30 years since two giants of house, trance and IDM birthed this era defining compilation. And in the wake of this fact, the duo have decided to bring it out of the locker and give it some polish, make the bass thump more, and bring back many memories to a lot of people that were entranced by this mix in the first place. So stand up and get ready to be bouncing off the walls until 6am (again), while we dive into the iconic album that is Northern Exposure.

North

‘Satellite Serenade’ might be one of the most recognisable intro tracks in all of dance album history, with Sir David Attenborough’s dialogue about the Amazonian highway leading into the sounds of waterfalls, and dreamy synths. Then at the halfway point, the bass picks up, and that’s when you really start to feel the compilation kick in, the song goes from an atmospheric piece to an IDM rave jumper. And from there the North side of the comp expands and takes you on a trip through some of the coolest dance tracks of the 90s.

‘These Waves’ by Young American Primitive and ‘Out Of Body Experience’ by Rabbit In The Moon are by far two of the major standout songs on North. Both of them just raise your conscious level, make your mind and your spirit go to another dimension, ‘These Waves’ with its uplifting melody that fills you with optimism whenever you hear it. ‘Out Of Body Experience’ is just jaw dropping (suppose that was probably both literal and figurative in 1996), the track is a lot more subdued than some of the others, but it still touches your soul, the beat being constant, and the harmonics in the middle are just there to put chills down your spine.

The penultimate track is brilliant too, Apollo 440’s ‘Liquid Cool’ starts off quite tame, before exploding into this creature that just keeps you going. It flows like liquid in the ears of the listener, making your muscles loosen up and just wanting to move. The first half of this compilation is mixed superbly by the two dance music virtuosos; there’s no wonder it gripped so many people in 96’.

South

If North was the culmination of some of the best IDM tracks of that era, then South is the heavier trance side of the collection. Immediately from the first track, ‘Wave Dub’ by Dope On Plastic, you can tell South is more centred around the bass and the beats. And what an opening track it is by the way, upbeat and full of energy. The droning synth throughout the track is like an itch in the brain being constantly scratched. There are so many good tracks on this side of the album that it’s so hard to just focus on a couple, but my top picks would have to be Drum Club’s ‘Sound System (Underworld Mix)’ and Humate and Rabbit In The Moon’s ‘East (Opium Den Mix)’. Both of them are just supersonic mixes, ‘Sound System’ is an enlightening track, the beat pumping on and on, the dreamy keyboard riff sending you into a trance. ‘East’ is just superb. It rises and rises until it can’t go any higher. You feel the rhythm in your soul; the beat is just ticking in your mind as it goes and goes. It feels like the perfect track to run a sprint to, so much energy in it, it just makes you feel alive. And right at the end, just as you think it’s closing down, this massive surge of sound just blasts through the tail end of it. phenomenal. And the final track on South deserves a big mention, many of you will know it. Darren Emerson’s rework of Underworld’s ‘Dark And Long (Dark Train)’ is iconic, having been used in Trainspotting, and just being one of the ravers anthems, it makes for an amazing outro. The version on this album is mixed slightly differently though, but it works so well to end the compilation. The beat that everyone knows so well, you can only picture one Mark Renton walking away with a bag full of cash while it plays. Remember, choose life. And with that, you’re almost sad it’s all over.

I think it’s safe to say Sasha and John Digweed didn’t just hit out of the park with this one, they smashed it through the ozone layer into space. It defined a generation of Ravers, but not just those going to the clubs and the outdoor raves. This was the soundtrack to many afters at someone’s gaff. Hell, I’ve been in a good friend of mine’s kitchen at 5 in the morning, enjoying Northern Exposure full blast (and it was fucking amazing). And I can assure you, drunk or sober, this album will always grip you by the soul and have you dancing until you can’t keep going. That’s usually the trademark of a good dance compilation.

Sasha & John Digweed: Northern Exposure Redux – Released 25 September 2026 (Late Night Tales / Night Time Stories)