Review
Trance Dance was compiled by Nic Moran and released in July 1992. The inlay contains an advert for “THE ULTIMATE DANCE PARTY FESTIVAL” which was due to take place on Saturday 29 August at Popham (near junction 8 of M3). Confirmed acts were The Prodigy, SL2, Nu-Matic and Liquid. Helpfully, an information telephone line was provided – 0898 866300 – where calls were charged at 36p per minute (cheap rate) and 44p per minute (all other times). Tickets went on sale 17 July and an early purchase was advised. Moving closer to home; Trance Dance will always be linked to my memories of Féile ’92 as a cassette copy of the compilation was played on my boombox in the campsite. It wasn’t my tape – it belonged to two girls pitched beside us – but hearing it now takes me right back to that glorious weekend. Brushing teeth with Fosters and only one portaloo on site.
We kick off with a summer anthem, Rhythm Is A Dancer, which is followed by The Shamen’s L.S.I. (Beat Edit) and the poignant house of The Reese Project, Colour My Love. Things really hot up with the pounding hardcore classic Dreamworld, courtesy of Rhythm Section. This one really shakes the building. Keeping on, the potent Urban Shakedown living as one family on Some Justice. Vocal Ce Ce Rogers, sampled from Someday. Coming around again: Age Of Love, this time remixed by Jam & Spoon on the React label and going massive. Trance for the er, ages. Next comes the understated Schtoom, a gift from Havana before the sublime Papua New Guinea – read more about this on Raving Mad – followed by the original 1988 mix of Stakker Humanoid. Whistles!
Jolar70 on Hardcore Junglism: “One of the great rave / jungle transition tracks! It’s like a hologram postcard; tilt it one way and it’s rave, tilt it the other and it’s jungle! Also proof that the sharpest examples of hardcore were never ‘Happy’!” Rewind with Carl Cox and the long-forgotten Does It Feel Good To You. And then Leftfield’s Release The Pressure with Earl Sixteen on vocals. A top 20 hit and also featured at #1 in the Melody Maker Stone Free Chart of the Year. Next comes the synth-heavy True Devotion from EQ plus the blissed-out trip of Finitribe and Forevergreen. There’s more obscure alternatives in the form of Killerhertz’s badass Love Byte and Polyphonic’s sprawling Together in Harmony. Winding down is Alison Limerick on the sultry trumpet blaster Gettin’ It Right while we end on the maximum rave breakbeat groove of Me ‘Israelites. Hangover cure 50p.
Favourite tracks
Manix – Hardcore Junglism
Alison Limerick – Gettin’ It Right
Lest we forget
Rhythm Section – Dreamworld
A Pop Fan's Dream 
Totally agreed about the Manix track! For me that’s one of the great joys with compilation albums. Yes, there’s all the stuff we know, but it’s finding those tracks we’d never otherwise discover. Nic Moran had a good nose for finding some really good rave stuff, whether that was intentional or all he could get his hands on is another matter, but I think it’s one reason I’ve always had more of a shine to Dino’s output.
Cheers Andrew; exactly – that’s the real power of compilations from the time…..shining a light on those that burned brightly and briefly.
Hi Paul, an update regarding that fantastic Manix track. I found it tonight on Beatport. Excited to find the very same remix, I bought it. It was remastered. Stereo seems to have been narrowed. Less bass. No sparkle. It’s not a vinyl rip.
So annoying that someone can remaster a track so badly 😦
Aaargggh – annoying when that happens!