In an expansive sea teeming with Trance "anthems" and other compilations, Solarstone's "Destinations/V1" is a cool, hip, and trendy compilation that will appeal to those who like to chill and hang out with some kickass Trance-Dance as well as playing equally well to the masses. Many of the progressive head-bobbing and toe-tapping ditties loiter just long enough for you to begin to salivate but not before the next track is segued into, and before you know it you'll be asking yourself where your 2 1/2 hours went—but not in a negative sense.
This filled-to-the-brim 2-CD set featuring many of today's top Trance artists—Tilt, Tiesto, Funabashi, Mike Shiver, DJ Orkidea, Filo & Peri, and more- is a non-stop mixed assortment of tracks that plays very well on many levels even though Trance is known as a moody, fastidious genre; interlaced with a progressively melodic beat mix, yet each track will hold your attention span quite well. The other side of the coin is that Trance—at least for me—has grown a bit tiresome. But after listening to this compilation, I now see why Trance has had such a seismically indelible welcome mat for which it has prospered for over a decade and will only continue to flourish provided there are more of these types of compilations being produced—and being DJ'd by artists who know what they're doing and what artists will (hopefully) transcend through the hands of father time to the next generation of clubgoers, as well as those like me who appreciate Trance for the sheer enjoyment of listening.
Solarstone is made up of the decade-plus old UK-based production team of Rich Mowatt and Andy Bury, and each also produces and/or records under several different monikers, including the Young Parisians, Z2, Liquid State, and Skyscraper, to name a few. These chaps have amassed a top-notch slate of both production value and talent that goes an incredibly long way to proving that Trance music will in fact be around for a very long time to come. One thing going for these guys is their eclectic distribution and infusion of dance categories—Trance, Melodic, Progressive House, as well as Funky House and even After-Hours slash Chill-Out—that they mix, unleashing a thoroughly captivating torrent of sound and melodies all for your dancing pleasures. These guys have also remixed for the likes of Sarah McLachlan, Conjure One, Energy 52, and Oakenfold, and scores of other compilations abound: Cream, Ministry of Sound, and Gatecrasher. After my first initial listen, I had to listen to both sets all over again. Play it and you'll see or hear what I mean.
I don't own too many Trance compilations simply because the marketplace is and has been overly saturated with crap and I've certainly bought my fair share of poop. The problems with many Trance compilations, I believe, are both the particular label's choice of the DJ or DJs that they've entrusted with the dubious task of compiling a Trance compilation that will, in the label's minds, pose an imminent threat to other labels who've released their own Trance 'Best Ofs,' or that the label just wants to make a quick buck or two. But let's face it, artists such as Tiesto or Tilt or Ronski Speed (included on the 2nd CD)—these guys and others have a following and don't lend themselves or their music out to just anyone. The talent pool found here is certainly rife and imbued with artists whose respective puzzle piece slots into just the right place and space and is subsequently and fantastically heard all throughout this 2 CD set.
The transitions are almost flawless—not a negative thing, mind you. I actually liked the fact that occasionally, in order to enhance and distinguish Trance tracks from one another, the Solarstone boys know precisely when to press the reset button in order to refresh and re-establish a new and more engaging line to be drawn in the sand prior to segueing to the next track.
Yes, the over-saturated, over crowding of Trance compilations is crazy if not downright confusing out there; figuring out who to choose or what to choose has made me on more than one occasion give up and opt for some single (not a bad thing either). Please allow me to sway you to, at the very least check out Solarstone's "Destinations/V1," a stellar, jubilant compilation endemic with succulent, repeated playability. Highly recommended!
Stand-out tracks—
CD1
Track 5: Like A Waterfall—This Trance-r dancer featuring the silky NYC vocals of Jes Brieden, also of Motorcycle's "As The Rush Comes" fame, is as much fun and profoundly deep as it is melodically and rhythmically hipshaking.
Track 6: Daylight—The sound of bells accompanied by the hypnotic beat is heaven whether you're partying in the 'daylight' or scant nightlight of a crescent moon on Ibiza.
Track 10: Killa (DJ Orkidea Remix)—Way Out West's 'killa'—make that monster tune.
CD2
Track 3: 2day—Ronski Speed's East German-influence isn't so much about 'speed' as it is about fine-tuning that genuine club sound he's been burning into the minds of his followers.
Track 7: The Hymn (Duende Destinations Mix)—Solarstone's other pseudonym, Skyscraper, is a persistent stunner that's about preserving the ebb and flow of their sound.
Track 11: Tundra—Menno De Jong's a suave-mixing Netherland, up-and-coming in the underground Trance scene and someone to definitely keep an eye out for!
Track 14: Dance With A Devil—Filo & Peri's next floor-filler-upper!
