Awesome vocalists teamed with great music!
Jason Baker | Cullman, AL USA | 03/04/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is a very interesting project, as the vocalists and DJ Ram (the man behind the music) never met face to face. The entire project was coordinated and arranged via the internet. DJ Ram apparently wrote the music tracks, then sent the music to the various vocalists to write lyrics for and record their vocals. On the most part, it yields a surprisingly cohesive album. There were only two collaborations here which I didn't think worked as well. Jason Last's contribution just sounds odd, as I'm so used to hearing him in a warm analog musical setting, and DJ Ram's more modern electronic approach just sounds a little odd when matched to his vocals. The other track was "Hyperspace", with Franziska Kalb of No Comment. Here, the problem is more with the vocalist - I just really don't care for her voice at all. Other than those two tracks, the collaborations work really well. Beborn Beton's vocalist in particular works really well here, with two incredibly catchy songs. Both "Why (Would I)" and "Wide Awake" are awesome songs, and very much single worthy. Chrissy Franklin also turns in a outstanding performance, with the haunting "Fallen" and a collaborative effort on "Save Me". Well, I could go on and name all the other vocalists here. Suffice it to say that this (disc 1) is a excellent collection of 11 wonderful collaborative songs. Disc 2 is the limited component of the album, only being included in the first 1000 copies. It features remixes by Baby Max and several others, as well as two additional tracks. The first is a collaborative track with Patrick O'Conner of Axoe, entitled Hourglass. It's another well tailored track, fitting the vocalist perfectly, somewhat similar to the style of music Axoe usually plays, but still distinctively by DJ Ram. The other new track is entitled "Virtual Server". It's the only instrumental on the album, and pretty fun. As far as the remixes go, the standouts are the remix of "Why (Would I)" by Hajas and Baby Max's remixes. Both remixers re-work the track while retaining all of the original melody. That's something I really like in a remix. The remix by Michael Balch of "Save Me" is also very, very good.In short, this is a excellent album. You will certainly find something here to please you, with the variety of vocalists here. The limited edition is worth picking up while you can, as it adds some excellent remixes and two exclusive (non-remixed) tracks. Do yourself a favor - pick up this album and let yourself experience just how good it is."
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1