Renaissance: The Mix Collection – six6 Records – 1994

In the words of Adam Richman from ‘Man vs Food’  “Oh my goodness… Oh my goodness!”

As far as this blog is concerned everything that goes before this 3 CD set is what I call ‘The Old Testament’ and everything that goes after this post shall be known as ‘The New Testament’.

I cannot stress how important this CD is, put it this way, if I woke up in the middle of the night to the sight of my house burning down around me I would escape with one cat under each arm and this comp’ clenched firmly in my teeth!

You can probably gather from all that, that I’m kinda fond of this set, it changed everything, it moved the bar so high that nearly 20 years on when I buy a comp’ I still measure everything against this, there was a few that got close and I’ll get to those but this post is dedicated to The Mix Collection.

The modern sound is different but what I’m talking about is the quality in the context of what else was available then, so yeah the mix might be sounding old now, that’s because it is, but when you look at the more modern stuff in the context of what’s available now does the latest comp stand head and shoulders above everything else like this did? Usually it does not.

Not all that long ago there was an original sealed copy of this on an auction site (or Amazon market place?) going for £1200, whether or not anyone actually shelled out is beside the point someone somewhere thought it was worth that and good luck to them, it is. I just wished I’d bought another copy myself at the time and kept it sealed!

This thing is just full of surprises, it just keeps delivering and delivering, awesome!

Where the hell do I start? O.K. here we go, Disc 1
It takes balls to open a mix with 3, yes 3 different versions of the same tune! But it really works, Song For Life is a good stand alone track but here the 3 versions meld into one long delicious ambling intro. ‘De Niro’, as I previously reviewed on the Positiva sampler is great here, ‘Perfect Motion’ is one of the few vocal tracks I genuinely like I always prefer instrumentals. The ‘Blade Runner’ theme makes an appearance and is always welcome, while ‘Child Bride’ is super smooth with a clean tight bass line.

1. Leftfield – Song For Life (Lemon Interupt Mix)
2. Leftfield – Song For Life (Dub For Life Mix)
3. Leftfield – Song For Life (Steppin Razor Mix)
4. Bedrock – For What You Dream (Full On Renaissance Mix)
5. Rhythm Invention – Chronoclasm
6. Disco Evangelists – De Niro (Spaceflight Remix)
7. Memphisto – State Of Mind (Quiet Mix)
8. Moonchild – V.O.A.T. (Original Mix)
9. Sunscreem – Perfect Motion (Boys Own Mix)
10. River Ocean – Love & Happiness (Junior Boys Own Super Dub)
11. That Kid Chris – Keep On Pressin’ On (Didn’t I Show You Luv Mix)
12. Remake Inner City – Bladerunner ‘Til We Meet Again (Brothers in Rhythm Perkappella)
13. Bump – House Stompin’ (Big Bump Mix)
14. F.Machine – Child Bride (Feedback Max Mix)
15. M People – Renaissance (John Digweed Full On Mix)

Disc 2
Opening with Fluke’s slow burning ‘Slide’ sets the scene well, into the sneaky bass of ‘Let’s Get This Party Started’ (no, not that one) back into another version of ‘Slide’ I’ve already lost track of time just writing about it. Look, I can do this track by track but really you need a copy of this, at the time of writing if you can find a used one for less than £30 and it’s worth it, just get it. The rest of disc 2? perfect!

1. Fluke – Slide (PDF Mix)
2. Funk Machine – Let’s Get This Party Started (Party Mix)
3. Fluke – Slide (Scat And Frenzy)
4. Corrado – Trust (Pink Mix)
5. Dj MBG – Trance 1 (Oriental Psycho Estmix)
6. Hysterix – Talk To Me (Sasha’s Full Master Mix)
7. Annadin – Angel
8. Virtualmismo – Mismoplastico (Dirtysyncomix)
9. Virtualmismo – Mismoplastico (Original Mix)
10. Fishbone Beat – Always (Psychedelic Martini Remix)
11. State Of Grace – Not Over Yet (Perfecto Mix)
12. Secret Life – She Holds The Key (H.A.L.F. I’m A Believer Mix)
13. Funtopia – Do YOu Wanna Know (Gut Drum Mix)
14. V.F.R. – Tranceillusion (Original Mix)
15. Kym Mazelle – Was That All It Was (Def Mix)

Disc 3
I really don’t need to explain but I will anyway, ‘Little Bullet’ and ‘Sublime Theme’ great, ‘They’re Here’ unbelievable, ‘Solar Plexus’ even more unbelievable, ‘Dirty’ a great outro to the comp’. I kinda lost the professional gloss on the last disc but I think you know you can trust me, just get it. I should also mention the packaging presents the 3 discs very nicely, it would’ve been so easy for them to bung it in a plastic jewel case and have done with it, certainly adds to the appeal.

1. M-People – How Can I Love you More (QAT Mix)
2. Moby – Go (Nightime Mix)
3. Jaco – Show Some Love (Original Dub)
4. Spooky – Little Bullet (High Velocity Mix)
5. Havana – Sublime Theme (Dub)
6. Shawn Christopher – Another Sleepless Night (Bassman Mix)
7. Unity 3 – Age Of Love (Trance Dub & Fantasy Mix)
8. EMF – They’re Here (D-Ream Dream)
9. Solar Plexus – Solar Plexus
10. Havana – Ethic Prayer (Euro Mix)
11. 2 Bad Mice – Bombscare
12. Age Of Love – Age Of Love (Watch Out For Stella Mix)
13. My Friend Sam featuring Viola Wills – It’s My Pleasure (Club Mix)
14. Lemon Interupt – Dirty

My only concern would be if I was John Digweed or Sasha where on Earth do you go from here? But I think it worked out O.K. for both of them.

The Sound Of Cleveland City – Cleveland City Music – 1994

I’d already bought some tracks from Cleveland City Music and The Sound Of Cleveland City seemed like a good bet as at the time almost all there stuff was pretty good, although it all sounded quite similar but there’s enough variation to justify the purchase.

Stand out tracks? well track 6. Hey Mr DJ is a good punchy house track that has a solid organ riff over a ‘ja’ sounding string. Tony Di Bart – The Real Thing features here with more underground sound than the radio edit, everything else is booming bass house, not bad but not fantastic, I’m trying to remember if I liked it at the time, I don’t think I really did, by then I’d been spoiled with mix tapes and there wasn’t enough on here to hold my attention.

Disc 1

1. Chubby Chunks Vol1 – Testament 1
2. Direct 2 Disc – Don’t Stop
3. B- Line – Herbal Hand
4. Direct 2 Disc – Excuse Me
5. Dig The New Breed – Whose No.1
6. Screen II – Hey Mr. DJ
7. Tony Di Bart – The Real Thing
8. Direct 2 Disc – Morning
9. Alex Party – Saturday Night Party
10. B-Line – Cast
11. TST Fever Posse – Drive In One
12. Rhyme Time Prod. – Swing Man

Disc 2

1. Screen II – Hey Mr. DJ
2. Thunder – Eye To Eye
3. Direct 2 Disc – Don’t Stop
4. Coda – Livin Large
5. DJ Tools Vol.1 – Ooh Yeah

Journeys By DJ Vol.1 Billy Nasty – Total Records – 1993

I’ve got to try and be serious for a minute, this CD was the first proper mix CD I ever found and it was and is without doubt spectacular! Little did I know at the time this would start a long relationship between me and the JDJ series of CDs, did they ever do a bad one?

Right here is what house music should sound like tune after tune of raw house mixed by a human who knows what he’s doing. You would not believe how good this still sounds, if you’ve never heard it, you really should try and find a copy, you will not be dissapointed. When Kinetic cuts in for the first time it’s like nothing else, such a simple track but so good. I could write a blog post on almost every track on this CD.

This CD for me set the standard, for around 2 years, until… well I won’t spoil the surprise. Everything after this somehow fell short, you start thinking if it can be done once, why not twice, three times. Don’t artists listen to each others stuff?

I never found anything else by Billy Nasty, which I regret.

1. Dance To The House – Face The Bass
2. Feel It – Pat Krimson
3. Kinetic – The Golden Girls
4. Drums At – The Roof Orchestra
5. Amnesia – Double FM
6. Uncle Bob’s Burly House – Uncle Bob
7. Drives Me Crazy – Outrage
8. People Livin’ Today – Semi Real
9. Burst – Grinjo
10. Tonto’s Drum – Eagles Prey
11. Carnival De Casa – Rio Rhythm Band
12. Shift – Havana
13. Song For Life – Leftfield
14. I’ll Trance You – Gypsy
15. Music Is Movin’ – Fargetta
16. Yerba Del Diablo – Datura
17. I Can’t – Steve Banzara
18. Jo’s Theme – Day Dreemer
19. Release The Dub – Leftfield

Spicelab: Lost In Spice – Harthouse UK – 1993

1 hour of music, 4 tracks. Yep it was a risk, but I think I just about got away with it, it’s in the same vein as FSOL Lifeforms but with each track around the 15 minute mark they’re not an easy listen. There are some nice atmospheric moments on here but as you might see from the BPM counter in the bottom right of the last pic it keeps a rapid pace throughout, which is good if you have this on while doing the house work, the vacuuming gets done in less than half the time!

The cover doesn’t give much away but it’s actually Oliver Lieb who created these tracks and as he’s responsible for the show stopping ‘Netherworld’ then I don’t have a bad word to say about this.

1. Cold Chillin’
2. Spicelab
3. The Last Supernova
4. Lost In Spice

Techno Nights Ambient Dawn – EMI – 1995

By 1995 I had developed a better idea of what I liked and didn’t like so my accuracy for buying CDs that I knew I would like without hearing them was improving, although I still buy the odd clanger even today.

Techno Nights Ambient Dawn is a great comp’ and features some well known artists and some unknowns. The quantity and quality of the tracks is really good with a very low dud rate, it was very much a mainstream release and if I remember correctly might have been advertised on T.V. but despite that it has an almost experimental feel to it.

Disc 2 for me is the keeper, although they both are good. Orbital, William Orbit, Phillip Glass, Appollo 440, The Orb, Vangelis and Brian Eno, what’s not to like?

This reminds me, I’m ashamed to say I don’t own the Blade Runner soundtrack, I think it’s because it’s so popular and readily available I keep passing it over. The Brian Eno track An Ending is amazing it was used on a nature program recently and forgetting I had my own copy I had to ‘YouTube’ it and came across the excellent Michael Dow trance version, definitely worth a look.

Disc 1

1. The Shamen – Destenation Eschaton (Hardcore Vocal Mix)
2. David Holmes – Minus 61 I Detroit
3. The Chemical Brothers -Leave Home
4. Dave Clarke – Winter (Armani Mix)
5. Red Snapper – Hot Flush
6. The Sabres Of Paradise – Smokebelch II (Beatless Mix)
7. DJ Hell – Sprung Aus Den Wolken
8. Plastikman – FUK
9. Moby – Go (Woodtick Mix)
10. 808 State – Pacific 707
11. N-Joi – Papillon
12. EON – Spice
13. Bizarre Inc – Playing With Knives (Quadrant Mix)
14. Inner City – Big Fun
15. The Grid – Texas Cowboys
16. Adamski – NRG
17. The Prodigy – Weather Experience
18. Yello – S.A.X.

Disc 2

1. Orbital – Lush
2. Enigma – Age Of Loneliness (Carly’s Song)
3. William Orbit – Water From A Vine Leaf
4. Sven Vath – L’Esperanza
5. Phillip Glass – Labyrinth
6. Jam & Spoon – Hispanos In Space
7. The Age Of Love – The Age Of Love (Jam & Spoon Mix)
8. The Black Dog – Raxmus
9. Carl Craig – Land Cruising
10. Aphex Twin – Donkey Rhubarb
11. Scanner – Mass Observation (Crackdown Mix)
12. Appollo 440 – Film Me And Finish Me Off
13. Bjork – One day (Sabres Of Parardise Mix)
14. The Orb – Oxbox Lakes
15. A Man Called Adam – Barefoot In The Head
16. The Beloved – The Sun Rising
17. Coldcut – Autumn Leaves
18. Vangelis – Love Theme From ‘Blade Runner’
19. Brian Eno – An Ending (Ascent)

Hallucinogen: Twisted – Drangonfly Records – 1995

Usually I say don’t judge a CD by its cover, but this time judge this CD by its cover, never has there been a more fitting graphic illustration that perfectly reflects the contents sound so well. This is electronic psychedelia at it’s best, still a little heavy for me but overall this is a good CD, the opening track is possibly the best along with the last track Solstice, oh and look out for the hidden track after a minute or so silence after the last track.

I remember picking this up and putting it back, a bit pricey at £14 for 8 tracks but they are all fairly long around 6 to 10 minutes long. Then I figured what the hell, there’s nothing else worth buying so I got it, a blind purchase that worked out well and as the inlay card says “Bom Shaker!”
1. L.S.D.
2. Orphic Thrench
3. Alpha Centauri
4. Dark Magus
5. Shamanix
6. Snarling Black Mabel
7. Fluro Neuro Sponge
8. Soltice

Messiah: 21st Century Jesus – Warner Music – 1993

O.K. so we’re getting a little warmer now, to say I cherished this album is an understatement, it sort of found me really. There was this track called “There Is No Law” which kept cropping up with a great little narrated bit of speech over it about gang controlled areas and the police not going in and this for some reason really resonated with me. About the same time there was another track called “Temple Of Dreams” which also had a cool little narrated bit on it a sample from “The Running Man” when I discovered the two tracks were by the same guy/group etc I had to get the album.

By all accounts I shouldn’t even like this disc as it’s way heavier than anything I would normally pick but as most tracks have some kind of sample from film or live event it just brings it to life and it stuck as a favourite.

The whole thing is good, but if I had to choose, Peace And Tranquility and Desire, also Destroyer for novelty value.

1. The Age Of The Machine
2. Beyond Good And Evil
3. Defiance
4. There Is No Law
5. Temple Of Dreams
6. Creator
7. Peace And Tranquility
8. Thunderdome
9. Destroyer
10. I Feel Love
11. 20,000 Hardcore Members
12. Desire

Shamen: Boss Drum – One Little Indian Records – 1992

Don’t tell me you didn’t buy something by the Shamen at some point, c’mon you must have bought L.S.I. or maybe Phorever People? No wait, I know, you bought Ebeneezer Goode didn’t you? It’s alright we’re all friends here, you can tell us!

The Shamen had that electronic sound I was so desperately looking for but were a little wide of the mark on the melody side of things but not by much, that didn’t stop me getting loads of their stuff though. The Boss Drum Album is a good spread of their product, and some of the remixes on the singles were great.

Having said that the hill billy track 6. Comin’ On is absolutely shocking and does not belong anywhere that a human being could accidentally hear it.

Track 9. Scientas is a much better ambassador for the album

1. Boss Drum
2. L.S.I. : Love Sex Intelligence
3. Space Time
4. Librae Solidi Denari
5. Ebeneezer Goode – Beatmasters Mix
6. Comin’ On
7. Phorever People
8. Fatman
9. Scientas
10. Re:Evolution
11. Boss Dub
12. Phorever Dub

FSOL Life Forms – Virgin Records – 1994

At a time when you’re looking for ‘that’ CD, that disc full of perfect sounds and every CD you pick up in the shops could be that disc, it makes the disappointment of finding a dud all the more painful. I loved Papua New Guinea, no I mean I really loved it, so when I found the Lifeforms album I pounced on it, this was a sure thing, right? Wrong!

I can’t remember a time when I was so disappointed with a CD than with this, well, actually I can but you know what I mean . FSOL Lifeforms is a genius work but it came at the wrong time for me, I wanted a sherbet dip and I got a quarter of  liquorice pontefracts.

There is a place in any electro fan’s collection for stuff like this but only after you’ve found ‘the one’, and I did, I found ‘the one’ a few times actually but I’ll get to that later. I understand Lifeforms better now and have grown to like it, but back in 1994 in reality it was over my head, too much like literature to be thoroughly enjoyable.

The day after I posted this I came across a new copy in my local HMV, if it’s still on sale 18 years after it’s release then it can’t be that bad, it must be me.

Disc 1
1. Cascade
2. Ill Flower
3. Flak
4. Bird Wings
5. Dead Skin Cells
6. Lifeforms
7. Eggshell
8. Among Myselves

Disc 2
1. Domain
2. Spineless Jelly
3. Interstat
4. Vertical Pig
5. Cerebral
6. Life Form Ends
7. Vit
8. Omnipresence
9. Room 208
10. Elaborate Burn
11. Little Brother

Positiva: Phase One – Positiva – 1994

Another label sampler, this time from Positiva, it has a much stronger synth and pad sound than the other samplers I’ve reviewed which pleases me.

Stand out tracks are Track 2. De Niro, it uses a helicopter rotor blade sound effect with wind instruments and bells over a solid bass and actually sounds like music and it clocks in at nearly 9 mins, I’ve not sold that to you very well but trust me it’s a great track. Track 4. Drop The Rock, has a scratchy hip hop kinda sample in it with a retro disco kinda feel over a Harold Faltermyer esq stabby synth which works well. Track 6. Give Me Love, is a more traditional club track with a nice chord change where you don’t expect it, just to keep things moving. Track 8. Raise, is an uplifting piano house vocal track which I think at the time was popular.

1. Exoterix – Void (Diss-Cuss Remix)
2. The Disco Evangelists – De Niro (The Journey -93 E.Q.)
3. Wall Of Sound Featuring Gerald Lethan – Critical (If You Only Knew) (Club Mix)
4. D-Tek – Drop The Rock (Original Mix)
5. Judy Cheeks – So In Love (The Real Deal) (The Commission Mix)
6. Diddy – Give Me Love (Peach Mix)
7. Barbara Tucker – Beautiful People (The Underground Network Mix)
8. Hyper Go-Go – Raise (The Classic Mix)
9. Reel 2 Real featuring The Mad Stuntman – I like To Move It (Erik ‘More’ Club Mix)
10. Wall Of Sound Featuring Gerald Lethan – Critical (If You Only Knew) (Exclusive Remix – Mount Rushmore
Attack That Track)
11. Reel 2 Real featuring The Mad Stuntman – I like To Move It (Exclusive Gypsy Mix)