Artist : Various
Title : New Order 2
Label : HOMmega
Format : MP3 already on Beatport and CD soon
Release date : july 09

TRACK LIST:

1.Riktam & Bansi - No fear [125 BPM]
2.Nyquist - Cubanizm [128 BPM]
3.Ticon - Juan from Colombia [129 BPM]
4. Liquid Soul - Spell [130 BPM]
5.Schatsi - Dead End (Yotopia Remix) [130 BPM]
6.Lish - White buds [128 BPM]
7.Khainz - High pressure [128 BPM]
8.Ido Ophir & Miki litvak - Meshugaim [128 BPM]
9.A.Balter - Art off [126 BPM]

Ace Ventura no longer needs an introduction, having become, twice in a row, the Beatport best psytrance artist award winner, and whose career spans over almost 10 years now, with an impressive resume of releases and gigs all over the world. We are dealing with the DJ here, capable of adapting to any venue, timeslot, and style, from the steamiest Parisian underground venue to the bucolic fields of Egerszalok or the tropical exuberance of the Brasilian scene; and each time he rocks the dancefloor. Always keeping a deft eye on musical evolution, his deejaying reflects the new ideas and styles that are exerting a strong influence on the scene. His career history is marked by long term relationships with such revered imprints as Iboga, his home label, as well as HOMmega, his former publisher under the Psysex alias, for which he successfully compiled the first chapter of the New Order compilation two years ago. He therefore has a lot of competence and professional experience to bring to bear in the compilation of this second New Order.

1. Riktam & Bansi - No Fear
To open the ball, the Ace has picked one of the new Tech/Prog productions signed by Riktam & Bansi of GMS fame. This release comes a couple of weeks after Iboga put out some of their production, following the trend started by Plastik Park and Sprout. Riktam and Bansi return with another dance-floor-minded track, rolling on a big droning bass, and tense string-like lead. The break is not as staggering as the one in the Iboga release and has a strong full-on-ish scent, but take the track for what it is : a reliable DJ tool.

2. Nyquist – Cubanism
Next is a new instalment from Iboga-tagged artist Nyquist, the other alias under which Aran Gallagher (aka Freq) writes music. Once again, he delievers a fat, elephantesque stomper, that hints at gritty electrohouse. Cool percussive melody alongside quirky synths, samples and effects coalesce until the break astutely unravels these elements into an exhilarating outburst. Another dance floor burner from the Aussie producer, ready to explode in club or on openair festval venues alike.

3. Ticon - Juan From Colombia
Pioneer Progressive Trance legends Ticon make a much appreciated appearance in this compilation to deliver a stunning combination of former D-Nox & Beckers style (for which the thirst seems to remain unquenched) happily and artfully fused with more contemporary trendy orchestration devices taken from the tribal/tech arsenal, all wrapped up in their signature blissful melodic vein. Their production is just as impressive as always. Another gem for the wee hours.

4. Liquid Soul – Spell
For the fourth piece, Ace simply harvested a pearl from his Iboga colleague and companion in music writing Nicola Capobianco, internationally acclaimed as Liquid Soul. Capo has forged one of his very best recent pieces, slower (130) than his average stuff, slightly indebted to electroish influence with the deep, wobbling, distorted bassline, driving forward classic LS orchestration devices such as thoroughly immersive riffs, rolling synth lines, and a soft echoing female voice sample, all of which consistently builds up towards a very trancey finale. Festival goers will love this one.

5. Schatsi - Dead End (Yotopia Remix)
Not so long ago, Miki Litvak gave a fat techy rendition of this 2006 Hadshot vintage track from the (much too quiet) Schatsi project. The same “Dead end” track from Ace Ventura’s side project gets another cool progressive house/trance rmx, this time from the Yotopia boys. The duo keeps the bleeping theme, but invigorates the track with a more bouncy bassline and jots around spaced out whipped riffs and surging airy pads. A welcome additional remix of the seminal piece, much in keeping with the style of their recent Iboga album.

6. Lish - White Buds
In quite a similar vein, Israeli pioneer act Lish comes up with another trademark swinging progressive nugget. The track outline might be more simple than the above-mentioned number, yet it is nonetheless very effective, if not more so, as it is nicely propelled by an elegant transposed bassline, tense crispy beats and chiming percussions. A tight arpeggiated lead steers the track forward and locks you in from start to finish, securing the piece’s status as another dancefloor friendly tune.

7. Khainz - High Pressure
Next we have a new instalment from the Swiss producer Khainz, the tech side project of Simon Schwendener (aka Freakulizer). He picks up a strand of techno drum pattern and heavy cymbals ride alongside a deep, low-fi whirring bassline. Percussion fourishes, industrial effects and soaring sirens assault the soundscape and keep the energy level on a constant high all through the track. A lush orchestration for sure, the only qualification being that Khainz production tends to sound pretty homogenous these days.

8. Ido Ophir & Miki Litvak - Meshugaim
Miki Litvak and Ido Ophir will definitely be hailed as the heroes of the Israeli techno scene after their storming debut last year at Evapour8. Since then, the talented pair (who collaborated as Domestic) have scarcely released tracks or rmx, just one at Sprout for example, making each of their discographic appearances an event. Mr Oshrat has put his nimble hands on the much sought after production of the duo, releasing Meshugaim, a more restrained piece than their exhuberant Shnorkel. Meshugain is a massive, techno-driven banger, with a strong emphasis on sheer sub-bass power. It rolls on driving metallic rattle and unleashes the whip hits of reverberated indus stabs which eventually develop into a demented twitch. Imagine maestros Huntemann & Liebing conspiring in their studio, and you get an idea at what they were looking to achieve. A highlight of the compilation.

9. A. Balter – Art off
Finally, after his remix appearances on Iboga and more recently at Open records, Avishai Balter is called upon to draw the curtain on what has been an essentially techno finale of the compilation. The young and promising Techno producer is better known for his DJ sets, notably for his back to back performances with his friend Yuli Fershtat/Perfect Stranger. “Art off” plays in the same register with dark overtones and a rocking low-fi bassline, and is spurred by recurring drums rolls contrasted by piano tones, all tweaked with strong reverb. A cogent break twists all things up with distortion and pitched-up frequencies. The piece probably pays a discrete tribute to neue Extrawelt, but sounds a bit too martial to my ears. Not my favourite from his output, but congrats on the compiler for releasing fresh talent.

Bottom line
Whether this second New Order outshines or is equal to the first one is up for debate, which is in itself a sign of the how good this compilation is, in compliance with the Ace’s well established high standards. It delivers some prime cuts in the progressive cross over genres, with a distinct focus on techno, thus reflecting how influential this genre has become in the psychedelic trance scene. To put a cherry on the top, the mastering is signed by Ido Ophir. There is all you can b/eat in this CD, but my personal favourites include 2, 3, 4, 6, 8. Overall, it is highly recommended for all DJ cases, with tracks that will be hammered for many months to come, in clubs and outdoor venues alike.

Aden

Related links
http://www.hommega.com/
http://www.myspace.com/aceiboga