Francesco Pico is rapidly becoming one of the tastemakers in the international progressive scene. After a series of well received EPs, he dropped his first artist album Imagining Sounds on the Extrema Music label in 2007 with kind support coming from the likes of Dave Seaman and Laurent Garnier amongst many others. The Dutch DJ/producer is now about to release its follow-up titled Imagining Sounds 2, this time on Eelke Kleijn's Outside The Box imprint, an album that again confirms Pico's unique skills and versatility.

The album has been produced in the same way as its predecessor: although the CD is made up of 10 tracks, the aim was to produce a constant flow of music that's more or less a single track on its own. Opening with the chilled out, ambient-esque See What We Can Find, the album progresses into a mix with references to a myriad of genres. Along we way, we encounter electro, ambient, proggy, and straight-forward house elements. To describe each single track on its own would not be appropriate. The best way to enjoy this mix is to listen to it as a whole. It's the flow that does the talking here. Roughly the first 15 to 20 minutes are very slow-paced, with tunes that are riddled with silky synths, arps and easy going beats, but somewhere around 20 minutes the tempo is increased with four to the floor cuts that are remarked by subtle programming and a very nifty production on the overall.

The mix then engages into even more uptempo tracks in which we hear a sound that is best be described as Global Underground, although Francesco clearly adds his own unique touch to the music. The synths vary from uplifting to laidback, but always carry loads of atmosphere and are a true pleasure to either listen or dance to. As we rech the end of this mix, we are treated to another series of heavy hitting tracks of which pretty much all of them are able to raise a party. Perfect summer material, and genuine Ibiza slammers if you ask me. No wonder Hernan Cattaneo recently stated that he plays each and every track of this killer album in his sets.

With Imagining Sounds 2, Francesco Pico delivers a praiseworthy second album that can easily take on the competition with releases from the biggest names in the field of proggy music. The sequencing is brilliant, the sounds are crisp and clear, and the entire album oozes with atmosphere. Recommended!

We're gonna give away a number of copies of this album in a few days, so keep a close eye on 365Mag!

Track-list:

1. See What We Can Find
2. Heart Breaks
3. In Between
4. The Pad Goes Up
5. Like The Old Days
6. The Thrill Will Be Later (with Roel Sapphire)
7. Far More Out
8. All By Pitching The Crowd
9. Smashed Into The Sky
10. Get Your Coat, We Are Going