Short attention span theatre doesn’t survive in a number of club mixes I’ve come across over the years, especially in the trance genre. Since there are so many subgenre variables, the range can take you from enough beats to saunter to the bar to the other extreme of escapism, where you don’t know which way is up or down. After a few listens to all three – yes three CDs – that make up Chris Fortier’s Balance 007 is riper for a swanky pool party with Bond girls, but only after the sun starts to set than something you’d throw in to get that party started.
During round one, the vibe starts to heat up after “Klub,” which was starting to get on my every nerve like Chinese water torture or a fly that keeps buzzing around your head when you’re trying to sleep, but the saving grace was delivered in the following tracks that started pumping with number eight, “Break Free” by Lindos & Moth.
Hitting up the second CD, things again take a slow, languid turn until the midway point, where “Usage” with the slinky sounds of Fey Sepheriah’s serenade adds that foreign setting of sophistication.
After all is said and done, what strikes me is how so many different artists can create such similar music. This is not a dis, but rather a form of disbelief. Now, it seemed to me that the most prevalent example of redundancy has been with this whole screamo thing that’s been going on where five guys get together with some hair gel, a friend who does tattoos, some steady girlfriends gone bad, and a tank of helium. And labels seem to be spitting out these bands like Viagra prescriptions (and how that old wives tales of jerking off causes blindness may just be true with this drug, how funny is that?). But the fact that 52 tracks could all sound like a really extended version of one song reminds me that this version of trance (as compared to the stuff that Paul van Dyk kicks out) just isn’t my scene, at least compared to the funkier vibes of house and breaks.
Or just maybe, Fortier’s forte for mixing is translucent, and in doing so, he adds his own signature beat to each one, a beat that continues on for hours. I can say that at times, there are some beautifully orchestrated treats here, and if you’re looking for the perfect backdrop to a day of hang gliding, pick up the last track on CD 2, “As You Fall” and hit repeat. It will land you softly back on earth.
