Sven Van Hees - Gemini

Life Enhancing Audio: 1999

I always felt I did Sven van Hees a bit dirty in raiding so much of his music back in my P2P days. Right, it wasn't my fault his name came up often when I was on the prowl for 'downtempo' and 'chill' music of a slightly dubby bent. And hey, if I had ever seen any of his albums on a local music shelf, I probably would have picked it up on name recognition by that point. Despite making frequent appearances on early techno and latter Ibizan compilations though, I never spotted his CDs. Right, that Svengali one might have been a bit weird over here, but not even Gemini? Guess Life Enhancing Audio was too small-time for North American consideration, so just as well Sven took things into his own hands with his own Your Lips print, where he carries on releasing music through to this day.

It is an interesting turn for the Belgian though, going from one of the earliest proponents of Balearic trance and tribal techno to a staple of the Mediterranean lounge scene. Or maybe the latter was always in his wheel-house, it was just more prudent to produce tunes for the local rave scene at first. It's not like the chill-out market was as fruitful in the early '90s compared to the commercial juggernaut it became, especially in his native country. It's still something of a whiplash hearing an upbeat techno track on his R & S Records EP Emotional Rehabilitation or Global Cuts The Bellydance EP, then fast-forwarding to Gemini. (those early efforts are worth checking out, hence the cheeky name-drops!)

The unfortunate thing about actually grabbing this album is it's a little redundant to my music collection. Ten tracks make up its forty-five minute runtime, and I already have three of them: Tsunami (Inside My Soul), Breakfast With Abductees, and Serrano Anthem (Amor/Amor). And hey, these are great tunes, so effortlessly capturing the carefree, jazzy lounge vibes of being on vacation in the most luxurious tropical resort. Or rather, the memories of being in said paradise. It's not quite at a Boards Of Canada level of hauntology, but there's definitely a hazy recollection of past times in Sven's production. It makes his music stand out so much more compared to the usual Cafe del Mar type tunes you'd associate with this scene. Small wonder Gemini is often hailed as a minor classic of Ibizan lounge music.

And that's the general style you get here. Some tunes are little more uptempo (Matrass Mambo, Seasonal Bounty (Smooth '94)), some funkier (Tamiami Blues, Flute Salada, Supafly (Hannah's Lullaby)), others dreamier (Ocean Jive). It's all smoothly polished without stripping any of the soul, the perfect soundtrack for a lazy day on your patio.

Is it good enough for me to explore further Sven van Hees music though, post-2000? I'm... not so sure. I fear he may fall into a similar musical repetitiveness I found Thievery Corporation did, but nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Jochem Paap - Vrs-Mbnt-Pcs 9598 II

Fax +49-69/450464: 1999/2021

No one ever releases just one item on Fax+, as is the law and tradition. Thus it is, by decree, that Jochem Paap released not just one volume of Vrs-Mbnt-Pcs 9598, but two. Wait, if that title is to be believed, and these sessions were from all the same time frame, why not make it a double-LP instead of two separate CDs? Pft, that's just not how things were done at Pete Namlook's label. You were gonna' get yourself a single CD with each outing, and you'll like it! And for the most part, folks did like it, even if it made being a completist an almost Herculean trial.

These two albums were all Jochem wrote for Fax+, at least as a solo artist. He did do one collaborative joint with Namlook half a decade later, titled pp • nmlk, which... um. Okay, I know the whole naming 'gimmick' Mr. Paap chose for these records was editing out the vowels, so an album title that's just their last names with no vowels makes sense. It's just... I'm sorry, my Beavis & Butthead brain can't help itself! Also, for some reason, that album hasn't been re-issued yet. I'm assuming it's only a matter of time, as lots of material from the Namlook estate has slowly been unearthed in recent years, if not via Silent State Recordings, then via the multitude of artists he collaborated with. One track has come out, ntr t nw wrld, as it appeared on The Ambient Gardener – Winter, but that's all. Patience is a virtue.

Anyhow, I mentioned in the previous review that Vrs-Mbnt-Pcs 9598 I only felt like a Fax+ release part of the time. Not so much 9598 II, about as classic a Fax+ type album as you'll ever come across. For starters, there's a half-hour long track on here – it don't get much more vintage Fax+ than that, my friends! And, in traditional Fax+ fashion, Mrg-Rvx is about as noodly an ambient jam session as you'll come across, ominous synth tones bubbling and burbling like some sort of digital cauldron. It doesn't seem to go anywhere beyond moving for its own sake, but ever-so gradually, dark cinematic drone slides in, sounding a bit rather like the foreboding white-noise pieces that appeared on A Shocking Hobby, just in a more subtle manner. If all that seems too 'maximal' for you, then eighteen-minute follow-up Jchm-Zngn goes ultra-minimalist, gentle atonal pulses played with the softness of a Harold Budd piano piece.

The only thing on here that approaches ear-wormy is the relatively short opener Dx-Snth, a simply bit of calming ambient pad drone that builds towards a pleasant peak. Indeed, this piece did get a little compilation love, including appearing on an Autumn Of Communion mix for A Strangely Isolated Place. Yep, it's a seal of approval from one of ambient techno's contemporary tastemakers, so if that's not enough to get you itchin' to check Vrs-Mbnt-Pcs 9598 II, I don't know what will.

Jochem Paap - Vrs-Mbnt-Pcs 9598 I

Fax +49-69/450464: 1999/2021

Hey now, I still haven't told any lies. I totally am finished with Speedy J and his handful of aliases at this end of my alphabetical queue. I never said anything about material Mr. Paap released under his actual name. You only didn't see this loophole coming from a mile away because you didn't know Mr. Paap released anything under his actual name. And... fair play on that angle. This wasn't widely advertised, perhaps only known by a select few deeply immersed in ambient techno circles of the late '90s. Clearly his regular label Novamute wasn't interested in hearing Jochem indulge himself on some experimental drone.

Or even if they were, Jochem wasn't keen on piggy-backing this off his Speedy J fame. Yeah, he'd shown an ear for ambient doodling on G Spot, but for the most part, Speedy J is his techno outlet, where the bulk of his brand recognition lies. While there may be a small contingent of Speedy fans that'd be down for a selection of ambient works too, sometimes it's just good business sense shuffling those off to a side-gig, should the opportunity arise. What label, though, would be willing to provide that outlet?

Lots, probably, but surprisingly, Jochem ended up on Pete Namlook's Fax+ print for his ambient excursions. I honestly had no idea this was the case until I bought Speedy J's Bandcamp catalogue, if for no other reason I seldom ever see Mr. Paap's name brought up in discussions of Fax+ alum. I guess it shouldn't be that shocking, as plenty of techno's luminaries has crossed the famed Frankfurt label. It's just when you think of artists instrumental in the original Artificial Intelligence run, most of them found welcome homes within that particular circle, whereas Fax+ was kinda' an island unto itself.

Even more so, Vrs-Mbnt-Pcs 9598 I seems like something that should have ended up on Warp Records; or at least, say, Rephlex or Astralwerks, not Fax+. For sure it's ambient, but completely in that distinct Aphex Twin and Autechre lane of lucid dreamscapes, sounds emanating from the outworld and beyond. Seriously, pieces like the eerie Spk, the gentle Dtnd-Jn, the droning Trpp-Bll, and the weirdo Trmml-Dx could have easily fit on Selected Ambient Works II. This isn't so much a style-bite, just IDM artists finding similar aesthetics.

Specifically though, it's not really the usual Fax+ aesthetic, that label often indulging in lengthy ambient jam sessions, with more an ear towards Berlin School synth noodling. A couple tracks do touch upon such vibes, like the gentle, swaying opener Jn-Klkkn, the pure, bright pad drone of shorty Flm, and the minimalist, soft keyboard jam of closer Mbnt-Plng. Clocking in at over sixteen minutes, this piece is the sort you'd expect on a typical Fax+ release, wherein an artist is free to indulge themselves for however long they wish. No expectations of song structure or sound design, just some simple melodic tones playing out for however long said artist feels appropriate.

Rapoon - Navigating By Colour

Soleilmoon Recordings: 1999

Feels like this has been a long time coming, but I finally get to talk about a vintage Rapoon album! Okay, I've only really been covering the chap for half a decade now, just four albums worth in that time. And even with that scant selection, Mr. Storey's muse has proven a wildly divergent one indeed, such that you'd be hard-pressed to point to any singular sound as That Definitive Rapoon Stylee.

Heck, I'm sure many folks would claim I've already done so, what with having reviewed Vernal Crossing and all. I'll grant his fusion of primal loops with industrial ambient gave Rapoon a significant boost in profile, especially in the wake of his Zoviet France days. Still, it wasn't that sound that first lured me in, but rather a more typical techno approach to the craft. There's still the endless loops and layered dub, just done in a more thumping sort of way. And now with Navigating By Colour, I've finally landed upon an album that delivers it in... well, a couple tracks worth, at least.

First, how does Navigating By Colour fall within the greater Rapoon lexicon. Hell if I know, but here's a basic rundown. Released on Soleilmoon Recordings (where other sonic terrorists like Muslimgauze, Merzbow, and Coil have been comfy), packaged with a dozen postcards featuring art similar to that on the CD slipcase. A real collector's item, this, and by extension not an easy album to find via your usual modern outlets. I feel I lucked out on even finding a seller for this at all, postcards included, but so it goes some days on the Discogs Marketplace.

Opener Blue Hemisphere is the sort of Rapoony music I was introduced to, a brisk rhythm with layered operatic drones ebbing and flowing as things play out. So simple, yet so seductive, losing one's psyche into pure tribalism. Midway through the album, Red Hemisphere gets deeper into the drumming, such that the dub effects morph just as much as the backing pad work. There isn't much else on Navigating by Colour with featured rhythms, though From This Point... does loop mechanical chugging and churning into a rhythm onto itself.

Mostly though, we're in industrial drone territory with this album. Some pieces, like Prussian and Imagine, get weirdly abstract with bits of spoken dialog and layered vocal tones, while The Last Gladding Tide and Winter Shields edge closer to the realms of modern classical. Cerulean and Sienna are pure concrete grinders though, and Eden's Plains is even more punishing in its dark isolationism. Alizarin gets all noisy towards the end of its ten-minute run, and by jove, I do believe we've run the gamut of what one might expect out of a Rapoon joint. If you were expecting anything at all, that is.

Which is half the fun with artists like these, isn't it? Sure, you may have an inkling what to expect, but they'll almost always surprise you just the same.

Speedy J - Ieee Mitten Menu

NovaMute: 1999/2021

Well, isn't this a funny looking little record from Speedy J. While he's never been completely shy from cheeky presentation (hello, scrambled cable porn G Spot), he's certainly not known for going so cartoony. Even the title of this single is silly, supposedly a Dutch play on words akin to English's Eeny Meeny Miny Moe (how the rest of that rhyme goes is entirely dependant upon where and when you grew up). I'm not sure what prompted the release of such a record on Jochem's part. It wasn't tied to any particular album, nor did he debut on NovaMute with it. Maybe Mr. Paap simply made this because *gasp* he just felt like it, as a lark? What sort of artistic indulgence is this!

The Nutt Mix (hehe, heh... 'nutt') is about what you'd expect from Speedy J in this time frame, an uncompromising techno-breaks outing with distortion aplenty. Even the robot voices are distorted! I'm not sure what that voice is saying, though online sources tell me it's more nursery rhyme silliness. Additional elements come and go, like spacey synth pads, swooshing effects, warbly sine waves, while the rhythms shift into higher gear near the peak of the track. Nothing fancy, just a functional slice of aggro techno for the (then) modern era. You'll be hearing this phrase from me a lot about Speedy J records in the future.

The Mint Mix opens with a vocal which I assume is the title (or portions of the rhyme) getting all chopped up. That voice though, I can't help but feel like I've heard it before. It almost sounds like that “something for your mind” lady, and now my brain has made a connection to Speedy J's breakout single of the same name that almost certainly doesn't exist in reality. No, really, how funny would it be if Mr. Paap used Ieee Mitten Menu as an exercise in exorcising demons from his past. Yeah, it was a big break for him, but boy was Jochem ever quick in distancing himself away from that brand of techno too.

Anyhow, Mint Mix seems mostly conventional and pared down from the Nutt Mix, a rather funky breakbeat carrying things along as the familiar Ieee Mitten Menu elements come and go. Towards the end though, things go ultra-distorted in a noisy freak-out of aggro beats. Pretty cool, and segues nicely for a coda of lingering, creepy after effects.

B-side Fart Essen (hehe, heh... 'essen') is a straight-up, no nonsense piece of faceless techno business, relentless bosh for the 4am warehouse crowd. Kinda' cool as a precursor of where Speedy J would eventually end up, but not much else to say about it. I do wonder what folks thought of it at the time though. Like, were any of his followers still hoping for a return to his G Spot material? Oh sweet summer children, if you felt Ieee Mitten Menu was off the plot, you hadn't heard anything yet.

Bob Marley - Chant Down Babylon

Island Def Jam Music Group: 1999

Posthumous albums from an artist's archives certainly were nothing new, but as Bob Marley's passing was almost two decades old by this point, I'm sure everything from his catalogue had been thoroughly unearthed. Heck, even the Remix Album had been done (thanks, Bill Laswell!), so what other avenue could be explored in further capitalizing on Marley's music? Like, it's such a shame he died so long ago, before he might have had a chance to collaborate with artists inspired by his words and works. If only we had the will, the ability, the technology, to make such a thing possible. Sadly, time travelling and necromancy remain elusive. Eh, there's another way, with studio recordings? What sorcery is this?

I can't remember if this was much of a thing yet – the 'duet' albums featuring 2Pac and Biggie certainly hadn't hit the market yet – but nor do I want to claim this was the first. I also can't recall if there was any controversy surrounding this, if cries of 'desecrating the dead' or whatever floated about. For sure those responsible for producing Chant Down Babylon did so with the Marley estate's blessing, sons Stephen and Damian on hand in the studio. While they may not have as big a profile as brother Ziggy, they still remain a prominent fixture in the reggae family's legacy. The project was in good hands, in other words, no scummy cash-grab vibes going on.

Intentions were positive then, but might the merging of classic reggae singing and (then) modern hip-hop still not work, Bob's voice merely tacked on while others got the spotlight? Considering I still have this CD, and quite often play it when I'm in the mood for some smooth Marely jams with a hip-hop edge, I'd say Chant Down Babylon pulled it off quite well indeed. Yeah, it's still mighty difficult ignoring the critical part of your brain reminding you that Bob isn't really singing in the studio with the likes of Eryakah Badu and Lauryn Hill, but boy they sure sound good together regardless.

Honestly, the only times things sound a little forced is when there's a rap involved. Marley will come in, singing a classic like Concrete Jungle or Survival with some beefier beats, then suddenly, here's Rakim or Chuck D dropping a few bars in support. It's not a deal breaker or anything, and some of these pairings are damn good (MC Lyte on Jammin'; Krayzie Bone on Rebel Music, though undoubtedly helped by his sing-rap style). Others though, don't work quite as well. Busta Rhymes in particular sounds strangely out of place, and having Aerosmith leads Steven Tyler and Joe Perry on this project is a real head-scratcher.

In the end though, Chant Down Babylon remains Bob Marley's show. Hearing him crooning along side Guru or The Roots on strong reggae-hop beats is just a tasty treat. Stick with the originals if you must, but this record is a worthy companion piece to his legacy.

Peter Benisch - Waiting For Snow

Fax +49-69/450464/Ambient World: 1999/2007

I feel Ambient World doesn't get the due it deserves. Yeah, it was nothing more than a re-issue print of older Fax+ releases, but given the limited quantities of those initial runs, it at least gave those late to the Namlook party a chance to catch up. Even as the old CDs continued their collector's market inflation, the Ambient World editions remained at a reasonable affordability. Now that the extensive Fax+ catalogue is finding its way onto streaming services, this little off-shoot label seems rather redundant. True collectors want the originals, while others can just play what they want online. For all intents, Ambient World's reason to exist is at an end. 'Cept for those like me, who are fine with (almost) any ol' hard-copy of Fax+ classics.

Like this album from Peter Benisch! Man, I thought I'd never get to hear it in glorious full-CD quality. The original Fax+ version is long out of print, and Mr. Benisch seems hesitant to upload his sparse catalogue abroad. At least the Crockett's Theme single as FPU is finally available on Bandcamp, so maybe some of those other Turbo Recordings classics eventually too?

In any event, I can now enjoy Waiting For Snow via its Ambient World version, itself something of a rarity. Seldom did anyone other than Pete Namlook or one of his many collaborations actually get the re-issue treatment on the label. Tetsu Inoue (of course) and Transonic (a Bill Laswell and Robert Musso joint) were about it for the longest while, though David Moufang, Jochem Paap and Anthony Rother eventually appeared on the label as well. Benisch was the first of these 'non-Namlook associated' artists though, so props for having a Fax+ album in such high demand that it needed the Ambient World re-issue post-haste.

Yet having now heard Waiting For Snow, I can't deny feeling a little letdown by my own lofty expectations. What should I have expected though? Of course it wouldn't be like the peppy electro of Traxxdata, nor even the opulent songcraft of Soundtrack Saga. An extended, downtempo reinterpretation of the FPU song of the same name off, then? A whole lot of those lush pads as heard on Crockett's Theme? It's not like there's an extensive discography of Peter Benisch music out there to draw comparisons from.

Even with that limited framework, there are plenty of sonic markers that identify this as a Benisch work. The sweeping synth strings, the mechanical rhythms, the heart-melting melodies, the groovy electro, the haunting atmospherics. They're all present and correct, but performed in a much subdued fashion when stacked against similar sounds as heard on Soundtrack Saga. Which makes sense for a Fax+ release (especially that one annoyingly experimental track at the end of an album).

Having given Waiting For Snow a few play-throughs now, it's definitely warmed on me for what it is, a lovely collection of gentle, frosty, electro-encrusted ambient techno. It's not Peter's fault his other two albums immediately blew my mind.

Higher Intelligence Agency & Pete Namlook - S.H.A.D.O 2

Fax +49-69/450464: 1999

*PREVIOUSLY, ON EMCRITIC...*

Along with the opening two tracks, I'd love to have heard more of this. Come to think of it, Namlook never did a collaboration that didn't result in multiple LPs. That must mean...

*AND NOW, THE CONTINUATION!*

I never knew what S.H.A.D.O stood for, figuring it some cool, made-up acronym Bobby and Pete created for these recording sessions. Like, a fictional alien-hunting agency, staffed by individuals of a higher intelligence. I wasn't far off, in that it is a fictional alien-hunting agency, but was in fact part of an old Gerry Anderson TV series called UFO. Standing for Supreme Headquarters, Alien Defence Organisation, it's quite pulpy, as you'd expect a show produced by the Thuderbirds guy would be. Lots of chintzy model work, lots of shiny space skirts, but no marionettes. The show apparently had some modest success, and was a precursor of sorts to the more famous Space: 1999 series. Given HIA's lean towards retro sci-fi, adopting the name as an album title makes sense.

Anyhow, S.H.A.D.O 2 is a different sort of album than its predecessor, in that like a lot of 'part two's in Star Trek, it's a bit of a letdown. Only three tracks make up this outing, because I refuse to call the fourth one a track. UFO Detection System just sounds like Bird and Namlook each had a single atonal drone to play with, fiddling their knobs for over ten minutes that only the most adventurous musique concrete sorts might stroke their chins over. Sounds nothing like a HIA track, is what I'm sayin'.

Which is most of my critique with S.HA.D.O 2, if I'm honest. The HIA style was all over S.H.A.D.O The First, and given the depressingly small amount of music from the Agency's camp, was quite welcome. Opener Countless picks things right up with more tranquil bleepy music with crisp, minimalist electro dub, while Pete's synths and sounds tastefully work their way around the arrangement. In typical Namlook fashion though, the track kinda' starts dragging, with little sense of direction beyond music making for its own sake. Sixteen minutes just feels too long for a HIA tune.

With each subsequent track, I sense more of Pete and less of Bobby. The HIA's rhythms are still in play as Inner Sense and Begend do their thing, they're just less prominent. Begend is especially sparse, which I guess fits the theme of shadowy agencies watching the skies for alien threats. I just didn't need fifteen minutes of it.

And that's just about it for Higher Intelligence Agency music. I've gotten nearly all there is to get from Bobby Bird now. There's still that collaboration with Deep Space Network, which I may spring for a digital copy at some point. The Speedlearn EP too, if I want another version of Solid Motion, I guess. Man, what I wouldn't give for something new though. Something new... something new... something new...

Hypertrophy - Eternal Flames

Epic: 1999

I can't claim that Hypertrophy were massive mega-stars back in the day. It was certainly the most successful of Stefan Heinemann and DJ Thoka's collaborations, but even that success only yielded a handful of singles. And grazing through their compilation game, they seldom appeared on any of the Very Important collections of the late '90s, mostly relegated to one-and-done music shop shelf filler. The biggest trance DJ I see rinsing them out is Talla 2XLC, which isn't a surprise.

While their hits like Just Come Back To Me and Beautiful Day do plenty to trigger my nostalgia endorphins, I've always had a real fondness for Eternal Flames, specifically the Olav Basoski remix. One of those 'right place, right time, perfect feels' type of things, if you catch my drift. I'm mostly sated on having it on the Tommy Boy Silver showcase Planet Dance, but surely a tune released at the height of Hypertrophy mania would have a flurry of singles with even more remixes, right? Well, some.

I'd like to say I got this Epic version of the single because I wanted to explore other remixes beyond the Olav and Killerloop rubs, but that's not true. Nay, I nabbed it because it was an option among a bunch of other eurodance singles I could bulk buy, so gave it a shot. I hoped these other remixes would stand on their own merits, but honestly, it's nearly impossible to beat Olav.

The Fanatix Mix may as well be the 'original mix', and this EP has two versions: the short Sharp Cut and the longer CD Cut. It was a bit of a shock hearing its squealing lead synth again, being absent from the Olav mix and all. Also absent was Mona's silly monologue, but Eternal Flames is a bit of a silly tune overall. I can't hate on it though, the plucky synths and 'donking' offbeat bassline keeping things so perfectly tongue-in-cheek, I fall sway to the cheese. Besides, how can I hate on a monologue that references Praga Khan?

The Melodica Mystica Short Mix trances things up more, giving the gated stuttering synths more prominence. I'll never hate on those kinds of synths, so bonus points there. Beyond that, there's twinkly melodies, some Sash! plucks, and no donking bassline. Pleasant enough fluff, which I even prefer over the pure eurotrance of the more famed Killerloop Mix.

Still, I wonder if Epic had little faith in Eternal Flames, as the Junior Vasquez rub of Beautiful Day is tacked on here. I heard that remix all the time in my little far-flung corner of the world, giving me an impression Hypertrophy being bigger than they actually were. What can I say about it? That bassline is still far more menacing than any club trance tune has a right to be. The plucks are straight out of Sash!'s playbook. The bells still sound naff, but I can't imagine the tune without them either. Too many memories flood back at hearing them. Nostalgia overload!

Dubtribe Sound System - Bryant Street

BMG Music Canada: 1999

Considering how often I've come across Sunshine and Moonbeam's music, I feel neglectful in not covering their music much. Granted, they only had a few albums out within a decade's worth of activity, but seeing as how that decade covered the '90s, and a hefty chunk of the early '00s, you'd think their brand of San Fran' house would be right up my ally. And that may be true, if I ever gave them a chance to win me over, to have that One Moment when their music catches me at that perfect flashpoint in time when it hits just right. It's yet to happen though, and while Bryant Street does have plenty good going for it, I'm not sure if it's the album that will accomplish this.

First, a little background. The duo started out on the San Francisco scene as a live house act, incorporating gear, instruments and their own vocals into their shows. Almost immediately, they scored an underground hit in Mother Earth on Chicago-based Organico, a proto big-beat number most famous for Sunshine going on a hippie-punk rant about wanting his planet back (The Chemical Brothers sure loved it). A couple more hot singles and an album or two later, and Dubtribe was touring everywhere. They might have been an even bigger deal had they landed a major label deal earlier on. I'm sure that's what Jive Electro was counting on when they signed them, figuring they'd have another Groove Armada-level big name to their roster. It... didn't quite pan out that way.

Bryant Street starts off strong, getting in on plenty of that Latin house vibe with rows of congas, bombastic string sections, triumphant horns, and jubilant Spanish singing. As the album is continuously mixed too, the party keeps going, even as tracks like El Regalo de Amor and Loneliness In Dub take turns in getting deeper into the house vibes than the surrounding company. I wouldn't go so far as to say Dubtribe are doing much that would stand out from a crowded pack of house contemporaries, but it's fun while it's playing.

Then Sunshine has to start getting his rant on again in Ain't Gonna Do You No Good and Holler!, and, well, it was cool hearing him spouting off in Mother Earth but it just feels forced here, as though he's trying to outdo and over-complicate the simple, emphatic “I want my planet back!” Holler! especially sounds like a hold-over from Dubtribe's earlier rave roots, such that I can't help but expect Sunshine to end each verse with “It's the only rhyme that BITES-AHH!”

Closers Breeze and If You're Not Coming Back To Me go more Balearic and jazzy, respectfully, but unfortunately, the abrupt change in the album's tone that preceded these tunes leaves a weird aftertaste on my ears, such that I've checked out. As did Jive, when they dropped Dubtribe after Bryant Street failed to shift as many units as hoped. Back to the underground, I guess.

Electric Universe - Blue Planet

Spirit Zone Recordings/Avatar Records: 1999/2016

I had my eye on this for a long while. Something, anything full-length from Electric Universe, if I'm honest, but this one in particular got my attention whenever I happened upon his Discoggian entries. Is it because of a ton of good will through psy-trance discourse? A frequent namedrop in all the cool discussions? Oh, come on, you should know me well enough by now to know why Blue Planet would be the first Electric Universe album I'd spring for. I really am that shallow sometimes.

This came out at an interesting time for Boris Blenn. The middle child of a remarkable period of productivity from him, where he released three albums in three years under the Electric Universe banner. He was also releasing multiple records as Galaxy and Jupiter 8000, not to mention the odd collaborative project here and there. Even more amazing is Mr. Blenn was doing much of this all on his own, his early Electric Universe partnership with Michael Dressler having come to an end. Does this mean he was on an unstoppable creative streak? Or might that dreaded 'quality control' factor come into play? A little column A, a little column B?

I actually may have lucked out in grabbing 'the blue one' first out of all these Electric Universe outings. Between this, Waves and Divine Design, Blue Planet has the most diversity going for it, Boris branching out from your usual psy-trance trappings. Unfortunately for me, however, that wasn't what I was after, wanting more spaced-out goa the likes of Love Is Not A Crime. I get some of that here, sure, but coupled with drab stabs at tribal-prog and... big beat?

Okay, it was the year 1999, and breaks were super-trendy, but after four tracks of various psy, Rock Da House comes out of nowhere, sounding like it should be in a This Is... compilation. It's got shades of The Chemical Brothers, but all the attempts at being block-rockin' feel flat, an experiment in genre dabbling that simply doesn't mesh with its surroundings. Oh well, at least it isn't as dreadfully dull as The Tribal Session.

That all said, at least these tracks give me something to talk about beyond the typically positive psy-trance platitudes. You get the acid outings (Fly, Renania, The Space Dimension), the soaring space rockers (Meteor), and the downtempo cuts at the end (Lovesciene, Journey Into Outer Space). Nothing wrong with any of these tunes, but little that deviates from the norm of Electric Universe's discography either. From a personal standpoint, I was disappointed Blue Planet didn't have anything as dope as Love Is Not A Crime, but the album's best tracks are worthy companions.

And I really can't fault Boris from branching out a little either. It's just when you compare his genre explorations to that of the likes of Juno Reactor or Eat Static, it's hard to not come away underwhelmed. Electric Universe fits in a lane he's plenty adept at, no need to stray from it.

Method Man & Redman - Blackout!

Def Jam 2000: 1999

I'm not sure where this album sits in the Grand Rap Pantheon anymore. I recall it was a big deal during the lead-up. Meth and Red had a huge collaborative hit in How High, dropping in that oh-so glorious year of hip-hop fire, 1995. And while Method Man's solo career stalled throughout the '90s, Redman kept a steady clip of respected albums going, so a proper full-length outing from the two would be hotly anticipated. Only, in typical Johnny Blaze fashion, the LP dropped nearly half a decade after How High lit up, causing some to lose interest in this collaboration in the process. Let's call those people 'sour pusses'.

So Blackout! finally dropped, and even though folks were wondering if Method Man had fallen off, or if any Wu project could have the same fire as earlier in the decade, it sold buckets. Clearly they still liked Method Man anytime he held the mic or guested on other verses. Surely his charisma would properly shine with an equally skilled microphone commander at his side, the two trading sharp barbs and chin-checka' raps and such. Or the two had been getting so smoked out in the interim, putting this off for so long, that the final result was an album that was good enough, but not the head-banging classic everyone expected. Again, I'm not sure how Blackout! is regarded these days, but man, did it ever feel like a whiff of THC-thick air bellowing out of a bong mere weeks after this came out. They came, they smoked, they rapped, they partied, then they kinda' forgot what the fuss was about in the first place. Oh well, time to start shopping about that script for their own Cheech & Chong movie.

I sense Meth and Red would be fun live, most of the tracks on here little more than party anthems for them to rappity-rap over. Yeah, there's some witty wordplay and fun puns about, but these two aren't going to get super deep with the heavy political or lyrical miracles. Just two stoners going on about how dope they are, how dope their smoked dope be, and how much they love gettin' down with them ladies and hos. So long as the beats bang, they can rap about any ol' nonsense. And that's where I feel this album stumbles some.

There's quite the assortment of Wu and Def Squad personnel behind the consoles on Blackout!, including RZA, Erick Sermon, Mathematics, and Reggie Noble. Even Rockwilder shows up (on Da Rockwilder), while features have Ghostface, Street Life, LL Cool J, Missy Elliot, and Ja Rule, when he was still credible. Seems all fine, but neither guest rapper or beat producer do much to outshine whatever Method Man and Redman are going on about. Which would be fine, if the duo were dropping relentless fire throughout. Instead, all I hear is the hot flame in a burning bowl of dank bud, soon puffed out into a stoned stupor. Seems appropriate.

Mr. Scruff - Keep It Unreal (10th Anniversary Analogue Remaster Edition)

Ninja Tune: 1999/2009

This is thought of as a landmark album in the world of jazzy chill-out music, but it certainly wasn't considered that when it first dropped. Trip-hop was still the dominate form of late-night lounge music, with purer jazz explorations (a nu form, if you will) yet to re-emerge as a trend. If you listened to Mr. Scruff's tunes prior to this major debut on Ninja Tune, not to mention many of the tracks that appear on here, you can still hear trip-hop's influence. Something on that swingin' jazz tip seemed almost a novelty by the end of the '90s (thanks, Brian Seltzer), no one quite sure what to make of it.

Still, such sounds had been floating about electronic music for at least a decade, from the seminal acid jazz works out of Acid Jazz, all the way to the commercial dance charts with Doop's Doop. I'm honestly surprised some of the tunes on Keep It Unreal weren't considered such. True, the notion of what even was acid jazz at that point was basically a dead topic, folks generally lumping those sounds with nu-jazz, or jazzdance, or downtempo, or...

Basically, anything other than acid jazz, since it was no longer so trendy to call yourself that. Frankly, if it's dancey with a kinda'-sorta' house beat to it, you're fine calling it acid jazz. Wait, no, don't go calling it 'electro swing'! That's even- Ahh, too late. Get A Move On is on all those future electro swing compilations now, isn't it. What have thee wrought, O' Scruffian One?

So Get A Move On was the big track off here, while Blackpool Roll and Cheeky joins in on that happy go-lucky swingin' house-jazz vibe. Honeydew is more of what you'd expect to hear on acid-chill comps in the near future, with sultry vocals care of Fiona Renshaw. Further along, Roots Manuva adds some be-bop jazz-hop slangin' to Jusjus. And in what would become something of a running theme with Mr. Scruff records, a couple cut-n-paste quirky tunes regarding aquatic things are here in Shanty Town and Fish. Reminds me of Kid Koala at his silliest, but with much less scratching. Still, you can't resist singing along to “the whale was in full view” in Shanty Town. Attenborough clips don't hurt either.

That's only about half the album though, and mostly at the bookends of a play-through. A large chunk of Keep It Unreal is made up of the sort of jazzy Ninja Tune downtempo that instantly springs to mind when you think jazzy Ninja Tune downtempo. The 10th anniversary bonus disc featuring unused tracks are of similar vein, just not quite as good as what made the cut. Nothing out of the norm, is what I'm saying, thus not so surprising that folks initially slept on this. Maybe it needed more of the potato men in the original cover art to draw them in. Nah, just get those tracks licensed out to compilations and ads. That'll get the buzz going!

Various - Big Dirty Beats 2: Bigger Dirtier Beats

Moonshine Music: 1999

Here's an audacious proclamation: Big Dirty Beats 2 may very well be the last, great big beat compilation ever made. Yeah, the genre still had some life in it for a number of years after, and the big players in big beat kept releasing albums for decades longer. Heck, there may even be a few solid DJ mixes scattered about in the 21st Century from said big players showcasing some extra longevity in the old girl. Plus, how can I make such a claim without having heard every big beat compilation released after this one? Honestly, I don't even know of any such releases from after the year 2000, nor am I anxious to trawl the depth of Lord Discog's tomes in search of such items to prove my audacious proclamation.

Yet I confidently make it, for a few reasons. One, the genre itself truly was on the outs shortly after this CD came out. As mentioned, the Fatboys, Chemical Bros and Propellerheads of the world could still make hay from it, while the soundtrack business remained quite lucrative. That was about the extent of its market penetration though, the top spots already filled, and little to no room for newer cats to stake a claim. Besides, there was a new-fangled sub-genre of breaks gaining positive underground cred; a nu-er 'skool', if you will. Sorry, big beat, but may as well make a name in that scene instead when Junkie XL is getting all the plush scoring gigs.

In my books (and my blog), what makes a great compilaton truly great is not stuffing a pile of recognizable hits and names and calling it a day. It's unearthing overlooked gems that properly represent whatever your CD's theme is selling. Unfortunately for big beat, such occurrences had grown exceedingly rare by the turn of the century due to the above factors. Even this series from Moonshine never made it past its second volume, but if Big Dirty Beats 2 was to be its swan song, it was a heck of a way to go out.

Right off, you know you're in for something better than the norm, as the CD opens with not The Wiseguys' huge hit Ooh La La, but their lesser hit Start The Commotion. Okay, the tracks are practically the same, but it at least shows Moonshine thinking outside the box. At the other end of the CD is Lunatic Calm, LC001 (Neon Ray Mix), and if you're drawing a big ol' blank on that tune, that's just because you never looked further into Lunatic Calm's discography post-Metropol. The only other 'star acts' here is Omar Santana and Cirrus, with their future video-game staple Time's Running Out, but I'll allow it, as it's a dope tune. (also, Afrika Bambaataa, but his cut isn't much of anything)

The remaining seven tracks feature acts with barely any Discoggian presence, offering up a variety of breaks that are as big, dirty, and dope as anything the stars of the day made. *chef's kiss*

Susumu Yokota - Sakura

Skintone/Leaf: 1999/2000

(a Patreon Request from Omskbird)

It wasn't much to go off from just one track, but Susumu Yokota's contribution to Tangent 2002 was a highlight among a compilation filled with highlights. Such skill in weaving a simple nouveau disco tune, I mentally bookmarked the name, figuring he'd be one to scope out more of at later date. Then I saw how wide-ranging and expansive his discography was, and realized a proper deep-dive would be quite the undertaking indeed. The dude started out on Harthouse, for crissake. Harthouse! I assumed he first popped up in the wake of emergent disco deep house of the late '90s, yet there he was, already releasing material that must be among the most obscure items the Frankfurt print ever put out.

But yes, Yokota-san truly came to prominence toward the end of the decade when his house records were getting attention across seas. It didn't turn him into a house-hold name or anything (hefty import fees from half a globe away didn't help), but house-heads in the know would always tip their hat and stroke their beard with a nod should a Susumu tune make an appearance.

Thus I was eager to hear Sakura, a request finally getting me on that overdue deeper-dive. Then I realized, oh dear, there's so much more to his catalogue of music than nifty house and retro techno. So very, very much more. Ambient! Modern classical! Odd sound experiments! That harmonic Japanese thing that only they seem capable of doing and are so good at doing that no other culture has come close to doing, thus forever owning it, mang. They own it!

So this is a very chill album, which I was not expecting, but definitely something Susumu dabbled in from time to time. The fact this came out at the height of his 'peak house years' makes it a rather interesting record, almost a companion passion project wedged between 1998 and 1999. Then again, it does come back to that 'self-release' option, Sakura coming out on his own Skintone, while his house records were released through Sublime Records (no, not that Sublime Records; a Japanese one). Interestingly, the album saw a release in the UK under Leaf, a rather eclectic print where I see Manitoba residing (aka: Caribou; aka: that actual Canadian who sounded like Boards Of Canada).

*whew* How about some actual music talky-talk then, eh? Ah, I'm afraid it's one of those albums that are difficult to detail, what with abstract loops, deep pleasant tones, and lovely minimalist harmonies dominating the songcraft. There are a couple outlier tracks, like Genshi with its steady techno pulse, Hisen with a trip-hop thing going for it, the nu-jazz business of Naminote, and Kodomatachi predicting what 'dream pop' may sound like. Beyond that, however, Sakura's musical eclecticism mostly amounts to sonic doodles and sketches. It rather reminds me of Omnimotion's debut album (oh hi, obscure name-drop), though less emphasis on the dub and a clear Japanese lean. Will probably grow on me just as much that lush record did too.

GZA/Genius - Beneath The Surface

MCA Records: 1999

It was an impossible task. Like, has anyone in the history of hip-hop managed it? I won't deny I haven't heard every rap album ever, with some acts and artists glaring (deliberate?) holes in my accumulated knowledge of that scene. If the self-proclaimed 'Genius' couldn't make the transition from underground critical darling to the mainstream however, what hope have any other, I ask thee? Even the full might of the Wu-Tang Clan had a shaky crossover with Wu-Tang Forever, while only Method Man managed anything considered a successful solo career by that point (maybe ODB too, though more for features). And now the Wu member most known for having the deepest, thought-provoking lyrics was having a stab at commercial success too? Oh dear, this won't go well, will it?

Not that it was a deliberate attempt at crossover success on Mr. Grice's part. Indeed, the very title of GZA's third second album is a not-so subtle analogy at looking for the depth of lyrical content beneath a shiny surface. Unfortunately, the presentation of this album comes off rather muddled, such that the shiny surface is too reflective and distracting. You feel like you should be getting some deeper content out of it, but who can tell when the production is this crisp and clean compared to Liquid Swords. And if we wanted music like that, the 'Puff' Daddy Era was still burning hot (though just about exhausting the last of its fuel). Throw in oddly placed 'skits' of benign-sounding but insidiously predatory corporate ads, and the resultant album is one with good tracks but no flow, ruining much replay value. Despite the title's implication, what you hear is really all you get.

Beneath The Surface provides a perfect example in its opening salvo. Amplified Sample is a solid club banger to kick things off, followed by the moodier, street-tales titular cut featuring string loops right out of a 'Shaolin' slums scene. Then, two skits, followed by another club banger in Crash Your Crew. Rinse, repeat, and it doesn't feel like I'm getting the same deep insights and clever wordplay as Liquid Swords anymore. Much less the classic RZA production either, mostly stepping back while his assortment of proteges take over the console (Mathematics, Arabian Knight, Inspectah Deck, others). Nor are there many members and affiliates of the Wu making guest spots either (Masta Killa, Method Man, and Killah Priest the most prominent of the bunch). All par for the course when it comes to this era of Wu-Tang solo projects, true, but all reasons folks consider these years the start of the Clan's decline.

If anything, Beneath The Surface cemented those hushed whispers into general discourse, what with it failing to fulfill the hype expected of it. And despite multiple tries at hearing more beneath its surface, my impression of the album hasn't changed in two decades. Maybe I'm just too dumb, but my thoughts aren't uncommon. Still, d'at building bass in High Price, Small Reward tho'!

Various - Bedrock: John Digweed

Ultra Records: 1999

Many folks consider this Digweed's proper debut solo DJ mix, which is funny considering how long he'd been spinning records up to that point. Heck, he'd just done a set for Global Underground the year prior, and a solo follow-up to his and Sasha's seminal Renaissance set half a decade earlier. Not to mention various odds and ends that slipped through the radar for various reasons. Most of those were in service of other brands though, but by the end of the '90s, Digweed was a brand unto himself. And what better time to expand that brand than by propping up his newer brand, the freshly minted label Bedrock.

Bedrock became a short-lived series itself, but this inaugural outing clearly overshadowed the follow-ups. When people think Bedrock, they think Digweed, and all the artists featured on his label were there because of his blessing keen sense of club weapons for the progressive elite. This was his opening statement for a new phase in his career, dictating where progressive house would go. Also, a shameless way to plug his new big single Heaven Scent to help launch the Bedrock brand proper-like. All the way at the end of the double-disc set. As if it didn't really fit with the new manifesto. Hmmm...

Forget Heaven Scent. What matters is all the music before it on that tasty CD2. Prog has plenty of criticisms, some of which rear their heads in this set (only ten tracks, what?), but I cannot deny the tunes included here do the business proper-like for my earholes. The opening track alone (Ba Ba (Human Movement Remix) from Pob & Taylor) gets on that hard, techy brand of prog that Steve Porter would launch a career from. The Bedrock rub on Heller & Farley's The Rising Sun practically defines the dark, chugging style that prog would build its reputation around (“deep, deep, dub”). And while it's no Breeder, Sandra Collins' Flutterby pulls closely enough from the the same tech-trance lane such that the sound gets its just representation in this set. Oh, and Markus Schulz is here too, his early Dakota track Swirl offering one of the few melodic moments. Guess Digweed needed something to make the anthemic melodies of Heaven Scent not seem as out of place.

All this gushing over CD2, but what about CD1? Yeah, about that. Two decades later, and with multiple attempts, including most recently, this one just doesn't stick in my head that well. It's the dreaded other critique against prog, its more vapourous tendencies for long stretches, and believe you me, this problem would persist in the following editions of Bedrock.

Maybe CD1 is just too sluggish compared to CD2, and thus always forgotten whenever I play them back-to-back. Oddly, the vocal stuff leaves the only impression, like in Moody from BPT, the Fluke-ish True from Morel, and the quaint robotic Hawkins-speak in We Are Connected from Jodi & Spesh. Who'd have thought vocals would be the best part?

Underworld - Beaucoup Fish

V2: 1999

Working at my little music shop gave me access to all the hot, new 'electronica' CDs before they were to hit the streets (back when such things as internet leaks were hushed whispers). So when Underworld announced Beaucoup Fish, I was eager to get that within my hands for bragging rights. I was already rather late to the bandwagon, having only given their earlier works a passing interest (yay Hackers overplay!). Born Slippy changed plenty of opinions though, including mine, so with only their prior big singles being my main point of exposure, you can imagine my surprise at how chill this album went. Oh, it's got its bangers too, but overall this was quite the knowledge drop on how diverse the Underworld discography could be.

And I liked it! Yet, as I recall, general impressions weren't quite so keen. Folks didn't hate it or anything, just weren't talking it up to the same degree as Dubnobass or Second Toughest (after Born Slippy was added to it). I quite appreciated hearing something more classy and soulful though, especially when most popular crossover stuff was big boshy beats or trance-pants 'tastic. Yeah yeah, if I dug around, I'd find the goods, but you gotta' remember where I was stuck at the time. For a 'mainstream' 'electronica' 'record', there wasn't much like Beaucoup Fish on the market that year. Like, what else, Leftfield's Rhythm & Stealth? Moby's Play??

What's odd about this album, however, is despite liking it, there's always been this strange mental gap for a chunk of it. The opening clutch of tracks are easily burned into my brain, because half of the live album Everything, Everything uses the same tunes. Yet after King Of Snake, I couldn't recall much of anything until Kittens, and I only instantly recognize that tune thanks to its inclusion on the Wipeout 3 soundtrack. It would always come up on that game's supposed 'random' playlist; that and The Chemical Brothers' Under The Influence. C'mon, Wipeout 3, give me more of the Sasha originals, why don't ya'?

*ahem* The clever chill-out counterpoint to Push Upstairs, Push Downstairs follows, with the frantic, manic, Moaner making for a strong closer. That middle of Beaucoup Fish is a real blank though. It's not that big a deal, mind you, the three songs here the shortest of the bunch. Unfortunately, Winjer's soft pitter-patter rhythms and muted vocoder vocals is quite the comedown following King Of Snake, while Skym is little more than a chance for Karl to get his lonesome croon on. And I'd completely forgotten about Bruce Lee, which sounds like Underworld trying to do a heavy, rocky trip-hop thing? Not the best fit for a band best known for the thumping techno and cool groove.

Ultimately, Beaucoup Fish is a fine capper on The Emerson Years, providing the sort of tunes you'd expect of Underworld of this era while showing hints of future genre explorations from Hyde and Smith. Huh, what a limp way to end a review.

Swollen Members - Balance

Battle Axe Records: 1999

I don't always look back on my time working a little music shop in the hinterlands of British Columbia in the best of lights (so bored, so little pay...), but I do appreciate it expanding my pre-Audio Galaxy music consumption. Ordering in all the electronic music I wanted was no small thing, and it wasn't long before my peers came to me with requests as well. This eventually drew the attention of connoisseurs of other genres, particularly underground hip-hop. For sure they helped me clue into Wu-Tang Clan and OutKast, but without these folks asking for acts like Hieroglyphics or Jurassic 5, where would my rap knowledge be? Not terribly good, I wager.

Swollen Members was another such unknown entity. I'm sure a number of my Canadian brethren are wondering, how can that be? For a time, the group helmed by Mad Child and Prevail was one of the biggest rap acts in the country, only ceding their time at the top when Drake came along as the New Canadian Hotness. This is true, but before their big break with the album Bad Dreams, they debuted with this record, Balance. And as the current Top Canadian Rap Act was then Rascalz, Swollen Members had to bide their time in the underground. For there can be only one Canadian Rap Act in the public eye at any given time. I honestly have no idea how or why this is so, I just know it to be so.

In any event, I doubt Swollen Members could have become an overnight sensation even if they wanted to. Their style was always heavy on themes of the occult, not exactly mainstream friendly, and rather fringe even back in the '90s. It honestly still boggles my mind that an act that had Mad Child rapping about witches and demons would go on to have any radio play, but then I suppose Rascalz weren't doing so hot, and Canada needed something to fill their One (1) Popular Rap Act quota. Balance generated more than enough buzz to get record execs looking.

For a young white dude with some dorky traits, hearing another white dude rap about dorky things while in the presence of dope-as-fuck rappers like Del Tha Funkee Homosapein, Everlast, and Dilated Peoples, producers like The Alchemist, plus scratch masters like Mix Master Mike and Kut Masta Kurt, you bet this was right up my alley! Not that this is some horrorcore schlock, Swollen Members sticking to most traditional 'backpacker' rap topics about how lyrically dope they are and all good stuff. They just use unconventional metaphors, is all, with moody, minimalist beats, pianos, guitars, strings, and chants to back them up. The only time this album gets 'fun' is on the Del cut Left Field, which sounds like a tune from one of his own albums, Swollen Members guesting.

And yet, despite quite liking Balance, I never followed this group after. Sadly, Canadian over-hype has a way of sullying a good thing.

Various - Back To Mine: Danny Tenaglia

DMC/Ultra Records: 1999/2000

The concept of the chill-out compilation had never been more fashionable as the last century drew to a close, but something was missing from it truly taking off to the next level. It was all well and good for labels to curate a clutch of tracks for after hours, but who were these label heads, really? Just some anonymous office folks, right? Well, no, not always, but when the major prints started getting their fingers into the clubbing culture pot, you couldn't help but glance at the proliferation of faceless DJ mixes sideways. Say what you will about Global Underground over-hyping their jocks, they at least gave the impression you were getting a particular individual's take on what they enjoyed out of dance music.

So the thinking went with Back To Mine, a chance to put some superstar DJ power behind a fresh new chill-out brand. And sure, give these popular club jocks a chance to share some of the overlooked gems deep in their crates, the tunes they'd never get to rinse in a regular outing. Well, not unless Sasha & Digweed's original concept for Northern Exposure hadn't been so quickly abandoned.

The first couple entries in this new series featured Nick Warren and Dave Seaman. No, Back To Mine wasn't financed by Global Underground, why do you ask? It wasn't long before these CDs were getting domestic releases in my half of the globe, so when I spotted the third volume helmed by Danny Tenaglia, I snatched that up post-haste. Finally, a DJ mix I could show off to my peers wherein all that downtempo stuff I'd buy is now officially proper-cool!

Kinda' hard to pull that off when your opening track is from The Gentle People though. For sure, I like it, and Danny makes a very compelling case for why he likes it in the liner notes. And besides, isn't Back To Mine all about showing off the tunes you like in favour of what's deemed cool or not? Absolutely! Still, unless you're completely in on the fondue, The Gentle People are a hard sell no matter the context. At least Mr. Tenaglia gives us his own jazzy, deep groover Loft In Paradise a couple tracks after.

Yeah, for a supposed 'chill-out' collection, Danny's Back To Mine is rather upbeat overall. Nothing relaxing about Bang The Party's Bang Bang You're Mine, while Ce Ce Peniston's Keep On Walkin' is a right peppy little number, as Ce Ce's tunes typically were. Elsewhere, Crescendo's Cairo takes the CD down a surprising, dusty world-beat road, but given the number of Latin and gospel influences in this set, why not some Arabian sounds too?

Despite not really keeping with the after-hours theme, Tenaglia's Back To Mine remains a nifty collection of tunes he'd likely never have a chance of rinsing out in the usual clubbing environments. Does make me wonder though, if he ever sneaked a couple in during Hour Seventeen of one of those twenty-hour marathon sets.