Firstly I am a big fan of the Euphoria series and own all of them apart from the hard house CDs.Secondly I have a varied taste in music and am not limited to one genre or style.Thirdly I have almost always bought each Euphoria CD as soon as it was released so I have a good perspective on the series as a continuum.
With that out of the way I want to offer my opinion of this CD - 'Absolute' Euphoria.
Dave Peirce has been compiling Euphoria since 'Transcendental' Euphoria and he seemed to be getting better and better...until now that is. 'Transcendental' Euphoria was good but never really touched me like say 'Pure' Euphoria mixed by Matt Darey.
However with 'True' Euphoria Dave seemed to have found his talent as this compilation proved to be a 'stayer' in my opinion. With Ibiza Euphoria he did a good job but nothing special. However with 'Total' Euphoria he really pushed the it to the limit in my opinion. 'Total' Euphoria is still one of my favourite albums 3 years on!
With 'Absolute' Euphoria however I believe one gets a selection of 'big name' tunes like Faithless, Moby and Xpress-2. But it lacks feeling, it lacks the sense of a journey. I found this compilation a real disapointment since the others have been so good.
My notable tracks on here that are great are: Sweet Surrender, Falling, Touch the Sky, Rapture, Like a Cat, Waling into the Sun, Far Out, I don't wanna lose my way and a few others!
But this is one of the problems; it is very fragmented. Some good, some bad, some average. But it doesn't gel.
Ultimately if you are a die hard fan then buy it, if you have loads of money maybe buy it, otherwise there are plenty of other albums that would be a wiser purchase.
Hope you found this useful.
What can i say about this album? It's a mixed bag i am afraid. Supposedly it's all 'new trance' but new trance is simply marketing hype and has no real meaning. Trance is trance. This is (mostly) trance. There's nothing new in the style, you have a hook, you have a beat, you have a melody and it builds to a peak about 2min into a song. This isn't classic trance though (and thus i feel not the best trance). Where 'True' was about the songs (meaning more about the music and the feeling), this is more about the track listing and ability to sell. The CD is not totally compromised however as the 'old' tracks that are on here are not the usual mixes. They do still offer something new to the listner who is tired of hearing that radio friendly mix of whichever song.
The CD however feels like a somewhat precarious balance of tracks Pearce knows will sell the album (no matter how they are disguised with different mixes) and tracks that have real heart and soul which is what the Euphoria series is -really- about. At least his mixing is better than the usual fair he offers, although nothing really stands out to make you appreciate his talent or put a smile on your face. The mixing is merely technically good but has no moments of musical flair or emotional peaks.
What he HAS accomplished in this CD to a much greater extent than any other he's done is creating a CD with a mix of the dance styles (dance, anthem, trance, hard house) and a real sense of build throughout the album. CD1 eases you in, and CD2 has some tunes which are much harder than any other 'dance' album in the Euphoria series. In fact there's even a track from Lisa Lashes last Hard House Euphoria creeping in mid way through CD2...the frankly brilliant 'Chainsaw' by DJ Shredda. A damned hard tune if ever there was one.
This CD is something of a dissapointment after the glorious 'Total Euphoria' yet it is still an accomplished and worthy addition to the series. I still recommend the CD, as it is very good, but i critisize it because other Euphoria CDs are somewhat better. Go and buy it, you will like it, i guarentee, but you may be wondering why some tracks are on there. And to that i have a message ...
Mr Pearce, please listen to the Euphoria customer base. The Euphoria series has never been about popularity and ability to sell. The first euphoria had an objective of being clubbers music, for the cubber, from the club. It succedded brilliantly. The rest of the series has been about the music, about the feeling, about the Euphoria this genre is capable of creating. Please remember WHY this is a Euphoria CD and not just a random compilation CD. It's not about selling, it's about having a damned good time.
