John Askew has been working hard in the studio recently, but has just mixed a new double-disc compilation for the fans of Discover. The release, Discover 40 Compiled and Mixed by John Askew is now available, and we cannot stop listening to it!
The double-disc CD starts off with Thomas Datt’s track “Evaporate” which is served up with a chilled out mix. The track reminds you of older Trance tracks from the likes of Selu Vibra and A.M.’s 2006 track “Arise”, since it is in fact a bit older of a track. In any case, it still has that specific breezy, warm, and unique feeling that you would hear from an opening DJ set. Within minutes, you hear both sides of New York native Thomas Datt and you realize that you are in fact listening to a Discover CD and not some cheesy vocal track with a BPM lower than you heart’s resting rate.
Askew continues mixing tracks like Greg Downey’s “Once Again”, Tom Colontonio’s “Infinity Passage”, and Tyas’ take on Neal Scarborough’s “Stung on the River”, which all remind you of the immense power and flavor of quality Discover releases. In fact, Askew’s flawless mixing allows his track “How Can I Put This” to make you see that Askew is serious about putting real Trance tracks back on the map and not simply playing House-influenced Trance like other DJs are doing these days.
Towards the end of the first disc, you hear Askew getting harder and harder in his selections. He does slow things a tad bit down with the not so aggressive remix by Vandit’s Giuseppe Ottaviani of John O’Callaghan and Bryan Kearney’s “Exactly”, which I must say is quite nice to hear again after playing the track for at least a year in my own sets.
Eventually, Askew decides to play tracks from producers in other parts of the world and drops David Newsum’s brilliant track “From Dubai with Love”. This track was definitely the quite the banger around its release date and frequently played in my sets, but I still get an instant rush of euphoria when hearing it again. Soon, John Askew shifts to his own remix of the Middle Eastern trio between Amadeus vs. Aly & Fila and their track “A Dream of Peace”. Without getting political, it is tracks like these that make you wonder if a little bit of Trance in people’s ‘diets’ could cure all the bizarre substance we see on the news. Regardless, the remix is one of Askew’s finest and I’m surprised I had never heard such a superb remix before.
The only track I wasn't’t sure about on the first CD is Askew’s “The Door” which seemed more like a track he should end the first disc with. Though the production is very different from other Askew tracks, it’s still a nice one!
Right then, on to the second disc.
For the second installment of Discover 40, Askew kicks it off with his remix of JOC’s “Low Resolution Fox” and then goes into Thomas Bronzwaer’s take on Inertia’s “The System”. The two tracks are mixed together just right, so that you are able to hear every part of each track. Askew even holds the mix for an extra few seconds as “The System” goes into a short build. The second disc goes on to the third track, which is a track I never personally saw much play from and it’s Coast to Coast’s “Cut Me”. Once again, Askew select’s John O’Callaghan’s version of it, which I must say is the best one from the entire release. Playing a dub mix of this track would be ridiculous, since the lyrics to it are just right in quantity and quality. Although Askew decided to only play a short 3 minute or so cut of the track, he did it for a valid reason. I mean, what other way can you make room for Sean Tyas’ “Lift” so early in a set? Askew decides to play his rework of this HUGE trance bomb and the rework sounds enormously powerful on a proper set of monitors!
We go back to Datt’s “Evaporate” in the next track, but this time around it’s the 2006 Stoneface & Terminal remix directly from the Euphonic boys. It’s definitely a great remix and shows both sides of the track without any hesitation in inimitable production.
The second disc keeps hammering out exquisite bass lines, and almost tears my sub woofer a new one with “Restricted Motion” by JOC & Kearney and Datt’s “2v2” with remix duties by Sean Tyas. These two reminded me of my teenage years of sitting in front of my computer with my hands in the air listening to trance and pretending I was at Global Gathering or Dance Valley. At any rate, arm chair ravers will agree that these tracks define real Trance and shy away from some of the deficient Trance productions of the present.
Askew slows things way down and almost makes me laugh when the vocal snippet in his track “Skylab” asks “Is this driving you mad?” This track has more of a Techno influence than a Trance one and gives your ears a short break from pounding bass lines, but it definitely delivers the Askew goodness that we love so much here at Sense.FM
The track selection continues to amaze me as Askew plays a track from Moscow based producer Tenthu. His track is entitled “Stay Away”, yet it pulls you closer as you hear the breaks influenced bass lines playing among other subtle instruments. This one is certainly a favorite of mine on this compilation, and I’m sure many US EDM fans will agree that Tenthu’s track definitely reflects what we’ve been hearing on popular dance floors and clubs in the US.
The second disc maintains a clever and splendid job as Askew’s best mixed compilation with tracks from Paul Miller, Aled Mann, and more of the same Discover talent that we’ve hearing from in the last few years. I must say that Askew does a superb job in compiling such a variety of tracks all in one mix. The second disc finishes off with the original mix of JOC & Kearney’s track “Exactly”, and it’s exactly what was needed to complete this flawless mix compilation.
We give this mix compilation all 5 Senses, and look forward to Askew’s artist album coming out later this year. Additionally, we’re giving away 4 copies of this double-disc to 4 lucky fans of Sense.FM, Discover, John Askew, and anyone else that made it into this compilation. To participate in this contest, please follow these instructions.
Email discover40contest@sense.fm with the subject Discover 40 Contest. Include your full name and address in the email. Also, please answer the following question in the email. On Discover 30, who was the only other remixer of John Askew’s track “Chime”?
4 lucky winners will be picked randomly after the end of the contest on August 20th, 2008 at 5pm Sense.FM time. Sending a picture of yourself naked does not at all increase your chances of winning. Good luck and happy listening!
Tracklist:
Label: Discover
Cat. No.: Discover 40
Genre: Uplifting Trance
Release date: 7 July, 2008
Format: 2 Mixed CD
Playtime: 234:23 min
CD 1
01: Thomas Datt - Evaporate (Chilled Mix)
02: Thomas Datt - Alone (Inertia Remix)
03: Sterelis - Lost (Charlie Brownz Remix)
04: Greg Downey - Once Again
05: John Askew - Chime
06: Tom Colontonio - Infinity Passage
07: Neal Scarborough - Stung on The River (Sean Tyas Remix)
08: Greg Downey Vivid - Intent (Giuseppe Ottaviani Vs Marc van Linden Remix)
09: John O'Callaghan - Space & Time (Intro)
10: Thomas Datt - Distance (Neal Scarborough Remix)
11: Thomas Datt - Distance (Original Mix)
12: John Askew - How Can I Put This (John O'Callaghan Remix)
13: O'Callaghan & Kearney - Exactly (Giuseppe Ottaviani Remix)
14: David Newsum - From Dubai with Love
15: John Askew - The Door
16: Amadeus vs Aly & Fila - A Dream of Peace (John Askew Remix)
17: Inertia - The Emerald
CD 2
01: John O'Callaghan - Low Resolution Fox (John Askew Remix)
02: Inertia - The System (Thomas Bronzwaer Remix)
03: Coast to Coast - Cut Me (John O'Callaghan Rework)
04: Sean Tyas - Lift (John Askew Rework)
05: Thomas Datt - Evaporate (Stoneface & Terminal Remix)
06: O'Callaghan & Kearney - Restricted Motion
07: Thomas Datt - 2v2 (Sean Tyas Remix)
08: John Askew - Skylab
09: Tenthu - Stay Away
10: Paul Miller - Fruit, Vegetables and Miller
11. Paul Miller - Call Me Miller
12: Aled Mann - Cold Fusion (Sean Tyas Remix)
13: John O'Callaghan - Split Decision
14: Inertia - The Chamber
15: Sean Tyas - Drop
16: O'Callaghan & Kearney - Exactly
The CD can also be purchased at Recover World Catalog
Review by: Vlad L. - Sense.FM Station Manager"
Links:
Dj John Askew official website
John Askew @ MySpace
Sense.FM official website
Discover official website
Recover world official website
