In Search Of Sunrise 5 [Audio CD] TIESTO

Trance is about as Dutch as windmills, and more than any other DJ, Tiësto is its ambassador. His highly successful In Search of Sunrise series can claim much of the credit for this, and this fifth installment, Los Angeles, delivers in spades. As ever, the man finds his inspiration in the female voice; from Late Night Alumni's "Empty Streets," which pits a bassline that bounces like Silly Putty against Becky Jean Williams's dreamy vocals, to Karen Overton's dancefloor-destroying cover of Billie Ray Martin's "Your Loving Arms," Tiësto again proves himself a master at driving sets to soaring highs with well-placed siren songs. The second disc finds the Dutchman in more progressive territory, luring in the unsuspecting with Pink Elephant's effervescent "LAX" only to drop the hammer with Alex Stealthy's "Something Is Wrong," a track with a disorienting beat that seems to tumble over itself and a haunting melody that sounds as though it were trapped under ice. Tiësto also shows he hasn't lost his affinity for engaging the listener in a test of wills, as in A Boy Called Joni's vertiginous "Green Astronauts." Like all good mixes, the fifth in the ISoS series is after all a study in contrasts. Ironic, perhaps, that with the title Los Angeles the album makes a compelling case that the trance crown won't be leaving Holland anytime soon. --Brent Kallmer