Search - Noel W Sanger :: Vibrations of Light and Sound

Another fine progressive house/trance mix by Noel Sanger

Douglas A. Greenberg | Berkeley, CA USA | 09/12/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Noel Sanger is a Florida-based dj/producer who is a member of the Balance Promote Group, an association of talented American trance/progressive house artists that includes Chris Fortier, Jason Dunne, Kimball Collins, Jerry Bonham, Markus Schulz, Sandra Collins, Boyd Westerman, and other luminaries within the fast-growing world of electronic dance music.Sanger already has made a name for himself as a result of two previous mixes on cd (most recently, the excellent "Trance II," a 2 cd set on the Max/Container label), plus a full-length 1998 release of his own productions entitled "Selections.""Vibrations of Light and Sound" is a mix that follows a fairly predictable trajectory, featuring a downtempo introduction that gives way to several progressive house tunes and then a series of faster, trancier tracks as the set moves towards a frenzied peak.A highlight of the early portion of the set is "Your Protection," a wonderful track by Fade featuring Luce Drayton. This is a cut above the typical cookie-cutter soulful-progressive-house-tune-with-female-vocals, one that incorporates a haunting melody which provides a showcase for Drayton's lovely voice."Protection" is followed by "Desire" by Memnon, a dreamy, ethereal track with a soft, trancey accompaniment Next comes a lengthy new remix of a Sanger composition entitled "No Greater Love," an earlier version of which was included on Sanger's 1998 solo album. Featuring vocals performed adequately but unspectacularly by Sanger's friend Nicole Henry, this is a more interesting, breakbeaty mix than the original, but it still is only a so-so track overall, due to its undistinguished melody and all-too-predictable lyrics. Commencing with track seven, the set turns toward more uptempo trance. Sentinel's "Avalanche" is followed by Sanger's own "Darshan," a fine composition that exhibits a dark feel combined nicely with some brighter melodic elements. Next comes "Blue Moon," a new track by Steve Porter, one of the most talented young progressive trance producers around. Porter's recent 12" Fade Records release, "Mindless" backed with "Sensor," has been a huge hit on dancefloors all over the world. This lengthy section of uptempo non-vocal trance is well-conceived and well-mixed; it features tracks with a similar style and feel, yet it still builds subtly and progressively toward the high-energy peak that comes with the next-to-last track, Sanger's commanding "The Voice." After this peak, the set finishes with nary a hint of a turn toward more downtempo material, closing with a four-minute snippet from CL Mcspadden's bouncy 'Barracuda." People looking solely for "bangin'" trance may be disappointed by "Vibrations of Light and Sound." There are no epic breaks featuring snare rolls, nor is there any of the throbbing "dreamhouse" bass/drums combo that has been so much in vogue in recent years. Although several of the tracks are of the high-energy variety, the mix also exhibits the slightly softer, multi-layered, sometimes delicately textured sound that has become a trademark of the new generation of American progressive house and trance producers.In fact, Sanger has deliberately created a mix here composed entirely of tracks produced by American artists. This represents a noteworthy statement regarding the arrival of American progressive house and trance, notwithstanding the overall continued dominance of the electronic genres by European artists. Overall, people who have enjoyed Sanger's previous work, or else mixes by the likes of Chris Fortier, Sandra Collins, and others within the Balance Promote Group will enjoy this cd."

The first half is a keeper...

Richard Diaz | 11/16/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"It's pretty easy to make headlines and push thousands of records when you're a big-name DJ or a working man cranking out label comps and hot tune cash ins. Somewhere in between, though, are plenty of DJs trying to make a name for themselves in the scene. Florida spinner Noel Sanger has been quietly toiling for years, with mainstream success slowly approaching daylight. His yeoman work on Trans II (trans) was a high quality roundup of recent hits, and now we get his second mix disc for StreetBeat Records.First off, this set may be best suited for home listening, as many tracks lack the obvious melody hooks or rewind grooves expected these days. You won't miss it, especially during the initial series of slick- produced builders. Sanger shows his mixing chops with seamless transitions of "Your Protection" "Build 1.0 and "Desire," the album's clear highlight, and offers up two songs of his own to boot.The set splits to faster, synth-heavy club tunes from there, with - and there's no polite way of saying this- the big dollop of cheese called "No Greater Love" causing the divide. Pretty much a definitive cliché round-up of trance music, with diva-wailing of corny lyrics breaking the scale. It's a long listen to reach CL McSpadden's "Barracuda," and what's up with the abrupt cut-off just four minutes in? That's insultingly sloppy. I'll take this record's first half, thank you. Grade: B-"