Jon St. James was the mastermind behind the New Wave Synth Pop act SSQ, who also featured the singer Stacey Q.

A year after the success of the SSQ album Playback, Jon released this solo LP.

It is excellent overall, but sadly has some rather poor moments that make it a "not-quite-perfect" effort.

The first track, Desperate Days, is one of the definite highlights. Starting off with a simple kick drum pattern before dropping into some twinkling synth lines and "ooh, ooh" female vocals, it's quite deceptive.

Why? Well wait for Jon's vocal. He drops his lines over a serious, driving electro bassline at around 140bpm. Pure Electro-meets-New Wave bliss!

It's really the kind of track I imagine Sarah Connor's friend is playing on her Walkman in that kitchen scene from The Terminator.

The next track was the only single from the album, Oogity Boogity. Yeah, as you can imagine from the name it's not quite as serious as the first track. It's not bad at all, just much more pop. Kinda like M's Pop Music, it's got a nice electro bassline with some Jean Michel Jarre (Zoolook-era) style vocal sampling. Lots of brass too, but thankfully the sax is kept relatively minimal for a mid-80's track. Think Ghost Busters more than The Terminator.

Two Girls Dancing has a real pop vibe too, but back on the edgy New Wave vibe. The lyrics are rather interesting, they seem to be about the proliferation of meaningless female eye-candy in music videos (sample lyric: "You're the kind of love, I can never win, open up wide, and let me in"). The synths are rather cheap sounding, but that's a trait that is equally at home with SSQ's work and I personally find it quite charming.

Trans-Atlantic brings things back to a more serious level overall. It's actually very reminiscent of Telex (okay, they weren't the most serious of acts but you know what I mean, Moskow Diskow etc). Very nice melody, over dramatic vocals and a zippy tempo.

Things take a very sharp turn with All Shook Up In Love. This is a much more rock n' roll affair, regardless of the synth intro. It's like some 70's MOR act if they took acid and actually embraced synths. Pretty fucked up, but still very straight.

Playback is a remix (or is it cover version?) of the lead song from the "Q" EP, the one-off act Jon & Stacey started before SSQ. Stacey returns here to add new backing vocals, but it's Jon who leads. It's an updated version, and it fits into this album very well. It's always been a very solid song, and thankfully the tweaks added here do not detract from the heart of the track.

The Girl Who Seduced The World is a very lush song, melancholy synth pads drifting over Jon's longing lyrics. This could have been a single. It seems such a shame that Oogity Boogity was the only commercial taster for this album, when the album is really focused much more on the side of ice cold synthesized New Wave. The one thing I will say (and I've mentioned it before) is that the synth solos can sound VERY cheap, those mid-80's digital synthesizers, but it's okay. Jon treats them as he would a guitar solo, so they can sound rather kitsch. For me, it's JUST on the right side of fun. It's a close call though, and these moments may put you off. Hey, you know what they say, suck it and see!

Okay, next is a cover version of Nights In White Satin. What does it bring to the table that the Moody Blues forgot / didn't have the technology to add in the first place? Nothing. Absolutely NOTHING. This is a straight cover version that sounds more like self indulgent tribute rather than a new, individual take on a classic. It's pointless. Have you listened to the original? Great, isn't it? Wanna hear the same thing, with an 80's drum kit? Thought not.

Soldier Of Love wraps the album up. It's nice, but I can't help but think that it's b-side material. You will hear much better songs on this LP, and for the album to end on this song is quite disappointing. It's just plain. It goes nowhere, but it's quite pleasant with it. You hear it once, and you don't feel any desire to ever hear it again.

Well, I don't want to end this review on a downer so I will reiterate what I said at the beginning. This album is excellent. There is plenty here that you HAVE to investigate.

Just don't say I didn't warn you.

The Sven Wittekind remix is nothing short of pure, unadulterated Schranz Techno.

A classic of this often maligned sub-genre.

Marissa is an expert writer of dark, mysterious folk songs.

She has been producing outstanding material for almost 10 years, and shows no signs of losing her touch.

For the uninitiated who are unsure, the first port of call should be Diamond Heart. For those who are braver, investigate the song Mayflower May (from her debut album Ballads Of Living And Dying).

It will chill you, in a most beautiful way.

If you're on this page because of the Range Rover advertisement, well rest assured you are not the only one.

I discovered this act due to the inclusion of Aegina Airlines on the aforementioned vehicle manufacturer's television advertisement, and upon hearing this entire album I can say that my expectations have more than been met.

The Dead Texan album is a sublime cross between Brian Eno and Boards Of Canada. For both respective artists, read their ambient output.

Yes, this truly is an ambient piece.

It does not read as one entire piece (as Ambient 4 - Music On Land does). Moreso it reads like a BOC album. Separate pieces of sublime beauty perfectly diced, yet enjoyable as a whole experience too. The silence is not an intrusion.

I never thought I'd thank a vehicle manufacturer for introducing me to such a sublime album, but there you have it.

* please note I have not viewed the DVD of this item, but once I do I shall amend this review.

After the truly awful Bit By Bit - "Hardcore Is The Future" you would be forgiven for thinking that the follow up would be equally as dire.

As it stands, it is not.

The feeling here is much more constrained and considered than was present on Hardcore Is The Future.

There is still a tendency towards spiralling lines that irritate the ear, but on the whole the sound is much more levelled.

Acid is brought to the fore, along with a rasping main riff that sears the brain. Unfortunately the same fate that sealed the ultimate demise of Program 2's The Omen befalls this track too, in the form of a key change that sounds incredibly cheesy.

Oldschool hardcore rave is not supposed to be cheesy, and when producers make tracks that turn out that way the result is highly embarrassing for everyone.

Compare Liquid Metal's "Mr. Dynomite" to this.

A decent compilation of hard techno rave from 1991 / 1992.

There are a few tracks here that you probably have on 10 other compilations. There are a few that you will probably listen to once and never again.

However, it does contain a clean digital version of Carlos Peron's Overdose, which is basically a dub mix of his massive techno hit Power Trancefer. This is reason enough to search out this compilation. Driving, acid soaked techno rave of the highest order!

And if that's not reason enough, there's always Recall IV's Aestatic. It is VERY easy to read that as simply being Aesthetic. It is not. Check the spelling.

This is NOT "Aesthetic". This is "Aestatic".

It is simply outstanding. It follows similar lines to Trilithon. Fully flowing riffs over acid rhythms and a hi-hat percussion to die for, it is sublime.

1992 Techno Rave in it's purest form.

U Know The Score.

A highly respectable outlet for trance on CDr single, once the commercial cd single market had began to die.

Alas it was short lived as people could download the .wav tracks individually from the likes of Beatport & Junodownload at a fraction of the cost, and burn them to their own cheaply available CDr.

Perhaps one of the last remnants of the hard-copy DJ market, before the might of digital DJ software condemned vinyl & CD to a novelty.

The mid 90's dance scene in Scotland produced many great bands such as The Time Frequency, QFX, Ultra-Sonic, The Rhythmic State (Ultimate Buzz) and many more.

All these bands made their own albums, and on the whole they were excellent efforts.

Q-Tex's Into The Light is no exception to this excellence.

Starting with the fantastic Eurodance single Do You Want Me, you are introduced instantly to the songwriting flair of Scott Brown with the vocal splendor of Gillian Tennant. Uplifting riffs & catchy choruses were the order of the day for Q-Tex, and Do You Want Me is a fitting intro for the album.

Natural High is a song that pre-dated Gillian's involvement in the band, but on this album cut she replaces the previous vocalist to predictably stunning effect. She adds extra lyrics to the track, and it's a truly fantastic track that evokes similarities with JX & TTF.

Heart Of Asia is a much faster paced instrumental trance track, with a very mysterious & catchy melody. It is similar to the German trance sound of the mid-90's, such as early Scooter & Sunbeam.

Lies is a pop song, produced at Happy Hardcore tempo. Gillian sings about love that turned sour with such sadness that it mixes perfectly with the saccharine music behind her. It's a perfect combination of sweet & sour, and a wonderful song.

Deliverance is a clubby track, in that late 90's Red 5 / Sash! vibe (that's not a bad thing, there's nothing wrong with that scene!). It's instrumental, and a solid track. Maybe one to play when playing a video game.

The Water Of Life is a radical departure. Okay, most dance bands have a downtempo / ambient track on their albums, but this is actually GOOD. Gillian's lyrics are soulful and so enchanting, and so is the music. It's never cheesy or overpowering, it's just beautiful.

Next is the big one, the 1997 remix of Q-Tex's biggest hit The Power Of Love. To be honest you can't go wrong with this track whatever mix you play, and this version is no exception. Gillian's vocals are still at the front, and the music is simply a '97 update. It's Q-Tex's biggest hit, and the track you must investigate first if you are new to the band (newcomers go to the 1993 Euro mix on Youtube now).

Symphonic is, I have to admit, a bit of a filler. Scott has put some effort into it but essentially it goes nowhere and feels rather rushed (both in tempo and production).

And then there is Believe.

Believe is one of Q-Tex's best songs. After The Power Of Love you have got to check out this song. Definitely the most similar in production to The Time Frequency, Believe is a powerful Eurodance song with a great melody and truly uplifting vocals from Gillian. I love Mary Kiani's voice when she sings with TTF, but when Gillian sings Believe I have to admit that she is the BEST singer from the Scottish dance scene.

Promise Me will be familiar to anyone who's heard Amen UK's Passion. The bassline is virtually identical, but thankfully there's more to it than that. Gillian delivers a decent performance on top of this, and the song is strong enough to carry along.

Into The Light, the title song of the album, is rather poor. It's an instrumental track at Happy Hardcore tempo but in a trance style. Again, it's got that 1995 German sound going on. Maybe good for a Scooter / Final Fantasy b-side.

Not to worry, because next is Let The Love. This was a single, and understandably so. With vocoder backing and a vocal delivery from Gillian that pre-dates Lasgo by 4 years, it's a powerful song that is very memorable.

Pressure appears to be trying to catch on to The Prodigy's Poison, in every way possible. Scott Brown does not usually rip ideas off, but it has to be said that sometimes he can and in this case it's painfully obvious. This is a Q-Tex remix of The Prodigy's Poison.

Tonight is a solid album track, again in the style of Red 5 / Sash. It's very trancey and Gillian delivers the goods as usual.

Dreams ends the album, and it's another mid-90's instrumental German trancer. Not bad, but nothing special.

That's the end of Into The Light, but check out disc 2!

I won't go into detail as you'll be bored of reading by now, but it's AWESOME!

It's a 30 minute mix CD by Scott, with absolutely amazing bouncy hardcore all the way!

As if the Into The Light album wasn't worth purchase on its own (it's very decent as I have described), you get this second disc as well.

Q-Tex, legends of the 90's Scottish dance music scene. :)