Ocean Club

I've mentioned Gudrun Gut and the Ocean Club before here and here, so I won't go into all that again. Just remember: Malaria! and Monika Enterprise. Anyway, this is the 2CD version of the Ocean Club album I was looking for back then (took me a year and a half... nice...).

The first CD is a reprint of the original 1996 album, with some video clips added (posted separately). Honestly, sometimes it sounds like trance made by non-dancers and it did so back when it was first released; but a couple of tracks are good and guests include Blixa, Anita Lane, etc (see pic above).

The second CD is a compilation of remixes from the several 12"s they released, by artists like (...deep breath...) Klaus Schulze, The Orb, Thomas Fehlmann, Ian Pooley, Paul Van Dyk, Ellen Allien, Effective Force and more; definitely the one to check first, some dreamy moments inside here, plus a lot of trancey tracks for those who can take it.

Gudrun Gut - 1996 Members Of The Ocean Club
Gudrun Gut - 1996 the Ocean Club videos
Gudrun Gut - 2004 Mixes For The Ocean Club
Info here and here.

Edge Of Now

A speaker announces:
'Welcome to the Edge of Now'
And the menacing bassline kicks in. Then, a synthetic, in-your-brain voice transmits:
moving effortless
trying to forget
everything everything
feeling nothing
seemingly forever, while wave after wave synths wash our ears, each turn more lush and fat, a maximalist's joy of frequencies over slowly building fast pumping beats. Apparently, thoughts from that euphoric state that most people reach only at the peak of the curve of an extensively brain-damaging night. To its credit, the track ends with an equally burnt-out
moving
feeling
everything
Good times.

This is John Selway's debut solo album, as far as I know. I only have the LP of the [feis] (*) label version; I feel it fits the label's profile perfectly and that's why I used this cover (I happen to like it more, also) instead of the initial Ultra release's original. With its mix of techno/ electro beats and melodies, and with a couple of immediate hits ('Edge Of Now', 'New People', 'Digitalemotion'), it was a constant in my box for many years; I placed it close to Kiko's 'Midnight Magic' (*), and that's a really big compliment on my behalf.

I recently came upon this rip from the CD release and decided to share it at once. It stands as far away from minimal as you can get; fat, rich synthetic melodies riding over-compressed beats, it even sounds trance-like and oldschool. And mostly different from other Selway's more known works (say, his Smith/Selway collaborations). But I liked it then and still like it now, so here it is. Credits to the original uploader.

Selway - 2001 Edge Of Now
Info here.

Eurobeat Club Classics

And for the post #400 another 3CD box, this time from british Kickin Records, bringing together the 'Eurobeat 2000 Club Classics' compilations. That is, just Vol. 1, 3 and 4 (don't ask me why Vol.2 was left out...). And this is open air music in my opinion, but anyway.

The hideous covers of the originals at first repelled me; and the title was totally misleading as far as I am concerned, as here in Greece we used the 'Eurobeat' tag for those cheesy, post Italo-house or eurotrance tracks that popped up in the commercial charts during the early and mid '90s. But no, this is a collection of hard acid anthems, techno, hardcore, and jacking house from all over the world; the sound that dominated many many dancefloors, warehouses and fields across Europe (hence the title, I guess) and that Kickin was apparently trying to summarize/introduce to british ears.

(see P.S.2010/04/26)

Once again, this is a compilation for those that were not 100% into this kind of 'club' music. Most of the hits are so obvious, some of the rest sound really dated (especially from CD1) and there are no rarities in here. But it works well as a reminder of those times and was really convenient for CDJing; so many classics to choose from, in a neat pack. I'll just point out the Dave Clarke's Red tracks, Mike Ink's 'Paroles', the Mike Dearborn classics and that timeless Heckmann 'Amphetamine' epic.

VA - 1994 Eurobeat 2000 Club Classics Vol.1
Info here.

VA - 1996 Eurobeat 2000 Club Classics Vol.3
Info here.

VA - 1997 Eurobeat 2000 Club Classics Vol.4
Info here.

Box info here.

P.S. 2010/04/27: Thanx to MB, here's Vol.2 as well.

VA - 1995 Eurobeat 2000 Club Classics Vol.2
Info here.


P.S. 2010/04/26: Forget (most of) the above. Thanks to shadow's comment and after some digging, I realized that Eurobeat 2000 was a club night run by Frankie D, hosted in various venues in London during the '90s. Also functioned as a short-lived label (check the Greenhaus track, #9 in Vol.3). Makes more sense that way; but I still think it's an unfortunate name.
Concerning active links, I found only a Facebook account and a site concerning his recent more-Goth-than-techno club activities through Flag Promotions. On the other hand, Eurobeat 2000 gets mentioned a lot in many artists' appearances lists.

Electronic Cologne

A Cologne compilation back from 1995, presenting many acts already or soon to be famous (Air Liquide, Mouse On Mars, The Bionaut, Rob Acid, Roland Casper, Mathias Schaffhäuser, BolzBolz, Kitbuilders, etc - check the links) plus some local guys less known, yet not at all lesser in quality.

The range covered is more or less every style that built the Cologne sound and made it what it is: acid, techno, early trance, quirky house, deep experimental ambient, it's all there. CD1 mostly covers the club oriented projects, while CD2 delves more into experimental territories. Despite some unfortunate efforts (especially the Trance Opera track), the level is quite high, even production wise. Quite oldschool in sound, still interesting though.

VA - 1995 Electronic Cologne
CD1 - CD2
Info here.

The Straight Road to Schlangenfarm

3Phase is Sven Röhrig. The informing bio on his MySpace page is more than enough to learn the basics.
For the older ones he's no stranger anyway. He immortalized himself from the early days of Berlin techno by producing (along with Dr.Motte) one of the very first hits of the scene, 'Der Klang Der Familie'. He influenced the early Tresor sound as only the guys from Detroit had done yet, spawning a couple of thousands of imitators; meanwhile the track itself was constantly repressed, remixed and sampled (the latest version I know is 2008's from Hell).

A typical catalog mix-up occurs with 'Schlangenfarm', issued as Tresor 20 in 1992, then repressed in NovaMuteUS at 1993 (the one I've got) - which contains a track by 'Straight Road', issued as Tresor 19 in 1994... Which tells us that either (A) the Tresor guys had a secret time tunnel, or (B) the 'Straight Road' sessions were an earlier project with participating artist Andreas Grosser; of whom I know nothing. He seems to be directly influenced by the Berlin School of electronics, hence the massive analog synths and psychedelic atmos, as well as the concept (the whole record consists of one track in seven variations). Put on top of that some tough, fast 3Phase beats and you have what we used to call 'trance', before it became a dirty word.

His first album 'Schlangenfarm' is variating a lot; Orb-like ambient, house and acid influences, techno beats and the Berlin School legacy contrive to create a multi-faceted jewel - possibly a bit dim from the amount of time that gathered on it, still undoubtedly valuable. A history lesson by itself. In my mind, 3Phase easily stands as equal amongst legendary figures like Air Liquide and Thomas Fehlmann, so make sure you pay him some proper attention.


3Phase - 1993 Schlangenfarm
Info here.


3Phase - 1994 Straight Road
Info here.

Also check this post.

Some of you may have noticed that lately I'm a bit into early German techno - the truth is I recently ordered and watched the (2008) 'We Call It Techno' documentary, where a lot of the pioneering (now 'old school') artists or other key figures of the time deposit their views, bitch a little, brag about their doings, etc., etc. I realise I was more or less influenced. It was fun, actually. Hell, Ata and DJ T still seem to be stand-up guys, while others feed their egos and Riley Reinhold (of Traum-Trapez) expresses the same narrow-mindness I've noticed from a lot of people in Germany and which saddens me to the core of my soul. But it's still a matter of taste, as always.

Delirium

I haven't managed yet to find the Ocean Club CD I was looking for ("...but I will, I tell you, I will..." he rambled on pitifully). So, instead of a double post you'll settle with this.

At about the time Malaria! decided to quit, a remix compilation appeared; oldschool Berlin techno and trance by the main players of that era (see the cover below), for Tresor fans and the Love Parade crowd alike. There was also a 12''. I don't claim to know shit about the girls except 'Kaltes Klares Wasser', their obscure poetry (in German, that is), that they had people like Blixa, Anita Lane and Foetus as guests in their albums and that Gudrun Gut later got together with Thomas Fehlmann and made Monika Enterprise what it is, anyway.

Few words and a mixed Ocean Club CD here.

And yes, that's Herr Moritz down there, proto-BC style.


Malaria! - 1993 Delirium (Remixed-Remade-Remodelled)
Info here.

Ov Biospheres And Sacred Grooves

The first album of PWOG, out in 1992. I had promised ages ago to post it but found it only now, so..
Tracks are merged in suites, as the LP in a way is; there are no deeper grooves between the faintly blended intros / outros - the album is obviously intended to be heard as a whole, not as a compilation of tracks. CD extras like 'Anathema ov Jean-Jack Derrillard' and 'New Edge Mantra', two darkish ambient themes, make a contrast with the rest of the material (more uptempo) that reinforces the atmosphere of the album and accents its mystical side. Finally, this 1993 (US) CD version also contains 'Exit 23' in a remix I don't recall from the 12'' I briefly had in the early '90s.
If you're into oldschool techno, proto-trance, tribal, deep electronics or just curious ('magickal') stuff, don't miss it.

Psychick Warriors Ov Gaia - 1993,
Ov Biospheres And Sacred Grooves:
A Document Ov New Edge Folk Classics
Part 1 - Part 2
Info here.

Durations per suite:

1. [23.25]
00.01 -> the challenge (part one)
07.57 -> linkage
16.39 -> the tides (they turn)

2. [06.50] obsidian

3. [24.41]
00.01 -> anathema ov jean jacques derrillard
07.16 -> the challenge (part two)
14.17 -> the key (version)
20.35 -> new edge mantra

4. [10.47] exit 23 (remix)