Those that love trance and the clubbing scene as a whole will be more than Familier with big names such as Ferry Corsten, Armin, Above and Beyond and the like. Those that regularly visit the likes of Turnmills, Godskitchen Cream etc will no doubt have heard them play and felt the euphoria that comes from monster sets.....and those that remember these monster sets the morning after may remember some stand out tunes.....By your side? Synthesasia? Dreaming of you? Not once have i seen Ferry play in the last two years without dropping Synthesasia and its become an all time classic among the clubbing community. Who is responsible for these classic tunes....Steve Hilstrip AKA the Thrillseekers and so this his first compilation has been egerly awaited for a long time!Taking Above and Beyond out of the picture, The Thrillseekers are arguably the most potent producers of UK Trance at the Moment with stunning remixes and tunes being banged out for fun. It is suprising then that only two tunes of his feature on this CD, a poor effort in my book. This comp could have been another "BLOOM" By Gabriel and Dresden (Awesome!) a mix of all the Thrillseekers work to date with a few other banging tunes for good measure. Maybe its just Steve being humble, but i think he could have boldly stamped all his big tracks onto the first CD and not one clubber would have complained!
The first CD is however a belting effort. Minus the first three tracks which are a strange combination, the remainder is fantastic. Banging, mesmorising trance that has become the hallmark of the Thrillseekers. I just think what could have been though. Take away Air of life (on every CD in production!) and who's Knocking (Great Track just doesn't fit here) and add Synthesasia and dreaming of you which along with By your side (wasted as the first tune) would provide the vocal tracks needed to compliment the awesome tear jeaking trance of the album. Its a great CD and worthy of purchase as it is original and sublime music, but it could have been an all time classic with a few subtle modifications!
CD 2 is also very good. Slightly more chilled than the first but mesmorising all the same. The mixing on both Cds is very good but CD2 highlights the true Strength of the Thrillseekers and that is the art of remixing. Forgeting Paul Van Dyk for a moment, The Thrillseekers may well be the finest remixes of the current day, and listening to CD2 will illustrate why.
To conclude, this is a very good effort with an imaginative array of tunes on CD1 creating a great atmosphere either at home, out running or in the car. The mix flows and the mixing is tight. Inclusion of The thrillseekers massive anthems would have made this a classic, but as it is it falls just short (Ferry Corsten live at Spundae is still the Gold Standard!. CD2 is the true genius at work and is worth the price alone.
In a nutshell, this is sublime Trance and as such makes this a timeless album and therefore a must for any fan of the genre. Some limited edition signed copies are floating around and make great collectors pieces. We are all looking forward to the debut album??!
Thanks for the emotions Steve. See you on the floor!
