Rating: 7/10

Track Amount: 14

Running Time: 1 hour and 4 minutes

Genre: Eurodance

Personnel: Tania Evans (singer), Jay Supreme (rapper)

Producer: Peter Zweier, Torsten Fenslau

Recording Location: N/A

Record Label: Sony Music

Art Direction: Public Art

Best Tracks: Mr. Vain

Quick Verdict: A good but dated representation of Eurodance Music

Eurodance is a loose term for EDM back in the 1990s that was a bit of Techno, but mostly House Music with some singing and/or rapping thrown in for good measure, with the overwhelming amount of these artists and their popularity coming from Europe. Hence the name of the genre. Although 2 Unlimited were one of the champions of this genre, Culture Beat were another group that became popular in the early 1990s. After some personnel changes, this is an album that saw some unexpected and tremendous global success, with the lead single, Mr. Vain, topping charts in many European countries and Australia as well. Not bad for a music project from Germany. In any case, let’s take a listen to this album by Culture Beat, which was very popular back in 1993, and we shall hear if it is any good.

1. Serenity – Prolog is a neat introduction to the album, with the sort of intro that Dr Dre nabbed for his own 2001 album (1999) that he released years later. This is, nonetheless, very cool. Some strange horror film-style soundtrack sounds emerge, which are quite different. The album gets going nicely, with some clanking train sounds and other interesting sonic textures present on this opening. This is a very interesting listen, with helicopters and other strange sounds thrown in for good measure. Soon enough, Jay Supreme speaks some spoken word parts, which are really cool, introducing the album at hand. A very good introduction overall.

2. Mr. Vain begins with a catchy static loop, 4/4 beats and looks into a fantastic tune with some neat rhythms and sonic melodies that sound absolutely wonderful. Tania Evans sings extremely well, and obviously, she was a great pick for Culture Beat. This is a tune about the men who love women just for how they look. Jay Supreme does a wonderful job on this song as well, rapping with a wonderful authority throughout. Nonetheless, one can hear exactly why this song was a hit. “I know what I want, and I want it now!” is sung in the chorus, pointing out the human desire for love and lust. A seriously cool tune overall, with some neat and wonderful drum machine progressions and fantastic vocals by the two stars on this song. A driven, energetic and top tune that deserves to be on many people’s playlists. Seriously good music. It sounds just as good today as it did back in 1993. The 1990s were well and truly underway by this point. The kick drum beats and other melodies towards the end do sound fantastic. A great, great song that is feminist without being overly sexist. Take that Ecstasy/MDMA pill and go nuts to this tune; that is what it is designed for. A very brilliant tune overall. Fantastic. The outro is tasty.

3. Got To Get It is another hit from this album with some synth strings and gorgeously melodic singing by Tania Evans. This launches into a good tune with the Funky Drummer breakbeat in the background, and some awesome yet neat electronic textures to match it all. This sounds a bit like the KLF, which isn’t a really bad thing at all. Ray Supreme is a great rapper, and he delivers a sweet rapping section. Nonetheless, this album so far is a real winner musically, which sounds sweet and delightful, as does this track. The music and performances are absolutely stunning and will blow your mind. The drum machine loops and beats do sound fantastic, even if some may think that they sound dated today. The looped rapping and samples throughout do sound literally very impressive, and make this an animated and enjoyable song to listen to. The spirit of Eurodance was flowing nicely on this album, and so far, this is a winner of a release. Towards the end, it becomes increasingly minimal to listen to. The synth riff returns, and this tune builds up to its gradual conclusion. Sweet and dynamic overall.

4. World In Your Hands begins with some cut-up electronic sounds and some melancholy vocals by Tania Evans. This is a good listen, with some unique subsonic bass sounds throughout. It launches into a smooth and different tune with some excellent breakbeats that are nicely cut up. Jay Supreme raps slowly on this one, and the tune throughout is a supercharged and different listen for this album. A solid piece of instrumentation matches some fine singing and rapping from the stars here. It is a very different listen musically to anything that is out there today. The piano solo in the midsection is also very good, leading into a good and intricately programmed solo section, followed by beats and rapping that sound cool. A dramatic and interesting listen throughout, with a reference to George Orwell’s 1984 lyrically. A sadder-sounding tune, but one filled with vision and purpose overall. This is a good, but nonetheless quite miserable listen overall. It is fairly repetitive towards the end as well. It’s decent, but nothing hit worthy.

5. Adelante! begins with some cool cut-up vocals and launches into some straightforward but good EDM beats at hand. This builds up gradually, before some Roland TB-303 patches enter, and this tune comes gradually alive. This is much more like it, musically speaking. It has some interesting sounds and patches throughout, which sound really fantastic and enjoyable overall. Spanish is spoken here, and it proves that music is truly an international language. A really cool and interesting tune that has some decent and good music magic about it all. The midsection has more spoken lyrics by Ray Supreme over some straightforward House Music styled beats. This is fairly repetitive, but music has done much worse than this before. A good listen if you want to hear what the music of 1993 could offer if you love EDM. In the second half, it predictably builds up the beats and textures that sound really great overall. A seriously cool and interesting tune at hand, which sounds really great. Some soft Spanish talk continues, leading into a cool tune at hand. For anyone who has learned a second language, this tune is very appreciable. Cool for what it is.

6. Rocket To The Moon begins with some Roland TR-808 and TR-909 drum machine patterns that sound great, followed by some cut-up digital melodies. This still continues the overall quality of the album and adds some fresh and interesting sounds throughout. A mastery of music work that sounds really interesting and refreshing throughout, which is magical. This sounds like the sort of bangers that would impress pill poppers and ravers back in the day. The music is simply enjoyable, and although this is not the greatest album of all time, it is certainly listenable and detailed enough to play to your friends in a social situation. This tune is admittedly a little repetitive, but the music and sounds are really cool overall. This is a much more sonically based song at hand, but it retains its freshness and purpose to this very day. The lyrics are about sending away an ex-partner on a rocket to the moon. The section leading towards the end has some fresh melodies and sounds that are really nicely detailed and interesting to listen to. Another good, although unlikely, great piece of music. It is a fine and interesting listen overall.

7. Anything begins with some sonic melodies that sound dark but good and some 4/4 beats. This is a darker and minor-key melody-led section, with a Fear Factory sample that sounds really quite good for what it is. This music is very good, even though there are no vocals for some time. This is a good song with some clear and tuneful vocals by Tania Evans that sound really tuneful. Jay Supreme raps nicely and with authority throughout as well. This isn’t the best nor the most pleasant tune at hand, but it is not really skippable in the context of the album. This is about distress in love and life, and the music and lyrics match each other very well throughout. A solidly cool and interesting tune at hand, which simply works nicely. The sounds and music in the second half are very hypnotic and detailed, just sounding really super and cool. This is one of the definitive album releases of 1993, not in terms of quality, but in terms of popular appeal. This tune is a good one, although not a really great one. This is also fairly lengthy overall, which is a flaw of this rather repetitive music. Still, no need to skip ahead throughout this tune. There are filters applied to the mix towards the end, before this returns to the main section of music at hand. Nonetheless, this is good, but its miserabilism does not make it really great. A good listen overall, however.

8. Key To Your Heart begins with some electronic warped bass textures, hi-hats and loose kick drum beats galore. This is another solid song that has some interesting and intricate electronic sounds and samples throughout. This is surprisingly better than expected overall; the music and sounds are quite classy in their own way. A really interesting and supercharged tune at hand, which has some mellow singing by Tania Evans. Nonetheless, this music does have a good quality to it. It is not as throwaway as some critics have dismissed. There is some longevity to this music, despite the fact that it is more or less a snapshot in time. The singing by Tania Evans on this tune is absolutely pretty and divine, and just sounds supremely cool. In any case, this smooth R&B-flavoured song sounds incredibly worthwhile. Towards the end are some interesting electronically programmed sounds that are really interesting, before a smooth vocal conclusion occurs. A seriously top tune at hand. Just wonderful.

9. The Other Side Of Me begins with some outer space styled sounds, like The Rolling Stones 2000 Light Years From Home song in retrospect, before beats and other interesting textures enter. This launches into another solidly good piece of music with some ecstasy-driven beats and sounds that are really cool. The music and sounds throughout still maintain their gorgeous consistency. The sounds and performances throughout are a good representation of the Eurodance movement of the 1990s. Some piano parts are thrown into the mix as well. This is a mellow but tuneful album for those of you who love bangers in general. Tania Evans sings beautifully on this song, and she is the underrated and undisputed star of Culture Beat. A lively and powerful tune with a touch of melancholy and despair to it all. This is surely one of the better Eurodance albums to be released, and the music always sounds interesting, even if some of the sounds and structures are a little repetitive. No matter. This has some pretty and interesting vocals by Tania Evans that power along this majestic tune. A very solid listen throughout, good and wonderful to hear.

10. The Hurt begins with some UK Hardcore styled piano riffs, straightforward beats and launches into a pleasant tune with vocals by Tania Evans singing about leaving a lover behind. This has some good breakbeats and a bassline that sounds really cool. Jay Supreme raps here on this tune, and he articulates the male side of a breakup on this song. This music has a sensationally upbeat and good feel despite all its miserabilism. This is a precursor to the female Pop Music so dominant at the time of writing, in that it states a relationship falling apart set to electronic sounds. Nonetheless, this is a very interesting and good tune that has its own quality and character throughout. Better and more interesting than your average R&B record, but with a Eurodance feel. This wraps up nicely after four minutes of relatively good music that sounds refreshing in its originality. Good to hear. A bit repetitive though.

11. Mother Earth begins with a patch of dark, foreboding sounds and Tania Evans speaking about different locations around the world. This is a deep-sounding tune at hand. Some intricate electronic melodies enter, followed by some bombastic beats at hand. This music is unique, excellent and fresh-sounding when the main melody kicks in. Tania Evans sings about the need for PLUR in our world, which is the raver global world concept. This makes a great deal of sense today, as there is far too much selfishness and greed in our 21st century. All in all, a seriously fantastic and dynamic listening experience at hand. This music is strong, detailed and sensationally good to listen to. The singing is gorgeously amazing and direct lyrically. Indeed, this seems like a tune against the nature of the worst of Capitalism designed for the wealthy, greed and profits against the environment. In any case, humanity is more than capable of creating great things, politics or not. This is a political tune, so those of you who do not like to hear singing about this sort of thing should avoid hearing this. Even for the listeners, this is a bit like reading Karl Marx whilst exploring EDM. Good, but it won’t be to everyone’s taste. A good listen, despite that.

12. Serenity – Epilog is the final main track, and begins with some neat electronic textures throughout. This sounds dark and foreboding overall. It changes gradually into a gloomy-sounding piece of electronic music at hand. This instrumental track is something else overall. The album title is softly spoken, followed by a synthesised clarinet sound. This is followed by ethereal textures and launches into a tune that isn’t really necessary on this album by this stage. This launches into 4/4 EDM beats and sounds that really can be skipped. Overall, this is minor key melodies and music that is really only worth listening to if you are a huge fan of Culture Beat. Most will want to hit stop at this point; the album is effectively over. In any case, the clarinet melodies and sounds are fairly ordinary. It goes on for far too long as well; this is not the best way to end an otherwise good album at hand. This is a drag. Like most EDM albums, there are some dips in quality, and this is a clear example of all this. This is music to listen to in a foul mood, but many will not wish to hear this for that reason, unless they really need to do so. A punchy and interesting tune that drags on, which is not needed at this stage. All in all, a poor finish to an otherwise good album at hand. The repetitive nature of this music is not that good, and it could have been ditched in retrospect. In any case, this wraps up with a fade out of the backing track and just leaves in the main melodies at hand. A poor tune. Very annoying.

13. Id Tania is a quick phone call recording by Tania Evans to finish off the album. Little needs to be said here.

14. Id Jay is the same thing, done by Jay Supreme.

This is a good album that, for all its faults, has some place in popular music history and your listening library. Just be aware that this is an album that requires some songs to be skipped to be truly enjoyable. Therefore, this is not an outright classic album in the name of Eurodance and rivals such as 2 Unlimited were far better musically than this. Still, it does have its moments. Should you listen to this album? Yes, if you like Eurodance and similar forms of EDM, but no if you prefer music with guitars in it.

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