Search - Various Artists :: Trancespotting

A few stars among the industrial/synthTrance

Richard Diaz | 06/02/2000

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Five stars doesn't mean an album is perfect, nor does two stars mean an album is bad. Two stars means they may be generally decent tunes, but you can live without it, or it has a few real good tunes but is highly inconsistent. You can see where I'm going with this.But first off, this is neither Eurotrance nor progressive trance. The most fitting description would be trance with industrial and New Wave influences. Tunes have a faster BPM, a more synthetic sound,, and a crisp, tinny drum beat. These tracks could, and possible are, being played by a live band. Additionally, all tracks are unmixed; since there are only a few standouts, this is a plus for mix tapers out there.Leading off is the second best song on the compilation, System 7's "Hangar 84," all fast beats, sequenced blips, and changing pitch to a constant melody. A slow counterpoint lurks in the background and works nicely. Trancemutator's "My Wonderful Friend" is a good dose of angry attitude, with screeching noise, breakbeats, and guitar feedback. The best song by far is the heavenly flutter of "The Seven Pointed Star" by Astralasia. It also features a rapid BPM, and includes layers of light melody, contrasting squelch, and airy voices swooning, "I will fly...we're nine miles high." This tune, essentially, is why I've kept this disc.Not that the rest of the songs are bad, just mediocre, and you are unlikely to give them multiple spins. "Andromedia" is almost synth rock, "Confusion" is a basic techno piece, "Think Smart," is pleasantly rough and well done, and "C'mon Yo!" gets points for trying to mash so many contrasting sounds into one song. Trance junkies will appreciate the standouts, but frugal or casual listeners can find plenty of better compilations."