Yeah, we know, Access is a great track, we get it. But how awesome is extravaganza!? It builds in a way that reminds me of Red 3 from Dave Clarke, which came out around the same time. Incredible dancefloor-smashing energy.

This is one of those "you'll never forget where you were the first time you heard it" records. In my case... at the Gardening Club, Covent Garden, London - a basement venue which featured several nights run by Fabi Paras, though I can't remember if he played it that night, or someone else did.My (now ex-) wife was more of an indie/alternative girl, but she used to go clubbing with me occasionally (mostly reluctantly, lol), and even she recognised how awesome this record was. All I can remember is that it was a Tuesday night - yes, a TUESDAY... indeed, there was once a time when pounding techno-trance could be heard during the week in central London - those times are sadly long gone! Sadly, I no longer live in London, but the last time I walked past the site of the venue, I think it had been turned into an Apple Store or another sign of so-called "gentrification" or "improvement":( 20 years on, and its power hasn't waned. Still an absolute masterpiece, which still brings back great memories.

God dam, this is one of the best dance songs on earth. Just a few come on par, like "O.T. Quartet - Hold That Sucker Down"...

It's very difficult now to capture in words the devastating effect Access had on the worlds dancefloors at the time. Although plenty decent acid tracks had been released prior to 95, the 303 sound had taken a breather after the onslaught of the late 80's & early 90's and was then more familiar within the goa/hardtrance sounds. The hard dance scene was absolutely huge in the uk due to the previous 7 years of innovation and as that had started to become stale the scene was screaming out for a fresh path. Then Access Arrived!!! Nothing had been heard quite like this and it was like a nod to the past with a wink to the future, combining a mixture of the best acid tweaking of days gone by but with the strength and power of very early 90's gabba in a new hardtrance kinda style, very fresh at the time. The minute that kickdrum and stab broke through a track in the mix, you could feel it like a tremor literally shaking and pounding the club, testing the sound system to it's max like it was invented to play this track. Whatever was played before it became irrellevant, whatever was played after could not compete. Simply it caused crowds to go absolutely wild resulting in Total Dancefloor Annihilation!!! Exactly what Misjah and Tim intended it to do, i'm sure. X-Trax Rocks!!!

Seriously now, Access is one of the most inspiring pieces of electronic music - ever! Starting off with a ridiculously hard and fast drum kick accompanied by an equally menacing bass line, it stops only for a brief moment a few minutes into the track, and then following a crescendo of screaming 303s, it transforms into a high octane acid techno burner, never looking back once it really takes off! Fairly simple in all its greatness, but it's perfectly pitched, with a classic build up, which is just turgid with desire to be unleashed upon the party crowd. It still occasionally slips into modern DJ sets, and believe me, it has lost zero power and its devastating effect is still fully in tact. Truly a classic, and quite probably the best track to have ever been recorded under the X-Trax imprint, although Temple Of Acid is my own personal favorite. My only complaint with this otherwise awesome release is the feeble choice of tracks on the flip side. Switch is a track which goes nowhere, but samples an anti Vietnam war speech courtesy of Martin Luther King, which is cool to mix with a more intense sounding tune. Extravaganza is all but extravagant... Just a dull six and a half minutes of music, but you won't even notice you've been listening to anything else but the title track. Trust me, if you still haven't, whenever and wherever might it be that you see a CD or a 12" with DJ Misjah & DJ Tim- Access written on it, don't waste time and count your dimes, just grace yourself with a copy. Your music collection deserves one.

Even if you don't know the name of it, "Access" is a tune you HAVE heard in a nightclub. Probably lots of them, in fact. When it first appeared every single DJ who could get his hands on a copy caned it to death. Essentially a fairly minimal acid track, Access has a bassline so addictive with a repetitive acid stab that you can't help liking it. It's not untrue to say the track has passed almost into legend as one of the definitive acid "trance" records (not really techno, not really house). Even now after many remixes and re-releases later it still rocks a dancefloor. For me, Access began a long love affair with X-trax and that Dutch 'shuffle' sounding techno. Unlike many of my favourite tunes, Access is more like an old friend than just a record - all three copies I own! Make no mistake, it's up there with Acperience and Circus Bells. Misjah and Tim, thanks for the music..