Various - Euphoria - For The Mind, Body And Soul

tdmusic, Nov 11, 2007

So, the first CD in the Euphoria collection, which now spans over 40 albums and the whole gamut of trance/hard dance sub-genres. Back in 1999, this album was to me, my friends and no doubt many others something of a revelation. It seemed like the first "big" compilation album to really cement what trance was, both in sound and in spirit - right down to the stories told within the liner notes.

But how does it fare now, 8 years on? For those of us who grew up listening to this album on repeat, it has lost none of its magic. Listening with a critical ear, however, reveals the flaws in the mixing that we glossed over at the time - even the first mix drifts in and out of time, and there are a few other near trainwrecks (what were the PF Projects credentials to mix this album? "Choose Life"?!)

Theres a few slightly odd track selections too ("Repeated Love" in between BBE and BT - really?). But in this day and age of endless computer mixed "trance classics" albums, these flaws are what gives this album its soul. Its refreshing to hear the DJ trying something different, even if it does sound a bit odd dropping random kick drums from the next track into breakdowns. Its nice to hear the slightly more obscure tracks on here which still havent been played to death ("Walk With Me", "Set in Stone", "Body Shine").

Tracks like "Flaming June", "El Nino", "1998" and "Love Stimulation" will never lose their magic, but hearing them in this context rather than some Gatecrasher/MoS cash-in CD really makes them seem special. This album is like a time capsule - it captures the moment perfectly, when trance ruled the clubs and took hold of the lives of a whole generation. It has so much character to it, so much raw energy, that for any newcomer to the trance scene to miss out on it would be a tragedy.

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