Various Cosmopolite – The second Step Com.pact (Israel)

DJ Bog is the selector on this, the second album following on from Medium’s Acupuncture compilation. The vibe is strictly linear progressive trance and fuses new and old names… which is the good news. Visual Paradox vs. perplex kick things off with Ice Glass, with kind of a post-scando sound. It’s alright, certainly nothing to write to your mum about but it holds the vibe nicely enough. Contact’s The Unpleasent Surprise (sic) opens out into a nice clubby groove, a little nonchalant and not likely to snap them right into your set, but good progressive elements make this a nice tune with a set-opening feel. Dooper Doppler’s Confused has good sounds, all layered nicely, and a midsection that rises well. But here the album loses its way – Nasa’s Daylight is simply too slow, gives the vibe of a crowd falling asleep or sloping off to the bar… nice effects but not enough energy. Herbal Essence’s Waverider is nicely balanced with some likeable, if silly, samples in the background, adding a little character to what’s becoming more and more formulaic as the months go on. Sesto Sento vs Intergalactic’s Waverider is a nice morning tune, with cute melodies over a hardly-there groove. Matenda’s Voyage stands out here as a tune with its own agenda - great melodies and textures layered all over the place, excellently produced and confidently executed. Impressive. And gorgeous. Finally Nissimiyani’s Human B is pure progressive club floor filler nonsense. Big escalating middle that rises out to the end, leaving the album ending with a big question mark. Sounding a little thrown together and rather directionless, Cosmopolite shouldn’t be your first choice for an album in this genre.

More info: www.compact-records.com