No more than background music (Clubbers Guide to Summer 2009 - Ministry Of Sound)

Member Name: Benjammar

Product:	Clubbers Guide to Summer 2009 - Ministry Of Sound
Date:	14/07/09 (34 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A gentle and relaxing tempo achieved, perfect background music

Disadvantages: Very boring and lifeless in places, easy to miss songs

Seeing as summer is upon us I thought it would be appropriate to review the latest Clubbers Summer Guide from Ministry of Sound. Although admittedly the weather the last few days have suggested summer is still far away! Clubbers Summer Guide is one of many MOS albums that get churned out every year. I don't know exactly how many they produce a year as they do vary however the Summers Guide is one of the more regular albums and its history goes back several years. The real question at hand is whether or not Clubbers Summer Guide 09 stands out from the rest or fades away with several other MOS albums.

Track List

Disc 1

1. Dizzee Rascal & Armand Van Helden - Bonkers
2. The Prodigy - Warrior's Dance
3. Axwell, Ingrosso, Angello & Laidback Luke Feat. Deborah Cox - Leave The World Behind
4. Pryda - Melo
5. Deadmau5 & Kaskade - I Remember
6. John Dahlbäck Feat. Basto! - Out There
7. Faithless Feat. Cass Fox - Music Matters (Axwell Remix)
8. Groove Armada - Drop The Tough (Van She Remix)
9. Armand Van Helden - Illin N Fillin It (Malente's The Monster Is Loose Mix)
10. Fatboy Slim Vs Koen Groeneveld - Rockerfella Skank (Koen Groeneveld Remix)
11. Norman Doray & Tristian Garner Feat. Errol Reid - Last Forever
12. Arno Cost - Cyan
13. Tiga - Shoes (Spencer & Hill Remix)
14. Steve Angello - Isabel
15. Yousef - Letter To No One
16. The Japanese Popstars - We Just Are
17. Don Diablo & Example - Hooligans
18. Armin Van Buuren Feat. Sharon Den Adel - In And Out Of Love
19. Ferry Corsten - Made Of Love
20. Above & Beyond Present OceanLab - On A Good Day (Above & Beyond Club Mix)

Disc 2

1. Star Pilots - In The Heat Of The Night
2. Lazee Feat. Neverstore - Hold On (StoneBridge Edit)
3. September - Until I Die (Long Club Mix)
4. Gathania - Blame It On You (Wideboys Stadium Remix)
5. Fragma - Memory (Cahill Remix)
6. Booty Luv - Say It (Warren Clarke Vocal Mix)
7. Platnum - Trippin' (Wawa Remix)
8. Funk Fanatics - Love Is The Answer (Freemasons Remix)
9. Malibu Sneakers - Get Down Again (Raul Rincon Vocal Mix)
10. Joey Negro - Ride The Rhythm (Joey Negro Club Mix)
11. Analog People In A Digital World - Rose Rouge
12. The Heller & Farley Project - Ultra Flava (Mark Trophy Remix)
13. Jean Claude Ades & Vincent Thomas - Shingaling
14. Moony - I Don't Know Why (Jerome Isma-ae Remix)
15. Sylvia Tosun & Loverush UK! - 5 Reasons
16. Meck - Windmills
17. Chris Lake Feat. Nastala - If You Knew
18. Slumdogz - Jai Ho (Wez Clarke Mix)
19. The Dubguru - U Got 2 Know
20. Storm - Time To Burn 09

The Good

I'm never 100% sure what the theme of the Summer Guide albums are meant to be. I don't know if they are just a selection of tracks that are released around May, June and July or if the songs are meant to have a summer 'feel' to them. I imagine everyone would have slightly different explanations of what summer music is supposed to be but I'd vouch for summer dance music being one of two things. Either quite laid back, relaxing and chilling; the type of music you could play on the beach or at an outdoor party as background music. The other side would be upbeat, high tempo 'feel good' music. It wouldn't be trance, techno, hardcore or poppy however.

With that description in mind this album does a good job in meeting the set criteria. On the whole the pace is slower and has a more relaxing vibe to it. Very few of the songs try to take centre stage and grab your attention instead just play along nicely in the background. The beach/outdoor party scenario is quite fitting for this album. I can definitely see myself putting this on and then not having to care about the music for the rest of the night; it accompanies any other activities you are doing very well. This 'feel' the album is going for is exceptionally demonstrated by Melo, I Remember, Memory and I Don't Know Why.

It's not easy to recognize the theme of the album early on; especially considering the opening song is Bonkers by Dizzee Rascal. This song feels out of place compared to the rest of the album so it's best to be forgotten once you get past it. The upbeat, high tempo 'Feel good' music I described is noticeable in a few songs. They are few and far between on the album however they do make a refreshing change to the slow pace of the album. The highlight of these would be In the Heat of the Night by Star Pilots. I loved the original version of this song from the Annual 2009 album but found it got destroyed by Big Tunes: Ignition. It was a pleasant surprise to see the song remixed successfully in a way that most people could appreciate and listen to. The other stand out song would be U Got 2 Know by The Dubguru. Although this has more of a trance and euphoric feel to it the song is still fitting for the album

The Bad

Clubbers Summer Guide 2009 really shoots itself in the foot with the style it aims for. Due to the slower pace of the album it can become very boring, dull and lifeless in places. There are plenty of songs on here that will pass you by without you realizing. This is not the type of music you will listen to on its own; you have to be doing something else to keep yourself entertained. I've had to give this album several listens to so that I can rate it properly as the first few times I missed several tracks without realizing. Up to five songs can be played when you think you`ve only listened to one at some points. You really need to be switched on to appreciate each and every song.

However then there is the argument that the album isn't trying to be lively and energetic so it doesn't matter if every song isn't trying to stand out. This album is background music and nothing more essentially. It's not inspiring music so it's not suitable to listen to in preparation for a night out for example. The album doesn't help itself further due to the long cross over times between the songs. The wind down part of the songs is far too long often lasting well over 30 seconds. This is way too long and will bore you further. It's quite often that the following song will then have a long intro. The album already had a slow and lifeless pace to it however these two aspects increase the boredom. They need to be cut down a great deal.

It has to be said although a lot of the songs are uninspiring they aren't actually bad songs. There is only one song on this album, Jai Ho (Wez Clarke Mix) by Slumdogz, which I have to skip because it's unpleasant to listen to. In 40 tracks I would expect more than just one awkward song. Although I may as well call it two as Isabel by Steve Angello really is that boring.

Overall

It's not a bad album but not a particularly great one. The slow and relaxing feel is achieved however this is what then goes onto to dampen the album. No more than background music as it is quite uninspiring to listen to. It will suit those who don't want jumpy in your face music but for those who require their music to be lively this album is not for you.

Summary: I've given it 3 stars as i believe it does a good job for those who want a slower paced album