressive tracks are complemented by more clubbish fare, such as Whatever Girl's insistent "I Know You Can" and That Kid Chris' soulful, "Come Together." Overall, the sequencing and mixing work to create a fascinating journey that is never dull. These mixes are fun, lively, different, and a terrific shot in the arm for "progressive" dance music. The only flaws I perceived in listening to them repeatedly was a kind of mildly irritating "deep voice" spoken male vocal in Chris Cargo's otherwise hypnotizing "Question," and the inclusion of the now-overplayed "Tone Depth" by Rumblefish to wrap up the first mix. These small issues reduce the overall rating of disc one to four stars, but disc two earns a solid five stars. Overall rating: Five Stars."
Fresh rapid prog house mix
Istvan Hideg | Budapest, Hungary | 07/11/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Almost one year after Renaissance label excellent issue of "Preogression" another fresh and well done house mix is out now delivering a good atmosphere of sometimes amazing female vocals (CD1 track 7.), surrounding smooth bass beats that always stays rapid (especially CD2) and well enjoyable whether you listen to it at home or in a car (my favourite choice). Mixing one track to another is outstanding and cd quality well beyond the average makes this set also a well worthy buy for all quality house music lovers."
Oldies but certainly still goodies
Angie Bender | Chicago, IL USA | 05/07/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I'm just so glad that a compilation exists like this. Takes me back to the end of the 80's and early 90's and that was a damn fun time! Thanks Renaissance for putting these Classic together. I now have some of my favorite classics like D:Ream's "You're the Best Thing"...never thought I'd own this out-of-print song!"
Track Listings (17) - Disc #1