Presented like a ‘battle of the bands’, the CDs making up this triple whammy of concentrated sounds, Gatecrasher’s Trance Anthems, feature the skills of Judge Jules, Matt Hardwick and Scott Bond, three of the hottest DJs in the house and trance scene. The first disc is by Bond and he starts the ball rolling with an absolutely corking version of U2’s ‘Lemon’, that is followed by sixteen tracks of vibrant heaven, inventive and engaging throughout, with an array of superstar collaborations that culminate in William Orbit working over ‘Barber’s Adagio For Strings’ for a classical flourish that highlights Bond’s constant over-the-shoulder checks and sheer determination to be different.

As the time comes to swap the discs to Hardwick’s seventeen choices on Disc Two, you can wonder where it is going to go but, if you know Matt’s subtle soundscapes already, then you will settle into a more sensual, laid-back and deliciously refined comfort zone that builds in its energy and dips into the superior vocal talents of Lustral as an opener. Where Bondy is all high-energy and senior league production values, Matt’s approach is sweeter and more refined, with a luscious blend of bass and strings supporting the usual hiccoughy background melange of musicality.

There is no reduction in the quality of the presentation but it is just a whole lot sexier and relies on support from an equally stellar list of performers, including Paul Oakenfold, Chakra, Paul van Dyk and Timo Maas. It is thankfully somewhat different to Scott’s fascinating combinations and takes the whole trance game onto another plateau. However, the final disc of the threesome is Judge Jules’ fifteen track long body of evidence.

Track four is a particular stand-out for me, involving as it does Armin van Buren and the vocal talents of the creamy chorded Cathy Burton on ‘Rain’, listen to it, can you hear it fall? Is this man deserving of a ‘god-like’ status? Without much doubt, he stands alone, a giant among men. Yet, this is a triple album set that you will never tire of listening to. Three quite different producers, stating their cases, factoring their beliefs to a wider audience. They would play happily as a backdrop to a back garden party but turn up the volume and you can be whisked back to Ibiza or Cyprus for the summer of no regrets. These are truly great trance anthems, make no mistake.