DJ Tiësto - In Search Of Sunrise 3: Panama

  • Published
    Jul 25, 2002
  • Words
    Resident Advisor
  • Released
    June 2002
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  • If there is one DJ that has come to symbolise trance, that man would have to be DJ Tiesto. While other ‘superstar’ DJs were busy jumping on various bandwagons a few years ago, Tiesto stuck to his guns and played the music that he enjoyed. Although he was known for his production and DJing work, it wasn’t until his marvellous remix of ‘Silence’ by Delerium that he shot to the forefront of trance popularity. With the immense success of this remix, people finally took a more than healthy interest in Tiesto’s own productions making tracks such as ‘Flight 643’ and ‘Suburban Train’, to name a few, dancefloor staples. Having been fortunate enough to see Tiesto perform earlier this year at Two Tribes, it is quite clear why he has a strong and very devoted following. His command of the audience that night was like nothing I had ever witnessed from an international DJ before or since. But what made his performance so special was that it was obvious he was enthused by and loved the music he played. Some have described the music he plays as ‘cheese’ but one man’s cheese is another man’s cream. If playing the kind music that people obviously love is regarded as cheese, I wouldn’t mind a whole platter! This is the third release in the ‘In Search of Sunrise’ series and one that I have been waiting for with much anticipation. While I have never heard, or for that matter been able to find, the first one, the second one was on high rotation at my house for many, many months. ‘In Search of Sunrise 3’ delivers what it sets out to do with a mix of the most uplifting and euphoric trance that you are likely to hear. Tiesto is one DJ whose tracklisting I never bother to check because I know what to expect and so far, he has not disappointed. ‘In Search of Sunrise 3’ opens almost quietly with ‘Into the Fire’ by Noa Assembly. Its effect is quite atmospheric which leads perfectly into ‘Hear You Now’ (Grand Chillas Mix) by DJ Hooligan. This track is, by far, one of the most haunting pieces of music I have ever had the pleasure of listening to and hearing the vocals is enough to give me goosebumps. I often wonder where Tiesto finds tracks like this because they tend to appear quite often in his mix CDs and nowhere else. Very nice! While not overly bass heavy, Tiesto slowly builds the tempo with such tracks as ‘Summer Calling’ (Josh Gabriel Mix) by Andain, ‘Meia Lua’ (Steve Gibbs Mix) by Tremor and ‘Don’t Do It’ by World Clique. This is done in such a subtle manner that by the time you hear ‘Stringz Ultd’ (Shelley Mix) by Chiller Twist, you suddenly find yourself wishing it was the weekend again and there was a dancefloor nearby. Well, I did anyway. This particular track is my personal highlight of this compilation and I only hope I get the opportunity to hear it in a club sometime soon. An awesome track that builds and builds and when it finally hits, it doesn’t disappoint. Trance at its absolute uplifting best! Tiesto continues to maintain this feel until the very last track and manages to include one of my favourite tracks for this year, ‘Mindcircus’ (Gabriel & Dresden Remix) by Way Out West. The only disappointing aspect to this CD is one track: ‘Southern Sun’ by Paul Oakenfold. There are no excuses for tracks like this especially from someone like Paul Oakenfold. What was he thinking? Or maybe that’s just the problem: he wasn’t! The actual music itself isn’t too bad but once Carla Werner starts wailing, it’s all over. I can’t decide whether she’s singing off key or simply out of her vocal range. While Tiesto’s remix makes this somewhat tolerable, I can’t help but wince every time I hear it. This ruins an otherwise perfect mix. The essence of the ‘In Search of Sunrise’ series is the continued search for beauty and perfection in the form of music. With this instalment, Tiesto continues to touch emotions with the tracks that he has selected. This compilation isn’t about the continuous onslaught of ‘banging’ music but more about the intricacies and subtleties that can be found in dance music today. After listening to this CD a few times, this reviewer found herself being carried away… almost as if I was dreaming. This is what Tiesto, as a DJ and producer, does best. Trying to find this CD was almost a mission in itself but one that was well worth the effort. My respect for this man continues to grow with every release!
  • Tracklist
      1. ‘Into the Fire’ – Noa Assembly 2. ‘Hear You Now’ (Grand Chillas Mix) – DJ Hooligan 3. ‘Faith’ (Loafer Mix) – Starecase 4. ‘Summer Calling’ (Josh Gabriel Mix) – Andain 5. ‘Solarcoaster’ – Solar Stone 6. ‘Meia Lua’ (Steve Gibbs Mix) – Tremor 7. ‘In My Memory’ (Gabriel & Dresden Elephant Memory Vocal) – DJ Tiesto 8. ‘Your Body is a Temple’ – Argonaut 9. ‘Don’t Do It’ – World Clique 10. ‘Stringz Ultd’ (Shelley Mix) – Chiller Twist 11. ‘Southern Sun’ (DJ Tiesto Mix) – Paul Oakenfold 12. ‘Activate’ – Accessive Rhythm 13. ‘Mindcircus’ (Gabriel & Dresden Remix) – Way Out West 14. ‘Open Your Eyes’ – Nalin & Kane 15. ‘Personal Reflexion’ – Jericho
RA