Customer Reviews

The Politics of Dancing

5 star:		(100)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I must admit i had reservations about buying this CD at first, fearing another lapse into the monotone and dying Digweed-ian prog-trance sound which is so over used and worn by now. What i actually heard after popping the Politics of Dancing into my CD player absolutely amazed me! I was right in one thing: this IS prog trance, but not like i ever heard it before. This is absolutely a top class and beautiful release equally good for spine tingling, bass pounding party atmosphere, while being cool enough to listen to while chilling out or doing homework. Let your volume knob adjust for either case.

PvD starts things out with infectious vocals and rolling bass in Ashtrax - Digital Reason, which then leads into one of his own brilliant remixes, followed by a track made world famous by Max Graham, 'First' by Private taste, an amazing journey into deep progressive. Just when you settle into your prog groove, Paul turns it up a notch with his own mix of the universal club hit 'Rapture' followed by two more songs with excellent vocals and bass, esp. 'Superconscious' will have you humming under your breath after the CD is over and wanting to hear it again. His remix of 'Elevation' tops the original in my opinion by miles, and 'Furthermost' by Solicitous is enough to give me chills for all the awesome deep synths it has. Paul closes disc one with one of his favorites (and mine) 'Second Sun' by Empire, a track you've surely heard if you've seen him live recently, and the last song is his very own floorfiller, 'out There.'

Disc 2 is more of the same, including club giants Sagitaire and Ralphie B, and Paul's own discovery, 'interference' by Connector, which has since become a staple of prog trance music. Blank and Jones's most recent cut spices things up towards the middle much like 'Rapture' on the first disc, which is topped only by 4 Strings' 'Into the Night' one of the best uplifting tunes of the year. 'Starchildren' is the clincher of the set, a beautiful and yet un-cheesy uplifting vocal trance song, another van Dyk favorite, and with good reason.

What more can i say? The sound is worth a million words. You will be glad you bought Paul van Dyk's first ever mixed release. 5 stars.

I was a little wary of this album only because PvD's recent e.p. productions have lacked the ethereal depth that was Paul's signature in "Seven Ways" and "Out There..." It is too early to tell where this new CD stands on my all-time greatest list, but the "Politics of Dancing" is definitely one of the finest products I have heard in a very long time.

CD1 is PvD light. Paul remixing and composing, the best of which are his own "Autumn" and Subsky's "Four Days".
He shows what he can do with mainstream pop like U2's "Elevation", a brilliant remix but not half as engaging as many of the electronica pieces. CD2 is in the heavyweight dimension, though what's so captivating about PvD's work is that it never bludgeons you with its brilliance. The CD plays like a seamless soundtrack from another planet. Paul takes diverse pieces, remixes and compiles so everything has that precious PvD sound. It's hard to pick favorites when the mix is so seamless, just for right now I choose 4 String's "Into the Night."

Since the beginning of his producing career, PvD has had a split personality. He was either a standout DJ rocking clubs for hours, or a producer of the deepest, most meaningful trance music many (including myself) have ever heard. Paul has devoted time to both of these equally important fields, yet they are extremely different. Before anything else, let me set up the context for this cd.

PvD as a DJ:
As a DJ, he can make anyplace jump. He is known the world around for being able to hype up a crowd with non-stop beats until early morning. He commands precise power over the turntables that few have ever been able to match. I know this because last month he came to my state for the first time ever, and I had the unbelievable honor of getting to see him. So what if I was underage? It was definitely worth obtaining a fake ID to get in. The point is, those who are lucky enough to see him live, can truly appreciate the skill and talent he has in the booth. His is not a DJ set you will forget the next morning.

PvD as a producer:
As a producer, he can create depth to the music that in my opinion so many other artists lack. His music isn't just a catchy melody with a steady beat like so much of the genre has become. He can blend together sounds like the leader of a fine orchestra. The depth and feeling in his music produces a "wall" of sound that hits you with full force when you crank up the volume, and drift away...

Until now, both of these worlds were too far apart to compare. You can love him as a DJ, or love his music as a producer, but if someone asked me which was better, there would be no way I could answer. Apparently, Paul wanted to bridge the gap between two realms when he made this album. He has "produced" a DJ set. He has reworked tracks to make them his own, then mixed them all together. If ever both sides of his music could be compiled into one cd, this is it.

You hear his outstanding tracks like "Autumn" and you hear fabulous remixes of other songs. This album is definitely unlike any other album I have ever heard. If you are new to this genre of music, you will become a fan with this cd. But I especially recommend this cd to any true PvD fan, as you will understand its significance on a higher level. This is not an ordinary DJ mix cd. No, it is a Paul Van Dyk cd, in a category of its own.

All I can say is that this is an Awesome CD. I can't believe this is my first ever Paul Van Dyk purchase(looks like that will be changing quickly). I've been listening to trance for almost 5 years now. The journey never ends. It's no wonder Paul Van Dyk is #1 on The Dj List(www.thedjlist.com). Want some advice? Listen with your heart as well as your mind. Be open-minded when listening to something new. Never pay too much attention to someone's "bad" advice on a great DJ. And let the beat control your body.

For all you trance-heads out there that need trance to survive, like me, this mix will only make your body fein for more PVD. Isn't life wonderful? I think so...

The Vibes, the groove, the energy in both of the CDs that conform this album are just perfect. It's an steady tempo everytime, but the change in the harmonies, vocals and effects will change the progressive trance to breaks without even noticing one error in the mix. This is an album to enjoy with headphones, in your car, or partying.....everytime you listen to it you will feel energetic and optimistic....you will understand.

The Politics of Dancing is a unique effort from PvD in the sense that it's his first mix CD. Unlike other DJs, he usually makes his own music (much like Moby) but on this effort, he has decided to mix some of his favorite songs.

First CD: his remix of Rapture by iiO is wonderful and will get you moving no matter what, although the Riva mix might still be a little better. He does a very nice job remixing Elevation from U2. Of couse, his remix can, in no way, compare to the original song but it is a great song on its own. He masterfully loops The Edge's guitar riffs and Bono's vocals. The CD maintains an energetic tempo throughout (a characteristic of PvD CDs as evident on Out There and Back). He ends with Out There, which is one of PvD's most hyper tracks and ends the CD off at a very high note. Overall, this CD is a must buy for a PvD fan and a very worthwhile buy for people who enjoy the upbeat flavor of trance.

Second CD: I can't even describe this CD with words. It's simply brilliant, the mixing is perfectly smooth and every song fits the overall set really quite well. I think this second CD mix is probably the best I've ever heard from anyone.

Overall, this is one CD you simply must have. Well worth the cash.

This is Trance done bangin' style. It mostly borders on the electronica/techno side of Trance with lots of loops and drum beats but this is a definitive style of hard dance floor Trance. If you are looking for easy listening bed time PVD then go elsewhere. This is all wham wham wham up and down the staircase of electronic music. If you are looking for something to really get you going and the more energetic side of Trance music to dance too then this one scores on all counts. It is pretty bam bam bam with lots of great flawless mixing, echos to sonic booms combined with lots of drum rolling take-offs and highs on the way.

CD 1 is lighter than CD 2 but on its own CD 1 is still bangin' Trance club music. CD 2 is heavier in the thumps department. It is all good!

For those of you who do not know Paul Van Dyk, well PVD is a Euro club DJ who does Ibiza venues and where ever else the 20,000+ ravers go to spend their holiday dance evenings. PVD is also an artist with his own tracks that are all really kickin' beats. If you are into dance music that is thumping but artistic at the same time then get this. This is Trance Rave that is played inside tents to thousands of people and dancers.

If you liked the unforgettable Paul Oakenfold's "Trancesport" then you will like this one too. I also recommend Oakey's new one the "Great Wall".

For true trance lovers, Paul Van Dyk has been a shining light in a world of mediocre mixing and bad, overdone lyrics. He, along with Oakenfol, Sasha, Digweed, Tiesto, Corsten, e.t.c.,is one of the true trance allstars. His first mix CD effort is as good as you can expect any trance CD to be. However, if your one of those people who enjoys trully uplifting, and sometimes some ambient tunes, then this album is not going to be one of your favorites. My favorite album of all time is Tiesto's In Search of Sunrise 1, which has really good mixing, and track selection. If you like that kind of trance then don't buy this CD.
Nevertheless, this CD is very good quality and should be in any trance lovers collection. It can easily compare to any Cream, Ministry of Sound, or Gatecrasher album.
Bottom line: if you like trance, GET THIS ALBUM!!!!. if not than STAY AWAY. this is for trance addicts only.

I very recently started listening to trance, and i can say that this is definately a good album for people who really dont have that much experience in the genre. This is the first Paul van Dyk album that i have purchased, and it definately won't be the last. He mixes the songs very well, and provides a whole lot of good trance for your dollar. Before i purchased this, i was more or less used to the newer style Paul Oakenfold mixing, and was quite relieved when i discovered that this album was no where near as "poppy" as some of the recent Oakenfold works. I reccomend this album for anyone who is looking for a good trance album, especially if you are just getting into the genre.

This CD is very groovy. The first CD has more big name players with IO's Rapture and U2's Elevation, both superb remixed and other Paul powerful mixes. The second CD has no vocal, more of Paul dj mixes. But I like this one better, it lasted the test of time better then the vocal mixes. Play this one in my car and the beat seem to mave me drive faster, since it is so uplifting. Some of other PAul van Dyke's CD don't have much chemistry, but this one does and it flow together very well. One of the better trance-techno house out there.