Vs T-World
This new record from Gus Gus is actually not new at all, nor is it really from Gus Gus. Instead, it's a collection of releases from a previous collaboration between two of Gus Gus's many soon-to-be members--Herb Legowitz, then known as Maggi Lego, and computer programmer Biggi Veira, a.k.a. Thorarinsson. This material, recorded under the name t-world between 1992 and 1995, has aged well, and shows off much of the same melodic repetition and expansion of modern trance music. There's a definite old-school-ish house groove the boys were working off of, though, like on "Anthem," a track that was initially slated for DJ Darren Emerson's initial release withUnderworld. A soulful bass line pumps up a dreamy melody, expanding within a familiar pattern of repetition and rhythmic progression that has since been many a DJ's stock in trade. Other tracks presage the dominance of trance music that would flower in the late '90s. "Purple" gives off a glittery vibe from the get-go, making compelling use of a breathy, three-note vocal that's catchy enough to make any 21st-century crowd whip out their glowsticks. Yet this collection finds t-world consistently choosing restraint over easy manipulations, still leaving the listener wanting for release. Gently receding into swirling keyboard patterns and briefly pulling back from the thump, t-world's hypnotic sense of pace was made to settle under your skin and into your brain's pleasure centers. Some of the year 2000's lazier trance DJ's, whose numbers seem to rise by the hour, could do well to seek out such other specialists in restraint for inspiration.--Matthew Cooke