Ooh, I couldn't wait to get my grubby lil' American mitts on this baby. Hot off the European presses, but sadly with no hint of a stateside release, I was more than willing to shell out the big bucks for an import of ATB's NO SILENCE, the prolific DJ's third release in the space of a year (If you include his mix CD, IN THE MIX). My ATB obsession, rolling at a full boil over the last year, may start to veer dangerously towards stalking the man if he continues to crank out the music he has in the last 12 months. Let me digress and get to what's important... the MUSIC.
After the stunning beauty of his previous disc of original material, the aptly titled ADDICTED TO MUSIC, I had to hold the bar at almost impossible heights this time around. This is both the blessing and the curse of delivering such a masterpiece last time around--If your record lives up to or surpasses your previous effort, the genius label starts being bandied about; if it falls short, you were just lucky enough to catch lightning in a bottle.
With NO SILENCE, lightning doesn't strilke twice, but I'd still advise against standing too close to DJ Andre Tanneberger. Armed with his favourite vocalist, the inspired Roberta Carter Harrison, as well as competent newcomer Tiff Lacey, ATB has conjured something of a companion piece to ADDICTED. A few years ago, ATB released a 2 disc collection; one a disc of upbeat dance anthems and the other a record of comedown tracks called 2 WORLDS. That's kind of how I view NO SILENCE; as sort of The Relaxing World disc to ADDICTED's The World Of Movement, which isn't to take anything away from NO SILENCE. On the contrary---a companion piece to a masterwork is still a lofty goal to aspire to, and ATB comes close. Very close.
This record is full of stunning trance anthems, some soon to be classics like the first two singles, Marrakech and Ecstasy, with vocals by Tiff Lacey who recently sang on Oakenfold's last single. While she's no Roberta Carter Harrison (but then, who is?) she is a welcome addition to the world of ATB. Harrison contributes 2 tracks, the beautiful After The Flame, a sort of sequel to
ADDICTED's standout I Don't Wanna Stop, and Wait For Your Heart. One of my early favourites, the cool trance gem Collides With Beauty should be appearing on Trance comps in a record store near you if there's any justice in this world.
ATB has proven that he is a master at playing in the fields of dance music. I just hope that he doesn't lay a trap for himself that keeps him from striving ever forward to test himself and the boundaries of dance music. That would truly be a crime for one so accomplished.
