Review: Tiesto’s Club Life Volume 2 – Miami

As a three time winner of DJ Mag’s Top 100 DJ Poll and being recently declared “The Greatest DJ of all Time” by Mixmag it is fair to say that Tiesto is held to a different standard. Adding to the precarious task of creating a crowd pleasing album, Tiesto must walk a fine-line, satisfying both die-hard fans and the hoards of newcomers to the EDM scene. Club Life Volume 2: Miami attempts to walk this high wire and the result is a compromise. The CD begins in true Tiesto fashion with grandiose subtlety preparing the listener to enter the unique mind of the man behind the music.

The beat builds, darkening to a long lost Tiesto, and dives into Chasing Summers with all the zeal of a global dance floor banger. While the track drips with Tiesto’s personal sound the drop is uncharacteristically hard and sounds very similar to the robust bass in Nicky Romero’s Dynamite. Regardless the track stands out, it screams summer, and is guaranteed to be a huge hit.
Rolling into We Own the Night, Tiesto breaks away from his traditional sound and lays down a complex song with Wolfgang Gartner. The result is an intricate track with compelling vocals and pulse raising energy.

Almost as if he was aware that he was may be straying a little far from his roots What Can We Do (A Deeper Love) allows listeners to be as close as they are going to get to a shot of old school melodic trance. The track contains a strong sing aloud vibe and resembles old Tiesto anthems such as Love Come Again.The following track If A Lie Was Love passes unremarkable and almost feels like an extended intro to the remix of Gotye.

Somebody That I Used to Know, Paradise, and Young Blood serve as Tiesto’s pop laden remix portion of the CD. Together they put a euphoric smile on your face and are guaranteed to keep crowds blissfully dancing for months to come. While Tiesto leaves his trademark on all three of the remixes, Coldplay’s Paradise stands out as the most original. It is a light track with a great build and when the beat drops it doesn’t simply skyrocket it explodes and radiates light in every direction. It’s happy, it’s infectious, it is pure Tiesto.

Young Blood is a joint effort by Tiesto and Hardwell. While the two have toured together and in all likelihood collaborated on numerous tracks this is their first official release since Zero 76. Synths blare, the energy is snappy, fast passed, and the indie vocals of The Naked and Famous shine through this radio ready remix. Although it may not be as memorable as their debut collaboration it is definitely worth a listen.

While Walls by Sultan + Ned Shepard comes sandwiched between the pop heavy trio, it is beautifully crafted and not to be forgotten. By the time John Dahlback’s Life rolls around you are ready for another hit of Tiesto. While Dahlback may not be Tiesto, this track is seriously epic. It flows gracefully from Young Bloods and brings you back to Tiesto circa Just Be.

Passing over the weaker Long Time, the arena ready remix of In My Mind by Axwell will revitalize listeners and has them singing along, dancing, and begging for more. As hard as it may be to believe the next track, aptly titled Arena, may steal the spotlight from Axwell’s prized remix. Relatively unknown artist Avesta is sure to max out speakers around the world and chalk-up a few repeats. This track is all about ramping up the energy, dropping the beat, and transitioning through a complex and varied song structure. The perfect party starter, it is clear why Tiesto started so many shows with this track a few months back.

By this point in time Club Life Volume Two is preparing for its big finish: this transition is marked by two final Tiesto originals. With Make Some Noise, collaboration with Swanky Tunes, Tiesto picks up the tempo and drops some big fat greasy beats. The magic of this track is that it is distinctly Tiesto and Swanky Tunes, they meld together perfectly while remaining distinguishable influences within the song.

Finally, Maximal Crazy needs no introduction. This song is massive. Although some of the majesty has faded through an absurd number of replays, the first time you hear the track it will floor you. Maximal Crazy is the perfect high-energy-stomp-fest to close out Club Life Volume Two. While it may not be Tiesto’s masterpiece, the overall experience is positive. Regardless of whether the whole CD is originals or not, Tiesto picks great tracks which do his unique sound justice. With vocal heavy tracks and pop remixes Tiesto manages to walk the mainstream line while still remaining true to his roots. Club Life Volume Two Miami was worth the wait. It represents a lifestyle and emanates positive vibrations. Happy dance music at its best, there is truly nothing like a hour and a half spent with Tiesto.

Article by: Ryan Hayes

Listen to Tiesto’s Chasing Summers now on ClubLife Volume 2: Miami