Reviewed by Wes May
I'll admit, I'm a big fan of the Ultra compilation series because they offer everything that the discriminating dance music love could want, two discs of the hottest dance tracks by the best DJs at a low price. Last year, Ultra Records spun off its successful Ultra Dance series into Ultra Trance and since I loved the first compilation, I eagerly anticipated the second. Ultra Trance 2 is finally here but with a twist on the 2-disc sets we've come to expect from this series.
While disc one of Ultra Trance 2 has its uneven moments, it continues Ultra's tradition of the highest quality tracks and mixes. Standout tracks from Tina Arena, Kira, Oakenfold, and Paul Van Dyk make this a hot compilation to play at any afterhours party. The beatmixing is seamless and the flow really takes you through a journey.
Now, the twist: Ultra's compilations always include two discs of continuous mixed music. While Ultra Trance 2 includes two discs, the second disc is a DVD with 8 rare and hard-to-find dance music videos. Everyone knows you will never see these on MTV or MTV2, and until now, unless you were at a videoclub (or in Europe), you wouldn't ever see them.
Watching the videos and seeing the way the songs are interpreted add a new dimension to the music. Dance music videos are more experimental with storylines (a night at the club for Tomcraft "Loneliness") or religious satire (of Groove Coverage "God is a Girl") and cinematography (the cutting-edge stop-motion video of The Roc Project "Never"). At first I was a bit apprehensive about the loss of the second disc of music, but the unexpected pleasure of owning and watching the dance music videos makes me hope that Ultra will continue including DVDs in their compilations.
Even if you aren't a regular purchaser of dance records, Ultra Trance 2 (and the Ultra series in general) are a must for your collection.
-Wes May
