In Between was, overall, a bit of relief after Paul van Dyk's previous artist album, Reflections. It returned not only to the feel of a mixed-album journey, but also to songs and styles that more suit Paul's own style. Reflections found him reaching too much for turns at pop radio, many of which just fell disappointingly flat.
And although In Between had its share of radio reaches that didn't soar quite as high as other tracks, it was much more focused, and with an overall higher level of quality. It sounded like Paul van Dyk. All that is to say that In Between is fairly good source material.
Which brings us to Hands On In Between, which falls into that ubiquitous post-album remix project. Is it another brazen cash-in, a holdover until another proper artist or DJ release? Yes. Yes it is.
But that doesn't mean that it can't also be enjoyable, which for the most part it very much is. Mining some of the talent from the trance community, it's an extended take on the original, amping the four-on-the-floor up to required club levels.
Disc 1 starts off with a stormer of a track, Paul's own remix of "Talk In Grey." Probably the highlight of the set, this ramps up the energy to peak-time levels while still retaining the song structure of the original with solid vocals. It's also the shortest on the set, functioning almost as a single with its efficient energy. Trance mainstay Alex M.O.R.P.H. follows with his remix for "In Circles," and takes it on a driving, yet still ethereal journey. Overall a very solid remix. The John O'Bir mix of "Castaway" is a bit typical trance, but supports a nice track. It's pleasantly forgettable.
The Super8 & Tab remix of "New York City" is the stronger of the two NYC mixes and delivers a darker, but excellent club track for this song. Kyau & Albert work their magic on "Complicated," giving it an enticingly moody club texture, and show why they continue to be in-demand trance remixers. Jon Rundell's mix of "Detournement" actually slows things down a minuscule amount, and although it's a nice enough mix, it doesn't particularly add anything to the track. Disc 1 closes with Mateo Murphy's remix of "Far Away", and is the one that breaks the mold a bit with this release. It's an amped up thumper somewhere between trance and gritty prog-house, and whatever it lacks in direction it makes up for with energy.
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