V/A - Distance To Goa 4

[HolyLight]

When this CD came out  it kind of opened my eyes, this and Goa Head 2. I still listen to this CD frequently so many classic tracks and the cover art is beautiful too, by Mark Neal aka duskdemon.

[HolyLight]

Still great, I love the timeless quality of Marmion - Schöneberg (Man With No Name Mix), Man With No Name had a very good sense for melodies, which had a dreamy and hypnotic quality to them. This remix in particular stands out, because the harmonic content on offer is imbued with such summery delight and nostalgic feelings, of the highest order. And if that's not enough, it's paired with some excellent beats. Which still feels relevant to this day, such was the quality of Man With No Name's studio skills. This stands as a testiment to the enduring quality of the old school goa era.

The track selection is very good indeed, my only gripe with this compilation, as others have pointed out already, is that the second disc is mixed. It's a good mix tho, but the tracks it contain are best enjoyed in their unaltered entirety. I would have much preferred if the second disc would still have been mixed, but with a more complete duration kept of each track. I remember loving Kox Box - Fuel On, but the shorth lenght of it on this compilation, made it feel more like a teaser. What the second CD does well however, is to showcase how goa trance was mixed back in the day. Since there wasn't the type of reliance on auto beat matching and other features, such as harmonic help with the keys of songs analyzed, as we find on todays DJ-equipment and software. The DJ's had to rely on skills and good ears. The limited edition of this compilation is beautiful, I adore the holographic artwork on its cover and on the CD itself, and the yellow/green-coloured transparent jewel case is a nice touch as well. It sure gave a luxurious impression when it was released and still does today.