| Fred Baker - "Sunshine EP" Review |
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Fred Baker is back with his first release on PIAS Recordings announcing his debut album “Never Forget / Hollywood Fairytales” planned for February 2008. “Sunshine” is leading this EP with an epic trance track blended with a piano melody not unknown to Robert Miles’ fans. Starting with a solid tech-trance rhythm featuring a high tone and a slowly rising synth melody, it leads to an uplifting break where the piano starts. Then comes the climax…again and again ! The B sides features “Gregoria” (a powerful track with ethereal vocals and a tech-house beat… The “Old school” style revisited by Fred Baker) and “Alone” (a trancy track with a twist of techno creating an energetic tune… For the trance lovers and the Screen series fans). TheTranceArena.com's verdict: Fred Baker - "Sunshine": Sunshine kicks off with a typical, banging, Fred Baker bassline. A sweeping, driving, intro with deep Trancey stabs with a lighter melodic build-up accompanying it in the background, really help to give this tune a really powerful start. At the two-minute mark, a short breakdown kicks in, before heading back out towards the main melody - which is very dark and moody. The main melody continues to climb with plenty of guts, before kicking in to the best bit - a sample from the classic "Children" by Robert Miles. The sample kicks in in its trademark piano-driven style, before Fred Baker adds a slightly darker twist to it. As the bassline kicks back in, Fred's darker synths remain but are also accompanied with the piano-led sample too. This tune works very well indeed - the bassline, synths and combination of darker undertones and piano-driven melodies work nicely together. Not my favourite Fred Baker tune - I think he's done far better records in the past, but this is still a good tune - a great effort. 8/10 Fred Baker - "Alone": Alone kicks off with a pounding, slighty Techy-edged, bassline whilst accompanied with a dramatic, atmospheric intro which combines darker synths and lighter chords to help give it a very deep and emotional feel. The tune steams along at a pacey speed for three minutes, before taking a breakbeat direction to help break the tune up for just over a minute, before the main bassline kicks back in again. This is a really energetic, driving, tune which combines a moodier vibe in parts, and a bouncier, more uplifting vibe in other parts. It has a very catchy melody which will sound stuning over a loud system, and will probably stay in your head all night - meaning you'll be humming it for hours once you've left the club! Very well produced and good to hear a different sound from Fred Baker, who's normally renowned for his harder, techier side of late. 8/10 Fred Baker - "Gregoria": Gregoria is the last tune of this three-track EP - and possibly the weakest too. It starts off with a faint bassline and a dark, moody sound which sounds like gusty wind blowing, before a vocal kicks in which sounds quite like a church gospel choir. The main melody has a funky-vibed bassline, with samples of the vocal sweeping in and out to give it some extra guts. In the background, a light Trancey chord begins to climb, getting more noticeable as it builds, before the breakdown kicks in. The breakdown is very light and dreamy, yet atmospheric too. The breakdown reminds me of a dramatic part of a film where something intense is about to happen, and the music builds to help build suspense. In fact, the breakdown would make a great movie soundtrack! I quite liked this tune - but I felt there was something missing - but I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was. It just seemed to lack that little bit of spark to help make it stand out more. The breakdown worked very well - in fact, of all these three tunes, this breakdown was the best - but I felt that the middle of the tune let it down a bit - there didn't seem to be anything special which stood out. A nice tune, but nothing too special. I'm not quite sure how it would work in a set - I think it's likely to get a mixed reaction. Half of the crowd will love it, whilst the other half won't. 7/10 Release Date: 26th November 2007.
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Belgian producer Fred Baker is known for his solid and energetic Tech-Trance tracks, and is a respected producer since he created the unofficial 1996 Ibiza anthem “Mystery Land” under the alias of Y-Traxx. Since then he reached worldwide recognition with “Eisbaer”, under the Groovezone moniker, or more recently with “Forever Friends”, which was the White Sensation Anthem 2006, and the amazing Lunar Eclipse & Atlantis City. Read on for more details about this tune....
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