[.ca] 2004 A State Of Trance

From Amazon.com:
Back behind the decks after 2003's self-produced 76, Armin Van Buuren's 2-disc A State of Trance 2004 jumps back into giant thumps and epic dance textures. 76 had a relatively soft touch, in tune with the DJ's often-stated admiration for the music of Jean-Michel Jarre, but this mix is peak-heavy, designed to leave a dance floor light-headed and dreamy. Set loose with a crate full of wax once again, he lets the high end do the work, then judiciously drops massive beats to rattle your sub-woofers. Disc 1's "Signs From The Universe" uses the strategy especially well, with a swarming keyboard build that gets swallowed by a dark, rumbling rhythm. Van Buuren goes velvety smooth on disc 2, but doesn't forget the need for contrast; "Totally Fascinated" is darkly subterranean in parts, yet balanced by the song's sensual keyboard lift. While there's nothing groundbreaking here by any means, Van Buuren's approach makes for perfect sunny day music before nightfall brings out the heavier, more sinister spinners. --Matthew Cooke

The reason why Armin is my #1 DJ.:
Armin van Buuren has lived in a very fast-paced ride to fame since his 1995 trance blueprint Blue Fear, which demonstrated a new direction in trance and even a broad effect on the entire electronic dance music genre. With this mix record, Armin takes tracks that have done the very same thing to EDM and presented them in a very coherent, smooth and very dance-able album. He re-exposes artists like Envio, Phynn, Oceanlab and M.I.K.E. in a way that makes them (and the tracks that Armin uses) completely fresh once again. Expert in track selection, mixing and presentation, this album is just a single piece of evidence in a long line of proof that Armin deserves his spot at the top.

Just plain poo poo - stinky!!:
And this guy is consistently getting the top ratings as far as best dj's in the world? Someone needs to listen to this CD and maybe he'd drop right off the top 100 chart! This CD is a trance mess, and he says in the liner notes he doesn't like trance full of cheesy vocals, but I can tell you right now, not even the best vocals could help these mixes out. I mean, you've got Justine Suissa and Oceanlab and one of the best trance songs ever, Satellite, and other than the middle of the track, which stays true to the Above and Beyond mix, the start and finish of this song are completely hacked!! I could do better mixing songs on blank cassette tapes just using the pause button!! Overall, a horrible trance effort, and in no way reflects the current state of trance in 2004. I would give it no stars if not for Oceanlab's Satellite being on here. I am also not a fan of his Burned with Desire, as I feel Suissa's stunning vocals do not flow well in that tune. It's not smooth.

Good, but Armin has so much more to offer.:
This album is good, but I feel that Armin's radio mix on the "Essential Mix" is more representative of what he can do. If you get a chance to hear that, you will be amazed at how Armin can take some really hard-hitting tracks and still manage to keep the energy building. This CD is still very, very good; and the reviewer who only gave this the one star is way out of order. Oceanlab is one of the weaker/fluffy tracks IMHO for what is otherwise a solid trance mix. You gotta listen to these albums many times before you really start to get into them. But when you do, you'll be hooked.

Excellent Mixing, Van Buuren's Album Is Superb!:
This two disc set of Armin Van Buuren's "A State Of Trance 2004" is likely to be one of my favorite albums of the year. The mixing on this album is great! Armin's sure talented. He's also a very nice guy. I've met Van Buuren in Boston when he was doing an interview with XY-TV. I even have this album signed! How cool is that? And there's many good trance songs on this album. Disc one includes songs like Perpetuous Dreamer's "Future Funland". Without even knowing it, I've always wanted to hear a song like that. There's also the Three Drives' "Signs From The Universe". May not beat their "Greece 2000" single, but it's still a nice anthem. "Tranquility" by Mark Otten is on here as well, and so is Solid Globe's "Sahara". But my two favorites on disc one are "Burned With Desire" by Van Buuren himself with Justine Suissa, and Oceanlab's "Satellite". "Satellite" is one of the most lyrical tracks you'll find in "A State Of Trance". I'm so addicted to "Satellite". There's also Airwave's "Lady Blue", Super 8's "Alba", "Under The Sun" by Whirlpool, and more. Disc two has trance anthems like Mono's "Rise". I remember hearing that song somewhere before I got this album. It must have been at Boston's Avalon. It's one of the best songs on here. I like the bass in "Totally Fascinated" by M.I.K.E. To me, it seems like the most noticeable part of the track. I also liked Perry O'Neil's "Kubik", Artic Quest's "Offbeat", and St. John vs. Locust's "Mind Circles". Other songs include Peter Martin's "Perfect Wave", Michael Burns' "The Ambience", "Time To Say Goodbye" by Envio, "Introspection" by Terry Bones vs. Fred Baker, and more. This is such a great trance album. I wish he did a live spinning at the Virgin Megastore when he was there. That would have been so cool. Next time Van Buuren releases an album, I'm sure to buy it. There's a good possibility it'll be another classic.

A truly amazing trance compilation!:
This is without a doubt one of my favorite trance CDs. I have always liked Armin's mixes, and he really does a wonderful coherent mix, especially in the first disc. The mixing is simply superb! I always turn up the bass on my music system a notch especially when "Under the Sun" starts, the beginning of the song is just amazing. Of-course, my favorite Oceanlab is there with Justine Suissa at the vocals. Satellite is such a beautiful song, I just love it. I also love Fictivision's Escape... which follows another of my favorites, Velvet Morning. This is truly a great trance album, I personally think Armin deserves a pat on the back for his effort. I keep this CD right next to my other 3 favorites, "A Trip in Trance", volumes 1-3. Nicely done, Armin, can't wait for your next release!

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