For Christmas, I purchased for my s.o. Sasha and John Digweed's Northern Exposure, Vol. 2: East Coast Edition. We already had their West Coast Edition, and have been disappointed somewhat in this other volume. Both from the same year, they take different approaches to the album-long trance DJ mix format. Where WCE was pure electronica with no vocals whatsoever, ECE brings some words into play, and not entirely for the better. The first track, Gus Gus's "Believe" is a pseudo-Christian trance movement and puts you off-kilter for the rest of the CD. Things get properly lighter and airier after that on ECE, but it never maintains the same ethereality and space-age-polymer feeling of WCE. As well, a notable problem is the inclusion of almost the same mix of "Purple" as on Paul Oakenfold's Tranceport. It may be that we happened upon WCE by chance, giving its high quality that extra sheen of serendipity, but I'd say stick with West Coast Edition and you'll be happy.
| Electronica |
