Northern Exposure 2, East Coast Edition

A truly expansive collection of cuts, this companion to Northern Exposure 2: West Coast Edition is one for all ears that sees Sasha and Digweed juxtapose dance-pop tunes with club-land mixes. Converts to the Northern Exposure series will further enjoy the skillful Sasha and Digweed mixes washed (as ever) with layers of smooth late-night warmth; newcomers will find a variety of styles and sounds stretching beyond conventional trance-techno to whet their appetite. Gus Gus enjoy two wonderful moments, opening the disc with their dreamy, trip-hop-flavored "Believe" and also offering the penultimate cut with their celestial, bottom-end-boosted "Purple." Other standout moments include Prana's "Geomantik" and Doi-Oing's warm and hazy "Blue." Occasionally the shadow of hip-hop can be heard snaking into the mix, but never enough to take away from the predominant trance atmosphere, which makes Northern Exposure sets so unique. --Steffan Chirazi