Customer Reviews

Nu Breed: Global Underground

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When I first heard Satoshi Tomiie was to do the next installment in Boxed Record's Nubreed series, I was skeptical. His 1999 debut FULL LICK was disappointing, and when I saw him DJ in Amsterdam in April, his set seemed uninspired. Listening to NUBREED 006, however, I was astounded by one of the finest releases in the Global Underground family to date. Tomiie displays an excellent knack for programming and brings together some absolutely amazing progressive tracks, resulting a set that is like none I have ever heard before.

The first disc is a slow warm-up. Stephane K - "Numb" and DJ Nukem - "Music Play" set a beat and wraps the listener up in Satoshi's groove. "Marscarter", one of this spring's hottest vocal tracks by the elitely name Bernard Leon Howard III feat. 80, wraps 80's diva house into contemporary progressive and begins to channel energy into the set. With Sander Kleinenberg Lexicon Avenue's "From Dusk Till Dawn", Tomiie brings the set to a tribal plateau. From there, the first disc starts to move towards its astounding climax. The set picks up with Remark - "So Pure (Finger Fest Inc. Remix) and slams into Kosheen - "Hungry". Here, Tomiie does something extraordinary, he continues "Hungry" as an acapella over a remix of Tijuana - "Groove is in the Air" to create a transcendental sound never before heard in any progressive set. Imagine the heavenly joy of a Cocteau Twins song in a progressive context and you'll have an idea of how Satoshi Tomiie mixes these two tracks.

Disc 2 forms the height of the set. Hybrid's "Visible Noise", a preview of their upcoming second album, shows that they have left behind their orchestral efforts and are now innovating breakbeat into a more aggressive form. From "Visible Noise", Tomiie expertly mixes into Greed - "Strange World (Lemon 8 Remix). This track was popular last year in the form of Blackwatch's "King Monkey" Dub, a frenetic and swirly remix, but Lemon 8 has created a chilling, minimalist remix that is possibly the best yet of Greed's track. The suspense the track builds up continues into Jerry Bonham's "Seventh Seal" before the explosion of Shmuel Flash - "Chilling Moments (Bedrock Dub)". This track right here alone makes NUBREED 006 worth getting, it's Bedrock's finest remix ever (yes, it beats "The Baguio Track") and will go down as one of the best tracks of 2002. Once he's shown himself one of the most clever DJ's around, he fades out with Max Graham - "Tell You".

Boxed Records has been called past its prime lately, the latest Global Underground releases have moved from the underground sound the label was original respected toward a nearly cheesy, populist sound. NUBREED 005, mixed by Lee Burridge, went nowhere and left no impression. With Satoshi Tomiie's triumph here, I've got more hope for Boxed, and this is one of the first Boxed sets in three years where both discs are equally solid, reminding the listener of Sasha's IBIZA retrospective and Digweed's HONG KONG. I would recommend this set to anyone searching for a solid and ground-breaking progressive set.

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"Satoshi Tomiie? Who is he? Seems worth a listen..." I thought to myself immediately before purchasing the album a year ago. I wasn't expecting anything remarkable -- just the good quality stuff the Global Underground label is generally known for. The track lists didn't help much, as remixes for a particular choon can differ much from each other in terms of the way they sound. I had very little to go by.

I was completely unprepared for what I was about to hear. Disc one begins with the haunting overtones of "Numb", slowly drawing you to the deep, driving beats of the following tracks. Vocals are used to some extent, but they are used tastefully, and serve to preserve the overall mood. The mix climaxes during "Deuce" and "So Pure", then settling down some with an absolutely exquisite mix of Kosheen's "Hungry" and Tijuana's "Groove is in the Air". The pace speeds up again with "Mind Filter", finishing with the selfish tunes of "I Want You [for Myself]". And yes, the album had me for itself by that time.

Disc two carries on the theme of the first disc. "Lesser Man" and "Substance" are silky-smooth and driving melodies, featuring once more the tasteful use of vocals (male, nonetheless). The mix then gradually opens up with a series of tribal tracks. Fierce Ruling Diva's "You Gotta Believe" will leave you breathless with wave after wave of drum beats. One is then allowed to gather oneself with Hybrid's "Visible Noise" and the excellent remix of Greed's "Strange World". Just as the imagination is consumed by the apocalyptic tones of Jerry Bonham's "Seventh Seal", one is washed over by Bedrock's ephemeral mix of Shmuel Flash's "Chilling Moments". Chilling, indeed.

Every shred of skepticism was blown away by the time I finished listening to the album. The track selection and sequence are absolutely superb. The tone and mood were consistent throughout, swathing the listener in deep, rich and intimate sounds from start to finish.

Satoshi Tomiie has produced a solid mix that is as dark as, and better than, (dare I say) John Digweed's Los Angeles compilation. A real masterpiece.
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Unmatched quality & track selection.
It starts out slow & it builds. Satoshi Tomiie mixes like you have no idea. From what I've experienced here, tracks 1-5 the mixing is NEARLY impossible to detect. The rest of the mixing remains as good. All of a sudden you realize you're in the next track when you think..."what happened to THAT beat?" Then you know you're on another track.
The track selection on this set is incredible. From the first cd, I'd have to say that "music play" is one of my favorites. Then it follows with "these are the beats" and "Marscarter."
Those hi-hats, bassy lines & "ticky-ticky" beats will get in your head and take you for a spin.
I don't get tired of listening to this set.
CD #2 picks up right where the other one left off. Taking you farther into the journey of dancing & funky beats. It's got something, it's got BEATS, bass, drums, very few vocals (that's good).
This is progressive house at its best. Give it a try & you'll be hooked for ages.

Satoshi's first outing with the Renaissance label last year left much to be desired, even more so if you take into consideration this dark diamond of a set that he made some five years earlier.

Many fans of EDM like their music light and sparkling, or sometimes brilliantly complex. And, of course, many of them just want to have fun. But I have NEVER met an EDM addict who didn't mind if their music was served up dark and hot. Something about the genre (and every off-shoot it has engendered) is conducive to the grimmest and the grittiest in all of us. Satoshi Tomiie, as this two-disc set proves, knows exactly how intoxicating our soul shadows can be, and he is skilled at wielding them.

Disc One starts, true to form, with Stephane K's "Numb," the title an ironic twist to the deep tribal rhythms that form its spine. In fact, Tomiie takes these beats and torques them out through the whole rest of the record, threading them through songs both cavernous ("These Are The Beats") and stratospheric ("Marscarter") without ever losing that tongue-biting energy. Tomiie has a great feel for the pulse of a piece, too, and he sends this first set into a sublime cardiac arrest at least twice. After an ingeniously minimalized bridge (Samsara's "Afterthought") he starts shifting the gears into higher and higher registers until he hits his first climax with Remark's exotically wonderful "So Pure," a frenetic number with contours both organic and robotic. He keeps things fast-paced (sparkling but still dark) even as he tones down the energy. His final climax is the deceptively tame "Mind Filter" by North Atlantic, a track that prepares you for the closure of the disc -- the slightly silly "I Want You" by Sandy Rivera, I mean, uh, Kings of Tomorrow -- even as it sets up the on-set of disc two.

Disc Two has one of the best blocks of Deep House transendence I've heard in a long time, and it comes right out of the gate. Tomiie prepares you for a much drearier experience, building the beauty up slowly, stacking whispers and groans into a simply gorgeous lead-in via Graffik's "A Lesser Man." The beauty remains through the next four tracks, a group of breath-taking numbers that are warm and spacey ("Substance"), delightfully dangerous ("Graffiti"), mind-bending ("Late Night Return") and explosive ("You're My Everything"). Satoshi shows how restraint can salt a set by pulling things way back twice ("You Gotta Believe" and "Strange World" both) before letting the momentum of the record bring things back up to speed on its own. His talent at scoring the set, at tweaking the natural energy of the songs, at draping everything with a hungry, darkness: it's absolutely amazing and is one reason why no one who's serious about this kind of music listens to it piecemeal unless they have to. Sets as gorgeously crafted as this are a testament to the craft and its goals: this is not about a group of neat songs, this is about an organic whole, a sonic entity that takes your mind and heart and dances off with them into the shadows. Welcome to Satoshi's world; it may be dark and hard to see, but he'll show you where to put your feet.

when you buy a house cd.. u expect perfection.. and most of the times.. you are disappointed.. i've experimented with everything.. from sander kleinberg's flawed 'everybody too' to steve lawler's dark tribal classic 'nubreed'.. but trust me on this. this cd, by house music standards.. is fantastic..

it starts off on a low tone.. but suddenly fades into 'music play' by DJ nukem. this is the part when u know tht this cd is not going to disappoint.. my favs. on the first cd are music play,marscarter, hungry(satoshi tomiie mix) and burden by kaz.. but the highlight on cd1 is the part when 'hungry' fades into 'burden'.. flawless mixing..
wont really give this cd 5 stars.. but 4..

cd2 is mindblowing.. worth the money i spent on the entire set..
superb.. the first 3 mins. of a 'lesser man' might keep you wondering wht's next.. but when the song hits the 4th minute mark and when the beautiful tune fades in, backed by awesome vocals(short and sweet).. you'll be in awe.. trust me..
then of course.. u have songs like 'visible noise','you gotta believe','strange world' and of course.. .the beautiful finale.. 'tell you' remixed by max graham..

released in 2002.. you might think of letting it pass.. just because nowadays people want the latest stuff.. i've always wanted the latest stuff.. and i've always been disappointed..but if you're a house music fan..like me. you'll be making the biggest mistake by passing out on this cd.. the opener on the 2nd cd, 'lesser man' is reason enough for you to go to your closest cd shop and buy this cd...!!!

Well at first listen I was very impressed, then listen after listen after listen I become more enraptured. Being right on par with Steve Lawler as the Sensei of Tribal house, Satoshi teaches us his language of music. We can find some great tunes on here from John Creamer and Stephane k to Kosheen and even some great remixes from Satoshi himself. The tracks blend and flow together flawlessly, making me wonder what kinda of program these DJs use and where can I get it!? I found myself listening all the way through each CD without using my "next track" button, something I often do with Artist cds these days. Often I would get goose-bumps at the songs I would hear, indicating they in fact did reach me on some level. Go get this if you can find it. I've looked over and over a number of stores and it's mostly only available as an import.

It was purely by luck that I happened to stumble upon Satoshi Tomiie's Nu Breed album while rumaging through hundreds of electronica CDs at my college radio station. I am a loyal fan of the Global Underground series, but this was something totally fresh and unexpected. Both CDs in this set are packed to the brim with seamlessly-mixed dark and brooding progressive house, a trend that was been somewhat difficult to find in the main lineup of GU CDs these days. Tomiee's programming and mixing are as brilliant as the production quality of this album. As an avid fan of progressive and tech house I would heartily recommend this album to anyone interested in these genres.

I am a regular buyer of progressive trance/house. I spin at clubs around the Bay Area and after playing this genere of music for about the last three years I was starting to feel the pinch of Bedrock's lack of evolution along with some other long standing label favs. Finding SAW records and a few others was like a god send thanks to this guy. I started to notice that when I bought records they would always have his name on them. There are no streaming samples on this site for this album but check out groovetech.com , dancerecords.com , or satelliterecords.com , to hear some of his streams. An excellent line walker that is somewhere on the fringe of where house ends and trance begins. P.S. check out his "Virus" track and if you can find it buy it!

Global Underground hasn't been underground for quite some time now, and this Nu Breed release is definately misleading because Satoshi is far from new. True, he may be new to you, but to industry heads and alike have known of Satoshi's skills for quite some time now.

He starts off disc 1 with a solo Stephane K (without Creamer for those that don't know). Stephane K's "Numb" is a fanciful beginning that echoes throughout your brain from your right ear and twisting its way back to your left. Funny thing is, it's only the beginning! Very progressive without being retarded, Satoshie keeps it up until one of my favourites, Lexicon Avenue's "From Dusk till Dawn." This song's breakdown is a perfect time to stop dancing and look at your friends and just smile, all the while thinking that music and good company are the only things you need to make yourself happy. Then...it kicks back in and you have this even cheesier smile because the song is that good and you can't help yourself but to enjoy the moment. Honestly, you don't even have to be dancing to enjoy this music, a good set of headphones is what I prefer. Kosheen's "Hungry" is not good in its original form, but Satoshie's remixing skills are shown and puts forth a better effort than the originators. Kings of Tomorrow finish the disc with an all-in-your-face house tune with the girl stating bluntley "I want you for myself, don't want nobody else" Um, sure cutie!

Disc 2 begins with a rumbling bass line and echoing drums from Graffik. He simply asks,"If I were to part the tribal waters with my hand, would I be consider a lesser man" Personally, I don't know and don't care because all I know is that this tune is sending signals to my nervous system to tell me to bob my head back and forth. After that, Echomen tells us a little something about "The substance of the way." Again, I don't know what the way is, but I know the substance and it is chilling me into a laid back groove, and I don't want the song to end. This is not your eurotrance happy hardcore type of house. This is well thought of ear candy, and I think that the only time you can dance to this is when you are too tired of dancing to the hard stuff. Definately 4 in the morning prog, but then again, I listen to this at any time of day anyways.

Hybrid show up with a great new tune that is a little harder(ok, maybe a tad) than their usual stuff, but fits perfectly on this disc. Satoshie has great connections, therefore he can find rare gems and new classics before us common folks can. Greed comes in after Hybrid with a sexy sounding girl proclaiming that she's all sweating through her clothes and that it's a strange world. Yes it is, and I love it!

When it comes to producing Satoshi Tomiie is amazing. His label, Saw Records puts out dark progressive records. His remix for Future Sound of London's Papua New Guinea is great. Yet when it comes to being a DJ, he is not so hot. I would not rush out to buy this Nu Breed CD. I recommend Anthony Pappa or Sander Kleinenberg's Nu Breed CDs. I expected a little more from him.