Customer Reviews

Out There and Back

5 star:		(134)
4 star:		(35)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

OK, OK...first things first. While some dour, pessimistic, and hopelessly tragic people out there may have declared the popularity of trance as its death knell--with all the trashy, same-y comps littering the record store shelves this summer with last years' ibiza holdovers and 'updated' remixes of four year old songs--you MAY be inclined to believe it. BUT I BEG YOU, DON'T DESPAIR...

Out There And Back is truly the trance record that Paul Van Dyk had to make, and one not only the trance, but the dance community across the globe, will thank him for. While some DJ/producers batter the same themes over and over until they decide to run it into the ground only to annoy us with their 'new', 'different' direction (BT are you listening?), PVD improves on his entire back catelog and makes music that is truly progressive on the dancefloor and off.

'Vega' is a welcome starter, echoing Paul's fantastic new-ish fascination with breakbeats as a set-starter ala his oft-included Starecase track 'First-Floor Deadlock'. The beats on this track are a perfect intro; a welcome change from most albums' tendency to begin with some murky synth nonsense. From then on in, Out There and Back starts like an album should...it progresses like a live set, not a collection of singles. Songs like 'Pikes' contain so many hooks and such crafted care that you swear it truly isn't possible for dance music to do all this. Perhaps the nicest treat is the fact that PVD newly remixed his three previosuly released singles, 'Another Way', 'Avenue', and "Tell Me Why (The Riddle)' espescially for the LP. These new versions mean that those who previously bought the singles get new versions of all tracks, all blended together in a seamless triple threat of power and grace. From there on in, get ready for the true PVD experience as he unleashes the prime time, soon-to-be anthems, four-on-the-floorfillers that anyone who has witnessed Paul live will truly enjoy and want to repeat ASAP. 'The Love From Above' and 'Columbia' are just amazing, pure and simple. Honed and headed straight for your solar plexus, these tunes just demonstrate that you don't always need chemicals or even a club to appreciate the creme de la creme of dance music. And as if that wasn't enough, the album ends with 'Alive', a song PVD has been playing on his US/UK tour lately and sounds like an anthem you've heard a thousand times while still seeming like it came from a daydream from 3012. The vocal and the hook summarize the-heart-in-your-throat beauty and power that PVD closes his sets with. It couldn't end any better than this.

This album is a mandate for the dance community. It pulls no punches, yet it doesn't pretend to be something obscure or different due to the tastemakers' disdain for current popular trends. Instead, it just makes plain that Paul Van Dyk is working at the peak of his powers and that is something we can be thankful for from the dancefloor to the freeways, out there and back.

I mean exactly what I said... I have no idea how Paul van Dyk manages to produce such mindblowing albums or spin such dizzyingly hypnotic DJ sets(if you haven't seen him live then you are missing THE BEST sessions ever...). This disk harvests some enormously powerful tracks, starting off with the breakbeat-ish Vega, moving along till Another Way, then the faint background sounds of the "Tell me why" single featuring Ste-Etienne (also a gorgeous song, on Disc 2). Together we Will Conquer and the Love from Above are both songs that will curl your lips no matter how hard you try to resist. Finally, Out There and Back leads into We Are Alive, possibly the most emotional trance anthem(or, soon-to-be-anthem) that I have ever heard. Simply put- BUY THIS ALBUM and learn why Paul van Dyk is called King of Trance.

By the way, for those who haven't heard PvD mix live, I HIGHLY recommend downloading his "Ministry of Sound Session" off of Napster or elsewhere.

This CD set would be perfect in only one of two situations. 1) You want to throw a party and you need a premixed CD with the loops built in, or 2)you listen to the first CD (since the second is remixes and a video) two songs at a time, leaving at least a day in between sittings. Sure, the melodies are nice, gentle and listenable - but they only last a few bars apiece, and are repeated ad nauseum over the same four-on-the-floor beat. No subtlety, no variance, just establish beat, cue in effects, and bliss out to the melody of the minute. That makes a song here. I must be getting old. I guess too much past 30, and the "ten songs looped together as one" concept just looses its appeal. Not that there aren't moments, mind you - but after five straight songs, they all just blend together and kinda get to sounding the same. Maybe that's the point?

I bought this album in England on its release date there. Since then I have fallen in love with this CD. His slow deliberate build-ups fill the album with beautiful moments. I also find it amasing that he produced all of the songs and mixed the album. I read some of the other reviews and am offended that people are seeing trance as dead. This people are obviously the blind ones who fail to see where trance is progressiong to. Its being mixed up with breakbeats and D'n'b to add more flavor to it. This album is a piture of this, I don't see how people can't like this album, its PVD for cring out loud. How many PVD albums have you loved in the past? why would this one be any different. If you've never heard PVD your in for a treat. Buy this album listen to it through, and then again, you'll see why he is the best DJ in the world. I just returned from New York where he played at Twilo. Unmistakeably the best trance show I have ever been to. We waited in line for 2hrs. for the show, and payed 35 dollars to see him, worth every bit. He played a lot of cuts from this album but mixed it up a bit. He did slip into a little break beat which pleased the audience. It just goes to show you the undisputed king of trance can switch it up and does. Buy this album, love this album, share this album, cause it will find its way into everone collection because it is a classic in the making much like seven ways.

I go out and dance to this kinda stuff so much that I hardly ever play this music at home. But PvD is like a Berlin god to me -- he's had me floating so many times in German clubs. And now he has made a CD to enjoy away from the dance floor too. It's dreamy and hopeful and uplifting. Strange little zig zags of sound sneak out of the mix and make you dream. It will take you that close to a Berlin night out, and even closer to heaven.

It's been a long wait between albums from trancemeister Paul Van Dyk, especially for fans of his work. While most top flight DJ's released mix discs to fuel and/or cash in on the great Trance Rush of 1999, PVD stuck mostly to gigs, label disputes, and Gatecrasher. So with no compilations to his name and just one singles release (Another Way/Avenue), anticipation - and expectations, are running high.

After giving this a few spins, one thing is clear; Paul Van Dyk is no longer composing, he's programming. Songs have become tracks, an album turned into a mixed set of cuts. Adventurous tunes have been spared for danceable numbers with maximum appeal and technical precision. This is as far removed from his magnificent Seven Ways as he could go. And that means this a disappointment.

The simplest way to describe this album is to examine the two songs released earlier in the States (Another Way/Avenue). Quality tunes, both. Now slowly extrapolate the difference between them, and that is, essentially, the remaining 10 tracks on this CD. This formula is hidden for awhile; "Vega" starts with refreshing breakbeat and a burrowing bass before the lush synths make an appearance. "Pikes" is similar, though more pounding, and employs breakdowns and squiggles. "Another Way" sounds more appropriate here in the mix as a middle piece than as a single, and gives the audience a melody they can latch on to. The simple thumper "Travelling" follows, and the lyrics- just the word "Travelling-" don't add much. The squelch and the traffic of "Avenue," a club staple last year, make for a banging winner. PVD abruptly changes gears with "Tell Me Why," the opener letting you get your breath before the acid melody line takes over. In the mix it's not the creative pop standout you may have heard: the vocals, like on most the tracks, are buried deep in the mix. "Together We will Conquer" is smiley-cheesy but works. After a few mediocre pieces, the disc closes with "We are alive," restoring the breakbeat, and bringing loud vocals to jar you (in a good way) from the repetitious haze. Uplifting without the cheese.

The second disc has a few mixed tracks, that feature more variety. The "Another Way (Original)" stands out, as does the club mix of "Tell Me Why."

There's not an inherently bad track on here, many just get lost in the haze of pounding beats and repetitious sounds. Paul Van Dyk does have taste, this is cheese-free and generally lacking the obvious melodies found on popular European charts. But at 78:22 it doesn't sustain your listening attention. Is this good, enjoyable, and suitably entertaining...yes. But is it "trance's first truly great album," as a national electronic magazine has proclaimed? Not hardly.

Paul Van Dyk's style can be summed up in one word, simple. But simplicity doesn't equal a bad thing, in fact, it makes the experience more enjoyable. Some criticts have said that Van Dyk's latest album (OTAB) is unoriginal and brings nothing new to the trance genre, but heck if it sounds good and gets you dancing then there's no problem.

His songs have perfect build-up and direction, and aren't too hectic. And the chords in the background while repetitve, really get you into a TRANCE.

CD-1 starts out w/ "vega". A dark tone song that starts out slow but eventually progresses to a nice backbeat that leads into "pikes". Next is a great club song "Another Way" that really has a liquid trance feel to it. tracks 4 and 5 are decent but nothing special. Things get interesting again w/ the slow progression of "Tell me why" and stay mellow through "Face to Face" until you get to "The love from above" which is more upbeat. Fav. track on cd-1 though is def. "out there and back." it has perfect build up and a great finale that just makes you want to dance...song reminds me of Carnival in Brazil.

CD-2 Has mostly different remixes of the songs on cd-1. track 2 "all I need" has catchy tunes that'll get your foot tapping. And in my opinion "tell me why (club mix)" is better than on CD-1. really cd2 is just a bonus, 'cause cd1 is worth the price alone.
In all, this is a great trance cd that any fan of the genre should get. Right up there with Oakenfold's Tranceport and Sasha's live @ Ibieza

Enjoyment of this album is very dependent on how much you like trance. If you're a huge fan, this album is a no-brainer; click "Add to cart" right now! Likewise, if you hate trance with a passion, this won't change your mind and will probably wind up as a coaster. Don't expect Van Dyk to change your opinion about this type of music.

So, as someone who likes trance if done well, I would call this a good (not great) album. The singles ("Another Way", "Tell Me Why", and "Avenue") are nicely done trance songs, although maybe a bit too fluffy. "Pikes" is a very cool track that proves how less can be more, and "We Are Alive" is one of the best trance anthems ever made. If it doesn't get to you on some level, I'd be surprised.

However, the album does have a lot of mediocre moments (particularly after "Tell Me Why") that drags it down, and this does come across as pretty light. But if you like trance, this is worth picking up anyway for the five tracks mentioned earlier. "Out There And Back" isn't perfect, but it is proof that trance artists can put out full albums and do them well.

6 stars! An extraordinary achievement, this... Pure endless trance, full of surprises, hidden pieces of melody, rapturous heights, dashes of sanguine ecstasy... I haven't heard a collection of trance better than this and it's all by one artist, not just another hit & miss dj comp. It's as though PvD has taken all his past accomplishments as a spinner and then a composer, and transformed them into this album's backdrop, then dipped even deeper to find huge washes of melody and killer beats. It's just terrific stuff throughout -- the trance revolution peaks right here. You will be floating....

i didnt even buy this cd just heard snips of it at random and it sounded good this is an old cd and still cutting edge thats why paul is number 1 right now. some of the other masters i.e. sasha, armin van buuren, tiesto, started with proper music format and then just jumped to a whole new mature so called sound. i mean is it a mid life crisis i dont know but if you spin new music format in front of me you better be ready for my criticism because it aint gonna be good. if the beats are off, sound rotation off, sound structure off, bass off, treble off, pitch off, i or any so called professional musician will raise are hands and say hey what they hell is going on you guys played perfect now you play like shrek 2 all of these so called masters cds can be shelved with the shrek 2 music anthology its that bad. the most terrible sound ever created by it or what or who would have to be attributed to the shrek 2 sound track, i still have sound nightmares from that cheese whiz oozing from the crazy minoet or sonata blarred from those god dam creatures. those so called masters are beginning to sound like the shrek 2 musical dynasty and im not the only musician sitting back and laughing maybe im wrong and i need a hearing aid but if it sounds funky its gotta be funky but dam thats like a terrible sound but if the masses want to hear the new shrek sound format than so be it but i will cover my ears