Customer Reviews

United States Of Trance

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I picked up "United States of Trance" today and felt compelled to let people know how incredible this mix is. I have all of Christopher Lawrence's previous CDs, but none of them come close to this one. The mix begins with a breakbeat track "Genesis" that eases into the deep progressive sound of Silk's "AM-Pacific". From there, the CD takes off on a powerful journey weaving from Skynet UK's pumping "Holdin On" thru to incredible tunes such as DJ Merlyn's "Wales" and "Purple Overdose" (which I have heard Lawrence play live several times and is always one of the nights biggest tunes). The amazing thing about this CD is that I have never heard of any of the tracks on any other compilation - which demonstrates just how cutting edge Lawrence is and also sets this impressive mix apart from the glut of commercial rave anthems CDs in the market. "United States of Trance" proves that Lawrence is the true leader of the American progressive trance movement and one of the top DJs in the world. Like Sasha & Digweed's "Northern Exposure" series, "United States of Trance" is one of the few CDs that you can say is truly essential to any electronic music lovers collection.

Over the past year or two, the style *du jour* within the world of progressive trance has veered away from the "melodic" and "uplifting" and towards the "dark" and "bass-heavy"; indeed, more than a few big name dj's have dutifully followed this trend. American trance "messiah" Christopher Lawrence, however, continues to march to his own drummer, remaining true to his favored hard-driving, take-no-prisoners, pounding style. And happily for listeners, he continues to make it work.

In this latest mix, Lawrence includes a number of tracks that are reminiscent of the beat-heavy, majestic style of trance that Lawrence first presented in "Rise," his initial cd release from a few years ago. This sound has long been associated with Scotland's Hook Recordings, but Lawrence has veritably made it his trademark, partly as a result of his own breathtaking compositions like "Cruise Control."

Overall, fans of Lawrence who have come to expect a high-energy style of trance will not be disappointed. Perhaps (or perhaps not) in response to critics who claim that the tracks in Lawrence's mixes "all sound the same," however, he has provided somewhat more variety this time around. He starts off the cd with a riveting breakbeat-driven tune, Prizm & Eclipse's "Genesis." He also incorporates some gentler interludes, as with Skynet UK's "Holdin' On," plus also some interestingly discordant musical effects, as in DJ Merlyn's "Wales." Still, overall what's presented here is Christopher Lawrence's uncompromising style of trance, take it or leave it.

Yep, it's another exciting and riveting nonstop musical journey. Turn up the volume and enjoy, trancers; Christopher Lawrence does not disappoint.

This is CD is not for me, but I can see how other people like it. Its got tons of energy and never stops banging, but its way too frenetic for me. Most good trance mixes build to a peak and take you on a journey, but this one starts out from the gate a little too hyper and doesn't stop. It would be a good CD for fans of DJ Tiesto or Oakenfold, but if you want a true mixing experience, check out Dave Seaman, Sasha (especially his Ibiza set), and Digweed. Its a good CD for listening to in the car and driving like a maniac, but if you just want to chill and let the music flow through you, check out the above guys...you won't be dissapointed.

He has been called one of the top three Trance DJs in America and has been the buzz of the DJ world for the last few years. The problem with that is that you never know if all the praise is justified or just hype. That was my concern before I picked up this particular CD. Well, let me put it to you this way... Christopher Lawrence is cutting edge. I was blown away.

This particular trance mix is a little bit slower than many of the harder trance mixes by DJs like `Brian' and `Kimball Collins.' Closer attention is paid to exploring all the individual rages of sound and emotion. It is truly a journey into Trance. This Mix has the same feel as mixes before but with a vision of the future mixed in. The buzz is well placed on a DJ with such amazing and diverse skills in production and mixing. There is not much I could write that would do it justice. If you hear it than you might understand.

Christopher Lawrence is breaking new ground in the direction of true trance. It is nice to see the states setting a trend and not following on the heels of a European revolution. But that is just a little bit of American pride showing through. But if there is one thing that I am certain about it's that the future of trance can be seen right here in this very mix. It is well worth checking out even if you do not consider yourself a real trance fan. I would recommend it to anyone that I know.

But don't just take my word for it. Check it out for yourself and make your own decision. What do I know about anything anyway?

What seems to separate Christopher Lawrence from most other trance DJs is his consistent style. He plays hard, yet still melodic trance (unlike the so called 'progressive' stuff that's the in thing now that is almost melodyless). Rather than being a bandwagon jumper, as some other reviews have claimed, he's pretty unique.

So, that's what you find on this cd. Virtually all types of trance fans should enjoy this, since it's melodic enough for those (like me) who like eurotrance, and banging enough for those that like the more minimal, progressive stuff. The mixing is also superb, and the track selection, while great, is full of songs probably not found on other trance compilations. I only had 1 (the DJ Merlyn song) on another compilation (and it sounds a lot better here).

My only quibble is that it's only 74 minutes long. It's actually exactly 74 minutes long, which makes me guess 74 minutes was used as the cutoff, as that was the original limit for length (in the design) for a cd. But cds can now be as long as 80 minutes, so why not take advantage of that? Especially in this case, as the ending feels a bit rushed...

It also comes with a sticker for a magazine....

I've been a fan of Lawrence for over a year now, and consider him to be the best progressive trance DJ in the world. I've seen him live 5 or 6 times, and this album comes closer to matching the raw energy of his live set better than any of his other three. That makes this album better than most albums on the market right now.

That doesn't make it his best album. The collection of songs on here, while energetic, lack the same cohesion of his two masterpieces, "Rise" and "Temptation." On those albums, Lawrence brilliantly weaves one song into another to create energy ebbs and flows. On this album, he just kinda plods through the tracks -- the songs are good, they just don't create the same emotional fabric as his best work.

That being said, Lawrence is still a master of mixing. He starts off with "Genesis," a song that opens light and happy before layering on a electronic riff and solid beat. From there, the album gets progressively harder... "Holdin' On" is a great party chant, "Purple Overdose" raises the energy with an awesome build-up, and the back-to-back pairing of "Wales" and the amazing "Trauma" send the album into a trance frenzy.

A frenzy that's fun, but not quite perfect...

This album still has the driving, dirty beats and "hit-by-a-truck" transitions that you will find in his earlier release "Rise" (which I strongly recommend); however, it's got a more polished sound. It conjures to mind empty warehouses, darkened, full of sweaty, dancing, stoned people. . . but it's got a fresh new style to it, one that is hard to classify. Not as mellow as Oakenfold (and free of the cheezy vocals). Harder than Digweed. It will keep you wanting to dance; Christopher Lawrence may be the most talented U.S. DJ, a fact that the world has rapidly begun to recognize.

I've always liked Christopher Lawrence for his non-commercialized, cheez-free, hard yet melodic trance. His mixing abilities, of course, is outstanding as well. When I heard this album for the first time, I was like..."Damn!!" I listen to A LOT of trance music and I would have to put this album as one of the top trance albums. It's hard to compare CL to any other DJs out there; he is unique. I'd say he's a little bit old-skool--a mix of Platipus lable trance (softer, trancier) and City of Angles lable (harder, more upbeat)--I don't know if that helps. If you have to pick out one Christopher Lawrence's albums, I think you should get this. I also think his "temptation" album is equally as excellent.

This CD is amazing. I bought this CD because I've heard good things about Lawrence and also because he's coming to play in my city soon. The first time I listened to it I was convinced that THIS IS THE BEST HARD TRANCE CD EVER. He has seriously outdone any trance compilation I've heard, both with his excellent mixing and superb track selection. If you like any kind of trance, I suggest buying this CD. It's a bit faster (135+ BPM) than most trance but still easy to listen(AND DANCE) to.

What do you get when you cross the trancey spirit of Oakenfold's 'Trancesport' with the live intensity of Digweed's 'Hong Kong'? I did slap on my kneecap and exclaimed, "Hah, Christopher has got it right!" A word of warning though: the next 'critically acclaimed' trance mix that sounds like Trancesport and US of T would have been one too many...Don't you think so? Anyway, there is no doubt in my mind that this is the best of Christopher's discography.