Culture Beat – Serenity

Timeless album! In 1993 I was only 5 years old but I those days as if they were yesterday ! Long live eurodance !

Serenity is Culture Beat's second album and their most successful project. It's also something that helped solidified Electronic Dance into mainstream music, destroying the idea that this music was some sort of novelty fad. What's interesting on the album is the album versions of their big hit singles are far more interesting extended mixes and different to what you would have heard on the radio or seen on the video clips. In fact the album version of Anything on here is kinda awesome! Besides the above average love songs and Jay Supreme's awful Spanish, some of the tracks touch on more serious issues. The Other Side Of Me is a fairly introspective song, World In Your Hands is a beautifully sombre song about suicide and Mother Earth is an environmental song that is depressingly relevant 30 years on. However, the hidden gem and biggest surprise here is Serenity (Epilog). This one is a glorious journey into Trance Techno music! No rapping, no singing, just sublime layers of classic analogue synth music with a more serious switch up in the middle, great stuff by Torsten Fenslau. The fact it's on this commercial Techno album makes it a bit of an anomaly, shame it never got a proper 12 inch release. Serenity (Epilog) was one of my first encounters with underground Techno music. One of my favourite mainstream albums.

In Australia, Got To Get It and Anything were Top 10 hit singles and Mr. Vain was a number one song. Due to it's popularity, Serenity was re-released in Australia as a unique double CD, that I absolutely loved! On the second CD, were more club mixes of singles off this album and their first album, Horizon, which I had no idea about at the time. No Deeper Meaning (Technology Mix) is probably the best of the bunch but I do have a soft spot for Cherry Lips (originally called Der Erdbeermund, a mistranslation I believe). It's an emphatic love song completely in German, "Ich bin so wild nach Deinem Erdbeermund!" Overall, a nice addition. There is also a cassette version of this double CD.

Torsten Fenslau's production across the board is excellent and too good for this mainstream release, a number of the tracks would be classed as catchy piano House music. Unfortunately, shortly after the album was completed, Torsten Fenslau was killed in a car accident and never got to enjoy the success of Culture Beat. Rest In Peace.

Solid euro house release from '93! Certainly one of the staples of the genre! Great album!

Real Culture of the Dance beat. The University of the electronic German dance sound from the 90s atmosfer.

funny the comment here regarding "Anything" because I preferred this track on the whole album when I first played It thought wow! when the single was released I couldn't wait to grab it however the single release CD and even the remix CD don't have one version thats as good as as the album version!!!

Timeless album that includes more than just a couple of chart-toppers. "The Other Side of Me" is excellent, and there's something eerie & brilliant about "The World in Your Hands" - very well-produced w/ impactful lyrics. Perhaps one of my favorite songs of all-time is the original album version of "Anything" - a superbly crafted, well-managed influx of energy - incredibly well-produced. This record is certainly commercial but really is painted thoroughly with quality throughout, unlike a lot of other Eurodance acts of the era. There are just a couple of dull moments, like "Key to Your Heart" & "Mother Earth."

Serenity ! Torsten Fenslau. Perfekt. My FAVs Anything LP Version, adelante!, Key to your heart, Serenity Pr and E-Pr.

There are 2 types of eurodance projects:
1st is for the masses, it is good for dance only. Common pop. I mean bands like La Bouche, DJ Bobo etc. I listened to it in childhood, later stopped.

And there is the 2nd type of euro which consists of small amount of the bands, which arousing ear plasures. It is not simple move acts, but interesting electronic music which has its own a liitle bit trance atmosphere. Serenity is good example. The best release ever. Serious work. Thank you Torsten!
These tracks are always in my playlist. True music!!! Golden classic!

I have the 2-CD Australian edition - I absolutely love it!

But I've always thought track 1.14 (ID Jay) cuts short (he seems to say Culture Be-). Plus 1.13 (ID Tania) sounds like it was recorded on a warped cassette. Are other editions like this?

really good album mr.vain got to get it and anything this are my favorites