Oh man, this takes me back! I do remember this series, but never actually owned a CD. I remember seeing it at my local CD store in Heerlen, South Limburg (NL), but it never caught my attention enough to pay the Dutch guilders for it. I just found the artwork a tad cheap, and too simple. And I wasn't into Trance music back when this series started (1994). I only started following Trance music toward the Millennium, so when this series started, I wasn't into the Trance sound, and also I knew none of the artists I saw on the back of this compilation. But now I know I should have done. I should have spend my pennies on it. Too late to enjoy it?
Never! I know that the early Trance is still new to me, as I've never indulged myself into this world fully, but it's also an acquired taste. You need to appreciate it. I do, but I much prefer the later Trance/Hard Trance sound. Maybe it would have been different if I actually purchased these albums, it might have helped a lot? But we can talk for hours about me losing a huge chunk of music that could have played a huge part during my youth, but let's focus on the mix itself.
The mix was made by J.O.E. His mixes are always extremely interesting, and he's not bound to only one style or genre. He does whatever he fancies. It could range from Happy Hardcore/Bouncy Techno to Hard Trance, to Hardcore Techno, and even Speedcore/Terror. He does whatever he wants to do, and for that, we thank him. We should also thank him for making this specific mix, as an appreciation mix to Rave Mission. If you know it, you'll love this mix.
Again, I'm a noob when it comes to Hard Trance from the 90s, but I'm eager to learn. And I'm open for anything, so let's focus on the tracklist now, and discuss the mix after:
Virtual Atmosfear - E!Volution
Space Planet - Time Corectional
POB - Awakening (Quietman Remix)
Plastic Angel - Enter The Darkroom
Nuclear Hyde - Accelerator
Mass In Orbit - Connect (Satellit Remix)
Hardworld - Dream Garden
Mass In Orbit - Overdrive
Jens Lissat - The Future
Alien Factory - Anytime Anyplace
Commander Tom - Are Am Eye
Legend B - Lost In Love
DJ Yanny & Paragod - Initialise
Jet Set & Plastic Angel - Lost In Trance
Nostrum - Brainchild
Nostrum - Baby (Remix)
DJ Mellow D - Move Your Feet
DJ Manga - It's A Dream
Norman Taylor - Sex Machine
Atomic Junkies - Atomic Junkies
Cocooma - Rage
Liquid Bass - Monosphere
Club Disciples - Teknicida
Circuit - Transport Of Love
Frontline of Trance - Signal
DJ Gollum & Gary D - Black Arrows
Scoopex - In My Dream (Club & Intro Mix)
I was going to say 'where did J.O.E. find these records?', but then I realised that it was a genuinely stupid question, as we KNOW where he got the tracks from. The title of this mix contains all the info: it was taken from the CDs called Rave Mission. How dumb am I?
It is amazing to hear these early Trance anthems, and the approach those producers had back in the day. It sounds so cool and ace, and you can clearly hear where future styles like Trancecore a.k.a. Freeform would get their inspiration from.
But truth be told, only two names are known to me. Commander Tom and Gary D. All the others are completely unknown to me. I will dive deeper in this scene in the near future, and will do some of my own investigation as to who's behind these names, and what they are currently doing. Could be interesting, right?
I do find mixes like this one, extremely interesting. It's filled with anthems I've never heard of, but they are true dancefloor smashers. And it's yet another fantastic mix by J.O.E., that's for damn sure.
Cool anthems, mate! Thanks for yet another wicked mix. And thanks for the final track in this mix, which I've never encountered before, but now I know it to be my favourite Trance track as of 2023. Wow, what a brilliant track to end your mix with!
DJ: J.O.E.
Genre/Style: Trance, Hard Trance
Mix Info: Rave Mission Classics
Length Mix: 01:20;49
Tracks: 27 (twenty-seven)
Download/Listen (via Soundcloud): STREAM HERE
File Size: unknown
File Type: unknown
Audio: Stereo
Sample Rate: unknown
Release Year: 2023
More Information: J.O.E. - Soundcloud Channel