Balance (series)

Balance Music
Parent companyEQ Recordings
Founded2001; 25 years ago (2001)
FounderTom Pandzic
DistributorWarner
GenreProgressive house, Progressive breaks
Country of originAustralia
LocationMelbourne
Official websitehttps://balancemusic.com.au

Balance is a compilation album and DJ mix series launched in 2000 by Melbourne-based independent record label Balance Music.

Content

Balance's sound has been described as progressive house and progressive breaks. Each issue is mixed by a featured artist and typically comes with two CDs, though certain mixes may be packaged with more discs, such as Balance 007 and 010.

History

Balance Music, a sublabel for EQ Recordings, was founded in 2000 by Tom Pandzic. The Balance series started with Balance 001 mixed by local Australian DJ Sean Quinn and Balance 002 by Kasey Taylor. The series then expanded, featuring international DJs starting with Balance 003 mixed by Bill Hamel. The series garnered attention in 2002, with Balance 004 by Phil K receiving a Dance Music Awards' compilation of the year honor. Released in 2003, Balance 005 by James Holden received critical acclaim and propelled the series further into prominence. Balance 007 became the first compilation to be packaged with three CDs. During the 2010s, Balance Music started the Balance Presents mix series. They have since also held music festivals, with the Croatia festival in 2025 celebrating the label's 25th anniversary.

Reception

Resident Advisor stated that Balance has "arguably become one of the leading mix series in the progressive genre", opining that the series maintained a more consistent standard of quality compared to mixes by Global Underground and Renaissance Recordings and putting Balance 005 and 014 in the top 50 mixes of the 2000s at number 5 and 28 respectively. Similarly, LA Weekly put Balance 014 in the top 10 dance albums, describing it as "edgy, postmodern blur of sampl-adelic art".

Discography

Title Artist Release date Notes
Balance 001 Sean Quinn 6 November 2001
Balance 002 Kasey Taylor 2001
Balance 003 Bill Hamel 22 April 2002
Balance 004 Phil K 14 October 2002
Balance 005 James Holden 6 October 2003
Balance 006 Anthony Pappa 24 May 2004
Balance 007 Chris Fortier April 2005
Balance 008 Desyn Masiello November 2005
Balance 009 Paolo Mojo April 2006
Balance 010 Jimmy Van M October 2006
Balance 011 Luke Fair April 2007
Balance 012 Lee Burridge October 2007
Balance 013 SOS April 2008
Balance 014 Joris Voorn March 2009
Balance 015 Will Saul October 2009
Balance 016 Agoria March 2010
Balance 017 Timo Maas October 2010
Balance 018 Nick Warren April 2011
Balance 019 Henry Saiz 10 June 2011
Balance 020 Deetron November 2011
Balance 021 Nic Fanciulli May 2012
Balance 022 Funk D'Void October 2012
Balance Presents Jozif Jozif February 2013
Balance 023 Radio Slave 10 June 2013
Balance Presents Guy J Guy J July 2013
Balance 024 Danny Howells November 2013
Balance 025 Danny Tenaglia September 2014
Balance 026 Hernán Cattáneo October 2014
Balance 027 Magda February 2015
Balance Presents Fur Coat Fur Coat 18 May 2015
Balance 028 Stacey Pullen November 2015
Balance 029 James Zabiela February 2018
Balance 030 Max Cooper May 2018
Balance 031 Tim Green 5 May 2023
Balance 032 Henry Saiz 17 November 2023

See also

References

  1. ↑ "EQ Recordings · Record label". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 2026-07-04.
  2. 1 2 Y, Robbie (2005-04-13). "Balance 007 mixed by Chris Fortier · Album Review". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 2026-07-04.
  3. ↑ Rinehart, Dave (2006-11-20). "Jimmy Van M - Balance 10 · Album Review". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 2026-07-14.
  4. ↑ "Balance Music · Record label". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 2026-07-04.
  5. ↑ Tregoning, Jack (2023-12-18). "Henry Saiz: Cover Story | December 2023". www.beatportal.com. Retrieved 2026-07-04.
  6. 1 2 3 "Balance 003 - Compiled and Mixed by Bill Hamel · Album Review". Resident Advisor. 2002-03-12. Retrieved 2026-07-04.
  7. 1 2 Y, Robbie (2004-05-31). "Balance 006 mixed by Anthony Pappa · Album Review". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 2026-06-30.
  8. ↑ Holbrook, Cameron (2022-04-15). "Hannes Bieger Heads Up the Next Balance Series Compilation". Beatportal. Retrieved 2026-07-14. Hannes Bieger steps in for the next iteration of Melbourne-based imprint Balance Music's long-running 'Balance Presents' mix and compilation series.
  9. ↑ Basket, Tyrone (2024-05-14). "Balance Music & Arts Festival Reveals 2024 Lineup W/ Daily Bread, Dr. Fresch, + More". Retrieved 2026-07-14.
  10. ↑ Wilkinson, Juan Ignacio R. (2024-12-12). "Balance Croatia Festival adds more names to its debut". Electronic Groove. Retrieved 2026-07-14.
  11. 1 2 W, Rick (2007-08-03). "Luke Fair - Balance 011 · Album Review". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 2026-06-30. as GU and Renaissance have grown solid yet unspectacular over the years, the Balance series continues to go from strength to strength
  12. ↑ "RA Poll: Top 50 mixes of the '00s". Resident Advisor. 2010-01-27. Retrieved 2026-06-30.
  13. ↑ Romero, Dennis (2009-12-23). "Top 10 Dance Albums: Club-land Crossover". LA Weekly. Retrieved 2026-07-04.
  14. ↑ Y, Robbie (2002-10-17). "Phil K - Balance 004 · Album Review". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 2026-07-04.
  15. ↑ Sirec, Antonella (2003-10-03). "James Holden - Balance 005 · Album Review". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 2026-06-30.
  16. ↑ Y, Robbie (2005-10-17). "Balance 008 mixed by Desyn Masiello · Album Review ⟋ RA". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 2026-07-04.
  17. ↑ Rinehart, Dave (2006-04-26). "Paolo Mojo - Balance 009 · Album Review". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 2026-07-04.
  18. ↑ Caryl, kristan (2009-03-09). "Joris Voorn - Balance 014 · Album Review". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 2026-06-30.
  19. ↑ Johnstone, Henry (2011-05-12). "Nick Warren - Balance 018 · Album Review". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 2026-06-30.
  20. ↑ Warburton, Mike (2014-10-10). "The Importance Of the Mix CD with Hernan Cattaneo". Skiddle.com. Retrieved 2026-06-30.