Charly Lownoise & Mental Theo – Rave Parade 4 - Ultra Hard (1995)

A couple of weeks ago I reviewed an album released in 1996 by Charly Lownoise and Mental Theo, which was called 'Rave Parade 5'. You know I love myself a bit of cheesy Happy Hardcore, and I really liked the album. It wasn't the best Happy Hardcore compilation ever, but it is one that you have to acknowledge. The same rules apply to this album. It was compiled by the biggest duo in the Happy Hardcore scene, and released on Polydor's label back in 1995. Yes, probably the biggest year for Happy Hardcore, or was that 1996?

I got reminded that there was another volume out there I should have checked out. It's nice listening to the fifth edition, but what about the fourth? I'm a user of a Dutch website called Partyflock, and a avid user since 2007. 15/16 years ago I met fellow UK Hardcore fanatics, and our love for the happier side of life remains intact until this day. His user name is 'Love Is The Answer', and he was the one that asked me to do a review on this album. Well, dear sir, this one is for you!

He knows I love a bit of cheese. And this CD certainly contains that. It is happy though, so please keep your negative feedback to yourself: only happy people comments here. But does that mean it's all good and all is hunky dory? Well, only one way to find out.

This CD compilation contains 2 discs with not just Happy Hardcore anthems, but also a few Gabber, Hardcore, and Hard Trance anthems. It's diverse, but the main focus is obviously Happy Hardcore. Well, you know that Charly and Theo couldn't just compose a disc without the main focus being the one style that made them a few pennies!

CD 1

Dune - Can't Stop Raving (12'' Mix)
Bass-D & King Matthew - Like A Dream
Charly Lownoise & Mental Theo - White Borderline
Crazy People Are Happy - Get On The Floor (Hardcore Mix)
Molella feat The Outhere Brothers - If You Wanna Party (Pura Vida Mix)
Party Animals - Used & Abused (Amnesia Mix)
Flirepie - To The God Of Abraham
T-Marc feat Vincent - Put Your Hands In The Air
Highlander - Ruffneck
Raver's Nature - Bring Me Noise
Bouncer # 9 - Deeper Love (Single Edit)
Perplexer - Love Is In The Air (Original Mix)
DJ Robo'jox - Play That House
T-Marc feat VIncent - Get Up
DJ Defender & E-Raver - Only You
The Demoniac - You Can Dance
DJ Ricci & MC Hair - Cape Fear

CD 2

Renegade & Static feat MC Ron - Scotland Is Rockin' (12'' Mix)
Marusha - Unique
Uranus - Flowed On A Vibe
Revox - Sysex
Ectomorph - Heartbeat
Charly Lownoise & Mental Theo - Shock The Nation
Infernus - I Want Your Love (Bass-D & King Matthew Remix)
T-Marc feat Vincent - Rock'n Move Ya
Rhythm Quest - Noisy People
DJ Defender & E-Raver - Humpty Hardbeat
DJ XD - Hell Yeah
Twin Terror - I Feel Alive (Terror Mix)
Sub-State - Another Day
Nu Love - Can You Feel The Love Tonight (Extended Version)
T-Marc feat Vincent - Strings Of Infinity (Remix)
Cybermind - Subgabba
CV Gate - Get The Fuck Out! (Fast Mix)

I thought I'd knew everything there is about Happy Hardcore, and then I hear this CD, and it makes me wonder: do I know everything, or is that just my imagination? So many of these records are unknown to me. There's also plenty of meh/shit records on this compilation, but that later.

There are plenty of obscure and underground Happy Hardcore anthems you don't hear anywhere anymore. It's like they are buried under some kind of spell. We should embrace these records more and more. A bit bored by all the Paul Elstak anthems, we need these records more than ever before! Revive the sound, bring back the proper oldskool Happy Hardcore anthems.

I do love the diversity of these CDs. It's got literally everything on 2 discs, and it would have been great, listening to these in your car. Not many people would have build in CD players, so they would use cassette tapes with a cord coming out of it, connecting it to a portal CD player. What a kerfuffle compared to the present day. It was so much hassle, and I'm glad we moved away from the old days. But I do miss holding a disc in my hand though.

It is a nice compilation. I thought it would go to the 5 stars, but then the second disc started with such a horrible record. My God, thought I' heard it all. What a horrible record, 'Scotland Is Rockin'.

Scotland is rocking, but not because of that track. Please bury that one, right NOW.

I do love myself a bit of T-Marc featuring Vincent. I wonder what happened to them. Oh wait, fuck yeah, I just figured out who T-Marc is... it's bloody Marco V!!!

That's an eye opener. What is also an eye opener is which 2 tracks are my favourite ones:

- Highlander - Ruffneck

- DJ XD - Hell Yeah

A nice disc, and it truly brings out the nostalgia factor a lot. Don't think you can buy these albums anymore anywhere. If you did ever own these, consider yourself lucky. They don't make music like they made it back in 1995 anymore...

But fuck me. 'Scotland Is Rockin' is poor. Extremely poor. Wouldn't even consider it a worthwile song. A song I would listen to at a rave, and immediately decide to go for a piss/shit/smoke. And the Outhere Brothers song is another forgettable song.