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  Directed by
  Starring
    None Listed
  Specs
  • Full Frame
  Languages
  • English: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
  • English: Dolby Digital Stereo
  Subtitles
    English, French, Spanish, German
  Extras
  • Teaser trailer - The History of Dance Music (UK) Volumes 1 and 2
Universal Stories of Dance
Warner Vision/Warner Vision . R4 . COLOR . 66 mins . PG . PAL

  Feature
Contract

This disc is quite interesting in its format, but bizarre with its visual content. The video that accompanies the mix by Mike Cosford is strange yet it does draw the viewer in. The booklet that accompanies the discs says that the video is trying to visually express the stories of dance from 1988 – 2000, and it might just be me, but the video doesn’t tell too much. With the informative subtitles though, they do tell a story of the Universal Stories of Dance. Track 1 features a pregnant woman dancing and I thought ‘what have I got myself into?’ But then it calms down and shows some amusing and pulsating, yet artistic footage including text and symbols. The 12 track DVD disc finishes with the haunting Silence by Delerium featuring the stunning vocals of Canadian artist Sarah McLachlan. This just wraps the disc up and really ends on a good note. This final footage also features the pregnant woman from the start, but wearing more than a bra this time.

Also included is a 13 track CD mixed by Jon Dasilva, that runs for 74 minutes. It is interesting to listen to, and the continuity of the tracks is excellent as it can be put on at a party and left on for over an hour with uninterrupted dance.

  Video
  Audio
  Extras
Contract

Video wise, this transfer is fairly nice, but does suffer from some slight problems. Now slight does mean very slight. Throughout the entire 66 minutes grain is apparent, but this is not distracting at all.

The colours are mastered wonderfully, with solid blacks and incredibly bright whites. However, there is only one problem and that is that the reds in Chapter 7 bleed ever so slightly, creating that blurry look.

Sharpness throughout the feature is superb, but is only limited to the master print which was most probably an up-market version of a handycam, rather than a Hollywood Panavision camera.

The footage does travel at quite a fast pace, and does not suffer from any MPEG artefacts.

There is no layer change on this disc. The feature is presented in the fullscreen aspect of 4:3, and is obviously not 16x9 enhanced.

Subtitles are offered in four languages: English, French, Spanish and German, and are really interesting to read, but sometimes change too fast and some you might not be able to read in time.

The audio is offered as either a Dolby Digital 5.1 or 2.0 track. The 5.1 track reigns supreme with a magnificent 6 channel remix from Mike Cosford. The front end of the soundstage has great fidelity and the discreet subwoofer track means that bass lovers can crank it up really loud without distorting anything else. The surrounds are used really heavily, especially crossing from the front to the back, and vice versa. By doing this, a real depth is added to the music, and it envelopes the audience.

The Dolby Digital 2.0 track is severely lacking depth, and is very plain and uninteresting to listen to.

The extra audio CD is good to listen to, with some pulsating and driving beats. Seeing that this is only a normal CD, it is only in stereo.

The extras are trailers for the History of Dance Music (UK) which just plays samples from these two discs.

This two disc set is not something you sit down and watch with popcorn, but can successfully be used to add a visual element to a party. The 5.1 sound is just superb, and would also create a brilliant atmosphere on the dance floor.


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  •   And I quote...
    "A uniquely bizarre mix of the stories of dance. 'Hmmm, um ok' says it all."
    - Martin Friedel
      Review Equipment
    • DVD Player:
          Nowa DS-8318
    • TV:
          TEAC 68cm CTV
    • Speakers:
          Teac PLS-60 Home Theatre System
    • Centre Speaker:
          Teac PLS-60 Home Theatre System
    • Surrounds:
          Teac PLS-60 Home Theatre System
    • Audio Cables:
          Standard RCA
    • Video Cables:
          standard s-video
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