Customer Reviews

Shanghai

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Nick Warren's 6th Global Underground release is the best one yet, and should go down as one of the best of all the GU series. He started with some funky trance (Prague), moved into some harder, progressive trance (Budapest, Amsterdam, Brazil), then most recently into some quirky progressive house (Reykjavik). Reykjavik was not my style at all, but the superb Way Out West artist album released last year brought Nick back to my attention very quickly, and the bonus mix CD from Don't Look Now was just the tip of the iceberg of what is to come with GU#28, Shanghai.

It starts off slow, just like that last mix, and slowly brings you uptempo until the beats begin to tear as we get into one of the best tracks on CD1-Over It by Tini Tun. Nick has assembled tracks from artists all over the world for this mix, but you wouldn't know it as the steady beats, and generous melodies all seem to come together perfectly on the 2 discs. Attention to theme definitely played a big part here, as the entire CD 1 is an incredible journey from start to finish, and it's STILL only a taste of what is to come with the even better CD2.

CD2 wastes no time pumping the BPM's and we get some nice vocal tracks early on, then a steady mix of dance floor stomping progressive house tracks and some breakbeat follow. The pace never lets up until the last track, where you finally get a breather.

Much more danceable and consistently faster than either Reykjavik or the Don't Look Now mix CD, this one get Nick back to true form, a dance floor filling madman on the decks!

Nick Warren's best in the series and one of the best GU's you will find. I got the limited long box, which has a very nice, and very big book inside. It's worth the extra few bucks, as this one is something special. The best progressive house mix of the year!

Progressive landscape has been changing. Experimentation with dirty techy sounds has plagued many recent mixes with some successfully and some horribly lame results.

Nick Warren proves that you if you stick to the old formula you will deliver a solid mix, which will stand out in horde of electronic releases this year.

I can compare this release to Sasha's GU 13 Ibiza. The mixing and the tracks create a perfect blend of good ole progressive with a new upgraded feel. First CD is a bit mellow and 2nd cd completely takes you away. "Acperience" track by Hardfloor is where the Mix peaks. Certainly, something that you would want to hear in a club at 3 30 - 4 am. Get the crowd jumping up and down:)

In my opinion this as good as electronic can get these days. Impressive release that will make it to GU Series Hall of Fame.

P.S. GU series succeeds with 2 releases in a row this year. Danny's 27 and Nick's 28.v

Nick Warren's 6th Global Underground release is the best one yet, and should go down as one of the best of all the GU series. He started with some funky trance (Prague), moved into some harder, progressive trance (Budapest, Amsterdam, Brazil), then most recently into some quirky progressive house (Reykjavik). Reykjavik was not my style at all, but the superb Way Out West artist album released last year brought Nick back to my attention very quickly, and the bonus mix CD from Don't Look Now was just the tip of the iceberg of what is to come with GU#28, Shanghai.

It starts off slow, just like that last mix, and slowly brings you uptempo until the beats begin to tear as we get into one of the best tracks on CD1-Over It by Tini Tun. Nick has assembled tracks from artists all over the world for this mix, but you wouldn't know it as the steady beats, and generous melodies all seem to come together perfectly on the 2 discs. Attention to theme definitely played a big part here, as the entire CD 1 is an incredible journey from start to finish, and it's STILL only a taste of what is to come with the even better CD2.

CD2 wastes no time pumping the BPM's and we get some nice vocal tracks early on, then a steady mix of dance floor stomping progressive house tracks and some breakbeat follow. The pace never lets up until the last track, where you finally get a breather.

Much more danceable and consistently faster than either Reykjavik or the Don't Look Now mix CD, this one get Nick back to true form, a dance floor filling madman on the decks!

Nick Warren's best in the series and one of the best GU's you will find. I got the limited long box, which has a very nice, and very big book inside. It's worth the extra few bucks, as this one is something special.

Shanghai #028 is a two CD mix of tastefully chosen emotive electronica that has been keenly mixed with forethought to allow for subtle buildup, climax, and dropdown. Nick Warren has chosen the gamut of tracks from ambient to smooth to breaks to 80's-tinged electro-pop and methodically placed them to have a cohesive mix that makes the ride to Shanghai a smooth one. The mix contains mostly instrumentals with a few vocal tracks - such as the ever popular "Come to Me" by Holden and Thompson. Usually preferring a good deal of vocal tracks, to my surprise, I greatly enjoyed this mix. Even without many vocals, the variations in style and sound design of the instrumental tracks allowed the productions to stand well on their own. Nick Warren continues to amaze me with how well he is able to obtain tracks from various genres and intertwine those tracks into an emotive, continually morphing mix. Nick Warren's ears are consistent in their ability to select tunes that grab attention. Shanghai #028 is an energizing yet calming mix that is a definite keeper. (...)

Shanghai is a flawlessly polished set and it has a refined selection of songs. Both CDs are amazing in quality and atmosphere. The compilation has a spacey and magical feel to it that really mellows and chills you out. The best aspect of Nick's CD is that it combines several electronic styles into one smooth mix. House, Trance, Break Beat, and retro style tunes can be found through out this superb GU set. This album by Nick is a perfect example of what the GU series is all about and that is creating an atmosphere that is full of harmony and melody. You find yourself getting lost into the beats and it isn't until the CD is over where you snap back into reality.

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Who knew?! I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Nick warren was going to produce the 28th compilation in the Global Underground series. This was completely unexpected, since Warren declared the Reykjavik mix as his last GU album. After receiving the news, I waited for the release of the Shanghai mix with much anticipation.

I must admit that I really didn't know what to expect from this album. Was Warren going to follow the herd and deliver a mix that reeks of artsy experimental electro crap, or was he going to carve his own path and deliver the quality work I've always known and admired him for? Thankfully, it was the latter.

Disc one is, without doubt, my favourite of the double-disc comp. The opening tracks are absolutely stunning. "Fat Cat", "Somehow" and "Once" immerse the listener in deep, rich, downtempo (break)beats accompanied by sparse, glowing synths and distant vocals. The dreamscape gradually gives way to the catchy 4x4 beat and guitar riffs of Wow's "Don't Forget Me", followed by the clubby dancefloor rhythm of "Over It" and "Vapour Trails". Things take a sudden dive into the deep end with the apocalyptic melody of Seyton's "The Drake Equation", but quickly rebound with "Horowitz" and "Sunshine". One is then taken on a mood trip with the melancholic and ethereal "Pillow" by Yvel & Tristan, followed by the conversely uplifting and catchy "Solace" -- a complementary pair of tracks that form a suitable end to a great mix.

The driving beats of Lustral's "Solace" literally pushes the listener out of the first disc and slams the door shut, leaving him ready to be carried off once more by the second disc. Chimera's "Natural High" lives up to its title. The deep bassline, solid breakbeats and sparkly synths hook the listener right from the beginning. "Natural High" is one of the tracks that made Anthony Pappa's "Balance 006" mix so enjoyable. The same applies here. The ambient atmosphere is abruptly brought down by the raw grit and acid rock tunes of Morozov's "Fly Guitar". Absolutely kicks arse. Things mellow out a notch with "Conversations" and "Come to Me". The mix could most certainly have done without "Come to Me". Sure... it's produced by James Holden, but the cheese vocals just seem out of place in a mix like this. Following it are a series of dancefloor tracks reminiscent of days gone by -- a welcome touch. All is brought to a graceful close with Mercurio's "Simple Things" and Derek Howell's "Your Touch", a beautiful and melancholy track that could easily be confused with music produced by Ulrich Schnauss.

Nick Warren once again delivers a solid set. The track selection is absolutely great (with the exception of "Come to Me"), and the sequencing is meticulously thought out from start to finish. According to the sleevenotes, Warren used mostly whitelabel material from obscure producers. If such is the case, it's comforting to know that there are people out there that are still creating melodic and full-bodied pieces such as the ones showcased in this compilation. Recent sets from veterans such as Sasha, Digweed, Fortier, Tomiie and Seaman tread too far into the experimental arena. These experimental mixes sacrifice melody and substance in the name of progress. Listeners are force-fed this junk, leaving them feeling disappointed and shortchanged. Sometimes the bleeding edge of something isn't necessarily a good thing. Nick Warren proves that point with this compilation.
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With this release, Nick Warren now becomes the most frequent GU DJ to date with 6 compilations. GU has become the status quo for quality dance compliations. I expected nothing less than that with this release, and my expectations were exceeded. Nick has wrapped up a brilliant 2 discs on this one. I have not taken it out of my player yet! Disc 1 is more mellow while Disc 2 is more high energy. Both discs have a slight oriental feel to them which compliments the Shanghai backdrop well. The mixing is fantastic, virtually unnoticable. Track selection is top notch. Inside the booklet, Warren describes his thinking regarding the tracks.

"There are younger producers around the world still making amazing dance tracks. I'm in a lucky position to make dance albums like this, and my job is to let people know that all these young kids are out there."

Kudos to you Nick. There's a reason you are one of the most talented, sought after DJ's on the planet! I truly hope this is not your last.

GU025: Shanghai is Nick Warren's finest and most unique mix CD to date. What really sets this mix apart from Nick's previous mixes and pretty much every other mix CD on the market right now is that nobody else sounds like this. Whereas most DJs in 2005 are spinning some form of electro-tinged house, be it disco-esque funk, deeper progressive or just tech house, nobody sounds like Nick Warren right now. And considering the vast amount of genres Nick has managed to include here, this is rather surprising.

Further expanding upon the more subdued and melodic sounds that Nick first explored on his Reykjavik compilation and on the oustanding Don't Look Now bonus mix CD, CD1 is a fantastic headphone or at home experience. The first three tracks are particularly lush and majestic with SJ Esau's "Fat Cat" being one of the finest opening tracks I've ever heard. By the time track four rolls around, the kick drum picks up and we're treated to some of the more rocking tunes in Nick's box. The driving groove of BCML's "Mr. Horrowitz" and the absolutely gorgeous "Sunshine" by Starecase are personal highlights, though there really isn't a weak track anywhere to be heard.

CD2 picks up right where CD1 leaves off. The mix starts off innocently enough with the dreamy "Natural High" by Chimera, but we're soon treated to diverse array of genres that Nick masterfully arranges and manipulates to create one of his most rocking and enjoyable sets to date. He effortlessly blends garage rock and breaks into acid house and progressive. Once again, there isn't a weak track to be found. Shiloh's superb remix of Pop Shuvit's "Conversations" and Kosmas Epsilon's anthemic "Sorry For Being Rude" are easy highlights, though you could really single out any track as a highlight. The inclusion of the 1990 acid house classic "Acperience 1" by Hardfloor will be a highlight for many. The last four tracks of the mix build to a blurry emotional peak in Derek Howell's "Your Touch" before fading out.

Overall, a unique, diverse and thoroughly enjoyable compilation by Nick Warren. I could almost universally recommend this album to anyone. Long time Nick Warren fans, new fans who just started enjoying his work with Reykjavik (like myself), electronic music fans looking for an alternative to the electro-tinged house that's all the rage these days, Northern Exposure fans, and pretty much anyone who enjoys melodic electronic dance music will love this mix.

Nick Warren proves here that he is a DJ that DJs go to for inspiration. Nobody spins like Warren, he's subtle, powerful, and unique. This album is why we listen to this music...nuff said.

Nick Warren, the embodiment of the Global Underground series, has finished with his last release for the series (though he said the same about the splendidly chill Reykjavik). The early releases in Prague and Brazil were nothing special, in my view, particularly relative to Oakenfold's best-ever "oslo" and Sasha's "San Fran". But he got better as he kept loyal to the widely-watched and listened to series. Budapest was bull-in-the-China-store trance, Amsterdam was dreamy house, and the minimal, who-knows-what-the-f@#k but sublime Reykjavik. The globetrotting DJ who has created sounds as versatile as Oakenfold in his prime and Deep Dish over the last 5 years, by the way get Penetrate Deeper if you liked Warren and Tenaglia's Back to Mine. I have increasingly appreciated the wisdom of Warren's music over the years, I guess is what I am trying to say. He is a true veteran of the scene, GU, and trance/prog/house and hasn't succumbed to selling out to more lucrative producers and track selection.

Disc 1 is pure Shanghai. I have never been but from what people tell me (Chinese, particularly), it is the commercial and cultural Wild West of China. Like San Fran in the Gold Rush, Vegal in the days of Bugsy and the mob, and LA in the emergence of Hollywood in the early-mid 20th century. The fist disc captures the sound of that edge, and the exciting potential and opportunity of such a grand experiment. It is at the vanguard of an increasingly strong and confident China. As the Sleevenotes note expat DJ's, one says that this is the place than can do great things or f--- it all up. I guess that would be the best way to describe the sound of the mix, particularly the first CD. The first three tracks from SJ Esau, Jacob Todd and Kelly Noland, Alex Stealthy, and (guess who?) Way Out West are absolutely amazing and they rival the first 3-4 tracks on Digweed's Hong Kong and BT's ESCM as the finest opening to a mix that I have heard. There is an edge, a fire, and bold sound to all these and they are woven in together extremely well, setting the tone for the rest of the disc. I listened to this walking around nyc running errands, and it felt like the sound of a city, but one with the same characteristics that I imagine are inherent in an emerging center of activity and character like Shanghai or early 20th century nyc. Starecase's "Sunshine is another highlight that is not too shiny. Lustral's "solace" is another great one, from a classic producer. The second disc is faster and has a few airy, melodic samples thrown into the mix, such as Chimera's "Natural High" and Mural Uncuoglu's "Flame". A little futuristic, but not robotic, and a little trancier than the typically dominant prog. Another thing the sound captures is an international and melting pot sound, kind of like Shanghai and the expats from Australia, the Far East, and countryside Chinese. Overall, an absolute bullseye for both the series and Warren who has shown again that he is among the most versatile DJ's now and has been able to come up with fresh sounds over the decades he has been in the business. Miami, and now Shanghai, who said GU was over-the-hill?