What do you think about...

[Viceroy]

I'm interested in what other people think about the following artists. An opinions on the producers/DJs would be great and they are all well known. Make it as long or short as you wish. You can include your recent opinions, or opinions on their work from the past.

1. Ferry Corsten
2. Armin van Buuren
3. Johan Gielen/Svenson & Gielen
4. Darren Tate
5. Darude
6. Gabriel & Dresden
7. Tiesto
8. Above & Beyond/Oceanlab

[RayvinAzn]

1. Ferry Corsten - He had a decent sound, until he overused it. His DJing as of late has been mediocre, his track selection holds no appeal, and doesn't hold form very well.
2. Armin van Buuren - Once a great DJ, one of the most promising in the Trance scene...perhaps too promising. I'm not too fond of his productions, and over the last few years I've watched his sets go from innovative works of art, to the Top-pop of Trance.
3. Johan Gielen/Svenson & Gielen - Their album was mediocre, but I like Johan as a DJ.
4. Darren Tate - Probably my favorite DJ and producer on this list. Darren is innovative with his productions, and his sets flow extremely well.
5. Darude - Mediocre as a producer...would probably be an unheard of name were it not for Sandstorm, and Feel the Beat.
6. Gabriel & Dresden - The ligher side of Progressive. They've had some good tracks, and quite a few bad.
7. Tiesto - He has seen better days. His early Magik and ISOS albums are great, but his work as of late, both in the studio and behind the decks, is suffering drastically.
8. Above & Beyond/Oceanlab - A little too repetitive in their studio, but behind the tables they're not half bad. I'd like to see more from their Dirt Devils guise, they had some interesting stuff going on there.

[GrimReaper]

1. Ferry Corsten >>> has always been good but has a "bad" habit to overuse sounds upto the level of boredom. DJing has gone down a bit from the greatest days.
2. Armin van Buuren >>> was a great producer in some years ago but decided to start making generic and uninspiring tracks and remixes and now i can't much stand of his new productions. Too much ASOT fluff in there. DJing is way too much like his productions.. too much ASOT as well and not much originality.
3. Johan Gielen/Svenson & Gielen >>> Johan & Sven were pretty good back in late 90s but turned quite cheesy later on. More recent productions have been plain awful. Johan's DJ sets have been very variable, from great to the lowest dog p00.
4. Darren Tate >>> never been real fan of his tracks but some have been ok. Decent DJ.
5. Darude >>> hehe, he was ok before Sandstorm hit big.. then he became a bore because Sandstorm and all similar sounding tracks got so overplayed. 2nd album took him more towards to A&B style sounds which was sort of a good thing to get away from the dated sounds. DJing.. meehh.
6. Gabriel & Dresden >>> have done it well at first, used it and soon gone over the top with it. Too much of the very same made them boring. And not really need to remix every vocal track out there. Not too good DJs either.
7. Tiesto >>> was amazing producer some years ago, nowadays productions are a bit of lacking depth.. the whole Just Be album is a bit monotonous but the tracks work in a club environment. Still a decent DJ even if he's far from the great days.
8. Above & Beyond/Oceanlab >>> they also were good but turned sucky sucky with the over fluffy and not too original stuff. Every release out of Anjuna have been pretty much the very same style which gets old pretty soon. They DJ very nicely tho.

[knusp3r]

Defenitely a strange combionation of artists on your list there. I made sure NOT to read the other posts on this subject before I state my meaning:

1. Ferry - He was God, after he released System F - Out of the blue, and it reached my Norwegian ears I was his diciple. Sadly many of the tracks that came from him later had the same sound. I got to hear the man live in Oslo @Hyperstate2000, my expectations were huge, it was a good experience, allthough not as orgasmic as I had anticipated.
His productions with Tiesto, Gouryella, was dynamite. Together they could (and should) have done a lot more for the scene. Have not heard anything from Ferry in a long time now.

2. Armin van Buuren - wicked, real wicked. He has the ability toput together smmooth sets of completely new traxx to my ears, and make me love them more and more.

I skip the next two since I have not heard of Darren Tate, and Darude is not worth spending calories typing about.

5. Gabriel and Dresden - Mystical to me. I do not know a lot about these guys, exept they make som fiine remixes that realy separates them from the rest of the crowd (so many producers these days, LOL).

6. Tiesto - he The One. He created the scene in my eyes, he made me discover this genre of music back in the days. Tiesto brought the trancemusic into my life. He also managed to dissapoint me after a few years. The ITWT series was amazing, the ISOS series was brilliant, Magik started out as truly fantastic, but became cheesier after a while. I think he did a mistake when he released too many albums based on the same sound, the crowd (me?) got fed up. By this I mean, Space age, Global Clubbing and wildlife.
Still I managed to rediscover him after stubling around in the electronica darkness a while when he finally renewed his sound on the album In my memory. His set in Athens opening ceremony was awesome. Today he is again my undisputed favourite.

[Nick P]

1. Ferry Corsten

Long time favorite of mine, I still enjoy his Djing, and when I'm looking for straight up trance I'll still go for Ferry.

2. Armin van Buuren

I used to enjoy his stuff a lot more but lately some of his track picks have been right shit... I'll need to hear him again to judge, but I've sort of lost some respect for him.

3. Johan Gielen/Svenson & Gielen

Their production work is nothing to write home about, although Twisted was really fun. Gielen is another Dj I like for a trance set.

4. Darren Tate

Lot of quality here, probably one the best on this list.

5. Darude

The next Robert Miles, except his handful of hits were totally unoriginal. Atleast Miles broke some new ground back in the day.

6. Gabriel & Dresden

What I've heard I've liked. Cool sound.

7. Tiesto

Sort of the same as Armin, but I really appreciated Tiësto more when I was first getting into trance.

8. Above & Beyond/Oceanlab

They've made some really good tracks (Aalto - Taurine comes to mind) but they need to tone down the cheese a bit. I haven't heard them spin, but I'd imagine they'd be pretty good judging on their sound.

[GrimReaper]

[Nick P]

Oh well, its still class.

That does change my opinion of them slightly, though. That was the best track I've heard from them (1/3 of them) so far.

[davehart]

Ferry Corsten has changed his style in recent times. I do like his new sound but in some ways I wish he was still pumping out the stuff he used to. Armin seems to have created a taste for long progressive tracks at the moment which has upset people a little bit. I've not head a lot from S&V in the past year.

Darren Tate's productions have been all solid in my view. Darude is is one I slide a little to the commercial way. G&D I dont like, their stuff is just too down tempo for my liking allthough I did like their latest Andain track. Tiesto has been on the slide a little in my view, not spinning the style of stuff he used to, likes his vocals a bit too much.

A&B are bang on form and I like every track released under their Oceanlab guise.

[DjBiz]

1. Ferry Corsten- Still has Style but gone are the Days of old...but hes gone where the money is and his tracks play great in the club.

2. Armin van Buuren- Still can play smooth sets when called upon.

3. Johan Gielen/Svenson & Gielen- have always liked there remixes...make great club tunes...

4. Darren Tate- never was a fan...kinda mellow for my taste.

5. Darude- he did what most Dj's strive to do..have a #1 world dance hit...now everything sounds like sandstorm to me...but he is a very friendly guy and I've had a chance to spin with him twice.

6. Gabriel & Dresden - kinda hit and miss...liked and hated their stuff

7. Tiesto - most on the board know how I feel...take away the title won last yr and still look at the mans accomplishments. Tiesto is good for the Dj scene...love him or hate him...you got to respect what he's done.

8. Above & Beyond/Oceanlab - In my books some of the best rmxs in 2 years from them...love the oceanlab stuff, and any A&B remixes. They have the ability to make a mediocre track worth playing. If you ever get to see them play...well worth it in my books!

Cheers

Dj Biz
Canada

[Watts]

1. Ferry Corsten
Ferry is one of the big big names, a pioneer, previous trend setter and all that. However I've not taken to any of his latest productions and haven't been knocked sideways by any of his sets for a long long time. Tracks like 'Rock Your Body Rock' just annoy me because it sounds like hes just tried far too hard.

2. Armin van Buuren
I remember when Armin was a BIG up 'n' comer, following in the footsteps of Tiesto 2 or 3 years ago. I've got nothing against him - I like him, he loves trance and hes a great DJ. But the problem now is that hes so big and popular that hes just playing stuff thats just so goddamned new its not going to be properly available for another 7 months, or if its not really that good, hes still playing it simply because its not going to be out for another 7 months. I don't rate him as much of a producer either, but he has potential, especially when working with others.

3. Johan Gielen/Svenson & Gielen
I've heard Johan play some cracking sets. Also heard some nice Svenson & Gielen tracks/remixes. Good, talented, I like them but they have cheese potential and aren't afraid to use it on occasion.

4. Darren Tate
Darren has made some really nice tracks and remixes. Like S&G he can air on the side of cheese a little though. I've not heard much of him as a DJ so its hard to comment. Oh, and its time to leave Jurgen Vries alone now surely??

5. Darude
Sandstorm, I Can Feel The Beat.
Gone, and best forgotten, unless you're reminiscing about those classic tunes.

6. Gabriel & Dresden
Great for trance, track and remix wise. Will usually produce something that sounds real nice.

7. Tiesto
Used to be my hero. I got into Tiesto well before I had even heard the Magik sets. Tiesto is responsible for some classic tracks and remixes. Hes a genius behind the decks, truly mastered his art, you cannot deny that. Now he seems to be moving away towards slower progressive stuff - which I can't fault, its just not in my taste, hence I don't get so excited when I hear his name anymore.

That said, the best clubbing night I've ever been to was his 2nd 6 hour set at GodsKitchen in July 2002. I cannot even begin describe it.

::Edit:: Oh yea, I almost forgot... Concerts? Playing at the Olympics? The man deserves respect, hands down. ::Edit::

8. Above & Beyond/Oceanlab
Solid trance producers, not really heard many of their sets. Can get over-vocal sometimes though, a la 'No-one On Earth'.

[Aquascape]

01 His trance sound is the most uplifting of any trance producer I have heard. He has also written some amazing melodies. His new electro sound is ok and I have tried to get on with it, but really and truly I have to be an a very specific mood for it not to drive me mad.

02 A lot of his stuff is very good but I have yet to hear a tune from Armin that equals the best of Ferry.

03 Not overly keen on these guys. Their tracks don't flow terribly well and they do chose to remix some real crap sometimes.

04 He produces some great stuff but does have a bit of an ugly, clashing kind of sound sometimes. Perhaps that's why I liked it when he collaborated with Jono Grant because Jono smoothed out those rough edges.

05 A few of his tracks were good, but his 'Calm Before the Storm' album wasn't terribly varied which put me off him a bit. I liked 'Music' for all of 5 minutes.

06 I have to say I'm not overly familiar with their work so I won't comment.

07 I have been interested in trance for a number of years now but Tiesto is someone I've never been terribly interested in. His productions are clever and his mixing seems to do the trick but that's all I have to say really.

08 I love their sound but at the moment I can't help feeling they're milking it a bit. 'Clear Blue Water' will be a tarck I'll remember though.

[Anonymous]

[FedUp]

they are all gods......yeap everyone of them...and you can quote me

[Viceroy]

[AndrewParsons]

1. Ferry Corsten - Very innovative sound, I prefer him to the other trance jocks. good person, great outlook on life & not a complete asshole
2. Armin van Buuren - A lawyer. I mean, who likes lawyers? shit.
3. Johan Gielen/Svenson & Gielen - Johan is a complete *beep* and cant mix for shit and svenson makes some cheesey anthems!
4. Darren Tate - Good times, I like his tunes & a couple of his sets were gr8!
5. Darude - Why the hell is he even on this list? he killed his own name.
6. Gabriel & Dresden - Great. Wonderful live shows, great tunes.. but a little too rich lol
7. Tiesto - Better than what people give him credit for. Too bad he doesn't make his own tunes, but I saw him 2 months ago & it was.. Majik
8. Above & Beyond/Oceanlab - Great production skills, and have been on a real roll as of late! best of luck to all 3 / 4 of them

[Andy P]

All are hasbeens or never wases and some of them are killing the scene with their shite.

[Aquascape]

[Viceroy]

[narcism]

ferry- fan fucking tastic

armin- great sets and very friendly

darren tate- amazing productions, altho havent seen him play yet

[Danio]

Ferry Corsten - Out of the blue was amazing when i first heard it, so i bought the first system f album, was great, bought it on vinyl aswell! i always loved the album, and his remixes were great. As said before, with tiesto, gouryella were ace,personal fave was tenshi, dunno why they stopped, although when ferry bought out ligaya out i thought that was pretty good, and ended up on his second album. Punk was a moment when his style really seemed to make a noticable change, as it was released as ferry corsten, as was rock your body, and then the album, right of way, which i peresonally didnt like much only liked punk and r.y.b.r. Still does some remixes but i find them way too similar now, it's like you can spot a ferry corsten remix a mile off. all in all, old ferry was good, new ferry isnt as good, should of stuck with system f and gouryella. also i think his compilations are a good indicator if you look at how he's gone, compare the trance nation series, 1 to 2001 just got steadily worse.

Best track ever by ferry corsten was veracocha - carte blanche, that he did with vincent de moor. IT IS ONE OF THE BEST TRANCE TUNES EVER!!!!!!!!!!!! vincent rules!!!!!!!!!

Armin van Buuren - never really properly listened to him, until recently i've been lisstening to alot of his stuff, like 76, and universal religion, and i wondered what i'd been missing. I think he has a good choice of tracks in his mixes and compilations, his mixes are good aswell but i can seem them getting all that bit too similar aswell. Album was a dissapointment, not really any big tunes that made a lasting impression, but an easy to listen to cd.

Svenson and gielson are actually people i really like, their stuff isn't overplayed, and their album is always a good listen, their stuff isn't too similar and i like their mixes. Dont really know much else about them!!!!!

Darren tate, pretty good, hasn't really done anything partciularly special in my opinion, haven't heard a set by him, not alot to say about the guy. Liked DT8 - Destination

Darude! ok, first album cheeeeeeeeeeesey, poor and repetitive. Sandstorm was overplayed, yet i liked it, out of control was alright, until those vocals were put over it. But his second album rush was so so so much better, i much prefer his new style, much better, and moves well away from the sandstorm stuff. Darude, heard one set by him, and it was from the time of sandstorm, and it was the most commercial stuff availble, so no, not good dj. People rip it out of darude, but i think he probably bought alot of people to trance, so you can let him off really, dont you think?

G&D, well, they have some quality remixes, and some awful ones, they have overdone it in that sense, should have just binned some of them. Mototcycle as the rush come, is obviously their best track to date, not too sure about imagination tho. Andain has josh gabrielle in it, and i like andain alot, i can't wait to get a hold of their album. Their compilation album bloom shows off most of their tracks and i like it, some good stuff. I loved their essential mix. They're different, they make a nice change.

Tiesto - In my memory was cool, i really liked it, from start to finish. Just be, well, to be honest i really only liked traffic, love comes again was alright (josh gabrielle assisted with this one). Sometime with tiesto i just wonder what he's thinking, like why do adagio for strings, which doesnt even come close to ferry corstens mix. oh well, at the olympics he played all his own tracks mainly, i thought that was a bit cheeky, but fair play. isos and early compilations were great, but as with the main 4 in trance (Ferry, tiesto, armin, pvd) i think they've all started playing the more well known stuff.

Above and Beyond - well, they're pretty good, alright, suppose. Really like their oceanlabs stuff, particularly satellite. But i think justine suiise vocals made that track so good. Floris Haan Mix is ace. They should stop doing so many remixes tho.

All in all these are the most well known people in trance, they helped to establish it, but i think most of them are milking it, or struggling to do something new, or hesitant that it may not be liked. Alot of trance these days lacks innovation in my opinion. there we go, all done, don't think i'll be doing a post for a while, they take ages!

[Watts]