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| Label: | EQ Grey | | Rel. date: | 24th May 04 | | Cat No: | EQGCD009 | | Reviewer: | Lukasz Napora | | Reviewed: | 27th Jun 04 | | Format: | CD | | Rating: |    |
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Disc 1- Luke Chable - Into The Storm
- Fretwell - Faceless
- Kvk - Reality Theory
- Michael Lanning Feat Charity Havens - Bound For Ascension
- Blue Haze - A Time To Reflect
- Rhino Drum - Underground Sound
- Michael Burns - Sunshine In My Shadows
- Jacob Todd Feat Kevin Clark - Nothing Is Real
- Main Element - Delta Of Venus (Chris Salt Mix)
- Steve May - Open Day (Luke Chable Quakes & Craters Mix)
- Chimera - Natural High
- Slacker - Tutikinegi
- Shiloh - Mana
- Tilt Vs Quivver - I Know You'Re Afraid
Disc 2- Pavel Bidlo - My Pills
- Rennie Pilgrem - Coming Up For Air (Mara Mix)
- Ozgur Can - Connected
- Dirty German Feat Mirko Meyer - Be Together (Main Pass)
- Rhythm Unlimited - All I Wanna Do
- Pig & Dan - Basement
- Moonface - Our Prediction
- Mccp - Deeper Inside
- Musgrove & Mcgrath - Freakout
- John Graham & Jon Sutton - Cold Rush
- Chris Salt - Atmospheric Graffiti
- Ben Camp - New World
- Shpongle - Beija For
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 Both Balance and Anthony Pappa have always been very special for me. I was lost in admiration for the series several times, and I was very lucky and happy to see Anthony live last year in Warsaw. It seemed that they would make a perfect couple, whereas it turned out to be just good. Did I expect too much? CD 1 consists mainly of atmospheric, progressive breaks for home listening. If you expect that it will grab your attention and won’t let go till its very end then you’re wrong. I was wrong for a long time as well. Music from the first disc flows gently in the background without forcing itself upon us. Well, except for the vocal in “Sunshine In My Shadows”, which destroys everything on its way. Can anyone stop Michael Burns from singing?! I really like most of his productions but the aforementioned one and Cardboard “A Thought Of You” unnecessarily ruin his image. At least in my eyes. Let’s get back to the CD though. It starts gently and quickly leads us to a great combination of “Reality Theory” and “Bound For Ascension”. I’m not talking about a mash-up. These tracks are simply meant to be played one after another and create a beautiful, moody atmosphere. Atmosphere that speeds up a bit only when the remix of Silver Planet’s classic “Delta Of Venus” shows up. Chris Salt has proved having his own unique style and has done a whole lot of great work. After that we have another excellent remix, which unfortunately doesn’t fit here and sounds like it was included by force. It shouldn’t surprise me as “One Day” was released by EQ Grey, however the moment of mixing it in slightly grates. That’s the only moment of weak mixing though as Anthony Pappa is the master in this matter. The first part ends with threatening sounds of “I Know You’re Afraid” that prepare listeners for the CD 2... ...which is far more aggressive than its predecessor. Anthony starts and ends heavily giving us the music that cannot be accused of not grabbing one’s attention. After the brilliant Mara’s remix of “Coming Up For Air” comes a tune that I thought would make me puke when I saw the tracklisting. On the contrary. “Connected” seems to stand the test of time and I can’t get enough of it. It will probably be nominated in the Sound Revolt’s “Best of 2004” contest. When the last tones of “Connected” disappear behind the horizon I’m being struck by lyrics from “Be Together”. Now I’m absolutely sure that me and Anthony have a slightly different taste in vocals. A talking male completely ruins a pretty good track that would find its place in Steve Lawler’s case. Then it’s the – I’ve never thought I’d say this – fantastic “All I Wanna Do”. This track used to kill me since we got it from Silver Planet but suddenly in some strange way I really found something in it. Now, my favourite part of the whole compilation: the head drilling “Basement” and incredibly monumental “Our Prediction”. An impression that big will only be triggered off by “Atmospheric Graffiti”, which doesn’t mean that the rest of CD 2 isn’t worth attention. The whole disc is wicked and in spite of being varied – very cohesive. I usually prefer dancing to laying on a sofa so I’m a follower of CD 2. Disc one lacks verve, however it works pretty well at home in dim light with a remote control prepared for skipping the 7th track. “Balance 006” is simply a good compilation for any occasion.  Comments[2]
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Review: Anthony Pappa - Balance 006
