Amon Tobin - Bricolage

Ninja Tune: 2007

So much music slips through my ever growing queue of “Must Hear Before I Go Six Feet Under” (I doubt Amazon will deliver to my bomb shelter following the apocalypse). Even with artists and labels I hold in the highest regard, there are unacceptable oversights and gaps on my part. Why has it taken me this long to finally spring for an Amon Tobin album? I like Ninja Tune. Like, really really like them – in a roundabout way, they were among the first 'underground electronic music labels' I dove into. Yet even with a number of their releases taking up space in my towers, one of their primary stars is noticeably absent. It’s like gathering Ultimae records while neglecting Carbon Based Lifeforms, or Hyperdub vinyl while bypassing Burial – you just don't do it, mang!

Right, it’s not like I’ve totally missed out on Tobin’s work, having heard a few of his Cujo works released when he was part of Shadow Records. And while Ninja Tune was quick to pluck him from that label, his sound left an undeniable impression on several up-and-comers featured in future Shadow releases, many finding inspiration in his fusion of jazz-jungle-hop. I’ve heard his work without even hearing his tracks!

Bricolage was his first album for the Ninja squad, and immediately found kindred souls among the likes of Herbaliser and Funki Porcini. All these guys, they loved the jazz vibes just as much as ol’ Adonai Santos de Araújo, and were always eager in finding ways of melding them with contemporary inner-city cool genres like trip-hop and jazzstep. Ol’ Amon though, he knew his production game needed something extra to stand out from the big guns. Bizarrely, he found it with IDM breakcore.

He doesn’t immediately reveal his intents either, the first few tracks finding the comfortable jazzy trip-hop vibe so many associate with Ninja Tune of the mid-to-late ‘90s (who do you think helped define it!). Yet there’s something more intricate going on with the drum programming - less reliant on using sampled breaks as the music’s backbone, and rather as genetic soup for reinterpretation. It’s Amon making future jazz out of classic jazz, and I can’t help but think of Squarepusher’s early work in this context. Not as frenetically experimental as Jenkinson’s material, mind you, but it’s there just the same.

Then Chomp Samba hits with all the feral nastiness of drill-n-bass’ intensity, and you realize you’re not in for the usual Ninja Tune romp. Tracks like One Small Step, Mission, and Bitter And Twisted keep the spazzy breaks going, all the while oozing a creeping menace with discordant cellos, trumpets, vibraphones, and saxaphones (among others). Dubby, trip-jazz-hop cuts like Defocus and The Nasty help keep Bricolage grounded with soul (not to mention some playful samba-stylee in One Day In My Garden), but we’re mostly dealing with aggressive music here, the sort one might expect on Warp rather than Coldcut’s print; a perfect LP for Ninja Tune’s musical growth, then. Welcome home, Amon.

Naughty By Nature - 19 Naughty III

ISBA Music Entertainment Inc.: 1993

Yo! This is Hip-Hop Sykonee, comin' in from another existence and taking over this shit. See, I'm the villain who could'a been, who should'a been, but wasn't because of a last-minute change of mind from the 'technoboy' here. Had I stuck with my original choice of First CD, this here Naughty By Nature sophomore album 19 Naughty III, my teenaged musical development would have been radically different, gorging myself on all these hip-hop talents. Yo, I might even be writing ill shit for RapReviews.com now, unlike the regular wack mofo you deal with on this back-water blog.

Sykonee Prime: Are you so sure of that? I had rap tunes on mixtapes. Hell, I bought the CB4 soundtrack the following year. Okay, it was to impress my peers, which was the impetuous in me initially choosing 19 Naughty III anyway. My enjoyment of ‘techno’ was naturally bred, with hardly any outside influences dictating what I should listen to for social acceptance.

HHS: That’s just it! Had you copped this first, you’d have played it just as heavily as your early CDs, if for no other reason than you didn’t have much choice of selection in your personal collection then. But check it, hommes, those repeated plays would have sucked you into hip-hop’s world, 19 Naughty III offering just enough a glimpse of the scene to check out more. Like, Hip-Hop Hooray. Damn, what a classic! Maybe not as cheeky as NbN’s breakout hit O.P.P. (yeah, you know me!), but if you were at any sort of club, you know this bomb would go off.

SP: I do recall waving my arms to the chorus at high-school dances. Still, it’s about the only song anyone remembers from this album.

HHS: Which makes the rest of 19 Naughty III perfect for the discerning underground head. Despite having crossover appeal, Naughty By Nature were never a Pop-Hop act, fully embracing the self-proclaimed ‘cruddy crew’ image they cultivated. They weren’t gangsta, but they could weave street tales (The Only Ones; Daddy Was A Street Corner) just as fine as any rap act. Or how about straight-up battle-rapping as a posse? Cuts like Take It To Ya Face, Knock Em Out Da Box, and Hot Potato have vicious lyrical throw-downs without degrading into ultra-violent parody. Plus we can’t forget d’em smooth-yet-dirty come-ones for the ladies (Written On Ya Kitten, Sleepin’ On Jersey, Cruddy Clique); none of that R&B bullshit here, Syk’G.

SP: The beats are dope too - tough Eastcoast flavour, and plenty block-party bounce going on for me to get my boogie-bop going walking to school with headphones on. Y’know, I’m kinda’ feelin’ what you’re preachin’. 19 Naughty III just might have been enough to steer me down hip-hop’s road after all.

HHS: Word. So, I get the blog now?

SP: Well, the next review’s of Amon Tobin’s debut.

HHS: Th’fuck?

SP: Nu-jazz spazziatic IDM, or something.

HHS: Err, yeah. Look, I gotta’ jam back to my reality. Damn, son, you got into some weird shit here.

A Month Off To Recharge

You may have noticed things slowing down a little around here, and it's not for a lack of time or material. Put simply, I'm creatively burnt out. I've been writing for this blog almost daily for the past two years, save an off week here or there as other concerns took up my attention. Not counting the 2010 stuff, I think I just recently passed the five-hundred mark too (yay!), though a fraction of original TranceCritic reviews are floating in there. Still, that's a whole lot of writing, more than I ever did for TranceCritic in five years of effort, and I feel like I've finally hit my wall. These past couple weeks I was getting by with copious amounts of caffeine, but that's a crutch, one I really need to cut back on. No, this is simply mental exhaustion, so I do what anyone that's worked too hard for too long does: take some time off.

And no, this isn't another "I give up on writing music!" rant. I'm still dedicated to reviewing every damn CD I own in alphabetical order, but a break is definitely needed from this. And what better time to do so than the dog days of Summer,where general traffic is low. Plus, letters "O" through "T" are some of my heaviest blocks of releases going forward, and a fresh, invigorated mind's better for that than slogging through while wired on Rock Stars.

There might be the odd update here for EDM World Weekly News, but if you're checking back in for new reviews, best wait until September for that. Or, I dunno, browse through the back reviews in the meanwhile. With over 500 of them, that's plenty of reading!

Tiësto - Nyana

Nettwerk America: 2003

Say what you want about Tiësto’s career trajectory – no, go ahead, its fun! - but for a brief while in the early '00s, it seemed the Dutch icon was poised at breaking into the mainstream with critical credibility intact. To do so though, a bit of reinvention was required, taking his first steps in distancing himself from the euro-trance that had defined much of his musical output. After all, single-CD sets were fine for anthem rinse-outs, but Tiësto are serious DJ now, so he needs two discs spotlighting his muse. And what better way to prove, beyond a shadow of a doubt, you are serious DJ than by playing serious techno bollocks, opening with the same track Hawtin began Sound Of The Third Season, no less!

He pulls it off. I'm serious! The opening stretch of Nyana is one of the best CD1 starts I've heard from Mr. Verwest, plus I can't help giggling at the thought of his traditional 'cracker fanbase utterly aghast at all the techno, perplexed over what happened their trance hero (oh, if only I had a time-machine to show them what was to come...). True, there's little here Adam Beyer would tremble over, but for a Dutch trance DJ taking a step into the unforgiving underground, Tiësto handles himself well. The rhythms are kept brisk with momentum on a steady climb, and getting Oliver Lieb (The Ambush's Acapulco) and L-Vee (Planisphere's Totem) as some of your peak tech-trance bangers for this section is mint!

Then he fucks it all up with Darren Tate and Jono Grant’s collaboration Let The Light Shine In, as cheeseball a chedder-trance track as cheese trance could cheese out in 2003. There’s no reason for such an abrupt change in tone either, other than Tiësto had a pile of vocal tunes to cram into this two-discer somewhere. What, the Indoor disc wasn’t good enough for Cor Fifneman’s Venus or Conjure One’s Tears From The Moon? Damning things further is Outdoor returning to the tech-trance business with Ton T.B.’s Electronic Malfunction regardless, rendering the middle portion of CD1 a pointless diversion. That said, I still like Tijs’ remix of Venus, despite serving no purpose in the context of this mix.

As for CD2, this one’s famous for having three huge, gigantic, massive, McProg anthems on it – Hell, these tracks practically helped kick-off that sub-genre! Of course, I’m talking about Andain’s Beautiful Things, Motorcycle’s As The Rush Comes (tunes that Gabriel & Dresden never topped), and Holden’s Nothing (93 Returning Mix). And with that said, do you even care about the rest of the CD? There’s a few nice tunes scattered between, and the final stretch of Balearic trance vibes is charming enough, but come on, we all know what folks remember most about Nyana to this day.

That’s right, the techno! It makes one wonder where Tiësto’s career could have gone had he dared remaining on that path instead. Cue Bizarro World scene of Mr. Verwest playing Bergheim and Circo Loco.

Squarepusher - Numbers Lucent (Original TC Review)

Warp Records: 2009

(2014 Update:
Since this was the first Squarepusher review submitted to TranceCritic - yeah, yeah, way late in the website's lifespan - I felt it necessary for a brief background summation for the reader base. Seems like redundant information now, but then it's not like I've got a ton of Jenkinson material on this blog either. Man, so many musical gaps, no matter how diligent I remain in buying albums...

This remains a fun throwback EP, and I kinda wish we'd hear a bit more like this from Squarepusher, just for the novelty of it all. Can't see it ever happening though. There's just so much other jazz-stuffs he'd rather be doing than making music for the 'up all night' crowds.)


IN BRIEF: Familiar.

Even in the ‘WTF they be smoking’ realm of IDM, Tom Jenkinson as Squarepusher established himself as one of the more challenging producers to be found. Yet, within those frenzied jazz-fusion drum beats and eclectic abstractions lay carefully considered songs that often rewarded the patient and attentive listener. Small wonder Warp jumped at the chance to sign Tom to a long-term deal, as he fit nicely in a roster that included such IDM wonks like Aphex Twin and Autechre. In the meanwhile since, he’s continued to reward dedicated followers with ever new takes on his sound, and either confounding or mesmerizing the casual passerby (as usual, there’s seldom middle ground with intelligent techno).

His latest avenue - Just A Souvenir - saw the pusher of squares diving into various aspects of underground rock music: garage, funk, psychedelic, prog, kraut – you’d think it was made by some jam band from the 70s if you didn’t know better. In any case, it was once again quite a departure from what folks figure to be Tom’s trademark sound. Perhaps in an effort to throw a bone to his pure electronic fanbase, we have this quickie follow-up EP, Numbers Lucent. Gone are all the guitars, and instead builds upon tracks like Star Time 2. Or, considering Star Time 1 is on here, perhaps this was what he was working on before his muse led him elsewhere. Whatever the case, beyond the ties between both Star Times and similar looking cover art, Numbers Lucent is a mostly different entity from Just A Souvenir.

So, if you’re down for some more Squarepusher funk-slap basslines, spritely keyboard melodies, and skittery jazz-fusion rhythms, the first four tracks here will certainly please. At the same time, though, it all feels a bit ‘been there, done that,’ especially so coming off a string of albums that saw Tom continuously moving in new directions. Cuts like Paradise Garage and Star Time 1 are by no means bad – in fact, they’re quite good; just over-familiar and safe. You get the impression he could have knocked these out at any time in his career. Mind, this feeling may be due to the old-school leanings these tracks take.

If the retro-rave vibes were only hinted at in the first four, Tom takes a full plunge in the final two. Yes, folks, Squarepusher has been bitten by early 90s nostalgia as well. Arterial Fantasy is straight-up old-school hardcore with a Jenkinson twist, and very cool in the process. Illegal Dustbin, on the other hand, goes for the gabber jugular, in a move that’s fun for the novelty factor (Squarepusher! Gabber! WTF!???), but little else.

And there isn’t much more to say about Numbers Lucent. It’s a tidy little EP that fans of Squarepusher will enjoy, and inviting for those who are curious about checking out the man’s work on the cheap. He may not be stretching here, but average Squarepusher remains better than average… a lot of others, really.

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

DJ Abasi - Nüdisorder

Intimate Productions: 2006

Every city has local DJs who are minor legends thereabouts but relatively unknown abroad. Fame and fortune, they seek these things not, for they are purists of the scene: collecting records, opening for the touring superstars, and all around just vibey chaps to hang around. DJ Abasi's one of Vancouver's best examples, a guy who's been around since the early rave days of the city and everyone knows in some way. Though I could drop a ton of events, nicknames, parties, drinks, and anecdotes associated with him, the truth is only locals would understand much of it. Besides, I suspect he'd be incredibly embarrassed by any glowing exposé beyond what I've already provided, humbleness above all else his endearing virtue.

All of which probably doesn't matter the slightest to readers from elsewheres. I mean, ol' Farshad's not a Tyler Stadius or Jay Tripwire, other Vancouver home-growns with some level recognition in the wider world of clubbing. Of course, they're well known thanks to official releases marketed in shops all over the place (and Lord Discogs). Abasi, on the other hand, had barely put out anything beyond demos intended for small circulation. This Nüdisorder was primarily intended as promotion for Intimate Productions’ DJ talent, but this being his first definitive CD release showcasing his skills behind the decks, there was some interest and excitement (launch party! ‘Farshots’!) in seeing what he’d cook up in the studio.

DJ Abasi’s main appeal’s his fluency with several genres of electronic music. Hell, this mix alone is bookended by Pet Shop Boys (a brief bit of Absolutely Fabulous at the start, and Yesterday, When I Was Mad at the end), while Hardfloor acid house (Da Revival) worms its way somewhere in the middle. Mostly though, we’re treated to the revitalized sounds of electro, mash-ups, and disco punk that flourished in early ‘00s, all genres he states were having the biggest impact on his sets at the time. Nüdisorder’s tracklist reads like a who’s who of all the hot names – Soulwax, Tiefschwarz, Tiga, Playgroup, The Juan McLean, Vitalic, etc., etc. Fortunately, his tune selection offers plenty of quirky inclusions so this CD doesn’t come off as just another hit parade.

For instance, there’s classic ‘80s tunes like The Chase but covered by 2020Soundsystem, while New Order gets in with their super-oldie Everything’s Gone Green but by way of a Cicada remix; meanwhile, here’s a cool b-side from Kittin & Hacker called The Beach, having little to do with New Order’s original. One can’t have electroclash without a proper old-school cut though, so here’s Hashim’s Al-Naafiysh. Adn speaking of remixes, why not a little DFA action on Gorillaz’ Dare? Abasi’s lengthy mash-up mixing’s a little rough at points, but it only adds to the CD’s genre-freewheeling appeal.

While I doubt folks outside the 604-district will have much interest in Nüdisorder (much less find a copy), I spent a week blathering about my old burned mix CDs, so Abasi gets a review here too. No blame.

Ametsub - The Nothings Of The North

Mille Plateaux: 2010

Mille Plateaux’s had many starts and stops since the label first emerged two decades ago, its latest (and seemingly last) perhaps the most disappointing. Glitch music was turning into a commercially viable force, and here was one of the genre’s Godfather labels returning in 2010. Nor was this just a small relaunch offloading and redistributing back-catalog, oh no. They were signing new artists and even setting up sub-labels, perhaps creating a new musical empire within the realms of minimalistic experimentation that would put Mille Plateaux’s former glory years to shame! Or not.

Sadly, the label ceased releasing material in but a year’s worth of operation, and Mille Plateaux’s website still hasn’t been updated since 2010. Maybe it couldn’t compete with all the free laptop ambient-glitch material clogging up the interwebs? Whatever the case, the initial hope the label could grow again was kicked off with this particular album, Ametsub’s The Nothings Of The North.

Ametsub himself is a minor enigma, even with three albums to his name (this one being his second). Japanese in origin, no name is provided on the broken-English bio at his homepage, though he’s toured enough to earn a few associative namedrops in it (Actress, Apparat, Plaid, Floating Points). If Nothings Of The North is anything to go by, it's small wonder Mille Plateaux would have tapped him for their 2010 relaunch, the music here very much in the 'jazz-click' and 'micro-hop' aesthetic you'd associate with impossibly stuffy conceptual experimentation.

Already backing out that door, are you? Can't blame you, the above descriptors appealing only to the most egg-headed musical sorts. Honestly, I felt the same way when I first heard this as a promo, my patience for glitch-click minimalist techno already stretched to its breaking point. Something kept me from deleting it after that initial listen though, a subtle warmth lurking underneath it all. Ametsub's approach reminds me a lot of early Akufen, where ear-wormy patterns emerge with a couple repeated plays. Also, there's none of the dry sterility that marks so much experimental glitch, in fact a strange bit of warmth permeating throughout. Chalk it up to Ametsub's ear for rhythm, things playing mostly on the downbeat that wouldn't be too out of place on Ninja Tune in an alternate universe where Amon Tobin performed at art museums.

The Nothings Of The North is an odd one, but then what would you have expected from a Mille Plateaux album? Not a 'morning after' LP, that's for sure, but this one sure does the trick I've found, 66 encapsulating this perfectly. It starts all sketchy with constrictive field-recordings, like being stuck in a savanna tree as a wildebeest stampede thunders all around you (ooh, such a headache...). All you want is to curl inside, retreating from the harsh elements outside. Yet, you brave the sunlight, and the song erupts in a rapturous, overbearing synth wash, nearly numbing your senses into submission. You come away feeling refreshed, vitalized, the previous paranoia miraculously cleansed away. Or something.

ASC - Nothing Is Certain

Nonplus Records: 2010

ASC’s been around a while, but in the wide world of drum–n-bass, he came across as just another guy in a sea of highly competent producers stuck following tried-and-tested formulae and genre tropes. Ain't a thing wrong with that, but somewhere along the way, James Clements got it inside his head that 'deebee' could be more than what was out there, that there were still musical roads yet explored. Fortunately, he found a pair of producers at a similar crossroad, Alex Green and Damon Kirkham of Instra:mental, and while those two were key in establishing labels that would promote their ideas, ASC turned into one of their most dependable contributors.

Their ‘microfunk’ work on Autonomic with dBridge earned them plenty of critical praise, but that was a short lived phase, more of a cul-de-sac if anything. About the same time, however, Alex Green set up Nonplus Records, and proposed a stunning question for the drum-n-bass scene: must we be held down by genre conventions? In short time, Nonplus offered an outlet for bass music producers to free themselves of their old shackles, purist fanbases be damned.

When ASC dropped Nothing Is Certain for Nonplus, it was as much a statement of the label's manifesto as it was a game-changer within Mr. Clements' discography. Here was a d'n'b guy, releasing an album on a label fronted by d'n'b guys, with barely a hint of d'n'b presented. For sure, the urban vibe of London bass music is still felt throughout the LP, but instead of reflecting on the clime's contemporary scenery, Nothing Is Certain looks to a possible future for the city. It's Detroit techno futurism for England, one of the few times this concept ever manifested itself within the d'n'b scene.

Yeah, future dystopia’s been a common theme in plenty of jungle, not to mention sci-fi inspired music too – heck, ASC alone released several mini-EPs titled Sci-Files before this one. The music here, however, keeps things grounded in metropolis landscapes, with little sinister about the environment as we casually cruise through neo-London streets late at night, sprawling skyscrapers towering over scattered novelty chip fryers. Classic electro is definitely a major competent here, tracks like Losing You, The Ubiquity Incident, and Matter Of Time begging for an icy-cool anime as visual accompaniment.

Of course, this isn’t the first time the UK’s dabbled down these sonic avenues, the early days of ambient techno, dub and IDM cropping up in ASC’s work here - Absent Mind has the bleepy hallmarks of Higher Intelligence Agency, while Yatta indulges in Autechre glitch-melancholy. For the most part though, such musical lineage is but a backbone, tracks like Lost For Words, The Depths, and Opus working within the world of post-dubstep and atmospheric jungle. In the process, Nothing Is Certain sounds remarkably unique, stylistic music that Clements has made his own. If you’ve resisted the hype behind ASC’s last half-decade of material, this album will convince you its deserved full stop.

Various - Northern Faction 3 (Original TC Review)

Balanced Records: 2006

(2014 Update:
Compared to the 1000+ word beasts I was writing for TranceCritic at the time, this review's puny, probably the shortest one I did that wasn't an EP. I make my excuses within that going through it track-by-track would be a disservice to the overall mood of the CD, but the reality is I didn't want to write at length about nu-jazz intricacies. I still don't, but then I don't think even enthusiasts are keen on it either. It's all vibe, man.

Surprisingly, Balanced Records is still in operation, though their output is so glacial it'd make Ultimae look at them and ask "yo, what's with the hold up?" - a fifth volume of Northern Faction was put out just two years ago! Gotta hand it to the Winnipeg label for sticking things out though. Hardy folk, those Manitobians be.)


IN BRIEF: How’s aboot some downtempo vibes, eh?

Every time I claim one has to search backwater Canadian towns to stumble upon bits of musical gold, it’s for comedy’s sake. Well, not always. Despite most of the media attention focusing on major city output on this side of the Atlantic, plenty of isolated communities scattered throughout Canada have been bitten by the electronic bug. Granted, Winnipeg may be considered a larger city by Canadian standards, but when lined up against some of North America’s heavy-weights, the Manitoba capital is puny.

Then, of course, are the winters. Canada gets ribbed to death over harsh winters, something which seems silly to those of us on the West Coast. However, Winnipeg often fits the stereotype, and many a tune from or inspired by the province tends to capture the spirit of cold, gray winter months nicely.

Balanced Records has created a bit of a murmur by capitalizing on this aspect of their hometown. Offering slowed-down grooves and warm ambience on their releases, the idea of cozying up to a crackling fire while snuggled in a big, warm blanket seems perfectly apt, their Northern Faction series showcasing local talent in the process. With the third edition, Balanced feels it’s time to broaden their borders and tap a few artists across the globe that shares the same ideals.

Yes, downtempo vibes are the name of the game here, but that’s kind of vague. Specifically, a jazzy mood is maintained while the tracks run through a variety of chilled-out styles. This is good news for those who prefer their mellow music containing a touch of musical class, but I’ll bet the word ‘jazz’ can frighten casual listeners; all too often they are reminded of self-indulgent masturbatory solos.

Well, put aside those fears, as Northern Faction 3 keeps things ‘cool’ (oh-ho-ho-ho!) with the jazz. While the opening set of tracks could probably fit snugly in the nu-jazz camps (including a pair of songs using trumpet leads), things soon slide into other styles, only retaining some of the improvisational techniques jazz is known for.

In relative running order, nu-jazz, trip-hop, dub, and soul all have their moments to shine. However, each track willfully fuses these elements in unique ways, borrowing ideas and tones to craft songs that are equally engaging as they are handy for background vibes. While few may leap out and surprise you, you’ll still find yourself lightly drawn to little moments that come and go: an interesting drum pattern; a warm synth pad; a catchy saxophone solo; a clever dub effect; a quirky vocal sample; the pleasant twinkle of a keyboard. All this and more can crop up when you least expect it during the course of this CD.

Of special note is the middle section. With the start of the track Opening Dawn by Lampshade, the listener is drawn into a dreamy sequence of soundscapes as dubby effects surround you. The track arrangement done here by Balanced Records is mesmerizing, a feat all the more fascinating when you consider just how disparate the styles of these songs actually are. And while this, ah, ‘journey’ does end with Kaskade’s Honesty, it’s more due to the different tone the San Fran chap’s soulful offering has than any duffing on the arrangement’s part; a switch of setting rather than a hiccup in the music itself.

I guess you’ve noticed I’m not really detailing Northern Faction 3 track by track. There are some songs which leap out for me, of course: the warm pads of Gavin Froome’s After The Rain; the dubby delights of Seed Organization’s Point Of Focus; the groovy bassline of Solidaze’s Dubiety. However, with most songs on here averaging the four-to-five minute mark and rarely adhering to easily-described song structure (unless you’re a jazz expert ...which frankly I’m not ...and nor are many of our readers I’d wager), it would be a waste of time to even attempt song-to-song analysis.

And really, that’s not what this compilation is designed to do. Sure, you can marvel at some of the individual bits and pieces throughout but, as with any ace downtempo release out there, Northern Faction 3 works best when played as a single whole, from start to finish. I recommend you do as such, should you ever stumble across this release in whatever tiny Canadian town you’re backpacking through.

Written by Sykonee for TranceCritic.com, 2006. © All rights reserved.

Sasha & John Digweed - Northern Exposure: Expeditions

Ultra Records: 1999

The growing marketability of double-disc DJ mixes must have finally convinced Ultra to treat these Northern Exposures properly, no longer releasing each CD separately. What I think, however, is INCredible, who took over the series’ distribution from Ministry Of Sound, wasn’t gonna’ put up with Ultra’s bullshit, and strong-armed the upstart EDM label into releasing Expeditions right. Okay, probably not, but its amusing thinking of the Sony sub-division as having that sort of clout.

What they couldn’t prevent was yet another label-rights complication, this time removing Fade’s remix of Delerium’s Silence from the American version. And you know what, I ain’t even mad. I didn’t know it was part of the mix until Lord Discogs told me so (the Lord knows all), so as far as I’m concerned, hearing the I Know You Love Me Too vocal emerge within Belfast’s gnarly acid breakdown always made sense. I don’t need McLachlan replacing what’s-her-voice in Chris Raven’s cut.

The fact Silence’s removal from the American Northern Exposure: Expeditions is such a talking point sums up where general consensus over this volume of Sasha and John Digweed’s celebrated series rests. Like most third acts of a trilogy, the hype and excitement surrounding these two CDs had dwindled compared to the previous ones, the market for DJ mixes growing ever more overstuffed by 1999. Misters Coe and Diggers still carried their high pedigree, sure, but their mixes on Global Underground were considered of greater value than this one. Heck, the two were essentially on their divergent paths now, so why even still do Northern Exposure? Did they have an outstanding contract for a third? Did INCredible really want a piece of the progressive trance pie that bad?

Regardless, two moments place Expeditions as solid entrants into progressive trance's canon. The second disc alone could almost serve as one itself, the gradual build showcasing the genre's strengths over the course of an hour-plus long CD, capping it all off with the unabashedly euphoric Tekara Remix of Mike Koglin's The Silence. Its remarkable Sasha & Diggers included such an uplifting tune, the sort of track Oakenfold and his ilk preferred. Putting it at the end of the tough trance business that came before it though, makes it all the sweeter when it does hit.

Even better is the opening of CD1, featuring a lengthy blend of Breeder's Tyrantanic and two versions of Space Manoeuvres' Stage One. I could go on for a whole review just how brilliant John Graham's debut side project was, but I gotta' save something for whenever I get around to Oid. As for setting the tone for Expeditions, its equally brilliant, hinting at high-flying space breaks to follow. Unfortunately, CD1 doesn't reach that peak again, but it's interesting hearing proto-prog psy at the end with Blue Planet Corporation. Oh the places Sasha could have gone had he followed that muse instead.

Meanwhile, Northern Exposure: Expeditions is a worthy finish to the series, despite mostly abandoning its original premise to do so.