A Tribute to Life

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After building a name for himself on the German trance scene through both his own several Beatport hits and various remixes for the likes of Tiesto and Above & Beyond, 25-year-old Berlin DJ and producer Dennis Sheperd steps up to the plate with his first studio album, A Tribute to Life. But anyone looking for a relentless barrage of pumping beats and "hands in the air" rave riffs should look elsewhere, as its 16 tracks are certainly more concerned with winding down the party than kick-starting it. With their ethereal female vocals, warm layers of synths, and melancholic melodies, "Fallen Angel" and "Freefalling" both evoke the lush progressive trance of Chicane and Deadmau5; "Somehow" is just begging to be played over an Ibiza sunset with its dreamy electronica, crashing waves, and gentle Balearic rhythms; while "Black Sun" and the title track are gorgeously subtle instrumentals filled with enchanting new age-style backing vocals and cinematic Vangelis-esque riffs, respectively. Cleverly avoiding the repetitiveness that plagues many similar trance albums, Sheperd also throws in a few curve balls, whether it's the understated jazz-rock of "Silence," the prog rock beats, atmospheric strings, and downtempo acoustics of the ambient "Out in the Cold," or the somber piano-driven chillout finale, "Feeder," while the array of eclectic guest singers, ranging from the new wave tones of Simon Binkenborn on "No Time to Cry" to the anguished Hayley Williams-esque Hysteria! on "Stay Awake" to the impassioned soft rock vocals of Jonathan Mendelsohn on opener "Bring Me Back," ensure that the predominantly blissed-out production is never too indistinguishable. A rare example of a trance record that could appeal to people who don't particularly like trance music, A Tribute to Life is an impressively classy debut that should accelerate Sheperd's rise to the top of his homeland's dance scene. ~ Jon O'Brien