For Your Ears Only [Audio CD] John 'OO' Flemming

Trance was originally honed on the beaches of hippy Goa in the early 90s and then was taken up by DJs like Paul Van Dyk and progressive head types like John Digweed. For some inexplicable reason the world fell in love with the music at the end of the 20th century. Luckily it's not all tarred with the same monotonous brush and John '00' Fleming knows the good from the bad. Having made his name spinning the classier end of the genre he's a man well disposed to bring us the cream. For Your Ears Only duly delivers the goods. Boyd Westerman's "Looplife" is an intelligent track and typical of the selection--percussive, bubbling and verging on the malevolent. So too the perkily progressive "Ricochet" from Bullit which weaves textured, phlegmatic riffs around a lively bassline and melting, glacial pads. CD 2 is more frenetic. Fractious cuts such as "Flashpoint' and faves from the rave-like DJ Misjah & DJ Tim's "Access" pelt along on full psychedelic thrust and are sure to bring a smile to any self-respecting trance-head. Arms ahoy then. --Paul Tierney