Creamfields mixed by Ferry Corsten

  • Published
    Oct 13, 2005
  • Words
    Resident Advisor
  • Label
    NSEM9004
  • Released
    September 2005
  • Genre
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  • Ferry Corsten needs as little introduction as the Creamfields festival brand itself. The last 12 months would have proved difficult for most clubbers to avoid his remix of “Adagio for strings” let alone the many trance compilations bearing his guidance. As far as festivals go Creamfields is renowned as one of the friendliest major dance festivals since its inception in the UK in 1998, and it seems to have chosen its ambassador well. For this outing Ferry has compiled an accessible festival trance mix which begins with a decidedly electro bias before eagerly heading into more familiar uplifting and melodic territory for the second CD. One can’t get too much more electro then the vocoder vocals of the opening track “Father” by Anthony Rother, which promptly invites a host of similar heavy hitting favourites in for a tweaking. The instrumental dub of “We interrupt this program” by Coburn gets an early look in, with the electro-house sound tipping its hat to the kind of synth riffage that continues infectiously for much of the first CD before the deeper trance elements begin to emerge in the mix. On a local tip it is interesting to see Melbourne local Luke Chable’s remix of Steve May’s rather epic production “Blend Forty – 3” make an appearance, which definitely pushes the mood further into lush melodic territory. The second CD develops this some more and will appeal most to those who are firmly entrenched in the melodic and uplifting trance fan club. If that means you, then get your members badge out and reach for lasers because there are a good 15 tracks that stay very close to the core of this style with ample female vocals, reverberated synth progressions and bubbly bass lines. Tracks that stand out from the typical uplifting trance fare do so with enough aplomb to keep the disc interesting. The most standout of these is probably Ferry Corsten’s own “Sublime”, which he lets develop and unwind into the layered big room trance he has built his career on. The other worthy mention would be Josh Gabriel’s “Alive” which goes into breakbeat uplifting trance territory that spices up the usual kicks and offbeat bass somewhat. As an aside, the double CD packaging itself is an interesting improvement on the usual case styling and is noticeably re-enforced at all the usual breaking points. Many are citing the death of the CD but this release, and even the packaging itself, argues otherwise. Despite the attempts at obtaining exclusive remixes for this compilation you can rest assured you will be hearing many of these tracks in the coming months given the resurgence of interest in bubbling and tweaking electronic house and the almost immortal (or perhaps “undead”) uplifting trance. The curiously revised track listing, which eager fans might have noticed differs somewhat from early indications, is a definite serving of a DJ and producer still well in control of his sound and only too familiar with his niche of festival rocking routines.
RA