Maxx - Get-A-Way

Blow Up/Quality Music: 1993/1994

I never bothered with Maxx's debut breakout single because the copies I always saw in my neck of the woods didn't look appealing. Music-wise, I mean. There's no way that cover art is getting by without at least a casual glance, if not outright gawkery. Just, damn! Eurodance was never shy about its sex-appeal, but even this use of curves and shadows was pushing things ever so close into risque. What was I talking about again? Oh yeah.

So Get-A-Way was everywhere, a true classic in a year when eurodance was spoiled for hits. This naturally led to a slew of remixes, but the roll-out was rather weak. Even as a teenager with limited income, I knew getting only three tracks wasn't that good of a deal – all those 2 Unlimited singles I got had at least five. Now, that No More single, that's got some beef to it, and how can I resist remixes with names like “Terrordome” and “Paradise Garage” on them? A sight better than Twilight Mix or 2 A.M. Club Mix.

Get Get-A-Way I did though, as it was an option in a CD single bundle I happened across. Figured I may as well give it a shot, as these old eurodance EPs oftentimes contain some buried, trance-leaning treasure. Sadly, that's not what I get here, the 2 A.M. Club Mix essentially the same as the famed Airplay Mix, but with certain key features missing. None of the buzzy basslines, none of the bleepy leads (instead replaced with panflute toots), and none of that silly 'hardcore' orchestral sting in the song's bridge. Instead, everything flows smoother along pads, with piano lines in the bridges. What's funny is for the longest time, I thought this was the original version, at it was the one featured in my first exposure to it, on Dance Mix 94 (the club-dance compilation series in Canada). Ain't no way things like 'correct track titles' were a thing, and was shocked to hear the original had more similarities to No One than I thought possible.

Still, I cannot deny being a little disappointed in discovering this was it all along. That adorable 'shuffle dance' YouTube video with 2 A.M. Club Mix in the title led me to believe it was a little more bang-on. I'm not even sure if that is an official remix, as I can't find anything that sounds like it.

It does include elements of the Naked Eye Mix, specifically the bouncier synth lead that meets half-way between the original's bleeps and the 2 A.M.'s flutes. In fact, 'bouncier' is the best way to describe this mix – speed it up a bunch, and it could be happy hardcore. As for the Piano Remix, the same piano fills as found in the 2 A.M. rub get full shine, but isn't much different.

Really, the only Get-A-Way remix you should scope out is the (once) UK-exclusive Red Jerry Remix, because c'mon! The co-founder of Hooj Choons, remixing Maxx!

Various - 100% Energy

Quality Records: 1994

Another of my earliest CDs, and a very educational one at that. No, go ahead and laugh – it really is quite adorable what I learned from 100% Energy. It's something I would have learned rather quickly anyway, but there's always that first one, opening your eyes, ears, and brain to all that electronic dance music has to offer and is capable of. I am, of course, talking about The Remix.

Yeah, I'd come across remixes before. My exposure was so limited at that point, however, I just assumed rubs on tunes like Age Of Love, Obumbrata, and Dominator were the original versions, not variations. Even the few remixes of 2 Unlimited hits I'd heard didn't sound that different compared to the radio cuts, at least enough for me to think much of it (still, that 2 Little Boys go with Twilight Zone sure hit harder). When I picked up 100% Energy (was given as a Christmas gift? I can't remember...), I was already familiar with a chunk of tunes in the track list: Urban Cookie Collective's The Key, The Secret, BKS' I'm In Love With You, Bad Boys Blue's Go Go (Love Overload). There are several others too, but I hadn't counted on hearing versions of them completely different from what I'd heard elsewhere.

My main point of comparison was Radikal Techno – Too Radikal, where four tracks from that CD also ended up here. Both Mars Plastic's Find The Way and R.T.Z. Belgium's In The Name Of Love are shorter, which I didn't mind since both tunes are rather monotonous anyway. That Deadly Sins cut though, We Are Going On Down, why does it have an added bell melody? The main riff's different too, more aggressive sounding, and where did the roller-coaster samples go? If that threw me for a loop, then hearing the original version of TRF Rave Factory's Open Your Mind... well, opened my mind. Joey Beltram's remix on Radikal Techno was minimalist and almost trancey, whereas here it's about as ravey happy hardcore as you could get in 1993. Complete opposite ends of the dance spectrum, and I was so clueless it could be done at all! Oh, and the limp Let The Beat Control Your Body from 2 Unlimited is featured here in its more festive X-Out In Rio Remix form, another “wtf?” moment for yours truly.

Okay, enough anecdotal blathering. 100% Energy is about as typical a eurodance compilation from Quality Records as you'll ever find. Other names on here include Diva Connection, Apotheosis, Dance 2 Trance, Q-Tex, Cardenia, and Intermission. DJ Dero's mardi gras nod Batucada comes prior to the 2 Unlimited rub, and General Base's Poison hits all my eurodance endorphin triggers. The CD is also 'mixed', in that everything's got hard cross-fade slams, some tracks hilariously clashing with what came before. Since I don't have many of these tunes and mixes elsewhere, I've kept 100% Energy all these years, but it's honestly barely worth a used-shop pick-up a quarter century on.

Various - Techno 3: Still Tripping (Compiled By Chris Sheppard)

Quality Music: 1992

Before Club Cutz, before Groove Station. Before Love Inc., before Destination Dance Floor. Hell, even before Pirate Radio Sessions, though about the same time as Rock Em Sock Em 5, there was The Techno Trip. Or Trip To The Moon. Or Have A Nice Trip. Or... just Techno (2)? Is that really what you're labelling this series, Lord Discogs? Whatever. To all Canadians, the compilations were simply known as Chris Sheppard's Techno Trip, and it was our first real taste of rave music on a commercial level. Sure, there were enclaves and outlets savvy heads knew about (mostly in Montreal and Toronto), but none had the national exposure Quality Music provided (MuchMusic ads helped).

And yeah, despite the name, there isn't much in the way of techno on these CDs, mostly exercises in old school rave and hardcore tracks. Give Shep' some slack though, the early '90s still a wild west of genre breeding, with only a few established, accepted terms around. It was called techno because it certainly wasn't house, and rave was the place you went to, or something. Look, there wasn't any internet (much less a music guide) to hash out these debates – heck, there was barely even any 'journalism' going on regarding this scene. It's not Shep's fault Canada was seriously lagging behind on rave music (but oh, did we ever have it goin' on with EBM!).

As for his third 'trip' into 'techno', it's an average affair of vintage tunes, with the usual assortment of overplayed samples and hoover sounds. The opening cut from Shep's BKS project (with his DJ moniker Dogwhistle on the rub) even nicks the bleepy goodness of LFO, plus throws in a couple children rhymes, because that was the trendy thing to do at the time. It honestly isn't that bad, provided you haven't much exposure to rave music before, and I reckon the Canadian audience that bought this hadn't.

Notable acts such as Acen, Shut Up And Dance, Joey Beltram, N.R.G. (they never lost their hardcore) and Voodoo Child (aka: Moby) also show up, with a few lesser known acts rounding things out. Dream Frequency's Feel So Real and Rhythm Quest's Closer To All Your Dreams gets in on those rolling piano anthems, while Bass Construction's Dance With Power and Project One's Roughneck will get your Prodigy triggers going.

And then there's the back-end of Techno 3 – Still Tripping, where all the novelty tunes are lumped. Apotheosis' apocalyptic choir anthem Obumbratta makes another appearance, sans booming gabber beats, while Poing from Rotterdam Termination Source hints where Dutch hardcore would eventually go (sadly). And let's not forget Harajuku, who made a career of doing dance covers of famous opera and musical numbers, breaking out here with Phantom Of The Opera. And what's this Back To Jack Your Body from Steve “Silk” Hurley at the end? It doesn't sound like rave or techno – much too slow, what with that funky acid groove and all. It sullies this compilation's genre purity!

2 Unlimited - Real Things

Quality Music: 1994

If I'm not mistaken, this review of 2 Unlimited's third album marks a minor milestone on this blog: the first completion of an artist's discography. Okay, there are certain conditions for this achievement, like said act in question must have more than two album's released, and I have to actually own them all within my collection. Despite buying quite a few CDs over the years (four digits, creepin’ closer!), there aren’t many artists I’ve gathered full discographies of. Sometimes it’s due to an obscenely huge output (oh hi, Neil Young), other times it’s from scarcity of hard copies (boo limited runs), or perhaps an act enters a period of meh-to-suck in later years, making purchases pointless (sorry, ‘electronica’ darlings). Oh, and I refuse to acknowledge the existence of Wilde and de Coster's reboot attempt with two different singers – 2 Unlimited will forever be the original foursome, accept no alternatives!

Not only does Real Things complete my coverage of the former euro-dance juggernaut, it was also the final album they released, third in as many years. When you consider today’s dance-pop icons barely manage one LP in the same amount of time, I find that impressive. Fine, the rules of the game have considerably changed since two decades hence, artists capable of sustaining careers on singles alone. If we’re playing that game though, 2 Unlimited were utterly dominate in that area too, Real Things alone spawning off three top-Tens, plus a surprising fourth single in the ballad Nothing Like The Rain. That one’s not as good as the ballads off No Limits! and oh my God I’m championing euro dance ballads over others. Does my 2 Unlimited bias have no shame?

Probably not, though as always, a full-length outing from this group has its ups and downs. Compared to the prior two albums, Real Things is incredibly slick and polished, all hints of Belgian rave roots completely varnished away. Instead, they’ve adopted the sounds of Germany and Italy, though did so in their own way. Even at the height of euro-dance’s glut, you couldn’t mistake a 2 Unlimited cut for any other, Ray and Anita among the most distinctive rap-and-singer combos that scene ever produced. No wonder everyone tried copying their formula, and smaller wonder still they felt compelled to call out all the style-biters on lead single The Real Thing. Then again, who are they to do so when the track is centred on a Bach riff. Oh Turbo B ain’t gonna’ like that, nosiree.

The rest of the album flits between songs about love (Burning With Desire, Sensuality, Face To Face), dancing (Hypnotised, Escape In Music, Tuning Into Something Wild), but never about the love of dancing, oddly. There’s also an ode to a then-emergent cyberspace (Info Superhighway), and a couple ‘stand tall and proud’ type of tunes in Here I Go, Do What I Like, and What’s Mine Is Mine. Unsurprisingly, they’re the best tunes on Real Things. It’s as though being original is a good thing!

Various - Radikal Techno - Too Radikal (Original TC Review)

Quality Music: 1993

(2015 Update:
I still can't believe this CD turned up as a Random Review less than a year after I wrote about the first Radikal Techno. Makes me wonder, had I stuck to doing occasional reviews by random selection, would the third, fourth, or even multi-CD box set have come up. Not sure how that'd be possible, as I only have two Radikal Technos, but those Digital Disc Imps, they're a tricky bunch. Always moving your music out of place, somehow shuffling CDs out of sight even as you diligently scan spine by spine looking for that one album you just gotta' pull out to show off to house guests. Ahem, what I mean is, I wouldn't put it past those Imps to add something too. For reals, where'd this dusty garage rock demo suddenly come from?

You know what else surprised me? Discovering Radikal Records is still in operation, now a full-on festival house and brostep outlet. Wait, that's not surprising at all, the label's choice in music output always skewing towards the commercially friendly side of the dancefloor - of course they'd jump on the latest hot bandwagon. Still, maybe they should have rebranded their name as well. Calling yourself 'radikal' is just too damn '90s, man.)

IN BRIEF: Not as good as the first.

Okay, this is getting ridiculous. Yes, I know I have a fair deal of old dance CDs in my music collection, but it can’t make up more than 5% of everything I own. Yet, these Random Reviews have seen an inordinate amount of them crop up. Club Europa, The Movement, Scooter’s Age Of Love, Maxx’ No More, Snap!’s Welcome To Tomorrow, the first Radikal Techno… What’s next, Euro Dance Pool, Club Cutz, or Ice MC’s album? (2015 note: it came true! …kinda’) Why can’t I ever pull one of my many Moonshine Records discs? A classic trance compilation? Hell, even a Turbo Recordings choice again – I haven’t picked one since the very first Random. I suppose the good news here is that I have to eventually run out of these.

I’ll be honest with you. The trouble is, unlike the first Radikal Techno, there isn’t much to say about Too Radikal. The first one had enough quirky things about it that the compilation actually makes for an interesting Random: remixes that are rather rare, well-known producers cutting their teeth with early works, plus a scrappy attitude that went part-and-parcel with the ’92 rave scene. The sequel, however, lacks any of this. If anything, Too Radikal shows how, within a year, the commercial dance business had cleaned itself up from its grubby rave days and present itself with a far more slick sheen that would go on to define euro dance of the mid-‘90s. Even the cover, despite the somewhat goa attributes, comes across squeaky clean in comparison.

Fourteen tracks are to be had here, but nearly all of them could also easily be had on several other compilations, making this far from unique or necessary. The music, for the most part though, isn’t bad. Mostly, you have ‘underground’ versions of big euro-hits, which is just another way of saying trancey mixes. A few cuts have held up remarkably well: Te Quiero’s almost-psy leanings is still an infectious tune; with moody acid burbling about, Joey Beltram’s Old School Dub Mix of Open Your Mind is quite good, if somewhat simplistic; and the Abfarht team struck gold once again with Wanna Feel The Music as Public Art. Meanwhile, euro dance fluff from A.B. Free (who’d go on to bigger things as DJ Company), Apotheosis (completely abandoning their original rave sound), Afrika Bambaata (yes, that Bambaata, now hanging out with Italian producers for some reason), Dance 2 Trance, Love 4 Sale, and Ramirez are all agreeable, though dated. For instance, the backing pads in Do You Feel So Right are pure trance bliss, but the rest of the track is quite muffled; Go Deeper’s production is so hilariously flat, you’d think it was an ‘80s tune; and what the hell is with those chicken noises in El Gallinero?

On the other hand, little holds up in the offerings from R.T.Z., 2 Unlimited, Deadly Sins, and Mars Plastic, coming off like knock-offs of better productions of the time. In The Name Of Love has some decent beats, but that looping hook will quickly irritate; We Are Going On Down is silly with those rollercoaster samples and ‘whooaAAAAooohhh’ chants; not the best version of No Limit here; Find The Way is generic garage house from that time. Oh, and then there’s the hopelessly corny It’s A Feeling, which rips off the marching rhythms of The Good Men’s Give It Up, and throws in sappy happy hardcore sentiments. I cringed with this one even back in the day.

Y’ah, see how fast I wrapped this one up? There’s just not much else to talk about here. I suppose you could be wondering why I’d even still have a compilation like Too Radikal if it’s this generic. Well, I have to admit there are quite a few personally nostalgic reasons. If the first Radikal Techno was my second CD, this was something like my fifth, so obviously I’d end up replaying it often. I certainly do have amusing memories of Te Quiero (oh my god, that woman’s having an orgasm!) and We Are Going On Down (are they saying ‘funky town’ or ‘fucking town’?); and although there really isn’t much on here that’d be true-blue trance, there was enough trancey attributes here to undoubtedly make an influence on my early music tastes (even if I wouldn’t take the full proper plunge for another couple years down the road).

I dunno. If you see this around and don’t have any of these tracks… ah, you might still be better off just downloading the good ones. Like I said, this isn’t a bad compilation, just really unnecessary to have. Do what you like if you see it lying in a used shop.

Written by Sykonee for TranceCritic.com, 2009. All rights reserved.

Various - Radikal Techno (Original TC Review)

Quality Music: 1992

(2015 Update:
"Objective straight-faced criticism"? What does that even mean? And, oh-ho-ho, shame on you, 2008 Sykonee, for even suggesting every review you wrote was truly objective. I'd tried toeing the 'hard but fair' line most of the time, but there were plenty instances of throwing any supposed objectivity out the window in favor of a long-winded rant or gush. Ah well, at least I get to wear all my biases in plain view for this blog, and not rely on lengthy opening paragraphs explaining away such changes in writing tone.

There's two things I neglected mentioning regarding the Radikal Techno series that I may as well bring up now. 1. The name comes from the record label that released most of these tunes, Radikal Records, a New Jersey print that specialized in commercial dance singles from Europe - Quality Music handled their Canadian distribution, hence why I've so many of their CDs. 2. Radikal Techno actually lasted for a good decade, reaching a sixth edition featuring the likes of ATB, Cosmic Gate, and Brooklyn Bounce. Of course, by that time, Quality Music had long-since folded, so it was a case of Radikal Records using the name of a compilation series promoting their material created by another label. And I've gone cross-eyed.)

IN BRIEF: They don’t make ‘em like this anymore.

I tried. Really, I did. As much as I’d love to dive into this Random Review with all the objective straight-faced criticism I approach any other release, the history I personally have with this compilation makes it incredibly difficult. You see, my friends, this simple little release titled Radikal Techno is the second CD I ever owned. It’s survived accidents, theft during parties, drunken vandalism during parties, transportation from a number of different homes, and desperate pawn-shop plundering during periods of destitution, yet has remained in remarkable condition during it all.

“So what?” you say. “It’s just an old CD with a bunch of early 90s techno on it; not like it’s some rare original 7" Cybotron record.” True, but as anyone who has had a habit of coddling their music for years can attest to, such nurturing inhibits objective perspectives of the actual material on display.

Fact is, I still enjoy Radikal Techno. Yes, some of the production is hopelessly dated (there are frequent uses of the oh-so cutting edge Stereo-Pan Effect). Yes, some of the crappier trends in techno of the early ‘90s are present. And yes, I completely agree my continued enjoyment of this CD could simply be attributed to fuzzy warm nostalgia. Yet nor could I pass this off to an associate of mine to get their objective opinions of it because pretty much everyone I know quite enjoys the old school. And shouldn’t that be enough to convince you, the reader, that Radikal Techno has more going for it than starry-eyed trips down memory lane? Just look at some of these cuts!

For sure, there are overly familiar names here: 2 Unlimited, Age Of Love, Human Resource, Joey Beltram... and that’s just what anyone with basic background of electronic music should recognize. However, with the exception of Age Of Love, where Jam & Spoon’s remix would go on to see endless compilation duty in the years to come (I don’t think anyone in ‘92 could have predicted that), Radikal Techno offers some true rarities from them. The Two Little Boys remix of Twilight Zone plays around with those famous hooks, providing a funkier spin for the underground to appreciate. Rush To The Rhythm, a track featuring super-fast breaks, raps, and cut’n’paste production, is one of Beltram’s more obscure releases. And Glitch’s long-forgotten remix of Dominator is stellar, bringing blistering techno beats to this hoover anthem, spiking it with intensity benefitting of thrash metal throughout.

Elsewhere on this tracklist are a bunch of tunes that were quite popular ‘back in the day’ and, although mostly forgotten now, hold up remarkably well. Everyone knows Apotheosis’ O Fortuna, but the follow-up Obumbratta was just as good. Here we have their Dynamic Techno Remix featuring proto-gabber beats and production quality that is leaps and bounds above nearly everything else on Radikal Techno - it really does sound like the apocalypse is nigh as the Gates Of Hell are opened. WestBam’s Mayday Anthem, a track written for the Mayday party, is a fun piece of riff-tastic techno, while Razormaid adds sinister grumbling basslines to Die Schwarze Zone from LDC, an EBM-inspired project from euro-house legend Torsten Fenslau. And speaking of old house legends and rumbling basslines, StoneBridge shows up to remix the oldie house-gem Take Me Higher from Hysteria. Quite possibly amongst the oddest tracks is Ave Maria from the anonymous Noys, whom sampled the climax of Strauss’ Blue Danube, looped it, added some beats, and then dive off into a nifty piece of techno in its own right (that bassline... damn, but are there ever some kick-ass basslines on this compilation!); it screams one-off novelty, yet somehow works in spite of itself.

Unfortunately, Radikal Techno also finds one of the more abysmal novelty trends to be found in early ‘90s rave, the cringe-worthy ‘toytown’ phase. Here, we have Raving On Sesame Street, which is so hopelessly lame, this was about the only place you could find the track (according to Discogs, anyway). Thankfully, it’s placed at the end of the CD, and can simply be forgotten it even exists.

The remaining tracks mostly amount to rip-offs (Dance Your Ass Off is practically James Brown Is Dead) or style-biting (big-riff techno in the case of Stylophonia, hoover-house in the case of Life At Wunderbar, and anthemic hip-house with The Nervous Zone). None of them are essential but they do help round out the compilation with filler that won’t have you reaching for the skip button.

As an interesting aside, Canadian DJ Chris Sheppard helped compile this release; however, this is in his pre-fame days when he was just starting to expose all that crazy rave music from Europe to Canadians. As such, he only has a token “Compiled by” credit near the copyright alongside Quality’s frequent dance compiler Markus Klinke. As evidenced by his track selection here, Sheppard definitely had an ear for the underground, and this release confirms it was a shame Shep’ was lost to the mainstream soon after.

Anyhow, Radikal Techno is the kind of compilation that you just might find sitting in a used shop (probably Canadian). Considering the quality and scarcity of a number of these tracks and remixes, it makes this CD quite the bargain for anyone who fancies the old school. Don’t miss out.

Written by Sykonee for TranceCritic.com, 2008. © All rights reserved

2 Unlimited - No One (BioMetal, Pt. 5)

Quality Music: 1995

(Click here to read my original TranceCritic review.)

“Are you ready for this, Anita?”

“Is that some kind of joke?”

Ray smiled. “How do you mean?”

Her reply was quick and exasperated. “We’ve had all manner of horrors thrown at us! Things both living and machine, mutations of animals common and exotic, the very walls around us pulsating and breathing like we’re inside the intestine of an asteroid-sized BioMetal. We just made it through of wall of crustaceans, each as big as our ship! And you’re asking me if I’m ready for whatever’s lurking inside that cavern?”

Ray checked his weapon and shield gauges, each still in the process of recharging, an estimation of but a few minutes before they could proceed. Some of the strongest life-signs they’d encountered yet rested just beyond the darkness before them, readings capping out nearly every sensor designed to monitor for BioMetals. Either an armada even larger than the one the HALBARD had tore a path of devastation through lay ahead, or, as Anita speculated, a central ‘brain’ complex that controlled them all. Either way, it looked like a fight to the finish, and they’d need all their spare energy reverses locked and loaded before taking it on.

“It’s probably a big, blobous tentacle,” Ray quipped, tapping a steady rhythm on the panel to his right. “Like, maybe a squid-thing, with a huge beak that could snap our ship in two if we got too close. I don’t think we’ve seen one of those yet.”

“Huh, it’s no more ludicrous than the dragon-thing we already killed.”

Ray chortled. “There, see, it’s not hard to see the lighter side of all this nonsense.”

Anita sighed again, but it was different this time, less irritation than Ray was used to hearing from her. It felt like her breath somehow billowed out from his earpiece, coursing through his body and settling just under his skin. He shuffled in his seat, suddenly uncomfortable. “How do you do it, Ray?” she asked. “Keep optimistic even in such abhorrent surroundings?”

Ray pursed his lips, surprised he had to think a bit for a reply. “Hope, I guess,” he finally said. “That there’s something better than being a ‘hot-shot’ pilot with a skill for killing BioMetals in my future. Maybe settle down in a tropical paradise, make a little tango music.”

“It takes two to tango,” Anita quietly said.

Ray smiled. “Is that an offer?”

“Maybe. We’ll see, after we kick the last of these BioMetals’ asses.”

“Hah, do BioMetals even have asses?”

Anita giggled. “Honestly, no one knows, and I don’t care to be the first to find out.”

Ray powered the HALBARD’s system’s back on, the ship humming back to life. “Me neither. Let’s end this!”

HOW DOES THE THRILLING BIOMETAL SAGA CONCLUDE?
Oh, you know: big bad beat, galaxy saved for another epoch, Ray and Anita do victory parades, General Wilde retires to Planet Kaypewsolaceniceawesome, Dr. de Coster disappeared into a black hole of his own invention. Usual space opera stuff.


(If you're hopeless lost as to what's going on, click here.)

Maxx - No More (I Can't Stand It) (2014 Update)

Quality Music: 1994

(Click here to read my original TranceCritic review.)

Ah, hmm. I guess Maxx never had their own video game tie-in I can fanficify, did they. I'm gonna' have to do a real 2014 Update for this single, aren't I. Man, you don't want that. You know how boring it would have been had I done the same for all those 2 Unlimited singles? My original reviews were exhaustively detailed, and while not always entirely accurate, in no need of updating. I'll grant possibly only two people on the planet get a kick out of those BioMetal stories, but I write them for my amusement, a break from my usual fare. Dammit, why couldn't Maxx have been more popular than 2 Unlimited? Not even a CD-ROM soundtrack credit? *sigh*

Actually, listening to No More again, I’m surprised how well it’s held up to this day. Despite lacking the polish of Maxx’ first hit, Get-A-Way (Team Samira, yo’!), there remains an undeniable craft to its pop production. Maybe it’s the fact Gary Bokoe’s ‘raggamuffin’ approach to the requisite euro-dance rap sounds unlike any other out there. Seriously, compared to the endless copycats that emerged after Maxx’ success, Gary comes off remarkably unique. I think the only reggae-rapper in that scene that outmatched him was ICE MC, and he had the benefit of heritage on his side. What’s a silly German outfit like Maxx doing emulating the UK’s fascination with reggae-dance music?

There’s a lot of music from the ‘90s that’s hopelessly dated to those years. Some of it, like old school rave, big beat, and prog-house with ethnic chants continue to work in spite of their datedness, a nostalgia for the long-gone scenes they sprung up within. Conversely, this same factor works against some genres if the memories and events tied to them remind us of things the music world would much rather forget – New Jack Swing probably won’t see a comeback since everything we associate with the genre spotlights the commercial urban scene’s desperate attempt at cashing in on hip-hop street authenticity.

Euro-dance of the ‘90s exists in a funny realm between the two, primarily due to an explosive birth of creativity, followed by years of shameless rehashing and generic retreads (music turned “beige”, as ICE MC put it). Yeah, I’m being liberal with the term ‘creativity’, but consider: in combining hip-house, italo, and anthem ‘techno’, euro-dance struck upon a formula that had never been done before, and opened a wide door of potential genre blending. The most memorable tunes of this era almost all sprung up within those first couple years of existence, producers mixing and matching influences from other scenes (reggae! trance! country?), trying to top the charts over their contemporaries with some new angle (oh hi, Maxx). These songs hold up as strong dance-pop because everyone making it kept outdoing each other in this musical arms race. Small surprise acts like 2 Unlimited, Culture Beat, and Dr. Alban are making bank on ‘90s nostalgia tours now. Why Maxx hasn’t gotten in on that action?

2 Unlimited - No Limits!

Quality Music: 1993

Oh man, I could so do another 'anecdote review' with this CD, it being the first disc I ever owned and all. But nay, Nightflight To Venus was once enough for such a gimmick, so I'll leave the personal stories aside. All I'll say is had I bought my initial choice of Naughty By Nature's 19 Naughty III instead on that fateful day, my musical development could have been drastically different during those early, impressionable teenage years.

No Limits! came out a year after 2 Unlimited's debut, and the group was quick to transition from a charming (lambasted?) Belgian techno-rave act to a proper pop sensation. They couldn’t do it re-hashing the same ol’ dance formula as before though. They needed cleaner production, tighter song-writing, and a new anthem that proved, beyond a shadow of a doubt, their early singles of Get Ready For This and Twilight Zone weren’t just flukes cashing in on a hot sound. Something with a hook instantly recognizable and so simple anyone could hum it, with a chorus to match and a title that not only could be used for the LP-proper, but even have tongue-in-cheek playfulness as it related to the group name. Got it, R.U.O.K.!

Look, I’m actually sick of No Limit at this moment. Between it being the first track on this album, plus having just done the single, I’ve now heard seven iteration of the damned song in a row, five of which are practically identical to each other. I’ll still enjoy it the next time I hear it at a hockey game, but right now, I’m burnt out on it – I’ve discovered there is a limit to how much No Limit I can take.

Fortunately, No Limits! doesn’t retread that mind-numbing path quite so often. Maximum Overdrive and Let The Beat Control Your Body are similar tunes, in that they go for the ‘dumb-fun’ dance anthem as No Limit does, but the rest of this album’s surprisingly diverse within the limited range 2 Unlimited set upon itself. Tribal Dance was the other big single from here, far cleverer in offering high-octane dance music compared to forgotten tracks like Break The Chain and Kiss Me Bliss Me (literally, I forgot the latter existed!). Showing some musical class, Mysterious is a well-crafted dance-pop song, while Faces and The Power Age have Ray and Anita injecting world issues into their lyrics, using their gained popularity for more than mindless musical escapism. On the lighter side of things is a happy little number called Throw The Groove Down (such whimsical fun!) and a nice bit o’ bliss from Invite Me To Trance.

I’m not gonna’ sell you on No Limits! if you aren’t already sold on 2 Unlimited, but for such a quick sophomore effort, it’s leaps beyond Get Ready. Hell, even the ballads, Where Are You Now and Shelter For A Rainy Day, are pleasant numbers to end the album on. Me, giving praise to euro-dance ballads. That just don’t happen, mang!

2 Unlimited - No Limit (BioMetal, Part 4)

Quality Music: 1992/1993

(Click here to read my original TranceCritic review.)

“Time until total blackout?”

“Five minutes, General Wilde.”

He leaned forward at his cramped bridge console, and finished his ninth stim’ fix with a strong swig. A song played in his head, a tune so annoyingly memorable it seemed forever looped. Maybe it was his mind’s feeble attempt at distraction, relieving the stress of the mission. Everything hinged on his direction, his orders, and his intuition. Yet here were a couple of kids doing all the gruelling work for him. All he could do was sit and watch their progress, praying to the Elder Souls he’d given them all the tools they needed in the HALBARD for a successful mission. That, and a limitless amount of luck.

“Amazing they've made it so far,” Wilde muttered, but their time was almost out. The orbital frigate he operated from could only remain for a couple hours more before the BioMetals would detect it and send swarms of the creatures after them. If his two officers ploughing a course into the heart of the BioMetal lair failed in eliminating the central brain-hub and spawning nursery, he’d be left with no other option but complete planetary decimation, including Ray and Anita whether they still lived or not. They deserved a chance to succeed on their own, but Wilde knew where his obligations lay.

He rubbed both sides of his cheeks, sweaty palms scratching against a coarse layer of whiskers. A shave already? Truly his beard had no upper limit in its rate of growth. Probably sprouts faster than BioMetals.

He tapped an intercom button at his console, opening a channel to the science lab. “Dr. de Coster, how's the status of our fail-safe?”

“Sitting just p'urty, Sir,” came a reply. “Ol' Romy and Marion are ready if you want them.”

Wilde chuckled. Leave it to a 'mad' scientist to give such destructive weapons pet names. “I hope it won't come to that,” he replied. “Ray and Anita have exceeded my expectations. It's possible there's unlimited potential in the two. Their mission's gone from 'long shot' to 'possible chance' in rapid time, and I'm not about to waste their earned good will by destroying them in the process.”

“And if they don't make it back?”

Wilde pursed his lips. “We'll have to give 'Romy' and 'Marion' a try then, won't we. May the Elder Souls forgive us if we do though.”

“Haha, you sound as though their aftermath will swallow us in the process.”

Wilde switched the intercom off. If they don't succeed, I fear it just will at that.

He glanced back at his monitor, the tactical read-out of the BioMetal lair growing distorted. Then, with a garbled flash of radio-wave static, it went dark. The HALBARD’s signal disappeared, buried beneath tons of rock and twisted bio-mass. It was all on Ray and Anita to see the mission through to its end.

Pressing his clasped knuckles against his forehead, he gave a small, quiet prayer. May there be no limit to your gifts.


(If you're hopeless lost as to what's going on, click here.)

Various - Dance Mix 90

Quality Special Products: 1990

This… actually exists? I had no idea Dance Mix went back so far. My first exposure to the series was with Dance Mix ‘92 (a CD that changed everything for yours truly), but I’d seen a Dance Mix ‘91 on shelves too. It doesn’t even look like it belongs with the subsequent volumes, font and airbrushed cover art seemingly time-warped from the ‘50s – small surprise the inlay shows advertisements for a pile of ‘jukebox classics’ compilations. It’s doubly bizarre seeing it in a collection of CDs filled with grunge and hard rock. Hey, Teenage Ishkur, how did you come about having this?

Teenage Ishkur: This isn’t mine. I don’t listen to dance music. This looks lame and stupid.

Oh. I guess he got this later, after electronic music culture lured him away from ‘angst rawk’. Still, young Ish’ isn’t too far off in his appraisal of Dance Mix 90, even if it’s for the wrong reasons. This is an incredibly sloppy CD, with a bizarre track selection for the time and mixing that would embarrass even a rank amateur. MuchMusic's oversight for later volumes vastly improved upon the formula of DJ mixed dance-pop, such that it became a Canadian fixture larger than any Chris Sheppard compilation.

Between licensing issues and probable lack of knowledge about the scene at large, Dance Mix 90 is hardly a comprehensive collection of electronic music of that year, even at a commercial level. For sure there are big hits – Roxette’s The Look, Yaz’ Situation, and Milli Vanilli’s Girl You Know It’s True - but they don’t make a lick of sense when paired alongside Depeche Mode’s Strange Love, Inner City’s Big Fun, and Soul II Soul’s Keep On Movin’ - to say nothing of the copious amounts of Stock, Aitken & Waterman productions throughout. While Dance Mix would turn the genre hopping into strength once they narrowed their scope, this first attempt comes off a mish-mash of instantly dated synth-pop and club beats.

Then there’s the ‘mixing’. Oh my God, is there ever ‘mixing’. Key clashes, shoes in the dryer phrasing, nonsensical genre blends… Dance Mix 90 is so inept at creating a flowing DJ set, it’s entertaining in spite of itself. I’ll grant the DJ mix CD was still a young concept in 1990, but this has all the production chops of utter bargain-bin toss-off. Every beatmatching attempt is hilariously forced, other times we’re treated to clashing fade-slams that aren’t even timed properly, and there’s a complete second of silence between tracks midway! I understand this was intended for the tape copy of Dance Mix 90, but you don’t allow that shit on a CD designed to be a continuous mix.

This disc’s total pants, yet I can’t help being slightly intrigued by it as well, considering the legacy Dance Mix earned during the ‘90s. Like that Beatles’ Anthology, it sheds light on the inglorious beginnings of an institution many assume was great from the start.

2 Unlimited - Here I Go (BioMetal - Pt. 2)

Quality Music: 1995

(Click here to read my original TranceCritic review.)


The black BioMetal frigate erupted in a furious blaze, the surrounding wind and rain unable to quell the explosion dealt by the HALBRED's blistering plasma weapons and homing missiles. A structure near its center burst open, green fluids spewing out on a direct line for the ship. Taking no chances, Ray jerked the ship's controls back, avoiding the bizarre last gasp of the dying BioMetal frigate. Yet his haste and the exploding aftershock sent the HALBRED flying from its hovering position, spinning downward into the storm surrounding them.

He couldn't steady the ship, the combined stresses stripping him of control. Ray knew of only one manoeuvre that could save them from certain death.

“Here I go!” Ray yelled, slamming the controls down with a sharp jerk. “Hang on!”

The HALBRED increased its spin as it plummeted to the moon below. Too much, and even the ship's advanced thrusters wouldn't get out of its descent quick enough. He had to ride the crosswinds, hoping the cloud cover would break before the surface broke them.

Nausea attacked his senses, momentum urging Ray to accept a blissful darkness until it passed. Death was certain if he succumbed, and he focused his eyes on the altitude read-out, a best guess according to the mothership's sensors. One thousand feet. Nine hundred. Eight hundred.

How bloody low are these damned clouds? he thought with a grinding of his teeth. The pain of a cracked tooth was much preferable to the sickness swelling in his stomach.

A dull, orange light suddenly washed over him, the HALBRED's spin easing into a steady rotation. “We're through!” he shouted, flipping a switch to initiate the ship's reverse thrusters. In a near instant, the ship righted itself from its descent, easing into a motionless hover. A quick glance over the on board instruments showed no sign of damage, even after the onslaught of BioMetals they'd dealt with coming through the clouds.

Way more than they anticipated, Ray thought with a wry smile, stretching his neck. And that had only been the initial wave, simple air strikers that had no idea an attack on their home was imminent. No, the opposition would grow fiercer the deeper they penetrated the BioMetal's nest. For the moment though, they could rest, catch a breather.

Ray glanced at his co-pilot's life monitor, showing a steady green. “Anita?” he called into the internal radio. “Are you OK?”

After a few seconds of silence, he called again, to no response. Is she unconscious? Riding a hunch, he flatly whispered, “Sensuality?”

“Pig,” came the reply in his ear.

“Good, you’re awake,” Ray chortled. “Sorry if that was rougher than the average flight.”

“Ugh, I was never prepared for that. I don't think I can handle this.”

“You did fine, babe,” Ray said.

“Thanks, I think. Where are we now?”

“Near the BioMetals' lair. We should-” Ray's voiced trailed off as the lifesign beacon began flashing again. “Well, rest-time's over. You better get ready for this, because the welcoming party is coming.”


(If you're hopelessly lost as to what's going on, click here.)

2 Unlimited - Get Ready

Quality: 1992

What shame is there with this one? It shouldn’t even be a surprise, as I’ve many times proclaimed 2 Unlimited one of the best acts to emerge from the eurodance scene of the early ‘90s, if not the best. Their hits are timeless in a way so much ‘techno’ of that era isn’t. Of course, it doesn’t hurt they’ve been ridiculously whored out to every sports arena ever, endlessly lodging their catchy hooks and stompin’ beats into the collective consciousness of stadium participants across the globe. Still, if it worked for AC/DC, why not some plucky Belgian group too?

What’s made hits like Get Ready For This and Twilight Zone enduring is how slick they sound, even by today’s standards (you can pump these tunes today and get the same reaction). They’re using all the tropes Belgian rave was popular for, but compared to the underground grit of most records of the time, this stuff has crossover appeal right out the gate. Throw in raps and vocals care of Ray Slijngaard and Anita Dels, and you’ve a formula that went on to be heavily imitated for years to come, though seldom exceeded.

What about this here proper debut album, Get Ready!, then? Everyone knows the hits, but did their album material ever warrant a look? Pft, if you were a fan, damn skippy it did, but I'm not gonna preach to the choir. Sit down and take a gander at what Album-Orientated-Unlimited involved in ye' olde year 1992.

First off are two more hits, The Magic Friend and Workaholic. The former's one of those goofy tunes that was fine back in the day, but doesn't hold up out of its era. Workaholic, however, still packs a punch, a bizarre scratchy synth forming the basis of the main lead; the 'Big Ben' intro also often gets used at sporting events (“get to work, home team!”). The coarse nature of this tune (including that classic “who the fuck are you” sample), along with strong cuts like Rougher Than The Average, Contrast, and Delight show 2 Unlimited still had a sense of the rave scene they spawned from, despite the underground totally disowning them by that point.

Then there are the ballads. Fuck... Forget them, especially the dire Eternally Yours; utterly sap r'n'b knockoffs.

Interestingly, as 2 Unlimited's popularity grew large enough to export Get Ready! upon American shores, some changes were made to the album. Instead of having dedicated sections for Vocal Mixes, Instrumental Mixes, and (ugh) romance, the tunes were re-arranged for stronger album flow. Instrumentals of the non-hits were removed, and the B-side to Get Ready For This, Pacific Walk, was added, a downtempo bit of balearic chill, interesting as a curiosity in 2 Unlimited's discography.

Get Ready is an odd album, all things considered, stuck at a crossroad between raves of before and eurodance of the future. Despite production quality leagues above their contemporaries, the rough edges still show, giving it scrappy fun flavor later releases would lack.

Various - Electric Dance Floor

Quality Music: 1992

Another Quality compilation. Hey, it's not my fault the label was so omnipresent with dance music in my country. I'm sure elsewheres had similar labels that monopolized genres. These days everything with commercial success is routed through the majors, but for that early 90s period, electronic music was somewhat specialized, requiring specialized labels. Still, I never realized just how much Quality pushed EDM, assuming rock, country, and other 'adult music' was their forte. Way back it was, yet for some reason they were the first Canadian label to properly jump on dance music, shaping the tastes of many a potential doe-eyed raver.

That all said, this Quality compilation isn't much quality. Best I can tell, Electric Dance Floor was intended to be a running series focusing on house music. Makes sense, as Quality was establishing many compilation series in '92: top dance hits with Dance Mix, underground techno with Radikal Techno, Chris Sheppard’s releases, and so on. This coming out just before the euro dance explosion, the emphasis on thick American grooves is abundant. Also, the occasional nod to UK rave pops up, but nothing overt.

Unfortunately, house music in '92 wasn't in the best shape. The first three tracks definitely owe some thanks to Frankie Knuckles, but his style by this point was coming off rather dated; ironic, then, that as generic as Aly-Us' Follow Me, Nightmare On Wax’s Set Me Free, or Gypsyman's Hear The Music might have been, that style is all the retro-hip fashionable now. Strictly Rhythm was almost on the verge of shaking that scene up, but here they’re still going with what worked before. Oh, and we also get that damn Living In Ecstasy track from B.K.S. again, because it’s Quality, y’know.

And those are mostly the best tracks. Much of Electric Dance Floor contains generic house trying to cash in on whatever novelty trends it could. Walking In Memphis lamely jumps on that year’s bandwagon of sampling the Marc Cohn song of the same name. Robyx (as Scattt - yes, three ‘t’s) attempts a scat-dance cut, beating Scatman by a few years in that at least. There’s a weak remix of Double You’s charming Please Don’t Go, dull Belgian beat in Ole Ole, a pointless dance cover of one of Bryan Adams’ few great songs in Run To You, Mood II Swing hiding under a pseudonym to deliver rote garage... cripes, this is a bad compilation.

Okay, two things do stand out for the good. Liberation’s Liberation (Liberty) is a fun bit of UK acid house, and highly recommended if you’re a fan of that sort of thing. On the utterly daft side of dance is DSK’s remix of 2 Unlimited’s Get Ready For This. Truthfully, a proper title should be Get Ready VS Stella. Yes, that J&S track; 'Majan Noops' indeed. It’s by no means a great mash-up, but if you ever wondered what it might sound like, there you go. Has to be heard to be believed.

BKS - Dreamcatcher

Quality Music: 1993

Wow, another Chris Sheppard release. Over-exposure, much? Now you know what it was like living in Canada if you followed the pop end of dance music. In this case, however, we’re dealing with his early production group, BKS, an acronym of all the members’ last names. At around the time their second album, Dreamcatcher, came out, EDM was growing quite popular, so damn straight their label, Quality, was gonna promote the ever loving hell out of the group.

First, it was a tie-in with the Don Cherry home video series Rock ‘Em, Sock ‘Em, which showed NHL highlights of the Canadian blowhard’s choice (mostly big, bruising hits). Since Quality was also responsible for VHS distribution, they thought it’d be fun to get BKS, then just a rave act, to make a theme for it, with Mr. Cherry guest... talking, or something. The result was one of the all-time hilarious-worst videos MuchMusic ever put out (if you’re wondering, Shep’s the one with a tuque). That could have sunk the group right there, but Quality was undeterred, getting the group to be less ravey and more commercial friendly.

Dreamcatcher certainly is that, hopping on a few early 90s house bandwagons. The titular track has an undeniably catchy chorus, sort of a meeting point between italo house and euro dance. The two big singles, Living In Ecstasy and I’m In Love With You (plus a remix of Can We Dance from Legion Of Boom), are modeled after the sexy deep house made popular by Lil’ Louis’ French Kiss and, um, Madonna’s Erotica. There are also a couple stabs at garage, but nothing Strictly Rhythm would tremble over. In all, it was quite a departure from their earlier sound.

Almost like a bone thrown, the second half of Dreamcatcher features remixes and B-Sides that are about as rave as the music could get in ’93. They’re fun, but two in particular stand out. The Moons Of Saturn (The Abbeywood Trance Mix) is, as the title suggests, something of a tribal-trance stomp, while dialog from an old documentary about Saturn’s moons plays out. It’s amusing to hear such dated theories, and since it involves Saturn’s system, it’s fucking awesome! Joey Beltram also shows up to provide a remix on Talkin’ Bout Love, a tune from the first BKS album (and which already had a rub earlier on Dreamcatcher). He does the bangin’ hoover techno thing, which is light-years better than anything BKS manages to kick out with their remixes (okay, that Do It Again, Vivaldi track’s spiffy as well - the ending feels like I’m riding Falkor!).

So overall Dreamcatcher is a mixed bag, and frankly I can’t see anyone outside Canada having much interest in it (boy, I’m saying that a lot lately). I won’t deny having fun nostalgia trips hearing Living In Ecstasy and the like, but only because BKS was so ubiquitous on Quality compilations, I can’t help but reminisce of my early ‘techno’ explorations.

Various - Dogwhistle: The Life & Times Of An Afterhours DJ

Quality Music: 1995

For my un-Canadian readers, Dogwhistle was an alias of Chris Sheppard, one of the biggest DJs to emerge from my country’s dance scene during the 90s. He’s been relegated to something of a footnote now that he’s retired, but to any young Canuck discovering underground dance music back then, it was likely a Shep’ compilation opening the door. Primarily a radio jock, he’d play the occasional rave as well, which is where Dogwhistle comes in.

This came out around the time Sheppard was crossing over to the mainstream, so I suppose Life And Times Of An Afterhours DJ was an attempt at keeping some underground cred. The result is this odd little DJ mix, recorded live at the Outlaw Rave in Toronto, and somewhat schizophrenic in its attempt at straddling the underground and mainstream.

It opens with trance. Not just any ol' trance, but acid trance. Spacey acid trance. Hardfloor trance! Kick ass, but Armand van Helden's classic Witch Doktor is only two tracks after. How will Shep' transition to- ...oh, he doesn't. He just lets Into The Nature play out in full. What... kind of DJing is that? And this was done live? No, I can't believe it. It has to be a studio edit, for time considerations. Yes, that's it.

Anyhow, only the first two tracks are trance. The rest is house, some prog, some garage, some... tech, I guess? Not sure if tech house was a much of a thing in '95. The big tracks, Atlantic Ocean's Waterfall and Pizzaman's Trippin' On Sunshine, come in the middle, one after the other. Try and imagine that transition. There's also an example of the brief 'country twang' house micro-genre that was popular in the mid-90s (of which Sheppard was responsible for a few such tracks no less), in Bravado's Harmonica Man. Don't worry if you've never heard of it, because it was just a one-off novelty tune.

In fact, there are a lot of one-off tunes on here. Twangling's Twangling, Rollo Goes Camping's Get Off Your High Horse (yes, that Rollo), Lovechild & Rolfe's Time Travelers, Chameleon's Larger Than Life, Thats-A-Noise's Livin My Life. Not that this is the only CD some of these tracks have appeared on, but you have to give some credit to Shep' for selecting a few obscure tunes, wonky mixing and all.

Speaking of firsts, here's a funny story. My post-drinking puking virginity was taken while Life And Times happened to be playing. Hoo boy, was that ever a mess the morning after! I can't listen to Helicopter's On Ya Way anymore without the hint of corn chips affecting my nostrils. Ah, the follies of youth.

That's about all I have left to say about this CD. Canadians are likely the only folks who'd be interested in a Dogwhistle mix, and aside from the odd curiosity in the tracklist, there's very little here to recommend that you couldn't find elsewhere (and without that annoying MC).

Various - Club Europa (Original TC Review)

Quality Music: 1994

(2012 Update:
So this was going to happen eventually, coming across something I've already written a review for in my alphabetical listening order. Like those other old TranceCritic reviews, I'll just repost them here with an 'Update' paragraph.

To be honest though, there's not much to update - my thoughts on an 18 year old compilation isn't going to change much in a few years. It's interesting to note, however, that electronic music is currently seeing a commercial push that definitely exceeds that of the euro-dance era. Not that I'm surprised, as most current dance-pop reminds me of euro-dance, save production quality ...and the unfortunate loss of galloping rhythms.)

IN BRIEF: Typical.

These Random Reviews can be cruel sometimes, as it might expose material in our collections that we may be a little embarrassed to own. There certainly are a couple choices since TC’s inception that I’ve nearly shirked from doing, but I am wholly committed to honoring the rules of this unique feature we offer (for those just joining us, a Random Review is quite literally picked randomly from our personal music archives; I personally just close my eyes and reach out for one). I suppose one could argue if I don’t really care for such releases anymore, why do I still own it? Well, once you start a serious music collection, it’s very difficult to part with anything, even if you only pull it out to listen once every few years anymore. Humans: aka The Illogical Pack-Rat.

We all have to start somewhere, though, and for many North Americans first discovering electronic music, euro-dance from the early 90s was their catalyst. Simply put, the stuff was everywhere, promoted to a degree electronic music has seldom seen since. Mainstream radio stations had dedicated programs, music channels had regular hours showcasing videos, and it certainly was accessible for all to enjoy at safe gatherings like weddings, sports events, and high-school dances (unlike that questionable ‘rave’ music where people want to do, like, drugs, and stuff, heh). It also didn’t hurt that the music had some of the best pop-hooks ever written for electronic music in the post-italo era. A glance at the tracklist above will undoubtedly bring the choruses to songs like Get-A-Way and Go Go (Love Overload) rushing back into the heads of anyone who was within earshot of them fifteen years ago.

So, yeah, ridicule if you want that I still have something like this in my collection. I take no shame in occasionally enjoying the musical equivalent of Paxil, especially when the 21st Century variety of euro-dance is utter crap.

That bit of bloggy confessional said, Club Europa honestly isn’t that remarkable of a compilation.

Fact of the matter is there were tons of dance compilations at the time of its release, and many of the big hits on here could be found on countless other CDs. Get-A-Way, Let The Beat Control Your Body, The Key, The Secret, Go Go, Piece Of My Heart, Take A Freefall - all saw regular compilation rotation in Canada alone. A smattering of minor hits essentially rounds out the rest (Face II Face’s I Want You being the best of the lot), most of which is standard euro-dance fare: buzzy synth riffs, a chick singing on the chorus, a silly rap verse or two... Ultimately, Club Europa is a worthy used-shop pick-up if you’re missing a few key songs for your collection, but hardly essential.

With the critical analysis out of the way, now for some fun. It’s time to play Amazing Euro Trivia!

Sometimes one of the fun things when looking back at these old compilations is to see where a lot of the names ended up and who was often ghost-writing in the studios. For instance, 2 Unlimited producers Phil Wilde and Peter Bauwens were behind C.B. Milton, a singer who had quite a powerful soulful delivery considering he was performing dance-pop. Tatjana, who’s Feels Good introduced the former model to the world of euro (and would go on to have the hit Santa Maria), continues to release albums to this day. Most surprising is the inclusion of Eartha Kitt, a legend in the world of film, cabaret, and Batman; here, her disco hit Where Is My Man? is given a rather bog-standard euro spin, but her unique singing/purr is just as memorable as ever. And of course, dedicated happy hardcore fanatics should be aware of Q-Tex and their Power Of Love (presented here in what might be daftly described as ‘epic-euro’).

Perhaps one of the few things that does make Club Europa a little more distinct from your run-of-the-mill euro compilation is the inclusion of so many releases from Abfarht Records. Seekers of old-school house are probably quite aware of that collective’s classic moody single Alone (It’s Me), but Torsten Fenslau, Jens Zimmerman, and Nosie Katzmann would go on to produce several euro-dance hits before Fenslau was prematurely killed in a car accident. Their most famous, of course, was Culture Beat’s Mr. Vain, but Piece Of My Heart and River saw some decent chart action as well. Unfortunately, some of their other material offered here - The Sunny Side Of Life and Kim Sanders’ Tell Me That You Want Me - just don’t hold up well at all.

And I guess that wraps up this Random. Not really much here, to be honest. Club Europa is about as straight-forward a euro compilation from the mid-90s as you’re about to find in your used shops. I can’t give it a high recommendation since it doesn’t offer anything terribly unique, but euro fans will probably still enjoy it if they happen to have a couple extra bucks burning a hole in their pocket.

As for these Randoms, hopefully the next one will be better. Maybe I’ll pull that two-CD Platipus Records compilation next time. Worryingly, though, I know I have a Trance Voice lurking about somewhere too...