Christopher Lawrence

Who better to launch Gatecrasher's new series of in-concert mix sets than American star Christopher Lawrence, who placed number four in DJ Magazine's 2006 Top 100 DJ poll? Lawrence gets the party started with Activa's propulsive "Perception," a four-on-the-floor-driven trance number sure to get the crowd moving. "Made in Bahrain" toughens up the sound, even as the center brightens and space effects swoop across the grooves. Listeners and dancers arrive in the exotic climes of "Tabriz" on a compulsive rhythm, then take off into outer space with Astralis' "Solar Flare" The fiery beats are unquenchable, but Lawrence turns the set down to a simmer with "Landmark," while simultaneously bearing down on the rhythm before breaking free in a stutter of cool samples and a flurry of beats on "Dominator." "Dynamic Swell, Pt. 2" sends the set boiling over, heated up by the cinematic sound, space effects, ringing guitar, and vocal samples. Riding this wave of sound is a spy-esque melody line, a James Bond theme for the 23rd century. "Offender" quickens the pace, which ebbs and flows in a stutter of new wavey synth melody. "Connexions" hardens the sound, sporting an old-school feel but an almost robotic new wave melody, which shifts brilliantly into the industrial flavor of "Mind Factor," with the first disc ending with a flourish of spacy effects that infect the hard house-styled "Vimano, Pt. 2." This flamboyant disc inevitably exhausted many of the audience, and disc two is aimed more at the most rugged trance fans. "New Technologies" kicks in hard, while the even tougher "Experience" marches in military formation right through Red Square. "Kickwave" sends the troops into outer space, and into battle on a remix of Lawrence and John "00" Fleming's tough-as-nails "Beyond the Limit." That number pushes the set toward hard house, a move emphasized by the funky bassline-powered "Driven" and the action-packed "Rasa Lila." "The Future" returns the action to the trance realm; the first of two Lee Haslam tracks, his "Checkmate" is, if anything, even more power-packed. With "Fused," Lawrence pulls the set down a bit but builds up the atmosphere, then begins to rebuild the tension, which breaks loose on the hands-in-the-air "Awakening" and the incendiary "Backlash." With a set of songs barely known outside the trance scene, Lawrence goes out on a high with the crossover club killer "The Lift." The energy never flags and the excitement remains palatable throughout, an awesome accomplishment that sets the bar extraordinarily high for DJs who handle the next few volumes. ~ Jo-Ann Greene, All Music Guide