NEW TALENT WATCH This section of Tunatricks is devoted to bringing you reviews of mix cds from the latest up and coming DJs from a variety of genres. If you have a cd you'd like reviewed, email danny_vanalli@yahoo.com. Contact me likewise if you like the sound of any of the DJs reviewed here, and would like to get in touch with them. Chris Yates – Untitled (Funk/Trance) Chris Yates Mix CD comes with a funk mix and a trance mix. First up is the funk mix, which kicks off with the bouncy At Night. The first mix is a little shaky, but the general feel of the mix quickly becomes apparent. No nonsense, happy house music. The mixing picks up and is simple but effective. The CD doesn’t sound too dissimilar to Pete Tong’s 2002 Essential Selection year in review, with tracks that get rinsed every week at Bed. None of this is a bad thing, however, as there is great demand for this sort of thing, but there are probably a few too many people doing it. With time and effort, though, this sort of style can easily develop as house music is becoming progressively easier to get in to. The trance mix has a PaSSion-like feel to it. Warm, immaculate, white teeth trance. The mixing tends to feel a little abrupt in places, but with time and effort this sort of style could really develop. The tune selection is a little less obvious than the funk mix, which gives it a more welcoming flow. The mixing is generally flawless but not too unpredictable. The tune selection get progressively darker and a little harder, and is real stomping material. Without wanting to be overly critical, this is clearly a good starting point for Chris Yates, but is, as yet, nothing groundbreaking or too involving. There is a lot to be hopeful for in the future though, and I think it’ll be interesting to hear another CD from Chris in about six months. Muzik98 presents Heaven and Earth The first thing you notice with this mix is how much effort has been put into it. the packaging of the CD is smart, well made and shiny, with a short biography, photo and a few details about the CD. The CD sounds interesting enough, with the promise of a ‘blend of heavenly vocal trance… through… pounding breaks and beautiful beats.’ It’s clear the description is fairly apt right from the beginning, as a fresh, crisp trance sound rattles out of the speakers. It’s rather less cliché than the whole trance scene in general, and even though the productions are less upfront, the impact is much the same. The vibe is still trance through and through, with a slightly progressive feel to it. The whole mood of the mix is quite moody for the most part, but it does progress to give a slightly brighter aura. The CD is a showcase of technique and skill, with the mixing being pleasingly on key. The beats blend warmly together without any real niggles which shows a fair amount of maturity in Muzik’s approach to a set. The structure is well thought out and the mix is continuous and warm, rather than abrupt and rushed. Whilst personally detesting the vast majority of vocals in trance, the tracks used here are much more satisfying, with Tears from the Moon being a beautiful example. The vocals can become a little monotonous at times, but I suspect that is more down to personal preference than anything. It’s clear to see why people like PaSSion are interested in Muzik’s style, which is technically sound with a thoughtful, interesting selection of tracks. It’s hard to really find anything notably wrong with the CD, aside from the general sound becoming a little repetitive towards the end. The atmosphere is such, however, that this doesn’t really figure into the equation too much. Job well done. DJ Danny Lee - My Technique It quickly becomes apparent that this mix is very dark and very hard. It has more in common with jungle than it does with trance, and it’s nice to hear something that doesn’t really on overblown snare rolls and hands in the air riffs. The basslines are low, threatening and moody, which can leave them feeling a little mindless. The tribal feel is a little mundane and the first couple of tracks don’t really invite the listener in too warmly as everything is a little minimal. The sound does pick up, however, with a more interesting choice of tracks. There isn’t too much bounce in the tunes, and there are strong dark undetones which can, again, become a little mundane, but this sort of sound is very vogue right now at plcaes like Headcharge and Riff Raff, where no nonsense clubbers stomp deep holes into the ground. This sort of mix certainly isnt for everyone, but with clean, smooth mixing it is easy to at least be able to appreciate. It’s rather more intelligent than a lot of the hard, techy mixes out there, and is packed full of tunes you can really roll to. The industrial sounds sit nicely with simple riffs. It sounds a lot like Jeff Mills older productions. Whilst this isn’t the sort of music I would necessarily choose to listen to in the car, it has it’s appeal in dark, dingy nightclubs under railway arches. It’s straight to the point and is the sort of thing that makes for a bout of mind numbingly vicious stomping. Home > Music > ^top