42 of 44 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Electronic Enlightenment Grows Brighter, March 17, 2005
This review is from: Renaissance: Master Series 2 (Audio CD)
Most of you may know of Hernan Cattaneo from the set he performed in Mooonpark in 2002 with Sasha. Many people hadn't heard of him then, and were awed with his technical proficiency and dark, progressive Latin tribal. He immediately vaulted onto the international stage, and became recognized as one of the premier House and tribal DJ's.
If you haven't heard any of Cattaneo's sets yet, his primary influences of set construction and effectual tonality would be: GU's Danny Tenaglia, Godfather: Juan Atkins, and even Underworld's Darren Emerson. Modern Artists to compare him to would be Matthew Dekay, Chris Micali, Satoshi Tomeii, Sander Kleidenberg, Deepdish, and Jon Digweed. Odds are if you dig their sets, you'll really get into Cattaneo.
Now, this collection is phenomenal. It's the best straight house set I've ever heard, by far; even though I really like some of the Balance contributions (more progressive), and some of the Nubreed projects from GU...
Anyway, Hernan really goes Underground with CD 1. Pole Folder is a strong opener, but other than that, the rest of the artists (Azad Rizvi and Tom Middleton excluded) were fairly unknown to me. I love that. Very little things make me more happy than the presence of white labels and unknowns mixed with cream into a set. Track 2 is a great neo disco move, with pleasing new millennia threads woven into the aural tapestry. Real interesting tempo and mood transition from the darker first track. Hernan glides into the 3rd track with beat matching precision, and picks up the bpm with a funky tribal tone.
Then something happens that really flies me back to my home city. Deep Chicago house. Precursed with shadowed-pounding bass, a mournful, elegiac saxophone speaks, its appearance like a mythological Greek ship floating from wispy synthesized echoes.
The rest of CD 1 keeps true to its foundations and holds a dark/funk/disco tone with plenty of creative quirks and seamless mixing.
CD 2, however is what will flip you like a flapjack in a pan.
1st track. Say hello to your old friend Quivver, and a newer friend, Space Manouvers. Beat picks up from song one, and keeps a deep house bass line with constant high shakes.
2nd track. Enter Graham and Blades. Funky punches of bass and snare, complimentary high snips and sweeping synth; you're suddenly in a four seater plane flying over rugged Cuba.
3rd & 4th tracks. Jeff Bennet emerged with his 'Swapping' vinyl in 2003, and Avantages, Direction Changes, Untertaken, and doubting faces E.P.s in 2004, punching into the house fans hearts with authentic beats and quirky use of engineering equip. Cattaneo uses his vinyl here with respect and potentcy.
It's about dam time Snake Sedrick got recognized and used in a major set. His dark tribal and 2004 vinyl works with Andro, i.e. "She is my Destiny", "Solid & Liquid State", and his other lone works have gone severely unnoticed. Here, "Fields" gets an overhaul by Blue Haze, a darker more monotonous polish from the original.
Dousk and Micah have strong shows here, the John Dalagelis unreleased vocal vinyl being a gem for me. Hernan showcases here serious international talent and connections. For you that are deep in the scene, you know that the Greeks with Dousk, Nikola Gala, Kosmas Epsilon, G-Pal, The Greek, and many others, are just dominating the progressive house scene. Hernan, a native to Argentina, I believe, expands previously held ethnic boundaries and pushes the limits of house into a gloriously appetizing multi-hemisphere aural brew.
On the topic of mixing styles, Cattaneo bit ch slaps the listener with breaks around 59 minutes in. I love, love, love progressive breaks, and I love them even more with haunting female vocals.
The second CD closes out with powerful reminisces of Dave Seaman's Therapy sessions and a heavy pulsing undertow that is the heart of evolving progressive electronica.
This is a phenomenal mix, worth every penny you can spend on any commercial house purchased on Amazon. Cattaneo provides four or five different genres of house, breakbeat, and progressive trance/tribal in this masterful compilation. I truly feel that he is one of the fathers that is going to push electronica to where it should go, and consequently should be heard by every person who is serious about the music.
Highest Recommendation
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
1 Word: Stunning, August 6, 2005
This review is from: Renaissance: Master Series 2 (Audio CD)
I bought this release simply because I was starving after a year of music-buying (strict financial) budgeting and I needed to jump back into the scene with a renewed sense of discovery. I don't know why, but House music has alway eluded me despite the fact that I have always truly loved and pursued all things electronica: IDM/EBM,industrial/post-industrial,trance (and all therein),Euro music(s) etc. I've ventured to House releases from time-to-time only to quickly resale or trade them because I found them much too languid or rambling for my overall trance tastes.
So I'm carefully studing the Amazon reviews of new releases relying on the opinions of others to take me to a new and much needed pursuit. THANK YOU, to Everyone who turned me onto this release. It's given me a "wake-up call" to House. Such an exotic, sexy, slow driven, sensual experience this is. It's some kind of undulating dream sequence that has the perfect soundtract.
I'm not enough of a House afficionado to justifiably detail this as well as the others who have contributed so eloquently. All I can contribute is Five Stars and further support for this astonishing release. Thank You again to the others who have so sincerely pursuaded me into buying this. It just goes to prove your input does make a difference. I'm in love.
Personal favorite: CD 2 is heavensent. What a lovely, mind warping sound excursion this is. If only I could play this for my therapist.
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