TIESTO JUST BE ALBUM MAGIK MUZIK, PLAYGROUND RELEASE: MAY 17, 2004 REVIEW: JUNE 8, 2004

"Forever Today" opens Tiesto’s album "Just Be", and is simply mammoth in size and scale – starting off with a lovely full orchestral sound, which gently lulls you away from the twist of it turning into a psycho-synth-stabbing techno beast. "Love Comes Again" is the first track on the album featuring any vocals – which actually helps to balance a quite menacing effected-up backing track, full of pounding beats and stuttering synths. The echo unit seems to be a preferred tool also, in evidence on most of the tracks, and allowing Tiesto to create a much bigger sound through drawing in sounds and then pushing them away again. It is a shame that what follows (apart from two quite special tracks) make up variations on a theme. Put simply this is a very professional sounding album – polished and programmed – everything fits nicely into place, allowing the raw white noise squiggles to scratch over the surfaces of the tracks.
The tracks here can be divided neatly into two; those that are aimed purely at the dancefloor, and the more vocal affairs. "Traffic" makes for uncomfortable listening in a home environment, but would work perfectly well at any stomping techno club, while "Sweet Misery" is something you can appreciate without having to leave the comfort of your chair.
As for the special tracks I referred to - "UR" is possibly the standout track for me, a very dark, claustrophobic ballad featuring Matt Hales from Aqualung – an inspired collaboration, along with "A Tear in the Open", which also starts very ballad-like, before powering into a more atmospheric take on the Tiesto blueprint – it sounds very hot and fuzzy - like a synthesizer battle that had been recorded during a sandstorm. Altogether a fairly formulaic techno album, but with touches that will appeal to more than just the hardcore fans.

MIKE WHYTE