Intro:
Massive intro, seriously one of the best intros ever on a Trance album. Dark and spacey sounds, with cool vocoder vocals in the start and a woman singing with a beautiful voice. It sounds super-futuristic and sci-fi. Also a beautiful transition to the second track on the album.
R.E.S.P.E.C.T.:
According to Mike, this is a record dedicated to his fans. It's a driving, progressive edged track. It starts with warm proggy sounds. Then the claps and kicks take over to gradually re-build the track to breakdown. A very electronic sound with some nice effects carry this track to the 8 minutes. This is the sort of Trance that was really popular in those end-nineties, but still sound up to date now!
Imagine:
Breakbeat track built around a repetitive epic theme. Occasional female vocals appear throughout the track that give it some extra dimension and atmosphere. The dreamy sounds and nice vox make this a cool track to listen to.
Electric Eclipse:
The title-track of the album is one of those typical Push tracks. A long build-up, a fat bassline, and a theme that's stuck in your head. This was already released on vinyl some months ago alongside the Tranqua Remix. This is the Original Mix and lacks some power in comparison to the Tranqua Mix. A cool melodic trancer with a catchy main lead.
Journey Of Life:
This originally was a remix from another track, but because it sounded hardly like the original track, Mike decided to make it a solo Push track. It's the oldest track on this album. The main theme sounds a little simple and not really epic, with a minor breakbeat and high synths.
Trance-Parent:
This is a fast and uplifting track, probably the 'happiest' track on the album. The track starts with a good drive and nice electro effects and the melody playing. A trancy breakdown enters and the main melody is introduced. The good driving bassline and cool kick will get fans of his Plastic Boy alias like this one.
Blue Midnight:
This is an amazing track. Very proggy influenced and atmospheric. It all starts pretty simple with a dry kick, but slowly a bassline and deep atmospheric sounds take over. A very mysterious sound with a killer subtle melody takes over. The breakdown is also nice, with vocal samples supporting the deep effects and synths. Then the track explodes in the second part. Very deep uplifting trancer, that reminds of Mike's older alias Virtua Trancer.
Universal Nation 2003:
Yeah, the killer hit and breakthrough track of Mike back in those end-nineties days. The Original Mix is considered as one of the classics in Trance history. It's still played on loads of Trance gigs worldwide. It's difficult to remix such a track, but Mike still did a reasonable job. In the first 3 minutes of the track not much is happening; but then the breakdown introduces that famous melody. Mike twisted the track in a darker way and the melody really grabs you after a couple of listens.
TRANCEFORMATION:
TRANCEFORMATION was co-produced together with Tetsuya Komuro to create this uplifting Trance tune. (Tetsuya Komuro is a very famous producer in Japan and works for the Japanese dance/rock/pop group Globe that is formed by himself and the vocalist Keiko and the rapper Marc Panther. In this group Tetsuya Komuro is responsible for playing the instruments, producing and writing the tracks.) The melody is fantastic from the start, the drive of the track is perfect. Also the breakdown is nice with awesome strange effects. One of the best Push tracks ever created.
Strange World [Tranquilo's Chillout Mix]:
A chill-out version of the original track that was released a couple of years ago. If you play this on your stereo full-on (or in my car speakers
) it's like you are in a dreamworld! The melody and vocals together in a slower tempo supported by great dreamy effects. It's like you are listening to Strange World 2000 Remake under water! Wicked stuff!
United We Stand:
This track is a fantastic closer. Not the typical Push sound or a track that leans on its melody. This a dark trip with elements of both Trance & Techno. A little oldschool sounding, but with a driving bassline, great well-placed sounds, and the effects during the breakdown are just godlike!
This Push album is quite diverse and there are some amazing new tracks on it. Some surprising tracks like United We Stand and Blue Midnight back up Trance bombs like Electric Eclipse and TRANCEFORMATION. The whole album is like a futuristic sci-fi trip! Every Push fan should get this!
