I swear it’s an absolute random coincidence, but I’ve been to two 90s dress-up’ parties in the last few weeks. And believe me, MC Hammer poo-pants are just as terrifying now as they were in the days when they were ‘cutting edge fashion’. Just ask *Vanilla Ice*… baby! But the underground scene? Now that was a whole different kettle of glowsticks. I went to my first warehouse rave in the 90s, and in that enchanted wonderland of sweet beats I waved my first glowsticks, pumped up my Reebok high-tops, marveled at the 4-deck vinyl marathons and got ‘totally high’ on guarana chewing gum. This album is definitely a flashback road-trip through some of the most memorable underground tracks of the time. It’s channelled into three elite volumes, each one mixed by Elroy, Australian old-skool rave royalty.

Disc one Acid House/Early House is a history 101 into the emergence of house music and the early days of the dance scene we love today. Underground house parties were all the go, and secret locations were revealed last-minute over spanking new mobile phones the size of small cars. Crazy strobe lights flashed in meaningful patterns and colours, blue usually meant ‘run for it’. Ah the memories! If some of these sounds feel mighty familiar, lots of these tracks have featured as magic loops in recent house creations either as kickass beds and effects, or as actual total remixes. There’s no mistaking the Global Deejays Get Up which is basically Pump Up the Jam remixed for the new-skool. I’m not complaining as long as they get tha party goin on tha dancefloor!

Disc two Italo House & Club Anthems ups the BPM and goes a bit harder. Some of these tracks sit at the ‘commercial’ end of the scene, with quite a few getting airplay on the commercial networks when they were released. U.S.U.R.A’s Open Your Mind was the soundtrack to brains exploding everywhere. Rozalla’s Everybody’s Free has sold us a million and one mobile phones (somewhat more compact these days!) And in the opening phrases of Playing With Knives you can witness a mischievous little sonic sperm that would get us into so much trouble with tech and electro in future years.

Ah, then comes disc three: Hardcore Rave. There was a stage in the mid-90s when hardcore wasn’t hardcore at all unless it was from the Netherlands and cleared 200bpm. The early tracks in this mix are not quite so extreme but by the time Elroy is finished, the pace is certainly caning it along. Speedracer was clever and cool and linked to soundbytes from a fave anime series from the 80s, which was always going to be a win. Here’s Johnny is solely responsible for many a speeding fine and psychotic episode. The Scooter tracks herald the advent of the MC (I’m still not entirely sure that was a good move.) And Annihilating Rhythm contains one of the most awesome breakdowns and relaunches in the history of time itself.

90s Rave & Club Anthems is a scrummy flashback for the old schoolers, and testament to some of the unreal tunes that have pioneered and shaped the genres that we love. Back to the old school? Hands up who never left. I’m looking at you Mr Bob Sinclar and whoever remixed Robert Miles’ Children. And I’m pretty sure it’s not just ‘old schoolers’ who’ve put CeCe Penistone’s Finally 2008 at the top of Beatport download charts. If you haven’t heard most of these tracks before, I guarantee that you will in the not too distant future. My predictions for even more 90s remixes? I’m picking Ebeneezer Good and anything from the KLF. Seriously, it’s only a matter of time.

Check out the tracklisting…
Disc 1 Acid House/Early House

1. Nomad – (I Wanna Give You) Devotion
2. Adamski – Killer
3. Mr. Fingers – Can You Feel It?
4. M/A/R/R/S – Pump Up The Volume
5. CeCe Peniston – Finally
6. Degrees Of Motion – Do You Want It Right Now
7. Farley “Jackmaster” Funk & Jesse Saunders feat. Darryl Pandy – Love Can’t Turn Around
8. Hithouse – Jack To The Sound Of The Underground
9. K-klass – Rhythm Is A Mystery
10. Nush – U Girls
11. Happy Clappers – I Believe
12. The Original – I Luv U Baby
13. Gusto – Disco’s Revenge
14. Jaydee – Plastic Dreams
15. Technotronic – Pump Up The Jam
16. N-joi – Anthem
17. Bump – I’m Rushin’
18. The Source feat. Candi Staton – You Got The Love

Disc 2 Italo House & Club Anthems

1. E-Zee Possee – Everything Starts With An E
2. Rozalla – Everybody’s Free
3. Jam & Spoon – Stella
4. Atlantic Ocean – Waterfall
5. Felix – Don’t You Want Me
6. Anticapella – 2 V=231
7. Oceanic – Insanity
8. Urban Cookie Collective – The Key, The Secret
9. U.S.U.R.A. – Open Your Mind
10. Bizarre Inc. – Playing With Knives
11. Capella – Move On Baby
12. Magic Marmalade – Again ‘N’ Again
13. Tom Wilson – Technocat
14. Jinny – Feel The Rhythm
15. Time Frequency – Real Love
16. Praga Khan – Injected With A Poison
17. Triple X – X Files Theme (The Truth)
18. N-trance – Set You Free

Disc 3 – Hardcore Rave

1. Kicks Like A Mule – The Bouncer
2. SL2 – Way In My Brain
3. Awesome 3 – Don’t Go
4. Urban Hype – A Trip To Trumpton
5. The Prodigy – Out Of Space
6. Dyewitness – What Would You Like To Hear Again?
7. Ultra-sonic – Obsession
8. Alphateam – Speedracer
9. Dyewitness – Brrr
10. Commander Tom – Are Am I
11. Dyewitness – Observing The Earth
12. Scooter – Hyper Hyper
13. Ultra-sonic – Annihilating Rhythm
14. Scooter – Move Your Ass
15. Hocus Pocus – Here’s Johnny!
16. Charlie Lownoise & Mental Theo – Wonderful Days
17. Technohead – I Wanna Be A Hippy