Breathless mix , top tune ! Highness

What a perfect way to ruin a classic. The original is a very complex composition and remixing it specially from UK producers is the worst idea. Somebody like Cosmic Baby or DJ Dag would have probably been better candidates for remixing but I guess even they were smart enough not to touch the original. What you get here in terms of remix is as dull and dry as most techno/trance coming out of UK and what's up with 12+ min running time, as if it wasn't bad enough to begin with we have to sit through 12 painful minutes of it. Probably the only redeeming point here is the inclusion of the radio edit, but even that alone doesn't save this release from a perfect 1. The content is not worth more than five bucks, but if you are a seller chances are you are gonna get more for it just because it's rare. I got $25 for tossing it, not a bad deal if you ask me!

UK license of this Torsten Fenslau production, originally issued the year before on his own Abfahrt label. The Guerilla version benefits from a better cut than the original release (the kick drum on this record is probably the most pounding I've ever heard), but it frustratingly omits the instrumental "Breathless" mix, and instead adds a pretty sub-par Orbital mix and a short radio edit. Fenslau's collaboration with Jürgen "Nosie" Katzmann yielded excellent results on the first Abfahrt release, "Alone (It's Me)", which appeared as early as 1989. Arguably one of the first ever trance records, "Alone" illustrates the oft-forgotten fact that new beat and trance were indeed close cousins, and importantly; Katzmann's vocals worked very well on that track, so much so that I prefer the vocal mix to the instrumental. "Come Into My Life" is another story, though. Katzmann's wet, pretentious singer/songwriter sensibilities feel intrusive and embarassing here, and ruin the otherwise truly epic track so much that I can't stand listening to the vocal mix. Imagine my delight when I realized, after 11 years of hating this version, that an instrumental mix indeed existed (I first heard it in a set by fellow ogger mayday); but only on the (rare) German original. So, in short, the Breathless mix is the one you need - and it's a testament to Guerilla's notoriously poor quality control that they failed to include that version here. Interestingly, Guerilla's label manager Dick O'Dell apparently had big plans for Abfahrt (you can read more in the book that accompanied the first Trance Europe Express CD compilation). However, those plans came to a sudden end with Fenslau's untimely death some months later.

This is one of Torsten Fenslau (d. November 1993, Darmstadt, Germany) last works. 'Exploding Plastic' (Inevitable Mix) is a progressive house with minimal and dub elements, with a strong beats, melodic bassline and interesting synth textures. The Instrumental version, though still progressive, stays closer to the traditional german trance structure, with its typical synth timbers and elements.

Definately my favourite track of all time (Breathless mix), this tune almost follows the text book format for trance techno. It does however stand out from the crowd with inovative sounds, unpredictable breaks, an awesome jet plane sample, and yep, those closing lyrics. Easy to mix into any track but makes focusing on your next tune almost impossible. This track takes me somewhere every time.

Needless to say with the closing lyrics "I dreamed I was flying, flying away" I requested this be played at my funeral(no joke). This track has all of the progressions and elements that make for a top quality choon, it never fails to take me somewhere higher than the dancefloor. Respect to Torsten Fenslau, quality survives the test of time.