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What's the best GU of all-time?

There's been so many in the GU series, but what's the absolute best GU release of all-time?

go ahead and post your favourite gu .

most of them are available on YouTube now anyway, i'd love to know what yours is.

It's a popular pick, but I have to go with GU 019. It's not my favorite tracklist ever, but the overall programming of the dark prog theme and the way he mixes each track to create a narrative is why it's the absolute best GU in the series.

Matt, you lucked out. I had a bout of Sciatica from September to November and ended up listing my top 29 GU's (would have been 30 if not for Oakie's Oslo being 002 and 007) for a friend looking to get into electronic music (I stopped at 030 because with the exception of Lima, there was no point to go further than that IMO). This list leaves out any of the nubreeds.

Truth be told, I feel different about some of the editions that the majority of prog enthusiasts do. Maybe it's from my initial listening or maybe some grew on me more than others. It also doesn't help that some of the live sets or other compilations from some of the DJ's on here were extremely good and set expectations too high. Anyways, here you go:

1) John Digweed 006- Sydney
2) John Digweed 014- Hong Kong
3) Nick Warren 011- Budapest
4) Dave Seaman 016- Cape Town
5) Danny Howells 027- Miami
6) Nick Warren 018- Amsterdam
7) Dave Seaman 012- Buenos Aires
8) Nick Warren 024- Reykjavik
9) Sasha 013- Ibiza
10) Paul Oakenfold 004- Oslo
11) Sasha 009- San Francisco
12) Danny Tenaglia 017- London
13) Tony De Vit 005- Tokyo
14) John Digweed 019- Los Angeles
15) Paul Oakenfold 002 or 007- New York
16) Dave Seaman 022- Melbourne
17) James Lavelle 023- Barcelona
18) Nick Warren 028- Shanghai
19) Nick Warren 008- Brazil
20) Deep Dish 025- Toronto
21) Darren Emerson 020- Singapore
22) Danny Tenaglia 010- Athens
23) Nick Warren 003- Prague
24) James Lavelle 026- Romania
25) Deep Dish 021- Moscow
26) Nick Warren 030- Lima
27) Darren Emerson 015- Uruguay
28) Tony De Vit 001- Tel Aviv
29) Sharam 029- Dubai

quote:

Originally posted by Mattsanity It's a popular pick, but I have to go with GU 019. It's not my favorite tracklist ever, but the overall programming of the dark prog theme and the way he mixes each track to create a narrative is why it's the absolute best GU in the series.

nothing wrong with popular, its popular for a reason. at this level at least . will give it a proper listen one of these days, but a brief skim through it sounds very dark. both of you have digweed at the top of your list .just different mixes. so he must be the undisputed king of the series .

i like 043 rotterdam

I'm going to have to be a basic bitch on this one, and say none of the others come close to the two Sasha ones. CD2 of GU:013 is a little bit Anthemsville, but they capture the Man Like at the peak of his powers.

quote:

Originally posted by SPANIARD 22) Danny Tenaglia 010- Athens

thats my #1

quote:

Originally posted by Scoops thats my #1

It's a great collection of music. It's just too random on the programming side for me to get into. I know a lot of people thought London was a programming nightmare but in comparison to Athens it's quite decent.

Nick Warren - Rejkavik for me.

quote:

Originally posted by SPANIARD Matt, you lucked out. I had a bout of Sciatica from September to November and ended up listing my top 29 GU's (would have been 30 if not for Oakie's Oslo being 002 and 007) for a friend looking to get into electronic music (I stopped at 030 because with the exception of Lima, there was no point to go further than that IMO). This list leaves out any of the nubreeds. Truth be told, I feel different about some of the editions that the majority of prog enthusiasts do. Maybe it's from my initial listening or maybe some grew on me more than others. It also doesn't help that some of the live sets or other compilations from some of the DJ's on here were extremely good and set expectations too high. Anyways, here you go: 1) John Digweed 006- Sydney 2) John Digweed 014- Hong Kong 3) Nick Warren 011- Budapest 4) Dave Seaman 016- Cape Town 5) Danny Howells 027- Miami 6) Nick Warren 018- Amsterdam 7) Dave Seaman 012- Buenos Aires 8) Nick Warren 024- Reykjavik 9) Sasha 013- Ibiza 10) Paul Oakenfold 004- Oslo 11) Sasha 009- San Francisco 12) Danny Tenaglia 017- London 13) Tony De Vit 005- Tokyo 14) John Digweed 019- Los Angeles 15) Paul Oakenfold 002 or 007- New York 16) Dave Seaman 022- Melbourne 17) James Lavelle 023- Barcelona 18) Nick Warren 028- Shanghai 19) Nick Warren 008- Brazil 20) Deep Dish 025- Toronto 21) Darren Emerson 020- Singapore 22) Danny Tenaglia 010- Athens 23) Nick Warren 003- Prague 24) James Lavelle 026- Romania 25) Deep Dish 021- Moscow 26) Nick Warren 030- Lima 27) Darren Emerson 015- Uruguay 28) Tony De Vit 001- Tel Aviv 29) Sharam 029- Dubai

The fact that you listened to 29 of them and ranked them in order is remarkable. Thank God for your recovery.

yeah that is pretty impressive

quote:

Originally posted by Mattsanity Thank God for your recovery.

Thanks man.

If you're bored, here are 2 interviews with Sasha discussing both his GU albums.

San Francisco
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hE69TBIAlc4

Ibiza
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ace1vyKLl4

I enjoyed the SF one. Used to see him a lot in SF during the early 2000s so it's cool to hear him talk highly of the city. They also quickly discuss the famous picture of him getting a light for ciggy from a fan.

Kudos to the interviewers. They really did their research on the music. I was surprised because they looked so young.

quote:

Originally posted by SPANIARD 1) John Digweed 006- Sydney 2) John Digweed 014- Hong Kong 3) Nick Warren 011- Budapest 4) Dave Seaman 016- Cape Town 5) Danny Howells 027- Miami 6) Nick Warren 018- Amsterdam 7) Dave Seaman 012- Buenos Aires 8) Nick Warren 024- Reykjavik 9) Sasha 013- Ibiza 10) Paul Oakenfold 004- Oslo 11) Sasha 009- San Francisco 12) Danny Tenaglia 017- London 13) Tony De Vit 005- Tokyo 14) John Digweed 019- Los Angeles 15) Paul Oakenfold 002 or 007- New York 16) Dave Seaman 022- Melbourne 17) James Lavelle 023- Barcelona 18) Nick Warren 028- Shanghai 19) Nick Warren 008- Brazil 20) Deep Dish 025- Toronto 21) Darren Emerson 020- Singapore 22) Danny Tenaglia 010- Athens 23) Nick Warren 003- Prague 24) James Lavelle 026- Romania 25) Deep Dish 021- Moscow 26) Nick Warren 030- Lima 27) Darren Emerson 015- Uruguay 28) Tony De Vit 001- Tel Aviv 29) Sharam 029- Dubai

Okay, I've a couple questions about this list that don't necessarily need to be answered, but tickles my curiosity regardless:

1. Why 006 over 014?
2. Why 028 over 008?
3. Why the Bottom 5 as they are?

quote:

Originally posted by Sykonee Okay, I've a couple questions about this list that don't necessarily need to be answered, but tickles my curiosity regardless: 1. Why 006 over 014? 2. Why 028 over 008? 3. Why the Bottom 5 as they are?

1) Sydney was extremely impactful on me. I remember hearing CD2 and being blown away by how well Digweed could play darker progressive trance. Hong Kong was the CD that grew on me the most. I really didn't give it the time of day when I first heard it then I couldn't stop listening to it 10+ years later. It's also the closest we could get to reliving a night at Twilo; I think that played a big part in me listening on repeat so often. Still, I give the former the edge as nothing in the series compared to the first time I heard Sydney and you can't replicate that feeling.

2) Truth be told Shanghai was a pretty underrated GU entry. Because it was released at a time when people were prioritizing Tech House (there was also suppression of prog as it was seen as dated even when there were producers trying to push evolving sounds), this one was overlooked. The shelf life on it is surprisingly good even in 2026. Brazil is ok but like Prague, is one of Warren's uninspiring programming efforts. Just a special note on Brazil... Breathe in you is one of the best uplifting trance tunes ever made. Worth listening to for that track alone.

3) In short, these made the least impact on me. I never really liked Deep Dish as DJ's (Yoshitoshi in the 90's was amazing and they had solid productions around the time Moscow came out), same with Darren Emerson. Just not my cup of tea. Sharam was included just because I hated it less than Adam Freeland/Felix Da housecat etc. It's easy to conclude that I'm not a De Vit guy but that's not the case. I liked Tokyo. Tel Aviv is just trash that goes no where. Very disappointing.

To be fair, looking at it now, Lima might actually rate higher than where I graded it. At least it was well programmed and wasn't pretentious.

Hope this helps.

quote:

Originally posted by SPANIARD 1) Sydney was extremely impactful on me. I remember hearing CD2 and being blown away by how well Digweed could play darker progressive trance. Hong Kong was the CD that grew on me the most. I really didn't give it the time of day when I first heard it then I couldn't stop listening to it 10+ years later. It's also the closest we could get to reliving a night at Twilo; I think that played a big part in me listening on repeat so often. Still, I give the former the edge as nothing in the series compared to the first time I heard Sydney and you can't replicate that feeling. 2) Truth be told Shanghai was a pretty underrated GU entry. Because it was released at a time when people were prioritizing Tech House (there was also suppression of prog as it was seen as dated even when there were producers trying to push evolving sounds), this one was overlooked. The shelf life on it is surprisingly good even in 2026. Brazil is ok but like Prague, is one of Warren's uninspiring programming efforts. Just a special note on Brazil... Breathe in you is one of the best uplifting trance tunes ever made. Worth listening to for that track alone. 3) In short, these made the least impact on me. I never really liked Deep Dish as DJ's (Yoshitoshi in the 90's was amazing and they had solid productions around the time Moscow came out), same with Darren Emerson. Just not my cup of tea. Sharam was included just because I hated it less than Adam Freeland/Felix Da housecat etc. It's easy to conclude that I'm not a De Vit guy but that's not the case. I liked Tokyo. Tel Aviv is just trash that goes no where. Very disappointing. To be fair, looking at it now, Lima might actually rate higher than where I graded it. At least it was well programmed and wasn't pretentious. Hope this helps.

Yes, thanks. The 'whys' of rankings do intrigue me. Probably why I like checking out Tier List YouTube vids so often.

quote:

Originally posted by SPANIARD It's a great collection of music. It's just too random on the programming side for me to get into.

But it's what makes Athens a great mix! DT shows his true versatility by mixing in all genres. From Tribal to trance to Deep house to Progressive...the mix features it all

quote:

Originally posted by Scoops But it's what makes Athens a great mix! DT shows his true versatility by mixing in all genres. From Tribal to trance to Deep house to Progressive...the mix features it all

spot on. If you've ever had the privilege of attending a marathon set, DT is playing EVERYTHING!

It seems like AI's top 5 or 6 in the GU series coincides with the picks in this thread:

GU013: Sasha - Ibiza (1999): Often named the best GU, capturing peak progressive house/trance with an emotional, sun-drenched vibe.
GU019: John Digweed - Los Angeles (2001): Regarded as the "gold standard," it features dark, driving progressive house that defined the era.
GU009: Sasha - San Francisco (1998): Renowned for its building intensity and euphoric tracks, often cited for its incredible disc 2.
GU010: Danny Tenaglia - Athens (1999): A legendary, dark, and moody set showcasing technical mixing and deep tribal house flavors.
GU006: John Digweed - Sydney (1998): An essential early mix that helped establish the signature GU progressive house sound.
GU024: Reykjavik (2003) - A deep, melodic journey known for its ethereal atmosphere.

quote:

Originally posted by Scoops But it's what makes Athens a great mix! DT shows his true versatility by mixing in all genres. From Tribal to trance to Deep house to Progressive...the mix features it all

I wasn't expecting to hear this kind of track, but it totally works in his mix.

Had no idea this was part of the San Fran mix when I picked it up last year in a record shop. Pleased with myself now.

Going through them day by day now. Ibiza has always been a favorite.

I've lowkey made a pact with myself that I would only listen to a GU if I could come across it in the wild physically. I've only got a handful but so far, disc 1 sasha sanfran is probably the most noteworthy for me. At this rate i'll probably be dead before I go through them all, maybe even half.

Benny son if you got any to offload en masse let me know.

quote:

Originally posted by szm Benny son if you got any to offload en masse let me know.

Facts.

My top 3 are Ibiza, SF, and Reykjavik, followed by Hong Kong and Cape Town.

NY was fittingly my first, so I have nostalgia for that. I also liked Sydney, Amsterdam, and Miami.

Most underrated ones for me are Buenos Aires, Lima, and Lithuania.

Couldn't get into the James Lavelle, Tony DeVit, or any of the ones commonly considered "bad" (Felix, Adam Freeland, Layo and Bushwacka)

quote:

Originally posted by Mr Game+Watch Most underrated ones for me are Lima

yes

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