This is the first in a line of new compilation CD's brought to you by Be Yourself Music's HCR imprint. This first edition is compiled and mixed by Marcel Woods, one of their main artists. It features two discs, one containing a full-on mix and the other one filled with Woods' greatest hits to date. Head on in for a review.

For general info on the release of this CD, check out the following article: link.

This compilation has quite the special structure. The first disc is a 'normal' mix like we see on most compilations, while the second disc is a mix as well, yet it only includes productions by Marcel himself.

Disc 1: The Music
While Woods plays peaktime sets mostly when he DJ's out, this mix neatly shows how a different, more built up sound can be accomplished by using a slightly wider variety of styles. The overall feel remains rather dark and raw, though: a thing which is exemplified directly from the start of the CD. Maurice Noah's interpretation of '18Teen' is a nasty house/electro crossover, stuffed with grunting basslines, totally nasty girly vocals and multiple continuously repeating synth rhythms. Change The World by Stereo City is of a slightly different caliber: it blends in quite nicely with the former tune, but it incorporates a more tensed, peaktime structure with its uptempo vocals, punchy stabbing synths and great use of rugged SFX. Quite unnoticably yet very pleasantly, the overall mix gears towards a more blasting feel with 2 Foxes and Freak Your Frequency. The first one is a really dark, mysterious track relying heavily on dense male voices, pumping basses and addictive beats, while the second takes up the tempo even more using its very funky vocals combined with groovy, shaking b-lines and crisp percussional elements.

The first real climax, so to speak, on the disc is Tocadisco's totally massive track Crazy Cursor, which has been edited by Woods to fit in with the overall mix a bit better. It's a tune which just totally freaks you out: it builds and builds this unbelievably infective raw riff to great heights multiple times, generating loads of smashing dancefloor moments. I heard this live at the release party of the CD and it totally blew my socks off! Benjamin Bates' Blue Monday is something I'm less fond of, at least when it comes to listening to the overall mix. It's a good, catchy tune, yet it decreases the drive that has been built up to great lenghts, making it a bit of a filler in my eyes. Luckily, Pascal Feliz and Maddox & Roy totally make up for this during the next two tunes. Inside The Speaker first sounds like it's going to be quite the calm tune with its smooth tiny melodies and smart beats, yet it suddenly unleashes a great deal of power after the breakdown by bringing in a very badass sounding slamming riff. This fits in like a charm with Woods' contemporary sound! My Authority was released back in 2004, but still fits in with today's sounds.

What comes next is a bit of an odd mixture of vocal tracks. Type 1's Satisfy is a bouncy track stuffed with not too good female vox, while Ronski Speed's remix of Luminary's Wasting is very very trancy, which doesn't really do justice to the raw feel we have been experiencing so far. Ryan Blair neatly saves the day though with Flap Jack, being a wicked blend of tech, techno and a trancy breakdown. Starting from Moonshine onwards, the overall sound of the mix becomes meaner: thick techno-ish, driving beats are the key factors here, with Ronald van Gelderen's new single Realize doing it a bit differently using calm basslines, neat instrumental parts and a good set of vocals by Ronald himself. Another big highlight is of course a tune which is quite a great buzz at the moment: Bolier & Coenraad's The Mighty Ducks. It's just coolness beyonds words with its ubergroovy basslines and humorous duck quacks all the way through, still encompassing a very danceable, techno-ish vibe along its way. It's mixed in flawlessly with a tune that comes from the hands of Alex MORPH & Rank 1, who have ruled 2006 with their Life Less Ordinary. It fits in with everything nicely because of its contrasting structure and surging electro-ish riffs. Greg Kobe and Coburn close off the CD, with Electro Feeling showcasing one last bit of vengeance using infectious, coarse riffs, while Andrea Doria's mix of Give Me Love serves as a relaxing closer of the whole thing.
I haven't really spoken about the quality of the mixes yet, but that's mainly because they're just how they should be. The CD has been mixed with Ableton Live, giving it a really clean feel. Some might prefer a more 'live' experience, but that's just a matter of taste. Overall, this first disc nicely reflects what Marcel's broad sound is about these days, ranging from dark housey tracks to pounding floorfillers and raw, more intricate intermezzo's.

Disc 2: The Madness
As said, this disc is a compilation of Marcel's biggest hits of the past few years. Don't see it as a full artist album though! We have an extensive interview coming up with Woods really soon which explains why.
Three of the tracks provided on this CD are going to be released soon in their full versions on a separate vinyl EP. One of them is 'Yellin' @ The Neighbours', which is a nicely raw, rugged piece of techy stuff filled with buzzing basslines and sweeping synth. 'Basik', also on the EP, goes a bit of a different way with its very obscure, dim atmosphere. Swift, low-toned rhythms take on a leading role here, inducing some really banging moments to be created. 'Don't Tar Me With The Same Brush' won't be appearing on the vinyl, but will see a separate single release later on. Marcel sees it as one of his better productions to date (again taken from the upcoming interview, you know you want to check it out when it gets online...), and it's quite the nice one indeed. It hinges on a subtly 'Advanced' like main riff, but it isn't as anthemic. The record is more complicated so to say, combining lots of magnificent FX and teasing rhythms with a classy breakdown and an array of really cool climaxes. As for the rest of the tracks on the disc, the only ones that haven't been reviewed here on i:Vibes yet are 'Accelerate' and 'Pressure'. The first one will also appear on the vinyl EP, being a very anthemic-like tune with an infectious, very present main riff and a bunch of nice backing melodies. Side-Dish 'Pressure' is, as the name implies, a sideproject of Woods'. It has a very oldschool sounding feel hanging over it, mainly induced by this up and down going wicked little melody. For reviews of 'Time's Running Out', 'Static State', 'Monotone', 'Beautiful', 'Fauna', 'Cherry Blossom' and 'Advanced', I advise you to go check out our review section.
There's one thing I should not be forgetting here. A nice little (well not that little, its rather big) gimmick has been hidden at the end of the last track. After about a minute of silence, a tune not listed on the tracklisting suddenly appears... It's actually Walt Jenssen's Ctrl-Walt-Del (so I've heard ;) ). And boy, what the hell! This is one slamming piece of music. It starts off quite subtly, but soon enough it erupts into total frenzy. Frenzy like I haven't heard in a while. It relies on this uber-infective bitch of a riff, and overall it's quite simple but its effectiveness will totally blow the roof off of anything. It energizes continuously, never letting go of a bit of the power created thus far. Bomb alert!

Tracklisting:

Disc 1: The Music
1. R-Type - 18teen (Maurice Noah Remix)
2. Stereo City - Change The World
3. DR - 2 Foxes (Woods Stretched Version)
4. M1 Feat Flipside - Freak Your Frequency
5. Toca Disco - Crazy Cursor (Woods Re-Shuffled Edit)
6. Benjamin Bates - Blue Monday
7. Pascal Feliz - Inside The Speaker (Part 2)
8. Maddox & Roy - My Authority
9. Type 1 - Satisfy Feat. Liz Cirelli
10. Hidden Logic Pres. Luminary - Wasting (Ronski Speed Remix)
11. Ryan Blair - Flap Jack
12. Kobbe & Balthazar & Jackrock – Moonshine
13. Ronald van Gelderen - Realize (Original Mix)
14. Bolier & Coenraad - Mighty Ducks
15. Alex Morph & Rank 1 - Life Less Ordinary
16. Greg Kobe - Electro Feeling
17. Coburn - Give Me Love (Andrea Doria Remix)

Disc 2: The Madness
1. Marcel Woods - Yellin' @ The Neighbours
2. Marcel Woods – Basik
3. Marcel Woods - Don't Tar Me With The Same Brush
4. Marcel Woods - Time's Running out
5. Marcel Woods - Accelerate (Mix One)
6. Marcel Woods - Monotone (Dub Mix)
7. Marcel Woods - Beautiful Mind (2006 Re-edit)
8. Marcel Woods vs Jesselyn - Fauna
9. Marcel Woods - Cherry Blossom (TE Mix)
10. Marcel Woods - Advanced (Bits & Crushed Extended Mix)
11. Side-Dish - Pressure (Woods Old School Mix)
12. Marcel Woods - Static State
BONUStrack: Walt Jenssen - Ctrl-Walt-Del

Conclusion:
I like the concept of this new compilation series. The combination of a mix-CD and a CD filled with tunes by the artist make this a very worthy product, because there's just more on offer. The first disc overall is a cool mix filled with some crazy tunes, showcasing Woods' style nicely. The overview of Marcel's hits on the second CD flows well too, making it a cool addition to the whole product.
Looking forward to the next installment!