Customer Reviews

State of Trance 2007

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Armin Van Buuren proves his worthiness again with A State of Trance 2007. By now, I have come to expect a solid step forward in skills, maneuverability, quality track selection and generalized mixing with each subsequent A State of Trance album. My expectations were met and perhaps even surpassed as this double-disc set lunges at the EDM fanatic with its superbly contrasting pair of CDs. Wildly surpassing all of his previous artistic efforts (save Boundaries of Imagination, arguably) the first disc (aptly dubbed `On the Beach,') radiates all the Balearic Dutch trance glory that Armin has become famous for. The disc is extremely soothing, with non-abrasive female vocals which are more pleasing and cohesive than those found on [...] albums and spaciously atmospheric relaxation, the disc melts away any bodily tension - leaving one free to melt and groove in the summer sun. "Light The Skies," "Together We Rise," "The Distance" and "Touch The Sun" are all wonderful testimonials to summer wonderland. As relaxing as the disc initially appears to be, however, Armin lends a hand in some sinister booming beats, so different than the preceding tracks that I found myself completely caught off-guard - and loving every moment of it. My walls actually shook with the booming madness. On The Beach is the more versatile of the two discs, showing Armin at the top of his game and, in my eyes, finally cementing his name in my list of top trance DJs.

The second disc, "In The Club," predictably lives up to its title - it is quite obviously the more hard-hitting of the two discs. However, Armin injects some interesting artistic integrity into the forefront of the CD with a hauntingly orchestral "Misere," leading into a similarly thematic "Rush Hour." This motif continues to peek its head above the surface across the rest of the disc, but halfway through "Rush Hour" the basic pretense is dropped and the bpm rise like the pulse of a man running for dear life. Initially, within the first five or six tracks, there is inconsistency regarding the mix of quickly paced anthemic club music and slower sections influenced by ambience. `Inconsistent' does not necessarily imply un-enjoyable; quite the contrary, in fact. But I did see this as the type of deviation I would have expected from Armin given the steady maturation of his style as the ASOT series has moved forward. One thing I will say about "In The Club" is that I found myself wishing I were still listening to "On The Beach" roughly seven or eight times during its duration. ITC just did not capture my attention like OTB did. It is a very good Armin CD, but more of a typical Armin disc. I thought it very much akin to the "Dark" disc of ASOT 2005, but it certainly surpasses that disc when it picks up about halfway through with tracks like "Evergreen" and "Firefly." I love those two tracks and feel they mark the transition between the enjoyable, if uneven, first half of the second disc and the clubbier "dance-your-ass-off" second half. From "Evergreen" onward, it is a very urgently uplifting disc and anyone with a sympathetic nervous system will find themselves moving, either in a desk chair or on a sweaty dance floor. That's the kind of Armin I like, and that's the kind of trance I pay for.

I had high hopes for this double-disc as previously mentioned; these hopes were briefly dashed away the moment I saw Armin Van Buuren posing on the cover of his new album as if he were Lance Bass. I assumed he had become conceited due to fame. A word to the wise (and what would an album review be without a cliché?) - NEVER judge a book by its cover; nor an album, for that matter. I placed Luke Fair's Balance 011 as the top-ranking progressive house mix of the year the moment I heard it. I now predict Armin's A State of Trance 2007 to be the number one trance mix album for 2007, hands down, unless another DJ pulls off a miracle. If you're an old friend of Armin Van Buuren, you'll be delighted with this one. If you've just met the man, start here. Because as far as [...] goes, it simply doesn't get any better than this.

~Lex

Absolutely brilliant compilation from Armin. CD1 has an awsome chilled trance vibe with CD2 just kicking hard and beautiful. ASOT 2007 has got to put AVB at the number 1 slot in the DJ Rankings, nothing that PVD comes up with can be as brilliant as this CD. Buy now, you won't regret.
Stunning!!

I say again, Stunning!!

This is Armin's best compilation to date, his track selection on disc one (on the beach is perfect, and mixed flawlessly, starting off with Retrobyte's mix of "Light The Skies" to start it off, followed by several slow, yet energetic tunes, with some of the most soothing vocals, one of which is DJ Shah Feat. Adrina Thrope - Who Will Find Me, which, imo, is one of the best tracks of the year, followed by A track from Kristy Hawkshaw which also is a good track, and a few good tracks following these, are sure to be played on the beach, if the weather is still good, or for those in tropical climates this time of year.

Disc 2, just like last year, is one that has more energetic, dance floor, dance your tail off anthems, though the mixing isn't quite as good as disc one, but there are still alot of good tracks on here, it starts off with a darker "Misere" which I myself first heard on ASOT 250 over a year ago, and then blends nicely into "Rush Hour" one of Armins latest tracks, which has been played ALOT this year, but I still like, and there are also alot of good tracks, Including Markus Schulz feat. Chakra - I Am, which is one I listen to alot, and also File & Peri Feat. Eric Lumere - Anthem, and every track after that ends the mix nicely, including the last track, Syan Tyas Presents Logistic - One More Night Out, which I think isn't the best to end a compilation, but is imo, is a great track with it's melodies.

If you are an Armin fan, get this, and if you aren't really into trance, but maybe wanna pick up a cd set and maybe see how it is, and give it a listen, this is the one to grab, I think this one might give Armin the top spot this year, along with ASOT 300, for those that heard it live.

As with his previous albums, this one certainly lived up to my expectations from this genius. Uplifting, calming and pure spirt lifting!!

One of a few artists to hit the spot!

The Best Tracks are in my opinion on the 1st disc are #8, and #10.

I worship Armin. Not once has he disappointed me when I have seen him live. But his State of Trance discs tend to not live up to the energy of his live sets. They aren't bad, but they aren't what he is capable of.

That was until now. Disc 2 blew me away! I haven't taken this disc out of my cd player in my car since I got it! It has a slow start but once it gets going it doesn't stop until the end. "Anthem" stands out the most and has to be considered one of the best trance songs of the year. I got chills the first time I heard it. The mixing is flawless and Armin has totally captured the energy of his live sets on on this disc.

Great collection of a power - trance fighters of different styles an types of designed art of trance

The fact that the track First State - Evergreen is on this compilation (specifically the 2nd disc) makes it a great compilation. This song is truly brilliant, eclectically bridging the world of electronic and classical music to perfection with hard hitting club beat.. a true epic track! the mix itself is great, with a good range of labels and overall just a great 2 disc compilation.. trance is a great genre and this cd will hopefully lead to more fans

I am somewhat newer to trance and am still getting accustomed to the lingo.

I read some of the other reviews before I listened to the album. I agree that disc one, "On the Beach", is much more of a mellow trance; and of course, the name of the disc implies this. Most of the tracks are excellent--I just have to be in a certain mood to enjoy this time of trance.

I absolutely loved the second disc, "In the Club". The tracks are out of this world! I was listening to it during my boring commute and was loving it. Track 12 flipped on, and all of a sudden, the whole album just seemed a hundred times better to me. Tracks 12 through 16 make up my personal favorite trance mix I've ever been exposed to out of all of my favorite DJ's--Tiesto, Buuren, PVD, and Micro. This made me feel 100% secure in giving the entire album five stars!

First of all, make sure you get the album that has 12 tracks on First CD and 16 on the second. There is a version that doesn't have "perspective" track from CD 2, unless amazon made a mistake.
Now, most, if not all tracks on this CD are perfected and very pleasant to the ear. I was expecting this from Armin Van Buuren, but I didn't expect such a sugary-sweet melody, combined with great vocals and such a profound and non-apologetic use of musical instruments, may it be piano or "trance" organ. By many standards this is his best work yet!

Oh, and a term I have never heard, Ambient Trance.