The third installment of V's critically acclaimed compilation series is here, again including two discs filled with tunes in Marco V's distinct style. The discs are titled 'Before' and 'After', and aim to bring both a full-on mix and a more deep blend of tunes. Click in for a full review.

Back in 2004, Marco V released the very first edition of his Combi:Nations compilation concept. Consisting of no less than three CDs, it showed V's typical style in a very good way. In 2006, the second edition hit the streets, again showcasing Marco's ever evolving sound.

Now halfway in 2007, the much anticipated third edition is about to be released worldwide. Going on in the second installment's tradition, it again features two full-featured CDs including those tunes that are doing it for Marco V at the moment.
The discs are titled 'Before' and 'After', and judging from the official press release these titles have been chosen because the first disc aims to bring a peak-time outdoor festival feel, while the second disc is more about chilling out after a heavy party or festival.

Disc.01 Before
Right from the first few beats dropped, a deep and heavy no-nonsense sound is brought forward, fitting in seamlessly with the above description of a peak-time experience. V's new track 'Universal Enemy' hits the right spot with its harsh beats, throroughly raw synth hits and overall techno-ish feel, just to be followed by another massive dancefloor ready tune: 'Trust' by Alex Conners, being a very typical beast of a track, relying heavily on a supersturdy yet amazingly powerful pushing bassline. The energy just splatters out of this, even at this early part of the mix! Both 'Body Trip' and 'Suendstoff' are bass-drenched floor hitters, combining electro-ish synth injections with raw, hard bass notes, while 'Hell Yeah' by Patrick Alavi brings in a bit of a funky feel with its rather familiar vocal hits and great drive. Another new V-tune called 'Possible But Unlikely' takes up the pace a notch, followed by two more slices of very familiar vocal-influenced tastyness called 'Feel It' in a remix by Thomas Gold and 'Something To Lose' remixed by Starkillers.
The diversity of this first CD shines through in an unbelievably nice way. Combining tech, electro, techno and vocals, it sounds very fresh and utterly danceable. Both Mario Ochoa vs. DJ Fist and DJ Raymundo take care of a great twist, inducing a massive amount of funk to appear by bringing drums-drenched, wicked festival-type tracks. Gradually, the mix evolves into a more rapid intermingling of deeper technotracks ('Kukenan'), bass-filled tech-housey tunes ('Bang Goes The Drum') and even a hit of techtrance by Sander van Doorn. While I found 'Superchainer' by Elegant Universe a bit of a filler track, this is made up for by Marco's own remix of Josh Wink's classic 'Higher State of Consciousness'. He's made it into a badass, raw sounding tune hinging heavily on that classic weird melody. The last three tunes on the disc are all techno-ish, with both Mashtronic's mix of 'Wired' and V's reconstruction of 'Chords Of Love' being more melodic techno slices. DJ's Simi & Marotta close off with a funky techno tune, hinging on the classic 'my house is your house' sample.

Disc.02 After
This is the disc to play when you've just returned from a tiring party or festival, in need of some music to chill down a bit (at least, according to the press release). Starting off with the very well known 'Les Djinns' in a remix by Trentemøller, guitar notes start to please your ears instantly. The thick broken beats of 'Les Djinns' are followed by a housey 4/4 tune by Taste T, relying heavily on some very wicked, deep guitar riffs and a repeating vocal snip. While the overall pace of this disc is lower than the one on the first disc, it still exerts a nice amount of energy and an overall encompassing, continuously imminent summer feeling. With wicked basslines galore in Raw Shape's 'Sunrize', the mix subtly shifts to a very housey atmosphere by blending Robbie Rivera's massive piano-drenched 'Escape' with the cool See Know remix of Samuel L Session's 'Velvet'. 'The Young and The Wild Ones' by Tube & Berger is of a totally different caliber, yet it's wonderful in its own way by fusing an amazing melody with an electro-ish bass-filled body.
I must admit that, while this disc is a bit less 'energetic' compared with the Before disc, it doesn't do justice as just a CD to play when wanting to chill out. There's enough tunes on there to party on as well, which is imminent by the inclusion of Marco V's own remix of 'Feels Like Home' and the superb melodic techno-like 'K-10' by Mistress Barbara. From here on, a nice vocal interlude is initiated. X-Press 2's 'Kill 100' is remixed by Marco V himself, who's made it into a rather calm yet nicely flowing track. The tracks following on this one, 'Torch' and 'Zoom In' have somehow been taken together and reinterpreted by Marco (at least, I guess) according to the mix titles. Accordingly, they blend into each other real nicely! Both Tom Wax's 'Daybreak' and 'Seven' by Oxio vs. Dino's & Snake are highly melodic tunes with a techno-ish/housey percussion flowing under the melodies. Some dub this 'neo-trance', but my opinion is that that's just a shit term for anything that blends multiple styles with an infectious melody on top of it. Anyway, I like how Marco did include these tracks as they give the overall mix a nicely diversifying twist. 'Road of Injury' continues in the same vein. Actually, the whole ending of this disc is rather melodic compared to the rest! Marmion's 'Schöneberg' is an undefinable track style-wise, yet it is cool just because of its sheer weirdness. Closing off the 'After' disc is a very deep, intricate remix by Audiofly of Remo's Mizar.

Tracklisting

Disc.01 Before:

01. Marco V - Universal Enemy (Combi:Nations Intro Mix)
02. Alex Conners - Trust
03. Beats Cool - Body Trip (Marco V Reconstruction)
04. Dyson vs Blende - Suendstoff (Marco V Reconstruction)
05. Patrick Alavi - Hell Yeah (Jamie Fanatic Mix)
06. Marco V - Possible But Unlikely
07. Two Tons Of Fun - Feel It (Thomas Gold Remix)
08. Creamer & K - Something To Lose (Starkillers Remix)
09. Mario Ochoa, DJ Fist - Showtime
10. DJ Raymundo - Framebusted (Marco V Re-Edit)
11. Javith, Salazar, Gil - Kukenan
12. Tony Arzadon - Bang Goes The Drum
13. Sander van Doorn - Riff
14. Elegant Universe - Superchainer (Marco V Re-Edit)
15. Josh Wink - Higher State Of Consciousness (Marco V Remix)
16. James Harcourt - Wired (Mashtronic Mix)
17. Man-To-Man - Chords Of Love (Marco V Reconstruction)
18. DJ Simi, DJ Marotta - My House

Disc.02 After:

01. Djuma Soundsystem - Les Djinns (Trentemøller Mix)
02. Taste T - Sealed (Taste T meets EKG Mix)
03. Raw Shape - Sunrize
04. Robbie Rivera - Escape (Original Mix)
05. Samuel L Session - Velvet (See Know Remix)
06. Tube & Berger pres. Tywo - The Young And The Wild Ones
07. Meck - Feels Like Home (Marco V Remix)
08. Mistress Barbara - K-10 (Marco V Reconstruction)
09. Xpress 2 - Kill 100 (Marco V 10K Remix)
10. Margot - Torch (Marco V Zoomin' In On Torch Treatment)
11. Kupon - Zoom In
12. Tom Wax - Daybreak (Marco V Reconstruction)
13. Oxio vs Dino's & Snake - Seven (Oxia Rework Mix / Marco V Re-Edit)
14. Alexander Maier - Road Of Injury
15. Marmion - Schöneberg
16. Remo - Mizar (Audiofly Remix)

Conclusion:
This is once again an outstanding edition of Marco V's very own compilation series. The first CD is totally off the hook by bringing an amazing amount of funky, superbly danceable tunes, mixing different styles to eventually become a whole that is a lot more than the sum of its parts. The second disc is of a whole different, softer caliber, yet does retain enough energy to also serve as a pre-party mix instead of just an after-party chill-down session. All in all, Marco V clearly shows that he is still among the top when it comes to bringing an inventive selection of tracks. Combi:Nations III is a compilation that should be in the collection of every V-fan, no matter what!