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Andy Whitby, Showtek & Ed Real
» Hard Dance Awards 2009 Euphoria
Reviewed by Steve Milton & Dean Zone
/ Submitted 17-03-09 20:37
Label: Ministry of Sound Recordings
Format: CD
Genre: Hard House/Hardstyle
CD 1 - Andy Whitby
Review by Steve Milton
Now, I have to admit that I’m not a huge fan of Mr Whitby’s particular sound although I’ve seen him play on several occasions and he certainly knows how to entertain a crowd so I’ll try and remain objective. Just looking over the track list all the usual suspects are there with strong showing from Klubfiller and of course Andy himself. Its starts pretty much as I’d expect, bouncy energetic stuff with plenty of riffs and at 150 BPM from the off pretty fast.
Breather “Come On” (Andy Whitby & Klubfiller remix) gives a different take on the much loved classic but it’s hardly got into its stride before we’re into the next mix. Amber D’s “Rush on Me” is more hard trance big riff stuff so the bounce takes a back seat for while and this is backed up through track 7 and to some extent Hard Disco at number 8 and I’m actually starting to enjoy things. Then we get a pretty rapid change of direction back to the bouncy stuff at 9 through to the amusing Hard House Slut at 10. I can never look at Stace (the vocalist) in the same way again after hearing this track, she looks like such a nice girl.
I have to admit to skipping through the final sections. If you like it hard and bouncy and are a fan of Andy Whitby then you’ll love this as it’s classically him. It doesn’t progress as far as Eds mix with only a few BPM’s gained in pace although it certainly sounds harder towards the end. One thing about this kind of mix is the number of tracks. With 21 on the CD it just feels way too hectic. I’ve said it before that sometimes you want to hear more of the track development before you’re forced headlong into the next although I understand the reasoning behind it. 6/10
Track List
1. Run 4 Cover [MDA & Spherical mix] - Andy Whitby & Klubfiller
2. Look At The Heaven - Technikal & Wain
3. Rock This Party - Klubfiller & Viration
4. Come On [Andy Whitby & Klubfiller remix] - Breather
5. Earthquaker - Klubfiller
6. Rush On Me - Amber D
7. Ignition - Nik Spiers
8. Hard Disco - Klubfiller
9. Gimme A Mother F'ing Bounce - Rob Davies
10. Hard House Slut - Technikal & Andy Whitby
11. Awsum Theme [MDA & Spherical remix] - Andy Whitby & Matt Lee/MC Whizzkid
12. Turn It Up [150 Bpm remix] - Dougal & Gammer
13. Imagination - Andy Whitby
14. Make Some Noize - Audio Riot
15. Rock It [Audio Riot remix] - Andy Whitby & Matt Lee/MC Whizzkid
16. Disco Doughnutz [Audio Riot remix] - DJ Stormtrooper
17. Red Pill Freestyler - Tom Berry
18. Hoovergasm - Nathalie De Borah
19. Over 4 Me [Tom Parr remix] - Matt Lee
20. What We Do - Andy Whitby & Klubfiller
CD2 - Showtek
Review by Dean Zone
The lushly uplifting trance pads of the introduction to this mix could serve to fool a lot of people from the start, because those expecting a whole 80mins of uplifting Trance will be disappointed. Indeed, starting with BK & Garbo – Damage is a great way to intro the mix in itself, as it’s about the furthest thing from Hardstyle, yet is serves as a perfect warm up.
It’s not long though until the more familiar sounds of Showtek come to the fore, with the impressive Walt Jenssen remix of Southstylers – Jazeker. Unify by Abyss & Judge takes things on a slightly lighter note next, with a lighter bass and a much more euphoric breakdown, followed by one of my favourite tunes of the CD Showteks “Here We F*cking Go”. It samples lots of those mad for it northern ravers when they sign “here we, here we, here we f*cking go” as a mark of appreciation for a good DJ. It’s an excellent idea and I’m surprised it’s not been done before (to my knowledge anyway), but at the same time it’s no surprise to see that it’s a Showtek production either. It’s got a killer riff that’s so catchy you’ll be humming it on the train to work and combined with the crowd vocal makes this one of the stand out tracks of the CD.
Another highlight of the mix and a track that has gained cult status amongst Hardstylers and is well on its way to being remembered as a classic is Technoboy feat. Shayla with Oh My God. You may even have heard it out even in non-Hardstyle specific sets, such is its notoriety and it always puts a smile on my face. Another crowd favourite up next in the form of Showtek feat MC DV8 – Hold Us Back. Not many Hardstyle tunes would get the crown singing but this one probably would. The riff on this is massive, absolutely massive and guaranteed dance floor devastation!
Fellow HDA winner Zany also makes an appearance on the CD with Razr, followed by Showtek - FTS (F*ck The System) – a seminal Hardstyle anthem, winner of best tune at last years HDA’s and one that speaks on behalf of everyone who loves the genre. The remaining 5 tracks take things back down slightly after the peak that was FTS, all of which are squeezed in very quickly but overall I can’t really fault this mix anywhere.
It could have been a lot more full on, but as it is it should still appeal to hardened stylers like myself, as well as being an acceptable showcase of the sound to others who haven’t caught the bug just yet. 9/10
Track List
1. Damage - BK & Garbo
2. Jazeker! (Walt Jenssen mix) - Southstylers
3. Unify [dub mix] - Abyss & Judge
4. Here We Fucking Go [live At The UK mix] - Showtek
5. You Like My Style - Haze
6. Black 2008 - Showtek
7. Floorspin - Dutch Master
8. Dominate - Showtek
9. Rokit - Abyss & Judge
10. Oh My God - Technoboy & Shayla
11. Hold Us Back - Showtek & MC DV8
12. Motion - Dutch Master
13. Down Under - Showtek
14. Razr - Zany
15. FTS - Showtek
16. La Vida Narcotica - Mr. Puta
17. In De Strieel - Southstylers
18. Double Dutch Darkies - TNT
19. Revolution is Here - Noisecontrollers
20. Partylover (Sydney Mix) - Showtek
CD3 - Ed Real
Review by Steve Milton
Ed Real is no stranger to anyone in hard dance circles and being the party animal he is I’d expect a mix to show his personality. We kick off with Electro Slut by Kamui, a fairly slow but deep track that’s perfect for warming things up but by the time we’re up to track 3 and the old school vibe of Night Liberator the pace has been upped by 6 BPM so we’re not hanging about. The old school feel continues through with Dominator and now first hoovers begin to appear as we tough it up further into the mix.
The tracks really do come thick and fast and it’s almost difficult to keep up. With most tracks only a little over 3 minutes there’s no time to catch your breath. Creatures by Log:One & DJ Wragg means we’re treated to some dark and moody European stuff and why not, it’s a great track with real menace. After a quick blast of Punk Soul Brother I begin to think I have the Showtek CD playing as the hardstyle blasts out from track 8 through to 13 and that’s really not my bag so I’ll skip along and see what else we have to offer. We get some nice heavy metal/hard house crossover stuff with the suitably named Guitar Hero and then some more traditional hard house through to the end of the mix finishing with the completely mental Lost In Dreams.
If you like your mixes to have a dash through various sounds and feels then you’ll probably like this. The tracks vary hugely in length from around a minute and a half to well over six and it’s pretty hectic stuff. The BPM’s increase from 141 at the start to over 160 at the end so don’t expect any subtlety here, it’s pretty looney stuff and not quite what I expected to be honest. Personally I’m not a hardstyle fan so that whole section of the mix wasn’t really to my liking and considering Showtek mixed one of the other CD’s I’m surprised it took that direction. However it’s as polished as you’d expect and definitely a party mix for those that like it hard. 6.5/10
Track List
1. Electro Slut - Kamui
2. Colors [Nick The Kid remix] - Skysurfer
4. Dominator - Mr Sam & Human Resource
5. Fracture - BK & Kutski
6. Creatures - Log:One & DJ Wragg
7. Punk Soul Brother, The [QIC Remix] - Digital Punk
8. Next Dimensional World [Extended version] - Technoboy
9. Suicide – BK & Alex Kidd
10. Take Control - Vandall
11. I Am Digital - Kidd Kaos
12. Teardrop - Organ Donors
13. Still As Death – Munetica Feat. R
14. Guitar Hero - Kym Ayres
15. Lashed Track [Paul Glazby remix] - Lisa Lashes
16. Cuz The House Gets Warm [Marc Johnson & Defective Audio remix] - UK Gold
17. The Thrasher - Paul Glazby
18. Lost In Dreams [MindX remix] - Mike NRG
Rating: 
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From: STACE on 18th Mar 2009 08:22.00
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