Perhaps some day in the distant future, at some far away campus, students of turn-of-the-century electronic music will listen as their professor waxes on about the effect that the seminal British trance entity Juno Reactor had on the world.

They will discuss the fluidity of the Juno sound, which was in regular flux with its various members morphing around frontman Ben Watkins. They'll point to Watkins' percussive innovations, his affinity for long spiritual vocals and his overlapping marriages with traditional African and Japanese beats and chants, and they will ask themselves why was it all so special.

Juno's greatest hits album "Odyssey 1992-2002," set for release next Wednesday, will be required listening for the course.

"Odyssey" is an 11-track chronological tale of Juno Reactor, starting with "High Energy Protons," the first track of the first Juno album, "Transmissions" (released in January 1993), and finishing with "Hotaka," a new collaboration with the progressive Japanese drum group Gocoo.

A four-version CD of "Hotaka," along with four back-catalog titles -- "Transmissions," "Beyond the Infinite," "Bible of Dreams" and "Shango" -- will be released the same day, all on the Music of the Sphere banner. This shotgun-style release is certain to have a huge impact.

Juno/Watkins has done a couple of interesting things with "Odyssey." It is clearly being presented as a greatest hits album, but "Hotaka" hasn't been released yet. And, interestingly, on all but the last track, "Odyssey" was compiled as a mix, with one song leading into the next. Only "Hotaka" stands alone.

It's been a while since I've listened to Juno Reactor. I started getting serious about trance about the same time that Watkins went through a period where he reportedly developed "a complete hatred of electronic music."

The October 2000 release of "Shango" was the result of that period. This was Watkins' stylized rebellion. The Shango Tour was apparently fun to watch, and the music on "Shango" itself is brilliantly done, but it turned a lot of people off, and away from Juno.

"Hotaka" signals a swing back toward what we really want from Juno. Watkins puts all the elements in place for this one, giving us low guttural chants, high melodic vocals, the raw noise from Gocoo and a racy guitar riff that would sound good in a James Bond movie.

"Odyssey 1992-2002" is one of those rare creations that will raise your level of music appreciation each time you play it.

Welcome to the Coolest Place on Earth!

Arcadia Music scored another awesome party at the Aug. 9-11 Summer Arcade festival. Held at Fujiten Snow Resort on the north side of Mount Fuji, Summer Arcade highlighted one of Arcadia's greatest talents: capitalizing on the venue and creating the coolest party environment possible.

The soft grass of the ski slope was a delight to sleep on. The view was spectacular and the music was a high-energy injection. Clear skies meant lots of heat during the day, especially in the main stage area. The camping situation evolved into nylon chaos.

Adding to the flavor was a mostly cloudless view of the north side of Fuji, the side that never makes it on to postcards.

Headlining the party and taking it into Sunday morning was S.U.N. Project who showed up on stage wearing pressed hotel yukatas and launched into "Flip the Rap." They ditched the robes when the sunrise blinded the back graphic screens and they proceeded to put on what will probably stand as Best Outdoor Live Set of the Year.

S.U.N.'s playlist has been revised to include most of the tracks from "Sexperimental" with just enough of their classics to keep you in a constant groove.

Unfortunately, they won't be back for The Gathering in September, especially after playing Zepp again this weekend. "We wanted to," guitar player Matthias said offstage, "but if you play one place too many times, it might get boring for the crowd."

Summer Arcade had a really nice flow to it overall. The setup was genius -- you were never more than a few minutes away from life's basic necessities. (This was the first time I've seen heated washlet toilets at a trance party in or out of doors.)

And you have to love the way Arcadia puts their lineups together as well. Let's hope they do this one again next year.

Hotaka Mountain Festival '02

When Music of the Sphere puts on a party, you know when it's over that you've been someplace far away and gained an appreciation of the cosmos.

The 2002 version of the Hotaka Mountain Festival, Aug. 23 to 25, is going to be one of those parties.

Set for the Hotaka Bokujo Campsite in Gunma Prefecture at an elevation of 1,440 meters, this party is going to tickle your mystical imagination, starting with a full moon party on the first night.

The lineup looks prime for a weekend full of deep funky vibes. For fans of Domino and Mike Maguire, Hotaka is labeled "can't miss." Domino absolutely excels outdoors and Maguire has two sets scheduled.

Access to this party is a little more difficult; getting to the campsite from the reception desk involves either a shuttle bus or ski lift, both 400 yen, or a one-hour hike. It's also going to be much colder, I'm told, so plan ahead.

One really nice touch that MotS adds to their outdoor parties is the Kids Dome, where parents can let their little ones play while they go and dance.

The organizers were also looking for volunteer workers, especially women, to work six hours a day with meals and transportation from Tokyo provided.

You can find more information on the Hotaka Web site, which is supposed to feature a live camera feed starting on the 23rd.