Euphoria V.6 [Import, Compilation]

Dave Pearce's programming and planning create that synergetic feeling you get from coherent track sequencing that we mostly enjoy with Progressive mixes. Pearce achieves this perfectly with a powerful balance of upbeat screamers and emotional excitement. No high-energy junk or Sandstorm crowd pleasers. True Euphoria's atmosphere is highly emotional and atmospheric, rich in melody including the bass (Pistolwhip!), vocal without cheesy historical speeches, powerful without the vulgar organ synths, and upbeat without burning you out.

Important in Pearce's mixing strategy success is that he doesn't mix the songs from start to finish. Although not as smooth as John Digweed's 3 minute overlaps, his mixing is well-targeted and impressively creative at times. For example, "We will survive" comes in and out to give a dramatic stop for Pistolwhip and a sinister lead into Fire Wire. All the way from "Feel the Drums" to "Fire Wire" the tracks, although sounding different, share a similar infectious beat and an electric bass which knits them tightly together.

And although the contrast between adjacent tracks may seem sudden on the sleeve (such as from "Mash it Up" to "Can't Keep Me Silent"), Pearce's mixing skills bring them together, maintaining the flow and building on the excitement. The mixes are carefully selected and placed to fit with one another, creating a coherent atmosphere, with unique mixes for Flesh (Tilts Going Home Dub and Tiesto's mix) and a nicely-set build from Strange World Spectrum Remix to 2000 Remake, to mention a couple.

To complete the atmosphere, both CD's start off with an ambient touch. Hymn (CD 1) and Pachinko (CD 2) mark a beautiful start and are swiftly but nicely succeeded. CD 1 ends with yet another interesting remix of Love in Traffic that concludes the whole first half and brings it, not to a stop, but to a temporary pause, in anticipation of CD 2. Finally CD 2 ends with a beautiful succession of the last 4 tracks and floats away with the dreamy voice of Diamondback...

It's no coincidence that Euphoria has a name for consistently delivering quality, with its unique self-describing signature style. True Euphoria delivers what the title promises. Dave Pearce introduces an impressive signature style of carefully crafted power and emotion, combining raw club power with creative mixing and emotional melody in an atmospheric compilation that builds a coherent journey through the best that trance and house have to offer. This is the one time capsule that captures the clubber's Summer of 2001. This is what trance was meant to sound like...

Good cuts like "Flesh", "Camels", "Spaced Invador" and work from the Warp Brothers make this a terrific compilation. I liked this a bit better than the Ministry rival: "The Annual Spring 2001".