Markus Schulz – Do You Dream?

Thursday, July 22, 2010 Pin It

To say that I had been waiting for ‘Do You Dream?‘ would be like saying the World Cup is just a month of football "a gross understatement". Ever since I heard "Swirl" on vinyl in 2001, the Markus Schulz and Coldharbour sound have defined the soundtrack of my life. So yes, June 8th was a big deal. But, in one word, ‘Do You Dream?‘ was unexpected – for better or for worse.

"Alpha State"

What an utterly delectable intro track. After hearing the first couple of bars of this track, my expectations from the album were raised even higher. The track has a beautiful lilting quality to it – like the song title suggests, it’s a tune that you want to fall asleep to. Your heart is swayed, your mind is at peace, you’re taken away…
8/10

"Away" (feat. Sir Adrian)

Markus Schulz is a magician of sound – and this talent comes into play as "Alpha State" effortlessly merges with into this class track. I first heard this track on the GDJB world tour from Miami – way back in April. And I was immediately hooked. Very rarely does a vocal track capture me as soon as I hear it – but Sir Adrian’s dreamy vocals on this one are absolutely irresistible… what makes a track like "Away" special in the moshpit of vocal trance is the fact that even without the vocals, it stands out as a superb track. The bass line is pulsating and, to be honest, if I heard a dub version of this track I would call it out as a Dakota track.
8/10

"Rain"

This track stirs up images of beautiful bodies drenched to the skin grooving freely at some outdoor festival somewhere in the world every time I hear it. And I think that’s the sound Markus was going for – there’s a gorgeous ebb and flow to the song, while remaining very true to Schulz’s love for simple, techy goodness. The cons: it doesn’t really go anywhere. It’s just kind of… there after 2 minutes in. I know at least five Coldharbour enthusiasts who list this as their favourite track on the album.
7/10

"Dark Heart Waiting" (feat. Khaz)

Sigh! I wish I could be kind to this track. It was one of the first tracks I heard off the album and I have tried my hardest to love it. I’m not entirely sure what Markus was thinking when producing this particular track – while I love male vocals. Yes there is a beautiful rolling bass line, an absolutely gorgeous uplifting synth after the break down that has the Coldharbour watermark all over it, moving lyrics – but when it all comes together, it falls rather flat. And don’t even get me started about the video. That video makes no sense to anyone with any degree of intelligence.
6/10

"Not The Same" (feat. Jennifer Rene)

The #TranceFamily favourite. EVERYBODY had been waiting for this after seeing snippets of it being played live by Markus early in the year. Armada and he guarded this track like it was a state secret and, for the most part, you can see why. It is very beautiful. Jennifer Rene’s vocals compliment the ethereal quality of the rest of the production – I can imagine that this track is absolutely dreamy in the space of a dark club with white strobe lights flashing over the crowd. But (and I’m ready to be splattered with abuse for this) – it’s not that great. There is nothing that sets a track like this apart from the many many other emotionally-driven vocal trance tracks. It’s a pretty poppy production – it’s absolutely fine if you like it.
6/10

"Do You Dream"

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it – goes the old cliché. Too true. "Do You Dream" is a gem of a track… the uplifting vocal mix? Not so much. I can imagine Markus produced this version exclusively to be in the album, but I don’t really see the value of it. There is so much generic uplifting stuff being churned out in the scene today, sad for me to have to perhaps lump this in there with them. This track doesn’t deserve the rating I give it, but ugh, that vocal ruined the 9/10 original, and so I docked off a point.
5/10

"Last Man Standing" (feat. Khaz)

BEAUTIFUL TRACK. Khaz’s vocals are soulful, the piano is heart-breaking and the electro synth with the slowed down beat pattern make this one a standout production in my mind. The only qualm about it is the placement of it in the album. It seems to break up the flow of the album and might have been better suited as the last track – like "Cause You Know" was on the ‘Progression‘ album. Great track. No argument there.
8/10

"Surreal" (feat. Ana Criado)

It’s a lovely little track, with beautiful vocals, thought-provoking lyrics and it definitely lingers in your mind. I can’t separate Ana Criado from the incredible "Sunset Boulevard" – and it’s always reassuring to know that artists like her aren’t just one-hit wonders. Personal recommendation: this is a perfect rainy day or late-night track.
7/10

"Unsaid" (feat. Susana)

It’s awful. Easily the worst production of the album, if not of Markus’ entire career. It hurt my heart to hear this one… and I honestly can’t bring myself to write about it, So, I’ll just stop here.
2/10 (if only you knew how much it hurts me to give this rating to a Markus production)

"Lifted" (feat. Angelique Bergere)

It’s nice. Nothing special. Lilting lyrics over a 4-to-the-floor beat pattern. I can definitely hear this track multiple times without wanting to kill myself – that’s a compliment, I promise. And to be honest, any track that comes after "Unsaid" on an album sounds like a dream. This is a perfect track in a train – close your eyes and be lifted, higher.
6/10

"Perception" (feat. Justine Suissa)

Cass & Slide’s "Perception" is my second favourite track of all time – I have often told people if you haven’t heard this track, you have not lived a complete life. It was also the track that changed Markus Schulz’s life as a musician and person, so you know that this remake is possibly the most important piece of work of his entire life. And, in three words – THIS IS IT! There is absolutely nothing wrong with this track. It is perfect from beginning to end – it captures the dark essence of the original, the production and resonance is perfect, and Justine’s vocals… oh, Justine’s vocals!! Flawless, heavenly, as perfect as humanly possible. This is one of the tracks that I know I will never be able to train myself not to cry during. If it ever needed proving, Markus Schulz with this track exposes his passion and unsurpassed genius to the global music community. If you are not moved by this track – I’m not sure we can be friends.
12/10

"The New World"

Possibly my favourite Markus Schulz production, along with "Koolhaus" before "Perception" came around, I often joke that this song could get me out of a coma. I’ve praised this production to death – so my track rating should suffice.
10/10

"Lightwave" (feat. Angelique Bergere)

Average track, though I can see the appeal – the vocals are Enya-esque and the production and engineering is overall topnotch. To me it sounds like something off of Madonna’s William Orbit produced ‘Ray Of Light‘ album. But after "Perception" and "The New World" pretty much everything sounds quite drab and uninspired.
5/10

"65.4Hz"

Now you’ll understand why I think this album is such a roller coaster! Out of nowhere comes the absolutely epic track that confused and frustrated so many of us as the ID in SO many GDJB episodes. There are so many excellent elements to this track and the layers are what make it special – the bass line is dark (as we love it), the vocals are ethereal and the leading synths are club-destroying; when they come together in such a masterful way, one can’t help but press the repeat button.
9/10

"What Could Have Been"

WHAT? Two non-vocal tracks in a row? Can it be?? Another gem of a production. This is a perfect track to be thrown into the middle of one of Markus’ epic 7 hour live set journeys. Like the German that he is, this song too is simple and effective. No bleeps, koombahyah hands-in-air synths, no gimmicky vocalist. Just pure, epic bass line-driven progressive trance sounds. No matter where you are, this track will make you groove and sway away.
8/10

"Goodbye" (with Max Graham feat. Jessica Riddle)

I’m sure all three artists worked very hard on this track – but as someone who has followed Markus’ and Max’s career since 2002, this is a collaboration that I have been dreaming of for ages – like seeing Pele and Maradona playing for the same team. But, sadly, it’s just another me2 vocal track in my opinion – it doesn’t have the magic of either a "Sun In The Winter" or a "Perfect". It’s interesting to see Markus breaking out and going in a more ambient-uplifting direction with this one – but it doesn’t quite do it for me.
5/10

Verdict

Final thoughts? This, to me, is possibly the most disappointing of all Markus Schulz-related works that I have. It is really sad because I know how much this particular artist album meant to him and to me and to thousands of Coldharbour enthusiasts out there. I know this is something he worked on for 18 grueling months and it is a very personal album to him – but, I get the sneaky suspicion that someone at Armada is trying to groom Markus Schulz into the next Armin van Buuren – and this might be the first shred of proof we needed.

BUT, I will stand by this musician until my last day – beneath the commercial tomfoolery of parts of this album, glimpses of this man’s genius shine through. And I will forever be indebted to this album for bringing "Perception" back into my life – my soul, spirit, heart needed to be reminded of what is true and beautiful about this world.

And in response to the pertinent question at hand: "Do You Dream?" Why yes, I do dream… of 2011 and Markus’ new Dakota album.

6.5/10

For more info related to Markus Schulz check out the following links:
www.markusschulz.com
www.twitter.com/MarkusSchulz
www.facebook.com/markusschulz
www.youtube.com/markusschulz

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