therapy sessions

[res0nat0r]

Re: therapy sessions

ill take the rapists sessions for 500 alex.

[unrecogniseduser]

Re: therapy sessions

first disc of this was one of the best mixes i have heard in ages. Second disc wasn't for me unfortunately.

[asdf_admin]

Re: therapy sessions

I have only heard disc 1 and have stayed there for a few days. Really solid and lot's of vocals. Some good cuts in there. Not normally a huge DS fan but this has hit the spot thus far.

[progressive420]

Re: therapy sessions

^^^^^^^^^^^ agreed....

[Vaya]

Re: therapy sessions

Here's a review i wrote on muh site iBeats.com, Audio Therapy snipped a blurb of it for their promotional flyers, too (if you dont give a shit about the cd skip over this post!)
Anyway, if you're interested, enjoy.

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[DAVE SEAMAN: THE THERAPY SESSIONS, VOL 4]

_________After following the evolution of Dave Seaman’s Therapy Sessions, I was skeptical and at once intrigued about the fourth installment in the series. In my opinion, Dave’s mixes have been getting progressively less inspired whilst his guest’s mixes have been maintaining optimum quality levels. Since Dave’s chosen guest DJ was not available to contribute to this release, he’s decided to mix both discs himself – a worthy undertaking – and I think the room this left him, artistically speaking, provides more than enough fodder with which to resurrect the series on his own. And, quite frankly, he does just that.

_________The first disc immediately lends credence to this no-nonsense mixture of progressive electro-house, beginning with excellent tracks by Gui Boratto and Trentemoller. By the third track, accessibly spacey riffs and slightly sinister bass take the reigns; with the aid of some intense kick drum, Therapy Sessions 4 carries itself past the breakers that marred the earlier mixes and sets sail in open waters. Courtesy of a mind-blowing selection of artists, the mix fluoresces and the basslines continue to evolve and bore into the center of this mix; the only thing keeping them from breaking loose and taking the album by storm, apparently, is the metronome. “The Dig” strikes a comfortably chaotic and exotic world music chord; why, however, this collection of eclectic noises feels comfortable to me is still elusive, but I like to think it has something to do with Dave going out on a limb and releasing something that can only be described as ‘cutting edge,’ which is difficult to do these days with electronica. But before things become too cerebral, a nice and nasty explosion of energy moves into the picture, from Guy J’s “Been Here Before” and a nice little classic, “Mexico Can Wait,” and further onward as Seaman leaps with newfound agility from one build to the next. The demeanor of disc one anchors the mix at an intense but steady level, with just enough stirring of the pot so as to prevent it from becoming as bubbly and monotonous as his last mix. No more microhouse, and neither is it an average mix of easy dance tracks like TS2 was. In this case, the accapella of “Don’t Be Silent” mixed over Stephan Hinz’ remix of “Intersection” has mid-90’s quality vocals layered over the foundation of modern funkified electro-house, which makes for a pretty damn interesting combination of aural craft! By now, as if it weren’t enough that Dave has by this point redeemed his credibility as a DJ, the progression from 16 Bit Lolitas’ “Home Made Rolls” > Rekorder’s “Rekorder 7.1” > Christian Fischer Vs. Hybrid – “I Know” (which is such an exciting take on one of my favorite tracks off of Hybrid’s legendary Wide Angle) releases electricity into the air. For a two-disc set, disc one is crafted smoothly and slyly. That being said, it is further enhanced by an exotic, bouncy and fantastically FRESH sound!

_________The beginning of disc two brings back fond memories of Seaman’s GU: Melbourne, subtly moving to a sexy piano-laden overture with genuine vocal performance. A track truly fit for a connoisseur. I definitely thought it odd to follow Charlie Chan with UNKLE, but Dave’s creative mixing has obviously matured into something deliberative, and the calculation here is mixing which is undoubtedly interesting and plausible. From this point onward, Presslaboys’ “Come Back To Brazil” gives serious momentum to disc two with twisted energetic frenzy that I haven’t heard from Dave for quite some time. Seriously twisted. The sound morphs from choppy minimalistic inserts into raging epidemics of the latest progressive electro sounds, for which adjectives elude me. The mid-album remixes of Butch, Vincent Vega and Nathan Fake are welcome deviations from the originals and seem to follow suit with this new sound Dave has developed. Twenty-five minutes into the mix I find myself engulfed in sinisterly distorted mania, reminiscent (just a little) of James Zabiela’s unorthodox touch. For a Dave Seaman mix this is an extremely unexpected approach and I think it fits the album’s moody and slightly… well, to be honest, schizophrenic nature. I enjoyed the remix of Le Noir’s “Eleny” by Luke Dzierzek. Dzierzek’s hour-long mix on Digweed’s “Transitions” show tossed sparks on the scene, and it’s encouraging to see him get some more exposure from another extraordinary DJ. The album takes a predominately spacey and atmospheric timbre towards its closure, but this does not disappoint. In fact, sounds bob in and out of ‘atmospheric,’ from ambient all the way to retro-tribal. The most disagreeable aspect of Dave’s latest project falls in the most unfortunate of places – that is, the last track of the second disc. After such a successfully enigmatic and genre-defying mosaic of sound, the vocals in “Please” are considerably low-caliber for such a high-quality album. Perhaps Armin or the like could have gotten away with the use of such an… unfortunate track, but not Dave Seaman. Nonetheless, twenty-seven out of twenty-eight successful tracks is hardly anything to take with a grain of salt.

_________Speaking honestly, it took three intensive tries to access this album, but I’ve concluded that what Dave Seaman accomplishes with The Therapy Sessions Volume 4 is absolutely incredible. It mangles common genres, makes mockery of recent progressive-electro mix attempts, and reinvigorates Dave’s sound with the unconventionality that first brought him into my attention years back. It’s a fantastic and versatile dance album with a bit of something for anyone who wishes to explore some of what people commonly dub ‘future electronica.’ Maybe Dave’s third Sessions attempt was just a beta release, but if these mixes are the finished product, then I can’t help myself – I am completely sold. A rock-solid 4.5/5 stars for this one.

It’s a serious testament that the first Seaman solo Sessions release is the best one to date.
Welcome back, Dave.

-[Vaya]