Well it's about 1 month into 2003, and Tidy have released their first offering for this year, which is designed specifically to blow the minds of all the Hard Trance fans out there, presenting - Resonate 2!

Due for retail release this coming monday, Jan 27th, Holland's own 'The Freak' has mixed 2cd's which are self described as 'The Brutal sound of Hard Trance' and flicking through the tracklist you can see why, with offerings from Flutlicht, Guyver, Paul Maddox, Mat Silver and Rob Tissera, this promises to be a treat for fans of this particular genre of Trance.

The Tracklist for the CDs is as follows

CD1

1. The Freak - The Melody, the sound (Flutlicht remix)
2. Flutlicht - The fall
3. Guyver - Man on the moon
4. DJ Meister - Can you feel it (Steve Hill code mix)
5. Matt Silver - Unique
6. Stimulator - Scream
7. Paul Maddox - Reach out (original)
8. Tomcat - State of motion
9. Guyver - Trapped
10. Club Wizards - Floorburn
11. OGR - Dreamcatcher (Guyver mix)
12. Carl Nicolson & James Lawson -Times like these
13. The Freak - Addictive (hard mix)
14. Rob Tissera - Burning (Guyver mix)

CD 2

1. Dave 202 & Phil Green-Legends (Hijackers remix)
2. Violators - Milk (Revolution 9 mix)
3. Revolution 9-The Dreamer
4. Driftwood-Freeloader (Project Medusa remix)
5. Travel - Bulgarian (Paul Maddox remix)
6. DJ Snowman - And then they start to Dance (DuMonde Mix)
7. Agent Plant-Empire of pain (Wavetraxx remix)
8. Dave Holmes - Freedom (Lee Haslam remix)
9. Steve Hill - Your lovin'
10. Miss Behavin' - Such a good feeling (Lee Haslam vs Guyver mix)
11. Apoptygma Berzerk-Kathy's song (Matt Silver vs Tony Burt remix)
12. Primemover - Feel what I feel
13. DJ Mill & Manuel T - Trust no 1
14. Guyver - Differences

CD1 starts off on a highly energetic note, with the Flutlicht remix of 'the melody, the sound' which is very typical of a flutlicht production, a lot of energy involved in it, and some really nice sounds involved for a tune I'd only played near the end of a set before, but it does the trick here, and we're soon into the 5th single from Flutlicht, 'The Fall' which is typical for a Production from Natron & Reverb, very energetic with lots of sounds incoporated in the percussion, beat and synths, making it a feat on the eardrums. The story of Icarus continues and the track really takes off with an interesting melody, hard but uplifting at the same time. After another good mix, comes song from one of the most promising UK talents for Hard Dance, Guyver, with 'Man on the Moon' which has a very UK feel to it as far as Hard Trance goes, closer to Hard House than any of the Swiss productions previously, but still very worthy of being considered Trance. Personally I like the way this tune builds up, it takes it's take and is very interesting, but the real buzz about this is when the full melody kicks in, it is extremely catchy and one you can catch yourself humming over & over again, it's just that infectious, and as tempting as it would be to hear these 3 tunes again, I must carry on.

Next up is a tune that is new to me, but very good, using the old 'can you feel it' sample, it is another tune with a long but good buildup, and an excellent breakdown as you get from so many Hard Trance tunes. As the next tune comes in, I am kinda scared, as the beat, percussion and bass is very similar to DuMonde's remix of Barthezz - On the Move, which is an excellent song, but I'm hoping this won't be identical, but it soon changes and really breaks down into an amazing trance song, with a beautiful guitar like song used, and it really lives upto the title of 'Unique'. It incorporates a more uplifting sound than the other tunes so far, and already by the time it's halfway through, I find myself skipping back to hear it again, it really is beautiful. The mixing is so sweet, I cannot even tell that the next tune has begun!
Entitled 'Scream' I wonder what to expect, and it is again a tune with a more uplifting melody, but a great synth is used, and suddenly it gets harder, almost in a flash although it is one of the softer tunes so far, very melodic. Yet again I have to say that the mixing has been excellent so far, and next up comes 'Reach Me' which is the most vocal tune yet, although not in a bad way, it doesn't sound out of place on top of the tune, and it gradually gets harder, mixing into the next tune, which has an awesome bassline, and is testing my technics as I listen.

This next song is entitled 'State of Emotion' and starts with a sound similar to the mystic groove remix of the amazing 'reincarnations' by Steve Morley from back in 1999, but soon builds up into a modern day stomper, and the Emotion in it, would have to be classified as Hard. The tempo on the cd is also excellent, it's not mixed at like 140bpm and slower than paint drying, and by having it at about 148bpm it is a lot more energetic imo and how hard trance should be. Next up is 'Trapped' which has an awesome kick and bassline, really hard, but also like the rest of the cd, is not just hard noises, but melodies too and really makes you wanna get up and dance, even in the middle of your bedroom. There is a nice breakdown in this tune too and I swear that the bpm has raised even more compared to in the beginning. Next up is the cloest tune to hard house for which the Tidy Label is renowned for with a tune called 'Floorburn' which has a very hard bassline indeed, and a voiceover sample, although the mood really shifts later on in the tune, as the strings come in, deep and dark, but still enough to be considered trancey.

Now for the final 4 tunes on this cd! First up is 'Daydreamer' which on this occassion has been remixed by Guyver, and is a really good original piece of work. The sounds are really stabby and catchy as is customary for this young UK Hard Dance producer, with a kick loud enough to be heard all over your town if you turn it up loud enough! A familiar voice extract has been used in the next tune 'Times like These' where 'people wanna get real high & real fast' which takes me back to 1998 when I was listening to Hardcore and it was also used on a tune. This may not quite be as fast, but the music definitely puts your mind into a higher state with this cd. On this version of the song, the bass is once again immensely pumping, and the tune really simple but in an effective way. The penultimate tune on the CD is aptly named, as it is The Freak - Addictive (Hard Mix) and is both extremely hard and very addictive. The final tune starts off very fast but soon breaks down into a euphoric vocal trancer, with a nice variation for the cd, and definitely a good comedown tune, making it possible for you to get sufficient energy for taking the cd out ready to put the next one in!


CD2
After listening to CD1, you would be inclined to wonder if CD2 would be as amazing or a bit of a letdown, well with 'Legends' as the first track, it's gonna start off banging, no slow soft warmup, this may have a beautiful melody in it, but the beats are as fat as ever. Next up is a tune, which although good, Is maybe the first tune I haven't been blown away by. It has a nice beat & bassline but slightly lacks on melody. Next up is a track called 'The Dreamer' and I have to admit I did dream a bit during it, I dunno what it was about it, but I seemed to drift away as I was writing this and chatting to ppl, so maybe it is aptly titled, or maybe all this hard trance is sending me nuts, either way, its good by me :)

Next up is 'Freeloader' which having done the rounds in the commercial charts, brings up a remix I haven't heard yet by Project Medusa, and it's much needed in my opinion. This does the trick, as the build up and ending are very original and the main bit of the tune doesn't seem as cheesey as usual. Following on from this is a tune I am personally in love with, a new remix of 'Travel - Bulgarian' by Paul Maddox and it feels so great to hear this tune again after so long since last time, amazing how sometimes you can forget about a tune, then when u hear it after a bit, you immediately go mad for it again. I don't think theres a lot you can say about this, it has the beautiful melodic bit, a slightly harder beat than the signum remix, and feels really upto-date with 2003, hopefully it'll go a long way again. Next up is a tune which in this instance has been remixed by DuMonde, and has a very typical DuMonde set up on the kick & percussion, a sound which is the basis of many great tunes. Infact, this is pretty typical stuff for work by Jam-X & De Leon and has done the rounds for a while now.

Coming up next is a more uplifting tune, entitled 'Empire of Pain' although it is very easy-going and nothing painful as it begins, and continues into a great tune, with a sound that gives the impression of rolling, and nice strings in the background too adding to the effect. Next we have a Remix by Lee Haslam of a song known as 'freedom' and it is very typical of Lee's style, very stabby sounds involved, and at quite a high pitch too, which are effective with a nice breakbeat into a breakdown for progressing the mix further. Next up I hear a very familiar vocal, those from the classic tune by Felix, 'Don't you want my lovin' which brings back memories from the early to mid 90s when the original was released twice during that decade. The tune however is not taken from the original, and is in its own rights an original tune, which is very nice to see these days. Next up is another tune with a vocal, and another familiar one, 'such a good feeling' is the title and it is very nice to hear another familiar vocal from the past, with nice strings, and a bit softer than some of the tracks on the first cd, but still hard enough to be considered as Hard, just not hard as nails :)

As this cd nears the end, we get 'Kathy's Song' which is a classic once remixed by ferry corsten, and sounds great in this remix from mat silver & tony burt, really uplifting still but with a harder edged sound to it. With 3 more to go, the next one dealt from the pack is from Prime Mover and entitled 'Feel What I Feel' and like the previous couple of tracks, flows nicely to keep the feeling of a journey going, with lots of sounds used and an interesting breakdown, the mind does not get bored of this. Just when you thought it was safe to bring Grandma back out to listen to a nicely uplifting ending, it regresses into rock solid sounds, with a massive beat on the 13th track, definitely unlucky for the neighbours when the sound is turned right up! Called 'Trust No1' it doesn't have a lot to it other than a few sounds on top of a big beat & bassline, but after a lot of more uplifting ones, is good to have something this hard. Finally is a totally amazing tune by Guyver, called 'Differences' and has the weirdest and most out of this world stabby melody I've ever heard, I can't really think of many words to describe it, definitely a must hear tune to appreciate it.

I can't lie, I've really enjoyed this compilation, and I'd urge people to purchase it. Make no excuses, it won't turn the most hardened progressive fan into a fan overnight, but if you like the accquired sounds of Hard Dance, and at a good tempo, then I'd have no hesitations in suggesting it.

CD1 rates with me at 10/10

CD2 attains 9/10 simply because CD1 was so amazing, I'd ran out of great words by the end of the second cd, plus it has more vocals in, which are not everyones tastes.

Released Monday 27th Janurary on Tidy @ £14.99

Look out for Resonate 3, due to terrorise us in March 2003 :)

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