Customer Reviews

Renaissance Masters Series 13 Mixed By Hernan

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

Superb. This is going to be the soundtrack to my life this summer! Although it is winter in Hernan Cattaneo's 'Patria' of Argentina, his turntables are on fire during this drop-dead gorgeous 2CD set of progressive house/trance. Once again Hernan has not dissapointed, and if you have enjoyed any of his previous compilations from South America, to his first Masters Series, and Sequential - you are in for a treat!

Hernan has taken a little bit of every influence he has (with the exception of his occasional breakbeat inclusion), and combined it to form what should be truly be worthy of the title 'Masters Series'.

CD1 is your cream of the crop house mix that includes forms of minimal, electro, tribal, and progressive with slight trancy tones. If listened with headphones, you will most likely travel really deep down the rabbit hole before popping back out again with the stomp-romper of a track "On the Moon" from Danny Howells. But dont think this disc isn't party-worthy... trust me. nuff' said

CD2 starts with a bang with a track I'm sure Hernan is still drooling over - "She Shines" by Tom Glass catches our attention quick and doesn't let us take a break from the ethereal tones that wash over us the entire mix. This is classic Cattaneo. The mix closes in a way that it makes you want to dance your heart out, but leaves you relaxed and satisfied.

You don't want to miss this mix. Seriously.

GRACIAS Hernan shows his track and mixing skills one of the hardest working DJ's out there love it !
progessive sound at its best ! see u in Ibiza/Amnesia 23 july !

"Renaissance celebrate the release of their 50th album with one of their favourite acolytes, Hernan Cattaneo...

There were only a handful of candidates to handle Renaissance's 50th album milestone, but perhaps none more suited than Hernan Cattaneo. His previous entries into the series have established themselves as true classics, giving rise to calls, emails, even PM's to the Renaissance office imploring us to re-secure the talents of the legendary South American.

This is such a good album, I can't believe how amazing some of this tracks are. Hernan starts off slow with disc one and when you listen to cd two he really comes out with a big bang! I can't get enogh of Darwins Eye by Martin Garcia and also tracks like James Zabiela's Human. Really good stuff. A must buy for any progressive house lover! So stop reading and buy it!!!!!

I have owned this CD set since June. I've loaded it onto my iPod, and have played nothing else since. I have no idea how he will outdo this stunning work of art. All the other music I own now sounds old by comparison. I have an extensive collection, including almost all of Hernan's previous work, and I can assure you, it simply doesn't get better.

Amazing CD! If you are looking for energetic music for afternoon, you need to buy it!

Hernan Cattaneo (along with James Zabiela and occasionally Satoshi Tomiie) is one of my favorite DJs. I first discovered him through his early work with the Renaissance Masters label, and then I grew to fully appreciate him under his Sequential mixes. This set finds him back at the helm again for the 13th installment of the Renaissance Masters collection. The number, in this case, is not the omen of doom it is often known to be.

Hernan's allure early in his career was found in his deft mixture of tribal house with progressive sounds from a whole host of styles -- minimal, a little techno, veins of trance. This album marks a slight change in Hernan's usual oeuvre.

Disc One starts off with the gleefully gloomy "Jag House 1989," a song that Hernan tweaks with a light touch, giving it a poppy, experimental feel over a hungry-sounding bassline. He feeds that bassline very gradually over the next few tracks, giving it a bit more verve and bluster. The pace of the set stalls some when Hernan puts Gus Gerber's "Stoppage Time" on the reels. Normally a club favorite, this track has had much of its juice mixed out of it by Hernan's decision to make it a ten minute bridge between the set's opening darkness and the glowing grooves that follow it. "Amarillo" pulls the lineup out of its meandering and gives it enough oomph to make it to the CD's first deliciously dirty climax -- a stunning collaboration between Kubic's "Voyager" and Hernan's own "Fereek." These two songs are stitched together meticulously, creating the powerful, thudding heart of the first set. The remainder of the set is energetic and exciting, although Hernan doesn't manage to pull off any last minute tricks to make the album's closer very memorable.

The second disc is more consistent overall, although it lacks the peaks and valleys that make these kinds of mixes more interesting. He starts here the same way he started the first disc -- with a sort of religious gloom, a kind of hopeful shadow -- with Glass's "She Shines." He adds a sort of glorious rebellious flavor through the next three tracks until "Darwin's Eye" unspools, making the set feel like a song of fierce vindication. The following track -- "Flower's Planet" -- feels a little dim and trancey to work well where it's placed, but Hernan immediately course-corrects with "Butterfly Effect," a dark slab of sound that fades nicely into Tonecast's "Murder & Fingerprints," a wonderfully nasty track with twitchy tones. Hernan starts to tone it down early (if you ask me) with his second Guy J track, a bubbly ditty called "Leave Me Alone" that sounds as if it were lifted out of a video game. With this mood in mind, Hernan ducks and weaves through the next few (ultimately forgettable) tracks before he lays down Saiz's "They Came From The Light." If this set started with "She Shines" as a dark but hopeful number, Hernan has chosen to end it with the same kind of illumination. This song is a brilliant black bow, a satisfying deep house dance number with some serious guts. Turn up the bass (if you haven't already) and let Hernan send you off with style.

Both sets are recommendable, but I also daresay you might find yourself skipping one or two tracks. Even the slippery patches in Hernan's mixes, though, don't diminish the fact that Hernan still knows how to lay down some fantastic music.

This won't be as in depth as most of my reviews. Mostly in part because I have deviated from the prog house that I used to love so much.

I will say though, after listening to so much Armin van Buuren and Tiesto in the last couple months I had forgotten that I can actually listen to an entire cd without lyrics. Just let the music paint the words for you and, and put you in the mood.

The infectious beats and the tempo that is ever so slowly moving up in the bpm department on this set keep you hooked and your head bobbing.

Solid effort.

I have slowly but surely come to appreciate the subtle beauty that is progressive house. No loud thumping or driving basslines here; just pure, smooth, sexy tunes. The tracks flow like fresh lava pouring out of a volcano, hot and steamy. Both CD's have an excellent track selection that emanate and maintain an entrancing and hypnotic vibe.

I will agree that the case the CD's come in doesn't preserve them well, but either way, the music is surreal. Hernan Cattaneo has just become of my favorite DJ's.

This is another great mix By Hernan Cattaneo. Both disks are up to par with what you would expect from both the artist and the label. If you are a fan of His sequential series, this is not the type of mix that he did for those albums. This mix reminds me much more of his first and second masters series. If you liked those, then this album will make you happy as well. The mixing is not super technical; it's just good music blended well. Fans of Hernan don't tend to like him for his fancy turntable or controllerism, he's just a solid mixer of great tunes. I will say this, I wish I had bought the album from itunes because you not only get the mixes but you also get the individual tracks in single form (which is a real bonus if you mix because some of those choons are not up on beatport). Apart from that, the packaging is lacking. I remember the days of Renaissance albums when the packaging was super elaborate and beautiful....this one just comes in a piece of cardboard. I tend to be the guy who stays away from downloadable mixes if I really like the DJ, but in this case, I wish I had gotten the download.

This guy is making the best stuff out there. I'm never disappointed with his work.