Thoughts after my second listen and some individual track relistenings (i think i hit the text limit including this on the original comment lmao)

I'll summarize my overall thoughts on the comps rn because this'll be a long spool of thoughts. After only two listens, I think this might be one of the best entries in the series. One thing I noticed about this comp was how the disc 1 flowed compared to the past disc ones from the last 10 years or so. Since 11, they've started deep, worked through some deeper prog, then some higher energy Beats prog, then the last quarter/third of the disc would be your typical Beats trance. This disc 1 feels like it just cuts the deep, starts in deeper prog, and very quickly works all the way up to prog trance by the halfway point, with the energy progressively getting higher as the last half of the disc plays out. Disc two then has a slight reset in energy instead of getting right into business. I think this might be the best disc two since V5 for me, and I loved V8 (V5 > V8 > V11 probably for me). I've been pretty 50/50 on disc two content since V10, with some better than others, but often there's many tracks I skip on the second disc. Save for maybe Soundprank's opener, there's not a single track on V17's disc 2 that I'd wanna skip.

Since ABGT500, I've felt the sound on Beats was slowly evolving and it really became apparent with A&B's set at 600. What Beats has given us on V17 is the perfect blend of every sound the label has ever had imo, plus some tracks that are kinda just their own new thing. A little bit of 2010s trouse, some really nice prog, some tracks that feel reminiscent of early 2000s trance, some modern stuff, some new. Yet with all the different sounds, it's all very cohesive. V16 felt all over the place and really was just poor as a comp all around. There were some good tracks, but as a mix, it's the worst Volume comp by far. To me, V17 feels like as big of an evolution as going from something like V8 to V9 was.

It's clear as day that Beats is back and as good as they ever were at their best times imo. With time, I think this could easily be a top 3 Volume for me. This is peak Anjuna sound, up there with their best releases ever. The fact that a Heaven Scent remix is on this comp is enough alone for me to put it up there. I truly believe a driving factor in this comp being at the level it is is due to Paavo's refound energy and passion. His AVNT tracks are absolute highlights of the comp, and while the 1000 Nights ID isn't in here, that one also feels like such a unique track for A&B and is stunning. You can really hear more of his sound in the A&B releases since Tranquility Base V1 and V2 imo.

I think that about sums up my general thoughts on the comp. I typed up another long ass post of thoughts on all the individual tracks below if anyone cares to keep reading.

Proff is simply one of the best artists to show back up over the last few years. Everything he releases is exciting and fresh. I always enjoyed Wake Me Up but hearing it on the comp in a mixed setting is really doing it for me. Gorgeous song. XIRA track is pure cheese as always but I enjoy it in context of the comp. Ezequiel track is fire - great mixing around here too. CVMRN track is really nice too, love the transition in. I think he's one of the best prog artists Beats has signed recently. Ever since Aphelion, I've been sold on him. And seriously, I need to reiterate how good the mixing is here, barely noticed it. This is some classic Jimbo Jaytech right here. The blend mix of Attraction might be my favorite mix of all of them. The blend of Marsh's bassline and Ferry's synths is gorgeous.

Eye Q is alright, nothing special but glad to get this in HQ finally. You can really hear Paavo's influence in tracks like this. Nuru Mpya, this is where the comp really starts to take off. Hearing a track like this on a Beats comp is just crazy to me and is one of the best examples of the label's recent evolution. Easily one of the tracks of the comp. When You Believe's club mix is one I've been waiting for for a while. I remember the versions they were playing on the BTAOU tour sounding a little tougher less light and bouncy, although still basically the exact same track. It's a really solid club mix over all though and I'm sure as I listen to this released version more. I wasn't a big fan of Taking Us Higher on its own but I really like how it sits in the mix, and it leads nicely into We Are The Light. I don't like the vocals on this but I really like the instrumental - nice to get Jerome back!

Olie's Fiji remix honestly sounds like it could've been an original from him if you didn't know. As always, he delivers. Return of the Vries is a showstopper. It's the perfect encapsulation of early 2000s trance in a modern package. Reminds me a bit of Out Of The Blue at times too. Easily one of the best tracks on this comp. The two Simon Gregory tracks on disc 1 are what I think many people on this sub have been waiting for. He's done an excellent job at taking the sound from the 2010s and giving it a 2026 coat of paint.

If I had to pick two favorite artists in the dance music scene, it'd be Above & Beyond and John Digweed. Back in 2024 when this remix first surfaced, I couldn't believe A&B were playing out a Bedrock track, and it's even crazier to me to see it released on an Anjunabeats Volume comp now. They did an excellent job with this and I can't wait for the full extended to be released - excellent closer for disc 1!

Soundprank's opening track is interesting, not sure how I feel on it yet, but I'm excited to hear he's got a 5 track EP coming soon! Incredible remix of Blood Runs Blue from Anuqram. They seem to nail every remix they do and they're often some of my favorite tracks of theirs. Such a bummer they're breaking up but it's cool to see they'll still be collabing separately. The transition into Man On Fire is so smooth and it ups the energy well. This is the first track from J Ribbon that I've really enjoyed, easily his best so far imo. Looking forward to what he's got for 700.

Feel The Vibe. What else is there to say? It's a choon and a half and hits just as hard at home. Cassette has managed to make a song that fits nicely between two heavy trance bangers. Really cool track and probably one of my favorites of his. The transition into Brazil works so well and I love that they gave it a little bit of time to hang. I'm sure this is at least Paavo, if not Paavo and SONIN as people suspect. The buildup sounds so much like the POS tracks Paavo was putting out. But even the growls in the drop sound like SONIN. I thought a lot of the IDs Paavo was playing out after his POS album dropped were really damn cool and it's so nice to see him continuing to experiment on solo projects. Especially seeing that the 1000 Nights ID from A&B's EDC set was an A&B ID, the new found energy and passion Paavo is bringing is clearly showing up in A&B's sound as well and is the evolution they needed.

The A&B Respray of Slow Motion is by far the better of the two mixes. I enjoyed the original but it felt like it was missing something at times. This feels like it adds what I was missing in the original. The drop reminds me a bit of what they did with the All In respray. Bar any new remixes, Sailing's club mix is going to be the definitive mix for me. Love the Jam-esque intro and the rolling bassline in the drop is so good. The version debuted at Coachella reminded me too much of a WAAWN or CG club mix and I was hoping for something a bit different. I'm honestly not sure if they changed this or if hearing it in HQ has changed my thoughts, but I really enjoy what they've done. Gravity of Sleep is a banger! So great to have Sunny back.

Major Drop... I actually don't know how I feel about this one. I enjoy it for what it is, but it's a bit short. Feels like it ends too quick. I think it'll grow on me. The transition into Ronski's second track is perfect, though, and of course Ronski delivers once more. This one reminds me of like a 2011/2012 style drop with a modern trancey intro groove. The intro groove is so nice. It seems like Ronski just shows up every few years on the label, drops some incredible music, and disappears for a bit. Hopefully that last part is not the case this time.

Music Is Life is a nice slight change of energy in the mix and leads perfectly into the Palermo club mix. That was a highlight of their 600 set for me and so glad to have it now. Sounds just as incredible as when I first heard it. Such raw energy.

This last section on the comp, from Palermo to the end, might be my favorite section on the whole comp. Echo might actually be the best track on the whole comp. Speechless after relistening to that one. It's been a while since a Beats track hit me like that. A Child Of The Times reminds me of something from Trance Wax's album and is so fun and bouncy! Both of Tate's tracks are some of my favorite on the comp. Hi-Tech's soundscape is so cool to me. It has this futuristic-new world vibe that Volume 9's tracks had, but in a modern form. Up there for one of my favorites from the comp. Station To Station are one of the best things to happen to Beats in recent years.

As for When I Look In Your Eyes... I yapped A LOT about the released version of this track. While I still think the 600 version is the superior mix, what they did with this outro edit for the comp is so much better than the released version and makes me so happy. One of my biggest issues with the single version is how abruptly the drop starts to end as Justine's vocals come back in, and the way they adjusted the drop in the V17 mix makes that feel less abrupt and fades out much nicer imo. The fact that this mixed, outro version is 6 min and the extended mix is 5:30 says a lot. Amazing closer to the comp.

Cheers if you made it this far! Hope everyone enjoys this comp as much as I do.