Customer Reviews

Rise

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am no no hardcore raver and have little idea what is good mixing and what is not. I discovered trance only recently, via compliations like Euphoria and Trance Nation. Fair enough. I didn't like most of it, liked some of it quite a bit - e.g. Li Kwan's Point Zero. Then I heard this. I suspected this kind of music was out there somewhere. Now I have found it. The raving reviews here do not lie. X-Cabs neuro is the diamond amongst these gems. I cannot imagine a more beautiful, powerful and evocative track. It swells shimmering from the depths of that dark, brooding, patiently constructed trance to weave its soaring, brilliant spell. I think there are some flaws but they are so insignificant that to dwell on them would risk putting a reader off, which should never be allowed to happen. Anyway, they tend to disappear with each recital. For my money this is the most amazing music in the world. Please, please, somebody tell me where to find more of this mind bending, mind blowing material.

Detail: Best tracks - 1, 3, 5, 7, 10

1.Phreaks - a haunting, dark, flawless entrance. 2.Mekong - brighter, spacey, expectant 3.Tunnel vision - starts to seriously pump it out, piano drips from the interlude - a foretaste 4.Yummyl - hold on and wait for it - the weakest track here but maintains the mood. 5.Resonance - astounding multi textured, deep layer of dark hypnotic pumping energy. starts to carry you along. Heartstopping variations in pace. You gasp at the second phase. 6.Millenium - slower, teasing, pregnant - take a break, you need one and it won't last long. 7.Planet Hunters - pace really builds now, simple at first, layering in the complexity and exploring the boundaries. Mind expanding. 8.Mind of man - now we're there we may as well have some fun. Just how good are you feeling? 9.Domination - take a quick breather then slip smoothly back in. Animalistic. 10.Evolver - others rate this more highly. A naïve melody wrapped in the same hard, driving package, splashed with a haunting vocal refrain. Melodically a pale, distorted reflection of what follows, prepares you for something extraordinary. 11.Neuro - please never end. 12.Elan vital -Excellent complex, contradictory melody milks the last few drops.

Have you ever noticed how sometimes you can't distinguish the difference between a lot dj's.Well, CL isn't one of them. His original sound and unrelenting style is something you rarely hear nowadays. What I noticed is most trance dj's play basically the same sound over and over. A lot of those cheesy anthems that you already heard a million times. What CL does is combine dark, hypnotic, and strong beats that never go astray. On a lot of compilations the variety of music only hurts the cd as a whole. You may like a few tracks, but others you have to skip. Rise has an amazing compilation of songs that are all on the same level. So you don't get teased and tossed around. Interesting enough, CL's style really hasn't changed since he first started. The reason is he doesn't have too. There aren't any dj's that have a sound as original as his. If you buy this cd you will know what I am talking about. I can't stop listening to this cd because the more I listen to it the better it gets.For all you dark trance and hard house fans this is a title you have to get.

This CD practically lives in my CD player... probably one of the best, if not THE best progressive trance mixes I've ever heard.. the tracks from X Cabs and De Niro are simply amazing, with 10 and 11 being the best tracks on the CD. Don't even hesitate to buy this one.

if i was asked to recommend one of christopher lawrence's cd's to someone that hasn't heard any of them, i'd probably suggest "temptation" everytime. it's the one that comes closest to the brilliance of his live sets. however, "RISE" still must be considered his signature ablum. it was his first release, and represents everything i've learned about progressive trance in the last couple of years. i've seen him spin live dozens of times since 1996. he was and still is my favorite dj. i was so amped up to hear that he had a cd coming out. i had all his mixtapes and couldn't wait to test out his sound in a cd player. this album more than met my expectaions. it summarizes his "RISE" to the top of the list of progressive trance djs. it represents the movement in a genre that he pushed forward and continues to do so today. anyone serious about trance should own this album. it is hard,dark,pounding,melodic progressive trance at it's best.

"Some night you're driving through the city just to chase the tail-lights in front of you."
I first purchsed this album in 97, just before Global Underground started releasing great mix albums in the U.S. It was a time when mix albums weren't as numerous as they are now, and even fewer came from American DJs.

With out knowing anything about Christopher Lawrence, or his style, I just bought it based on the little note on the back of the CD case. The minute I first put it on it sounded breathtaking. Loud, hard, fast, nasty. Full of acid lines, dark melodies and great purcussion. It became a staple of my early raving days.

Years later and hundred or so mix albums later, this one still sounds fresh. A perfect example of how good trance sounded before it went down the epic path. This mix remindes you that the orginal deep trance sound (deep is Christopher's label for his sound) was euphoric with out resorting to epic build-ups and key changes. It was based on repeated snth lines that twisted and funked around heavy prog-house beats. Always cheese free, this mix sounds dark and underground, yet uplifting and soulfull. Oh, and it really makes you want to shake it.

Most of Mr Lawrence's mix are of equal quality. I guess this one is my favorite becuase it was my first. And maybe because it was ten times better than all of the epic stuff that swallowed the scene in the following years. If you like your trance hard with a lot of varity in sound and tempos, something for your mind as well as body, don't hesitate. Purchase at once.

I liked his Temptation album, so I got this one. I was really surprised how great this album is. I put it in the same class as Oakenfold's Tranceport. I recommend it to all Progressive House/Trance fans

I first saw Christopher Lawrence play a live set at local massive, and I became an instant convert to his style of music. Since then I've been trying to get my hands on all of his releases to hear more of his awesome skills and great music. This CD is just that: a non-stop joyride through some of the finest trance music put together in a single disc. It pulsates with high energy right from the beginning all the way to the final second. It can be a hard CD to find (I myself took two months of searching before I found it), but it's really worth the effort. You'll be blown away the moment you put it in your CD player, it's that good. For those of you who like to do light shows (like myself), this is the perfect CD to practice your moves with. The beat slows down just long enough to let you take a short breather, then comes back with the same vibe and energy.

I urge you to see him live whenever the opportunity presents itself, it'll be an experience you'll never forget. The next best thing is to get this CD or his other works (i.e. Temptation, United States of Trance), it'll be money well spent.

This is one of the best deep thumping, soulful- trance mixes available today. Christopher Lawrence has the uncanny knack of perpetually keeping the listener in a paradoxically mood- altered state where one feels calm and frenzied at the same time. The loops, beats, tweaks and cosmic tunes layered one above the other in a 5 dimensional plot(sound, beat, melody, beat frequency and perceieved imagery), delivering to the listener, a sample from the 'churn' of trance

Lots of good songs on this

Well worth it

this cd is a journey. it is simply one of the best cd's i have heard to this day.