One thing I mentioned briefly before I went away was the upcoming reissue of seminal 1990’s progressive house compilation Northern Exposure, mixed by Sasha & John Digweed, and that it deserved a deeper article.
Northern Exposure came out in 1996, following the previous year’s Renaissance: The Mix Collection. Sasha was probably the biggest DJ in the world at the time, although it was a few years before my clubbing exploits started, it landed as I really started to dig into dance music, although it was probably a year or two later when I got my hands on a copy, from the much missed Parrot Records in Cambridge.
I’ll admit I didn’t really recognise any of the artists on the track listing at the time except for Underworld and perhaps William Orbit, but such is often the case with compilation records. I can still vividly remember putting it on and being blown away by the whole thing, the tunes, the mastering, the mixing. The artwork too, a stormy mountain scene, suited it perfectly.
If you wanna call it Progressive house I’m cool with that, but of course there were elements of trance in it - there’s always been fairly blurred lines between the two, progressive maybe missing some of the ‘sheen’ of trance, with a more UK vibe to it, darker, against the more futuristic European sounds of trance. Hard to explain, but I think you know what I mean?
The oft-used cliche of a journey really suits this style of music, be it progressive, trance or whatever else you deem it: the mix, the buildup, the breakdown, the second breakdown, many of the tracks ran to 7 or 8 minutes, often longer, and the beauty of Northern Exposure is that it used the dynamics of the genre to really complement the listeners journey. As well as the proggy elements the mix leans into the “chillout” and ambient, kicking off with the familiar voice of David Attenborough before a lucid guitar solo begins to transport the listener. Eventually we get our first kick drums, and it’s onwards from there at a gentle pace. The first disc ends with Banco de Gaia’s Last Train To Lhasa, one of those tracks you hear for the first time that rearranges what you think music can be.
The second disc takes it up a notch, and so much has been said about it already so we’ll skip straight to the last track - Dark & Long (Dark Train) by Underworld. It was already pretty well-known at the time due to it’s inclusion on the Trainspotting soundtrack, so it’s inclusion felt a bold move on a CD that was all about showcasing the artists favourites. But tell me: have you ever heard a tune with a bigger drop? I’ve seen Underworld 100 times, and nothing hits like it, especially on occasions when they’ve teased and teased the intro and build up for a long time.
This year Darren Emerson provided a remix of Dark Train for the reissued version of Northern Exposure, and luckily he didn’t really mess around with it too much. Really it sounds like he’s just nudged the pitch up a little bit, the arrangement and sounds all seem to be much as they were on release.
My CD copy lives pretty much permanently in my car (not because it’s the only place I have a CD player these days) but because music made to take you on a journey is often best played when you’re on a journey yourself. I’ve lost count of the number of trips that CD soundtracked, whether it was jaunts down to Southend on a Saturday night, holidays to the South of France, or trips back to see my family the other side of Cambridge. Those that know me know that I love driving, and much prefer it to taking the train or flying where I can. There’s nothing better than having 100 miles of empty motorway open ahead of you at night - the headlights pointing the way and the soft orange glow of your cars stereo illuminating a progressive soundtrack. I guess the clue’s in the name progressive isn’t it? It’s music for making progress, and as you watch your speedo needle wind up to 70mph (or more) and your fuel gauge slowly move to empty, a steady rhythm matching the streetlights passing is as close to bliss as it’s possible to get.
In Strict Tempo News:
The long-promised offline In Strict Tempo project is almost ready. It feels like I’ve been teasing this for as long as I’ve been writing this newsletter, but we really are almost ready to announce it. I think you’ll like it! There’s some more bits and bobs in the works too - news soon.
I’m going to be ADE at the end of the month. If you’re out in Amsterdam it would be cool to catch up/say hi/share a coffee/beer or just dig for some records about the place. In many ways Amsterdam feels like the spiritual home of In Strict Tempo, it’s where it was conceived following a drunken night with a friend ruminating on the state of music. I’ll be there from Tuesday until Friday this year.
Earlier this year I was asked to nominate myself to stand for the Executive Board of the Association For Electronic Music (AFEM). I’ve done a few things with them now, and they’re a passionate bunch who really do want to improve the industry we’re all lucky enough to work in. If you or your company are AFEM members, I’d appreciate your vote.
Music reviews will return next week. In the meantime you can listen to Northern Exposure on all good streaming platforms. Alternatively, get the vinyl or CD here.
Had to go and remind myself what Dark and Long sounds like! God 'I’m old. I saw them at Somerset House in the early 00s and it was splendid, despite the pissed up ‘CHANTING LAGER LAGER LAGER” bellends.