Search - Christopher Lawrence Mix - Various :: United States Of Trance

"United States of Trance" is Christopher Lawrence's best yet

Daniel Zouk | San Francisco, CA | 01/24/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I picked up "United States of Trance" today and felt compelled to let people know how incredible this mix is. I have all of Christopher Lawrence's previous CDs, but none of them come close to this one. The mix begins with a breakbeat track "Genesis" that eases into the deep progressive sound of Silk's "AM-Pacific". From there, the CD takes off on a powerful journey weaving from Skynet UK's pumping "Holdin On" thru to incredible tunes such as DJ Merlyn's "Wales" and "Purple Overdose" (which I have heard Lawrence play live several times and is always one of the nights biggest tunes). The amazing thing about this CD is that I have never heard of any of the tracks on any other compilation - which demonstrates just how cutting edge Lawrence is and also sets this impressive mix apart from the glut of commercial rave anthems CDs in the market. "United States of Trance" proves that Lawrence is the true leader of the American progressive trance movement and one of the top DJs in the world. Like Sasha & Digweed's "Northern Exposure" series, "United States of Trance" is one of the few CDs that you can say is truly essential to any electronic music lovers collection."

True to his trademark sound, yet fresh and new

Douglas A. Greenberg | Berkeley, CA USA | 02/22/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Over the past year or two, the style *du jour* within the world of progressive trance has veered away from the "melodic" and "uplifting" and towards the "dark" and "bass-heavy"; indeed, more than a few big name dj's have dutifully followed this trend. American trance "messiah" Christopher Lawrence, however, continues to march to his own drummer, remaining true to his favored hard-driving, take-no-prisoners, pounding style. And happily for listeners, he continues to make it work. In this latest mix, Lawrence includes a number of tracks that are reminiscent of the beat-heavy, majestic style of trance that Lawrence first presented in "Rise," his initial cd release from a few years ago. This sound has long been associated with Scotland's Hook Recordings, but Lawrence has veritably made it his trademark, partly as a result of his own breathtaking compositions like "Cruise Control." Overall, fans of Lawrence who have come to expect a high-energy style of trance will not be disappointed. Perhaps (or perhaps not) in response to critics who claim that the tracks in Lawrence's mixes "all sound the same," however, he has provided somewhat more variety this time around. He starts off the cd with a riveting breakbeat-driven tune, Prizm & Eclipse's "Genesis." He also incorporates some gentler interludes, as with Skynet UK's "Holdin' On," plus also some interestingly discordant musical effects, as in DJ Merlyn's "Wales." Still, overall what's presented here is Christopher Lawrence's uncompromising style of trance, take it or leave it.Yep, it's another exciting and riveting nonstop musical journey. Turn up the volume and enjoy, trancers; Christopher Lawrence does not disappoint."

More tracks from one america's best..

Jason Daring | Houston, TX USA | 01/26/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Christopher Lawrence is without a doubt one of the best dj's to come from america. I have had the pleasure of seeing him spin twice live and each time he played a flawless set working the audience for every ounce of energy they had. Now what can challenge a dj is the ability to make a mix that works from start to finish without the ability to watch the audience and gauge reactions and such to the vibe of the songs. Christopher Lawrence has proved with previous mixes he can do just that, and here has once again succeeded.This might be the best mix I have heard from him so far, and I have heard a lot of really good stuff from him in the past. Only time and repeated listenings will tell if this remains the same. Track one by Genesis is a great startoff, using long slow builds to a track that eventually breaks out and when played the way it is intended, loudly, makes you want to get off your butt and dance. The AM Pacific song has a good flow to it and leads into skynet uk's holdin on, which is where the cd hits its' first peak. For those unfamiliar with the track, it is one of the best trance tracks of recent years imo, that i have been lucky enough to come across. Great breakdowns, nicely used female vocals that accentuate the music, not detract from it, and is highly melodic without overstepping bounds into the cheese realm. From there Chris takes u into a hear-o track that is good but not great, but is kept short, as a mix into the 5th track by twister 2. Nice dark echoing synths bounce off the walls wherever you're at when you blast this and help envelop you inthe music, which is great since this track is really really good. I don't feel like typing a full novel about the rest of the cd, just please do yourself a favor and pick it up if you're a fan of progressive house or trance, you'll dig this a lot."