DJ Tiësto - Revolution (A 'Token Prog' Review)

Virgin: 2001

Never heard of this one? Me neither, until I happened across it on Discogs. Tiesto already had a cottage industry of mix CDs to his name come 2001, with both his Magik and In Search Of Sunrise series in full flow, but most were only available in the UK on import and they were generally single-discers, which didn’t give much scope for including a Token Prog Disc. So Virgin Records cooked up Revolution to capitalise on his growing popularity in the UK market, including a full disc dedicated to that moody drummy stuff so beloved by the Britishers.

Now before we go on, I’d like to temporarily pause my pithy prog appraisal and point out just how much armour piercing nostalgia these 2001 CD sleeves give me. Look at that chunky sans-serif font type, the tasteful minimalist layout. Oh my God, the title even looks like a watermark. I’ve no doubt it’s because the design template is completely ripped off from Virgin’s Anthems series from the same era, which were some of the very first mix CDs I laid eyes on, but there’s something about the graphic design of this era that takes me right back.

Anyway. There’s something else we need to talk about here. It’s the mastering. Whoever mastered this CD fucked up biiiiig time, which is perhaps why it’s largely forgotten even amongst Tiesto’s fans. The whole thing is recorded in mono, seemingly from the bottom of a tin can, on the end of a bad phone line. On Mars. Which is a shame, because the Token Prog Disc here (titled Darkside) is actually pretty good. Not great, but very listenable.

Plantpot opens with his own remix of Delerium, because of course, and while the ultra-syrupy vocal stylings of Leigh Nash weren’t winning any prog cool points, the fact he cut this remix at 125bpm tells you which way the wind was blowing in clubland. And despite the “Darkside” moniker, CD1 is actually quite smooth early on, less about the pulverising tech trance of Lethal Industry or Flight 643 and more a grown up version of those cartoon magik pixies searching for their sunrises that made Tiesto his name, the likes of Golden Desert and Innocence being dreamy closing-credits trance that don’t make your eyes roll so violently that your sockets get friction burn.

Things start to pick up pace with Fred Numf’s remix of Lovin’, although you can tell it’s 2001 because Tiesto gets it out of the way before the big trancey bit really gets going. The second half is much more percussive and the bandwagon hop is finally in full flow. Things get progressively harder and less tuneful before climaxing with utter inevitability on the tribal drums and ethnic wailing of The Search. Just a shame the mastering takes most of the oomph out of these cuts.

Cursory Second Disc Verdict: Magik Seven on third hand cassette rip. Okay, the tracklist is slightly different, but another good reason why nobody remembers this compilation.

Various - Perfecto Presents... Paul Oakenfold: Ibiza (A 'Token Prog' Review)

Perfecto: 2001

First up to bat is the ape man himself, Lord Oakenfold. Oakey is a slight outlier on this series because he started the bandwagon hop earlier than his peers. Ever the savvy A&R man, he saw the way the wind was blowing a year before most in the trance scene, dabbling with a proggy first disc on both Perfecto Presents… Another World (only released in the US) and its sort-of sister Travelling (everywhere but the US) in 2000. Another World is easily the best of Oakey’s prog efforts, but the Sykonaut has already run the rule over that one, and my benevolent blog overlord demands a separate entry into the EMCritic archive. Gotta harvest those search engine clicks, y’all.

Instead I get to cover Perfecto Presents… Ibiza. It’s now 2001, and boy are we going full prog here. Another World and Travelling both had Token Prog Discs, but they were very much progressive trance. This, on the other hand, is prog at its most 2001. Prog as in “progressive nothing”. The big echoey tribal drums, pulsing basslines and resolute lack of melodic top end are all present and correct. But how well does the ape man ape the prog men?

Honestly, CD1 starts so hilariously over-proggy it’s almost parodic. The first track is eleven and a half minutes long, fer chrissake! It’s like Oakey is deliberately setting out to alienate his trance kiddy fanbase. By the time we reach the fourth tune (and I use the word in the loosest possible sense) things have become so soporific my mind had wandered to why Oakenfold decided to style this disc after Ibiza, given the totalitarian greyness of the music is more evocative of Watford on a damp Wednesday than the White Isle. And just when you thought things couldn’t get any less cheerful, in come Radiohead with Idioteque. Oh my.

Yes, it seems as well as the prog bandwagon jump, this compilation catches Oakenfold at the start of his attempted Serious Artist phase, with Radiohead, Depeche Mode, U2 and The Prodigy trying to mix up the club tunes with Proper Songs. We’re really getting peak pretentious Oakenfold here, on both discs. The middle of CD1 also tips its hat to 2001’s other big fad: “nu skool” breaks, which really doesn’t help lift the energy levels any. Finally some drive is injected by Arena – Transit, before Oakenfold loses interest in that tack and ends the disc with Narayan, which would have had more impact had Fat Of The Land not been rinsed to death by 2001.

We’re off to a good start here. And by good, I mean bad. This is really rubbish, whether you’re a glowstick brandisher or a prog purist. Maximum prog points, minimum enjoyment.

Cursory Second Disc Verdict: Honestly, still pretty proggy. Right up until it’s not. The fact PPK – ResuRection exists in the same region of the observable universe as CD1, never mind the same jewel case, is testament to the remarkable variety of the human condition.

Various - Deeper 01.02

Hed Kandi: 2002

I started this kinda'-annual glance into the Hed Kandi legacy with a Deeper compilation, so it's only fitting that I return to it at some point. Having gotten the second collection, Deeper 01.02, I've now completed the entire series! Yep, only two of these were ever released, making Deeper the shortest series the label ever put out. Unless there was some aborted runs later in Hed Kandi's existence, when their popularity had dwindled down to bupkis.

It's funny that despite all the label's early success in cornering the disco, house, funk, and soul market, their stab at prog never caught on. Not that I blame them for throwing their hat into the pile. When the highest paid, most popular, critically hailed DJs in UK clubland are rinsing dark, dubby house music with a tribal edge, you bet your bottom dollar on the punters wanting those tracks for themselves too. Except that's not the sort of audience Hed Kandi had cultivated. When you think of prog, you think of Very Serious DJs posing, not glamour girls sashaying about. Besides, I think the label had their eyes on that burgeoning 'twisted disco' sound (re: electro house). Can definitely milk some saucy cover art with that concept!

So, familiar names and tunes. The Creamer & K rub on iiO's Rapture is here, which is about as obvious a 'prog house anthem fitting with Hed Kandi clientele' tune as you could expect. Honestly though, it's been a lo-o-o-ong while since I last heard this track, and was pleasantly surprised at how well it still held up. B.P.T.'s Moody is also here, by way of a Pete Heller remix, so not quite as dated as hearing it again a few years after Digweed's Bedrock. Other 'prog' favourites include Danny Tenaglia, Satoshi Tomiie, Timo Maas and... Superchumbo? I can't remember if they were fav's or not.

It can't all be a prog love-in though, not if you want to retain some of the Hed Kandi faithful. Thus, there's a little deep house action from Roger Sanchez, Kidstuff, and Puretone, but by and large, it's the prog vibes that dominate. Dubby basslines, deeper grooves, lengthy run-times, and all that good stuff, even from names I don't recognize in the slightest. Well, maybe Miriam Project, I think I recognize that one. Maybe Stylus Trouble too. Not Goldtrtix though. Or Dirty from Dirty.

And, in a move that makes absolutely no sense from any angle you wish to approach from, Deeper 01.02 ends off with Hardfloor's remix of Circus Bells by Robert Armani. What, pray tell, does acid techno from the '90s have to do with a 'prog' collection from Hed Kandi? Mark claims in the liner notes it was included as a summation of Deeper's manifesto, of a track that “builds and builds”. But... lots of tracks do that? I dunno, maybe I'm just perplexed by the fact that, despite it being rather random inclusion, this track always seems to follow me around.

Various - Balance 005: James Holden

EQ Recordings: 2003

So this was one of the big ones. Even if the music didn't hold up (spoiler: it does), it cannot be denied how much James Holden's contribution to the Balance series marked a prominent shift in the way the prog-house series, um, progressed. Prior, each volume mostly stuck with the dark, tribal prog of the era, save a single CD flirtation of prog-breaks by Phil K. After, Balance became known as the premier DJ mix series, where disc jockeys could indulge themselves with unconventional sets. Not to say that happened all the time, but such a rep started here.

Beyond that though, James' set marked a radical shift in the scene at large, ground zero for a splintering that would be felt for much of the next decade. Not only did Balance 005 firmly state the old Bedrock Records sound was done and dusted, but gave us a taste of what was to come. Obviously the Border Community style from Holden and his cohorts is what gets prominent focus here, but there's ample examples of the sort of prog folks initially expected of James, and got co-opted by Coldharbour instead. Grumbly basslines, side-chained melodies, poppy vocals, and whatnot.

Nowhere is this more apparent than right in the middle of CD1. Leading up, there's still a sense of the dark, dubby prog lurking about, even if a track like Petter's All Together enjoys throwing some robo-clank into the mix. Infusion's rub on JASEfos' Do What U Want is pure proto-McProg though, with a big vocal supported by a rumbly groove, the sort of tune you'd almost expect Holden to lead into his own Nothing (93 Returning Mix). Instead, it goes into the twee electro-fuzz of Nathan Fake's Outhouse (Fluffy Mix), its rhythm nothing more than twitchy clicks n' pops. And while the more traditionally thumping original version follows, this debut from Fake is basically what Border Community would heavily promote for much of its run. As I say, quite the little moment of contrast in hindsight.

Anyhow, disc one plays out with more of this push-pull between old-prog and BC-prog. Cannot deny I tend to favour the old (mmm, PQM cut), but Holden ends things off pleasant enough. CD2 kicks things off with some sleaze house in Meek's Happy (because electroclash was still kinda' a thing in 2003), then we're right back into more dark, dubby prog, with twinkly melodies sprinkled about (Epsilon 9's Lifeformation; Ficta's Eli; Kosmas Epsilon's rub on FC Kahuna's Hayling ...why does it sound like my CD's skipping during the breakdown?).

There's some bits and bobs of other sounds thrown in (acid in his own The Wheel, future-shock electro in Carl Finlow's Ghetto Server ...was Anthony Rother not available?), and Holden takes a long lead-down for the finish, each track growing ever more chill and Border Community-ey after the other. I honestly find my attention drifting, but only because the mid-set peak was so high. I'm not ready to come down yet, Mr. Holden!

Various - Bedrock: Chris Fortier

Pioneer: 2002

You'd think Chris Fortier would be better at the double-disc set. Progressive house was practically custom-made for it, the long journey over several hours, and few jocks within this scene have shown such impeccable track selection when utilizing but a single CD for their mixes. Yet when given the opportunity to stretch things out some, I find Mr. Fortier's sets drag, as though he's almost flustered by the extra hour of music he has at his disposal. Or perhaps the restriction of one disc forces him to be as economical with his musical weapons as possible, thus wasting little time in getting to the goods. No more was this apparent than with Balance 007, where the genre exercise of the bonus CD3 was far more memorable than the standard set construction of the first two discs. I can recall every twist and turn of Trance America and Audiotour, yet this Bedrock outing so often just passes me by.

There's never any problem in hooking me in from the jump, CD1 opening with more of that tasty, thumping, dubby prog vibe I love from this era of Bedrock Records. Yet it doesn't quite have the same dark groove as Jimmy Van M's outing in the previous volume does. This stuff feels stiff, angular, almost like... oh, it's tech-house in prog's clothing, isn't it. Yeah, that's a Jay Tripwire track in there. It also has a lot of tribalism going for it, letting my headspace turn inward as the all-encompassing rhythm takes over my senses. Nothing really sticks though, dance music as dutiful service in losing yourself on the dancefloor and nothing else. No highs, no lows, just one, long, uninterrupted stretch of functionalism. Y'know, tech-house.

The set's almost over by the time I feel like things are finally ramping up, and I haven't the foggiest of where we've been or how we've gotten to this point. This is great when you're out movin' and groovin', but as a 'sit down and listen' experience, hopelessly dry.

CD2 hints at a bit more of a melodic outing, Elemental from Women Of Color a rather blissy opener for the supposed 'Club Mix'. Then it goes... kinda' minimal? Wow, does Kolo's Nova ever predict where prog would end up half a decade later, but doesn't do much to get the blood pumpin' here. Yep, Mr. Fortier is once again opting for the slow, burning build of a set, and fortunately, once Steve Porter makes an appearance, things do ramp up some (ah, ever dependable, that Porter chap).

But yeah, this is still more of that techy, tribal, deep prog that's drawn out and very methodical and considered in how it moves forward. Great on a darkened dancefloor when all that exists around you is the thunderous sound-system enveloping your body, not so much at home with paper-thin apartment walls (good headphones help). Fortier's Bedrock forces total mental commitment to get much out of it. Probably would have been stronger if pared to a single disc.

Various - Bedrock: Jimmy Van M

Pioneer: 2001

It was a few years after their releases that I gathered the subsequent entries of the Bedrock series, though not for a lack of interest. Jimmy Van M? Chris Fortier? Holy cow, those are, like, my two favouritist prog DJs that hardly anyone knows about! Absolutely I want to hear new mixes from them, especially with that bullet-proof Bedrock brand behind them, but why can't I find these CDs on the store shelves? Digweed's set was all over the place, so why not these?

Oh, Ultra Records was no longer distributing Bedrock Records material, that's why. Instead, Pioneer picked up the rights, which is bizarre because this label started out as a LaserDisc distributor, and was mostly known for Japanese releases and imports at this stage of its lifespan (so many anime soundtracks ...just so many). Its story grows more convoluted after, but I'm here to review two-decade old prog mixes, not recap tumultuous label histories. Just bizarre that it would pick up Bedrock distribution though.

Anyhow, difficulty in attaining these mixes became a moot point when I took my first dips into the Amazon, and upon firing up that Jimmy Van M mix, it was like heavenly mana falling into my ears, the sort of prog that did me no wrong. Okay, that wasn't my initial impression, as it didn't quite win me over so instantly as his Trance Nation: America outing. But man, once this one clicked after a couple plays, it became my favourite of the Bedrock series (uh, spoiler for Chris Fortier's entry?).

CD 1 is all dark prog. Oooh, that oh-so tasty deep, dubby, chugging sound that had such a brief but glorious run in the early '00s. Moshic is here! Floppy Sounds is here! Creamer & K are here! Bill Hamel is here (with Andy Moor!). Steve Porter is here (with the rub on Trancentral Station's Mothership). And... Minimalistix' Struggle For Pleasure (Filterheadz Remix) is here? Ah, it's the last track of this disc, a nice little melodic number to end the CD on after all that sweaty, primal business that preceded it. About the only criticism I might throw to this disc is it's only ten tracks long, but eh, prog, amirite?

CD 2 also is but ten tracks long, and two of those are different versions of Solid Sessions' Janiero played together for a fifteen-minute outing (yes, Jimmy was a disciple of Sasha & Digweed, why do you ask?). What always confounds me about this set is how, despite a rather Balearic opening to the disc, Mr. Van M somehow steers things towards Nuclear Ramjet's Deep Blue by track nine, a tune that treads as close to the realms of psy-trance as prog DJs ever dared to go. Such a dope tune too (that breakbeat breakdown!).

Listening to these sets reminds me how unfortunate it was that Jimmy made so few commercial mixes. I've heard them all now. What, he also did a collaborative one with Oliver Lieb in 2012? Uh...

Various - Bedrock: John Digweed

Ultra Records: 1999

Many folks consider this Digweed's proper debut solo DJ mix, which is funny considering how long he'd been spinning records up to that point. Heck, he'd just done a set for Global Underground the year prior, and a solo follow-up to his and Sasha's seminal Renaissance set half a decade earlier. Not to mention various odds and ends that slipped through the radar for various reasons. Most of those were in service of other brands though, but by the end of the '90s, Digweed was a brand unto himself. And what better time to expand that brand than by propping up his newer brand, the freshly minted label Bedrock.

Bedrock became a short-lived series itself, but this inaugural outing clearly overshadowed the follow-ups. When people think Bedrock, they think Digweed, and all the artists featured on his label were there because of his blessing keen sense of club weapons for the progressive elite. This was his opening statement for a new phase in his career, dictating where progressive house would go. Also, a shameless way to plug his new big single Heaven Scent to help launch the Bedrock brand proper-like. All the way at the end of the double-disc set. As if it didn't really fit with the new manifesto. Hmmm...

Forget Heaven Scent. What matters is all the music before it on that tasty CD2. Prog has plenty of criticisms, some of which rear their heads in this set (only ten tracks, what?), but I cannot deny the tunes included here do the business proper-like for my earholes. The opening track alone (Ba Ba (Human Movement Remix) from Pob & Taylor) gets on that hard, techy brand of prog that Steve Porter would launch a career from. The Bedrock rub on Heller & Farley's The Rising Sun practically defines the dark, chugging style that prog would build its reputation around (“deep, deep, dub”). And while it's no Breeder, Sandra Collins' Flutterby pulls closely enough from the the same tech-trance lane such that the sound gets its just representation in this set. Oh, and Markus Schulz is here too, his early Dakota track Swirl offering one of the few melodic moments. Guess Digweed needed something to make the anthemic melodies of Heaven Scent not seem as out of place.

All this gushing over CD2, but what about CD1? Yeah, about that. Two decades later, and with multiple attempts, including most recently, this one just doesn't stick in my head that well. It's the dreaded other critique against prog, its more vapourous tendencies for long stretches, and believe you me, this problem would persist in the following editions of Bedrock.

Maybe CD1 is just too sluggish compared to CD2, and thus always forgotten whenever I play them back-to-back. Oddly, the vocal stuff leaves the only impression, like in Moody from BPT, the Fluke-ish True from Morel, and the quaint robotic Hawkins-speak in We Are Connected from Jodi & Spesh. Who'd have thought vocals would be the best part?

Various - Balance 007: Chris Fortier

EQ Recordings: 2005

Balance? What is this? I recall that Bill Hamel guy was involved, but when the DJ mix market was flooded with serviceable prog sets with interesting photographic cover art, you'll forgive me for passing on the series' early editions. Tell me that Chris by-God Fortier has been tapped for a whopping 3CD set, however, and you've got my attention! Dude had twice kept my prog faith alive by that point, the previous year's Audiotour all but cementing my notion he could do no wrong. And now he was unleashing a triple-discer of the stuff? Who cares if I have to import it from Australia, there's no way this could go wrong!

Balance 007 became my least played release from Mr. Fortier, some of the CDs un-played since I first threw them on fifteen years ago. Oh... oh no! How did that happen?

It didn't take long to remember the sinking feeling with CD1. With an early run of trendy minimal tech-haus, it was my first indication that the prog bandwagon jump into that genre wasn't going to be pretty. Hell, the tunes from Alex Smoke and 2 Doller Egg aren't even that bad compared to what was to come, but stacked against the deep proggy vibes of Chris' previous mix CD, it was a serious letdown. Shame on me too, because the back-half of CD1 features some mint Soma Quality Recordings techno. My brain just wasn't ready to accept it from a Fortier set, I guess.

Even worse, I was so checked out on what Fortier was doing with Balance 007 that I barely registered he supplied the prog I was craving in CD2. To be fair, the start of this disc is somewhat misleading, getting in on a little menacing robot music action. Plus, Vector Lovers is here! Oh man, hearing one of my favourite electro producers was so unexpected and enjoyed, nothing better could follow it, despite coming so early in the set. Have I mentioned I never realized there's some mighty fine deep, dubby prog in the back-half of CD2, that I only realized just now, after revisiting Balance 007 all these years later?

Honestly though, the main reason the first two discs of this triple-discer faded from my memory is because of CD3, a surprising bonus outing of proper electro from the Fade Records founder (plus a little Floridian and prog-breaks action towards the end). And when I say proper, I mean proper, Mr. Fortier firmly declaring the lamented appropriation of the word for obnoxious acid-fart house music an injustice to the roots of robot-funk music. Aw, man... brother, I feels you so hard in the year 2005, I do. *fist taps the heart* For sure, anytime I grabbed Balance 007, it was always CD3 played first and only. Such a breath of fresh air then, and still holds up remarkably well now. As do the other discs too, even if it took me this long to accept it.

Various - fabric 14: Stacey Pullen

Fabric: 2004

*cover art care of fabric's “chimeras are kewl” period*

Time trudges on, and fabric CDs continue their ever-gradual descent into super-affordable second-hand market territory. Why, I can actually be picky-choosy over which ones I pick up on the cheap now! No longer must I subject myself to dry, sandpaper minimal-tech mixes, when even the good stuff can be had for less than a fiver (while the bad stuff is pennies!). Thus I was giddy over seeing this Stacey Pullen set hit the Amazons. Sure, it's no Andrew Weatherall or John Peel or Carl Craig, but it ain't no Jon Marsh or Akufen or DJ Spinbad either. Just kidding, I don't know whether any of those are held in super high-esteem either. I mean, it's not like I've seen them as super cheap as other fabric CDs, including very recent ones.

I haven't had much opportunity to talk up Stacey Pullen, in that he hasn't dabbled in the producer's chair too often. A smattering of singles across a half-dozen aliases throughout the '90s, as any good Detroit native is obligated to do, but the DJing circuit is where he made his name, hitting up a few of the Very Important series in doing so: DJ-Kicks, RA, 2020 Vision, Balance. Wait, Balance? Isn't that a prog and tech-house series? What's a Detroit techno guy doing there?

Therein lies one of Mr. Pullen's claims to fame, a willingness to pull (herrr...) from genres not typically seen as Detroit Pure. Not to any radical sense, mind you, but enough such that he can play to many a fussy audience while still dropping that Motor City knowledge on their unsuspecting earholes. Just kidding, I'm almost certain folks going to see a touring Stacey fully expect it. Thus, it should come as no surprise that Fabric 14 sounds very much of the club it's promoting. A quick run through some bouncy 'ethnic' house to start, some deeper cuts with the obligatory soliloquy thrown in, then a jaunt through dubby tech-house that could be called prog if played by a prog DJ, but isn't because Mr. Pullen could never be a prog DJ, even on a Balance mix. There's a Peace Division track in this set, is what I'm getting at.

Stacey will forever be a Detroit guy though, and after spending half the CD hooking you in with the deep, dark, dub tech-prog, he abruptly changes gears into Moodyman's festive disco funk Music People. Then it's off to an older cut of Men With Sticks' proto tech-house cut 3rd Eye. They, um, aren't from Detroit. Neither is DiY (UK), Oscar (French), Dave Angel or Solid Groove (both UK). Ah, gotta' play the local heroes, I guess. Lots of deep tech in this final stretch too, but with some powa' in d'em beats. Overall, a fun CD highlighting much of what folks dig Pullen's eclectic style, and a worthy addition to the fabric tech-house legacy. Now, about that Balance set...

Various - Fade Records Presents: Audiotour - Chris Fortier

Benz Street US: 2004

It's amazing how Chris Fortier repeatedly kept the 'trance' faith alive for me. I've already gone on a tonne over the hopelessly obscure Trance America mix from him, and wouldn't you know it, he did it again with an almost equally obscure mix CD, this little Audiotour item. Right, this isn't trance, but progressive house, or prog, whichever you prefer in the year 2004, though even then there were a number of notions of what prog-house was anymore. Was it the deep, dark, dubby tribal stuff Digweed had been championing for a while? Or was it the slighter, poppier stuff as heard from Gabriel & Dresden's various works? Was it some mutant hybrid with twinkly melodies and chugging rhythms? No one knew for sure, thus the scene was set to fracture in such a fashion that it still hasn't found common ground again. All I knew at the time was most of the mixes I was sampling weren't doing it for me, leaving me wondering whether I'd ever buy another prog-house CD.

And honestly, I wasn't expecting a revival or something from Chris Fortier – I was surprised enough seeing this release sitting idly in an A&B Sound that browsing day. I knew he'd done a mix for Digweed's Bedrock series, but had heard little else from him since Trance America. For all I knew, he had jumped on the McProg bandwagon too, or maybe pulled a Steve Porter and gone funky house! And hoo, did I fear the worst with the opening track A.B.E. from Motive, a short-lived project from Tom Anderson and Mark Hunt, featuring the vocals of Abegale Fishcer, and among the cheesiest prog-breaks tunes I've ever heard. Just... eugh. I'm flabbergasted that the label behind Fade would release such a track. Then again, they also were the first to remix Delerium's Silence.

Forget the first track. It has nothing to do with the rest of the mix, a total misdirection of where Audiotour takes you. Yes, this is basically a Fade Records showcase, and wouldn't you know it, Fortier had kept his label on the straight and narrow, releasing tunes like it's still the year 1999. Or 2001. Whenever you figure 'peak dark prog' was. Point is you get those tasty vintage deep dubby chuggers like Blackwatch's rub on Luigi's Creation, The Ally Qats' Talk To Me Goose (that breakdown!), and Chris Micali's L' Èvasion (complete with creepy sample of Dr. Loomis describing Michael Myers in the insane asylum).

The moody groovers out of the way, Fortier unleashes a few fun anthems for the close-out, including a cheeky collaborative remix with Steve Porter on D'Shake's old-timey Yaaaah! (that's four 'a's, yo'). Chris's own cut Wateveritis works the classic prog-house vibes as wonderfully as any tune from the '90s, while the final run of Fade tunes are fine, though strangely sound a tad dated compared to the tracks that came prior. Still, when it comes to '90's sounding mid-'00s prog-house, I'll take dated any day!

Pole Folder - Zero Gold

Bedrock Records: 2005

This has to be one of the most '90s sounding progressive albums I've ever heard. Unfortunately for Pole Folder, Zero Gold came out in 2005, half a decade past when having a top notch '90s progressive album would make serious bank (in that scene, anyway).

For sure this album had its fans and supporters, especially from proponents for progressive purity (I think Progressive-Sounds gave it a 12/10, with a seal of Digweed Approved), but by the mid-'00s, most folks were well past vibing on anything sounding like it came from the Clinton Years. Big beat was dead. Tech step was dead. Happy hardcore was so very, very dead. Instead, newer fresher sounds like liquid funk, electro house, minimal-tech, and whatever it is you want to call Pendulum's style ('Pendulum Jungle'?) was getting the buzz, not to mention a rediscovering of '80s aesthetics after the '90s had disowned it. Progressive house was no different, poppier McProg singles having massive success in the wake of the darker, super-serious 'prog' that came before. By the year 2005, the transition was complete, progressive of days past but a shadow of its former glory, Zero Gold left an album out of time when the kids just wanted to hear another Gabriel & Dresden breakdown. And people wonder why Digweed went 'minimal' after this.

Of course, we're over a decade removed from all that, so the fact Zero Gold was released in 2005 is a moot point. You can throw this album on today and enjoy it for all its '90s-ness, (oh my, Scared To Lose could have been an Erotica-era Madonna track!), maybe even more so since that decade's music has seen some rejuvenation in recent years. Always twenty years, always.

Fancy yourself some of that vintage cinematic trip-hop that made Massive Attack huge stars? Pole Folder's got you well covered, tracks like Abrasion, Waterfalls Of Love, and Faith In Me perfectly custom made for the credit roll of a mid-budget cyberpunk thriller. And speaking of, dear me, does Inner Turmoil ever want to be a Fluke track as heard in The Matrix. Other 'prog' beasts include Salvation On Slavery Sins and London, while Mr. Folder also mixes things up with the broken beats in the spacier Before It All Changes. Elsewhere, in case you absolutely had to have a 'twinkle prog' outing in your 2005 album, Morning Crow does inch around the fringes of that sound.

Like any good '90s prog album, tunes are nicely spaced between the downbeat, lyrical pieces and the club-ready uptempo jams, with enough variety holding your attention throughout. At ten tracks though, Zero Gold feels short, like it's missing a proper coda moment. As the final cut on the album, the energetic Before It All Changes leaves you wanting, suggesting there's more to come after, even if it's just an ambient outro. Maybe that hanging feeling was intended to lead into a sophomore album, but it never happened, Zero Gold remaining Pole Folder's lone LP effort (so sayeth Lord Discogs).

Various - Global Underground Nubreed: Steve Lawler

Boxed: 2000

The Nubreed series from Global Underground was set up as a sort of farm league for the main series. It's tough cracking that starting line-up, see, featuring such legendary talents as Sasha, John Digweed, Nick Warren, Dave Seaman, and Danny Tenaglia, and British clubland had plenty of hot, young prospects in the pipeline waiting for that call-up from the big leagues to rub shoulders with the f'n All-Stars. The series didn't last much past 2002, though sees occasional dusting off to promote another wave of generational talents, most recently this past month with a tenth volume featuring Oliver Schories. Wow, I don't know these kids at all.

Of the original Nubreeders, only Danny Howells made it to the big league roster, but Steve Lawler got himself a mini-series called Lights Out. Does that mean he was drafted into his own league? Man, this sports metaphor's stressed, but I can't help it – 'tis the season!

Heck, Lawler's own career fits the metaphor: starting out in real underground settings (street ballin', y'all), struggling in the literal 'beer leagues' (re: playing out at bars), then hitting a personal rock-bottom before lucky fate handed him a Cream residency. The year 2000 proved his big breakout, not only landing this Nubreed mix, but two more DJ mixes (Home on INCredible, Dark Drums on Tide), plus a gig for Essential Mix. Just goes to show you don't have to play for the LA Lakers or NY Yankees to have yourself a successful sportsrun. I'm reaching.

By this point in his career, Lawler had built a rep' as the UK's Danny Tenaglia, that dude who'll take you on a long, deep, dark journey through tribal house and dubby prog. This mix comes out when this sound was deemed official “new hotness” status, both Digweed and Tenaglia's recent offerings on Global Underground paving the way for a few years of relentless, unwavering sweaty thump of a groove. And hoo boy, is Steve ever on that sound, making this my third release in a row with a tribal theme going on. (The... odds...!)

Most prog mixes of the time kept the deep shit on CD1, serving as the warm-up for the energetic, peak-time rinse-outs of CD2. Long wary of jocks relying on anthems, Lawler says nuts to that, going with the deep shit for pretty much the duration of both discs. There are a few recognizable tunes – Tenaglia's Elements, Cevin Fisher's Love You Some More, Green Velvet's Answering Machine (“I don't need. This. Shit!”), but that's not the point of this set. Lawler's goal is to drag you into the club, with him in full swing at his personal peak hour, home listening practicality be damned. It makes his Nubreed offering rather samey throughout, and still comes off like an extended warm-up set before a superstar jock takes over the decks. If you're down for a DJ that can ride such a vibe for that long, you'll probably like this. Prefer a little spicy variety myself.

Chris Fortier - Trance America (2016 Update)

Engine Recordings: 2000

(Click here to read a bunch of hyperbolic gushing passing itself off as 'jurnarlizm'.)


So this CD. It’s still one of the best prog mixes I’ve heard, especially for such an obscure release. The label it came out on, Engine Recordings, has but three entries in Lord Discogs’ archives. This includes a DJ mix from Mr. C called Subterrain 100% Unreleased, and the Stateside copy of Layo & Bushwacka!’s debut Low Life. Lord Discogs also informs this print was a subsidiary of Will Records, which apparently mostly dealt with indie rock. If Will was taking a chance on that trendy ‘electronica’ at the turn of the century, they sure didn’t bother sticking with it for long. How Chris Fortier got involved with the label for a ‘prog’ mix titled Trance America is anyone’s guess; except for Chris, because obviously he knows firsthand. He did put out a ‘trancey breaks’ mix a couple years prior on StreetBeat Records, a print that got its start peddling that Miami bass business. Maybe Mr. Fortier just enjoyed bucking convention? No, that can’t be right. He’s behind Fade Records, the label that practically defined ‘prog’ before it became Bedrock’s genre du jour. Was there any style of dance music that sounded more conventionally traditional than ‘prog’? Whee, oxymoron!

See, 2004 Sykonee, see? That’s how you’re supposed to do a review. None of this ultra-long anecdotal nonsense about Trance America being “trance’s redemption”. A few actual nuggets of information goes a long way, especially when dealing with something as obscure as this CD. Not that it’s difficult to find on the used market, nor does it command a high price. Nay, its obscurity lies in how overlooked Trance America remains, an easily missed release due to its awfully generic title. Plus, despite his skill behind the decks and the acclaim he earned before and since the year 2000, Mr. Fortier never broke free of the scene that nurtured his career, forever just another DJ and producer that Sasha & Digweed liked. Hey, that’s not such a bad distinction, not at all!

If you’re a prog completist, Trance America does feature a number of one-offs in its tracklist. Hyper-X never released anything else, not that it matters since its Steve Porter’s remix that gets the glory here. Tranceiver didn’t do much else either, while Memnon and Devol faded a couple years after. 3 Monkeys only had the mint single Crazy People, though its members – Anthony Pappa, Alan Bremner, and Barry Gilbey – were incredibly prolific with other projects (Brothers In Rhythm, Mara, superstar DJing, etc.). And we all know the fates of Steve Porter and Max Graham, early progressive trance darlings that went in completely different directions once ‘prog’ fell out of favor.

Not that 2004 Sykonee knew much of this. Discogs was still skint in its early info’, still becoming a Lord That Knows All. Plus, who’d have thought ‘prog’ would completely die so soon, its tastemakers scurrying to the safety of trendier genres? Certainly not I back when. Maybe exhaustingly detailing the music was for the best. Yeah, no.

Aldrin - Singapore Tribal

Muzik Magazine: 2001

After a solid string of free CDs from Muzik Magazine, Singapore Tribal was such a letdown. No cool new sounds like electroclash. No tasty club hits like Chocolate Puma or Bent. No exposure to UK exports like grime or nu-skool breaks. This was just house music - kinda’ dark, a bit like the opening portions of a (then) recent Danny Tenaglia mix, but well outside my interests. If I was gonna’ get down to a brooding, dubby mix of house-based grooves, I’d get my fix from the prog camps, not this ‘tribal’ thing. Thus Singapore Tribal languished in my collection for years upon years, not even roused for a pity play. And finally, now forced to revisit Aldrin’s mix for Muzik Magazine, I must kick thyself with much gusto and shame, for oh Lord what I wouldn’t give to hear something like this out in this day of age!

I should have had more faith in Muzik, having bestowed upon Aldrin Quek praises like “Best New DJ” and “one of the world's finest residents”, referring to his home behind the decks at Zouk in Singapore. Clearly I wasn't ready for this sort of house in my life, but I also single out two other factors that soured me to Aldrin's mix CD. First, the mastering is rather rough, with frequent clipping of bass kicks. Maybe Aldrin prefers a gritty, muddy sound in his sets, but having grown used to crystal clear dynamics from Digweed mixes, I wasn't vibing on it at the time. Second, a big piece of this CD’s promotion went into a big new remix for Inner City's Big Fun, which is a big ol' bore as far as I'm concerned. The fact I'm certain none of y'all have hear of D-Wynn's tech-house rub of the Saunderson classic only proves trend-hopping remixes are seldom worth the hype. Ultimately though, Singapore Tribal didn't do it for me because I expected compilations from my free Muzik CDs, not DJ mixes. How dare a UK magazine not meet a single young Canadian adult’s expectations!

Master Sky Fairy willing though, age grants us the wisdom to learn from our earlier follies, and I came around to the sounds Aldrin was pushing. It still doesn't excuse me from ignoring a solid mix CD from Mr. Quek for so many years, but I'm pleasantly surprised that Singapore Tribal pleasantly surprised me with this playthrough. While the mastering is still too rough for my liking, and that Big Fun remix is still a big bore as a closer, the rest is pure dopeness. Thumping tribal business from Peace Division and Khaimar, chugging dub work from Jeff Bennett, bumpin’ tech-house from Jay Tripwire, and deep acid groove from Aldrin himself easily makes up for the few weak moments. Aldrin's mixing is mostly smooth throughout, momentum kept on the up such that one can easily get locked into a sweaty groove in a hot underground climate. Damn, I want to hear this stuff at a club again...

ACE TRACKS: March 2015

Hey, it’s April 1st, which means I have to do a prank or some shit like that. Okay, let’s see…. Um.. ah, I got it. I promise to review ALL the Armin van Buuren albums! Hahaha! Oh, that’s rich. What, too obvious? Okay, how about this one. I’ll not review all the AvB albums! Ah, hahaaha, hoho hee! That’s not a prank either? Well, what do you want, a close-up sneak peak to Ishkur’s Guide To Electronic Music 3.0? How about a fresh playlist of ACE TRACKS from the past month instead?


Full track list here.

MISSING ALBUMS:
The Beatles - Revolver
Bandulu - Redemption
Various - In Trance We Trust 006: DJ Cor Fijneman

Percentage Of Hip-Hop: 11%
Percentage Of Rock: 12% (note: not all the included rock bands perform actual rock here)
Most “WTF?” Track: I honestly can’t think of one with this bundle. Maybe some of the ‘cracker trance towards the end. Like, how could I ever enjoy such corn! If we’re going that route though, any Bryan Adams?

Quiz: what do Bandulu and The Beatles have in common? They’re both British! Oh, and neither are officially on Spotify, though you can find plenty of cover bands doing Beatles classics. No such luck with Bandulu, sadly.

This one came together remarkably well, which was nice considering the last few playlists were messier than I’d have liked. Even the dalliances into rock don’t sound forced (yes, even Bryan Adams). Also, as with ACE TRACKS: December 2013, I’ve lumped all the In Trance We Trust material at the end, so if you need your eurotrance fix, you’ve a jolly good lot of it at the end. Also, it seemed appropriate kicking that segment off with Faithless’ Insomnia, since they were partially responsible for clubby anthems of that sort gaining popularity.

Victor Calderone - Resonate

Statrax: 2003

Victor Calderone’s Resonate was not something I counted on reviewing, and I mean ever. Maybe there was a microscopic chance I’d stumble upon it in a used shop and, with few other options, pick it up because it was a music CD with the adjectives ‘electronic’ and ‘dance’ associated with it. Even then though, I’d be finicky, lest I grab Generic House Mix Number Ten-Thousand Ten – why settle for the obvious when a used shop can offer the bizarre and obscure? All those Hed Kandi and Ultra House collections can carry on collecting dust in the racks as far as I’m concerned, and if a few gems slip through as a result, so be it.

All this is just a long way of saying ol’ Victor’s output isn’t high on my list of Must Hears, nor would I go out of my way to indulge his records – just not enough minutes in the month to hear everything. Someone figured I’d vibe on his style though, and included this mix CD for free in an Amazon purchase. Gee, wasn’t that nice of him. Guess it’s time to suit up for a little Calderone action. Yay Discogs research!

T’was not long before The Lord That Knows All revealed where I’d seen ol’ Victor’s name before. See, this that dude who helped push New York City house music out of Strictly Rhythm’s garagey dominance into danker territory. Specifically, tribal tech-house of the sort Danny Tenaglia became synonymous with, and many prog DJs adopted into their sets after the turn of the century too. Hell, during my initial playthrough, I guessed Resonate was a 2002 release, so prevalent with the year that sound was (just a bit off). This I can definitely vibe on - if house music ain’t workin’ the disco funk, then it damn well better hit that Afro thump.

And sure enough, plenty of tribal action goes down in Resonate, with African chants, drum circles, and gnarly rhythmic groove dominating throughout. Towards the end, Calderone goes prog-prog, including King Unique’s remix of Underworld’s Two Months Off as a finisher, because of course you close a prog set with Underworld. On the way there, we hear two versions of De Loren & Color’s Alessa, an acapella mash-up of J Majik’s Love Is Not A Game upon Babilonia’s Impress Me (though since it’s Kathy Brown on the vocals, shouldn’t she get the credit?), and three of Mr. Calderone’s own productions. Oh, and can’t forget remixes from Superchumbo, Masters At Work, and D. Ramirez, because there’s always space for a few more namedrops in reviews!

If any of this sounds appealing to you, then by all means scope up Resonate wherever you happen upon it. Calderone treats his mix as though you’re arriving at a dark, sweaty club already in full swing, grabbing you by your dancing shoes early and not letting go until 6am dawn; New York house at its finest. No, I’m not saying that just because I got this free.

ACE TRACKS: November 2013

Woo hoo, I’m but a few days away from an honest-to-God real vacation, my first in nearly a decade! Like, absolutely no commitments I’m obligated towards in my time off work. No classes still to attend, no relatives to visit out of town, no festivals to volunteer for – just pure freedom from any and all responsibilities. And I’ll probably grow mind-numbingly bored within 36 hours. Or spend all that time making Spotify Playlists. Until then, here’s ACE TRACKS: November 2013.



Full track list here.

MISSING ALBUMS:
Felix da Housecat - Kittenz And Thee Glitz
The KLF - Justified & Ancient

Percentage Of Hip-Hop: 18%
Percentage Of Rock: 6%
Most “WTF?” Track: either track from Squarepusher (you just don’t expect it from Jenkinson)

Man, these truncated months are so much easier to put together. I should get super bummed out and stressed by Real World things more often, so I don’t end up reviewing so much unwieldy music. I barely even listened to most of these tracks before slotting them, so easily they slid into their positions within the Playlist by sight alone. Why yes that Cheb I Sabbah world music tune would work great in contrast with Juno Reactor’s Navras. Obviously Tosca and Delerium were meant to go together. Clearly that Public Enemy binge I enjoyed is best served in two mini-segments. And the whole thing runs a nice, easy-breezy three hours. Only the final few tunes are cumbersome, but who ever listens to these things to the very end, amirite?

Surprising that Felix’ classic album isn’t on Spotify. Not surprising all those burned CDs I started reviewing aren’t though, but most of the tracks used on those were found, so it’s all good. Eh, Kid A? Ah heh, sorry, I never did find out which songs off that album CokeMachineGlow and Tiny Mix Tapes approved as being ace.

Deadmau5 - Random Album Title (Original TC Review)

Ultra Records: 2008

(2015 Update:
Ol' Joel's had himself a career since I wrote this, hasn't he? Mega-selling concerts, tabloid relationships, Grammy nominations, high rankings in popularity polls, superstar collaborations, and more dosh than a dead dinosaur (?). You know what hasn't changed though? (wait for it...) That. Darn. Clap! Ahahah! Hahaha! Hehhaahaha- Oh, he recently released some ambient music too. Well, that's pie on my ass.

Seriously though, every time I popped into his discography for a quick listen, I couldn't help but chuckle at how little Deadmau5' standard house-template ever changed. As easy it is to deride him for a lack of song-craft ability though, I suspect he's fully aware there's little point in showing some growth, the audience he's cultivated more interested in dazzling light shows and caustic social media diatribes than any actual music. It's taking Fatboy Slim's tongue-in-cheek "why try harder?" manifesto to its logical conclusion. Great for short term profitibility, sure, but small surprise Deadmau5', erm, 'true'-fans keep pointing to this album as his best. The hint of potential resonates here.)


IN BRIEF: A clap every second beat, guaranteed.

I admit it: I like his gimmick. Yes, you read that right –I like deadmau5’ costume gimmick. There’s just something about seeing a guy on stage with a giant mouse head that screams “rave!” How could it not be a trip to watch that live? Ever since DJs became the official ‘face’ of EDM, such odd examples of costumed performance sadly fell by the wayside, abandoning its counter-culture ideology in favor of mainstream acceptance. So, good on Joel Zimmerman for keeping that aspect of the live show going. To those who believe performing with a giant mouse head is silly, I say this –‘tis no less silly than Altern 8 performing with faux-bio-wear and masks, or Liam Howlett having a couple dancers prance around the stage, or Aphex Twin having a couple giant teddy bears prance around the stage, or Rabbit In The Moon doing… um, whatever it is they do on stage. Live PA needs more of this, not less.

He wouldn’t have gotten so widely popular with just a clever gimmick, though; no, deadmau5’ rapid success has a large part to do with the most valuable currency of the modern era: internet controversy. He is one of the very few producers who will actually argue against those who consistently slander his short career, getting involved with heated flame wars on prominent social media. Mind, despite the rarity, this isn’t something new, as Frankie Bones has done much the same for years now. Unfortunately, Joel lacks Bones’ scene savvy and Brooklyn wit, and the Toronto native’s tactless approach to public relations has left him much hated but frequently talked about. In this regard, deadmau5 is merely EDM's version of Soulja Boy.

Oh, and apparently he’s made a few popular tunes too, such that he’s become Beatport’s poster-boy. In the process, the music website handed out a bunch of awards to him, even if that’s like Ikea giving out awards for the furniture they sell. It’s been good for promotions, though, and the time came for Mr. Zimmerman to deliver a major label debut (well, relatively speaking; Ministry Of Sound/Ultra is major in terms of dance music).

And what’s on this randomly titled album? Claps. And claps. And claps. And claps. And claps. And claps. And claps. And claps. And claps. And… for fuck’s sakes, Joel, STOP WITH THE FUCKING CLAPS! On nearly every second beat, there’s a fucking clap (or snare/snap variation). Every fucking time. No variation at all. It quickly lodges inside your head and never lets up; even when it's somewhat tucked under the synths as a subtle snap, you can't escape it. And by being coupled with such plodding prog rhythms, deadmau5 proves himself to be amongst the whitest dance producers you’ll ever encounter. By three tracks in, it’s become comical; four tracks in, bad comedy; for the rest of the album, infuriatingly distracting.

So what, you counter, second-beat snares are common in music; it can be found in all kinds of genres. And you are right, as it provides rhythmic jump to any beat; however, its function is typically used as a supplement to the rhythm, whereas deadmau5 makes it his main feature. It’s as though he first copy and pastes the clap for several bars, then constructs the rest of his track around it; his claps are so prominent because they run the whole show.

Its omnipresence isn’t helped by the fact Joel’s such a fine technical producer. If he gets anything right, it’s his sense of audio dynamics – everything is wonderfully spaced and full-sounding without falling into over-compression traps plaguing many modern productions. Unfortunately, it also highlights the compounding problems with this album, in that despite having such crystal clear production, his music lacks creativity and soul; it all blends together into one long trudge through generic tech-prog, with the only thing ever sticking to mind being that damned clap.

Even after a dozen listens through, there are only bits and pieces of other stuff I can recall: some tech sections that blandly drone; a couple bouncy basslines; ominous atmospherics here and there; a dull breathy female vocal somewhere in the middle (crossover attempt!); a robotic voice early-on saying “sometimes things get complicated,” surely an ironic foreshadow regarding his beats; repeated uses of the delayed synth 8th notes that he made so popular; some melancholic noodly piano bits; noisy effects-laden builds; blessedly, none of his hideous ‘electro’ r-r-rr-rrrRIPP fart stuff. Arguru in particular stands out, as it features the least amount of clap in its beats (the track’s drop after the build is pretty ace too). Ask me to actually hum back any kind hook or melody from this album, though, and all I’ll be able to offer you are steady plodding hand-claps.

Did Joel realized just how ridiculous hearing the same clap all the way through his album sounds? Did he even bother to give it a good listen over? Sure, he’s gone on record as saying he didn’t put much effort into it, merely slapping on his big hits and padding it out with some new stuff for a DJ mix, but by doing so he shoots himself in the foot (probably once every second beat). deadmau5 has long been criticized for being samey-sounding and lacking in any kind of musical intuitiveness, an accusation that honestly doesn’t have much merit when you hear his tracks in isolation or as a part of a DJ set; any of these tracks are fine individually. Lined up all together as they are here, though, and how can you not agree with the naysayers? That clap… it’s like Chinese water torture, but instead of a constant drip… drip… drip… eating away at your head, you have a constant clap… clap… clap… eating away at your brain. It annoys. It grates. It torments. It claps. It claps. It claps. It claps. It claps. It claps. It claps…

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

Various - Psychotrance 2001: D:Fuse

Moonshine Music: 2000

The Psychotrance series was Moonshine’s preeminent trance DJ mix series - except when it wasn’t, which was most of the time. Okay, back up… Psychotrance was Moonshine’s only trance DJ mix series – except when it wasn’t, which was for most of its ‘90s run. Let me try again… Psychotrance was Moonshine’s first trance DJ mix series, indeed one of the label’s earliest releases. Oddly, they had The Shamen MC, Mr. C, handle the decks for their first edition, soon followed up by Darren Emerson, Slam, Eric Powell and Daz Saund. Wait, who are the last two? Also, despite the name, the series had more emphasis on techno, acid, and even house. Five volumes is a tidy run for a DJ mix series, but it never took off in any significant way. After Daz Saund’s 1997 edition, it seemed destined for Moonshine back catalogue obscurity when the label started shifting focus to hip, fresh genres like breaks, d’n’b, and funky house.

But wait, cried the clubbing masses, we're nearing the turn of the century, and trance is now super popular! Maybe not quite as commercially viable in America as in Europe, but the likes of Oakenfold, Paul van Dyk, Sasha, and Diggers are as close to house-hold names as any DJ could get in those years. Moonshine had to capitalize on the growing interest, and what better way to do so than by dusting off the derelict Psychotrance series? They even found an up-and-coming jock from the American South rinsing out progressive trance in a style similar to the big European names, one Dustin Fusilier, more commonly known as D:Fuse (aka: the cowboy hatted one). Slap the always cool “2000” tag on the title, and you've relaunched a sure-fire success! Shame Psychotrance 2000 kinda' sucked balls.

Actually, I can't recall if it was that bad, but I do recall my first impression of it being an overwhelming roll of the eyes for yet another anthem-bilge bandwagon hop. Looking at that track list now, I'm drawing mostly blanks on the tunes D:Fuse used, so maybe my memory's skewed for some stupid reason. Oh, right, I remember now, it's because I have the much superior follow-up, Psycotrance 2001, in my possession. This one had nearly everything I looked for in my trance at the time (and still do!): proggy, spacey, groovey, Oliver Lieby, Fade Recordsy. D:Fuse hit the perfect sweet spot between progressive trance of before, and dark prog of the near future. There’s a nice mix of classy familiar tunes (L.S.G.’s I’m Not Existing (O. Lieb Main Mix), Schiller’s Ruhe (Humate Mix), Steve Porter’s Mindless), overlooked gems (Memnon’s Search And Rescue, Carrisa Mondavi’s Solid Ground (Fade Vocal Mix)), and neglected rubs of well-rinsed tunes (Wookie Slut’s mix of Traveller & In Motion’s Believe).

I won’t deny seasoned prog disciples will find little unique about D:Fuse’s mix, but it’s a solid collection of tunes for a single disc set. Definitely worth a pick-up should you find it resting in the used shops.

Space Manoeuvres - Oid

Lost Language: 2005

John Graham probably never intended his Space Manoeuvres side-project to go anywhere, the alias likely only created as a means to release Stage One as a one-off. It was years before any significant follow-up with this guise appeared, and by then most of the hype for another Space Manoeuvres tune had faded - heck, when he released Part 3 in 2004, he piggy-backed it on Quivver. So when a full album of Space Manoeuvres material did appear, it caught most by surprise. Well, if you had any investment in the progressive scene anyway.

Maybe Lost Language convinced Graham to give Space Manoeuvres the proper LP treatment, or he’d simply produced enough back-catalogue with the alias to warrant a release such as Oid. The latter’s most likely the answer, as this album’s little more than a gathering of tracks old and new. At least it gave Lost Language an excuse to re-release Stage One again, since it’d been a whopping seven years since that tune had first come out. Oh 2005, how many trance anthems did you recycle?

Whatever, I’m always game hearing Stage One again. The ridiculously infectious synth stabs, lovely sonic depth justifying the space handle Graham aimed for, classy progressive trance rhythms, and those dialog samples! Tell me your spine doesn’t tingle at the mere mention of “Any crew?” “Negative.” It doesn’t? Oh, you haven’t heard Stage One yet. Come back after you have.

By the time Graham got around to producing most of these Space Manoouuooveeerees tracks, late ‘90s progressive trance was already out of fashion, the simpler Coldharbour stylee the new hotness. Thus Part Three and Quadrant Four would fit snugly in a Markus Schulz set of the time, but with a groovier space aesthetic. While not as memorable as Stage One (and let’s be honest: nothing else on Oid is), they’re solid offerings for the sound. Oh, and Zone Two was produced specifically for Oid, so don’t go thinking the track titles are a direct chronological record of Space Manoeuvres tracks – though Zone Two does have some similarities with his 2001 dark prog single Pluto Disko.

At the end of Oid, Graham indulges himself a little outside the traditional prog template. While Pentexplorer goes on the downbeat (it’s space-hop! ...or not), Division Six has ol’ John posing the question, “Hey, remember progressive breaks?” Why yes, yes I do. They were awesome. So is Division Six for that matter. Not so awesome is The Seventh Planet though, or rather Stage One (Leama & Moor Mix). I can hear they were going for a blissy chill-out vibe, but compared to similar material Ultimae was kicking out at the time, this is cheesy pap. Blegh.

Forgetting that last track, Oid’s a fine enough album of spacey prog, though don’t go in expecting Stage One over and over. That may disappoint some, but considering the odds of a Space Manoeuvres LP coming to light were long anyway, I can’t complain with the results.