Love Parade [ECD] [Audio CD] Ralph, Dave

To borrow a page from the Unsolved Mysteries dictionary, Dave Ralph's follow-up to Tranceport 2 is less like an actual live album than a reenactment. A dramatization, if you will, based upon the test sets Ralph spun leading up to his stint at Berlin's monstrously large annual Love Parade party. Don't let that "not really live" thing dissuade you, though. Live at the Love Parade actually bests most of its peers when it comes to capturing the dynamics of a live set. Anything you'd ever want on a dance floor is here in some fashion, be it echoey breaks (Nuclear Ramjet's "Deep Blue"), jumpy piano (Takka Box Inhibitor's "Freet"), burbly synths (Noel Sanger's "No Greater Love") or tons of emotional build-ups and breakdowns. Ralph's choice of a closing tune, a very front-and-center vocal dub of the omnipresent "Porcelain," is the best indicator of his main strength behind the decks, the ability to create and sustain a mood. While certainly not the most engaging mix of Moby's home-listening masterpiece, it's the mix that best sustains and summarizes the set's loved-up vibe. --Bob Michaels