Customer Reviews

Nightmusic 2

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What a wonderful cd this is. Both disc 1 and disc 2 boast some great tracks. Disc 1 is brilliant and follows along the same lines as disc 2 of Anjunabeats Volume 5. It starts off with an absolute beauty of a track called "Waiting here for you", the vocals and melodic sound of the track is stunning. The rest of the tracks that follow are also brilliant, giving disc 1 a melodic-progressive feel to it. Really enjoyed disc 1.

The only thing that disappointed about the cd was the arrangement of the tracks on disc 2. It left me with that confused feeling but still very good with some of the tracks on disc 2 more than made up for this disappointment. The tracks I speak of are "headstrong - the truth", "delirium - angelicus", "filo & peri - ordinary moment" , and "mind one - hurt of intention".

Overall this is an excellent compilation from The Thrillseekers. Very good track selection and mixing. Definitely better than Night Music volume 1, so if you enjoyed that cd then you will simply love this one. This compilation is a must have for any trance lover.

Good Stuff!!

I'd initially mentioned that The Thrillseekers (A.K.A. Steve Helstrip) had created quite a high bar to surpass with the release of Nightmusic V.1, which is an amazingly strong album. From the moment I placed the first disc (Plus365) into my stereo, I quickly realized that not only had Steve surpassed his previous high-quality bar, but had arguably pole-vaulted clear over it. In the race for what I consider to be the best [Trance] album of the summer. I place Nightmusic V.2 amongst the top three contenders for the title as I see it.

Plus365 begins with a Thrillseekers original, "Waiting Here For You," an extremely beautiful melodic trance track with incredible vocals. The first disc is truly Night Music, and is some of my favorite electronic music to play whilst driving on a highway or any type of road at night, occasionally stealing glances at the moon and feeling the shivers sent down my spine. Oftentimes I just can't help but smile to myself. Plus365 is peppered with incredible artists whose tracks all contribute to form a Balearic mosaic of sound that is quite unsurpassed by DJ's as relatively new as Steve. Included on the first disc are tracks from the likes of Kyau & Albert, Solarstone ("Late Summer Fields" is a personal favorite), Marco V., Joop, Forerunners and Simon Patterson's fantastic "Strip Search." Going back to the first track, it is a bit of a teaser because Helstrip wastes absolutely no time in upping the tempo and BPM so that we find ourselves encapsulated once again in pulsating trance euphoria similar, but more developed, to that of those tracks found on V.1. Weaving brightly distinctive melody with relentless and ever-changing beats compounds the strength of this album, making comparisons to similar artists almost impossible. Occasionally, select tracks will up the ante with a jolt of more forceful trance; such tracks include "Reflect" (making a great appearance on Tiesto's In Search of Sunrise 6: Ibiza), "Possible But Unlikely," "Project: Project" and the final two tracks, "Strip Search" and "Innerstamatick." There is no question that an initially pleasantly melodic album ends with BLISTERING severity. It is just the crux of The Thrillseekers' ingenuity at work.

Disc two (Minus365) enters with a trippy remix of "Keep On," a nice avant-garde acid house track that jumpstarts pulses and foreshadows a wild and interesting disc to come. Again, an all-star lineup of artists has been selected for inclusion such as Supermodels From Paris, Simon & Shaker, Headstrong, Delerium, Purple Haze, Alex M.O.R.P.H., Above & Beyond, Stoneface & Terminal, The Thrillseekers and Sander van Doorn. As you may have noticed, I listed just about every artist on the second disc, which should act as a final testament as to how good this disc truly is. "The Truth" and "Angelicus" inject the heat into Minus365, and the acid house vibe rides comfortably alongside a progressive trance vibe a la Markus Schulz. This dichotomy disguised as paradox comes into fruition during "Zero" and the entire sequence between and including "Nymph" through "Hurt of Intention." The Thrillseekers' second self-produced track to appear on the compilation, "Newlife," literally breathes new life into the mix after A&B's blistering Club Mix of "Good For Me." Newlife dually paves the way for the cataclysmic climax of Minus365, begun by Sean Tyas' "Lift" but absolutely erupting with Sander's "Punk'd." This track is so intense it mirrors almost precisely the live performance he gave in Baltimore in early August that I was lucky enough to attend. In the same blister-inducing fashion as Plus365, Minus 365 comes to immensely satisfying closure with a track by the sublime Stoneface & Terminal, segued into perfectly by Sander's insanity.

Bottom line, this album will leave you drooling down your shirt for Nightmusic V.3. Steve Helstrip is one of the most exciting new DJ's to enter the scene in the past several years, and his wondrous efforts are gloriously catalogued within these volumes. Nightmusic V.2 is, without the slightest doubt in my mind, just about twice as fantastic as was its predecessor, and I believe that if The Thrillseekers continue to make pole-vaults of such strength in the future, Helstrip should contend for the trance Olympics. A must-have for "The Summer of Trance."

~Lex

When I first heard that Helstrip was producing another Nightmusic album (and he's made a third if you haven't heard. Look for my review there as well) I was overjoyed! I couldn't wait for it to finally come. And when it did I was not disappointed. It was not better than album 1, but it was close. As with any Nightmusic album, the transitions between songs are truly excellent.

CD1
1. Waiting Here For You - The Thrillseekers: 5/5 - One of my favorites of the 3 albums and an absolutely great opener. Aruna is one of my favorite trance vocal artists, and I'm someone who is not crazy about vocals
2. Angel Falls - Lange: 5/5 - Great energetic beat and sweet melody!
3. Project: Project - Misja Vs. Jazper: 4.5/5 - Short but sweet
4. Why Don't We Talk About It - Cressida: 4.5/5 - Interesting vocals and great beat. At times the vocals seem more like electro sounds rather than vocals which is a nice touch
5. Always a Fool - Kyau & Albert: 5/5 - Another great beat going on here. Vocals are decent, not too cheesy
6. Sunlight - Breakfast: 5/5 - Another one of my personal favs of this album. Great hypnotic melody going on here. Really awesome
7. Late Summer Fields - Solarstone: 5/5 - I think a great song despite some cheesy vocals at times but most are pretty good. If you like vocals you will love this track
8. Reflect - Maor Levi: 5/5 - I love the vocals here! Very hypnotic!
9. Possible But Unlikely - Marco V.: 6/5 - Another favorite here. One of the best beats I've ever heard tied with a very futuristic alien sound...and the best part...it has cowbell! A trance song with cowbell! Truly original
10. The Future - Joop: 5/5 - For trance fans this sounds very different from the Trance Energy 2007 'The Future' by Joop anthem. I think, however, a very good remix. Not as energetic, but a good remix
11. Things You Say - Pulser: 5/5 - Male vocals are not something I am a fan of but I like them here in this track. Nicely done
12. Lifecycle - Forerunners: 6/5 - Makes my top 5 of most beautiful trance songs. Truly awesome melody going on. Listen and enjoy the trip!
13. Memories From the Future - Robert Gitelman: 5/5 - Another beauty!
14. Strip Search - Simon Patterson: 5/5 - Very energetic with a great piano break in middle. Love the "jet engine" sound you hear throughout this one!
15. Innerstamatick - Stephen J. Kroos: 5/5 - Great finale. Good beat. Good Melody. Good trance track! Love how it gets evil towards the end!
CD1 Overall: 5/5 - Great trance CD! Nothing is out of place, everything flows like it should. Steve Helstrip can really make a great experience.

CD2
1. Keep On - Sumpermodels From Paris: 5/5 - Great opener. Reminds me of driving in the city on a late night or on a long bridge with the lights flowing past you
2. Zero - Simon & Shaker: Excellent "jungle" beat feel here. A few vocals but not many
3. The Truth - Headstrong: 5/5 - Nice guitar melody!
4. Angelicus - Delerium: 5/5 - For those of you that like "opera vocals" there are a few in here. But I must say, they are used very nicely. Some unusual sounds added also make a nice touch
5. Ordinary Moment - Filo & Peri: 4.5/5 - Not liking the vocals but a great track
6. Nymph - Terry Ferminal: 4.5/5 Alien like synth vocals with a good beat. I like it
7. Rush - Purple Haze: 4.5/5 - Dark sounds
8. 1 Life Less Ordinary - Alex M.O.R.P.H.: 4.5/5 - Good track but seems more like hard house than a trance track. I don't think it belongs
9. Hurt Of Intention - Mind One: 4/5 - A good track. But I don't like some of the vocals. Its not bad, just not great
10. Good For Me - Above & Beyond: 5/5 - One most trance fans will have heard before and a good one. Good vocals that have a unique sound to them
11. Newlife - The Thrillseekers: 5/5 - Has a very "trancy" sound to it. Almost cliche at times but only a few. Some will not like but I for one do
12. Lift - Sean Tyas: 3.5/5 - Great song! Horrible male vocal! More like male talking! Some of the vocals came out quite nice but...why? It sticks out so badly. It ruined a great song! Get rid of the first 2 minutes 30 seconds and then I'll give it 5 stars
13. Punk'd - Sander Van Doorn: 5/5 - Crazy sounds from this one. Quite nice
14. Super Nature - Stoneface & Terminal: 6/5 - Awesome ending! Love the guitar! Perfect!
CD2 Overall: 4.5/5 - CD2 is not as good as disc one, but it is not at shame. All the songs are better than decent, it's just nothing really comes out as spectacular aside from the final track. And there's no problems aside from a bad vocal in one song so I suppose it comes to a matter of taste

Despite my ratings for this one to be better or equal to volume 3 and 1, I place it last among the 3 because I don't know what it is, but this album seems to have a more 'generic' feel to it. It's totally great and you defiantly need to buy it, but I just can't seem to shake it off. Generic feeling or not it is a great album that any trance fan needs to own and most definitely Nightmusic fans

nice album:
CD1: has new tracks, vary cool uplifting, music,exactly music for morning rush, when you wake up. or on friday evening.
CD2: is a compilation of old but well known tracks. so basically guy <thrillseekers> just created perfect blend of new and old trance tracks.
Thrillseekers just play trance, real trance music. Nice Job, guys!! Thanks

Nightmusic Vol.2 is heavenly near perfect, given for granted Vol.1 was pretty impressive already. First, the opening and the ending tracks are vibrant and fitting. While tracks in between aren't fillers with those over commercialized song played to death by many. Instead some of the top unique tracks are layered and arranged in between by unknown artist to keep the listeners attention for as long the disc is spining. The whole set never feels boring and monotonous.

Disc one has the slight advantage over disc two because the entire disc has unity from start to finish. You get an exceptional opener "Waiting for You" then Helstrip draw the listeners with tracks like Project:Project, Why Don't We Talk About it and Always a Fool. Inspiring Tracks like Sunlight, Late Summer Fields (a personal favorite) Reflect and Lifecycle by Forerunners (another personal favorite, a much better mix than AVB's Universal Religion 2008) all mixed very well with superb quality. But the two ending tracks, Stripe Search and Innerstamatick relly shines, the colorful and pulsating beats close it out only to bring listners vast curiosity of what disc two brings to the table. Disc one is worth the admission itself.

Disc two gets a fast jump start from "Keep On" by Supermodel From Paris. This track is quite delightful. A little bit of trippy acid-house beats, thrown in to keep listerers occupied moving to track two. Zero by Simon & Shaker cranks it up to keep things moving and grooving. Track three "The Truth" by Headstrong is good although the tempo sort of shifted down to a softer mood, but not for long. Because track four pick up where track three left off. Steve Helstrip waste no time by inserting Angelicus by Delerium and Ordinary Moment by Filo & Peri. The transition between those two are impeccable. You'll be surprised when track five Ordinary Moment slowly enters the scene, for this is the next track but don't let Thrillseekers tell you the element of surprise never existed here. By now one should note, disc two is the crazier side, the momentum has shifted rapidly beyond ones expectation. Highlighted tracks Newlife, Nymph, Rush and Punk'd provide energetic, fast tempo, trancing beats a perfect closure for disc two. I also personally enjoy Lift by Sean Tyas and Super Nature by Stoneface & Terminal, great ending tracks.

Overall Vol.2 will make you hungry for Vol.3. In respect to Vol.1, Vol.2 has taken over for now. This set is very balanced, you get two disc, each disc provides and presents different atmosphere of pure enjoyment. I also recommend ISOS 6 and Universal Religion 2008 for the liking of this one.

Absolutely stunning!

After great experience with Vol. 01, this surely keeps the flame burning. Awesome vocal trance and instrumental too. Buy both 1 & 2 vols.

This is a modern ambient collection, which suits and "old ambient techno lover" as me. Good as "car driving"-music, or "behind at work"-music.

This album is seriously very good. It's one of those great trance albums that you can listen to all the way through, and you never want to skip the track.

I've been a fan ever since his remix of Chicane's Saltwater in 2000 and his own track Synaesthesia. This past weekend, I finally had the great fortune to see Steve spin live in NYC 7 years later. I was the third one in the door and among the last to leave 7 hours later. Even though I got a free promo CD with 1-2 minute clips of each track, I'll be promptly buying the full set. That should tell you something!

I was so impressed with Vol. 1 I had to get Vol. 2 but unfortunately this one does not live up to expectations. Vol. 1 is the has the perfect mix, timing, transitions, everything. Vol. 2 is a very mediocre mix at best, I don't even think its good.