Customer Reviews

Balance 010

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Upon listening to Balance 005, and 008, I have grown to enjoy these sets as they would be played in a club (e.g. Crobar). The Balance series has done a fine job of choosing their DJ's, and they have certainly made, in my opinion, their most refined choice in Jimmy Van M. Coming from a Miami background, and Dj'ing in New York, he has certainly established himself as one of the best at constructing a set. He wastes no time in laying down three discs here for Balance's 10th installment.


As we all know, disc one is chill out. I really enjoyed his transition from track one into track two. Also, his track 10 into track 11 from sisters Anoushka Shankar and Norah Jones is very nice to hear. All the while, he is preparing the listener for disc 2, as is evident with the last track on disc one, which is minimal, dark, and constant.

Disc two, midtempo, it not significant of the beats per minute. Although I did not guage the three discs, two and three are more beat driven than the first, and I don't think that disc three is faster than disc two, but they are more around the same bpm's (124 - 126). The highlights of disc two are basically every track. (Upon looking at the sleevenotes, one can see that all the tracks, more pertinent to discs one and two, span the course of 12 years. One track was from 1994!) Mr. Mulligan's track selection for disc two is so good that each track blends into another as a seamstress connects one piece of cloth to another to form a style all her own.

Disc three, for me the culmination of years of research and studio editing, is Jimmy Van M's tour de force. From the opening track, its guitar riffs catch you, and his signature "two of the same track" intro begins to produce a spellbinding experience. In this disc, your journey takes you to the discs' seventh track, where the peak is worthy of throwing your hands in the air and jumping up and down, then realizing that you're still in your car on the way to work. It slowly builds again, from 8 to the second to last track, which is by 16 Bit Lolitas. A heavily catchy tune sets the stage for the close of the disc, which is by no means climatic and crazy, but instead leaves a grin on your face that says "Wow, that last track was really good (perfect beat, perfect vocals), and so was that first track, and so was everything in between."

After listening to all three discs, they have an element about them that requires deeper understanding, and also requires repeated listening. I feel that even after 5-6 listens, I can never fully comprehend the composition of the set, and I will need to listen to it over and over to fully understand what was going through the DJ's mind when creating this masterwork. I'd recommend that you purchase this disc and expect not just a 3 cd set that that will last until Balance 011, but will last to define the genre for the decade to come.

from good to awesome! I get the feeling that this is an incredibly personal mix, because it encompasses so many different records, emotions, and feels. That said, the pacing and mixing shows that this mix is composed by a master-class DJ. This mix is a real journey, as cliche as that term may sound. Just take a look at the track list, and you'll see the depth of music that is informing Jimmy Van M. When you can match Brian Eno to Depeche Mode, and Cocteau Twins to Speedy J, you've got something special. The only complaint I have is that the mix is so personal that certain tracks just don't ring right for me because of differing tastes. Though for me, this only happens at the end of the Disc 2 in a giant 3 disc set! So, if you're reading this, I encourage you just to go ahead and buy it.

I was looking forward to the new Balance release. Especially, since the prior releases have been really good. The Balance label has taken over where Global Underground has left off by introducing us to up and coming DJ's. Jimmy Van M has been making a name for himself and has proven his worthiness at such venues as Space (Miami).
Anyway, I am not overly impressed in this showing by such a highly anticipated 10th addition to the series.
Disc #1 is titled "down-tempo." It's more like...waaayyyy down tempo. If you like "Air" or some other similar electronica, you might like this. It put me to sleep.
Disc 2 is labeled "mid-tempo". Again, this is actually the down tempo disc. More of the chillout, sleepy type thing you would want to fall asleep to. The mix and track selection is very good. It's just that the beat per minute is way to slow. For me.

Disc #3 finally starts to pick up things labeled "up-tempo." One stand out track is "Ask Why (JVM Gold Mix) - 16 Bit Lolitas". Some quality mixing and track selections...but alas it's simply too late in the game for this. By the time the listener actually gets to the good stuff...they will be off in never never land. Asleep.

For all his activity in the dance music scene over the last 15 years -- introducing Sasha and Digweed to North America, playing clubs all over the world, and working as a mean producer -- Jimmy Van M doesn't put out many mix CDs. I enjoyed his 2001 release in the Bedrock series, and it was a pleasure to come across this 2005 venture for Balance. Here Jimmy Van M has compiled a full three CDs, titled "Downtempo", "Midtempo" and "Uptempo".

The "Downtempo" disc is a highly varying collection of ambient tunes. I was sceptical when I first played this, as I thought it would be as unsatisfying from a dance music perspective as Satoshi Tomiie's "Home" disc on that DJ's Renaissance 3D effort. Even downtempo mixes can have their peaks. For example, Coldcut's "Autumn Leaves" has been played for a decade now, but it still proves effective in creating a sudden sense of timelessness here, but in the mean we have a more restrained groove with non-vocal tracks from FSOL, Boards of Canada, Brian Eno and some others. Jimmy Van M is a master of mixing, but here he's not afraid to make some jarring transitions, as if to emphasize that things are only getting started. The disc is a generally entertaining beginning. However, I could have done without Anoushka Shankar - "Beloved" and Wax Poetic feat. Norah Jones - "Angels" in their Thievery Corporation remixes, as the Corporation has such a distinct idiom that it threatens to pull the mix off course.

The "Midtempo" is what one would expect from the first disc of a standard two-CD mix. It kicks off with a strong bass hitherto missing, namely that of Miles Tilmann's "Floating Windows". Things take a wrong turn, however, with Cocteau Twins - "Blue Bell Knoll", a tune I love dearly but think absolutely out of place in a progressive house compilation. The mix is back on track with Speedy J's "Oil Zone". Adam Johnson offers two contributions, "Kriegspiel" and "Version 2", electro tunes that are cerebral but captivating. From there, things tend to settle into a generic groove, with no tracks standing out but a vague sense of rising energy, as you'd expect in a club. I'm not too happy with the close of this disc, as St. Etienne's "Cool Kids of Death" goes on for an annoying 15 minutes.

"Uptempo" is mainly a failure and leaves one with a poor impression of the set as a whole. The beginning is strong enough, with the sequence Djuma Soundsystem - "Les Djinns (Drentemoller Mix and Def Jaguar Mix)", Solieb - "Integrale" and Ellen Allien & Apparat - "Jet" establishing a deep vibe similar to what in the 1990s was called West Coast trance. With San Lebowski's "The Reducer 2", it looks like the set is going to turn electro, which would have been fine. Sadly, what Jimmy Van M does instead is present bog-standard progressive fodder for the rest of the disc. There's not a single memorable moment for over half of CD3.

This is Balance 010 and EQ is on the milestone with Jimmy Van M. This is the perfect 3CD set for those who enjoy breakbeats and letting go of things to relax. This is also a disc for you balance fans.

The breakdown of 3CD's is from chillout to progresive house beat. The first disc is basically chillout music. Jimmy compiles a couple of tracks that were used on Nick Warren's Back to Mine CD, like Coldcut's Autumn. The first CD even reminds me of that album! The second disc starts off slow and builds up toward the end. You here Cocteau Twins just about a 3rd of the way through the CD, then the relexation starts to build with more of a beat. There is a lot going on in the 2nd disc with the passive progressiveness. The disc end with the classic Underworld Full mix of Kool Kids of Death.

The 3rd and final disc does not play around. You have a lot of electronic trance mixed with progressive house with a more serious beat. Jimmy Van M has taken it up a notch. I do not remember the tracks on here, but there are a couple I heard on other compilations as well.

Jimmy Van M has balanced the series and this certainly must be a purchase. 3CD's is a lot to digest, but worth the time. Jimmy has put a lot of effort into this. The end result is having rave reviews.

Jimmy understands the balance!!!

Disc#1 is ok if you in to relaxing, very down tempo music. Disc#2 had some promising artists and contains some good tracks. Both 2 stars.

Disc#3 is in my opinion a compilation that truly belongs in the Balance Series. It reminded me somewhat of Balance 5 (in my opinion the best progressive album ever). Very smoothly mixed and great tracks! 5 stars.

So less is more, I think 3 CD's is just to much. And after listening the #3 I do not think I will soon be listening to the other two again.

But for Disc#3 this is definitely worthwhile buying.

I am gonna make this review short & sweet I cant believe what jimmy tried to
pull over on us here I can maybe understand one downtempo disc but two & a half ??? That is just down right wrong !!! Now I just picked up his newer version 10.1 and that one disc completely blew this 3 disc set away with out
a doubt I have been a fan of Jimmy's for a very long time since the 90's & even the free mixes he was putting out as a hype tool for this album killed it I saw him with Sasha at Space in Miami for this tour & He was great so I
just don't understand what happened ... And I have loved almost every balance that has dropped but this one just hurt especially the time I put into finding this album ... Tisk tisk tisk

I just got this 3 cd set this weekend. Jimmy Van M is my favorite DJ and he just shows again why is he such a great musician.
The work is amazing and I'm still discovering it. The 3 Cd's are great, and you can play each of them depending on your mood.
The songs that I've discovered so far that are simply unbelievable are: How are you on CD 2. The combination of the sitar, the vocals and the other instruments is just uplifting.
On CD 3 the song that I've liked the most is No Gravity, literally it will take you to the non-gravity realm.
Buy this CD and discover it for yourself...

My DJ side:
I actually had to stop the music, open the tray on the CD player then check whether I had the right CD1 down-tempo in, or some other CD that my wife played before as the music was so not what I was expecting, sounding more like Deep Forest than JVM. To my surprise, it was Jimmy's Balance 10. I decided to Keep an open mind and listen to it anyway. I went to sleep after the 4th track. The next day I decided to listen to the second CD (mid tempo). Again I stopped the music, opened the tray on the CD player then checked whether I had the (mid tempo CD) in instead of the down-tempo I was playing the night before. Sure enough, the (mid tempo) was what I had in the player, but did not sound much different than the lullabies I was listening to on CD1. When the mid-tempo was over, I thought to myself "well, this would be very nice for an upcoming relaxing dinner with friends". The next day I had high hopes for the up tempo CD, cause well, as the name implies, it should be where the beats and treats are. But No. Not really.

The only reason I didn't freak out from listening to the 1st and 2nd CD of Jimmy Van M's Balance release is because for three days I kept telling myself that there is an up tempo CD. I didn't mind CD1&2 out of place pop tracks, I didn't mind the different types of music being played in sequence, or rather, out of sequence. I didn't mind hotel lobby music that reminded me of a hotel I stayed in two years ago in Vienna. All this will be forgivable when I hear the up-tempo, because I was so sure it's going to be awesome. Unfortunately, I was not quite right about my assumptions. Things did not start happening until track 5 (The Reducer 2), I don't really need some 4 tracks on the third CD to get me warmed up. Jimmy warmed me up for 37 tracks before that, in his down + mid-tempo crap. For the most part, this production of the Balance series - especially the first 41 tracks in sequence - churned out some of the most lethargic, way too slow and boring music that could be described, at best, as lullabies for grown ups. As for the last 9 tracks of the up-tempo, it is actually - dare I say - decent enough, but way too late, and even worse, ended prematurely. It should have been re-arranged with tracks in reverse order on every CD to be as follows: (CD3) up-tempo should have been (CD1) renamed (in the car from club to home), (CD2) mid-tempo should have been renamed (at home in the living room) and finally (CD1) down-tempo should have been (CD3) renamed (in your bedroom). This just makes more sense. The reason I say this is due to the disproportionate figures of dance tracks given to us (9) to the rest of the sleepy, mellow ones (41). For example, chill out house almost always start with a faster track or two then goes on to be slower gradually. I have never come across a chill CD that opened with 10 fast tracks and ended with 03 slow ones, that's not chill. JVM Balance did exactly that; took forever to ascend to a certain point, then crashed almost immediately. What gives?

Half star for CD1
Half star for CD2
3 stars for CD3

My human side:
Dance music is not the only type of beautiful music out there, Duh!
Jimmy made that very clear in this release. If you want to listen to a wide range of (not bad!) music, then Balance 10 is for you. Dive in JVM selection of what he thinks makes us human; expressions of the soul that goes beyond our daily necessities to survive. As a matter of fact, we don't even need music (or any type of arts for that matter) to survive at all. Still we listen to it, we crave it and for many people their livelihood depends on it. Music can represent our feelings, desires and wishes, and with JVM Deep Forest like music here (as I mentioned before) I can't help but wonder if he is going through a certain period in his life where spirituality and oneness with the world is a priority. I think it shows.