Max Graham - Shine

When it seems like the title “trance” is becoming synonymous with cheeseball vocal tracks and ads for Mitsubishi commercials, System Recordings gives us a reason to think otherwise. Their latest release is a mixed compilation CD by none other than Transporter himself Max Graham. The artist responsible for a brilliant release in the Transport family gives us another CD to sit back and relax to.

Max starts right off with a lighter, bouncy track; Piece Process – “Solar Myth,” which, I believe, has a sample from the Orgy smash “Blue Monday” with a trance rework to it. It’s very smooth and uplifting. Sander Kleinenberg chimes in with a tribute to the Latin party land of Buenos Aires, another beautifully constructed progressive track from the renowned Kleinenberg that features a wood block-sounding percussion loop and some very melodic synth sounds. This leads into a double header of tracks by Madoka. The first track, “Altered,” has some pleasing harpischord and a vocal that sounds like it is straight from NASA recordings. “Altered” is followed up by the other Madoka track “Afterburner."

This track builds up a very hot air-raid siren sound and instead of using the typical drum roll it sounds like a plane flying by. Nicely done! To round the base and head for home, Max chooses the Medway track “Trauma”. Its has a really dark synth loop to it and a broken trance beat. Vocals sound as if they were taken from an Ice-T sample. This track is dubbed Inkfish remix... Squid anyone?

The overall mixing is good and these songs follow together quite nicely. This album is completely appropriate for the ride home from Cream at Amnesia in Ibiza or for an afternoon sitting around the crib. We should all let ourselves be taken away by his soothing trance style as often as possible. We would lead happier lives.