Various Artists - Top Hit Dance 1

The mixed compilation features a couple of tracks remixed by the named artists. The first cd starts with pounding bass and trancey sounds which are prevalent through the majority of the 2 cd set. The tracks are mostly progressive trance and occasionally feature breakdowns highlighted by melodic female vocals, such as the track "I'm in Love Again". Both discs are smoothly beat-mixed and full of upbeat tracks, making it a good choice for progressive trance lovers riding to the club. Carlo Resoort's "Remover" is reminiscent of Tiesto's vocal tracks in the style of "In My Memory." "Without You" is a great dancefloor filler, with drum buildup hints of "The Congo Song." "Dreaming" sounds like a track off the Hard Desert Trance series of DJ Brian from Moonshine (one of my personal favorite CDs). The cd also contains the Tiesto radio mix of "Venus" which is a nice touch on an album boasting to be exactly what Tiesto, and similar artists, fans want to hear.

The second CD starts off with a slightly slower pace than the first, but quickly builds back up to the bpm level. Above and Beyond's "Far From in Love" is a great track, very similar to some of Ian Van Dahl's signature tracks. "Feel For You" is more good hard sounding trance that is reminiscent of the previously mention Desert Trance series, with epic pieces that sound like variations of "Will I", so maybe they should have listed Ian Van Dahl on the cover sticker. The Above and Beyond mix of "Razorfish" is quite nice as is "On Horizon" which has a hypnotic effect that brings together a nice combination of the sounds you would expect from Paul Van Dyk and Armin Van Buuren.

The album is quite good, and they do not mislead you with the statements about "If you like...." on the cover. I found that some of the vocals brought in the tracks were disappointing because they broke up the energy too much. Some of the tracks would have more replay value if they were only beats. Over all the album is good, but if you are a true fan of Tiesto, Paul Van Dyk and Armin Van Buuren and are familiar with their work, this album may not live up to those standards.

Listen to samples of Top Hit Dance 1 (Courtesy of Velocity Records)

Disc 1

01 Solarstone & Scott Bond - 3rd Earth RA / WMA[/link]
02 X-odus - I ’m In Love Again (Lange Original Mix) RA / WMA
03 Soon - Waiting for the Summer (Club Mix) RA / WMA
04 Lucy Carr - This is Goodbye (Radio Edit) RA / WMA
05 Carlo Resoort - Remover (4 Strings remix) RA / WMA
06 Deluxe feat.Tammy - Eyes on You RA / WMA
07 I-C-Q - Without You (Club Mix) RA / WMA
08 Blue Star - Dreaming (M+M Radio Remix) RA / WMA
09 Celtic Dreamer feat. Dorothy - Bonny Portmore (Climax69 Remix) RA / WMA
10 Greencourt feat.Lina Rafn - Silent Heart (Voodoo & Serano Remix) RA / WMA
11 DJ Cor Fijneman feat. Jan Johnson - Venus (Tiesto Radio Remix) RA / WMA
12 Nightlife - Shining Star (The Mystery Remix) RA / WMA
13 DJ Yanny presents Terraforma - All Over (Gollum Remix) RA / WMA

Disc 2

01 Misja Helsloot - First Second (Signum Remix) RA / WMA
02 Above & Beyond - Far From In Love RA / WMA
03 The Mystery - Feel 4 You (Vocal Radio Edit) RA / [link url=http://www.velocityrecords.com/music/thd/wma/d2_t3.