IncubusMorning ViewRock
Everyone was waiting a while for this album to come out - it was well worth the wait. My initial impression after a single listen was that the group's last CD, "Make Yourself", had a little more to offer. But after giving it some time and becoming familiar with all the songs, it is hard to say which is better. One of the great things about Incubus is how versatile they are in terms of sound and style. One song will have a heavy hip-hop feel, with turntables and a rapping style of vocals; then the next song will have a total rock influence with hard vocals and heavy guitar riffs. Whatever way they choose to play, they somehow manage to make great songs. Brandon, the vocalist, has the type of voice that kind of hypnotizes you, and that matches the mood of the music perfectly. The hit single off this CD is, "Wish You Were Here". It's on regular rotation on the radio and MTV, but you shouldn't stop there. The whole album is great. I particularly like track 1 with its catchy chorus that is impossible to get out of your head. "Morning View" is a CD that old and new fans are guaranteed to enjoy. -chux
Ron D CoreDecibles of DestructionHardcore
This is just one of many CD's and tapes from the king of hard core, Ron D Core. Some music fans may have no idea who the heck he is, but big fans of gabber are glad to hear that he has not stopped - and he probably never will. For those who may be curious and want to know more about this type of music, here's a little background. This type of music basically started out with the whole rave scene. Techno DJ's wanted something a little faster to dance to, and found some pretty crazy sounds when they changed the speed on their turntables. The whole hardcore thing also became a huge craze in the '90's when most of the clubs and a few raves started to play a lot of house music. Basically the whole conflict behind hardcore vs. house is like that between punk and disco, a clash of cultures. All the hardcore kids became the outkasts, the ones who just liked to get really close to the speakers and jump up and down. Now, if you go to a rave the main room will probably be playing trance, and there will usually be a little hardcore room. But the really good raves have hardcore as the majority. That's the type of rave that's full of energy, and allows you to release everything in your body/mind. As regards the CD: if you've never experienced this type of music live at a club or a rave then it's kind of hard to get into it. One great thing about it though is that if your car has a nice audio setup this CD will definitely show off your system. Check out www.drfreeclouds.com. -chux
DJ Eddie MixTrance Stimuli version 2.0Trance
To be up front about it, I have to admit I've never been into trance. But this CD is pretty damn good. It flows nicely without the overkill on the repetition - my biggest gripe with the genre (after five stagnant minutes of one type of beat or groove or mood I'm ready to switch out CDs). "Trance Stimuli" is different. It's upbeat, yet soothing; you can dance sexy to it; and it all has a quite similar BPM (beats per minute), making it easy to mix to. DJ Eddie Mix is a highly successful club DJ as well as a music director for Power 96 in Miami Florida, and he obviously has earned his success. Judging from this CD he truly know his stuff, and how to reach out to an audience musically. One of the things that makes this CD so good is all the female chorus parts mixed into it. Most of the songs have some kind of female vocals that go perfectly with the beats, adding some sweet variety to the music. And it sounds great in your car audio system. Check it out at www.neurodisc.com. -chux