Here is a rough translation of my review, posted at
www.partyflock.nl, about
Hard NRG | The Hellfire Club in English:
It has been almost one and a half year ago now since Harri Anderson (aka Proteus) surprised the Dutch with his energetic performance at the indoor Impulz festival in December 2003. Since then, Proteus gathered quite some fans over here in Holland. After 6 promotional mixes, the time now has come to present the first official mix album: Hard NRG | The Hellfire Club.
Those who have seen Proteus perform before, know how eccentric he is. No wonder that one of his favourite stage attributes has been used in the intro; The Whip (Sacred Whip)! Between the sound of Oh Fortuna, which swells magicly yet not does come through, You are treated with some firm whip lashes. But to get things realy started, Proteus choose 'Requiem' by Lab-4. 'Requiem' is a massive hard trance track which will blow the roof of any club. Especially done live by Lab-4. But let us leave that aside for now.
No movie without a theme song, no album without a theme song. The name 'The Hellfire Club' is no coincidence. Last year Proteus and friends opened a club with the same name in Helsinki. It is a members only club. With this track he lets the listener hear what to expect in the club (and his gigs all over the world).
From Helsinki it's a small step to Lahti, Carbon Based town of origine. By mixing in 'The Choice', Proteus showes us the quality of these Finnish Live P.A.'s. Insiders will most definitely appreciate this track, produced by the makers of 'Cyclone'.
The fact that Proteus became affected by Holland, payed off with his production of the theme song 'Metal' exclusively for the last High Quality XL event. It is a dark track, just like Hard NRG supposed to be. But back to Finnish soil. As track 6 Proteus choose for 'Frozen Flame'. It is a production of DJ-Rx, who is also from Lahti, Finland. 'Frozen Flame' starts seamless where 'Metal' ends; Dark & Hard. I have been lucky to have seen & hear DJ-Rx before. So a tip for Harri: Make sure to bring him over for a B2B session!
And when You think: Is this all that Finland has to offer? Think again! We've come to 'Ngarnuuk' by Alek Száhala. This Live P.A. is one of superior class. The admiration for the aztec culture makes Alek Száhala have a very unique sound. Quite new on the Finnish Hard NRG front is Pain On Creation. In their relatively short excistence they've created numerous great tracks. 'Dreamcatcher', Mortality'' & 'V8' to name a few. No wonder that 'Lush' is present on this album.
Proteus heats up the hellfire by mixing in 'Make Me Real'. This track is produced by Nomic (just turned 18!) together with Pain On Creation. It throws all for us humans audible frequencies in perfect harmony right into our face. Nomic is a DJ/Producer of whom we will hear more for sure.
With 'Cold' by Etos & Dan Devotion the listener is offered some time to relax during it's floating break. But make sure to be reloaded in time as 'Man Eaten' by Alek Száhala will kick You right back into the depths of hell with no mercy. This track is a real floor filler.
As second last track is programmed 'Helsinki London Underground'. It's been voted Best Single by the recent Finnish Club Awards. Quite an achievement due it's underground character. Proteus together with Kevin Energy were responsible for this production.
Unfortnately all beautiful things come to an end. Luckily is there scheduled one last track for us. Say for Yourself; Is there a better way to end your album with an ode to your girlfriend? Enjoy the heavenly sound of 'Venla'. Some will get goose bumps for sure.
After the CD-player comes exhausted to a hold, I am left with a fullfilled feeling. But my tingled emotions keep screaming for more.
Proteus: You are the Music maker and the Dreamer of dreams!
Tracklist:
1. Proteus: Sacred Whip - intro
2. Lab-4: Requiem, Metatron Hardmix (Tidy Trax)
3. Proteus: The Hellfire Club (Teflon Bullet)
4. Carbon Based: The Choice (Electronic)
5. Proteus: Metal (Teflon Bullet)
6. RX: Frozen Flame (Teflon Bullet)
7. Alek Szahala: Ngarnuuk (Teflon Bullet)
8. Pain On Creation: Lush (FINRG Hard)
9. Nomic & Pain On Creation: Make Me Real (Camel)
10. Ethos & Dan Devotion: Cold (Future Dance/Nu Energy)
11. Alek Szahala: Man Eaten (FINRG Hard)
12. Kevin Energy & Proteus: London Helsinki Underground, K Complex remix
(Nu Energy)
13. Proteus: Venla (Teflon Bullet)
My oppinion:
Probably not suitable for everybody, but most definitely a heavenly, Yet devilish album!
Get Infected! Get FiNRGized!
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