76

Armin you have done yourself proud and you have definately earnt 5*s.


Typically Armin, typically superb!   December 30, 2003
C. Strachan
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

While the other big names in trance music, Ferry Corsten and Tiesto for example, have deviated in style somewhat, this man has played it safe. If you know of Armin van Buuren's typical style, that is what to expect on this album. And he has pulled it off brilliantly, in my opinion.

The album starts with some deep, minor sounding tracks, and progresses from there. While there are some wonderfully produced full-out trance productions on here, namely 'Slipstream' (ft. Airwave), 'Blue Fear 2003' and 'Communication', the collaberation with System F, 'From the Heart' really stands out. It is a fairly laid-back trancer which explodes half way through, and it is nicely placed in the center of the album. Armin has also showed success with the slower, ballad-like tracks - especially 'Burned With Desire' which was very suprising and very well co-ordinated. 'Astronauts' and 'Stay' are quite different pieces, but they still fit with the rest of the album and show some variety in his work.

All in all, Armin couldn't go wrong with this; and he didn't. It's a very safe, well-produced, uplifting album that is typical of the man. I'd recommend it at will.


The dying sound of Trance...   December 17, 2003
Paul Edwards (Brighton, UK)
5 out of 9 found this review helpful

Being a huge Trance fan I couldn't wait to get this album, But it confirmed my fears that Trance, as a musical form, is dying a slow and painful death. Armin has produced some of the best singles (Communication, Touch me - under the guise of Rising Star) that the whole Trance movement had to offer, but I was disappointed with "76". Although not as horrendous as System F's utterly dreadful new album, Together, this is just too poppy and, in places, is just too dull and laid back. It's not that it's a bad album, just boring. Nothing really leaps out at you. Some of the singing is very poor and the music lacks that certain punch and doesn't grab you on an emotional level that is basically the very basis of good Trance music. The single, Yet another day, is perhaps the strongest track but even that only really came alive on the excellent Riva remix on the single. A shame, but I can only hope that maybe Armin's best work is yet to come. Oliver Lieb this ain't! For now, if you want a really bangin', superb sounding commercial Trance CD, I suggest you purchase Darude's new album, "Rush"...now that I was impressed with!! 3 stars i'm afraid...I so wanted to give it more!!


Armin is the saviour of trance   November 10, 2003
Mr. P. R. Holley
8 out of 8 found this review helpful

Trance seems to have become extremely stale of late. Most of the recent uplifting trance wouldn't be out of place at a school disco, and a lot of the current wave of hard trance sounds like it has been created on someones spectrum. But at least there's still one producer out there who is willing to push the sound forward. With 76 Van Buuren has created a trance album of pure quality. 13 tracks of beautiful vocals, driving bass lines, and seering synths. Collaborations with System F and Airwave are predictably the most dance floor oriented of the bunch, but tracks such as Stay and Astronauts show that Armin is able to create the kind of progressive trance that most producers can only dream of. If you don't like melodic trance then you're not going to like this album, but no-one can deny that van buuren is a man in possession of much musical talent. Move over Van Dyk... your crown has been taken.