Pros: 8 tracks for the single price, kickin DJ Icey mix, tear-the-tent-down PVD mix
Cons: Some mixes are only slightly different so the 8 feels like 6.
The Bottom Line: If you love the original, the single will treat you well. If you only sort of like the original, you will be unimpressed by half of the mixes.
sadida's Full Review: We Are Alive [Maxi Single] by Paul Van Dyk
What style is it?
Mostly trance, a house track, and some beats and breaks
I'm a big fan of Paul Van Dyk's older stuff. I like most of his newest album, but not the whole thing. With this single, he seems to have pulled out a little of his old sound, and I love it.
8 tracks, seems nice for a single, but you have to realize that there is a lot of repetition on this single. That isn't necessarily bad though.
If you like the radio mix and really enjoy the vocals, you get the "Full on Vocal mix" to satisfy you. If you like the "Club Mix" sound, you get one with vocals,
and one with out. I tend to look at this single having 6 tracks instead of 8 due to some very similar mixes. It's also interesting to note that every mix on this disc, other than the DJ Icey track, is by PVD himself.
The "Vandit Club Mix" has been clubbed out a bit, but it isn't all that much different from the radio mixes. I can't decide if that is good or bad. Part of me thinks it is good because it takes a pretty good track and just makes
it more danceable/mixable. The other part of me thinks I paid for a single with multiple copies of the same mix. I also like to listen to singles the whole way through.
If there isn't enough variety between the mixes I get tired of the track quickly. In this case, I got tired of the track during the first half of the CD.
The second half of the CD is much better.
The DJ Icey mix is great. Considering over half of this CD is filled with sweepy, rounded-edges type trance, it's nice to see DJ Icey come in and kick a little butt. Icey keeps the vocal samples pretty much intact, and drops them over a punching set of beats and breaks. This mix really has a lot of energy. It's sort of all over the place, but seems to work well.
Next up is the "Breathless Mix". Why is it called the Breathless Mix? Because, you will be out of breath after dancing to it, that's why! This track really saved this disc for me. The first 4 tracks are more similar than different. The Icey track is good, so we are up to +2 for the CD. The Breathless Mix adds on 2 bonus points itself. The Breathless Mix is a lot harder than the radio edits(as it should be), but keeps the same euphoric "alive" feeling to it. At 7 minutes, 37 seconds, it is the longest
track on the disc, but at the same time, seems the most sonically "full" of the tracks. There aren't any portions of the track that seem to drone on. The whole thing just flows.
The "Deep Breath Mix" must have been made with Deep Dish in mind. I can see this track fitting perfectly into one of their sets. If you don't know who Deep Dish, do yourself a favor and find out :) This mix is definitely a house track, not a trance track. Add another bonus point to the tally for some variety.
Next to the Breathless Mix, the "Original Mix" is my favorite. At the end of the track are what sound like atari video game system samples. Does anyone else agree? This track is well constructed and typical PVD.
There is a VERY mixable intro to this song, with an outro to match. The beat is steady and the mids and highs drop out for a bit for you to slide this baby in. The
Original mix also has plenty of breakdowns to get those hands in the air.
What else should I check out?
Paul Van Dyk - Seven Ways
BT - Mercury and Solace
Recommended:
Yes
Great Music to Play While: Getting ready to go out
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