Michael Tsukerman
» Are You Mad?
Reviewed by Dean Zone
/ Submitted 03-09-07 00:00
Label: Phoenix Recordings
Format: CD-R
Genre: Trance / Tech Trance / Hard Trance
I love it when you get your hands on a track that doesn’t quite fit into a simple genre or even sub-genre, but rather sits somewhere in between. I can say that Are You Mad is Trance, Tech Trance or Hard Trance. Instead it sort of occupies the space somewhere in the middle. But who needs categories when, as a good friend of mine always says, good music is good music.
Says it all really.
The original is a rather moody affair to start with. Very bassy with eerily echoed synths floating around, before a punch kick drops to get the tune going properly. Would make a fantastic first tune on a demo I must say!
This keeps on building, adding percussion and synths until a mini-break. Everything goes sub-bassy, then the vocal starts.
It’s not your typical vocal either. Rather strange if anything, especially as it finished with “or are you going to dance to this stupid beat?”.
Maybe insulting the clubber is the way forward? Genius!
Without warning then the riff comes in, very stabby and definitely more of a tech trance riff, but it’s still really good and fits the track perfectly.
P.H.A.T.T delivers 2 mixes of this (one normal and one dub). The normal remix has all the elements of a typical P.H.A.T.T track: trademark acid all the way, very similar not quite hard nor trance bass he that he seems to get in all of his productions.
It sounds very similar to the original. Even the structure is pretty much identical, and the vocal is all there too. It is definitely a remix for harder floors than the original, and they couldn’t have chosen better for remix duties, Pierre is on fire right now.
The added break beat sections during the breakdown / outro break also add something extra, but it is by and large the same tune, only for slightly harder floors.
For those who don’t like the vocal, the P.H.A.T.T Dub mix is definitely for you, as I can see that being a bit Marmitey to be honest.
Tzooki’s mix goes down a much techier route, starting with a chunky groove. Note the echoed vocal in the background keeping things rather eerie, then out of nowhere comes a throbbing bass. The vocal plays a much more prominent role in this mix than the others, Tzooki choosing to loop it and savage it with effects. It makes the tune even darker than the original. It builds throughout, leading to a distorted synth break which is excellent.
More of the same for the main breakdown later on, only with more snares and an extra layer of synth stabs.
Very different from the other mixes, but not at all in a bad way.
One for techier floors, but don’t let that fool you, this still remains the trance elements of the original
Finally we come to the DJ Madwave remix. After impressing with the aforementioned Synergy CD, I was expecting good things. He didn’t disappoint, with arguably the hardest mix of the lot.
The intro beats lead to the sample, with distorted leads twisting over snare fills which perfectly bring in the Bass. The riff has also been excellently altered, going from high for 2 bars to acidy for 2 bars, then back again.
It might sound weird, but you have to hear it for yourself, and I recommend that you do.
Mental snares and some fantastically distorted acid bring in a mini break, and for once I really couldn’t care less that the vocal is apparent because I am so enthralled in the tune. It’s bristling with pure energy. It will destroy floors across the world and sounds a world apart from all the other remixes. I will be hammering this out lots over the coming months I can say now.
Talk about saving the best till last!
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