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Mr. Lava's Trash Music Compendium Another round-up of the best, the worst, and the most intriguing trash of the past and present.
Try playing these tracks in the background as you move bishop to knight four.  Trancemission - Run To Me2002 Another Broadway trance song. The original version was performed by the Bee Gees—and the tune was later was covered by Oscar De La Hoya. Although the female vocalist on this version can't hold a candle to Oscar, she still delivers a KO! God, I kill myself sometimes. 2raumwohnung - Ich und Elaine2002 A beaty pop ditty from Germany's coolest duo. Andy J - 2 Sides2002 An updating of a 1998 song by Circuit Boy featuring Alan T ("The Door"), which had an acapella mix (so, easy to commandeer). Features a no-nonsense gay commander in chief of the, uhh, sides, who calls out confusing dance steps while putting down the listener at once. For masochists. In Grid - Tu Es Foutu2001/2002 Sounds like something considered for inclusion on one of those pretentious Hotel Costes compilations (French-language female vocals, dance beats, and accordians), but was ultimately rejected for being too catchy. Now an enduring Eurotrash classic. English versions are available as well, but why on earth would you want them? This song was conceived to be none-more-French (although, interestingly enough, Ingrid is Italian). The Supermen Lovers - Diamonds for Her2002 The Supermen Lovers' previous single, "Starlight" found great success throughout Europe and the UK, but the glossy disco anthem "Diamonds for Her" is even better. Smooth, in that French-house kinda way. E-Rotic - Help Me Dr. Dick1996 Another one of those sexual double entendre marathons that E-Rotic is so famous for. La Bouche - Be My Lover1995 One of the greatest Eurodance anthems, what with its soaring "la-di-da" refrains, pounding beats, and requisite rap. If you're going to own only one Eurodance song, it's going to have to come down to a choice between Snap's "Rhythm is a Dancer," Culture Beat's "Mr. Vain," and this. I'd pick La Bouche. Alizèe - Moi...Lolita (Illicit Vocal Mix)2002 (for this remix) French teeny-bopper Alizee's "Moi . . . Lolita" was a huge hit in Franece, and remains the only Alizee single to enjoy Euro-wide distribution (including Britain), so there are plenty of copies of the CD singles still floating around (some offering many different mixes). The housey "Illicit Vocal Mix" of that song should delight all the kids—and Humbert Humberts. Tim Deluxe feat. Sam Obernik - It Just Won't Do2002 Sassy female vocals, a dash of Latin spice, and house beats coagulate. Rank 1 - Cosmomatic (Unknown Mix)2002 Rank 1's "Cosmomatic" may have been, in retrospect, something that, er, a friend illegally snagged from one of those peer-to-peer thingies, as these days it is listed as one of that artist's "unreleased" tracks--and the officially released "unreleased" version differs from the one in my possession. So, that makes writing a review of it pretty pointless. I'll only say that this version that my friend has is a particularly beautiful instrumental trancer. It sounds like it was later reworked to become another excellent Rank 1 song, called "It's Up to You." "It's Up to You" is essentially this tune with a vocal added on and an additional chord tossed in. Peran Van Dijk - Good Time2001 One of the two Wild Angels-sampling Van Dijk tunes, both of which were monsters. This jaunty tune defies easy categorization, but it is essentially just a perfect dancefloor pumper, about as fun and exciting as a dance song can get. Gino M - Mama2002 This touching paean to a man's mama includes soaring operatic vocals combined with pounding techno beats—why, it's the very definition of Tru Trash. Touch and Go - Tango in Harlem1999 Mellow clarinet, Spanish guitar, and slinky beats score an odd, spoken-word tale. This, and all of Touch and Go's singles, are essential for any Europub.
Captain Jack - Yellow Submarine2001 Captain Jack is no longer with us, but during his all too short tenure here he made an utterly singular contribution to the world of Eurodance. Wearing colorful military-esque garb, he combined drill-sergeant commands with tropical dum-dum Eurodance music. Many of his songs wound up on Dance Dance Revolution games. He is now gone, and in an increasingly too-serious world he is sorely missed. If you want a starting point for the endearingly goofy guy, his boisterous take on the Beatles' classic "Yellow Submarine" is a great starting point. ABBA - The Visitors1981 Astonishingly haunting, goose-bump eerie in places, and nearly as awesome as their classic "Lay All Your Love On Me." Who would have thought back in their "Waterloo" days that ABBA would one day pen lyrics like, "These walls have witnessed all the anguish of humiliation / And seen the hope of freedom glow in shining faces"? MJ Lan - Generate Bodies2000 Finds a strangely perfect balance between electro, rock, and funk; with its mish-mash of vocoder vocals, xylophone, stylophone, and... Alcazar - Don't You Want Me2002 Alcazar reach back to the 80s with a faithful interpretation of the Human League classic. Perpetuous Dreamer - Future Funland1999/2000 Perpetuous Dreamer is Armin Van Buuren, who with Ferry Corsten gave us the scorcher "Exhale" from the first Eurotrash compilation. This frantic track has the drama, madness, and sweep the defined the trance sound during that genre's golden era. Libra - Take Me With Your Love1998 A vocal pop/trance convergence from the mighty Italian S.A.I.F.A.M. record label, masters of tru-trash. Abel Ramos - One More (Pulsedriver vs. Rocco Mix)2002 The original version of "One More" was good to start with, but Pulsedriver and Rocco transform the tune into something that will rip a room apart. Ketama - Agustito (Euro 2000 mix)2000 Ketama turns in a booty grinder for all you hot Latinos and Latinas and wannabes out there, i.e., everybody. Recorded for a 2000 Euro Cup CD compilation. Danich - Take Your Time2002 A sweetly warbled piece of dance music from Stefano Sorrentino. Beam vs. Cyrus - All Over the World (Radio Edit)2002 Thumps along quite well, with its bouncing beats and vocodered harmonies, then knocks the ball out of the park with the jolliest of synth hooks. Mary Kiani - I Imagine (Motiv-8 Club Mix)1995 The Scottish Mary Kiani gets the the Motiv-8 magic touch, resulting in another soaring pop house anthem. By the end of 2006, Kiani appeared to have settled down in Australia, and she resurfaced with a great album (The Sydney Sessions) which featured a new take on "I Imagine." Motiv-8 - Rockin' for Myself (Original Radio Edit)1992—1994 The trash titan's first effort. Features joyful pounding pianos and a joyful woman shouting her joyful lyrics joyfully. Peaches - Skateboard2001 Peaches is the hot name to drop in electroclash circles. This is NOT her. This is a couple of prepubescent Swedish girls singing about their skateboard at 160 beats-per-minute. I like the Beach Boys thing they do at the end. One of the two would later go on to be a founding member of the all-female Pet Shop Boys cover group West End Girls. DJ Quicksilver pres. Base Unique - Always On My Mind2002 The Elvis/Willie Nelson classic gets a Eurotrashing. The compendiums: |
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