Customer Reviews

Magik 7: DJ Tiesto Live in Los Angeles

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This album is all Tijs Verwest-style good, what you'd expect from the Trancemaster himself...

It has a nice tracklist... with these standing out tracks:

The Auranaut - People Want To Be Needed -Great intro for the CD, it really builds up atmosphere, and is a good track in itself too

Three Drives - Sunset in Ibiza -A Classic track already, and a nice second track. although the mixing into it from Auranaut isn' t totally flawless...

Schiller - Das Glockenspiel -The third track on the album, a classic too.

Jan Johnston - Flesh (DJ Tiesto Mix) -This track is AMAZING! It has Jan's angelic vocals, and what Tiesto did with from break at 3:42 till the end is amazing, and seamless mix into Stringer

Riva - Stringer -One of the best tracks of this year, and the mixing from Flesh and into Sunrise at Palamos is seamless.

M.I.K.E. - Sunrise at Palamos -Great track, it may not be easy melodic trance, but M.I.K.E. did it again. Great mixing into Push.

Push - Strange World -Another M.I.K.E. track, this song, anthem for the first Trance Energy of 2001, is simply genious.

DJ Tiesto - Flight 643 -What can i say? You either love or loathe this track, (i love it) that is not standard Tiesto, but more techno-ish, hard, and full of energy. Too bad the original is on it, not the better Orkidea mix.

CJ Bolland - The Prophet -Superb closure of the CD, great track.

Summary: It's a Cd that any trancelover should have in his/her collection, and in my opinion good too for people discovering trance, but it's certainly not beter than Magik Six, which is the best trance CD ever.

Disclaimer: Before commencing with this review I would just like to say that I am NOT going to compare this CD to Tiesto's other works. I find this an unfair judgement method as I am a firm believer that reviews should be centered directly around what is actually being reviewed.

Magik Seven: Live in Los Angeles was the very first professionally mixed techno compilation that I ever purchased. While it does have sentimental value to me, let that not heed the credibility of my words when I say that this CD is a true masterpiece.

The journey begins with a female announcer... "All the way from Holland just to help you get your groove on... It is DJ... Tiesto..." Right then and there you know that you're in for something special. The first anthem "People Want to Be Needed" by Auranaut then kicks off with some male vocal singing. The track pulls at you, pries at you, and drives you nuts until finally at 1:30, Tiesto's signature deep house beat kicks in, slamming you in the face and making you want to get up and scream right along with the live cheering of the audience.

The tracks progress from the warp-like sounds of "Sunset On Ibiza" by Three Drives, to the powerful and evocative echoes of "Das Glockenspiel [Humate Remix]" by Schiller. After these first three tracks, you begin to feel the true emotion that Tiesto has employed in the set, and by the time he is done calming things down with track four, you'll be ready for the rest of the CD.

Featuring Jan Johnston, one of Europe's leading female trance vocalists, Tiesto drops "Flesh [DJ Tiesto Mix]" from the heavens at track number six. Originally done by Paul Oakenfold, Tiesto takes the song to a completely new level with his remix. This is one of those inspiring tracks that truly defines Tiesto's personal style that is Progressive House Vocal Trance.

Continuing on the journey, instead of building the mix set to a climax as most DJs do, Tiesto does something completely different with the rest of his performance. Between tracks seven through nine, the music grows darker, while the beats grow deeper. When the aptly named "Lost Vagueness [Oliver Lieb's Main Mix]" by Utah Saints creeps in, the CD changes direction and dawns a more cultural and tribal feeling. No longer as uplifting as before, one feels lost in a dark abyss while listening to this portion of the mix.

Just before his final run, Tiesto pulls us out with a perfect insert of his signature track "Flight 643" Whether you love or hate this song, its mixing into the set cannot be disputed as it is so strategically placed.

Summing things up, the set is truly defined by the final song "The Prophet" by CJ Bolland. The booming bass as well as the uplifting synth echoes give this song a power that can only be compared to that of a religious revival. A male preacher literally calls to the audience during the breakdown of the song, warning all of the coming of God. (Hence the track title, The Prophet)

Overall, Magik Seven: Live in Los Angeles is a live mix CD that not only showcases some of the best trance on this planet, but also features some creative DJing the likes of which have never been emulated by any DJ other than Tiesto himself. The flawless mixing between tracks as well as the cheers from the crowd (which thankfully are not overbearing) will make you feel like you are really at the Mayan Theater in Lost Angeles, attending the show. To clear up any question on the quality of the live music, fear not, you can blast this CD on the loudest of systems (my car's or my PC's 5.1 Surround Sound) and notice no frequency clipping or distortion whatsoever. If you are new to Trance as I was two years ago, or are an underground veteran looking for a new twist, do not hesitate to pick up this CD as well as a new cd-rom drive so that you never have to remove it from your player. It's that good.

Tiesto's skill as a main-room DJ are in full swing on this CD as he plays a handful of floor filling trance records that manage to pound as they uplift. Sounds cliche, I know, but there is a knack he seems to have for getting a very wide, beautiful vibe without degenerating into cheese - which is something truly few trance DJs know how to do. Of particular interest are tracks seven and four, as they seem to be absolutely huge and relentlessly driving. I wish I could have been there that night to see this fine set, but I was in house-heavy New York instead that weekend...

All in all, a fine CD, particularly if you like your dance music somewhere between melodic and agressive. While you don't leave humming anything, you recall that the entire experience was one of pleasant sensation - huge drops and all. Isn't that what the good stuff is all about?

If your looking for another "Energy 2000" mix, this isn't it.

This mix resembles much more of what has been happening to trance lately: Darker, more beat driven music.

If that's your style than this mix is perfect for you, but if you're expecting the airy melodies and high-energy drive of some of Tiësto's other works, this CD wont do. Most of the tracks are more beat driven than melody, which translates into an almost minimalist feel. Consequently, the overall impression is that this is more of a chill out mix than anything. In other words, it makes for a good background for a long drive, but scarcely puts you in the mood to do anything else with the CD.

Further factors that pull this album down: Poor recording quality, as well as played out tracks. If you've been listening to Oakenfold lately, you've heard these tracks. It's nothing terrible, but nothing amazing, either. And definitely what I've come to expect from Tiësto.

Unfortunately, in the end I couldn't feel the energy (A bad omen, in my opinion, for a live recording). Definitely not a CD I will put in my CD player for a good round of heavy rotation.

If you're a collector and avid fan of Tiësto, I say go for it. If you're a casual listener, or just looking for a good mix, I say pass.

I was at this recording, and it does well in capturing the energy that was going on in the packed Mayan crowd that night. The Mayan theater had presented problems for all the DJs that night (and John Digweed the next week), perhaps because of the vibrations of the dancefloor or what have you, the needles were a bit jumpy, and would skip the grooves in the records. When this happens it isn't the fault of the DJ, but little breaks in rhythm are nobody's idea of a good time. Tiesto just kept motoring right along, though, and while he played some tracks that have been on his past compilations (not to mention the mega successful Paul Oakenfold "Perfecto Presents...Another World"), some of these tracks he played after his recording was over, and he also managed to throw surprises out when he needed to, which is the calling card of any successful DJ.

My one complaint with this mix is it slows down, seemingly to a halt, quite a bit. If that's your fancy, and if you've enjoyed Tiesto's past work, then the 3 star rating may be a bit low for you. Oakenfold lovers in particular might find this mix interesting as well, as while they both play similar tracks, Oakenfold tends to go to the lighter side of trance while Tiesto goes a bit darker at times. A comparable mix to "Magik 7" is Ferry Corsten's "Global Transmissions" from Moonshine Records.

This CD is great--right up there with Summerbreeze. But if you already own Revolution (released a month earlier than this one), then you might as well skip this CD since 12 of the 15 tracks are identical with many even coming in the same order and location (early or late) on the CD.

ok, im a bit dissappointed in tiesto this time. i flew from san francisco to LA to see him for the 9th time for MAGIK 7. his mixing is flawless as usual. his track selection is still great but he should've used a different selection because all of the tracks on MAGIK 7 is already on his "bright side" cd (cd2 on the REVOLTUION compilation) with the xeption of come along, the prophet and bass control. as i said, the track selection is still great but its not good when a dj with his skills uses almost the same xact tracks on two different compilations that were only a couple of months apart. im not rating the live set itself because it was heavenly, but im rating the record in particular. it was probably the best live set i attended next to MAGIK 6 in amsterdam. anyways, if u want way more tiesto mixing with the same tracks on MAGIK 7 at almost the same price then u should definetly buy REVOLUTION. its crazy...

I thought it was an OK CD, I think Tiesto has done better. His new CD Nyana is awesome. Really good trance and female vocals on that CD. Check it out.

If buying your first Magik CD don't start with this. As usual the mixing is flawless and considering he still does it with turntables it makes it even more amazing and outstanding and, and, and................. but there are better CDs in the series.
Great tracks and love Stringer by Riva, great to hear it before Danni Minogue was involved and it morphed into Who Do You Love. Only downside, I am getting really really sick of Flight 643 cropping up on his albums. My all time fave by this guy and it will take a lot to top it but I really would like to hear something new.

A great set with some great trax...Did not deserve 5 stars coz it's no match to Magik 6:Live in Amsterdam....for all the Tijs' fans out there...get both these albums...It's worth it.