Vanguard

At a time when progressive releases in any given month outnumber grains of sand on any given beach, and when the majority of the style’s DJs are switching to digital as the most appropriate way of accessing the best individual tracks to complement their style, a CD release as good as this is significant.

Here Tribal Vision make amends for a fairly under-par couple of albums. There’s not even a duff track on Vanguard: plinky tech works wonders on Leron & Eves Eaux’s Welcome To The Real World, Lish & Yotopia’s Plastik Twist sounds just as good as their names together would suggest.

Jerome Isma-Ae works wonders with his dreamy, detached remix of Vibrasphere’s 102 Miles From Here. This is truly one of the best remixes I’ve ever heard – starting with a staggering original track, the odds of him making it better are stacked firmly against him. Abut as you sit back and relax into an impeccable bit of sonic arrangement, laconic progression and perfect progression, you’re having possibly the best seven minutes of your life.

Perhaps most significant of all is the stuff from Even 11, better known to you and I as Jaia and Silicon Sound. Their remix of Ticon’s In Stereo is nothing short of wonderful, while their own Like This is as damn close to perfect proggy party music as you’ll find.

Also worthy of note are Duca’s opening Green Lines combining positivity with paranoia, and Czech artist Nipp with the dreamily understated Salvation.

All in all this is almost unbearably classy. I honestly thought that we’d seen the final days of decent progressive albums standing up on their own; doubly so compilations. Vanguard makes me incredibly happy to be wrong. Respect.