I hate to say it, but there's really only like 8 or 9 "class A" tracks
on this 2CD compilation, issued in support of Release, a national drugs
and legal advice service in the UK. But those tracks are, in fact,
really good, so while it's hard to recommend this compilation, it's hard
not to either. (Track listing follows the review.)
The first disc is almost entirely forgettable. There's a live version
of "Sinbad" by System 7 and DJ Food's "Fr££dom," but a lot of the rest
of it is just regular old techno, some with vocals. OK background
music, but nothing really worth giving your full attention to. (I
happen to like Underworld's "Telematic" myself, but let's face it, it's
not one of their best efforts.)
The second disc has all the interesting stuff, including otherwise
unavailable tracks from Autechre and LFO. (The Scanner track might also
be unreleased.) It also contains some "classics" of the genre from the
likes of Meat Beat Manifesto, Plastikman, Renegade Soundwave and
Coldcut. LFO's "Carrots In Space" has a hard bass twang-thump as its
primary percussion element, while the rest of the track tries to hang on
for the ride, which goes through some pretty landscapes and seriously
disturbed underbrush before it's all through. The Scanner contribution,
"Surface Vacuum," has this neat crackle that gets looped throughout the
song, and the background beats play off it nicely. (This is a great
headphone track.) Autechre's "Inhake 3" sounds like downed power lines
discharging in an echo chamber, with all sorts of buzzing and crunching,
and an "Amber"-like melody in the background. The other track I'd never
heard on this disc that I really liked was by a bunch called Quad, which
had a mellow bassy rhythm with just enough oomph to make it interesting.
So while the overall quality of this compilation is rather low, the few
good tracks are worth having.
Four out of ten.
Release: 22 Class A Tracks
Release RLSCDX
CD1:
DJ Food - Fr££dom
The Hypnotist - House Is Mine (Original Mix)
Nicolette - Single Minded People
Bug Kann And The Plastic Jam - Made In 2 Minutes
(Origin Unknown Mix)
Roni Size - Music Box (Original Mix)
M-D-Emm - Get Down (Hands In The Air Mix)
System 7 - Sinbad (Live)
Mindfeel - Play The Game
Underworld - Telematic
Alabama 3 - Hypo Full Of Love
CD2:
The Prodigy - Voodoo People (Chemical Brothers Remix)
Scanner - Surface Vacuum
Quad - Aquaville (Quad Remix)
LFO - Carrots In Space
Plastikman - Spastik
Renegade Soundwave - The Phantom (Original Mix)
Shut Up & Dance - Autobiography Of A Crackhead
Moby - Thousand
Meat Beat Manifesto - Psyche Out (Sex Skank Mix)
D*Note - Iniquity Worker (Roni Size Remix)
Autechre - Inhake 3
Coldcut - Eine Kleine Hedmuzic
-- Adam J Weitzman -- Individual, Inc. --
http://www.individual.com --
"I'm writing an unathorized autobiography." - Steven Wright