Christopher Lawrence
United States of Trance
Moonshine
The prolific California label Moonshine continues to disperse its hit-or-miss electronic releases to the club goers of the world with the latest mix from U.S trance jockey Christopher Lawrence. Perhaps the leader in the American trance scene, Lawrence unleashes a 74-minute jaunt through the strobe-lit, frenetic discotheque. Although trance hasn’;t quite grown on listeners in the States as it has in Europe, Lawrence is determined to flip the script, and for the most part, he succeeds. With the epic filter sweeps and 4/4 beats that practically come pre-packaged with this genre, Lawrence wisely chooses to integrate those standards with a style all his own.
Sleek as an Armani 3-piece, United States of Trance invites some of the lesser-known artists making small waves around the country, including Twister 2 and DJ Merlyn. Even Lawrence himself isn’;t afraid to throw one of his own creations, “Cruise Control,” into the fray, providing us with his own style of electro-meets-trance. Highly infectious, melodic and grand in scale, Lawrence proves Sasha and Oakenfold aren’;t the only big fish in the pond, and the United States of Trance is a force to be reckoned with for 2001 and beyond. Hopefully, Moonshine too can be as quality-consistent with their releases this year.