In a single album stroke, late 2015 saw one of Europe’s most established electronic music houses celebrate their landmark 500th release. The temptation for ‘Bonzai & Friends – 500’ to stroll through the highest heights of their estimable catalogue - now spanning almost a quarter of a century of musical operations, was doubtless strong. The label though went ‘the other way’ and instead of backwards, looked very much towards the future. They tasked their producer bedrock with the creation of a mind-blowing 50 new tracks - ones that would construct as an album and go down in the annals as both a long-player-great and as a portrait of all-things-Bonzai.
Against seemingly overwhelming odds, FFWD six months and the label have managed to go one better again. 20 of Bonzai’s all-star assemblage have picked out their favourite tracks from the original ‘500’ album, returned to the studio and reimagined them. If ‘500’ wasn’t the absolute essence of the label before, it most certainly is now…
Highlights of its highlights, first amongst its equals, best of the best – they’re all but impossible to pick out from the album’s embarrassment of remix riches. We’ll mention a few though!
‘Vega Shining’ from Airwave (“a tune in itself worthy of representing 20 years of the label”said LessThan3) gets an engrossing 10+ minute-long remix companion from Australian psy-ops specialist Satinka. Airwave himself takes Spaniard’s Alex Vidal ‘Blue Twilight’ on a sublimely epic, not to mention cosmically themed remix-ride. Having recently dropped his own debut artist album and mix-comps, Audio Noir furnishes John 00 Fleming ‘The Dark Ranger’ with an Odyssey Remix remap. Matt Holliday reconfigures Rick Pier O'Neil’s ‘Signal’ in dark and deliciously humid fashion, while Matt’s own ‘Prizma’ receives an epic, beatific remake courtesy of that man Yuriy From Russia. Crocy waxes galactic on Rise And Fall’s ‘Looking Forward’, whilst Gai Barone produces a beautifully dark, labyrinthine twist-cum-take on ‘East Café’s ‘Minus Ten’ with his Ode To That Night Remix.
The absolute quintessence of what makes this thoroughbred label one of the scene’s greats, ‘500 Remixes’ is out now.
‘Bonzai & Friends – 500 Remixed’ – Tracklist
01. Phi-Phi - Hiccup (East Cafe Remix)
02. East Cafe - Minus Ten (Gai Barone Ode To That Night Remix)
03. Alexey Lisin featuring Alexandra Pride - Sum Of Space (Matan Caspi Remix)
04. Airwave - Vega Shining (Satinka Remix)
05. John 00 Fleming - The Dark Ranger (Audio Noir Odyssey)
06. Thorin - Dreaming of A Better World (Nico Parisi Remix)
07. Steve Sai - The Void (Rick Pier O'Neil Remix)
08. Alex Vidal - Blue Twilight (Airwave Remix)
09. Rick Pier O'Neil - Signal (Matt Holliday Remix)
10. Matt Holiday - Prizma (Yuriy From Russia Remix)
11. Manu Riga - A Sense of Hope (Alfonso Muchacho Remix)
12. Rise And Fall - Looking Forward (Crocy Remix)
13. Yuriy From Russia - Streets of Budapest (AudioStorm Remix)
14. Matan Caspi - Cassandara (Dharmalogy Remix)
15. LoQuai - Numans Prayer (Alex Vidal Remix)
16. AudioStorm - I Will Forget All Bad Things (Manu Riga's Remember This Remix)
17. Crocy - Bedroom Stories (Steve Sai Remix)
18. Alfonso Muchacho - Darkosaur (Narel's Deep Hours Version)
19. Platunoff - Two Faces (Manu Riga & Mimi Erotique Remix)
20. Alexey Lisin featuring Alexandra Pride - Sum Of Space (Kevin Vega Remix)
Dimitri Kechagias review:
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[item value="10"]Bonzai & Friends - 500 (Remixes) [/item]
[review top="1"]
[item value="10"]Bonzai & Friends - 500 (Remixes) [/item]
[content title="Summary" label="Overall Score"] We can talk for hours about Bonzai Progressive influence in the progressive scene and this compilation definitely is the finest introduction to the newcomers and those who loved Bonzai in the past and they feel that is great to reunite with the label and keep yourself updated with it. We go for a tour track by track on Bonzai & Friends 500 (Remixes). Firstly Phi-Phi - Hiccup on the East Cafe Remix is a melodic dreamy progressive trancer with ultra clever spoken vocal sample and great melodic layers. East Cafe - Minus Ten (Gai Barone Ode To That Night Remix) is another example of Gai's ability to take us for a night ride with minimal grooves, hypnotic rhythm and magical melodies along with distorted spoken vocal samples. Alexey Lisin featuring Alexandra Pride - Sum Of Space (Matan Caspi Remix): Melodic playful dark and summery perfect for early morning sets in Ibiza terraces. Airwave - Vega Shining (Satinka Remix): travelling breaks version with excellent melodic themes, anthemic strings and emotional melodies that float you far and away. After the breakdown the track goes 4 to 4 perfect to mix it with other prog trance tracks and use it as an intro in your dj set. John 00 Fleming - The Dark Ranger (Audio Noir Odyssey): Audio Noir always delivers the goods as he provides a very deep but intense and energising version with plenty of acid overtones and swirling synths that push the track forward. Thorin - Dreaming of A Better World (Nico Parisi Remix): deep minimal progressive house make over with cool little melodies coming and going giving so much pleasure to your ear. Steve Sai - The Void (Rick Pier O'Neil Remix): Deep dark tribal tech house with mysterious moody synthy themes and exhilarating atmosphere. Alex Vidal - Blue Twilight (Airwave Remix): The top track of the compilation with Airwave proving that is he is still capable to give you shivers, goosebumps and make you travel to faraway places with him. Energetic, emotional, heartfelt and most importantly trance as it should be done. Rick Pier O'Neil - Signal (Matt Holliday Remix): Dark progressive house with strong tech influences and cool psy infusions as well that makes this record a truly unique spacey and spicy experience. Matt Holiday - Prizma (Yuriy From Russia Remix): Melodic progressive house beauty with great piano chords, warm synths and floating sounds that manage to help you escape from reality and find your own sonic world to inhabit. Manu Riga - A Sense of Hope (Alfonso Muchacho Remix): Melodic progressive house with great synthy themes and travelling sounds that raise you from the ground and let your soul go up and away. Rise And Fall - Looking Forward (Crocy Remix): Melodic progressive house with strong melodic psy trance influences with hypnotic melodies and transcending arrangement that keep you wanting more. Yuriy From Russia - Streets of Budapest (AudioStorm Remix): Deep, haunting remix with mesmerising sounds, hypnotic melodies, cinematic atmosphere and tight arrangement. Matan Caspi - Cassandara (Dharmalogy Remix): melodic progressive house beauty with sunkissed synths, melancholic piano chords and deep intense drive that pushes the track forward. LoQuai - Numans Prayer (Alex Vidal Remix): This is the 3rd best track from the compilation with so many nice melodies, melodramatic tendencies and futuristic spacey arrangement. AudioStorm - I Will Forget All Bad Things (Manu Riga's Remember This Remix): Minimal progressive trancer with hi-nrg synths upon the driving minimal groove and pulsating basslines. Crocy - Bedroom Stories (Steve Sai Remix): Playful production with certain deep house and old school prog house influences. Bubbly basslines, driving arrangement and cool piano themes will carry you away.Alfonso Muchacho - Darkosaur (Narel's Deep Hours Version): It may be called Deep House version but actually is a very magic melodic progressive trance version with mesmerising synths, classical music infused strings and superb crescendo moment that comes after the magical breakdown. Platunoff - Two Faces (Manu Riga & Mimi Erotique Remix): Magnificent remix and the 4th best track in the compilation. Dreamy atmosphere with Middle East infused melodies, superb spoken vocal samples and highly spiritual sounds to awake your soul. Alexey Lisin featuring Alexandra Pride - Sum Of Space (Kevin Vega Remix): Superb bubbly grooves, deep haunting atmosphere, cool application of the vocal and wide variety of synthy plucks that create the colourful and highly complex result. Super awesome indeed and definitely #PureGold Love It[/content]
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