Customer Reviews

Ministry of Sound: 11 R-Senal Roger Sanchez

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

 

 

The mix begins with a NASA countdown sequence. Subtle? No, not from the champion of funky house and especially not on this particular mix of disco-fried diva stompers, which fires out at volume eight and proceeds to crank it even higher. Filtered, EQ'd and workin' it, there's nothing discreet about his peak hour set, so you'd better want the workout- song connoisseurs, not invited. A few out there may be disappointed by the mashed-together string of hits, but that's perfectly fine, there are plenty of us who just want to move. Some of the best cuts are by Sanchez himself, as in the moderately toned down "Just Leave Me", or let you catch your breath even as you shake, such as Spiller's disco-distortion "Groovejet." "Rise Up" is probably the only way he could close the set, featuring what sounds suspiciously like a vocal from the queen diva herself, Aretha.

The second CD sees the S-man apparently step aside for a label-produced round up of the year's huge house and trance tunes. Indistinguishable from a Cream or Pete Tong comp, at least it's mixed well and has some quality treats: Rui Da Silva's "Earth," the ubiquitous "Dooms night," the Police smash re-rub"When the world is running down," and of course, Josh Wink's "How's your evening so far," which quite frankly, loses it's magic outside of a club.

So you get the snappy dance vibe you expect from Roger Sanchez, and a bonus disc to add the value. Sounds like a winner to me. Grade: B

I'm reviewing the sessions in reverse so I'm working my way from sessions 12 to 1. My honest opinion of Sessions 11 is it could have been better but is still a strong contender. Although not quite as bangin' as other S-Man mixes, it still rates pretty well.

CD1 is the "peek hours" set with plenty of vocal anthems and top 40's house hits. Some may consider this to be cheese but I enjoyed it. The mixing and music selection is good however the set is a little short, timing in at just over 56 minutes. I'd call this set "safe", as Roger stays mainstream, relying on cuts we've all heard before. The set goes along well but loses points on originality. If you're a house music newbie and haven't heard a lot of house music sets on CD, this could very easily be a five star mix. Unfortunately, no one does house music like the HousERaT and I'm reviewing this CD after 60 others. For me there is no shock effect as most of these cuts have been mixed and mixed again by other DJs. All in all this is not a bad set but I've come to expect more from Roger Sanchez. Cuts of choice are "Sunday Shoutin", "Pasilda", "Groovejet", and "Scream & Shout." CD1 gets 4 stars.

CD2 is the "after hours" set mixed with mainly underground sounds not likely to make it to mainstream radio. There are a few vocal anthems mixed in but I really liked the originality aspect of this set. The beats are strong, the music selection is great, the mixing is quality and the set total is over 73 minutes. My cuts of choice are "Signals", "True House", "Your Wildest Dreams", "Learning To Fly", "Stereo", "Rise", "Don't Stop", and "Moody." As you can tell by my list of choice cuts this is by far the best set in the combo. I could have easily listed more choices but I think you get the point. If you like underground house then this is just what you want. CD2 gets 5 stars

Sessions 11 "The R-Senal Sessions" is a nice addition to the Ministry of sound sessions, but isn't perfect. CD1 keeps this from being a 5 star two CD combo but still delivers enough to get praise for the effort. These two sets mixed by the great Roger Sanchez, is another example of the quality stuff from Ministry. There are weaknesses on CD1 however they are lessened by the excellent set on CD2. Sessions 11 would be a great intro CD for the newbie but for most people it will rank as only good, especially to the seasoned house vet. I liked it and if you can find...would be a nice addition to your house collection.

This is the first CD I've purchased from Roger S. Although I am familiar with his work as a remixer, I've never listened to his mix CDs until now. "Vol. 11" is an impressive mix of thumping, aggressive, yet soulful house that never lets up. The first disc is about 50 minutes while disc 2 clocks in at over 70 minutes. I'm not sure why one disc is substantially longer than the other, but I'm not complaining. Disc 1 is easily the better of the two, as we're treated to an expertly-mixed session of relentless house that's as upbeat as it gets. There are no awkward transitions between songs; it's just one tight, seamless groove.

Disc 2 is another story. While I'm overall impressed with it, the second disc is a bit more mellowed out and turned me off slightly at first, but eventually it grew on me. Sanchez warms things up for the first five tracks or so, and things don't really kick into high gear until track No. 7. At this point, the groove gets more uptempo and we get a few interesting selections. There's one jam that's set against spoken words from MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech, while we get a housed-up reinterpretation of the Police's album cut "When The World Is Running Down..." Some Police purists may cringe in horror at this mix, but I thought it worked very well.

Call me late in the game, but I only recently introduced myself to the Ministry of Sound series, and they have yet to disappoint me. Sanchez's mix is tight and slammin' and makes me want to explore more of his work.

Wow what can I say another amazing set by the great Roger Sanchez. Take a ride with him as he takes you up and down on a journey through some of todays best deep house anthems. A Sound Session not to be forgoten!