Anjunabeats, Vol. 5

Above & Beyond

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 5, 2007)
• Original Release Date: June 5, 2007
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Ultra Records
• ASIN: B000PSJCL0
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #89,380 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The boys at Anjunabeats--who in their collective DJ persona go by Above & Beyond--have probably done more than any other outfit to reinvigorate the genre of trance in the last five years. This is largely thanks to their mix compilations, which have featured talents like Gabriel & Dresden, Kyau & Albert, and Smith & Pledger. So it's a bit difficult to explain how these tastemakers could see fit to include a track peppered with a geek-speak warning that laptop overheating results in decreased battery life (Chunk & Twist's "Battery Life"). But such oddness is soon forgotten with the entrance of "Essence," a predictably excellent effort from Jaytech with plenty of swing. Disc 1 also features Joonas Hahmo's "Together," an effervescent fusion of house and trance elements that works like a charm. Disc 2 leaves the gate with Maor Levi's "Shapes"--whose splice-and-dice vocals nod to James Holden's seminal remix of "Nothing"--followed by Marc Marberg and Kyau & Albert's "Megashira," a must-spin track that is electro on the outside and trance on the inside (and features an absolutely stellar breakdown). Volume 5 is the most electro-influenced installment of Anjunabeats yet, but Above & Beyond are careful to use the harder-edged stuff as a springboard to give their trademark euphoric material even greater effect. --Brent Kallmer

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Aggressively Sly B-12 Shot for "The Summer of Trance", August 9, 2007

By	LexAffection (Philadelphia, PA USA) - See all my reviews

I've come to terms with the fact that the linear progression of Anjunabeats albums has been nothing but an ever-increasing line of quality and stealthily mixed productions. It is almost hard to believe that the ethereal "Air for Life" single & brilliant "Tri-State" album were only the foundations for this group's amazing efficacy at administering the hottest new trance songs of the years gone by. The 5th Anjunabeats Volume is unique, relative to its predecessors. For one, it is the only Anjunabeats volume with two discs; purportedly, this was because the DJs had just *too many* fantastic tracks to condense into one disc! And I thank them, heartily. Secondly, in my mind there has been a mad dash in the summer of '07 for "Top Trance Album." `Progressive' notwithstanding, my top three picks are A State of Trance 2007, Nightmusic Vol. 2 and Anjunabeats Vol. 5. But for the purpose of this album, how do Above and Beyond compare?

The first disc is a ferocious and supersonically engaging journey through soaring trance which individually and collectively leaves me breathless. Picking out this track or that track seems futile since it really cannot be done in good conscience. Throwing conscience to the wind, however, a few tracks to look out for on Disc One are "Zeppelin," "Remember September," "Spacelift," and "My Name Is Jacques." Despite the superb track listing, "Needs To Feel" simply WHIPS this album into fine shape, and the "Wippenberg" remix is just awesome. It's been mentioned before, but Disc One has a bit more of a progressive-uplifting vibe, wherein every piece of the puzzle fits perfectly. About halfway through the mix the tone becomes slightly sinister, as if the tracks had been mixed with a serrated blade. These men are musical architects, without question, and I especially like the incorporation of such monstrous bass - the kind of stuff that vibrates walls and shakes bodies. Very mesmerizing. Disc One is an absolute winner, is *exactly* the type of stuff you'd be expecting from A&B after Anjunabeats 4 (only a bit harder, deeper), and is sincerely good competition for Nightmusic Vol. 2 and "In The Club" on ASoT 2007. The entire CD is a delicious meal for the ears, but hold the check - dessert's on its way, and this feast is far from over.

Disc Two relocates Above & Beyond into more familiar waters, rivaling the superb progression that distinguished Volume 4 from *its* predecessors; the similarities end there, however, and much more intriguing is listening to a new sinister form of uplifting trance. These "paradoxical" sounds genuinely garnish harsh criticism, but not from me; A&B simply move their reliability into slightly choppier waters and I find myself much more engaged with Disc Two than with Disc One, as well as any of the previous Anjunabeats releases. Again, *all* the tracks are Anjuna-worthy, but several distinctly stand out - including "Shapes," `DJ Shah's Savannah Remix' of "One Night in Tokyo," "Oceanic" and A&B's own "Home." I would think that the exploration of the deeper, darker side of "uplifting" trance would be risky business, and perhaps it is indeed for those lacking Above and Beyond's unmistakable talent. In my opinion, some of the sounds could be accurately classified as Steve Lawler-esque Armin van Buuren - quite the paradox, one would assume, until it has been listened to and calculated! This is one of the very few albums that are so fantastically engaging that I do not bother to mark time - before I know it, the disc is over but the orchestration is imprinted on my brain - similar enough to Thrillseekers' Nightmusic Vol. 2, CD 2. Anjunabeats 5 ends as strongly as ever with A&B's `Respray' of "Never Gone">"One Wish">"Suru." Suddenly, you'll yearn to start the journey over again; I guarantee it.

And so, while the transition between purist uplifting trance to uplifting trance with a slightly sinister twist may be vexing at first, Above and Beyond are able to pull off an Anjunabeats volume which is the best in the series, bar none. Fans of The Thrillseekers, AvB's latest and of course the other Anjunabeats catalogue will adore this mix, and come time to rate the "[Trance] Mix Album of the Year," I think AvB and A&B will be in strong contention with one another. But it's about time Above and Beyond got the type of recognition that van Buuren gets in the Electronic media. DJ Mag didn't deem Above and Beyond the "Saviours of Trance" for an illegitimate reason - Experience this reason for yourself. You'll be quite pleasantly taken aback by what you find contained within these two circular pieces of plastic. That is... pure, unadulterated visionaries in this tumultuous subculture that is ours.

~Lex

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beyond Expectations!, July 17, 2007

By	Theo Stout "Securely Trancing" (Japan & My Own World!) - See all my reviews

This summer I got Anjuanbeats vol 4 and that was perfectly wonderful. Then I got Anjuanbeats Worldwide Vol 1 and it blew my mind away. Anjunabeats Vol 5 is better than all of them.

My suggestion is to put both CD 1 and 2 into a playlist and then just listen to the playlist on your iPod because I guarantee you that it will be difficult to stop listening to any one of the CDs. That is the only bad part. I dont want to stop listening to CD1 and then I feel the same about CD 2. Just listen to both of them as one long continuous playlist.

Good tracks: Basically all of them. I am particularily touched by "Good For Me" which makes me remember the love I have for a special woman in my life. I just took the lyrics for that song and sent them to her and she was really touched that it was the way I felt for her.

Basically, if you already have Anjunabeats and you don`t have this one yet, you`re REALLY missing out and you need to get this now. I got "A State to Trance 2007" and I like that one too but I have barely listened to it since I am so into Anjuanbeats, Vol 5 right now. If I don't listen to this, I listen to Worldwide Vol 1. I look with eager anticipation for Anjuanbeats Vol 6. Please A & B, release this very soon!!!!!!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars There's still hope..., April 21, 2008

By	Benjamin J. Starr "mjf508" (Madison, WI) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I was sick of DJ Tiesto, AVB, Ferry Corsten, and most of the other top trance names. Buying their albums inevitably became a way of spending $20 to get a few good tracks that I would listen to repeatedly. Followed by these standout tracks were periods of either monotonous, repetitive beats pounding out my eardrums, or songs so cheesy they could only be worthy of play on MTV. No wonder everyone's saying that trance is dead.

The problem is... there are still those of us who love it, and who get a certain feeling of joy and euphoria from it that's not comparable to any other genre. We persist, buying these crappy albums and responding to our friends' inquiries as to why we listen to something so cheesy and stupid. When I bought this album I thought it was just another one of them, but then slowly started to realize how this album was making me feel good about trance again.

It has the standout tracks (shapes, battery life, spacelift, good for me have all become instant favorites), the lack of cheese (I have a genuine emotional reaction to "good for me" that I can't say I've ever had from a trance track before... beautiful), and what's more an actual FLOW that propels me through the whole disc without skipping tracks (more so on disc 1). Sure, it's not perfect... my ears start to bleed a little towards the end of disc 1 with the pounding beats of tracks like "my name is jacques" and "buzz". But damn... it's the closest to a perfect trance album I've encountered since the early days of Tiesto.

I spend a lot of time sifting through today's garbage heap of electronic music looking for those gems that make the search worth it. After a year of listening to this mix I can say that this is definitely one of them.