Customer Reviews

Renaissance Presents ALiVE

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

You are probably not helped in knowing by now that this CD is either worshipped or scorned, so I'll try to address both perspectives here, to help you decide which side you're likely to take. I've followed James's music since 2002. I always had a sense that his programming had a sharp edge, but it felt like he hadn't established a stylistic identity yet.

Driven by a need to find his identity by distancing his sound from the mainstream, he embraced progressive breaks when progressive house was beginning to sound stale, but although well executed, the mixes were forgettable. As breaks too became more mainstream, he escaped it by shifting into a warm, minimal, micro-house vibe that I thought was beautiful. Tight mixing, sustained rhythm and insidious programming that took its time creeping under your skin, this is when I first caught onto his ability to reward the patient listener. Alas, minimal house is no way to explode on the dance scene, so he shifted to this new retro robot, ZX Spectrum disco, press stop and turn cassette to side B tech-house sound, bringing us to ALiVE.

He's certainly carved a unique identity alright. Photo shoots with Daleks, vocal samples from Doctor Who (or approximations thereof), crisp, metallic beats, and even a track with reference to the TARDIS have all secured him his very own tonal real estate. ALiVE brings together his love for retro sci-fi, acid house, breaks, and superb mixing and effect skills to a tech-house compilation with a baseline that refuses to be the doormat.

If you're looking for something fresh, the landscape is certainly unique and exciting. In true Zabiela fashion, it can take time to grow on you, and when it does, you can't shake it off. I had the first half of CD2 playing in my head for weeks after hearing "Funky Odd Box". ALiVE is even more exciting if you're a DJ for several reasons. James tears a hole in the EFX 500 as he mangles tracks beyond recognition, and makes extensive use of the CDJ-1000's hot cues and loops. But the true gem is in the sleeve. James was nice enough to fill 4 pages of it with a detailed chronological description of his every move: his signature effect-based transitions, EQ flips, warps and custom sounds. This alone is worth the price of the CD. The first 10 seconds on CD1 alone are given no fewer than 2 paragraphs!

If you're not a DJ however, or remain uninterested in the technical wizardry, I do agree somewhat that this mix can be a victim of its own ambition and its need to be different. In his push for a certain direction, James occasionally paves the way with some rather forgettable tracks, which remind me of his earlier breaks era. The astute listener will catch on their purpose a few tracks down the road, but to the listener in the moment, they sound like filler that you can do without. There are some tracks that I'll even admit to wanting to fast forward badly, but for my self-discipline and assurance of delayed gratification. Frankly though, not every listener can be expected to force themselves through a track, no matter how sweet the reward that follows.

James also has a tendency (here and in most other mixes of his) to end a solid string of tracks with abrupt changes, which I find wasteful of good momentum. Lastly, his tempo can range widely. Though executed brilliantly (I could never imagine how "Aduro" could slide down to BT's "Childhood "Montage" in two steps), it sacrifices consistency for originality.

Ultimately this CD is a landmark, because it debuts a brilliant DJ and effect wizard in his strongest identity yet. If you're eager for something really fresh and solid, if you're drooling to find out what knobs he turned and what buttons he pushed in "Nine" at 03:11, how he used the paper label of a vinyl record in one of his effects, or how he constructs a motorbike sound purely out of the CDJ-1000 live, then this CD was made for you. Buy it right now. You will endure the filler tracks, because the reward for your patience is sweet, the endings cathartic, and all will be forgiven.

If you're simply here with a preset idea of what you like, this is probably not it. You will eject the breaks for breaks' sake pieces and few of us would blame you. At best you may fast forward to the good bits, and perhaps learn to deal with the lack of warmth. That's ok. James Zabiela isn't for everyone, but if you're still intrigued, you should probably give it a shot.

Just like Utilities, the hottest stuff is on Disc 2, while Disc 1 suffers slightly from a few dull tracks. The quality of tracks seems to suffer with the last half of disc 1 (with the exception of track 12), so you may want to pop it out early and switch to disc 2!

Aside from getting his tracks perfect, James' relentless mixing skills and techo house sound are the hottest out there now. I can't wait to track down Sounds in Motion and 001, his first two mixes, as I am completely enthralled with Utilities and Alive. Actually, I have barely been listening to anything else lately, and recently got a hold of his 2004 Essential Mix which features a great mix of REM, movie soundtracks and sound bites, and tech house! Well worth obtaining for the Zabiela fan.

If you are looking for a new and imaginative tech house mix, don't miss this one. His stuff takes a few listens to grow on you, but it inevitably will if you give it a chance! And hey, anything featuring the Daleks has gotta be good, even if the Daleks are Zabiela created!

I can't believe the ratings that people are giving this. There are a total of 2...yes 2 solid tracks on the entire double album. Maybe it's because Zabiela's style just isn't to my liking...or maybe my tastes in electronica have evolved into something different but after 5 minutes of listening to whacked out samples and non-congruent sounds I had to turn it off. Take a look at my other reviews. If you like any of my recommendations then please don't buy this album. Save yourself the money cause it definatly isn't worth it.

Now this is a mix album. James has really upped the anty from his previous outing "Sound in Motion". This latest mix really showcases what the Zabiela sound is all about. Seemlessly weaving breaks, prog and tech. house through 2 discs, James has crafted a new standard for which the next generation of DJ's should follow. James has an ear for a "tune" but never overplays his hand. He keeps the listener intrigued as he changes his styles up constantly over the two discs. Both discs are excellent and his mixing is lightyears ahead of some of these so called "A-list" DJ's. While dance music has teetered on the brink of pure self-indulgence over the last few years, "Alive" brings back the love and energy to the genre. The scene needs more innovators like James...bravo mate!

I've had this mix for about six months and am just now starting to appreciate it. Part of the problem is when DJ's start off with something that stinks it's hard to get past that, and the Diplomat track really, really stinks. I understand that Z is trying to be eclectic, but it's probably safe to leave the genre "cheesy eighties [...]" out.

A lot of hardcore trance DJ's have responded to the universal hatred of trance by turning into chillout DJ's, with awful results, like Sasha's slimy Fundacion debacle. Zabiela's approach (he's apparently a Sasha protege) is to reach out to other sounds without giving up the basic idea: hard, deep, electronic bass riffs that make you want to get up and dance.

It's true disk 2 is better, there are some nice tracks on it, but disk 1 is good too. Just skip past the insipid "The Number One MC & DJ Crew" track. Ugh.

Make no mistake - Zabiela is one of the most technically gifted DJs out there. But this compilation just doesn't work. There aren't enough big tunes on it; most are obscure, as if Zabiela can't decide what kind of music he really wants to play. I always look forward to the eclectic-ness of James Zabiela's compilations, but I think he struck out this time.

The mixing, though, is impeccable, as one might expect.

When i first bought the CD I didnt even know who he was at all. I was going nothing no reviews nothing. Well im really glad i picked this up. It is different than other cds and first and formost this is electro breaks not progressive house. This his Zabiela true style right here. The utilities cd was a dissapointment to this one really because it is not what i expected out of the man. He went to progressive house rather than sticking with the breaks. So if you bought utilities and are looking for the same type of mix it is not here.

With that aside lets move on to this mix. This is by far one of the most unique mixes I have heard in some time now. I love how he gets it going on disc one. He starts off like James Lavelle's Fabriclive 01. He has a very similar style to Lavelle but he goes a little more electro rather than just pure breaks. Disc two goes a little bit on the house side. It is not as ecclectic as disc one but it has its own strong points. If you are looking for some electro breaks/ progressive breaks here it is.

Personally for me when i first put it in i liked it. Ever since then Zabiela has become one of my favorite djs. A little side note Pioneer has sponsored Zabiela to show off how there new EFX-1000 performs. This man is a genious when comes to effects and this mix really displays that.

There are two types of people - those who have learned to love Zabiela, and those that don't. His style is one that definitely takes some getting used to.

Like everyone else, I got his 2002 Essential Mix, skimmed it, absolutely hated it, and never thought of Zabiela again. Then one day I had a 4 hour drive and I had forgotten to bring music for the trip, and all I had was that mix. I listened to it straight through, and by the time I had gotten to the end, I was thoroughly hooked.

To date, every single person I have played his music for has hated it at first, and then gotten hooked.

I got this mix, and just like his EM, I didn't like it. At all. It sat for almost a month until I decided to give it another whirl. It has now been almost two weeks during which time I have listened to literally nothing else.

I give this disc 4 stars instead of 5 because I feel that the last couple of tracks on Disc 1 are a little weak, but other than that, its a stellar mix that has given me hours upon hours of listening pleasure.

The man is a genious, just give him a chance.

The previous reviews have been incosistent, some love and others hate. This guy is being backed by the big boys: sasha, digweed, and others. I bought this cd with that in mind. The fact that this is a Renaissance production says it all that this kid has talent.

I, too, was like most of these reviewers who hated this album on the first whirl. I looked at the other albums those reviewers commented on and found that they have a good sense in music knowledge. So why do I disagree with them? Cause after a couple of listens to these two discs I have become addicted, especially to the first disc. At first listen, both sound cheesey with the techno beats and acid house sound. However, more listening made me understand the method to the madness of those beats. Some mixings sound rediculous at first only to make complete sense later. I would have preferred more prog in this mix, but the disc is still great to me.

If you base your taste upon first listen, then this disk is not up to par, but i guarantee after your second listen you'll gauge what exactly Zabiela is trying to do. I actually told a friend not to burn it from me, only to call a couple days later to tell him I made a mistake in not burning it for him.

I could go into all the songs of both discs and explain them, but this is amazon, not residentadvisor.com, which i suggest to read also if you are considering any electronic disc to buy. I will say this about the overall sound: lots of techno beats, prog house, acid house, and breaks. Definitely different from what I was used to, but now a welcomed addition.

this is the first time I'm hearing Zabiela's mixing and its definitely impressive. CD1 definitely pales in comparison to CD2. Standout tracks are: 1-09 Forgive, 2-02 How To Live, 2-03 C'est La Dior, 2-08 Firewater, and 2-12 Reach.