Showcasing Trance's golden era from 1993-1998, the Superstition Files charts the peak of the label - a period of time when they could simply do no wrong. These landmark releases defined a whole genre, as artists including Oliver Lieb, Marmion, Jens and Humate did nothing less than compile the textbook of Trance. Their tracks were milestones in the history of club hits worldwide.
All the now trademark musical elements are present - layers of TR-909 rhythms, sawing synths ascending and descending, snare rolls, arpeggios, crystal clear piano motifs - as well as the structure of build-up and release and breakdowns where atmospheric elements hang tantalisingly in the air. And then there's the inimitable euphoric rush that only Trance can provide, married to pumping intensity and extravagant baroque fantasies.
The towering presence of Frankfurt's Oliver Lieb, working under the aliases of L.S.G. and Paragliders, looms large throughout, a producer rightly renowned for the consistent quality of his output. Picking favourites is an impossible task: "Netherworld", "Fragile", "Blueprint" and "Hearts" have all been championed as the greatest examples of the genre, ruthlessly functional on the dancefloor and orchestral in sensibility.
These tunes are must-haves for any aficionado - as are the epic riffs of Marmion's "Schöneberg", the classic high-tempo Fruit Loops Remix of Jens' "Loops & Tings", the acceleration into terrifying transcendence that is Velocity's "Lust" and two tracks from Humate: the progressive "3.2" and "East", their collaboration with Rabbit in The Moon - both perennial favourites of Sasha and John Digweed when they were the most in-demand DJ duo on earth.
An irresistible trip down memory lane for those who lived and danced through the 90s and a definitive introduction for anyone new to this sound, this compilation captures the sheer vitality of a music that ruled the global underground.