Northern Exposure 1

The Rolls Royce of trance-house mixes, and every bit as cool as the polar bear on the sleeve, this first edition of Sasha and John Digweed's Northern Exposure sets is the tightest and most effortless of the series. With 11 superbly arranged cuts from the likes of William Orbit, Rabbit in the Moon, and the Future Sound of London, not one moment is wasted. The disc's flavor is decidedly organic and wholly evocative of all-night mountain raves or desert parties. Starting with the early-morning stretch of Keiichi Suzuki's delightfully sunny "Satellite Serenade," the duo swiftly build the tempo up to the breezy ambient plateau of Morgan King's "Free" before heading into harder house territories. The metronomic pulse and atmospheric chanteuse vocals of Fuzzy Logic's "Obsession" form an incremental crescendo with Orbit's "Water from a Vine Leaf." Being a condensed version of the European release, the closing salvo from Banco de Gaia's "Last Train to Lhasa" confirms the since-validated fact that these Exposure journeys have infinite potential; Sasha and Digweed are among the first DJs to create mix sets that tap into earthy, human emotions. It is precisely this unique flavor that will make you yearn for a dance floor, beach, or campsite, packed with deliriously dancing bodies. Yes, really. --Steffan Chirazi