Carl Cox – F.A.C.T.

The mix that made me buy a set of 1210s and probably influenced my mixing more than anything else. Discovered it around 2002 at the age of 16 or so. As far as I remember I bought the 2nd CD on its own in a second hand record shop and became obsessed with it. I literally felt like I was living through the mid 90s techno/trance scene when I listened to it :D. And it was a year or so before I realised there was a whole other CD that I didn't have, and then a bunch more in the FACT series that all got rinsed as well. I loved how mysterious everything was back then. Could take years to ID tracks that I recorded off the radio onto tape and then finding them was like finding gold. There was no Youtube, no Shazam, the internet was still a mysterious thing in itself that was still on the fringes. Most DJ mixes I got were from lads in the years ahead in school burning CDs and selling them for a couple of Euro. There was still a feeling of the early days of house / rave etc in the air at the big room club gigs. Proper energy and people from all walks of life packing in their 1000's together purely to enjoy the music. No such thing as smartphones, no posers, no boiler room vids etc... Anyway, Carl Cox FACT 1 yuuuuuuuuuppppppppp :D

HO yes HO yes !!!!! THANK YOU MISTER CARL COX ........FACT ONE AFTER 25 YEARS !!!! VERY GOOD !!!!!!!

Carl Cox replaying FACT 1 live during coronavirus lockdown: https://www.facebook.com/carlcox247/videos/570394480310014/

FACT changed my life.previously I had been listening to hardcore and it was only when coxy changed his style that I took notice.initially he started to slip in stuff like aurora borealis' milky way (lunatic acid mix) to his hardcore sets and generally stuff that had a bit more depth.through FACT he introduced me to labels like platipus,union Jack's 'cactus' of course featuring on this compilation.Also,I felt bound to revisit labels like R&S,having only previously known about a select few.I was also introduced to EYE-Q,surely the greatest trance/ambient label of the time.From there I progressed to investigate the pioneers such as Jarre,Schultz etc
Nowadays I listen to mostly 'ambient' stuff and modern classical as well as nostalgia material such as The Caretaker and the Ghost Box label.
I feel I owe a debt of gratitude to coxy for releasing this as it set me on a path of exploration and experimentalism,without which I would not be myself.
1993-1995 was such and exciting time for dance music,I often like to revisit it and remember the optimism I had back then.

The good old days right here. Classic Carl.

Nice one boys ! Please ? Just where do I find this track ?

Motorway by Carl Cox can not be found by me anywhere on Discogs? Was this a digital format or does it excist on a 12"?

What release? As it sould have been released as it is stated by the title and artist?

daniel, the timings on the cd (and the tracklist) are kinda messed up, Elektra is a very long tune and is most of 'track 3'. You can hear it coming in at 13.30, it drops around 14.00 and plays until 21.00 when Phat Man drops.

Have to write some more while I'm here. The first CD would be a worthy album in its own right, with Secrets Of Meditation, Fuzz, Hot On the Heels and of course Ego Acid, but the second CD is just on another level.

Classics like the Orange Theme & Amphetamine are very appropriate for the intro, but for me Amphetamine is all about the Misjah & Groovehead mix, and the original just doesn't scramble my brain the same way.

The spiky Psychotrip (I love this track with it's big drum fill at the end) and the epic Elektra are where the mix gets going, with total hi-hat chaos. Phat Man & Like That complete the stomping section of the mix, and the Lesamis tune (actually 'Eternal Sleep', not 'No More Worry' as listed) is the perfect choice to come out of the darkness into the light.

The Aloof's "Drum" is such an amazing tune and a high point of the CD, yes the mix into "Symmetry C" goes a bit wrong but as others have said, this is a result of Carl Cox's style of wringing the absolute maximum out of every mix that makes the set what it is, and in any case the mixing is perfect for the most part especially considering the ambitiousness of the mixes chosen.

The set peaks with the trio of Kosmos, Raz and Coda Back Again. Raz is one of those unique tunes that is capable of silencing a room full of people - once you have heard it you never forget it, and the beautiful Coda Back Again makes you wish that Cox and M-Zone had collaborated together more often.

Everyone should hear this album, there are no others like it and never will be again. So it's just as well that it has stood the test of time and sounds as great today as it ever did.

Track number 3 on the 2nd CD (Robert Gorl – Psychotrip (Richie's Remix)) has always bothered me, as it sounds like 2 tracks mixed together and not just one track, as listed on the cover. When you listen to the actual track on the 'Robert Gorl - Psycho (Remixes) E.P.' the track 'Psychotrip' is listed as running for 6 minutes, whereas the track on this CD runs for over 10 minutes and sounds completely different to the track on the original vinyl release. Anyone know whether this is a mistake or not? Would love to know after all these years.

Possibly the greatest mix CD set of the mid-to-late nineties, if not of all time. At a time when this form of techno/trance was taking off, Carl managed to find a set of tunes which,while all being particularly unique, sum up the genres. The track selection is perfect, the mixing faultless, the journey well laid out.

Standouts for me must be the best 4/4 mix of all time; CD2 'The Orange Theme' into 'Amphetamine'. Not to mention the perfect pitch altering on 'Drum' and 'Like That!'.

Decent mix CDs come and go, but FACT will live forever.