Sven Vath/Various

Split into two CDs, In The Mix: The Sound of the Second Season gives us Ibiza-flavoured night and day techno sets by master of the driving beat Sven Vath. "Noche" hits hard and fast right from the beginning and doesn't slow down, as Vath spins some thumping Euro-beats into non-stop techno noise that never quits. There is minimal variation to Vath's monotonous set that doesn't slow down, build up, climax or even deviate slightly from the bombastic hard club sound he's known for. CD two, "Dia," is mellower and geared for the sunrise crowd, with bubbly tech beats and an up-tempo ambient feel. While it's great to get the two for one special on Vath's mixing talents, the "Noche" set seems like a pointless recording, offering little more than just ceaseless "boom, boom" for your buck. "Dia" is a far more mature and flavourful set, and dare I say that combining the two sounds would have made for a more interesting recording that actually would have added a little more groove and movement to all of In The Mix: The Sound of the Second Season's techno commotion.