Bart Claessen. A.k.a. Barthezz. A.k.a. Stereoshaker. This fellow civilian of the beautiful province of the Netherlands called Limburg, is a well known DJ and producer, and a few of his hits have reached the Top 40 in the UK. With 'On The Move' and 'Infected' he reached the UK charts back in 2001, and they are still highly recommended Trance anthems. And the reason why I am talking to you about this DJ today, is because I heard Barthezz the other day, and I wanted to hear more. And voila, it led me to this mix, made by Gates Of Paradise, 4 years ago.
I am aware of Barthezz, but I don't know a lot of Bart Claessen's back catalogue. And after hearing this mix, I should have paid more attention to him! My God, Gates Of Paradise's mix is jam packed with classic Trance anthems. Seriously, impressive sounds. I did recognise two other records, but this hour long mix has got more records by this legend. Maybe I did hear them on compilations before, but you know what you do when you are younger: you don't pay attention. The older you get, the more refined taste you develop.
New Year, new me. Well, not really. Still a music enthusiast, and hearing this mix makes me happy. Extremely happy. Wouldn't you be, if you would find such a mix? Just check out the tracklist, have a butchers!
Meck - Windmills (Bart Claessen Remix)
Bart Claessen & Rene Martens - El Dorado (Original Mix)
Meck & Dino - Feels Like A Prayer (Bart Claessen Dub Mix)
Susana & Bart Claessen - If I Could (Bart Claessen 2001 Remix)
Tiesto feat BT - Love Comes Again (Bart Claessen Remix)
Bart Claessen - When Morning Comes (Original Mix)
Bart Claessen - Hartseer (Original Mix)
Bart Claessen - Elf (Original Mix)
Bart Claessen - First Light (Original Dub Mix)
Bart Claessen - Playmo (First Play)
Bart Claessen presents Barthezz - On The Move (Original Mix)
It is cool to end a mix with the producer's biggest hit, but after hearing this mix, I have to conclude that this isn't his finest record. It might have been the biggest in the UK chart, but is it Bart's finest? Nope.
Of course you want to know which record I find the finest of this mix. Well, here we go: 'Elf'. What a fucking monster anthem! Can't remember if I'd ever heard this one before, but I certainly won't forget it from now on. Seriously, chills from the first to the last beat. An absolute stunner of a record. And the build up is tremendously insane. You can feel Bart taking us on a journey like never before.
I do prefer this kind of Trance music. Minimalistic, but yet powerful. Each track has a punch, and it delivers that punch unexpected. You will be in for a treat once you press play. Gates Of Paradise has done a great job in composing this mix, highlighting Bart Claessen's skill as a producer. Yes, he might have been big with Barthezz, but he's certainly no one hit wonder.
Fuck it, no need to continue with this review. I am on a roll now: 'Elf' is on a loop now, and I'm in ecstasy. And so should you.
DJ; Gates Of Paradise
Genre/Style: Trance
Mix Info: New Trance Generation Best Of Bart Claessen
Length Mix: 01:04:17
Tracks: 11 (eleven)
Download/Listen (via Soundcloud): LISTEN HERE
File Size: unknown
File Type: unknown
Release Year: 2016
Audio: Stereo
Sample Rate: unknown
More Information: Gates Of Paradise - Soundcloud Page