Customer Reviews

R&R (Rare & Remixed)

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

i first heard of BT on Digital Empire compilations cd and instantly got hooked to his trance vibe with "Godspeed" and "Flaming June". i went out and bought his first two albums, Ima and E.S.C.M. both of these are masterpieces of trance music that has ever been put out. ever since those songs i have been influenced by his sound and style. i love other trance DJ's as well. with the likes of Paul OAkenfold, Sasha, John Digweed, Paul van Dyk, Max Graham and many more. BT has his own unique style and flavor in his sound which you can pick apart from every other artist. i bought R&R the day it came out. ever since i heard he was releaseing it i waited to get it. and when i listened to it, i was blown away. this cd produces BT's greatest work. ecspecially his mixes for Sarah McLachlan, Seal, Mike Oldfield and others. this cd is a must for any fan of trance or any fan of BT as i am.

I was a bit hesitant to buy "Rare & Remixed" since I was so disappointed in BT's last album "Movement in Still Life". The material was mediocre at best. But when I saw the list of tracks on the cd, I automatically changed my mind. I totally dug both cds. The remixes were great and so was the choice cuts that were remixed, even "Smartbomb" and "Shame" sounded great remixed. I particularly enjoyed the first cd. The first six tracks are flawless, especially Grace's track "Not Over Yet". Her delicate, angelic vocals blended nicely with BT's thumping techno/house beats. The ESCM 12" Mix of "Remember" is killer dance music. It even blows away the original version I think. Obviously I like the first disc just a bit more than the second disc only but not by much. "Rare & Remixed" is one of the better cds of remixed material I've heard in a long time.Any artist who wants to put out an album of remixed material out should take a cue from BT. And the rare material were awesome.

I have been into Trance for about 2 years now. This is hands down one of the best Cds that I own. I prefer disc 2 over 1 but I enjoy the entire album. Smartbomb is a good way to start the cd in my opinion and when BT breaks it down on Hip Hop Phenomenon goes into Godspeed its flat out amazing. This is one of my favorite Cds of all time and I reccomend it to any trance, house, or electronic music listener.

This cd is/was groundbreaking. There are very few cd's that are easy to listen to straight through, let a lone double cd's, and yet this one is stunning from track 1 to the final track. This is a must-have in my opinion, the man is a genius and this is his best collection so far.

This is a double-album worth owning. In fact, I will go as far as to say that it shouldn't be absent from any avid electronica/dance fan's collection. It spans many genres of electronica/dance. Regular ravers (glow sticks, pierced tongues, parachute pants, etc.) will love the album for its breakbeat-infused tracks (ex: "Hip Hop Phenomenon") that make you wanna move under those hypnotic dance floor lights. For the serious Ibiza clubber, this album has dreamy trance tracks (ex: "Dreaming") that go perfect with those breathtaking Ibiza sunsets like wine goes with cheese. His production is crisp and complex. I cannot stress enough the fact that no one track on this double album sounds alike. Many tracks have a Progressive House feel, while others have a Hard Trance/Jungle feel to them. Perhaps I should sell you on BT's credibility? He has worked on tracks for blockbuster films such as "Gone In 60 Seconds" and "The Fast And The Furious", and has worked with industry behemoths Tiesto, Deep Dish and Guru (of the hip hop juggernaut Gangstarr). BT's contemporaries include Tiesto, Paul Oakenfold, Sasha, Paul Van Dijk, Deep Dish, etc. If you're still contemplating buying this masterpiece, pay half-price and buy it used here on Amazon. Please feel free to disagree with my opinion; let us compare opinions, invite a few more points of view, and debate, like the humans we are.

I've just recently gotten into the whole trance scene myself, in a very side tracked manner. I have to say though, of the few CD's that I now own, this has got to be one of the best. It doubles as good background music and can also be very listening intensive. What I especially dig about BT is his original tracks. I'm not too much into the whole dancing/clubing scene, so I don't get all that excited about remix after remix. However, the ones on this CD are done tastefully, with the inclusion of a few originals by Transeau himself. My favorite remix has got to be "Shame" done by WayOutWest. For the first day or two that I had this CD I could not go by this track. It's sick. The tracks that Sasha collaborated on are of course awesome as well (go get Xpander for some more original type stuff). All in all, a very pleasing sound experience. Can't wait for the next BT release.

Half or more of the trax are hardly rare...secondly, they're mixed, so you get them in an incomplete form. Finally, they're mixed POORLY...unimaginative average Pro-Tools-based mixing courtesy of Andy Gray (Oakie's right-hand man), with some downright clashing mixes on the second disc...tracks whose very style/nature would suggest that a transition between the 2 would be ill-advised.

Secondly, to whomever said that BT is innovating today w/ his so-called "cutting-edge" breakbeats is in for a shocker. He's been rehashing that style on MISL for the past 3 years, and is quite stuck in the past...the 1 redeeming factor of this cd is that it documents a time when BT was being creative. Hopefully, his fourth album, due out next year, will see him return to form.

This CD vies with the import version of Movement in Still Life for the title of "Best BT Album Ever". Both albums showcase the man's ability to cross genres yet retain his distinctive style and sound. This 2-CD set is packed with seminal BT hits, plus a few rare releases of note. We've got BT's breakout chart-topping remix of Tori's "Blue Skies". We've also got new material, such as "Sunblind". In between, there are some stellar remixes and collaborations by big-name producers, including Hybrid, Plump DJs, and Paul Van Dyk. A couple of the tracks are just "OK". They're not bad at all, but still not nearly as jaw-dropping as "Sunblind" or "Flaming June". The house tracks on the first disc, for example, were not my cup of tea. However, I'm more of a hard house fan than a prog house type, so it may just be me.

As a DJ, I wish that the tracks weren't mixed together: it'd make it easier for me to place them in my own mixes. However, this isn't a huge deal, and I've mixed the tracks in with ease every time I've felt the urge to do so.

One recent reviewer wrote that, unless you really, really, REALLY like the single "Sunblind", don't get this album. The irony is that I bought this album having only listened to "Sunblind". Even though I have a lot of BT's other albums and singles, the rarer gems included in this collection make it worth the purchase (which is strangely low-priced in comparison to some of his other albums).

Totally recommended to anyone who likes progressive breaks or trance. Or both (that would be me). Recommended to people who say they hate "techno music": this album has the variety and positively Wagnerian musical complexity to change one's mind about EDM.

This collection is a perfect overview of BT's work, it features all his masterpieces like "remember" and "flaming june", the best remixes like "shame" and the classics like "calling your name". My favorite song here is "sunblind", sounds like "flaming june" with the addition of vocals from Jan Johnston. Is not simple to do a collection with an author like BT who uses a lot of different styles, but this cd does the job perfectly. In my opinion is better than "10 years in the life" that features too much edits and old songs. Recommended to those who want to know BT, a perfect first buy. All BT's fans will not be disappointed

If you already own all of BT's material, then their isn't going to be much on here you haven't heard -- however, if you are a fan, then you will probobly really like this mix for certain reasons and dislike it for certain reasons too.

For example, the mixing of tracks on the album is pretty amazing; some of the transitions ( like between the Plump DJ's mix of 'Smartbomb' and Fibbonnaci Sequence on the second disc ) simply *must* be heard ;) Also, if you are in the mood for BT, the fact that both discs are a continuous mix is really cool -- you can just throw it on in your car and groove for a good long time.

Now the bad:

Some of the tracks on here are remixes of the originals, and IMHO are of much lesser quality and signifcance ( in terms of production, arrangment and originality ) than the originals. My guess for this is that he wanted to keep a pretty steady rhythm/tempo going through the whole thing, and these tracks probobly fit a bit better than their originals -- but none the less, I would have loved to have heard the original mixes of Run to You and Never Gonna Come Back Down rather than their more trancey-ish counterparts on here. ( but you'd have a harder time selling all the original versions all over again ;)

I think BT's original and ecclectic stylings along with his insanely good production skills are things I really enjoy about him and his music -- but at times I feel some of those things are covered up in this mix for the sake of keeping it 'more club feeling'. But don't get me wrong -- as far as mixes go, this is excellent.

I would reccomend it to those looking for a good full-on mix of some of BT's better trace-floor adapted tunes, with a few of his more break-ish tracks tossed in to spice it up.