Introduction:
In the late nineties, after being neglected by many in its infancy, trance music became fashionable. In truth, it revolutionised dance music and club culture. The “Superclub” era was born, with huge clubs like Cream, Ministry of Sound and The Gallery in the UK all combating for the title of top club brand in the land. However, they were all being outstripped by a little club based at The Republic in Sheffield, which would proceed to surpass all juggernauts that stood in its path and sat proudly for a number of years as the elite name in the echelons of trance nights. That club was Gatecrasher.

The formula of Gatecrasher’s success was simple, each night headlined by world-renowned superstar DJs such as Paul Oakenfold, supported by a first-class roster of residents. One of the residents in question was co-promoter of Gatecrasher and Birmingham native Scott Bond.

The first Gatecrasher compilation “Black” was released in October 1998, compiled and mixed by Bond, and became a worldwide success, eventually earning the platinum accolade. This led to raptures of recognition, and firmly put him on the pedestal for future success.

When asked by Radio 1 to provide an Essential Mix for what would be the first of 1999, it was Mr. Bond’s responsibility to set the tone for what would turn out to be trance’s most crucial year.

The Essential Mix:
I remember being so excited for many weeks in anticipation leading up to this mix, after reading reviews in magazines about his style and energy Scott brought to each set. So when the clock struck 2am in the early hours of 3rd January 1999, I believed that I was about to listen to something special.

The mix starts off with a nice little resume of Scott’s achievements to date by Pete Tong, and then we were fully into the mix. The opening track starts off with a very chilling opening, with an electric guitar solo surrounded by the sound of heavy rainfall, creating a very emotional atmosphere. However, that doesn’t last long, and Scott lays down the tone for the entire mix with a full-on euphoric trancer. The track borrows the vocals from popular Eurythmics song “Here Comes the Rain Again”, and they are used to very good effect (the track is so good I spent five years searching before I was able to get it on vinyl).

Next, one of the most memorable productions by Signum duo Ronald Hagen and Pascal Minnaard gets an airing, a beautiful track that possibly never got the recognition it deserved at it’s time of release. After tracks by Chrome and Ralph Fridge, the strength of Signum shines through yet again, on this occasion however in a remix capacity, with a monstrous remix of Kaycee’s Escape. While I found the original version of the track a little uninspiring, the remix was nothing short of amazing, with Signum’s own melody dominating the track rather than that of the main offering.

The next track turned out to be the first time I would hear the wonderful and legendary Gouryella – Gouryella, which most of you already know was the alias casting the combined efforts of now iconic Dutch DJs Tiesto and Ferry Corsten. The track for me just provides any set with a plethora of energy that can only be matched by a handful of other tracks, and is essential in any trance lover’s collection.

Following that is the remake by Tilt of the revolutionary track Robert Miles – Children, the track responsible for converting many people into trance music fans. The sound is synonymous with the typical Tilt sound of the late nineties, combining numerous underlaying melodies with a driving bassline, and when the world famous piano riff kicks in, countless memories come flooding back.

After Children is in my opinion one of Tiesto’s strongest ever productions, on this occasion however under the alias of Control Freaks. A track well worth checking out. Following that, Scott mixes in the excellent Blank & Jones remix of Humate’s Love Stimulation, one of their finest works.

As we reach the halfway point in the set, Scott decides to utilise the tough and pounding Thumper Mix of Liquid Child’s Diving Faces, and maintains that theme for the second half of the set, including, unsurprisingly, a Quake remix. However, the highlight of the set appears shortly afterwards, and is the track that propelled Ferry Corsten into worldwide stardom in dance music. Under the guise of System F, Out of the Blue still remains one of my favourite tracks today, because it is a track filled with such emotion that makes me shiver any time I hear it.

The set continually drives on, with further highlights including Steve Morley’s Reincarnations, one of the best releases in the history of Neo Records, and DuMonde’s remix of M.I.K.E.’s first production under his Push alias, Universal Nation.

Closing out the set, Scott utilises a track that will be fond in the memory of Scottish listeners, with a remix that brought Lange to the forefront of British trance producers at that time. As many people know, DJ Sakin & Friends’ Protect Your Mind contains a sample from 1995 movie Braveheart, and certainly was one of the biggest crowd pleasers for many months. The final track of the set is another very strong offering by Ferry Corsten, this time in a remix capacity, and under the alias Moonman. Pulp Victim’s The World is a beautiful track, with its choir style vocals and massive breakdown to make me wish that the set wouldn’t end.

Final Thoughts:
Despite going for over 10 years, this set still remains my favourite Essential Mix today. At the time of it’s airing, many tracks were unknown but as you can see from the tracklist below, the set is filled with so many favourites as well as a few undiscovered gems. There are very few DJs in the trance era of the late nineties that could muster a set so impeccably crafted and sequenced, and for me, Scott Bond delivered a thing of beauty here.

There are no setfillers within the two hour duration, just anthem after anthem. It is quite obvious listening to this set to understand why the Gatecrasher brand became so special, with Scott as resident and enthusiastic co-promoter.

Scott would go on to provide Essential Mixes in both 2000 and 2001, but neither of them can be compared to the energy enclosed within the 1999 offering. There are so many tracks in this set that are a must buy in any vinyl buyer’s collection,

In late 2003 Scott decided to part company with the Gatecrasher brand, and moved to attempt to recreate the Gatecrasher era once again with his own imprint Ahead. Scott has also moved into the production studio with close friends Solar Stone, and have produced some excellent offerings such as 3rd Earth, Naked Angel and The Red Line Highway.

However, in my opinion, this Essential Mix signalled his finest hour (or two hours). I knew within the first five minutes of listening to this set live on a cold night in January 1999 that I would be tuning in to something very special, and I wasn’t disappointed. For those of you who only discovered trance in the new millennium, this set is very well recommended to help understand the energy and popularity of trance back then, and why it was so prominent in the superclub era.

Quite simply, this set is a must have in the collection of anyone associated with the trance music community.

Tracklist:
01. Indigo - Here Comes the Rain
02. Ron Hagan & Pascal M - Forever
03. Chrome - The Fly
04. Fridge - Paradise
05. Kaycee - Escape (Signum Remix)
06. Gouryella - Gouryella
07. Tilt - Children (Courtyard Mix)
08. DJ Tiesto Presents Control Freaks - Subspace Interference
09. Humate - Love Stimulation (Blank & Jones Remix)
10. Evolver - Evolver
11. Liquid Child - Diving Faces (Thumper Mix)
12. The Other Two - You Can Fly (Quake Dub)
13. System F - Out of the Blue
14. Desert Moon - Galbi (Choopie & Jez Remix)
15. The Muses Rapt - Spiritual Healing
16. Steve Morley - Reincarnations (Mystic Groove Edit)
17. Push - Universal Nation (DuMonde Remix)
18. DJ Sakin & Friends - Protect Your Mind (Lange Remix)
19. Pulp Victim - The World '99 (Moonman Remix)

Useful links:
www.scottbond.com
www.gatecrasher.com
www.aheadmusic.com
www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/dance/essentialmix



Reviewed By : ImpactPlayaz