Gangsta Trax
Vol. 1

Great experimental journey. From trippy fragile electronics to quirky breakbeats.

The wires are crossed again. And the result is once again awesome!

Knee deep raw recordings from the one and only Gesloten Cirkel. Don't sleep on this!

Look on the back of the sleeve. All the info is there!

Press text_____________________________________________Following the success of the first Planet Love compilation, Safe Trip has delved even deeper into the roots and formative years of trance music. The result is a vivid snapshot of heady, trance-inducing music released between 1990 and ’95.Like its predecessor, Planet Love 2 does not deliver a straightforward chronological run-down of influential ‘proto-trance’ cuts and key early anthems. Instead, it casts its’ net far wider for inspiration, joining the dots between trance-inducing tracks in a disparate mixture of interconnected styles.Before trance became rigidly defined in the late 1990s, the term was more loosely used as a descriptor, with the tag variously being attached to tracks that combined elements of techno, ambient, breakbeat, deep house, electronica, progressive house, acid, tribal and new beat. What unified these disparate musical strands was an emphasis on groove, melody, atmosphere and – more often than not – psychedelic intent.You’ll find all this and more amongst the 12 colourful and emotive tracks from around the world that make up Planet Love 2. The hard-to-pigeonhole, early ‘90s New York rave scene is represented by the immersive ambient of Lazer Worshippers’ ‘Free Flight’, Revelation’s trippy gem ‘First Power (Domination Dub)’ and the delay-laden drums, held-note new wave chords and psychedelic electronics of ‘Time Warp’ by Moodswings.The UK’s rarely discussed role in the development of early trance – often via tracks that touched on ambient techno and progressive house – is represented by the Obsession Project’s prototype melodic trance obscurity ‘Untitled Part 3’, the Arc’s fast-then-slow rework of The Moody Boyz ‘The Pygmy Song (Nocturnal Version)’ and ‘X O Surf’ from The Deep, a breakbeat-driven workout that defies easy categorization.Naturally, the popularity of early trance in Europe is reflected in the track listing, too. Check the formative progressive trance of French producer Innertales’ ‘Odysee’, two tracks from Italy (T.E.W’s ‘Doubt Int’ and Alien Signal’s melodic ‘Deep Sky Delights’), and a trio of often overlooked cuts by German artists (early Svan Vath number ‘L’Esperanza’, the Jam El Mar co-produced ‘We Come in Piece (Desert Mix)’ by Dance 2 Trance, and ‘A Source’, the opening track from Tobias Beldermann’s first EP as Redeye.Offering a deeper and more diverse definition of early trance than volume one and packed to the rafters with sought-after and overlooked gems, Planet Love 2 is a fitting follow-up to Safe Trip’s first collection of formative trance treats.

Another Thought was the first collection of Arthur Russell’s music to be released after his death in 1992. Released on CD by Point Music in 1993 it marked the beginning of nearly 30 years of work to let the world hear the enormous archive of unreleased recordings Arthur left behind. Be With revisits this first compilation for a new gatefold double vinyl version and a triple-fold digipak CD re-issue.This is the only place where you can hear some of Arthur’s most recognisable music, like the title track Another Thought, A Little Lost, This Is How We Walk On The Moon, Keeping Up and the woozy disco of In The Light Of The Miracle and My Tiger, My Timing. Though technically a compilation, the whole of Another Thought comes together as a consistent, coherent, wonderful album.Thanks to Janette Beckman for helping reproduce her iconic photograph of Arthur in his newspaper boat hat for the new vinyl sleeve. And thanks also to Tom Lee for giving permission to include his liner notes from the original CD booklet, together with Arthur’s lyrics.Another Thought is absolutely essential for even the most casual Arthur Russell collection. In fact it’s essential for any fan of non-obvious pop music.