Here’s another review from our newcomer SipSap. This time he has decided to review the smokin’ fresh Zanzatraxx release from Tatanka and Activator. Check it out!

Anyone who has heard the newest release on Zanzatraxx, Taaac!, will undoubtedly tell you that this label is truly on form.  The last few releases on the label have all been nothing less than stellar: Borderline, Connection/The Recepy, and one of my current top 10, DJ’s Life.Tatact (Tatanka and Activator) have given hardstyle lovers a cool tune to enjoy in the summer heat. It’s broad-based appeal can be attributed to it’s fusion of kicks typical to Tatanka, and a screechy melody that is eerily reminiscent of the Headhunterz & Tatanka collaboration Call It Music (play the melodies over eachother to see what I mean).

The intro includes, along with kicks, hi-hats and claps, the vocals of the track. Samples taken from the Missy Eliot song Work It add some personality to the track that save it from becoming generic (not that it was any danger of becoming so). The vocals fit the track’s mood and a tip of the hat to Tatanka and Activator for the skill at which the vocals were implemented within the climax and the denouement (for non french speakers, I am refering to the part between the climax and the outro). The result is a fluid concotion of melody complemented with the occasional “Ratata” bouncing  with the bass.

The melody being (in my opinion) the most important part of the track, does well to build up listeners and keep them engaged. The track has an interesting build up that gives the impression of a constantly ascending pitch, and just before the sound becomes repetitive, the breakdown allows the crowd to regroup before being slaughtered by one of the tastiest melodies the hardstyle scene has been treated to in the past few months.

The newest release on Zanzatraxx comes with two mixes: Taac (Renato Mix) and Taac (Bisaid Mix). Don’t bother with the second mix, because the melody has been reduced to perpetual mid-intro. Although both tracks are definately worth buying, hardheads on a budget will want to investigate further which one of the two the prefer.

• A. Tatact – Taaac (Renato Mix)
• B. Tatact – Taaac (Bisaid Mix)

Introducing a new writer who has been so kind to contact us through mail, we present you with a wee bit late review of Tuneboy’s latest release.

Tuneboy is regarded as one of the best hardstyle producers that has ever lived. Part of the SAIFAM family his career is responsible for some of the best musical masterpieces since Ludwig van Beethoven. Along with many cooperative works with Technoboy under the alias TNT, his resume boasts classics such as Housenation, Dirty, Sexbusters, Just A Detail, Wackie Jackie, I Will Growl, and now Re-Generate It. Released by Titanic Records Re-Generate It is another gem by the Italian producer turned DJ.

Verdict: 85/100

As you can see, our mysterious new reviewer SipSap uses a somewhat different rating style. However, as reviewing is just as deeply personal as a simple opinion about a track, we have decided to let the small differences be. For now, be on the lookout for more work from this fresh team member.

Opening CD1 with his favourite animal, Manuel Tessarollo immediately sets a dark, promising atmosphere. And for good reason – check out the upcoming interview with him on this site for more info. When the bass kicks in halfway through this sinister track, it becomes clear that Acti is going pedal to the metal with this album: heavy kicks and an originally happy melody modified to become discomforting and unsettling.

After passing by Activator, one of the two songs already released, we are plunged into the oldschool, screechy intro of One I Love. Remarkably enough, as the title suggests, the break consists of that well-known traditional Irish song that reminds of Scarborough Fair somewhat.

Track number 4 is the first real winner on this CD. Some Easy Living is a highly addictive cover of a 70′s hair-rock song so stuffed with cheese it beats the market of Alkmaar. The pace is picked up again by the also already released Authentic Style, after which we go Back in the Days – a very succesful recreation of the oldschool atmosphere.

Moving on from early 00′s oldschool to another set of 80′s-or-so vocals, Everything probably has the most delicious reverse bass of the entire album.  It is abruptly followed by an intro that picks you up and puts you on your already dancing feet: the intro to the potential dancefloor smasher that is Rising Sun. And the sun rises to see Figalicious, a hardcore porn track with a climax carried by more fat, bouncy, well-rounded reverse bass. Aherm.

Next up are two of those tracks that people have really been looking forward to. Set You Free and Lullaby both have absolutely gorgeous melodies, but like many tracks on the album, their intros are not memorable enough. This really points us to Authentic Style’s biggest problem: there is not enough variation. With both synths and kicks often sounding samey and the intros not showing enough diversity to create a different vibe each time, it sometimes becomes a bit of a drag.

The following three songs cannot take away the feeling that, although Activator has clear reasons for making an album, maybe they would have been better off released as singles. They are by no means bad – in fact, they are way above average – but there is just no sense of connection between the 18 tracks on this CD.

Although with an oldschool gimmick track, a very manly singing track, a hard melodic kicker and a half-hardcore final song, a little variation is added, one more issue that stands out is the odd mastering. All of the album sounds slightly fuzzy and muffled. It might work in large halls and clubs, but when listening on a home system, it does decrease listening pleasure.

Already 500 words into this review, CD2 can be dealt with quickly. It is a collection of Tessarollo’s solo classics. Fortunately, unforgettable classics such as NRG and QT 13 were not forgotten. Completed with modern masterpieces such as Icon and June, it is a perfect showcase of Activator’s capability and a valuable addition to the first disc.

In conclusion, Authentic Style as a whole certainly is not bad. In fact, there are many songs on it that will grow on you and are actually very, very good, especially melody-wise. The question is just if it was a good idea to add them together to make an album, as they often sound alike. A final issue is the aforementioned strange mastering.

On the other hand, you will probably not at all regret buying this, especially if you are not familiar with Activator’s older work, which also happens to be great. If you are a DJ, however, it might be better to wait for the full version releases, which will probably start coming out soon.

Tracklist:

CD1
1. Sinister Owl 3:48
2. Activator 5:00
3. One I Love 4:55
4. Some Easy Living 3:31
5. Authentic Style 4:20
6. Back In The Days 3:58
7. Everything 4:49
8. Rising Sun 3:19
9. Figalicious 3:48
10. Set You Free 4:06
11. Lullaby 3:56
12. Move Your Feet 4:03
13. This Is The Place 4:54
14. Time To Rave 4:05
15. Welcome To The Record Shop 3:34
16. Supersonic Bass 4:18
17. Kick My Brain 4:33
18. Fucking Noize 3:27

CD2
1. NRG 3:25
2. The Bass Be Louder 3:13
3. The Noise Of Act 4:35
4. The Head Busser 4:04
5. QT 13 4:21
6. The Sound Of The Bass 4:35
7. Feel The Drums 4:24
8. From Dancefloor To Dancefloor 4:26
9. Domination 3:44
10. Pass The Grass 3:41
11. Squeeze The Trigger 3:22
12. I’m A Natural Born Dj 5:01
13. Crap Out 4:11
14. We Call Him 3:36
15. I’m Gonna Diss U Right Now 4:00
16. Icon 4:27
17. June 4:25
18. In The Club 2:57

Verdict: 80/100

Although not everything in the preview, below, is worth 100/100, Brennan justifies his long absence from the news with seemingly good and varied tracks such as Face the Enemy and Rockstar DJ.  Moreover, none of his recent pop remixes – a very good reason not to be too fond of him – have made it to the album:

01. For Years (Intro)
02. Feel U Here (ft Shanokee)
03. Face The Enemy
04. Rockstar Dj
05. Muzik Bizz
06. Musical Impressions
07. Just As Easy
08. We Come And We Go
09. Ancient Beat
10. I Love Haters
11. Can’t Kill Us
12. Audiometric (2009 album mix)
13. Push Play!
14. About Time (ft Max P)
15. One Blade (Noisecontrollers Rmx)
16. Feel U Here (The Viper & G-Town Madness Rmx)

For many, track number 15 will be the most exciting news here: a Noisecontrollers remix of such a classic, epic track! Unfortunately, it is not included in the preview and has not been played anywhere yet. Let’s hope that the official album presentation on Defqon.1 will give us more of an idea of what’s to come. For now, things are looking good.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I guess that you have noticed my absence on this blog, but here I am again to give you a fresh review of this new and extremely delicious SAIFAM track  and yes, you’re right, I am one of the biggest SAIFAM fans on earth, and yes in 99,9 % of all cases, I’ll just write good things about these Italian masterpieces.
So here we go with my so called “comeback review”.

Fahrenheit, Infinity, Superdisco and Yerba Diabolika.  We all remember those tracks as some of the heaviest hardstyle smashers since the dawn of  our unviverse and The KGB’s are certainly known to be one of the best SAIFAM aliases with tracks that have all made it to the top of all hardstyle charts.
Channel KGB’s is not very surprisingly also a smasher with weird, but still funny vocals, and a killer bassline.
Vocals such as  “In a recent interview, Mel Gibson declared that in 2015
the world will be dominated by Hoovers and blenders“  makes you wonder if Mr. Giusberti and his friends used illegal substances while making this track. That is probably not the case, and the I talian masterminds probably just had a good time in the studio and made up these vocals over a couple of glasses of lemonade and maybe some surfing on YouTube.

These weird vocals fit the track perfectly and gives the track a kind of radio feeling which is probably also the main purpose of the track. It’s like you’re listening to a SAIFAM radio show where a woman is telling you about the latest TBY gossip, and then add some screeches and reverse bass to that and you get a very entertaining and cool track.
The production quality is as always, very high but like with every other SAIFAM release, there isn’t much difference between the both mixes, and the original mix on the b-side basically just has some other kicks in the climax and some more vocals about Julia Roberts and a dancing washing machine which the TNT mix misses.

Channel KGB’s continues the trend with banging SAIFAM tracks and this is a must have for all TBY fans. Maybe it’s not one of the best hardstyle creations of all time, but this track is simple, energetic, fun and you even get to hear some hardstyle gossip. Who knew that  Technoboy and Tuneboy had crashed down Hugh Hefners mansion during a playboy party?

If you want to know more, stay with us – CHANNEL K-G-B’s!

• A. The KGB’s – Channel KGB’s (TNT Remix)
• B. The KGB’s Channel KGB’s (Original Mix)

Available for purchase at: http://www.saifam.com/download/index.cfm?contenuto=32&catal=POLL&code=303

Verdict: 85/100

On the A-side, we find a track which was already featured on last year’s Qlimax compilation. A sampled man is friendly enough to introduce us to the intro with an effective “One, two yo!” – only to find an indeed captivating little melody, accompanied by rather shallow, unsatisfying kicks. If only things had been mixed up a little on the Qlimax CD and Between Worlds had been given the intro kicks of Trapped’s Solaio mix…

As we proceed towards the break, the bass does deepen and breaks down into a solid buildup. The main melody, then, is actually varied, unlike your standard repeat-the-same-4-bars-8-times-voila-nu$tyle scheme. Probably A-Lusion’s innovative mind at work.

Now Between Worlds may be a captivating, addictive track, but the real gem here is on the B-side. A sweet woman voice telling you she wants to be free – interesting. So far so good. Yet when that reverse bass comes in, you know this track just can’t go wrong anymore. Some bars ahead, the intro melody comes in, voiced by a massive, dry synth. Another layer of delicious crunch is added to the reverse bass, to the point where regular speakers have no idea what to do with it anymore.

The big mystery of Reaching Out, however, is not how the guys managed to create that wonderfull bass – mids, actually. No, the real question at hand is how the hell a break that blatantly cheesy fails to annoy the shit out of me. How a break about love eternal and being in someone’s arms forever fails to send the listener into a Scantraxx-cursing, guns-blazing anti-nustyle frenzy.

Maybe it has something to do with the realization that a brilliant melody and wonderfully deep and again reverse bass are coming up. Maybe it is the image of Onne Witjes humming that stupid song to himself under the shower, thinking of those romantic, melody-ridden days in the studio with Scope. Or maybe it’s how the break reminds our webmaster Moe of oldschool Sonic themes, from back when he didn’t have to worry about the sexy secretary at his boring office job 5 days a week yet.

Whatever the case is, these gentlemen have delivered a near-perfect blend. With a fresh melody in Between Worlds and a crispy kick in Reaching Out, it is a certain amount of innovation and not just the addictive melodies that make you want to come back to this slab of vinyl. One final warning: listen to Reaching Out on a hifi system or proper headphones or you will be severely disappointed.

Tracklist:

• A. A-Lusion meets Scope DJ – Between Worlds
• B. A-Lusion meets Scope DJ – Reaching Out

Verdict: 85/100

In terms of mastering quality, it certainly was not. Especially Tomorrow & Beyond sounds muffled and unclear. And mind you, we’re reviewing a web release, not some vinyl rip recorded through grandpa’s pickup and a Behringer mixer. Thus, the comparison to Zany’s third sampler, with the usual inbelievable mastering job by Michel Pollen, instantly fails.

But what about the tracks themselves? There certainly is better news here. Tomorrow & Beyond, with its trancy, uplifting melody, would certainly work wonders at a party. However, Frequencerz make the mistake of already letting the pitched kicks come in in the intro, accompanied by a half-baked melody. Trying out new structures is always worthy of praise, but this appears to be a largely failed experiment.

Still, the climax would have made up for the slight mistake that the intro is. Would have, because again, the guys’ lack of professional production experience shows. Had they managed to make the synth sound as massive and overpowering as they meant to, the effect of the track would have been really mind-blowing. Had they managed to get rid of that murky, dusty-attic feel on the kick, they would have created a truly major hit.

So what about Wishes? There is probably even more potential here. An ominous intro and mysterious sample lead the listener into a dark, sinister climax. The mastering seems slightly better here, and it becomes clear that Niels Koster & Pepijn Hol have been listening to Noisecontrollers very well. Still, every track has similarities to other tracks, and the simple fact that this reminds me of NC does not mean it is bad.

In conclusion, this release is not that great. It mainly suffers from mastering and sound design problems, showing how inexperienced its producers are. Yet they are not to blame: who’s to expect Michel Pollen-quality mastering after just two releases? The positive side is, these guys show potential. Wishes reminds of Noisecontrollers’ work, not as a rip-off, but as something based on the same level of musical genius.

Whether they will match those high expectations in the future remains to be seen, but the answer to the question in the first paragraph is a firm ‘yes’. Keep an eye out for these young’uns.

Tracklist:

• A. Frequencerz – Tomorrow & Beyond
• B. Frequencerz – Wishes

Verdict: 72/100

HEY WHAT’S UP IT’S YA GIRL NIQUE, A KAY A FREAK NIQUE, A KAY A GEEK NIQUE

Technoboy and his crew have once again proven themself to be geniuses when it comes to finding random vocals and make an absolutely awesome track out of them. We all remember the mega hit Double Dutch Darkies which had vocals from a random YouTube video of a woman who was reading a poem . The SAIFAM crew recorded the vocals, put on a massive bassline and made it one of the best tracks since god knows when and it quickly became a huge hit among all hardstyle fans.
A Kay A is even better than DDD and SAIFAM could possibly have created one of the best tracks of 2009 with the help of an unknown female rapper from YouTube.

So, what is it that’s so good about this track you may wonder. Doesn’t it just sound like an ordinary SAIFAM track among all others?
The answer to that question is indeed yes.

A Kay A is a track which has all the typical SAIFAM ingredients. Female vocals, a hard bassline and an uplifting melody are all things that we have heard in so many Italian hardstyle tracks before.
The track kicks off with a typical, deadly SAIFAM bassline which instantly makes the whole dancefloor move – you simply can not stand still to this and the catchy vocals match perfectly with the awesome bassline. The italians have once again made an awesome job maintaining a great drive in the intro and it never gets boring.  Maybe the vocals are a bit silly and there’s always a danger that you’ll get tired of them pretty fast which is also the case with Oh my god and many other SAIFAM tracks with repetetive vocals, though it’s often quite silly vocals combined with a great bassline that gives all hardstyle tracks that little bit of extra drive, and that’s also why italian hardstyle tracks usually are more powerful than dutch since the italian producers often use vocals in a very good and professional way. Second Match, The Beauty and the beat, Sexbusters, Demoliton, Mescal – they all have awesome vocalwork which makes them rememberable as some of the best hardstyle tracks ever.

There’s no disturbing break in this track and shortly after the intro, an uplifting melody kicks in (EHM Mix) together with a rather trancy, but good synth. The melody could possibly have been a bit more simple, but regardless of that, it forms a great combination together with another killer bassline. There isn’t much to say about the Straight On Mix on the flipside, but at least it’s not a “change the snare and clap” mix like we have seen so many times before on most SAIFAM releases.
The so called Straight On Mix has a different climax with a melody which is more simple than in the EHM Mix and it also has a regular kick instead of a bassline in the climax.

A Kay A is a release which hopefully won’t be forgotten in a long time. The SAIFAM production team are once again showing what they are capable of and the track is a technical masterpiece, filled with bleeps, screeches and other sounds which are like ear candy.
Even if the EHM mix could have had a bit more simple melody, it’s still deadly, maybe even deadlier than our dear australian friend Moes hunger and shows the world that great hardstyle still exists in a time of TOK TOK kicks and everlasting breaks.

Tracklist:

• A. DJ Phil TY – A Kay A (EHM Mix)
• B. DJ Phil TY – A Kay A (Straight On Mix)

Verdict: 88/100

Of course, Time is a much-anticipated track which has already been on a lot of compilations. With it, Frontliner again exercises his talent for catchy songs the masses love. This time, the popularity is partly due to copious amounts of cheese and bells. A classification for it that keeps crossing my mind is ‘lame’.

On the other hand, there is quite a lot of artistic merit to it. On a surround system, the bells in the intro have an impressive effect to them – it feels as though you are standing right in the middle of a playing carillon.

More important, however, is that Frontliner continues to break away from the standard nustyle structure. The intro and outro of Time are recognisably different from the climax, yet they are  part of the same composition. If layered together they would still make a single song, a quality that is not present in most melodic hardstyle.

Rollin’ also attemps to break with the set structure rules, following the same pattern as Headhunterz’ A New Day. There is a short intro, a break in which the melody comes up, which in turn dissolves into a midintro in which the melody is absent. This has a wonderful effect on the listener, creating tension and energy. The Donkey Rollers have proved the concept’s worth years ago with The Fusion of Sound, yet similar tracks are very hard to find. Frontliner, however, previously made one under his Abject alias, the woefully underrated song My Dome.

Rollin’, like A New Day, is different to both songs mentioned above in having the melody turn up again in a ‘real’ climax. A melody which, by the way, is not as cheesy as Time’s, and actually very captivating and uplifting.

All in all, this release is in fact very similar to Spacer / Warphole, with an overrated piece of cheese as an A-side and a wonderful melody on the back. Both Time and Rollin’, however, have more artistic merit to them than Frontliner’s last pair of huge hits – Muzyk and Self Deprication (SSL002) for some reason never got as big. Yet again like Spacer / Warphole, the B-side is the winner here. Time is to be applauded for its structure and composition, yet simply too lame to take it completely seriously. Rollin’, with its effective structure and brainlessly entertaining melody, ultimately proves more worth and makes for a highly positive final verdict.

And to answer my question from the first paragraph, this release still fails to point out Scantraxx Silver’s raison d’être. There is no noticeable difference at all between the releases on here and those on Scantraxx, or Scantraxx Specials, for that matter. Although hardly a reason to criticise every release on there, it does seem a little silly to start sublabels just for the sake of having sublabels. Or something. It’s like a whore having babies just because… oh wait…

Tracklist:

• A. Frontliner – Time
• B. Frontliner – Rollin’

Verdict: 79/100

Wanna comment on that controversial last paragraph? Do so on our special sexy forums!

The first two tracks, both completely fresh, would suggest ‘no’ as an answer. They do have that typical Promo sound, but it is used to such an extent that the songs lack innovation. Which is not to say that they are bad. The already released and rather more unique, but straightforward Battling Ignorance paves the way for one of the few collabs on this album. With Silence Surrounds Me, The Wishmaster joins Promo in an effort to create a mainstream dancefloor smasher with a twist. A drooping synth and mysterious vocals manage to make the melody sound a little disturbing instead of cheesy: mission accomplished.

Song number five is in accordance with another classic Promo theme: a melody that is overly happy in essence, but sounds strangely detuned in combination with the chords and kicks. You will not find this kind of music anywhere else. This Is How We Rock is followed by a number of previously released tracks, including modern classics such as The Tablet and the D-Passion remix of Running Against the Rules.

Those slightly older pieces of art are followed by one of the winners of this release: Fuck That Mashup. About as mainstream as Promo gets, its effective melody and rolling, heavy kicks will rip any dancefloor to shreds. Delving further into the ‘rolling kick’ domain, Refuse to Recognize ends the first CD with a by all means recognisably UK hardcore sound.

We are introduced to the second CD by an Asian Drum Lesson, a funny, yet well-produced gimmick track that would work perfectly as a set opener. My Beating Drum resembles the first song’s title, but is a more modest mainstream track with a wonderful melody and well-chosen samples. Another couple tracks from recent Promo releases that seem to have gone by largely unnoticed are interrupted by Rhythmics of a Badboy. Tough kicks and rough screeches make that one live up to its name.

Sebastian Hoff is no stranger to vanity and with Promo for President, he shows a tad of narcism again. However, as with all songs on the album, it possesses some undeniable quality, once again proving the bold title justified. Taking Your Life contrasts sharply. The tempo is whacked up by 25 BPM, thus creating a no-nonsense, bad-ass banger. Another modern classic, Back on the Map, brings the tempo down again, only to be followed by the massively impressive The Grower.

Released on the Demolition 10 sampler, The Grower is one of Promo’s greatest masterpieces. Most of the hardcore scene seems not to have picked it up though, maybe due to bad luck, maybe due to its high ‘difficulty level’. Hopefully, its being paired with another true masterpiece will raise its popularity somewhat. Because indeed, the Meccano Twins remix of Different Breed of Men is an outstanding effort at creating the hardest, heaviest kicks known to man. Adding the addictive vocals and wacky industrial screeches to the equation, not a single point of criticism remains.

Quality Control finally comes to an end with another collab with The DJ Producer. This one, however, is about a year and a half old, leading us to the first conclusion about this album: although it is filled to the brim with quality material, it is not so much a new album as it is an overview of Promo’s work since the release of The Revolutionist. Therefore, it sounds more like a random collection of tracks, whereas The Revolutionist was a brilliantly composed, fresh and innovative whole. Ironically, the large number of already released tracks can make it boring rather quickly for the avid Promo fan.

So all in all Quality Control does not live up to the massive expectations its predecessor created. Looking at the tracks individually, however, we still find more quality than on your average MOH compilation or Hardcore Yearmix. Especially for those who are into hardcore but do not know too much of Promo’s work, this album could be an eye-opener. Promo enthusiasts might find it contains a little too many ‘old’ tracks for their liking, but there is still enough new and potentially classic material to warrant a purchase.

Tracklist:

CD1:
01. Promo – My Future Destiny
02. Promo – Rising Out Of The Dark
03. Promo – Battling Ignorance
04. The Wishmaster & Promo – Silence Surrounds Me
05. Promo – This Is how We Rock
06. Promo – From Deep Within’
07. Promo – The Tablet
08. Promo – Follow My Movement
09. Promo – Weapons Of Divine Temper
10. Promo – The Grower
11. Promo – Fuck That Mashup
12. The DJ Producer & Promo – Mark Of High Renown

CD2:
01. Promo – Asian Drum Lesson
02. Promo – My Beating Drum
03. Promo – Always Futile
04. Promo – Your Love Is gone
05. Promo – Rhythmics Of a Badboy
06. Promo – Time To Shine
07. Promo – Promo For President
08. Promo – Taking Your Life (With A Song)
09. Promo – Back on The Map
10. Promo – Running Against The Rules (D-Passion Remix)
11. Promo – Different Breed Of Men (Meccano Twins Remix)
12. The DJ Producer & Promo – Refuse To Recognise

Verdict: 83/100

Note: In this review, the 3 hidden tracks the album contains are not discussed, but they are included in the verdict. It is probably more fun to find out what they are for yourself. Discuss on our forums.