Various - The Gathering 2000
Universal
What started off some seven years ago as a new years dance party called Entrain, The Gathering is now a full blown coming together of those who love to create, dance, celebrate life and share a common love of music. The Gathering 2000 cd compiles those artists who have for the past years been the inspiration and heart of this event, proving that our own excursions into the electronic music arena are definitely on a par with our international contemporaries. And beyond, to the point where our artists have developed their own unique sound that is distinctly New Zealand flavoured.
Kicking off proceedings is Epsilon Blue with a lovely slice of tech/trance called Peaks and Valleys. Subware provide Music Matters which further elevates the mood and senses using a great vocal snippet of the title. Baitercell and Micronism both serve up a breakbeat/electro track which lets us know that there's more to the dance floor than the 4/4 beat. In fact all the tracks, from Cuffy and Leon, to Signer, to Pitch Black through to the more downbeat stylings of Salmonella Dub and The Nomad maintain their own sense of individuality whilst adding to the overall vibe of the cd.
One thing that really struck me about this release was how all of the tracks work with each other, and that where many compilations fail (and indeed much electronic music) by just putting together a bunch of hardout tracks which assault the senses rather than titilate them, The Gathering 2000 artists have kept intact the melodious ryhthms which have inspired their work, making this a thoughtful and provocative piece of New Zealand dance music history, one which every Gathering fan or dance music fan should own.