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Nearly two years after the release of the first edition of the first edition of Passport, Ferry Corsten unleashes the second outing of this succesful compilation concept. This time around, the emphasis is on the USA because that's where Ferry has been touring extensively recently. Head on in for a full review!
Ferry Corsten has always been one of those DJs you can't miss out on when trying to describe trance history. With his highly impressive array of productions including dozens of club hits under various guises like System F, Veracocha, and of course his own name, Ferry quickly became one of the most in-demand DJs and producers in the trance circuit.
In 2005, he launched his own 'Flashover' label, which is steadily becoming one of those labels you can always rely on when it comes to quality.
Ferry is no stranger to doing compilation CDs either. Over the years, he mixed many compilations, including his own 'World Tour' concept.
With Passport: United States of America, Ferry shows the style he and his label bring forward these days. Yes, I mentioned 'his label' as well, because out of a total of fifteen, six tunes are or will be released on Flashover. The overall flow of the CD is magnificent; it starts off fiercely yet in a not too high tempo with proggy, energetic numbers, some including well worked out vocals. 'Hello' by Poison Pro and The Doppler Effect's 'Beauty Hides In The Deep' complement each other greatly, both being bass-filled yet laidback, serving as good appetizers to what is to come.
It is interesting to see that vocals take the upper hand during the first part of the CD. Solarstone's brand new track 'Late Summer Fields' is a classy, typical Solarstone tune driven by magnificent male vocals and a great summer festival feel glowing over it. By including Nic Chagall's pumping remix of 'Promisedland', Ferry showcases that his contemporary sound still leans towards a bit of electro influences. Mister Chagall has remade this highly vocal tune into a relatively minimal track loaded with heavy synths and crunchy percussion, creating a bit of a contrast with what we heard up until now.
The mixing in of Signalrunners' terrific remix of 'By My Side' serves as a bit of a turnover in the style of the CD. It does its thing very nicely by blending a weird yet cool melody with Tiff Lacey's nice vocals. From here on, we're treated with more rapid trance tracks, some still relying on vocal interludes. A good example is the very well received 'Hurt of Intention' by Mind One. Somehow, this track has always reminded me of a Gabriel & Dresden production. Its production is very crisp and clear, and with its highly addictive vocal intermezzo's it really knows how to grab you. Marc Marberg & Kyau & Albert's massively hyped clubhit 'Megashira' and Ferry's own 'Beautiful' bring up the pace gradually towards 135 BPM or so. Here, vocals are of less concern while the emphasis is more on fat, pounding club tunes. 'Worlds' by Rafaël Frost (which is out soon on Flashover) continues in the same vein, being a techtrancy number with a rather dark lead melody. It's nothing really special though, and somehow it seems misplaced here. This is mainly because 'Why?' kind of lowers the overall energy of the CD by being a very gentle, vocal-oriented trance tune. I'm glad Ferry chose the original mix of 'Why?' over the Aly & Fila remix, because I think the original has a lot more to offer.
Ferry's own remix of System F 'Insolation' is one of those trance tracks that puts a smile on your face. It has this elevating feel coming with it, and this is actually quite characteristic of the remaining tunes found on this compilation as well. Here, Ferry returns to the good ol' uplifting trance tracks! 'Good Morning Sunshine' is a tight contemporary uplifting track with a really cool melody, while the Supüer Mix of JPL's 'Mirakel' does things a bit subtler by bringing smooth, stretched melodic soundscapes, driven onwards by a rapid production base.
The closing two tunes of this edition of Passport are beyond great. They are both signed to Flashover, and I must say these two tracks might just become two of the trance anthems of 2007. Breakfast's 'The Sunlight' subtly continues in that uplifting style I talked about, but it injects a massive amount of newly created energy by combining a fantastic lead melody with thick basslines and a supertight use of percussion. During the break and after, it bursts loose into total melodic frenzy! 'Hope' by Lemon & Einar K relies more on sweeping melodies, yet because of the sheer greatness of the melodic patterns this one also stands out like no other. I see why Ferry signed this to his label, 'cause it fits his style perfectly. A more than worthy closer of this CD!
Of course, Ferry's mixing is spot-on. The tracks have been picked in such a way that they complement each other continuously, making the overall flow and feel of this CD quite outstanding. As a bonus, the jewel case also includes a DVD which is filled with material of Ferry's 2006 USA Tour, as well as the clip of "Junk".
Tracklisting:
CD
01. Poison Pro - Hello (Orignial Mix)
02. The Doppler Effect - Beauty Hides In The Deep
03. Solarstone - Late Summer Fields (Deeper Sunrise Mix)
04. Wippenberg - Promisedland (Nic Chagall Remix)
05. Summer Sessions feat. Tiff Lacey - By My Side (Signalrunners Fierce Mix)
06. Mind One - Hurt Of Intention
07. Marc Marberg with Kyau & Albert - Megashira
08. Ferry Corsten - Beautiful (Original Mix)
09. Rafaël Frost - Worlds
10. FKN feat. Jahala - Why? (Original Mix)
11. System F - Insolation (Ferry Corsten Flashover Mix)
12. Ronnie Allstar - Good Morning Sunshine (Original Mix)
13. JPL - Mirakel (Supüer Mix)
14. Breakfast - The Sunlight (Original Mix)
15. Lemon & Einar K - Hope (Original Mix)
DVD
01. Road To Voodoo Tour (exclusive behind the scenes footage of Ferry during his USA tour of October 2006)
02. Music Video of "Junk"
Conclusion:
Passport: United States of America is a greatly varied CD. It blends proggy, deep vocal trance with more contemporary melodic numbers in a great way, showcasing that Ferry Corsten's overall style of DJ'ing still encapsulates a great breadth of different styles. The flow of the CD is great, with most of the tunes really fitting into the whole picture. All in all, this compilation is definitely worth buying if you're a fan of Ferry, or just trance in general!
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