Nocturnal Emissions
Nocturnal Emissions
Silent Recordings

Dance and/or electronica compilations can be such a hit and miss affair - and with the bio screaming "world class selection of beats" those old defences rose as quick as security screens at a bank!!

But upon dropping "Move With Me" by Shapeshifter (featuring the sublime vocals of Lady 6) into the system I was immediately won over. Smooth keys and an urgent crisp electro beat perfect the opening to a diverse, organic compilation of Australian beats.

Nick Wales, compiler and producer of note around the scene has expressed concern about the quality & quantity of commercial compilations available and wanted to assemble a deeper, more soulful collection of club tracks to counter the amount of Ibiza trash on the racks. He has exceeded all expectations with Nocturnal Emissions - this has rarely left me sound system since I got me hands on it over a month ago! The variety of local talent on show here is outstanding.

As for highlights, Pnau's remix of "Downtime" by Jenny Morris has an incredible momentum 'bout it, with several killer sax breaks sectioning off the rich layered thump throughout the track. Other standouts are "Diversion" by Orisha, which like "Move With Me" is driven by a soulful vocal and bigtime echo beat, also worth a mention is Coda's "Holy City" (written and produced by compiler Wales) where the lush plaintive strings lend a gorgeous soaring sensation to the track.

For those after an overview of the Australian dance/electronica/breaks scene, look no further than Nocturnal Emissions. A great document of those currently impacting upon the local scene (Telemetry Orchestra, Coda, Orisha, Deepchild, Shapeshifter). Just as importantly, a highly entertaining collection of Australian doof and bleeps that will keep your joint jumping for lotsa time, whether real or imagined. More please Mr Wales!

Copyright © 2003 Brian Stradbrook