Raw, pure, funky, deep tribal house. With this second release on the Fatal Tracks label Serial Smokers again prove their original and creative approach to dance music. This is the sound of tomorrow for those who like their prog credible but also uplifting and honest. Beware of these guys and this label.

Once again the lads deliver an almost perfect package of mixes, crossing from the huge, obvious end of the spectrum through to the more accessible deeper end of the market as few others are able to achieve at such a standard. A few copies have been circulated to date but early recipients include Anthony Pappa, Sasha and Digweed. This is a tougher number with rather rugged edges. Produced by 2 Stevenage lads: Chris Wade and Lee Stickland. The Igloo remix is by Chad Jackson (played on Radio One last week by Seb Fontaine.)

Another classy offering from one of the most reliable house labels in the US. George Vidal deliciously combines the best elements of house and progressive with delicate drum programming and deep funky bassline workouts, conga flicks, sub-heavy FX and a forceful male vocal sample all make for a tune that simply can't be ingnored.

We love a bit of moody deep grooving and this is the kind of rolling percussion groove that'll see the likes of Deep Dish, Steve Lawler etc. through another 5 sets. Not the best record for girls, but a surefire front-of-the-box DJ pleaser. That Kid Chris has been at the forefront of US house music for over 10 years now and is definitely going from strength to strength. We think this is the best record Danny Tenaglia never made, with its skillful, cautiously paced breakdown, simple layers of drums and a sense of hope for tribal / progressive dancefloors everywhere.

A blinding new super fresh and freakin�, funkin� selection from the 10 Kilo posse that further demonstrates the labels determination to push back barriers in both breakbeat and tech-house. Here are 10 of the most upfront tunes from those really making waves in the UK right now, including a brand new collaboration from Meat Katie and Dylan Rhymes, Rennie Pilgrem and Blim�s new track 'Monkfish' (4.5/5 in DJ and 5/5 in Muzik) and the rocking new single from Elite Force (one half of Lunatic Calm), 'Haikin' (Essential Breaks Tune � 7 magazine 23/10/01 and No 3 in DJ Beats chart). The album finishes off with the first CD release of the Subsonic Legacy vs Dreadzone version of 'Phantom' - Essential New Tune, Cool Cuts No 3 blah, blah, blah. A suitably epic ending to an essential album!

Track Listing:

1. RED STAR - PRETENDER
2. PFN - FUTURE BURN
3. NATHAN COLES - RAAS BUCKET
4. DJ HAL - CLOSE TO THE EDGE
5. DYLAN RHYMES & MEAT KATIE - MOIST
6. SNEAKER PIMPS - BLOODSPORT (DYLAN RHYMES MIX)
7. RENNIE PILGREM & BLIM - MONKFISH
8. ELITE FORCE - HAIKU
9. BROADWAY DANNY ROSE - NIGHT OF THE ELASTIC
10. SUBSONIC LEGACY VS DREADZONE - PHANTOM
(* Not Featured on Vinyl)

On the A side is 'I've Got Ya'. You know that when The Captain & Karim get down to it in the studio that the result will be hard, hard and harder still! It�s dark, it�s dirty, it�s twisted and it�s a typical Karim end of night floor burner. Think 6am @ FISH! and you�ve got it! The flip started off as a remix of I�ve Got Ya but with the help of Steve Thomas it grew into a something completely different. The funky drums are there and a groovin bassline bops along under an acid line that lifts the track right up and then The Captain grabs the 303 and just goes mental! Crazy acid takes control, layered over the top of a trance riff creating a fabulously ferocious fusion.

Fittingly, 'Validate' does exactly that. It confirms and sanctions those incredible feelings brought on by great progressive music. Written and produced by two people that are household names among the neighbourhood of amazing talent, Anthony Pappa and Barry Gilbey truly stir up dancefloor havoc with this one. The A-side original has something for everyone. The deep chunky beats that refuse to surrender coincide with the underlying basslines and effects perfectly. The intense but subtle transitions make the record a must for house and progressive lovers alike. The flipside offers a remix from New York's own allstar, Blackwatch. His 'Acid House Revival' mix, is exactly what you've come to expect from him: the cut up beats and musical majestry makes this side a prime time track.

There are three pump action tracks on this release, and as expected, DSP has managed to maintain his awesome style of classy, charismatic, minimal, big room, pumping, peak hour hard house. The first track is a progressive edged bouncing ball tune titled deflector, and it�s a rolling basslined, stab laced trancer, with plenty of humour and groove and quirky sounds and riffs smoothed over a crystal clear beat with some catchy bongos and a full on breakdown. 'Fat Bass' is next up, and that's exactly what this gem delivers. No disappointments here, just more quality pumping house in true DSP style. Again it�s more of the diverse, simple, yet extremely effective styling we know and love. Energetic and creative noises over as growling stabby bass line and some wicked twists and turns through the dark aggressive breakdown to deliver a monster mash up.The final track on this trilogy of trouble is 'Show Me What You Got', a brash, uplifting, furious twisting journey into hard house.

Harry Diamond has turned in some sterling work as Cajun on Fluid Recordings and in partnership with Nick Sentience on Nukleuz purple and The Mexican on Nukleuz blue. His production partner here is �spiky� Dave Pannell, who is signed to James Holden and Silver Planet�s new offshoot Easy Access Recordings. The title track marries massive riffage with their trademark tribal drums to create a production that has us thinking of Oliver Klein at his best.

Jon Doe leads the way in the current buzz in hard trance, and proved that when Muzik mag made his �Warehouse� track, Hard House Record of the Year 2001. On this project he shows he has his finger firmly on the pulse of the harder end of the underground. 4 totally fresh tracks, with something for everyone: hard house, hard trance, NRG and all in that distinctive cutting edge style of his. The highlight of the EP is Jon�s remix of the classic German trancer: M Experience's 'Rock Your Body', licensed just for this package. As featured on Reactivate and Honeypot presents Tasty.

Mega Mario Piu joins forces with his Italian vocalist friend to deliver two slamming dancefloor groovers. Bubbling acid lines and tough techno kicks are the order of the day in this relentless power trip as Fabio�s insane radio transmissions cross the line into madness � perfect for a BXR UK track! Mario will be appearing regularly to personally promote this track at Gatecrasher, Slam, Temple Theatre, Slinky and The Gallery as well as relying on his label mate Mauro Picotto rinsing out the vibes at his gigs all over the country.

Red Alien is a pioneering electro-trance sound with a commercial techno edge which will be massive in 2002 with the way already paved by ultra-cool labels such as Gigolo. This is an unlikely collaboration between Ugly Kid Jay (German Techno bloke) and Afrika Islam (Afrika Bambaata�s Zulu Nation hip hop geezer.) Hard house favourites BK & Nick Sentience get to work on the original, giving it that much needed injection of UK hard dance oomph. Chugging along like a freight train, the track features the techno sound that is becoming more and more prevalent in these guys' sets. Mix 3 comes from DJ Evolution who delivers his take in a similar fashion to the break trance sound of �Something�.�, fattening up the kick and the snare, and using the old skool riffs to the fullest. The Klubdoctorz are responsible for mix number 4 and don�t let up the pressure for a second. As featured on Trance Anthems and Gatecrasher 7.

Quite simply one of the most stunning vocal house records to surface in a very long time. Fans of KOT's 'Finally' and Masters at Work will adore the original, whilst Ralph Lawson & Carl Finlow and Fred Everything add an electronic and afro-centric twist respectively and respectfully. DJ Rork supplies the track to the original, Demon Ritchie provides the melodies with Ladybird (collaborator on Llorca�s 'Newcomer' release on F Comm) is on vocal duties. All are key players in the Parisian scene. 20:20 Vision show yet another side to their characters by avoiding the obvious and licensing this classic vocal track from French label Serial.

Dan Spacey is the force behind 'Earth' whilst Johnny Vaughan (Novocaine) is the man behind the uplifting vocal floor filler, 'Tranquil Sea' .Both tracks epitomize the big room trance sound, with gushing synth sounds and melodic riff patterns. The label will be concentrating on this huge trance sound that is re�emerging back into clubs worldwide. The emphasis is on having big crossover hits that will appeal to a wider audience, proving that the label will become one of the big success stories of the year.

The kings of Dutch hard house, J.Fokkens & R. Leiteritz from Star Traxx, make their Tidy Trax debut in awesome style. This double A side has been floating around for a number of months to great effect with noticeable support from Andy Farley, the Tidy Boys and Lee Haslam to name but a few. Both tracks lead the way with stunning swing basslines, skipping stabs and frenzied riffs that really have been firing the floors up around the country. More to come from Succargo with their follow up �Come on Yo!� to follow in the year. Both tracks featured on the Hard House Euphoria 2 Album mixed by Lisa Pin Up and the Tidy Boys.

Third release on Junior's new label Appalooso has been produced by the dashing duo of Marvin Beaver and Pete Walshe as Triggamen. Marvin has been a busy man of late: as well as recording his debut album under his Dylan Rhymes monicker he�s remixed Sneaker Pimps and Fluke to devastating effect. Pete Walshe is also the man responsible for the �T-Rox � Money� track which has been creating such a fuss of late. Together, they�ve also produced a Triggamen remix of Big Ron's 'Cold Chills' on Spot On Records. DJ support has started in earnest as this one looks set to grow and grow.

Paul Walker is a DJ/Producer from Manchester who owns his own record distribution company in Canada called �Fully Loaded� where he now lives. Paul also owns a record store called Eastern Bloc (years ago Paul used to work at the record store in Manchester with the same name.) Paul has had numerous releases in the US but this will be his first UK release � and what a release it is. 'Earmoth' is a deep pumping tech-house tune with a monster of a bassline. To complement the original, �Purpose Records� have enlisted the talents of Justin Drake (1/2 of Peace Division) to supply a remix of the highest quality�. He doesn�t disappoint!

Fluid Recordings UK has been at the forefront of progressive dance music since the label�s inception in 1996. Over 30 releases strong, the consistency of the label continues to draw people in, because with fluid on the sleeve you know what�s going to be inside. This is the first compilation album for Fluid, constructed to illustrate the vibe the label and to give some history. Mixed by Evolution and Lucien Foort the compilation includes landmark Fluid classics such as �Phoenix� and Jimmy Van M�s 'E.C.I � P.S' as well as unreleased songs such as 'Solina'. The album encapsulates the sound of Fluid Recordings, starting off deep and melodic and progressing into the �hands in the air� club sounds that have made the label famous.

Tracklisting

CD01:
01 Evolution - Solina
02 Jamez presents Tatoine - Music (16b mix)
03 Cajun - Awareness (Lemon 8 mix)
04 Coma Pirates - Dragonfly (dub)
05 Kenny Shifter - Fused (dub)
06 Jimmy Van M - E.c.i � p.s. (main mix)
07 Boyd Westerman - Looplife (escape mix)
08 Christian West - Rotation (dub)
09 Willerby - Freak (pony love dub)
10 Ritmo - G13 (Evolution mix)

CD02:
11 Evolution - Phoenix (1996 dub)
12 Evolution - Blaster (dub)
13 Coma Pirates - Miami Nylon (dub)
14 Jamez presents Tatoine - Music (Evolution remix)
15 Andy Ling Fixation (main mix)
16 JB - Unknown Origin (main mix)
17 Taylor - Xenophobe (original mix)
18 Cajun - Echoplex (original mix)
19 Arrakis - Medusa (dub)
20 Chrstian West - Eterna (dub)

Nukleuz presents Main Stage sets the scene for the UK's Number 1 12" label to begin to work its magic in Holland and beyond. Mixed by Ed Real and Clive King, the label managers at the London and Amsterdam HQs, this double CD contains over 30 of the best hard dance releases from Nukleuz and BXR inc productions. No other compilation defines the sound of the future so well as this superbly packaged release.

Tracklisting

CD1 - DJ CLIVE KING (NL):
1) Champion Burns - Visions Of Heaven
2) BK & Alan Thompson - Up Ya Drum
3) BK & Alan Thompson - Out There
4) Champion Burns - Bam
5) Mauro Picotto - Like This Like That (Megavoices Claxixx Mix)
6) Cortina Feat. BK & Madam Friction - Erection (Les Hemstock Rmx)
7) BK - Please F**k Me (Andy Farley Rmx)
8) BK & Andy Farley - Step Away (Endorphin Mix)
9) Nick Sentience - Ride The Groove
10) Andy Farley � Bring It Back (Paul Clarke & M Ramone Rmx)
11) Nick Sentience & Phil Reynolds - Back 2 Front
12) Lisa Pin-Up, Elvira & Modelle � Another Jam (BK's Riot! Rmx)
13) Nick Sentience & Tim Healey � Feel Surreal (Lee James Rmx)
14) BK - Corrupt
15) BK & Nick Sentience � �Flash�

CD2 - ED REAL (UK):
1) Taiko - Silence (Franchino Alternative Rmx)
2) Joy Kitikonti - Joyenergizer (Phisical Mix)
3) Nick Sentience & Harry Diamond - Groove Switch
4) Simon Foy - Inside Out (Freefall Mix)
5) DJ Pure - My Definition
6) Praga Khan - Injected With A Poison (K90 remix)
7) Nexus - Return From Flatliner
8) Nick Sentience - Deep Inside
9) Harry Diamond & The Mexican - Spectrum (Mark Richardson Rmx)
10) Nick Sentience & Tom Harding - Intoxicate
11) BK & Andy Farley - Khemikal Imbalance
12) BK - Don't Give Up (Lee James Rmx)
13) BK - Go Around
14) Organ Doners - In Power (Trance mix)
15) Dean Peters & The Edison Factor - The Beginning (BK�s The End remix)

Single Life is the latest compilation from the Transient stable. This album is aimed specifically at devotees of the Transient style, which in previous years has encompassed DJs such as Paul Oakenfold, John Digweed through to Mark Allen, John �00� Fleming, Colin Tevendale and Mixmaster Morris. It offers ten tracks from Transient's renowned 12� Collection, tracks that until now have only appeared on vinyl and have been played all over the global trance scene by the top DJs and bedroom DJs alike. This Album reveals the true transient nature of the label, moving between progressive trance and the more full on psychedelic tracks as long as they are quality.

Tracklisting

1. Purple and Ronan - Future Blue
2. MumboJumbo - Fishbone (Remix)
3. Quirk - Tribodelic
4. Insect - Slammer
5. Tinitus - Shapeshifter
6. Matenda - Split Personalities
7. Astral Projection - Anything is Possible
8. Cosmosis - Visitors
9. 12 Moons - Zero Gravity
10. Purple and Lunar - Subtle Thrust