May 2009ARCHIVE
“Essence” compilations have attained legendary status in Japanese club scene due to them being the first DJ compilations which released regular basis. Before “Essence” came to prominence in the Japanese market, compilations involving dance music were more cheesy ‘This Is Dance Music 199x’-type-ventures. These releases were a summary of the biggest dance hits of the year and failed to hit the mark when it came to showcasing what was really going on in Japanese underground clubs. Hence, in 1999 DJ 19 decided to make a compilation that gave focus to genres such as Trance(Progressive), Warp House (Hard House) and Chillout(Downtempo). As a result of this groundbreaking marketing, “Trance Essence Edge2” sold over 20,000 copies only in Japan! After 2003 the Essence series took a much-needed break after releasing 10 CDs. Fast forward to 2009. Seminal Japanese underground electronic dance music label 19BOX RECORDINGS is celebrating its 10th anniversary, so what a better way than to bring back the series that helped launch the label? “Essence” is back. The first release is "Essenc - Chillout Sessions -", which is compiled by 19Box label head honcho, DJ 19. It features 10 Balearic moods and grooves of utmost quality. Most of the tracks are unreleased and pack the expected punch that comes with the “Essence” series. Furthermore, this return sees DJ 19 provide tracks under his DJ 19, AMBROZIA and VALID EVIDENCE monikers. Lastly, this CD includes a fantastic cover version of SHAKATAK's "Night Birds". Out on June 25th at beatport.