Customer Reviews

Perfecto Presents... Sandra Collins

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I have a few Sandra Collins CD's and I am not overly impressed with any of them.

I buy a lot of CD's because I am an aspiring DJ myself and I like to get a "heads up" on some of the better records that are on these CD's - so that I will know ahead of time what I want to get on vinyl myself, before they are released - most DJ's that put out these CD's generally get these records way in advance of when they will become available to you and I.

I recognized (and like) a few of the producers that did tracks or remixes on this CD - and so I figured I'd take a chance, even though I did not expect much from the CD itself as a whole.

The problem with Sandra Collins in my opinion is that she plays too much trance - too many tunes that bang you over the head - and then slow down and get all pretty and silly in a cheesy kind of way - and then speed up and make you feel like banging your head again.

In my opinion dance music should have a funk or a "trippiness" to it - to make you want to dance! Sounds simple enough, right?

And the tracks that Sandra selects do not make me feel like dancing at all.

Don't get me wrong - perhaps she is a good DJ in a Paul Oakenfold/Tiesto/Christopher Lawrence/Ferry Corsten kind of way - but these are not the kind of DJ's that I like.

I like DJ's like Deep Dish, John Digweed, Nick Warren and Sander Kleinenberg - DJ's that bring the funk and the "trippiness", yet keep the "cheese" a million miles away.

For those of you familiar with all of the DJ's that I mentioned, then you know exactly what I mean.

If you like trance - Paul Oakenfold, Tiesto, Christopher Lawrence, Ferry Corsten - then go buy this CD.

But if you prefer progressive house - the "Global Underground" or "Renaissance" sound - then I would recommend passing on this CD.

Hope this helped!

I have been listening to progressive trance, and progressive house for several years. I know all the big names, and have listened to all of the big CDs, be it Global Underground, Renaissance, DJ Tiesto, Danny Tenaglia, Northern Exposure, whatever ... I've heard it. I would like to think that I have fairly good grasp of what I'm talking about. I become upset when I read reviews of fantastic CDs such as this, and find people labeling it as trance, and therefore cheesy.

Number one, since the late 90's the lines between trance and house (or progressive trance and progressive house if you prefer) have become so blurred, that comparing them and classifying them as one or the other is an exercise in futility.

Number two, melody does not automatically equate to cheese. We are listening to music aren't we? I can't think of any music that I like that doesn't at least have some semblence of melody, be it dance, electronic, rock, rap, classical, or whatever. Of course not everybody will agree, but I think the worst music in the electronic dance scene is the so-called progressive house scene where dark, trippy, tribal, and relentless beats are the norm, with little to distinguish song from song. There are tons of these albums being released yearly, each one sounding the same. There are of course exceptions (Sander Kleinenberg being the most notable), but this stuff is just killing the scene. Maybe it's good for clubs, and I'm sure it sounds great when your intoxicated with whatever your substance of choice might be, but this is not the kind of stuff one can to listen to on CD.

Here, Sandra Collins has created an exceptional mix, that combines outstanding track selection with simply impeccable mixing. Yes there are vocal tracks, and they are gorgeous and melodic, but they are also tasteful and fit perfectly with the mix's whole motif. There are also thumping beats, and trippy basslines as well, but they are balanced out with the right amount of melody. There are no dramatic cheesy build-ups, and there are no droning basslines/tribal drum beats that put you to sleep.

Bottom line, the best mixes in the progressive scene are those find the correct balance between melody and groove. Sandra Collins does that here.

These have got to be the best progressive trance sets I have, period. Not that I have a whole lot mind you, haha. Regardless, I've heard my share of trance and progressive trance and I definitely prefer progressive trance over the standard trance fare. Why you say? Because the progressive style incorporates more emotion, more feeling. Progressive trance and progressive house sound so similar it's hard to distinguish exactly what is progressive trance versus progressive house. Maybe the blending of house with trance turns off the pure trance heads. Not me, I love fusion of styles, and Sandra's two sets span enough styles and tempos to make this a thoroughly enjoyable listen from the first song on the first disc to the last song of the second.

The first disc starts off slow and with lots of feeling, like the start of a journey kind of. By the third song the tempo picks up noticeably along with the beat, but not so much you feel like frantically dancing your butt off. In fact, both sets are somewhat mellow in a sense. Maybe not mellow, it just seems like their's a purpose to the music, it's not all about increasing the excitement song after song to reach some climax and then slowly coming back down; it's a smooth danceable ride all the way through. There are pockets of excitement and the following slowdown, but the entire sets aren't like that, unlike a lot of trance sets.

I won't go into each song individually and describe each of them, because I don't really feel like it, but trust me the songs are good, nice track selection. Sandra does have a penchant on these sets for including a soulful section all of a sudden and then cranking up the beat right after. I actually like it because, ya' know, it adds variety :) keeps the sets from becoming boring and predictable. There's enough danceable, soulful, spacey, trancey, housey, and other -ey elements to keep me happy.

The two sets that these two CDs comprise are some of the few, spanning any genre, that I can honestly listen to from beginning to end and like the entire thing. Well, okay, the last track on the first set is kind of slow for my tastes, but it's the closer so I can forgive that. The last song on the second disc, "The Great Escape (Attention Deficit's Freewill Remix)", is awesome, it's an excellent close to the entire CD and always moves me, I LOVE that song!

I picked up a copy of Sandra Collin's latest hoping that it would be alot like her "Tranceport 3"cd which came out a few years ago.This is a great 2-cd set but is not for beginners.I've been listening to trance ever since 99'.Sandra spins a different kind of trance than most dj's,and you have to let the cd play all the way through without skipping a track to really enjoy the mix.This girl has incredible mixing skills,showing no errors and taking you into dreamland!This is the dark style of progressive trance...a style that is used by such dj's as Christopher Lawrence and other European dj's.You have to be in the right mood,but when you are this cd will really space you out and make you feel out of this world.Check this dj out if you really like trance because you wont be dissapointed!!!

What to expect from Sandra Collins? I was hoping for something along the same lines as Cream, and a little bit new...Thats what you get. And some other things sprinkled in. Sandra likes to build up a cd, and this mix is not going to dissapoint. The first JXL track is a good mood builder....and the following tracks selected have a moody/broody quality to them. The deep, synth heavy track from "Agent 001" sticks out...great track, cool.... The next track should have been instrumental... it has these weird schyzophrenic lyrics..."my friend is losing his mind..." ugh.....I wish she would have put in the dub without the lyrics. Slacker's Moby remix of "In This World" gets things back on track, as it has this killer, "blitzkrieg" base, marching loop that sticks with you like a bad cold..... Next up, For all Perfecto Flouro fans, track 7 by Avedon reminds me of the Goa trance Oakey days....As I listen on, the Planet Funk remix of Kosheen is a bit too long, but I liked it....The curve track is a little bit like coming down a highway in a driving thunderstorm and then you have a patch of clear sunny sky....It rocks...Beber and Tamra up next, not a great finisher, but hey, one more cd to go.
Track 3 second cd, Will Saul-Cliff(Infusion mix) has a electric energy that gets your cheeks moving in your chair if you are sitting down, Timo Maas-esque...Camouflage-Me and You....Heard it before alot, but I love this track...fits well in here and still doesn't sound played out. Voyager-Spectacle...Great floor filler...lots of energy...
I'm not a big BT fan so I don't like that last track on cd 2, but oh well. good mix overall.

I wanted to buy this cd for a while, specially after hearing Sandra live. However I was somewhat unsure after reading some of the reviews. But I bought it anyway and I was totally unprepared! Cd 2 is excellent without any and's, if's or but's about it...as far as I am concerned the mix is perfect(beginning, middle and end). I do agree with the reviewer that said that if cd 2 was by itself it would have gotten my 5 stars. Cd 1 has some tracks that are kind of slow and seem to drag on (mainly 5,6 and 7). Things pick up at track 8 and at the end we have the most excellent remix of Beber and Tamra's Travelling on, the song makes the whole cd 1 worthwhile. Get it you won't be sorry!

Genre/House/Progressive House

This was my first introduction to Sandra Collins and boy was I impressed. I havent heard her name too much around the EDM circuits but let me tell you I probably own over 150 albums and thousands of Electronic Dance Music tracks(mainly uplifting Trance). Ive heard them all, Tiesto, Ferry, PVD, Oakie, Sascha, MIKE, Armin etc and this girl is definately amonst the best.

I wasnt too impressed with the cd#2 but let me tell you that the CD#1 is well worth buying this album. Actually I Love Tracks no#2 -6 are INCREDIBLE, they are crazy, mad off the hook. The whole 1 st CD flows extremely well, perfect mixing, smoothe progressive house beats harmonically blended.

Fantastic track selection for this first set and you will hear songs you have never heard on any other Dj playlist. She follows no other DJ. Sandra keeps building not in each track so its not like some compliation of big hits. Rather its keeps building and building and by mid set just when you are about to get pumped she brings you back down for some more. This cd will definately put you in a good mood evertime.

I have alot of techno cds and this is in the top 3 of all time. Ive had this set for about a year and still havent gotten too much through the second cd, but the first is as good as it gets. She did an amazing job of putting on a theatrcial experience that anyone can appreciate. It excercises emotion as much as any electronic music has ever seen, elevating the mood of the audience to a degree that leaves alot of anticipation throughout the whole first set. There are a few peaks that hit near perfectly by continuing on at such a level that you dont fall asleep inbetween the best parts. Absolutley some of the best I have ever heard.

The vocals that she chose here are amazing. I wish some of the mainstream pop music had vocals like some of these girls.

I have been a long time fan of Sandra. Seeing her live was what sold me on her mad skills. I own Tranceport, but have to say that it did not become a disc that I couldn't live without. Due to its lack of play, I opted not to purchase Cream, I could always hear a friend's if ever the mood struck. But I have to say that this new double trouble perfecto release is what a trip through the peaks and valley's of true trance should be. I have to just say BRAVO Sandra. It seems as if the perfection of her craft was finally caught in all of its glory with this must have!

I bought this CD mainly because I saw a Joshua Ryan remix in a tracklisting somewhere...and then the CD went through a series of redesigns, and the track wasn't there on the final cut.

I am not all sorry about it, though.

CD1 is fairly eclectic, with some straight-up house tracks thrown in...enjoyable, but Sandra doesn't seem to be quite in her element here..."Cosmic Fugue" by Voyager is the major standout track.

CD2, on the other hand, is all bangin', dark, and twisted progressive trance...Sandra like I know her. While so many dance music fans have forsaken trance for earthier house sounds, Sandra gives us a reason to reconsider, laying down a wicked set embued with the spirit of the underground techno and trance movement that put dance music on the map in the nineties. Standouts include "Cliff" by Will Saul (Infusion Remix), "Desire" by Rolasoul, "Just Can't Get Enough" (Infusion Remix), and esecially "The Great Escape" by BT (Attention Deficit's Freewill Remix) (so beautiful it breaks your heart).

If she had released CD2 as a single CD, I would have rated it 5 stars for sure.