Danny Tenaglia: Athens (V.10) [Import]

Global Underground (Series), Various Artists - Dance & DJ - House, Various Artists - Dance & DJ - Techno/Rave, Danny Tenaglia | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 12, 1999)
• Format: Import
• Label: Global Underground
• ASIN: B00000IBEW
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (55 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #938,019 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hypnotic house that perfectly fits in the GU series, August 27, 2000

By 

Scott Swanson (Albuquerque, nm United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Global Underground 004 Athens (Audio CD)

The strength of the Global Underground series can often be seen in its ability to showcase a wide variety of DJ and musical styles but remain strangely uniform in its sound. When I picked up Danny Tenaglia's release on Global Underground, I had expected it (mostly from the reviews on Amazon.com) to be so completely different than any of the others I wouldn't even recognize it as part of the GU series.

My experience with house music comes mostly from DJs like Jeno, Doc Martin, Frankie Knuckles, and David Morales all of which seem to have a lighter, groove-oriented style of house. D. Tenaglia is so completely different here I'm not even sure if it really is "house" music--certainly it's not like any I've heard. But, what Tenaglia's Athens set definitely is is a Global Underground release.

CD One is a haunting and hypnotic collection of slow, minimalistic house tunes. BPT's "Moody" is maybe the most pure house track with a funky sound and very sexy lyrics in front of a sometimes exotic-sounding backdrop. It is maybe the big standout song besides the other dirty little number "Frank Sinatra." The rest of the CD is primarily packed with songs that ride a fine line between trance and house.

CD Two starts out with a song that has quickly become one of my favorite numbers --"Seduction of Orpheus" from Tilt. Somewhat tribal with an amazing change in beat then back again, it kicks the second CD off to such a bangin' start the other tracks have a hard time recapturing the drama it leaves behind. The St. Etienne number "Cool Kids of Death" (this song has to be good just for its title) comes very close but in a different way. More gentle and sensuous though keeping the energy flowing, it is changes the tone of the mix completely for at least a few moments. There are no other glaringly noteworthy songs to compare to those two, but most of the other tracks are good quality and guide you effortlessly 'till the end.

I am surprised that there was such an outcry of dissatisfaction from other GU fans. Although definitely a house-based sound, I can easily see several tracks featured here finding their way into a Sasha, Seaman, or other GU-featured DJ's mix. Tenaglia has put together a mix that fits perfectly into the Global Underground series, and exposes a new, fresh house sound to an audience that is may have forgotten the strength of one of the oldest forms of electronic dance music.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Hypnotic Journey Through The Dark, March 27, 2003

By 

the enlightened one (under the tree of enlightenment) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Athens (Audio CD)

With his 'Athens' mix, New York legendary DJ Danny Tenaglia quite possibly gives the most cohesive set of tracks in the entire Global Underground series, with John Digweed's 'Los Angeles' mix following close behind. Danny spins us some deep, dark, shallow, and minimal-sounding records, inviting us on a journey through the subterranean.

This mix, released in 1998, was a precursor to the flood of Dark Progressive House and Deep Trance tracks that would quickly surface afterwards. John Digweed seems to have been heavily influenced by Danny, releasing his "groundbreaking" (but not so groundbreaking) Global Underground 'Hong Kong' mix a year later, mimicing the same deep and dark vibe found on this CD.

Standout tracks include Scumfrog's mesmerizing 'Watersong', Miss Kittins' neurotic 'Frank Sinatra', and Tilt's ever-fascinating 'Seduction of Orpheus'. As a whole, there are few mix CDs out that are so fluid. It's almost as if Danny is weaving a story through the music he plays. Any serious listener knows that the order of the songs played AS WELL AS the track selection are what make a DJ mix great. This is what separates the amateur from the professional.

This CD is not for everyone and it's not for every occasion. Some tracks may bore the heck out of the listener with over 3 minutes of the same repetitive beats, but listen to it late at night right before bed, with all the lights out, and it will work its magic.

>>> 5 stars. This is a very enjoyable journey through the dark, brought to you by one of the most talented disc jockeys on the planet.

- the enlightened one

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars My introduction to the legendary Mr. Tenaglia, April 12, 2001

By 

dj grey (Ft. Collins, CO. United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Athens (Audio CD)

To the best of my knowledge New York's Danny Tenaglia is the only American DJ to release compilations in the Global Underground series, and one of the only ones who plays predominately house. This selection is mainly inended to represent his darker, techier side and does a more than adequate job. Disc 1 starts out a little too mellow for my taste, but quckly moves into some great dub-house with twisted samples and exquisite bass work. The tracks push gradually to a more techno feel, and finally he drops us into some really off the wall electro-style stuff. Disc 2 is a little more uptempo, although there are several mellow spots here too. The overall feel is more progressive and eventually goes into some straight up trance. Aspects of both discs can get a little overly repetitive, but there are enough truly superb tracks on here to be worth the money. My dominent complaint about this set is that its quite slow throughout, and even disc 2 falls about 10 bpm's below normal club tempos. Still, any open minded fan of deep house and techno will probably walk away from the first listening with a smile on there faces and a burning desire to see this living legand live. I did.