Customer Reviews

Global Underground 001: Sydney

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Listening to the first nothern exposure series got into john digweed and sasha. And when i got john digweeds global underground in sydney i was not disappionted. The first CD is slower dark hypnotic and quite minimal at times. interesting to listen to punchy mixing and sounds that fly from your left ear to your right.Ending with the perfect progressive tune (Albion Air) to get you ready to accept the second CD. The second CD is the better one as it slowly build straight from the start. flawless mixing, sometimes in key and good variation between trance & techno. This CD reaches the best part when Deepsky's Stargazer hit's it's breakdown and from then you are hooked. then brought down in energy only a (bit though)by PvD's Words, and then some more progressive grooves to finish of one of my all time favourite CD's

I've read all the previous comments and most of the people reviewing this CD don't seem to comprehend it. The general comment is that nobody enjoys the pace of the fist CD. Well to all you bananas out there who only listen to this type of music for the sole purpose of dancing I say "Wake up". The fist disc was designed for people who like to chill, watch a sunset or sunrise and make passionate love while being in that induced state of mind. This music is not only for you speed junkies who need their fast pace sound to keep them "up". The entire compilation does keep me very satisfied.

You may read how this album is "repetitive" and how that's a bad thing. But you gotta keep in mind this is a progressive house/trance album, with a strong emphasis on trance! If you don't like repetitive beats, then trance isn't your thing, so quit looking around this genre!

So what is trance? There's actual research on trance states that stemmed from research on the Shaman. The shaman induces a trance state to perform his "work." That trance state is brought about by repetitive drumming. Given actual brain studies, they've found that a certain range of steady beats per minute releases chemicals in an area of your brain (and dammit I forgot what it's called! ) where serotonin is concentrated. The result is an induced trance state.

Maybe you find that kind of music boring to listen to.

I find it wonderful! Digweed works the deep throbbing beats on this album to an amazing tempo. And I'd have to say...this is the album that got me hooked on the world DJ scene.

This CD continues to prove its worth to me. I've had it for quite some time now and it hasn't gotten old yet. The two CDs in this set converge, yet are distinct from each other at the same time and this set serves (I feel) as a milestone and measuring stick for the Global Underground series, as well as mixCDs in general.

Disc one is the more adventurous of the two. It begins with an ethereal tone, floating inward from silence with "Imagine" before exploding into straight out trance with "Blu Savannah" only for Digweed to take the mix and ground it in a much grittier, heavier style of music. I am hesitant to label the tracks sandwiched between the Liquid Language track and the closer by Albion with a style. They don't quite seem to be trance. Nor deep house. Nor hard house. A deep techy hard melodic housey trance...? Regardless, the mix is expert and bold and for as much throttling of the ears and the soul that the middle portion does, he lets everyone off easy with a club classic: "Air" by Albion.

Disc two is a little more predictable, a little more formatted. Easier to pin down, I'd say it's progressive trance -- but solid, building up nicely, exploding, then coming down. It kicks off well enough with that "Apache Spur" (which happens to have one of the catchiest basslines I've ever heard), peaks early with "Release", dips down and gets a bit techy for a few tracks until it blows up again with "Stargazer" and "Words" -- going off on an arguably psychedelic tip. Following "Words," the CD takes a turn as if it were headed back to the sound exhibited on the first disc, hitting you one last time with an unheard of mix of "Keep Hope Alive" and then bubbling out with "Out of It."

Overall, excellent and a good CD to keep around as a benchmark by which to measure the performance of others. Of Digweed's available mixCDs, I am undecided which to suggest above all others. If you own none, buy the "Bedrock" set first -- it's more eclectic. And when it comes down to this one versus Hong Kong -- flip a coin. You'll be equally pleased. Just remember, while Sasha often gets more hype -- Digweed is the man to watch.

So you've tried explaining to your out-of-town friends what good modern music is. No avail. You've tried convincing your parents that you no longer hang with the long-haired roadies. Forget it. Fitting the bridge-and-tunnel element into the Manhattan clubs? Don't even ask.

At least John Digweed can take care of the music. That is, if you play Sydney 1 to weed out the losers and Sydney 2 - when the real party begins. Indeed, Synday 1 starts out a little slow and remains mellow throughout. If chill is the goal, you can stop there and be happy. But if a wider-than-you've-imagined spectrum of modern music is something you'd wanted to show off (as well as enjoy yourself), you'll need Sydney 2. If you need a sampler of all there is to hear of electronica, trance, techno, and dance in one album, John's got it on the second CD.

After a mellow start, "Subversal" hints that there's more to come. "Release" so confirms. By the time "Steel Blue" comes along, you ought to be on the phone gathering the crew for Twilo where John plays every last Friday of each month. Save your breath and do listen to tracks 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 in one sitting (err, dancing - you won't sit still, believe me). Do stick around for "Propaganda" to top the experience off... and do wish that this kind of music does not become illegal.

John Digweed does an amazing job as usual on this record. I suggest looking at the Northern Exposures with him and Sasha too.

If you love Bedrock, NE3, and digweed's Hong Kong GU, you will love this one even though it is a bit different from all of them. Both CDs are great. CD1 is similar to CD1 in Bedrock except it is a little more upbeat; here digweed gives us the energetic yet subtle sound he is famous for. CD2 is a bit faster and maybe a bit more accessible for those new to this kind of music (for me that does not make it better, just different). Incredible track selection and incredible mixing on both CDs. He is by far the best DJ out there. CDs such as this one will age really well. I can easily imagine enjoying this Cd years from now. The same can not be said, i think, of the more conventional stuff like PVD's Out there and Back or Tranceport 1. That stuff may be good but it is very predictable and gets tiresome fast.

I have seen this Dj live twice in Boston mass, and he just keeps you coming back for more.This double disc is from his sydney shows and is the next best thing so seeing the consumate craftsman live and in person.

I've only been a fan of John Digweed for a year or so, and haven't heard much of his earlier stuff..hard to get ahold of. But I have heard all his Northern Exposure stuff, including 0 degrees North and South, Expeditions and his new Sydney stuff. I can't be critical of his work because I can see how much effort goes into doing what he does. I can listen to both he and Sasha anytime, anywhere.. Paul Oakenfold is another one I have only just learned of him and I like him aswell.

In his first Global Underground mix, John Digweed could have played it safe and put together a set composed solely of trance and progressive house anthems that would please his longtime fans. Digweed has struck out in some new directions here, however, and I'm sure that not all of his listeners will approve. In the first cd of this two cd set, Digweed spins a style of hard house that he has apparently learned about during his gigs in New York City over the past few years. It's somewhat slower than his normal material, but has insistent bass lines coupled with layered rhythms; overall, it has a tribal feel that I find incredibly hypnotic. The musical journey moves to a different space when the hard house gives way to Albion's "Air" at the end of the first cd--it's as though the listener has reached the end of a very intensive and emotional journey, and "Air" is the triumphant declaration that the trip was a good one. It took me a few hearings to really find the groove that Digweed establishes in this mix, but now I think it's truly excellent. In the second cd, Digweed returns to material that is more the style for which people know him: high-energy trance. It's a fabulous mix that utilizes tracks that for the most part have not yet been overplayed (Paul van Dyk's "Words" is the exception here). Overall, I admire Digweed for using the Global Underground format to really do some experimentation in the selection and sequencing of tracks reflecting various musical styles. He shows that no matter what the style of music he's spinning, he can put together a first-class mix, and we, the listeners, are the ultimate beneficiaries.