Customer Reviews

Passport: Kingdom of the Netherlands

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I can't believe all the 5 star ratings here. I guess it's all die hard Ferry fans who will give him 5 stars no matter what he puts out. This 2 disc set has some good tracks, but only here and there, and too many tracks are boring. His newer Creamfields trance mix on disc 2 blows either disc from this set out of the water. He opts for house on disc 1, and it's still good stuff. I highly recommend purchasing Creamfields over this one. Get it, then come back and tell me which one really deserves the 5 stars.

You want the ultimate 2 disc trance set, get Cosmic Gate's Back to Back Volume 2.

Through the years Ferry has more dance singles in the UK charts than any other electronic dance music artist. I'm a great fan of Ferry because he makes clubbanging Trance music everytime. Passport:Kingdom of the Netherlands is no exception. For this double CD, Ferry comes out for this one, bringing the party from the first to the last track over two discs. CD1 is more of a warm up CD for what's to come on CD2 with "Force of Gravity" and "Lost Cities" which is gotta be one of my two favorite songs of the summer. You have a better appreciation of the build-up. If disc 1 seems to hold back, then disc 2 picks it up with clubbanging tracks. My two favorite tracks on this side are: Dogzilla "Without you" and "Underwater" recorded by Corsten under his alias System F. Passport demonstrates how the DJ is an artist and a great producer. His live show keeps the dancefloor packed in motion which I experience firsthand in July. He is on a extensive tour this summer. But, I would highly recommend you first pick up your Passport to Ferry's finest CD to date.

"Passport: Kingdom of the Netherlands" constitutes the first installment in what will apparently be a series of "Passport" releases. "Passport: Kingdom of the Netherlands" is also presented as being reflective of the most recent sound Corsten has involved himself in, although this essentially doesn't sound at all dramatically distinctive when comparing it to his previous releases. A noticeable, and fortunate difference, however, is the absence (or reduced presence) of some of the more obnoxious overbearing synth dominated trance prevalent throughout the track selections in his previous mixes. Like essentially all other trance DJ mix albums, this particular release features the latest and greatest to be produced from the trance world by various producers and remixers- some well established in the minds of trance enthusiasts, and others being relatively recent arrivals, hitting the cusp of their musical breakthroughs.

Having said this, this album amounts to one of the more refreshing releases of the year (2005). The mixing, while flowingly smooth, is adequate, but ultimately uninspiring. The track selection and sequencing, however, are consistently above average across the board. The tracks presented in this mix have the climactic and intense feel trance has come to embody, and, as mentioned before, is (generally) devoid of the squelching synth unpleasantness trance has also come to embody. The spectrum of emotion carried by these tracks ranges from driving moodiness, to euphorically atmospheric, so there's a little something for most trance enthusiasts on this album.

The first disc opens up with the Flash Brother's remix of Cassino & Laben's "Leaving Panic Behind", which is a good opener that sets an effective mood and groove to develop throughout the rest of the mix. We then mix into one of the highlights of the entire album, Alucard's gorgeous remix of "Sunscape". Here we are delighted to a beautiful Balearic-like experience, an experience that trance has proven itself capable of capturing time and time again. The pace and intensity is enhanced a peg or two with a track that apparently proved dominant in the trance world in 2005- Yilmaz Altanhan- Eighties (Ozgur Can remix). This track did exceptionally well in 2005, and with good and legitimate reason- it sounds outstanding, and its odd eclecticism works very much in its favor.

The pace is maintained and poised for development with "Sanctuary (Antidote's Tech mix)- a melodically fun track that would have probably worked better earlier on in the set . The rest of the CD, while flowing particularly well, passes by rather uneventfully- "Lost Cities" stands as a passable, but somewhat forgettable production, and Ferry Corsten's own Galaxia appears somewhat misplaced in this mix, as it captures that rather derivative sense of ultra-trance euphoria more than any other track on this disc. Closing the first disc is Corsten's bootleg of BT's "Force of Gravity", which is the original endowed with Corsten's signature hands-in-the-air climactic trance production sound that many have come to know (and perhaps dislike intensely). However, it isn't excessively prominent, and actually amounts to an enjoyable production that also ends the first disc on an effective note.

The second disc is personally that which I prefer when considering the album as a whole, as it consists simply of a larger number of more memorable tracks that also happened to be sequenced perfectly with each other. With respects to the matter of pace and intensity, the second disc appears to have been produced with the first in mind, picking up essentially where it left off. Consider the second disc the climactic pay-off to the first- the direction where the first had deliberately led up to. Faster, harder, and throbbing intense tracks is what we are presented with on the second disc.

The second disc opens up on a rather peculiar note, though, with the awkward and almost laughable vocals of "Lately", which would have functioned much more interestingly as simply being a dubbed version. The intro-track notwithstanding, Ronski Speed's 2day, although melodically uninteresting, provides an excellent lead into Dogzilla's "Without You". "Without You" provides an excellent example of the direction trance has apparently taken within the past year, fusing itself with conspicuous elements of House and Progressive House- the percussion of house, and the melodic mindfulness of trance. Definitely an excellent track that is well complemented by its vocals.

With Purple Haze's "Adrenaline" (a track that also did extremely well in 2005), we've become thoroughly involved in the "peak-time" tracks of the album, and "Adrenaline" certainly doesn't disappoint those who are interested in melodic and climactic track without the derivative silliness of many generic trance productions that have been released in the past. "Sublime" is perhaps the most outstanding release on the album, with its enormously captivating and atmospheric melody, sure to evoke a highly emotional response among many. Definitely one of the most remarkable collaboration projects Corsten has been involved in.

With the mix into System F's (Ferry Corsten) Underwater, we've extended beyond the half-way point, but unfortunately, we've also witnessed an end to the mostly exceptional streak of quality selection and sequencing that characterized the first half. With "Underwater", we have a considerably bland melody that grows increasingly tiresome the more repetitive it becomes. "Who's Knockin" is an uneventful vocal trance production (with what I find to be an asinine vocal sequence- you'll know it when you hear it) that denotes a noticeable sense of relaxation in the pacing of the set, which picks up slightly with "Blue Monkey", and leads into the disc's closing track, Passiva's remix of "A Place Called Home", which ends the disc and the album on a significantly high note. This track reflects the intent to capture a sense of emotional euphoria through some of the more typical trance oriented mechanisms and means of doing so, but unlike a myriad of typical trance releases, this accomplishes the task to enormous success.

So, when taking into account the various elements involved in the composition of this album, how does it stand up? Quite well, actually. This is a solid release that competently produces the sensation of proceeding through a journey of music- with highs and lows, with gentle atmosphere and hammering intensity. There are some unfortunate difficulties involved in this release, though, the most noticeable among them being the peculiar lack of sheer track quantity- there are only nine tracks on both discs, resulting in only 18 in total. The run time of each disc still doesn't sufficiently compensate for this absence of quantity, with the first disc consisting of 1:02.46 of content, and the second consisting of even less- 59:21. Why Corsten deliberately decided to include such a limited amount of content is unclear.

Secondly, there are a considerable number of stand-out productions in this album, but they are unfortunately, in some instances, detached from each other by a gulf of what are frankly mediocre tracks, resulting in a dramatic undermining of the consistent and engaging flow of attention grabbing productions that Corsten is capable of creating at some points on this mix album. However, these unfortunate elements become quite eclipsed by what is an overall fine track selection, and when Corsten finds his groove, the listener is simultaneously captured along with it. This CD is certainly recommended.

I'm a really Ferry Corsten fan, and this is another good compilation cd of him!
Very nice tracks in the right way mixed!

Alright, I've had the album for about a month now. I agree with others, this is Ferry's best studio compilation. The musical style varies a lot, starting off (CD1) more "Dark-balearic-proggressive" then progressive, then uplifting trance to finish off with more big room trance. Overall, not bad.
Best Three tracks of CD1:
1- Ferry Corsten - Galaxia (An update of his superb Moonman classic, by far one of the best tunes EVER produced!)
2- Yilmaz Altanhan - Eighties [Ozgur Can Remix] (Very good Prog, good artist, the song has been getting support from most major DJs lately)
3- Stratosphere - Sunscape [Alucard Remix] (Blank & Jones fans, like me, will immediately recognize Flowtation, but under another name:S)
CD2 is mush more energetic, has a atmosphere more like Ferry could set up during a set.Starts off strong with a solid Riley & Durrant Remix of Airbiscuit's Lately, then Ronski speed comes next with another quality production. That's when it really kicks off! I was waiting for it: the new Dogzilla! I was anxiously awaiting their new track after repeatedly falling in love with their self-titled track and "your eyes". I was left slightly dissapointed, expecting a slightly more underground sound. But things turned around when i started hearing the very infectious bassline of the trance bomb that is Purple Haze's "adrenaline": THE track of the moment. Brilliantly followed by yet another "SUBLIME" production. The four last songs are just as sweet.
Best Three tracks of CD2:
1- Purple Haze - Adrenaline (once ou listen to this one, the writing on your "repeat" button will start fading :D)
2- F. Corsten & Thrillseekers - Sublime[Thrillseekers Remix] (I doubt an intro is required for this song)
3- Misja Helsloot - Blue Monkey [Pierre Hiver Remix]

Overall, i was generous giving it a 4/5, i would have like more of the "mid-CD2" style. Its worth a few listens. Buy it. Much better than his--IMO--artist album "right of way" (that was god-awful...why not release a System F. artist album instead!?)
Enjoy!!
PS: To those of you who listen to Armin's weekly ASOT, well, this is like another episode...

first of all, pay no attention to the spotlight review from "doctor trance". He must have been listening to another album, because this one is extremely good. I think he was upset that its 18 songs on a double disc set, whereas some double disc sets have 15 songs per disc. good point, but thats no cause to give the music on the album a bad review. this is an excellent 2 disc compilation with the exception of 4 songs that are completely passable. the first cd's track selection could not have been better. songs 1 through 9 are complete bliss, but 5 through 9 are superior. 6. Varian "Endless Desire" is my favorite on the cd. he mixes in such a way that it feels like a story is being told. each track compliments the other, whereas alot of compilations nowadays feel like the songs are just thrown together. cd 2 has a great selection as well. id have to say that 1. Airbiscuit "Lately", 2. Ronski Speed "2Day", 4. Purple Haze "Adrenaline", 5. Ferry Corsten "Sublime", and 7. FB feat. Edun "Who's Knockin'?" are the good songs on this cd. the overall progression of cd 2 is not as good as cd 1 but it has a little more energy. songs 1 and 2 are by far my favorite. song 3 is entirely to cheezy for my taste, and 6, 8, and 9 just didnt do it for me. overall a very good mix, with the exception of those songs.

Ferry Corsten is one of the best Dj's in the world...period. No matter whether his tracks are chill or upbeat they will entertain you and keep you moving. What I hate about some "trance" fans is that they expect all the music from their artists to be ENTIRELY upbeat, and that would severely limit the artists creativity. That would be like asking Jordan to ONLY shoot his jumpshot, or for RODDICK to practice his serve and nothing else. A good artist will excel in various styles and will allow the listener to experience various emotions...this is what Corsten does! This is an amazing cd that I am sure you will enjoy. Ferry Corsten is my favorite DJ and he deserves all my praise for this album! Keep the trance scene alive!

Phew! What a ride!

Ferry is bold/brave to fill an album with so much vocal and melodic Trance when it seems everybody else wants to produce faster/harder/progressive music. But he triumphs! Most of the faster/harder stuff on other CDs have monotonous driving beats anyway.

CD 1 contains some slightly progressive stuff, but it's good. The CD starts very well with 'Leaving Panic Behind'. This song is fairly unique and intricate and seems to take you many places in 8 minutes. Good solid start to the CD, that never fades really.

Only 'Sanctuary' from CD1 I omitted from my playlist because it starts off too harsh and agressive. I really liked 'Lost Cities' which takes you on a nice journey and has some lovely piano work. 'Galaxia is good as well'.

CD 2 is awesome! You are sure to have a good time listening to this one. I prefer this CD to CD 1 as it contains more songs that I like more. 'Adrenaline' is the one I omitted from my playlist. And it seems everyone agrees that 'Blue Monkey ' is THE #1 track on the entire album. I hope to be dancing with a lovely lady to 'Lately'. So many Trance albums you can't dance to the songs with a partner. But this album DELIVERS. No doubt many people will be hugging their lovers and dancing to 'Lately' and 'Who's Knocking', and to a lesser extent 'Without You'. And for just dreamily looking into the eyes of someone special, or drifting into space, there is 'Sublime', which is my #2 song on the album.

'Underwater' is a banging uplifting Trance song. Great! Whoever said this CD was boring definitely skipped or ignored this song and 'Blue Monkey.' Somebody said only songs 1,2,4 and 8 were good. No way! 'Underwater' is number 6 and it IS good (with some delicious female vocals spliced in.)

The CD ends with 'A place called home', which completes the set perfectly. This one song goes from Melodic, to Euphoric, to Morning Trance, and then back again to Melodic Trance. Sweet!

I really didn't expect a CD with so much beautiful melodic Trance from Ferry... having sidelined him after hearing 'Rock your body Rock', and 'Punk'. And for this, I'm going to see him DJ this month.

If you are into True Trance (not House-ified and/or Heavy Progressive Trance), buy this album.

I've been a Ferry Corsten fan since he exploded on the global scene with his System F single, "Out of Blue," and I must say, this compliation is outstanding. Passport is a new idea from Ferry for his CD compliations. He begins with Passport: Kingdom of the Netherlands, and it only reemphasizes his dominance in the Dutch and global dance scene. For this album, Ferry chose to reward his fans in the United States by releasing a 2-disc mix, with each CD having 9 tracks (the European version has 15 tracks on one disk). With the fewer number of tracks per CD, it gives Ferry the opportunity to play each track to its fullest.

The flow of the CDs is amazing. The first CD begins slower, but quickly speeds up after Yilmaz Altanhan's "Eighties." The highlights of CD 1 for me were Mark Otten's remix of Varian's "Endless Desire" and Ferry's bootleg of "Force of Gravity."

CD 2 starts off right where CD 1 ended...with solid epic trance. The second CD is easily better than the first in my opinion because it's a better picture of Ferry's hard pumping style. Purple Haze's "Adrenaline" and Ferry's own "Sublime" are just phenomonial tracks.

Overall, this is Ferry's best STUDIO mix compliation (his Mixed Live CD is hands down his best OVERALL compliation). The styles and scenarios of Passport to the Netherlands and Mixed Live are totally different, and thus, cannot be compared to each other. A studio compliation and a live compliation both involve very different aspects (track length/selection/order) for construction. Passport to the Netherlands allows Ferry to provide his fans with something other than Live performances. He lets the entire track, with all their build ups and breakdowns, do the work. The compliation really does give you a feeling for what Ferry has been banging in the clubs for the past couple of months. And don't fear...apparently this CD is the first of several Passports that Ferry will be releasing.

I was quite eager to get my hands on Ferry's latest mix since his last one (Mixed live at the Spundae) was so AMAZING! I am a true fan of Ferry's style. It's so harmonious, energetic, and pleasing to listen to. This compilation is all three of those and more! The first disc starts off with more of a progressive feel to it but molds into blissful energy. The last track on this CD is so perfect for the mix that it almost brings a tear to my eye every time I listen to it. The second disc jumps right into the energy and doesn't let off till the end of the CD. Both CDs include tracks by Ferry (Some under Ferry Corsten and one under System F!) and are truly wonderful. Everything is perfect with this album except that each disc is only 60Min! He could at least have squeezed 20 more min on, but quality over quantity I guess! All in all -- Don't hesitate to purchase this album!