Originally
published on isnotwas.com
Full Disclosure: If I’m listening
DJ music, my choices usually run from David Holmes to Kruder &
Dorfmeister—the gritty, funky down-tempo stuff, in other
words, not Sasha and Digweed or BT (though they’re good
at what they do)—the trancey, dreamy stuff. Admittedly then,
my taste in DJs doesn’t cut too deeply into trance.
So what’s our buddy ATB cooked up for us
on Two Worlds then? Well, you get a lovely color insert full of
glossy pics: ATB himself in full bed head, wanna-be-model mode;
a palm tree against a resplendent orange sunset, a tremendously
comfy-looking brown leather armchair, which I wanna steal for
my living room – but what about the music, you ask? Oh yeah,
the music.
The opener “See You Again” is tremendous
dance floor fodder.
Then there’s Heather Nova on “Love
Will Find You” and again later on “Feel You Like a
River.” Being a fan of breathy female vocalists, these songs
work fine for me. They’re not exactly ground-breaking though.
The Wild Strawberries guest on “Let U Go” and York
on “The Fields of Love.” Both songs are solid enough
dance tracks.
Likely one of the most successful tracks, “The
Summer” is nothing more than a retread of ATB’s previous
trance anthem “9PM (Till I Come).“ This is the equivalent
of Right Said Fred releasing “I’m to Sexy for my Pants”
or, better yet, those Lords of Bombast Metallica actually releasing
”Unforgiven Too.”
Too many of the following songs slip by like so
much filler: “Bring It Back,” “Hypnotic Beach,”
“Fall Asleep” – that’s three songs in
a row. Fortunately, things get a little more interesting on the
final track, “Klangwelt,” as ATB introduces a good
‘n’ heavy beat—as well as a sample that sounds
suspiciously like it was lifted from ”9PM (Til I Come).”
Oh well, when you’re on a good thing, stick to it, I suppose.
Another problem, perhaps the main problem, with
this release is that it laspes onto two disks, two sketchy discs
which could easily have been conflated into a single fairly solid
one.
To be fair, the first track on the second disc,
“First Love,” does establish a nice relaxed groove.
An instrumental version of “Feel You Like a River”
follows. Then a remix of “The Summer.” No real gripes,
so far.
Problem is, by the fourth track, “Engrossing
Moments,” we’re deep into cheese. In fact, there’s
enough cheese here to feed a family of five rodents for a good
six months. This dated concoction sounds like an unholy collaboration
with Yanni or John Tesh, though I’m not sure either of them
would lay claim to it. The next two tracks, “Timeless”
and “Repulse,” fare only slightly better.
I expected something engaging in “Enigmatic
Encounter,” a collaboration with—who’da thunkit—Enigma.
So far as I can tell, Enigma contributed some pan-pipey effects,
not unlike those heard on any of the Enigma albums. And ATB throws
in his ”9AM (Til I Come)” sample again here, too.
Seems he and Enigma both agree: when you’re on to a good
thing, you really, really should stick to it.
The unsalvageably unsensual “Sensuality”
(more pan pipes—surely, the least sexy instrument ever devised)
and the ambient exercise “Endless Silence” round off
the second disk.
Don’t get me wrong, this set is slickly
produced, and I’m sure die-hard trance fans will want it
for their collections. I simply find it repetitive, auto-derivative,
and overlong.
6/10
Robert Stribley
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