In my attempt to get back to doing these updates every end-month, I waited another month-and-a-half, since, y'know, activity's been somewhat quiet in the latter half of March. Here anyway. Over at EMC, however, I've since started up a weekly feature, mini-reviewing five random songs from my old music collection. For those not up to speed, the reason for this is due to me not having the finances lately to buy new music to review. It's aim is to be a fun tide over between the large gaps of new reviews. Considering I only got a chance to cover two new releases since the last update here - Agoria's contribution to the Balance series, and DJ 3000's Galactic Caravan - it'll have to do.













Balance 016: Agoria

DJ 3000 - Galactic Caravan

Yeah, well, I had a busy February. I moved to a new apartment, had to write two stories for a Creative Writing course, survive a logarithm-calculus midterm (B, yay!), try not to lose any more hair regarding, um, other stuff (no sense getting into that here), and still find time to enjoy a little event happening here in Vancouver for two weeks (you probably heard of it). So, by the time I could get back to all this writing, there really wasn't much to update at the end of February. However, there's no sense in putting this off for another month, so let's see what we have here.

First up, I decided to have a look at BT's latest album as well, and see just how bad J' seemed to make it out to be. Er, I didn't think it was that bad but you'll have to click the link to find out why I felt These Hopeful Machines is still a sub-par album. I also took in a little dubstep from King Cannibal, making his debut on the always reliable label Ninja Tune - Let The Night Roar is the name of that one. And finally, a simple little trance single from Setrise and Kay Wilder rounds out the rest. Heh, 'setrise'... clever.













BT - These Hopeful Machines

King Cannibal - Let The Night Roar

Setrise and Kay Wilder - Poetry Clash

Oh, hey there. I guess I should do one of these, shouldn't I? There may not be enough activity around these here parts anymore to warrant a half-month one but the least I can do is a monthly one. Er, even if my Off-Line Life has made this one a week late. Anyhow...

Reviews? Yeah, there's a few. One for Banco de Gaia's latest collection of odds'n'sods, titled Memories Dreams Reflections, another for Radio Slave's contribution to the Fabric series (this one being number forty-eight), and finally the debut release from rising d'n'b star Sub Focus. Check 'em out if you haven't yet.













Banco de Gaia - Memories Dreams Reflections

Fabric 48: Radio Slave

Sub Focus - Sub Focus

In other news, I've put together another mixtape, an 80-minute collection of personal classics that liberally strays outside EDM's boundaries (hip-hop! metal! classic pop!). I actually hadn't planned on doing one like this, but was asked to do it as a favor for J'. Click here to check out more details if you're interested. And speaking of J', those curious over what he has to say about the new BT album can check out his CokeMachineGlow review here. Go on, we know you're curious.

Half a decade. Not too shabby for a plucky website trying to do things its own way. Perhaps our early aspirations of 'global domination' never quite came to fruitation but at least we managed to carve out our own little niche in the wide world of EDM amateur journalism. So where does that leave us now? Well, before I get into that, let's at least have a look at what we covered throughout December.

After countless requests, J' finally decided to give Sasha's proper artist album - Airdrawndagger - a review. Does it hold up after all this time? Meanwhile, I took in new albums from a pair of individuals who've been making large gains in some of the hottest contemporary scenes. For dubstep, I checked out 2562's sophomore effort, Unbalance; for minimal, Luciano's Tribute To The Sun. Links to all below.













2562 - Unbalance

Luciano - Tribute To The Sun

Sasha - Airdrawndagger


The future, then. Where do we go from here. Well, as has been apparent, us writers have started to branch out a little more from the safe confines of TC. J' got himself an additional gig with CokeMachineGlow, where you'll find more music reviews of current releases. Meanwhile, I've decided to set up a music blog called Electronic Music Critic.

"But wait," you say, "isn't that what TC's supposed to evolve into sometime in the future?" That is the plan -and nor am I leaving here to go entirely solo. Rather, I'm using this blog as an additional and independent outlet for music-related material. I'll post the same reviews for both sites, but use the blog to write EDM-commentaries, post mixtapes, provide links to things of interest ...the usual bloggy things. As such, I'll be focusing most of my efforts on the blog.

Another thing I'll be doing with the EMC blog is uploading all my old reviews to read. Okay, so a lot of the early ones were kind of crummy, and probably not worth re-reading if you got the general gist of them in the first place. That's why I've added a "2010 Update" paragraph to each one, so there's at least something new for the steady TC readers to glance at. I've already posted my first 50 TC reviews, and will post another one each week along with any new material I review. (Additionally, I've posted the previous two month's worth of reviews, though obviously there's no point in doing update paragraphs for those)

Thus, here's to the New Year, and another five, wherever we go from here.

Like, really cruising along. Even for a typical "this month's going by fast", this month's been going by fast. I suppose there is some benefit to it: the quicker we can get through this sloppy-soggy weather, the better. This small chat's already getting dry though, so let's just move right on to the recap.

Four reviews here, and it's an assorted bunch. J' takes a look at prog-house vets Spooky's latest single (The Nebula EP), and I had a listen to a debut single from new trance duo Trend (titled, um, Trend E.P.). On the album front, Fedde le Grand finally comes forth with his debut long-player (Output), while the less-famous Alex Theory offers us a CD of groovy dub-funk on his Saturn Returns. I scoped both of those out, and you can scope the reviews for them in the links below.













Fedde le Grand - Output

Spooky - The Nebula EP

Alex Theory - Saturn Returns

Trend - Trend E.P.

No, really. It's entirely coincidental, it is. We're just going through one of those funny moments where J' and I keep alternating the reviewing load. I'm sure we'll both come correct, working in unison again soon enough. We must! In the meantime, here's what made it into the archives in the second half of October.

It must have been Simon Berry's month, as I took in the other big release from the famed acid-trance man, Union Jack's Pylon Pigs (first, of course, being Art Of Trance). Also, I took a look at Jamie Jones' debut long-player, titled Don't You Remember The Future -does he meet the expectations set out by his hit single Summertime? Plus, a glance at a fresh trance single from a couple chaps from Eastern Eupope, N-Tone and Sergey Romashkin -Need Love's the name of this one.













Jamie Jones - Don't You Remember The Future

N-Tone & Sergey Romashkin featuring Lorraine - Need Love

Union Jack - Pylon Pigs

This time, it's J's turn to take the lead. And hoo, did he ever. Are you trying to outdo me here, bro'? Making up for lost time? Does it matter? Five reviews is a lot tho' -let's see what we got.

Well, some trance. Art Of Trance, to be specific, in the form of a Retrospective. However, J' being J', he very well couldn't let a bunch of new progressive releases go unnoticed, one in the form of breaks (Retroid's DJ mix Evolved Breaks), another in the form of house (the Jackpot Reunion EP), and yet another by way of association (Way Out West's We Love Machine -not really prog, but they're known for it, so...). Oh, and also some album called Kaleidescope by a guy named Tiësto -perhaps you've heard of him?













Art Of Trance - Retrospective

Blue Amazon & Shango - Jackpot Reunion EP

Retroid - Evolved Breaks

Tiësto - Kaleidoscope

WayOut West - We Love Machine

I mean, I surely couldn't have done this update on Thursday -that was opening night of the NHL. Gotta, like, watch hockey. Just... gotta. Then, mini-crisis involving roommate and car being towed. There goes that Friday.

So, here we are, on Saturday, finally with our update. Nothing from J' at this time, as he's been on a bit of a reconnaissance into the heart of England (re: club hopping in Man), but I have three reviews nonetheless. A debut album from the collaboration of John '00' Fleming and The Digital Blonde (00.db), titled Heaven & Hell; a sophomore effort from Montreal native Tiga, titled Ciao!; and the latest released from Israeli transplants Infected Mushroom, Legend Of The Black Shawarma. Click below to check 'em out.













Infected Mushroom - Legend Of The Black Shawarma

Tiga - Ciao!

00.db (John '00' Fleming & The Digital Blonde) - Heaven & Hell