Satoshi Tomiie

This is a good album that i think has been overlooked for it's diversity. Love in traffic is a kick butt type of song that gets you going and carries you through the cd til you end on positive uplifting classic house grooves like inspired and sincerity and come to me. A worth while cd for house lovers.

My love for Satoshi Tomiie's music all started when I heard a remix of Kosheen's "Hungry". I then heard "Love in Traffic" featuring Kelly Ali. Both songs had an awesome beat and tempo. Lots of peaks and valleys. I had to get the album!

When I got the album I was quite impressed by the first five actual songs; "Big Bang," "Love in traffic" with Kelly Ali, "Darkness with Robert Owens and Kevin Fisher," "Up in flames" with Kelly Ali again, and "Sneaky One with Deanna". And then it suddenly changed from thumping progressive beats to soulful break-beats in the song "Secret Place" feat. Deanna. The song is great, but a little out of place. Just when I thought maybe the album would go back to some nice progressive beats, I was in for another surprise.

From trippy breaks, the album then heads into some soulful house on the song "Inspired" featuring Daine Charlemange. The song almost sounds like it should go on a David Morales or Danny Tenaglia mix album. I am not much for the soul house style, but it is not worst thing in the world. With a little progressive, break-beat, and sould house, what more could there be?

How about some R&B inspired beats. With the song "Heaven" featuring Danny Madden, there is a nice down-tempo / classical / R&B feel. The song is quite nice to dine to as I experianced eating my dinner. It was quite a nice change, but not what I was expecting.

Just when you though the album couldn't get any more interesting, in falls a few more soul house track with the songs "Sincerity Part 1 and 2" and "Come to me" with Daine Charlemange again. The songs sound kind of repeatative when compared with "Inspired". Again, not my favorite style, but not that horrid.

The last track, "Black Opal" is another R&B influanced track with a girl moaning and "la la-ing" in the background. I found it qite BORING!

If you are looking for a diverse house inspired album, this is the one for you. Don't expect a mix album with the same genra of music through out. If you are just looking for some kickin' progressive beats, buy the singles for "Love in Traffic", "Up in flakes", and "Sneaky one." There are some great remixes on them.

Let's face it -- Love in Traffic is plain fun, and a great song to listen to in practically any application. The other reviewers were correct when they said this album peaked with only a few gems. But after that, what exactly was Tomiie going for?

I wouldn't even call this house music really. Sure the first 6 tracks or so are heavily influenced in such a manner, yes. Beyond that the mood of the music transcends that of... Soul? It's hardly RPM anymore. I kinda felt like I was at a church function even towards the end of the album. "Heaven" and "Sincerity" specifically emit a lot of wholesome vibes that generally sway from any sort of dance environment.

Let me also stress this: the album isn't bad. Actually it's quite decent, but I'm afraid you'll have to really feel this sort of music to follow along. For those who don't enjoy house music, perhaps the latter end of the album is just for you, and simply skip the first half hour or so. But a CD isn't supposed to appeal to people who wish to skip half of it. Therefore I would only give this album a satisfactory review.

I would stress that the shopper seek out other works by Satoshi Tomiie. He is remarkably talented. Hope this clears it up.

for those of you who feel the need to review the album negatively seeing that there are only a couple of songs on here that matter because of their commercial success, i have three words for you -> you are wrong! this album is great in that it covers all kinds of electronica genres, marking the true signs of a great electronicist such as satoshi tommiie. there is something on this album to please all tastes and moods. that is why "full lick" is a great listening piece.

I don't understand the negative reviews for this recording. I think the rest of the disc not only lives up to the promise of "Love in Traffic," but Tomiie ventures into new ground as well. There's the infectious "Up in Flames" with its ominous bassline and repetitive chorus, and the deep "Darkness." But Tomiie stretches beyond house and also gives us a touch of drum-and-bass and some jazzed up disco with soulful vocals. "Full Lick" shows that this DJ/remixer is no one-trick pony. He offers a variety of textures and grooves on this very good disc. Pay the naysayers no mind and get it.

Satoshi's first outing with the Renaissance label last year left much to be desired, even more so if you take into consideration this dark diamond of a set that he made some five years earlier.

Many fans of EDM like their music light and sparkling, or sometimes brilliantly complex. And, of course, many of them just want to have fun. But I have NEVER met an EDM addict who didn't mind if their music was served up dark and hot. Something about the genre (and every off-shoot it has engendered) is conducive to the grimmest and the grittiest in all of us. Satoshi Tomiie, as this two-disc set proves, knows exactly how intoxicating our soul shadows can be, and he is skilled at wielding them.

Disc One starts, true to form, with Stephane K's "Numb," the title an ironic twist to the deep tribal rhythms that form its spine. In fact, Tomiie takes these beats and torques them out through the whole rest of the record, threading them through songs both cavernous ("These Are The Beats") and stratospheric ("Marscarter") without ever losing that tongue-biting energy. Tomiie has a great feel for the pulse of a piece, too, and he sends this first set into a sublime cardiac arrest at least twice. After an ingeniously minimalized bridge (Samsara's "Afterthought") he starts shifting the gears into higher and higher registers until he hits his first climax with Remark's exotically wonderful "So Pure," a frenetic number with contours both organic and robotic. He keeps things fast-paced (sparkling but still dark) even as he tones down the energy. His final climax is the deceptively tame "Mind Filter" by North Atlantic, a track that prepares you for the closure of the disc -- the slightly silly "I Want You" by Sandy Rivera, I mean, uh, Kings of Tomorrow -- even as it sets up the on-set of disc two.

Disc Two has one of the best blocks of Deep House transendence I've heard in a long time, and it comes right out of the gate. Tomiie prepares you for a much drearier experience, building the beauty up slowly, stacking whispers and groans into a simply gorgeous lead-in via Graffik's "A Lesser Man." The beauty remains through the next four tracks, a group of breath-taking numbers that are warm and spacey ("Substance"), delightfully dangerous ("Graffiti"), mind-bending ("Late Night Return") and explosive ("You're My Everything"). Satoshi shows how restraint can salt a set by pulling things way back twice ("You Gotta Believe" and "Strange World" both) before letting the momentum of the record bring things back up to speed on its own. His talent at scoring the set, at tweaking the natural energy of the songs, at draping everything with a hungry, darkness: it's absolutely amazing and is one reason why no one who's serious about this kind of music listens to it piecemeal unless they have to. Sets as gorgeously crafted as this are a testament to the craft and its goals: this is not about a group of neat songs, this is about an organic whole, a sonic entity that takes your mind and heart and dances off with them into the shadows. Welcome to Satoshi's world; it may be dark and hard to see, but he'll show you where to put your feet.

The sixth and final Nubreed album offered by Global Underground has Satoshi Tomiie rounding out the series. It may last in the line up, but its definitely not the least. This is a great two disc compilation of progressive house and trance tracks.

Disc 1 is a tad lighter and unfortunately includes a couple of lame tracks that flank each other in 9th and 10th positions ("Hungry" by Kosheen and "Groove Is In The Air" by Tijuana). Minus these and the set is great.

There is no messing around with disc 2. A host of very dark progressive house and trance tracks are featured. This is the kind of set that would be great to dance live to with a group of great friends on a big night out. It may be difficult to listen to the whole set if your not in the right mood. "Strange World" by Greed is probably the only track that I don't like. It's a vocal track that basically describes and instructs a dancer on ecstasy. It became an anthem track at a lot of cheesy clubs the year of its release.

If your electronica genre of choice is progressive house and trance and you like the overall tilt to be on the dark side then this is an album worth adding to your collection.

Disc 1 gets 4/5 stars and Disc 2, a solid 4.5/5 stars.

It's amazing that you would have to "go back" to an older version of what electronica is today to find what the future of this style of music is. But this is exactly the case where doing so would allow you to unearth this tight production. It has a well thought out selection along with a vision of remarkable unwavering commitment to deep, dark and fluff free, diva free, glittery free, menacing, threatening -but moveable- electronica.
If you've listened to the latest from ST (the electronic soul series), this version definitely has an edgier feel in the GU tradition.
Disc one starts right where you would want to be at 6 am with a fatigued but committed dancefloor crowd. Puts you right there immediately: tribal but sensual, rhythm and edge. Sound and feel. From there, short vocals to pulse this more, (Music Play), gets more tribal with a continuous deep house rhythm. The sound introduces a more wavy type elements (Little Green Man), then allows for a lighter pause with female enchantment but very intriguing tunes (Mascarter). The beats get tighter again through "Afterthought" and Kleinenberg (who else....) gets you back in that techno feel, at this time you are heated up and ready for tough love.... Moogroove gets spatial, "So Pure" increases the threat and we have left house land and entered right into deep tech, more progressive, sophisticated. "Kosheen" follows with a tune which would resemble something between the early Digweeds/Tenaglia and the best of Sasha..."Groove is in the air" has the lengthiest female vocal, just before you get sucked in again in mind f... blowing tech tribal trance. This is pure blood....if you thought you escaped, "The North Atlantic" puts you right back on track of non stop heavy pounding- but all with grace-, the finish with the Kings of Tomorrow (which would be surprising here) fits pretty well with a more musical air and allows you to breathe again before Disc 2...
"A lesser man" is superb with high energy and "Substance" has yet again that tech house which I think ST has to talent to bring in every time, perfect balance of danceable and tech feel...love this one. "Grafitti" digs deeper yet again, "Late Night Return" reintroduces the tribal and elec feel. "You're my everything" is anything but a screaming love song...it has a blatant Front 242 touch and mechanical tech to it, miexed in with "You Gotta Believe", a pure late late night or early morning tech when you don't know where the f.. your feet are leading you and you get lost in a mystical wave, sheer beauty...."Visible Noise" reminds more of Autechre or the Orbital with a that thick electronic vibe and metallic resonance. "Strange World" is yet again a clubby vibe but we are still in techno land here..."Seventh Seal" allows you to get lost again with non stop intertwining rhythms and background percussions. "Chilling Moments" is that last last early morning wave before you abandon your body to the deity of dance...as "Tell You" is a perfect wind down but still with heavy beats, no fluff here as I mentioned earlier. ST never, ever lets you go. Which is why this is a pure masterpiece. Simple.

If you are into the GU spread of CD's that steadily come out, maybe have a couple, like Deep Dish Toranto, this one should be on your next to get list. Awesome, the way trance and progressive trance should be.

This is one of the most dark mixes i have ever heard, but its dark in a good way. Satoshi is a DJ that can try anything and master anything. All of his mixes are really different from each other, this is a must have for all you deep house, hard trance people out there.

This is by far the best album I've bought lately. The beat is very loud and just goes on and on, excellent work!!

Not a compilation to get giddy over, but not one to use as a frisbee either. Satoshi Tomiie follows the unexplainable 2005 trend of compiling yet another electro-tech album with his release of ES.

There is a short period over a couple of tracks where ES gets very, very good. "Peaces Of Gold" by Peace Division and "You And Me" (Satoshi Tomiie ES Edit) by Chab. Tomiie's brilliant ear for mixing is also best demonstrated during this point in the album. "Piano Track" (Original Mix) by Bush II Bush is another worthy mention, but the remaining tracks never tickled my auditory senses, and unfortunately, Tomiie never takes the listener back to that hypnotic moment felt over tracks 7 and 8.

3.5/5 stars.

I've been listening to Satoshi Tomiie for a long time and this is definetly one of his best CD's yet. Its one of those cd's that is a must have before a road trip. Just play it and let it ride. From beginning to end it keeps your ears on high alert just waiting for that next track to hit. Before you know it your at the end, but who says you cant just hit repeat and start the ride all over again.

This is one of those mixes that sets a new precedent in the DJ World. Like Sasha's Fundacion, Satoshi has compiled a mix that eliminates that barrier between progressive house and the new dreaded 'electro' sound. (Lately, it seems like nearly every DJ is on the 'electro' bandwagon, and they end up throwing out the mixing and programming skills in the process. It's like listening to crappy 80's pop music.)

Not ES. The first time I heard this album, I didn't know how to react to it because I've never heard anything like it before. Now, after hearing it at least 20 times, it has absolutely blown me away. The planning behind this mix was extensive and vastly creative. I can go on and on about this track or that track, but it's the mix as a whole that really makes this a CD that won't leave my car stereo for weeks...

If you're going to get this album, do so not expecting NuBreed or Integration 1, but rather to experience a concept that other DJs will be trying to copy in the months/years to come. (If you know the DJ business, you know what I'm talking about...) -And when you do get it, give it a few listens to before reaching your verdict. Good Work, Satoshi.

Already established as a force to be reckoned with, DJ/producer Satoshi Tomiie has released his new mix, ES, on the label he founded. The pace of the CD is set early on with the first 9 tracks bolstering a similar electro house sound. The vibe and pace of the mix changes with the entrance of track 10, a disco house anthem entitled, "Friday Loops." ES peaks near its end with "We Interrupt This Program." It's the hardest hitting track on the CD and delivers one hell of a punch. ES ends with two vocal tracks bring down the energy and giving the set a sense of closure. Well mixed but a little stagnant, ES will keep house heads happy, but probably won't do much for those into more progressive forms of techno.

-Jason Catanzarite
Synthesis.net

this house track got me going in the rave scene...well I am not much into house. I for one am a Trance fanatic. But this track is so dark so mellow and groovy that I had to buy the single...the Satoshi Tommie Mix is the best in my opinion...Kelli Ali's voice is a nice touch and she's is my fav singer (Sneaker Pimps) so anyways buy this single...I also recomend Inspired by Satoshi as well...not like the dark style of Up In Flames but more of a funky groove sound that gets you going the vocals are unbelievable in that track GET IT!

Kelli Ali and Satoshi Tomiie...an awesome collaboration. I saw this CD single at a record store where I'm from, and I noticed the sticker said "featuring Kelli Ali of the Sneaker Pimps." I contemplated fora moment on whether I should get it, because I never heard the song before, but I said to myself "well, Kelli's on here, so it must rule." I was so right. This song is very VERY sexy. The radio mix is awesome, and the Satoshi Tommie mix is incredible! The Morales mix is very sweet, and Bedrock 1 mix is entrancing. The A Cappella mix is very interesting...no music...just Kelli singing. If you like this, some more suggestions are to get the Full Lick album from Satoshi Tomiie, the Becoming X album and other singles from the Sneaker Pimps.

Satoshi and Kelli Ali's collaboration on "Up In Flames" is perfection. The music is dark and heavy progressive trance, while Kelli's vocals and lyrics are strange and gritty as usual. It makes for a fierce combination. The 12" mix is really keen, while the David Morales mix tries to smooth out the edges a bit. John Digweed's Bedrock mix is nice and long, putting his trancey spin on the track. Anyone who loved the Armand Van Helden mix of "Spin Spin Sugar" will surely be eager to have Kelli laying down vocals on another killer dance track.

This series of the so called new sound emerging here ("electronic soul") illustrates what the frontier between moveable and the edgier could resemble.
Satoshi who apparently thrives to maintain some sort of openness in his choices (this is quite different from the Renaissance series and the GU Nubreed), shifts constantly here between a clear disco like influence ("Sweet things" with its dreamy piano touching the earlier years of Italian dance -remember "I Like Chopin"?-), space funk a la Daft Punk ("Proton Candy", "Concept", Make Me High" where beats are more pulsated supported by harder textures), upbeat and happy house with moog like keys ("Designated"), deep bass club ("ManMachine") as it gears towards the deeper end of electro-house ("Chorgs", "Bar a Thym" with its steady cow bell and distorted/rough waves ). Some tunes are vocal (the sweet and agreeable, airy "Closer to me" and its soft spoken female chorus, "Death Cab..." which follows and perfectly mixed offering a mid-trip break with a more "organic" touch). The electro funk ending has that almost cheesy electro sampling and wavelengths which vibrate through the piece with repetitive key tunes and insisting electro bass.
In all it has that discreet "Tomiie-Touch": subdued, pleasant, not overwhelming. It will fit your needs when you wish for a consistent, gently paced but amusing ensemble flirting with electro sounds carved to the audible and shakeable.

I have listened to this entire mix for many plays now and it really never grabs me except for song 8 (Chab-Closer to me), which is a really smooth mix of a good song. That one song is definately for my playlist but unfortunately I never really connected with anything else. I usually really enjoy his work especially his original music.

I dont mean to insult anybody, cause im obviously joking, but Satoshi Tomiie has cooked up a nice funky dish. Satoshi caught my attention with NuBreed 6, with a completely different sound that at the time seemed like it was coming from outer space (specially cd 2), but after Integration and ES I was completely let down. Well, this cd, although nothing like NuBreed, has made me interested in him once again. The music in this cd is also very different to what we have been hearing lately from the top DJ's, so I guess thats why I really like it. Its new, fresh, and funky!

Satoshi Tomiie is known for his impeccably produced progressive house, but here he presents a DJ mix of deeper, more relaxed house ("ES" stands for "Electronic Soul"). The first 22 minutes are three tracks of excruciatingly funkless deep house, the kind of elevator music you might hear on the Weather Channel. Things pick up considerably afterwards, as the mix goes funky, then deep, then quirky, then funky again. The mixing is strictly track-to-track, as is typical with CD compilations that are designed to showcase songs. However, more blending would have been nice, as tracks sometimes get drawn-out and repetitious. This is not an essential mix, but it has some nice moments on it.

Listen to this carefully before deciding to keep. I returned it. My tastes run more toward Stan Richardson, and a smoother, more calmly predictable sound. So, forewarned, you may purchase.