Customer Reviews

Ultra Electro

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

 

 

Those looking for the usual pop and diva club anthems found on many of the Ultra Dance discs should avoid this CD. But if you are into the electronic dance revival going on that is highly influenced by early 80s experimental synth music, you are bound to find some standout tracks on here that you'll want to track down in their original form. It features some big mixers and artists of the genre, plus artists like Depeche and New Order, who pretty much inspired this current sound 20 years ago. Disc 1 is more accessible to a commercial audience with more vocals, while disc 2 is more serious about the genre...although it takes a while to actually find its groove. Here's the breakdown:

CD1

1. Dare...Gorillaz (4:38) (would have been better to have one of the unreleased mixes on here, but still a great way to set the tone)

2. Pain That I'm used to...Depeche Mode (7:15) (Great mix that offers the retro feel of David Gahan's vocals)

3. Waiting for the Siren's Call...New Order (6:15) (AWESOME mix that was not on the original 2 track CD single...ups the reason for buying this collection)

4. What else is there...royksopp (6:00) (a funky electro stomper with vocals reminiscent of Bjork)

5. Sugar...ladytron (5:29) (cool song, but more a rock electronic song, not a dance track-more like something Garbage would record)

6. Warning siren...tiefschwartz (5:53) (another rocker, more experimental, male vocals)

7. Technologic...daft punk (4:52) (what you expect from daft punk. Danceable noise and synthesized voices)

8. Dream about me...moby (5:00) (a hard electro dance track-pretty much the exact formula required of this genre)

9. Le disko...shiny toy guns (6:30) (a rockin dance track with punk male and female vocals. Hot retro new wave feel.)

10. Walking away...the egg (5:48) (total dance track with a funky 80s synth bassline and limited electronically altered vocals)

11. Ooh la la...goldfrapp (6:20) (Not the the best mix of this popular track-it has too many stops and breaks that hinder the dance flow)

12. She wants to move...NERD (5:42) (Disc 1 comes full circle with a track in the same style as Gorillaz-these male vocals have such an early 80s sound)

CD2

1. michelle plays ping pong (5:29) (sort of a novelty, with, of course, ping pong sounds creating the rhythm. Sort of anti-climactic track, though)

2. Body language (5:32) (this track really brings down the energy level on this one. Very experimental, very mellow)

3. Easy (5:54) (moody, with spoken female vocals, but a sweet synth line kicks in that livens up the whole song.)

4. Sugar (6:23) (Still kickin after all these years, but this isn't particularly my favorite mix of this Armand song. It's rather routine)

5. Me (4:29) (Electronic dance perfection. Bleeps, blips, and a throbbing bassline)

6. no more conversations (6:38) (cool song with some altered female vocals, but not one of the strongest Mylo mixes I've heard)

7. Danger (the bomb) (6:31) (this one truly is the bomb, with a groove and feel reminiscent of old school street sounds-think "breakin")

8. Rocker (5:02) (strictly instrumental, this one didn't do much for me)

9. zdarlight (6:09) (another instrumental with some cool riffs, but again, not all that interesting after a few minutes)

10. Your body (7:30) (Such an awesome and slammin track, so late in the game)

11. Same man (4:33) (and the party keeps going! What a weird time to pick up the pace in a mix. Great retro 80s feel here, too, with some "Scissor Sisters-esque vocals).

12. tell me why (6:45) (What a great way to end this disc. A meshed mix of Bronksi Beat's classics "Why" vocals and the bassline from "Smalltown Boy")

This is the playlist to a club I'd love to go to! Most club music is stale and predictable, but if half these songs got spun, that crowd would be moving!

I picked this shiny green gem up on a whim, having really enjoyed Ultra's past compilations (except Ultra Dance 7, that was crap!). I gave it a listen and was HIGHLY impressed with the first disc. From song to song I found myself grooving along. The only song that let me down was Ladytron's "Sugar", but I'm so glad to see Ladytron on a mainstream dance comp! David Waxman did a very good job with this comp. Some of the highlights of this disc include:

Royksopp - What Else Is There? (Trentemoller Remix)

This is an AMAZING remix! It totally maintains the energy and mystery of the original while definitely jammin the speakers! I would love to dance to this, in particular!

Tiefschwarz feat. Matty Safer - Warning Siren (Buick Project Remix)

While I'm not much of a fan of the original, this mix does great things for the song. It brings out the nice parts of Matty Safer's voice, while providing some much-needed beatage. Impressive!

Moby - Dream About Me (Sebastian Ingrosso Remix)

Sebastian Ingrosso is the electro remix king! Check out some of his other work, like on The Modern's "Industry". He cranks out a hot beat for Moby's song, the only issue being the fact that this sounds more like a dub than a remix.

Shiny Toy Guns - Le Disko (Tommie Sunshine's Brooklyn Fire Retouch)

Tommie Sunshine is a name to watch, mark my words! His work with Fall Out Boy's "Dance, Dance" is enviable stuff. He was also a member of Thee Glitz, a collection of collaborators for Felix Da Housecat's "Kittenz And Thee Glitz" album. His work here, on Shiny Toy Guns' "Le Disko" is awe-inspiring. The song was amazing to begin with, and Tommie took everything that was good about it and made it better. Will we be complaining? I think not.

Disc 2 is the underground side of electro, featuring many artists you may not have heard of. I found Daisy Daisy's "Michelle Plays Ping Pong" to be a highly enjoyable song. I found that "Sugar" fit really well into the overall feel of Disc 2 as well. I've never been a fan of "Rocker", so it didn't matter *who* mixed it, I skipped it nonetheless. I love "Your Body", and was highly pleased with a mix I haven't heard as of yet.

Like I said, this is the perfect playlist for a club I've never been to, but would LOVE to. Don't hold out on this compilation, even if you dislike Ultra on a whole. This is highly appealing music!

Ultra has put out cool record for years. It is sometimes hard to talk about them. Being a big fan of Electro, this one stands out of the pack for me. Sure you have some great bands like Depeche Mode, Gorillaz, Ladytron, Goldfrapp, and Moby. But you also have some new acts like Shiny Toy Guns and Daisy Daisy. You also have some of the best remixers like DFA and Tommie Sunshine. Of course Mylo and Jacques Lu Cont is on here as well. This is a jamming party mix. It's two CDs and is full of surprises.

Awesome collection, the more I listen, the better it gets! Great remix of New Order's Waiting for the Siren's Call

Some darn good tracks here, but also some house-y stuff which isn't what I think of when I hear "electro".

This set of cd's is AWESOME. I've been looking for a while for a cd that makes me incredibly happy, like this one. You can't deny how good the beats twist around on this set. Every song is a new adventure. This holds fresssh beats, and if you pass up this one, your making a mistake. You wont find a better set with HOT electro songs like this baby.

I am glad that this series has been launched and am looking forward for number 2. The First disc I Think is a much better energy pumping experience love it. Disc 2 Is interesting and i have to say that this is the best for me Ultra has done in a very long time.

ultra recordings in their infinite power and 'wisdom' realized that the 'electronica' umbrella is broken and in total disrepair, and is now bending 'electro' to fit the bill, and why not, it's easier to spell and pronounce.

mind you, it's hard to resist the power and influence and of course money that a label like ultra can offer an artist, and that's probably why this compilation even exists, but david waxman will probably live to regret being involved with such a horrible misrepresentation of 'electro' -- a timeless phenomenon, ethos, musical composition philosophy, and far more artistic genre to those who bother to find true examples of it... this. is not amongst those examples.