Zion Train - Singled Out/Alive (China)

This is a must for anyone that's been fascinated, tempted or even just a little intrigued by Zion Train's much-publicised adventures in multimedia and '90s dubscapes. Zion Train's sixth album release is a double, CD-only set pairing a singles-so-far compilation (Single Minded) with their debut live set (Alive). Rather than dub or earth-rooted dance, Single Minded swerves dangerously into Europop territory thanks to production from the Rapino Brothers. Original Zion classics like 'Dance of Life' are given a new clarity, or are commercial dance O.D., depending on how you look at it.

But Single Minded does gather - for the first time on CD - underground classics such as 'Follow Like Wolves' and 'Hovercraft', both thought to have been lost to promo obscurity some years ago. Also included is 'Stand Up And Fight', one of the tracks which landed them on the Radio 1 play list for the first time last year, and the new single, 'Do Anything You Want To'. Alive on the other hand, was taped at Zion Train's Bass Odyssey event at The Rocket last December, as trailed on DJ's internet page back in issue 180. This is a sweaty mix of pounding dub and - compared to the sweetness of Single Minded - all traces of chill have been removed for heads-down hedonism. In the live setting the band give every track their all, even last years smooth and soulful single 'Rise' is given the full-on gabba treatment!

Combining both sides of the Zion Train coin is a great "all you ever wanted to know but were afraid to ask" introduction to the band and their story so far, even if presenting snapshots of their way-of-life underground live shows with the some sugary sweet Europop singles does leave you with more questions than answers... 8/10