The highly anticipated debut album from Giuseppe Ottaviani is finally here with a collection of quite blistering music from the former Nu-NRG hitman...

It is no surprise that the debut artist album from Giuseppe Ottaviani has broken surface with his productions being top quality ever since he made the break from Nu-NRG and moved into solo producing. In a sense it was sad to see him and his co-production partner Andrea Ribeca break up the Nu-NRG project as they pumped out some classic masterpieces like 'Dreamland' and 'Casino'. From the ashes good things can live once again and to come out of the dust of Nu-NRG was Giuseppe Ottaviani! He had the production skills without a doubt and my over the past four years, boy has he been putting them to good use with a spread of quality productions and remixes.

This is the highlighting moment as with this Artist album it's really allowed Giuseppe to open up the creative floodgates and produced the music he wanted. You always seem to know what to expect froma Giuseppe track or remix, which is not a bad thing at all but with this artist offering you may well be surprised by the variation he's put on offer. Our interview with him shed some insight on how he created this debut LP and this review should shed some light on why its one of the best artist albums to be released this year!

Release Date: 4th September

TRACKLIST

01. One Day
02. Where I Want to Go
03. Fallen (feat. Faith)
04. Sunward (with Gate 4)
05. Third Dome
06. No More Alone (feat. Stephen Pickup)
07. White Empire
08. Thermopile
09. Unplugged
10. Our Dimension (with John O'Callaghan)
11. Silver Sand
12. Changing Ways (feat. Francesco M.)
13. Love Mission (with Tom Colontonio)
14. Angel (feat. Faith

The previous releases by Giuseppe both in own production and remix wise have always had hints of similarity about them, you could always expect what to find inside. The one thing you will find with this debut LP is the pure spread of different styles and sounds you would not normally associate Giuseppe with. He's really put the creative head on for this and displayed his raw talent for producing not only uplifting trance beauties but also a thirst for more techno based tracks. It's quite fitting then that he opens with a very down tempo instrumental that sets the fire burning for the rest of the album. One Day is a superb way to start things off with a chilled building rhythm that introduces an explosive break beat that’s sure to put a smile on your face.

The vocal side of things is well delivered in here with the first track being Fallen which slides into the big impact atmospheric track with the way the vocal sings out behind sweeping sythns and break beat in the main break. The little melodies put in here with the beat all gel together to create a very stella track. One of the biggest records last year, not just on a vocal basis but in general was his epic uplifting 'No More Alone' which with males vocals worked like a treat. It was one of my favourite tracks from last year and just packs in so much uplift with the big chord changes that hit you hard it's a record that will get the goosebumps out on anyone's neck. It's not the vocals that made the record what it was it was that stunning main melody that drives in on the break and fizzes back with great impact when all the beats butt back in.

While I'm on about 'No More Alone' it's a good time to mention 'Changing Ways' which has that big euphoric sounds going off with the equally impacting male vocal to set it off. It's not just a remix of it but a totally different track but with big impact. The track is very true to what Giuseppe first started to churn out when he broke into solo production and uplifting trance at its finest.

You may have read in our interview with Giuseppe about this album his early influences was techno and he's delivered two tracks with that in mind in here. Unplugged is as techno as they come with a deeply delicious electric riff ripping through the track and he plays around with a few vocal samples in that techno style. It's a different feeling to your usual Ottaviani track but one that has been crafted with pure genius. There is one track in here that you may think sounds a little familiar. 'Thermopile' at first starts off a little quirky with an almost samba style drum beat but when it drops in the main melody behind it's a real taste of 'No Hesitation' as I think cheeky Giuseppe has nicked that tracks main lead riff, slipped in here and sliced it up a little with a scuffed effect. It's not a blatant attempt at copying the Vincent De moor classic but I think he got some influence from it. That’s not a bad thing either becasue it’s a very nice track edging on that techno style once more.

White Empire and Silver Sand are just pure Ottaviani with White empire breaking with a beautiful main riff in the break that’s got a big electric guitar style to it the way its delivered. The building of the beats, kicks and the way its layered together all make you appreciated the track even more when the beat kicks on with the melody in full flow. Silver Sand takes things to a piano key level with a bright feel to it and a fantastic energy rich melody popping over layers of sythn's that remind of of old PvD tracks. The keys in here are superb and full of spark and when the chrods change right on the bubble its an uplifting gem that will set alight any big room!

There is one track on this album that stands out but puzzled me a little, one which he has just released as the first EP taken from GO! Our Dimension is a track co-produced with the very talented Irish Trance producer John O'Callaghan and has just been released on Vandit along with 'Unplugged' on the flip side. It's a track with a huge leading chord and beat which breaks back to unleash a frenzy of uplifting melodies that will get the pulse racing. It is also a track that I don’t think has been released until now but was featured on episode 350 of Armin's 'A State of Trance' and one I'm sure I've heard before. Maybe someone can shed some light on that, it might just be me. The collaboration here thought is not the first as he got together with 'Tom Colontonio' to produce the melodic uplifter 'Love Mission'. They have crafted together a striking set of strings in here and complimented them with flutters of piano riffs that float away with the breaks.

The whole album is a real masterpiece and each track has been crafted together to offer a different experience. Everything is new in here is new aside form No More Alone but his debut LP could not be without that track. For those of you who have not really heard his earlier stuff you won’t notice the spread of style in this album. For those that have, there may be a few tracks that might well surprise you.

Conclusion:
This is quite frankly a classic debut from Giuseppe and another credit to Vandit for yet another dazzling artist album. It's a testament to a label that strives in releasing the best Electronic Music, not just Trance, with that evident in here as Giuseppe drops into other styles with great effect. I love it and you will love it, great work Giuseppe!