Nick Warren - Balance 018 mp3 album

I feel like this is a really nice mix comp. No, it's not like what Nick played on his GU Lima mix but its still a good mix of tech house and house. Music along with the artist evolves and this was just that progression for Mr. Warren. I like mixes like this that are smooth, perfect for at home listening with good headphones.

Guffie24"s comment got me thinking, so I listened to this and compared it to GU3, Nick Warrren Live in Prague, which was done in the 1990's, on Technics 1210's in a club, so not polished. Do the same and see which is better. I estimate 80% would go for the oldie. IMO the influence of Techno and Tech house on the Progressive genre has taken away a lot of the tunefullness of the music the likes of Nick Warren and co are producing.

I am surprised with the positive comments for this release.After Nick's GU Lima release, he proved he still had the knack for slammin prog house mixes afer all these years - so expectations were high when he was announced as the next installment of Balance. Unfortunately, it didnt meet those lofty heights.Hard to say what it is, but his Balance mix doesnt have the soul or emoution of his previosu works. It seems to plod along more than anything and i struggle to come back to it.I believe Balance is the most consistant mix series out there (and boy did they bounce back with Saiz), but this is the weakest mix in my opinion.

This is Nick Warren's best Global Underground to date

This isn't Global Underground, as far as I know the Balance series are released under EQ recordings. Although I don't know what happened after Balance 017.

As to the idea that Nick Warren sits back and lets the artists take the spotlight, that is certainly true. Warren was never the kind of DJ to layer many tracks or splice together a new track every two minutes. While this mix (and most of his mixes) may not be a self-absorbed demonstration of skill, that's not really necessary to produce a good compilation. His talent arises from his ability to choose tracks that are functional. Seemingly a simple task, so many DJs nonetheless get it wrong. Nick Warren has continually gotten it right, and this excellent release is no exception. Balance started out as a progressive house mix series, so you knew it was only a matter of time before they called upon one of the genre's masters to add his own take.

I was listening to this release almost constantly for the past few days and decided to edit my review a bit, praising it even more than before. Nick Warren is a stellar DJ and with these mixes, as was pointed out in one of the earlier reviews, he lets the new talents and their productions shine, rather than attracting the attention to himself, basking in the spotlight. With this in mind, the relatively shorter track list, at least in comparison with other Balance releases, makes perfect sense and thanks to NW's experienced ears and his mixing abilities, both mixes provide solid, steadily wonderful and easy-on-the-ear journeys into the night, feeling more engaging and addictive with every listening.Cd 1 is tech / progressive house oriented, starts off on a positive note, then steadily turns more introverted, keeping the same, wonderfully flowing and thrusting beat, on which the tracks evolve in an incredibly smooth way that makes them gel beautifully, which is the most characteristic quality of both mixes. There are moments when a certain track realeases a heartwarming moment, especially towards the end, Track 10, Hibiscus by Franck Orff, which beautifully mixes into the last track, Tickless by Giorgos Gatzigristos - a wonderful afterhours track to close the mix with.Cd 2 fitted the night mood perfectly. Smooth, crunchy, and atmospheric, with tracks that delve deeper into the warmingly positive groove, flowing into the late night. Track 2, Nick Warren's excellent mix of Collider by Tripswitch, is among my favourite tracks and the mix doesn't go down until the very end, keeping the mood reflective and imaginative. I played the disc yesterday to accompany some late work me and my girlfriend needed doing, and we both enjoyed the mix a lot. Great one.To sum up, Balance 18 by Nick Warren is a fantastic release - fans of Nick Warren could feel a bit let down for the lack of experimentation, or variety, but I really enjoyed the contemplative, moody and perfectly smooth style of mixing in both mixes, especially in mix 2, which makes it shine.I'd had some reservations about this mixes after the first listen, but I've found myself returning to this mix more and more often, so that now it's one of the most pleasant, smoothest and most addictive releases I've heard.Give it a go and give it time. It will reveal it's inconspicuous beauty with each listen.