Customer Reviews

Somnambulist (Single)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have stopped questioning the direction BT will take each time he produces a new album or single. The only constant is change. What impresses me most is BT's growth as a talented vocalist. He's sounding more and more like a pro. The endless hysteria of intricate programming that bathes and merges with the vocal are breathtaking. This is what should be played on the radio - it's got a pop foundation but goes far beyond anything your would normally hear. The remixes are wonderful ready to help flood the dancefloors. For those massive speakers in a club, the Junkie XL mix keeps things at a minimal and let's the bassline do the talking. Sander K's mix is full on workout as you get your party started. My favorite next only to the Original Edit is Burufunk's version. Best because it moves away from the standard 4/4 beat and because it appears to really re-create the song into something other than what is was. It's got a great vibe about it. So buy it - play it - love it...and brace yourself for "Emotional Technology" coming August 19th,2003 to a store near you.

somnambulist is a really awesome track, worth five stars, but the mixes arent very interesting so i don't really reccomend this single to anyone unless you're a rabid BT fan (like me) or a collector type. just wait another two months and get ET when it comes out if you like the original mix, and you'll have a whole album worth of BT goodness :)

so anyway the original mix did not impress me at all when i first heard it, besides the vocal edits/tweaking which is absolutely freakin business. I thought "it sounds like nsync's Pop" ie worked over boy band music, and i was not interested and rather dissapointed. but it got stuck in my head and after listening a few more times i for some reason got totally into it and bought the single, and its now one of my favorite tracks. its this wierd fusion of like the usual trancey-breakbeat stuff thats going these days, and euphoric harmonized male vocals (very boy band sounding, but the initial jar wears off) all worked over with this ridiculous production and tweaking that saturates the whole track and simply by its omnipresence gives the music a very distinct character. that and its just a bangin make-you-sing-along-while-dancing-like-a-fool-or-breaking-speed-limits breakbeat cut.

as for the mixes, a lot of people are way into the JXL mix which i find very weak. the only real thing going for it is the superheavy bassline. its got mindlessly unoriginal and thin beats, a horrible midi plink plonk melody, and a one dimensional breakdown that comes in here and there. nothing happens in the track until the beat finally fleshes out into proper progressive funkiness about 6 minutes in.. since its like a 8 minute track or whatever thats not saying much. the 12" dub is way better just cuz it has more of the solidly rockin beat in it. Sander does a decent prog mix, though still not that interesting. more engaging than the JXl, with a pretty cool breakdown and some interesting stuff to keep things moving along. The burufunk is an obligatory breakbeat cut thats decently funky but once again just not very interesting. not in the upper echelons of the current breakbeat scene, i'd say, the beats are kind of stale. anyway after ragging on all the remixes i must say they're not really -bad-, as electronic music goes, just that theyre hopelessly over-shadowed by the original. like i said, unless you're a BT freak or like having lots of remixes and things around, skip this single and just wait for the album cuz you know the whole thing will be as good as this track

I can't say enough good things about this one. The album edit is great in itself, but all the remixes shine on this one. My favorite is the Junkie XL Vocal Mix-it's just superb! I like the way the vocals are mixed it's a great dance version. The Slander Kleinenberg' Convertible mix comes in second, this one is slower and sexier. The Burufunk is ok,too. The only thing I don't like about this CD is that there are only three remixes, I wish there at least three more on this disc, but it's still worth it.

It's hard to put my thougthts of this song into words, so I'll try my best. The first time I heard the song I was blown away. The effects, the creativity and energy that he puts into his music comes through in a big way. I know it must not be easy to arrange the effects that he puts into his music, but he makes it work. Everytime I play the song I hear a different effect and it's just amazing every time. I guess that's why his forthcoming album is named "Emotional Technology". I can't wait for it. Oh Yeah, I almost forgot. Buy this C.D!!!

Over the years, BT has really changed quite a bit... from their soothing nature trance songs found in ESCM to a much harder and a more vocal style. This song can be considered to be in the latter category. I really enjoyed some of his work in ESCM, but after listening to BT's most recent compilations, including "Somnambulist," I have to say that he is definitely heading in the right direction. This is a great song with a bunch of break sequences. It's no "Flaming June" and it's not quite "Never Gonna Come Back Down," though it's more of a softer version of the latter. He should have named this song "Simply Being Loved" instead of "Somnambulist," but once again, this shows you BT's creative side.

Nothing less than a modern electronic masterpiece.The mixes are OK, but they've got nothing on the original.TURN IT UP LOUD.

I was at the Abercrombie store when I heard a song being pumped through their amazingly adequate sound system. I go to the cash register, and asked the girl working register to see the cd, and it was a store only cd, but to my surprise, I see the song is BT's new track. This song is amazing. His voice meshes like it's the song doing the talking. I am thoroughly impressed with BT's work since he 97 when I heard him. This song has an amazing mix of mainstream with underground vibe. I really hope that BT's talent doesn't go to waste an unnoticed this time, just because the beat doesn't come with N'Sync doesn't mean that the song doesn't come with something, in this case...it comes which more.

When you ask who the master of trance is, there is no question, it's BT. I'm stoked for the new album as much as every other fan. The reason we love BT is his versatility. 'Ima's progressive trance gave way in one year to the harder House and Trance on 'ESCM'. 'Movement in Still life' had an unmistakable hip-hop flavoring. 'R&R' Disc 1 was a return to Prog, and Disc 2 was a dark and wild ride. '10 years', a greatest hits album, is the ultimate proof of BT's versatile abilities.
My favorite BT tracks, like 'Solar Plexus' (ESCM), 'Mercury and Solace' (Movement), and 'Remember (ESCM 12" mix)' (R&R), are the dark House pieces. Somnambulist feels kind of like a Hybrid remix of 'Divinity' or 'Tripping the light fantastic'. It has a very bright sound, with lots of breakbeats. What I'm not wild about are the hip-hop influenced vocals, plus there's a little too much digitizing on the voice. Now, I do like BT's Prog. Trance. You can't argue with 'Nocturnal Transmission' (Ima), but 'Somnambulist' lacks the intoxicating hooks of his previous work. This is a good song, but it isn't, in my opinion, his best work. If you loved 'Relativity' (10 years), you'll definately love this song.
As for the remixes, they hit or miss. The Junkie XL mix takes the hip-hop influence to the next level, going for a 'Movement in still life' (Movement) feel, and it gets pretty close. Sander Kleinenberg is an awesome new talent in the DJ scene, and his remix reminds me a lot of UK house group Madagascar, who are awesome. Burufunk's mix is surprisingly unfunky, but it is still a really good remix.
So, 'Somnambulist' isn't 'Lullaby for Gaia' or even 'Never gonna come back down', but it's still good. And my fervor for the next album is unfettered.

I picked this CD up today. I had heard many good things about bt's new cd to be released. Yet i didnt imagine this would be what would make my ears beg for more. I have been a BT fan since ESCM and I have loved everything he has done. But his latest, Somnambulist absolutely threw me away. The depth of this song is amazing. He adds so much detail but to a point where its not to much, and not too little. The vocals are amazing, and the over 6,100 vocal cuts in this song keep you begging for more. I am now drooling over the fact that his new CD will be coming out [...]. CANNOT WAIT. FIVE STARS.

BT never disappoints! Thick, sweet, laced with mental caffeine that will knock you out and leave you a dancing somnabulist yourself! The two previous reviews capture everything this CD single has to offer. Its exceptional, moving, and hypnotising from start to finish. Sure, its 4 tracks remixed of the same song, but the beautiful variations complement each other nicely and are distinctive enough to be considered unique in their own right. So move, wake up, plug in, and dance. Without a doubt, you should add this to your collection even if you plan to get the album - as I do!