CJ Bolland Albums (3)
What The Critics Say
The 4th Sign, CJ Bolland's full-length debut for R&S, is notably -- and refreshingly -- free of his previous singles successes for the label. Instead of padding out the LP with a few of the club hits he'd recorded during his four-plus years on R&S, Bolland uses the opportunity to explore new methods and construct an album of tracks that work together as well as apart. True, there's not that much different here musically; it's a nine-track course through much of the same hard techno and pummeling trance he'd been known for. But the effects programming is inventive and just a bit leftfield for the dancefloor (at least circa 1992), and Bolland ranges from sleek trance ("Aquadrive"), to hardcore ("Spring Yard"), to symphonic progressive house ("Camargue"). Though the best tracks ("Nightbreed," "Mantra," "Thrust") come with help from the Advent's Cisco Ferreira (maybe this should've been released as a Space Opera LP instead), The 4th Sign is a near-perfect debut. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Bolland's breakout album with a larger crowd continues to display his roots in hard techno while springing a more percussive, wall-of-sound aesthetic closer to the Prodigy than Joey Beltram. "The Analogue Theatre," "Counterpoint" and "The Prophet" are up-front trance stormers, and "Electro Power" is an intriguing pastiche of big-beat and acid-rap. Armand Van Helden's mix of the stellar single "Sugar Is Sweeter" adds a bit of polish to the affair, and Bolland's feel for mixing gives the album a good flow. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
On Electronic Highway, CJ Bolland distances himself from the stark acid-techno and trance of his early career with a set of emotive, symphonic tracks. Though Bolland's rhythms are just as driving, and his use of percussion just as heavy as before, most of the squelchy acid effects have been replaced. On "The Tower of Naphtali" he uses toybox melodies to soften the blow, while a few faraway vintage synth lines spice "Con Spirito" and the highlight "Zenith." With help on engineering from David Morley, Bolland also added breakbeats, and the result is the solid early ambient drum'n'bass piece, "Bones." Cisco Ferreira also helps out on two tracks, a remix of "Spoof" and "Drum Tower." ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
