HOOJ165
Various Artists
"Trance Trax Vol 4"

Keeping the train on the rails as we head ever further into an uncertain future, TT4 comes with another six tracks, once again gaily stretching the genre term to it's meaningful limits, mixing up new with old, fast with slow, deeper stuff with bangers.
Ton TB (half of Three Drives / Greece 2000) opens proceedings with a rushy, linear, late night stomper 'Hurt You', before an OG progressive friend (first whites appeared in 92'... we signed it in 94/5' ) Frontier Man returns with a spritely hypno-tech rework from fellow, erm, man, Australian post lo-fi swashbuckler Fantastic Man.
Talking of old friends, CM's 'Dream Universe' always occupied a slightly unique position within the Hooj Pantheon: as we've mentioned before, in his 1998 review of the track, DJ Mag's Ronnie Randall wrote that this was "a proper journey... but maybe all the journey's have been made now?", and we knew he was right, as far as we were feeling it... we never signed another trancer to Hooj, and never looked back (last bit = patently untrue, obvs).
In early summer, Irish heavyweight Ciaran McAuley took the 2021 HEO electronic/orchestral cover and added a swathe of gleaming Emerald Isle energy, to create a fizzing, no frills peak-timer for his own sets, before passing on for our admiring gaze.
Making a swift return after TT3 , Glenn Morrison has ratcheted up his and Aaya's own 'Twenty Something' into the propulsive neo psy-banger it was always meant to be, whilst welcome newcomer to the the label Jay Farina, fresh from a spring Hot Creations debut, dial things down a bit with the rolling, zoned in Balearica of 'Supernova'.
Another TT3 veteran, Hansgod, rounds thing off on an altogether gentler note, as Heya bumps and builds into a hazy, MFA reminiscent throbber.

01 - Frontier Man - Express It Thru The Dance (Fantastic Man Remix
Written & Produced by Darren Norman. Published by Copyright Control.
02 - Ton TB - Hurt You
Written & Produced by Ton van Empel. Published by Copyright Control.
03 - HEO - Dream Universe (Ciaran McAuley Remix)
Written by Crisci Mauro & Marino Stephano. Published by News Publishing / Kalpa Records.
Produced by HEO: Hooj Ensemble Orchestra. Orchestral arrangements by Pete Whitfield and John Bryan.
04 - Glenn Morrison & Aaya - Twenty Something
Written & Produced by Glenn Morrison & Aaya. Published by Sony Music.
05 - Jay Farina & Quinzi - Supanova
Written & Produced by Jason Bunker & Anthony Quinzi. Published by Dharma Songs.
06 - Hansgod - Heya
Written & Produced by Hans Godde. Published by Dharma Songs.
(P) & (C) 2023 Hooj Choons