(Ahead Music/Stomp)

We meet again, Mr Bond. One of two founding members of the Gatecrasher juggernaught, Scott Bond’s influence on global dance music is hard to overvalue. From its first party way back in August of ‘94, Bond and fellow founder Simon Raine have worked tirelessly to promote Gatecrasher throughout its colourful and highly successful history. Mention the words Red, Black, Wet or Global Soundsystem to a trance music lover and chances are you’ll be met with a knowing smile. Bond was the mixmeister and A&R man responsible for the highly successful Gatecrasher compilations, but like many successful partnerships it had to end sometime. Bond chose to leave Gatecrasher in December last year to pursue other projects. Another influential scene character and long time friend of Bond is Andrew Gallagher, ex-marketing manager of Fantazia and the force behind Fantazia’s popular events and House Collection series. An accomplished Dj, Gallagher has also managed various albums for Sasha, Diggers and other luminaries.

Cut to the present and we find that Bond and Gallagher have joined together to forge Ahead. Label, club, series and way of life, Ahead is about forward thinking and pushing boundaries. It’s an ambitious project aimed at creating a better future through music. Hell, they probably even want to bring about world peace. Bond has been increasingly critical of the rise and rise of superclubs and brands, chief among them his ex-interest Gatecrasher. It’s becoming increasingly apparent that the huge backlash following the explosion of trance in ‘98-00 is settling down. The floaters and scene jumpers have now moved on to the next big thing, leaving behind the true fans of the sound as well as many new recruits with a true passion for trance in all its guises. Yet the superclubs/labels just keep dishing up the same tired tunes week after week. Can Ahead deliver what the fans so desperately desire?

It certainly tries. Ahead is chock full of tunes and mixes from many of the big players of electronica including: Paul van Dyk, Agnelli & Nelson, Carl Cox, Ronski Speed, Ferry, Armin, John 00 Fleming, Solarstone and Oakie. The disadvantage of including tracks from big-name producers is that their tunes get flogged to death. Thankfully there are some exclusives and unsung heroes on here as well.

Jump the next train is a captivating way to kick off disc one, thanks largely to the hauntingly produced vocals of Ahead resident Dj Ben Lost. White Room follows up in lush style, though Marco V should never have unleashed his percussive desires on Age of Love! Why mess with a classic? Phantazms is blissful, Spiral rich and layered and the Corsten mix of F. Massif’s Somebody never fails to please. Holding Onto Nothing and Crush will keep the radio trance fans happy while veterans will steer well clear. Add a serving of throbbing Cox, a pinch of chart star Envio and a dash of Rapid Eye and you have a fairly solid mix. Supposedly these are the tunes of tomorrow, however many of these tracks have already been put to bed. Though disc one’s mix is a bit random at times, what it lacks in cohesion it more than makes up for in heart and vision.

Mr. Bond loves his epic intros and I for one am very glad he does. Higher Than A Skyscraper, a typical classy Hybrid tune, kicks off disc two in a deliciously floaty way. This doesn’t last long though as the icy prog trance of Time sneaks up for a visit. Bond and Solar Stone’s baby, Naked Angel, makes an appearance in a completely reworked version, chords, strings and all! Equally impressive is the Solarstone remix of Under The Sun, a pleasantly refreshing trance twist. Skipping ahead a little reveals Dame Blanche, an album exclusive and hard-edged progressive trance at its finest! When J00f and M.I.K.E come together you know its going to be something amazing. Another exclusive, the Funaki mix of Woody van Eyden’s SI-N+R-JE (get it) explodes in an amazing string crescendo that is topped only by the insidious Vainquer (7am At Heavens Gate Remix.) The penultimate tune of disc two is Quadra, a tune that is blowing up around the world and for good reason. Finally, the Oakie’s exclusive track, Mortal, eases you back to reality with its thumping deep grooves. This mix has some great tunes on it. It’s a shame that Bond’s mixing style is so tight as he really could benefit from letting some of the tracks breathe a bit more.

Overall I’m quite impressed. Double mix albums are a funny thing. You typically either get a great release or a total bomb. Bond and Gallagher deserve a pat on the back for trying to pursue a purer musical vision than that of the established forces. If you follow my reviews at all you’ll know I appreciate the small things, such as clever packaging or the use of cd-text. This release has both. There are even hidden/bonus tracks at the end of each disc that feature a friendly cd-text message. I’ll leave it up to you to find out what they say. Touches like this give me hope that perhaps Ahead can inject some new life into a clubland that is becoming increasingly tired. If Ahead turns out to be more than a simple over the counter revolution it’s going to shake up to the powers that be in a big way. They hope to push not only trance but breaks, house, prog and who knows what else. I wish them luck!