Search - Liam Kennedy :: Atomic Trance

Another sparkling swig of progressive trance from a U.S. dj

Douglas A. Greenberg | Berkeley, CA USA | 04/30/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It simply never ceases to amaze me how little correlation there seems to be between the quality of music and its popularity. A quick check of this very website will reveal that just about all of the teeny-pop cd releases quickly acquire several hundred enthusiastic customer reviews, whereas those offered by far more musically adventuresome artists are virtually ignored. Even within the relatively underappreciated realm of so-called "electronica," the herd mentality of listeners is striking. The new Daft Punk release, competently produced but certainly nothing special artistically, as of this writing already has garnered nearly a hundred reviews, whereas any number of more original and adventuresome offerings by more underground artists languish in near-obscurity. Progressive trance/house dj's such as Noel Sanger, Wendel, Jerry Bonham, John Debo, Chris Fortier, Danny Zee, Max English, D:Fuse, and Jimmy Van M. are hardly household names in this country, nor are they likely to be anytime soon. That's sad, because the musical mixes these people have offered to listeners are truly first-rate.To the above list of fine American progressive dj's above I now add the name Liam Kennedy, whose initial mix cd, "Atomic Trance," is excellent. Starting with the hynotic and complex "First Light" by Ogenki Clinic, and then on through ten other rhythmic, bass-heavy, sometimes dark-ish but always interesting trance compositions, Kennedy has put together seventy-plus minutes of fascinatingly deep and absorbing music that fans of "progressive" will surely enjoy.Typical of much progressive trance, there are few vocals and not much emphasis upon "melody" in these tracks. The magic here is in the musical textures and beats, which can draw a willing listener into the blissful, trance-like state of mind that provides the genre its name. Within what might seem supercially to be "monotony," however, there is always subtle change and progression, and that's what gives great trance tracks and mixes their energy and movement. Kennedy has done a first-rate job here of selecting fresh tracks for his mix; although there are a few artist names that might be familiar to fans of progressive, including Fade, Medway, and Force Mass Motion, overall the acts included are lesser-known ones that to his credit, Kennedy has unearthed and assembled. If there is a weakness in this cd, it's that the tracks *tend* to be similar in terms of their overall style and energy level. Consequently, whereas the mix provides a pleasant nonstop journey through eleven excellent offerings, there is not a strong sense here that Kennedy has set the mix up as a "musical journey" with a definite start, middle, and finish. The very best dj mixes include at least a few peaks and valleys, perhaps starting slowly, then moving toward greater intensity including a peak of tension that is followed by a release toward a lower-key track or two--and so on toward a frenzied climax and then perhaps an end-of-journey finishing piece that brings the journey to a blissful conclusion. There is no set formula for accomplishing all this, of course, and there is as much risk of disappointment from a set constructed in too predictable and formulaic a fashion as there is from one not being constructed as a "journey" at all. But Kennedy's set tends a bit toward saminess throughout, and consequently the overall effectiveness of the mix *qua* "experiential journey" is reduced. Still, it's hard to find a lot of fault with a cd that includes so very much terrific music. There's nary a clunker track included, and kudos to Kennedy for that."

This cd is great

penelope | USA | 04/27/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have this cd, and the first time I listened to it, I loved it. This is one of those cds that you love the first time you listen to it. It is the level of a Global Underground. Its like bringing the party to my own room. Penelope Linaldi"

A crisp and energetic affair mixed all the way live

Richard Diaz | 05/30/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Anyone notice that Topaz has become quite the amount of quality trance these days? Now add to their list New York City's Liam Kennedy, who digs up eleven tunes off the beaten path for his album debut, a crisp and energetic affair mixed all the way live.Highlights include the rippling opener `First Light' by Ogenki Clinic (James Holden of `Horizons' and company, with name pinched from an adult Japanese anime). Drumscape's `Transsmission' is another find, the polished, elaborate kind of tune we don't hear enough of these days, as is the blips and breaks of `Hong Kong Junkie' by Fred Numf vs Five Point 0. Needing just a few more distinctive tracks to prompt a need for heavy repeats, Atomic Trance nonetheless shows that a small label and low-PR DJs can deliver the goods as well as anybody. 3.5 stars"