Customer Reviews

Undulation 1

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

 

 

We're used to handing over the moolah for 2-CD mix albums, and a single disc album may not seem like it's worth the asking price... I mean, more is better, right?

Well, not exactly. Instead of starting with a warm-up disc and then moving on to the meat of the mix on disc 2, Satoshi Tomiie & Hector Romero encapsulate a full club night into a single disc. The point is, they do it brilliantly. Instead of just letting you listen to individual tracks mixed in and out of each other, they take you along with them as they play with the decks, showing off razor-sharp turntable skills and mixing technique. You know how you feel that rush of energy when you see a DJ in a club pull off a particularly mind-boggling sonic stunt? That's what you get from this album. These guys pull off so many tricks on this disc that you're left shaking your head in disbelief at times.

Things kick off on a much more hardcore note than is usual with mix CDs - only one disc, remember? Medway & Sean Cusick's "Sketch" sets the tone perfectly - you know that this disc isn't gonna be big on subtlety. The tricks start with Track 2 - Blue Haze & Bipath tracks layered over each other. Nice, you think - especially when the suitably epic breakdown washes over you. "E.F.X" hooks you with its bouncy, funky bass, ensuring that you've already started bobbing about energetically. Then comes the next trick - the driving beats of Cass' "Kenjin" motor through your head, while ghostly samples from "Penetration" sear through it at choice intervals before the mix segues effortlessly into the full-bodied version of the track.

Sweet. You can see the synergy between the 2 DJs as they work simultaneously on the sound they're creating. "Tribes of Khan Gala" allows you to dwell on this synergy a little longer, before the crowning piece of DJ magic on this album hits you. Tracks 7, 8 & 9 all have Lexicon Avenue's "Why R U Here?" in some form or the other... but in Track 8, it intertwines with 2 other tracks too - "Numb" & "K-Hole". The result is to create the kind of sound progression that leaves you grooving to a sound you've never heard before, but keeps sounding hauntingly familiar. Class-A work. "Scandal in New York", "Let Yourself Go" & Echomen's superb "Cure" provide fitting closure to the CD, allowing it to wind down without any perceptible drop in overall intensity.

Negatives? Well, good as it is, it's still only one disc - I woulda liked to hear more of the same from Satoshi & Hector. Also, while the mixing on tracks 7,8 & 9 is some of the best I've heard, it uses a track which is (today) a little overplayed. But these are only minor gripes, which in no way should dissuade you from buying this album. Heck, some of the best mixes I've heard have been single disc offerings... look at Dave Seaman's "Renaissance - America". This may not be in quite the same league, but it'll do for now. :-)

Overall - 4 stars. It's good - really good. Not a masterpiece, but we aren't expecting one most of the time.

Very nice album for Satoshi Tomiie.
He has selected very particular tracks and there are all deep house with a bit of elettro-progressive.

I reccomend you the buy.

Victor.

Ok, well perhaps he shares the NO. 1 spot with a few others, but no more than one hand can count.... To keep it simple, this is the first of the UNDULATION releases and it hits home. This CD is dark, a bit tribal and it has a journey. Many of today's releases are comprised of 2 CDs, the first as warm up and the second more meaty. Hector Romero and Tomiie manage to squeeze it onto one and they do an awesome job. Yes, they put on some trax that have been played since the summer, but it's very well mixed in and fits like a glove. Too many trainspotters out there! Tomiie and Romero capture the timeless tunes (and they're not classics yet!) and with their finesse put it on this release. It's a sophisticated choice that's non repetitive and keeps you engaged. Turn down the lights and put the CD on. Even if you haven't heard Tomiie or Romero yet, you'll be reaching for that volume dial. Guaranteed!

Some techno geek at Virgin Megastore on Sunset said I should buy this album. I'm usually pretty skeptical, but this is one excellent remix - very underrated. I have sunce purchased all of ST's previous works and am equally impressed. Move over Paul Oakenfold! Great for turning up LOUDLY in your car (especially here in L.A. where the traffic is brutal). This one gets me going better than a cup of coffee!

Bought this CD on Amazon and have been listening to it all day. Great CD. As far as another review stating that versions of Why R U Here? takes up 1/3 of the track listing. Yes it may but it only ends up about 7 1/2 minutes of a 67 minute mix. And on top of that those 7 1/2 minutes, during which 5 records are played, are some of the most impressive mixes on the cd.

satoshi had always got his very own style is progressive house...this album is a must get...excellent piece of music

I am very much a Satoshi Tomiie fan, and bought this CD with high expectations. It had some good tracks,but ONE THIRD of the CD is comprised of tweaked versions of "Why R U Here" by Lexicon Avenue. Now it was kind of interesting and creative and all how it was mixed with "Numb" by Stephane K in the middle, but the song is well over a year old now...why take up so much of the CD with it?

The Blue Haze/Bipath mix of "Rumble Funk" and "Paranoize" was a standout track, as was "Subway Baby" by Tribes of Khan Gala.

"Cure" by Echomen and "Scandal in New York" by S.T. with Ice are killer tracks also, but they both were getting played since the summer.

When I by a mixed DJ CD, I am looking to be introduced to new and interesting tracks, and in this case I just didn't get what I was looking for.