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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Good Primer., 22 Jan 2007
3 mixes:
Hixxy and Re-Con focus on the older tunes. It's a nice mix, and the sound is beefier than on, say, Bonkers (1). Lots of tunes I hadn't heard before, plenty of piano and vocals, just the way I like it. Second time through, I notice how well it hangs together. Hixxy's mixes often strike me as okay but nothing flash the first time through, and that could show just how cleverly the tunes have been sequenced and blended. I wish 'Techno Storm' had been a tad longer though.
Druid and Sharkey seem to have cherrypicked from everywhere. They're on a journey, and pull a whole range of styles and rhythms into a very cohesive set. They don't always use the obvious sections of a tune, and throw in some remixes. Nu Energy Collective stuff is prominent, and that's a very good thing. Nothing out of place; no dead space. This would be my favourite by a nose.
Scott Brown does the Scott Brown thing. Just under 60 minutes worth, and it all sounds very familiar. Very listenable though, and covers his contributions to the last half-dozen albums. Given the other two discs run at just under EIGHTY minutes, it feels a bit like an add-on.
So, all in all, worth getting, especially if you don't have the early compilations. Biggest disappointment: no Dougal.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Best Of Bonkers, 18 Jan 2007
After the unpopular release of Bonkers 7 way back in 1999, who would have thought the compilation would be into its 17th edition over 7 years later?
'Best of Bonkers' brings together 65 all-time hardcore anthems in one colourfully boxed package for a very reasonable price.
There are 3 CDs, each featuring a continuous mix from various DJs. Every CD has a different flavour, so it is always a good idea in these types of reviews to have a little rundown of what you can expect from each mix!
CD1 - DJ Hixxy, a hardcore veteran, has teamed up with the relative newcomer Re-Con for this edition of the series. Some of the old happy hardcore classics you might remember from the mid-nineties have been dusted off and bravely thrown in alongside some early Dutch material that has never been heard on the compilations before, resulting in a very vocal, hands-in-the-air type mix that rounds up with a more European edge. Sadly, the one thing DJ Hixxy has not revived is his 3-turntable mixing skills that hark back to the same era as the tracklisting.
CD2 sees the introduction of DJ Druid to the series, alongside his friend and series regular, Sharkey. This mix stands out to me as perhaps the best of the three - down to the use of a widely varied tracklist that still manages to retain a flow to it, despite ranging from happy hardcore to dark trancecore/freeform sounds. With the most tracks of all 3 CDs, Sharkey and Druid have cut the track times down to around 3 minutes, so there isn't much of a break from the beatmatching, but this adds a frantic feel and stops any of the tracks dragging on for too long - you get the best bit of each track and then a mix into the best bit of another track.
Finally - CD3 is the work of well known DJ, Scott Brown. A quick glance at the tracklist is enough to tell you that he's a big fan of his own work - no less than 15 of the 20 tracks are by him, and another track is a remix he has produced for Sy & Unknown. It's lucky then, that he happens to be a rather good producer. His tracks comprise compact basslines, punchy kickdrums and uplifting yet simplistic melodies, which relate back to the fantastic bouncy techno sounds of early '90s Scotland. The mix evolves into aggressive Dutch-style Gabber at the end, adding another dimension to the mix. Sadly, there are a lot of great bouncy tunes from the early days that Scott Brown could have included, but it would seem that newer material has been favoured here.
So, in overview? I don't think any Bonkers or hardcore fan should go without this CD set - there are good offerings from Hixxy & Re-Con, and Scott Brown too - but where they slip up in certain aspects, the mix from Sharkey and Druid reminds you just why you bought the CDs in the first place - non stop hardcore classics.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not the Best of, 23 Jan 2007
I have been following Bonkers since the first one and is way ahead of all this X-Factor/Pop Idol rubbish that fills the charts now days. I had high hopes for this compilation and would have bought it regardless of content. However there are classics like BANG! Shooting Star - Bonkers 3 and Euphony - Dancin' in the Rain - Bonkers 3 & 6.
All in all its a great compilation for Hardcore fans especially those that love the old tunes from previous Bonkers. Highly recommended for Hardcore fans everywhere.
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