Track Listing

1. Satellite Serenade - Keiichi Suzuki
2. Cascade - The Future Sound of London
3. These Waves - Young American Primitive
4. Raincry - God Within
5. Out of Body Experience - Rabbit in the Moon
6. I'm Free - Morgan King
7. Ultraviolet
8. Obsession - Fuzzy Logic
9. Water from a Vine Leaf - William Orbit
10. Liquid Cool/Deep Forest Ice Cold [Equator Mix] - Apollo 440
11. Last Train to Lhasa - Banco de Gaia

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #106085 in Music
• Released on: 1997-07-22
• Number of discs: 1

From Amazon.com
The Rolls Royce of trance-house mixes, and every bit as cool as the polar bear on the sleeve, this first edition of Sasha and John Digweed's Northern Exposure sets is the tightest and most effortless of the series. With 11 superbly arranged cuts from the likes of William Orbit, Rabbit in the Moon, and the Future Sound of London, not one moment is wasted. The disc's flavor is decidedly organic and wholly evocative of all-night mountain raves or desert parties. Starting with the early-morning stretch of Keiichi Suzuki's delightfully sunny "Satellite Serenade," the duo swiftly build the tempo up to the breezy ambient plateau of Morgan King's "Free" before heading into harder house territories. The metronomic pulse and atmospheric chanteuse vocals of Fuzzy Logic's "Obsession" form an incremental crescendo with Orbit's "Water from a Vine Leaf." Being a condensed version of the European release, the closing salvo from Banco de Gaia's "Last Train to Lhasa" confirms the since-validated fact that these Exposure journeys have infinite potential; Sasha and Digweed are among the first DJs to create mix sets that tap into earthy, human emotions. It is precisely this unique flavor that will make you yearn for a dance floor, beach, or campsite, packed with deliriously dancing bodies. Yes, really. --Steffan Chirazi

Customer Reviews

special
Im sat here listening to this again after god nos how many times and it is the best journey that ive heard on a cd. Really does whisk you away somewhere if you let it.

Check out sashas involver for another special cd

Sublime, to say the least
Is their any way to add more to what the other 27 reviewers have already stated? 'Northern Exposure' was, looking back, most likely the first taste of dance music that tapped into human emotions. To even suggest this album is one in which would suit an average club situation is utterly degrading, for this is the only DJ mixed album to date which can be enjoyed for dream-like pleasure. Believe me, it would take a special club to be able to pull these mixes of in euphoric-enough style...

Many of you are probably dazed as to how this album even sounds, judged by the varied descriptions from fellow Amazon reviewers. It's fair to say it has no true genre. This was mixed at the end of an era for music; 1996. Commercialism came in to play by the end of the 90's due to the circle-movement of the dance genre, and so such beautiful pieces of work contained on this album are not just impossible to find in record shops today. They were hard to find originally! And so such albums were the DJ would search high and low for the appropriate song are no longer existence.

Perhaps this is what's so clever deep down. Sasha and Digger's picked tracks that weren't just white labels in '96. They range from 1990 up until then, which shows you how broad the two young men were thinking. Ranging from subliminal accapella's, to cool break-beats, to the eventual full 4 x 4 beats, this album contains 2 mixes that, although contrast by energy, are together in their seamless mixing.

Sasha starts this experience in a totally unique fashion, beginning with the 10 minute 'Satellite Serenade'; a composition of blissful notes and synth chords accompanied with, the Lord of Nature himself, David Attenbourgh giving a commentary. The first time I listened to it I found it pretty funny, but you soon learn it's all part of this wonderful experience.

Chugging along for many more long and wonderful tracks, his Sasha's mix continues in it's break-beat and dream like vein, with rhyth breaks seemingly all placed in their natural positions. 'Rain Cry' peaks this moment with its beautiful vocals and slow tribal sound that gives visions of places far away, somewhere beautiful.

By the time 'Ultraviolet' comes into light (excuse the pun, if you noticed it...) were now well into the trance beat-pattern which accompanies this phenomenal song. Beautiful female vocals and an utterly emotional rhythm makes this a high point of the album, and leads into other hair-raising sounds we may have forgotten, if we only heard them for brief times, in the nineties. 'Obsession' follows with its terrific synthier sound, followed by 'Water from a vine Leaf', which sounded quite ahead of it's time, considering trance wasn't in full force for another year at least.

Completing this mix are the wonderful 'Liquid Cool' and 'Last Train To Lhasa', which are respectively, both orchestral and percussion based pieces of work, rounding up this CD in a much psychedelic style.

Digger's, in his typical fashion, produces a darker piece of work that hold more maturity than that of the first disc. It's fair to say it falls short of that euphoric feeling the first holds, but Nether the less, it's still a beautiful piece of work that entails some more complete tracks that the first doesn't have... 'Wave Dub' starts the journey in quicker fashion than Sasha's opening track, with a solitary beat pattern being housed around an open and cool synth solo.

It is indeed a big grower - more listening is required to take in what is happening as, unlike the first disc, this is faster mix and more suitable for dancing. Perhaps this change in pace is off-putting for those that aren't open minded, but if you broaden your horizons, you'll hear a beautiful trance CD that, to me, is one of Digger's best pieces of work.

'Phonenix', 'Plan 94', and 'I can't stop' all fill the peak time of this mix perfectly with driving rhythms from so many different styles of percussion and instrumentation. It's fair to say, apart from 'Renaissance', that this is Digger's brightest work! And although I'm a fan of his normal material, I wish he'd mix material more like this. 'Plan 94' is the highlight of the CD; a now rare vinyl that is one of the classics of a golden era were trance was an experimental form of music, and sound. But perhaps the most recognisable song to any dance fan out there is the final track, 'Dark and Long' by Underworld, which is a real progressive builder. The soft vocals and atmospheric sounds set the tone of a chugging journey coming to an end in quite appropriate fashion.

So while the North Disc is a truly special day-dream experience that will never be battered, the South Disc will get you up on your feet and make you start skanking around the house to Digweeds amazing atmospheric sounds and beats. As a DJ myself, it's hard to listen to such an album and not be jealous of what these guys have achieved. But what amazes me even more is how such albums can be forgotten when people rank 'The Best Album Ever'. If people down-grade such genre's by suggesting it's a compilation and therefore not created by the DJ himself, then who managed to choose those tracks? Without albums like this, "all" the tracks on this album (expect for Dark and Long) would never have been known about. Never. So who's to thank for that? Certainly not the original artist.

The only negative I have with this album is that the card-Digi Pack doesn't stand well to age. Again, just like Renaissance (though that was even fancier!) is the folds are prone to damage, as are the corners. Crazily as it sounds, I actually bought another copy of the album off ebay as I couldn't stand looking at the battered packaging! Set me back 30 quid, but believe me, this is one album in you'll buy in your lifetime that's actually worth it for that price.

I think i've said enough. I actually set out to make this a short review... but I should have known better, just look at my one for Renaissance! I'm going to drag myself away from the keyboard now and leave you with some important words. This is, undeniably, the best mix-album ever created. You may pay alot of money for it, but just remember... you'll never have to pay it again.

"AGELESS!"
I have only just bought this album all these years later and picked both 1 and 2 up for £42 off ebay (bargain). I used to go and watch sasha in the early 90's and he was like god then!. Anyway all these years later with family etc i'm rediscovering my love of trance and have to say these cd's are mindblowing!. From the moment you put them on with their mellow captivating beats the just engulf you and take you on a never ending journey, words can not sum up how good these 2 dj's are as what they created with both volumes was stunning. Its hard to beleive these disc are nearly 15 years old they burst with that much quality. I urge you to put the kids to bed turn the tv off and dim the lights and gain your cosy spot on your sofa, because what you will experience is only something that god could create or should i say god's!