The Shape - Waveshape Fiction

Anodize/Intellitronic Bubble: 2014/2020

This is the second half of the double album that included _Nyquist's Sonic Periapsis, the fun little gimmick from Intellitronic Bubble of including two completely separate LPs for the price of one. I guess this makes the official first one of these I've completed? Like sure, I've technically done that with the double deal of Skua Atlantic's Atlantic Fusion and Devroka's Processor Overlord, but only by happenstance of already reviewing the Databloem version of Atlantic Fusion. As for the second half of the release containing G-Prod's Space Time's Bubbles LP, that won't be for quite a while yet.

As a side note, why did the label abandon this concept after just a handful of releases in 2020? I get Lee and Árni focusing more on the vinyl side of things, CDs relegated to compilations. This was such a cool idea though, luring in potential new audiences with such plumb deals. Or maybe that's all it was ever intended to be, some nifty CD deals getting folks through the door, keeping them after for the real highlights of all those lathe cut records. Not a bad marketing strategy, nosiree, but man, I cannot deny hoping they make a small return to these 2-for-1 releases as well. They've been handy in nabbing re-released hard copies of some real obscure stuff. Why yes The Shape's Waveshape Fiction is one such item.

Though the alias may be obscure and easily forgotten, the man behind it most definitely is not, as this is another in a great number of Mick Chillage projects. Actually, check that: Mr. Gainsford doesn't really have that many outside his main one – it just feels that way because I keep running into them. Heck, this is the second time I have within these Intellitronic Bubble bundles alone (he's one-half of Skua Atlantic, in case you forgot). I wanted to make a 'Bill Laswell quip' here, but it seems inappropriate, so I'll let it slide.

Anyhow, I hear why Mick adopted a one-off alias for this record, as it's nothing like his usual Chillage tuneage. He was well into his Pixels phase with Anodize that same year (to say nothing of the sublime work coming out on Carpe Sonum Records), putting the unapologetic retro-electro of Waveshape Fiction well out of sorts from his discography. Heck, I'm surprised this even appeared on Anodize, though I haven't had much chance to properly dig into that label. Burned too bright too fast, sadly.

After the album kicks off with the more chill Stranger Than Fiction, we're thrust head-first into second-wave electro – think vintage Anthony Rother and Boris Divider, with a tad less menace. Super dope if you can't get enough of the stuff, but little in the way of surprises either. Mick handles the genre quite well, with a few earworms scattered about the broken robot rhythms and futureshock synths. Still, I get the sense this was more of a fun lark on Mr. Gainsford's part than any serious exploration of the genre.

faru - Utasava

Carpe Sonum Novum: 2018/2022

I'm really getting into some 'off the grid' music lately. What can I say? When a bit of cover art strikes my fancy, followed by sound samples that scintillate my stapes, I'm an easy sucker. This one I found particularly striking in that the sepia photo reminded me of Ultimae Records, yet the music within most decidedly did not. Nor did it sound like much of anything I've yet heard on Carpe Sonum. Neither label has ever gone quite so... world beaty.

Turns out that was something of a departure for Fabian Ruf as well, most of his musical compositions hanging out in the ambient drone category I've indulged plenty of over the years. Okay, he hasn't released a robust discography yet, his Bandcamp page only offering a handful of titles to his faru moniker, but one of those includes a Silent Season EP (Through Darkness Comes Light), so making significant inroads quite early on. From the looks of things, this Utasava is his first physical roll-out, Carpe Sonum Novum offering up a CD option for this album. And as mentioned, quite the turn away from the sort of Archives-styled ambient he was making to that point. Sometimes though, a vacation in a foreign land does wonders for one's inspiration. Having a recording microphone on hand capturing all those unique sounds doesn't hurt either.

And wander through a new realm he done did, opener Walk To Sri Pada almost entirely field recordings, folk and fauna busying themselves all around you, save a singular sitar tone and drumming guiding us along. The sounds of the street are so acute, I actually feel like those darn crows are dive bombing me! No, wait, that's those darn crows on my regular morning jaunts – the track is just giving me PTSD hearing their angry caws pan from right to left.

Regardless, the real highlight of this album is second track The Sacred Mountain, a near twenty-minute excursion into deep meditation as a temple monk sings through all manner of industrial distortion. I've seen this piece compared to Alio Die or Popol Vul, though as always my reference point remains Rapoon. It does eventually morph into more traditional ambient, but man, hearing those effects on this man's voice is some other-wordly vibes. It also kinda' makes the rest of Utasava come off rather tame and safe in comparison.

Not that there's anything wrong with tracks like Indian Ocean, Makar Sankrati and Along The Coast, it's just world beat and ambient dub paths well travelled since the days of Loop Guru. Meanwhile, the glitchy psy-dub of Mirissa and industrial techno of Summre Rain (!!) throw such a left turn on Utasava, you'll be forgiven for thinking you've somehow stumbled into an entirely different album. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the diversity. It's just bizarre going through such an intense meditative journey with The Sacred Journey, only to have gabber beats thumping some twenty-five minutes later. Well, unless you're Rapoon, I guess.

Public Energy - Three 'O Three

Probe Records: 1992/2021

Hey now, don't look at me that way. I was one-hundred percent truthful when claiming completion with Speedy J records at this end of my alphabetical queue. I said nothing about any other of his aliases! Haha, gotcha', hook, line, and sinker! Unless you already saw this joke coming, though I'm not sure how. The original title of this EP was after the two tracks on the A-Side, Hemi-Sync, but for some reason, Jochem re-issued it on Bandcamp titled with the lead track on the B-Side, Three 'O Three. Maybe he felt it the superior cut out of all four tracks? Only way to find out is to dive right in, yo'!

As a record being released on the harder offshoot of Plus 8 Records, Hemi-Sync (Part 1) definitely fits the bill. There isn't anything fancy about it, just a steady thump of a kick, some fills that drop into an industrial grinder, little bleepy leads rotating in and out throughout the duration. One of those leads sounds suspiciously like The KLF's What Time Is Love, but it's so brief and muffled, I can't be certain. Wouldn't surprise me though, as I'm sure it was a highly common sample in the year 1991.

Speaking of brief, the track is but a mere four minutes long, which may as well be a progressive house epic compared to the svelte Hemi-Sync (Part 2), clocking in just over three-and-a-half minutes long. Heck, you could be fooled into thinking it's half that length too, as there's a one-second pause right in the middle of the track! Given Part 2 is little more than a drum tool, I'm sure DJs could have a lot of fun with this, but there isn't much else to it. Still, if folks ever complained about Speedy J's turn to the 4am warehouse bosh in the new millennium, here's proof positive he always had an ear for minimal techno functionality.

Anyhow, here's Three 'O Three, the track given the re-issued spotlight. This just might be the third dumbest thing Jochem's ever made. Not Pull Over dumb, thank God, but it's about as blunt an acid techno workout as you could make in the olden days. The beats are nothing more than a hardcore stomp, there's enough hi-hat action keeping things busy, and the TB-303 tweaks in suitable fashion. Again, more of a tool than a track. Mind, it's not like the fourth track on this EP, B.S.G. (Binaural Signal Generator), is any more brilliant in the beat department, but it at least has something of a hook going for it, plus more of a 'song' progression, such as early '90s bangin' techno could have.

Review wrapped, I'd like to take a moment to mention the passing of an old friend, Ritchie Banipal. We weren't especially close, mostly keeping contact through Facebook in recent years, but had many memorable times together during our Canadian hinterland raving days, memories I'll always cherish. I will miss your sharing of “fotos”, Ritchie.

Speedy J - Tanga

NovaMute: 2003/2021

I've pretty much covered the bulk of Speedy J's '90s output now, at least that which he's re-issued through Bandcamp thus far (still no Oil Zone single?). Yet somehow, most of his post-Loudboxer material has eluded my orderly queue. All those Collabs singles, I get, since I didn't start this discography dive into Jochem Paap's works until after wrapping up another clutch of 'C' releases. The two other Loudboxer EPs though? Just... what were the odds?

Actually, calling Tanga and Bugmod singles spun off Loudboxer is generous. Yeah, they both use the familiar Designer's Republic art on their covers, but neither track appeared on the album proper. Maybe some loops were available in the vinyl edition of Loudboxer? I wouldn't know, because I haven't heard that double-LP featuring two-hundred locked grooves for discerning DJs with playful and inventive minds. All I can say for certainty is there ain't no Tanga, Tannga, Taanga, or Tangga featured around Loudboxer. It just didn't make the cut.

I almost wonder if Tannga could have made it regardless. We're still in a full-bore, head-down, 4am warehouse techno bosh here, which is what you'd expect from an EP aping similar cover art from an album full of the stuff, but this track is nearly eleven minutes long! Given Loudboxer was all about the quick mixes in service of keeping the party on the up-and-up, where could this behemoth even fit? Like, sure, a two-minute snippet of those thunderous beats could have slid snuggly in a warm-up or lead-out portion, but the whole track features those elements. Besides, there's something approaching an actual hook here too, a repeating synth squall echoing into the furthest, darkest domains your ears can imagine, with a little filter effect keeping each loop twisted until all you hear is its trailing reverb. Yes, compared to the relentless rhythmic action of Loudboxer, that constitutes a hook!

Taanga is basically the dub remix, all drums, slowly building in activity as the track plays out, a couple 'pull it back, bring it back' moments, and a nice lead-out. It's only half as long as Tannga, which isn't surprising since it doesn't make time for the hook (such as it is). Meanwhile, Tangga is the... ambient techno version? Whoa, going a little retro there, are ya', Speedy? Okay, it's only 'ambient' in the sense there isn't an omnipresent thudding kick through the track. Plenty of percussion, mind you, but a bit muted and flanged out with reverb, echo, and delay effects, I guess making this the Proper Dub remix. You can even hear an urgent little hook underneath it all, building its way out from underneath the rhythmic clatter. Considering I had Tanga pegged for just carrying on from Loudboxer's genre purism, it's nice hearing a reminder that Jochem could go back to more experimental techno, if he was so inclined.

And that's a wrap with Speedy J at this end of the alphabet! However, we're not quite done with Mr. Paap down here...

Kinder Atom - Super Nice Hippypants

Hypnotic: 1997

As a fairly dedicated consumer of Hypnotic's CDs for a spell, I crossed paths with Kinder Atom a couple times. The music conglomerate had been active in the Toronto techno and industrial scene for awhile, releasing music under other projects as far back as the '80s. The most prominent member of this group, Heiki Sillaste, also worked in such groups as Digital Poodle, Lazer Caps, and A.S.A. (yes, that's a deep cut) Oh, and they've also worked with Rapoon, on the year 2000 album Rapoon vs. Kinder Atom. Can't say that one's super-high on my 'Must Have' list, but should I ever spot a sweet deal for a copy (re: isn't saddled with ludicrous shipping charges), I may indulge.

Such was the case with this particular double-LP: Super Nice Hippypants. I have to admit, it was far from what I was expecting from Kinder Atom. Oh, not so much the music within, though it too surprised me in other ways. It's just, when you know a techno outfit has ties to experimental ambient and industrial dub, the last thing you'd go looking for in their cover art is something more akin to Japanese electro-pop.

Supposedly this is the logo of the label the group helped set up, Nice+Smooth, also plastered all over the inlay - so a bit of sly marketing on their part. Still, when what you're hearing has more in common with '70s synth weirdness, having something so cutesy as your visual representation probably isn't the best selling point. Like, imagine if Super Nice Hippypants had some vintage Fax+ art instead. I bet this album would be hailed a minor classic! Okay, maybe not, but not so easily dismissed either, I wager.

Anyhow, CD1 is the Supernice album, a seven-track excursion into bleepy electronics, swirly sound effects, and ambient dub. It all has a very Berlin-School feel going for it, spaced-out abstract music that appeals to the retro synth dork in me, some passages getting deep into Tangerine Dream minimalism. Again, had this appeared on a label known for the stuff, like Fax+, I could see it getting more positive attention as the years wore on. On Hypnotic though? Oh man, Kinder Atom's experimental ambient opus never stood a chance, did it?

Fortunately, CD2 Hippy Pants brings some electro boogie (Nipple, One Eleven, Juice Bar) spacey techno (Nikral, titular cut), and trip-hop funk (Phat Pants, June Bug) to the party. They even do a D'n'B in Run In Our Light! Yes, it totally clashes with CD1, such that you wouldn't believe it the same outfit were the two CDs not bundled within the same digipak. Such was the group's manifesto though, never beholden to one particular style. A bit rather like The Future Sound Of London in that regard, though clearly without the obsessive studio polish.

Kinder Atom's first album, Atomika, was more of a blend of their disparate sounds, but if you like your genres distinct and separate, then Super Nice Hippypants may be more up or alley.

G-Prod - Space Time's Bubbles LP

Intellitronic Bubble: 2020

What's it take for an aspiring pair of French brothers making Detroit techno to get noticed, huh? Misters David and Nicolas Gaugain have been in the game for a decade now, and have many singles out across many labels. It wasn't until getting a lone track featured on an R & S Records EP (RV Trax) that they finally seemed to break out of digital-only obscurity. And right they should, D-Light a lovely slice of vintage, floaty Detroit techno. Was it enough to finally get recognized by the larger techno audience though? Eh, well, the folks at Móatún 7 sure seemed to take a liking to them. And if Futurgrapher takes a liking, you can bet you have an in with Lee Norris as well, and opportunities for all manner of releases across his labels. Or, in a pinch, a shared double-LP on Intellitronic Bubble.

And I don't know what's feels sadder: that I.B. continues to release such dope music without much fanfare, or the debut albums that artists released on said label go unnoticed. Had G-Prod's Space Time's Bubble LP come out on some Very Important Detroit label – or heck, maybe even FireScope Records – I'd likely find more hype surrounding it and this duo. Seriously, I can't be the only one giving Intellitronic Bubble any semi-proper coverage to this point, am I? *checks Google* Son of a...

Well, whatever. It's clear techno has its niche audiences even within its niche interests. With so much being available everywhere all at once, getting noticed by any reputable rag is simply a luck of the draw now (much less a rambly blogger). If G-Prod's Space Time's Bubbles LP gonna' go down as one of those retro-classics future collectors will beat themselves over for not finding it sooner, so be it!

Wait, am I over-hyping this album a bit much? I think not. Opener 2mass gets us right into the proper Artificial Intelligence ambient techno groove, so expertly crafted that you'll wonder how the Brothers Gaugain didn't release on FireScope after all. Follow up Air Miles gets us into a steadier groove, constantly evolving over the course of its runtime in that oh-so sweet the best techno jams do. It's like... it's like... Gosh, am I ever getting some ol' school Laurent Garnier vibes here. Guess there just is a certain vibe to the French Touch.

And while the general tone of G-Prod's album doesn't vary much, they offer enough variety between tracks keeping you engaged. The more menacing electro cuts (IPS Cells, Space Muffin's), the techno workouts (NGC's 1300 and 6188), and that one extra-long ambient techno excursion that never gets old throughout its eleven minutes runtime (Le Cycle de la Vie). Yep, Space Time's Bubbles LP has everything a purported disciple of Detroit techno should love and praise, and hardly a single soul seems to know about it. Maybe if it got released as a quadruple vinyl box-set instead of CD, folks would take it more seriously.

_Nyquist - Sonic Periapsis

Intellitronic Bubble: 2020

Not as prolific an artist as I initially assumed, but that's only because when I first came into contact with _Nyquist, he definitely was a prolific artist. Or at least, about as prolific as one could be releasing multiple records with Lee Norris over the span of a few years. When the two finally committed some tunes to the LP format in Synchronized Minds, it looked like they'd keep that momentum going for some time still. I guess Lee got side-tracked with his usual multitude of side things (label managing, other collaborations, life issues), leaving the man behind _Nyquist – Frank Rumpelt – to pursue other interests in that time. Most of these were as different aliases exploring other sounds than techno, a tradition as old as... well, as long as there's been electronic music, at least.

Before that though, he did release a solo _Nyquist album, this here Sonic Periapsis. In typically odd fashion, it was bundled in one of Intellitronic Bubble's double-LPs, paired with The Shape's Waveshape Fiction, who is... well, I won't say just yet. Regardless, this isn't such a bad deal when you're dealing with physical mediums, but the download of this release doesn't separate the two albums. I technically should be reviewing both right now, but adherence to alphabetical OCD compels me to postpone The Shape's album for whenever I get down to the 'W's. Anyway, it seems a moot point now, as Frank recently uploaded the album on its own to his Bandcamp page. See, it pays to be two-to-three years overdue in covering new releases!

Mr. Rumpelt doesn't waste any time letting us know what sort of music we're in for with Sonic Periapsis. A simple electro rhythm, a little chunky acid bassline, and soon enough, we're cruising retro-future streets, passing sleek chrome vehicles in search of cyberpunk hangouts for some cyborg break-dancing action. Some tracks get more on that pure Detroitism (Micro Expression, Mydentity, Electric Rain), some maintain the electro acid fonk (Abstract Mind, Velocity Vector, SCIPRIDC), and Sudden Void sets off some of my trance triggers, despite most evidence pointing out it's not trance. Tack on a requisite chill tune at the end with Time Safari, and you have... whoa, wait a minute! D'at bass! Damn, does Time Safari ever remind me of some of those old 'audio bass' tunes from the '90s.

Come to think of it, Sonic Periapsis has quite the technobass vibe going for it overall. Yeah, there isn't much of a leap from that genre to Detroit techno and electro, but hearing some trunk-rattling basslines out of a label that isn't quite so known for it, well, that tickles my fancy. Or maybe Intellitronic Bubble does, and I simply haven't heard it yet. I have picked up a bunch of their compilations, but they're titled as numbers, I won't be getting to those until I wrap around again. And given my current pace, that won't be until... 2025? Ha-ha, no, I'm that tardy with this blog. I hope...

Speedy J - Something For Your Mind - The Remixes

Music Man Records: 1992/2021

The other big crossover hit Speedy J landed early in his career, but hardly the embarrassment Pullover is. Yeah, the vocal nicked from C'hantal's The Realm can grate after a bit, but there's plenty more going on such that you don't have to entirely focus on it. Besides, if you need proof Mr. Paap doesn't mind this track as part of his discography compared to Pullover, just gander at the cover art he used for the Bandcamp remaster.

Something For Your Mind gets to have the O.G. Plus 8 Records glory, while Pullover features the Music Man Records art, even though this package technically contains all the music from the Music Man version. Keep in mind that the record this release got its art from, simply titled The Remixes, also featured Pullover on the A-side, yet Something For Your Mind gets to rub shoulders with all of Plus 8's greats instead. Right, I know the Pullover single came out before it was featured on The Remixes, but hey, if Jochem is a stickler for such details, why not use the Music Man art for Something For Your Mind as well?

Anyhow, while all the other singles had remixes of Something For Your Mind, and not the original cut, this re-issue does include the original! Or at least, the version as heard on the Rise EP, which was a live outing of crashing rhythms, but I guess ol' Jochem feels that's the definitive one – it's certainly as close to the sort of techno he'd eventually rinse out on the regular.

Realizing a live rendition might be a bit too bang-on for proper single consideration (and maybe wanting to add a little more songcraft compared to the dumb-thump of Pullover), Speedy J's own remix brings some ravey synth stabs, tension building strings, and cowbell. It's also rather muted compared to the live version, which makes it less powerful if you want to get folks properly pumped. It's as though Jochem forgot to add the gains for these remasters. Or were they just recorded that quietly in the first place?

The other remix comes care of Exposure, one Maurits Paardekooper and Rick van Breugel (these Dutch names, I swear). They were part of the Techno Grooves collective, a bunch of Dutchmen making techno in the early '90s, which also included Speedy J. They've been semi-active to this day, and Richie Hawtin seemed to like Maurits' Percussion Electrique under his Dwarf alias. Meanwhile, van Breugel has way too many aliases and projects for me to dig further, so let's move onto their remix of Something For Your Mind.

The longest of this batch, Exposure uses even punchier, crunchier rave stabs than Speedy J's rub, adds some choir pads at the peaks, and that's about it. Hey, it ain't bad for a '92 Dutch techno tune, but at nine-minutes long, kinda' overstays its welcome as well. Maybe needed an edited version? *listens to the 7” Remix*. Oh dear, no. That was just pointless.

Public Energy - Slumber / Velocity

Probe Records: 1994/2021

Not just the name of a Speedy J album, Jochem Paap used the 'Public Energy' alias as a means of releasing additional singles on Probe Records, the Plus 8 spin-off featuring techno of a harder bent. This was just something many producers used to do, wanting their stylistically different tracks separate from their main projects. Come to think of it, it still happens, though mostly in niche ways – in contemporary over-saturated scenes, if you have an alias that catches on, you gotta' ride that as much as you can, no matter how much you think your lo-fi acid ambient-core track clashes with your lolli-trap hyper-hands cut.

Still, there was a fair bit of distance between the more traditional takes on Detroit techno Jochem was doing as Speedy J (just ignore Pull Over ...please?) and the boshier stuff offered as Public Energy. It wasn't a lengthy divergence, mind, releasing just one record before he got sucked into that whole Artificial Intelligence business with Warp Records, steering his career path into 'serious' music making for a good portion of the '90s. Yet while in the midst of his Ginger and G Spot era, Mr. Paap saw fit to release another Public Energy record with Probe Records. The allure for making something for the true underground heads, flailing away at 4am in a sweaty warehouse, was just too much to resist, I guess. But hey, at least he eventually said nuts to all the 'proper' ways of doing techno, going for the jugular on the regular.

And even here, Jochem goes about doing bosh in a slightly smarter way than what his fellow Dutchmen would. Side A Slumber still features those over-driven gabber beats, but teased and held back, echoing and percolating among themselves for a long lead-in, punchy acid soon joining the intense rhythmic action. Then... what's this? Light, sinewy synth pads? Is... is Slumber turning into a trance track? No, not really, but in being coupled with these beats, it does impart a hypnotic feel.

B-side cut Velocity is a bit more traditional for full-throttle techno, and might even be credibly considered hard trance of the era. It's certainly got a bit of an Oliver Lieb vibe going for it, and features all the requisite synth breakdowns and acid climaxes you'd expect of the genre. If you've ever felt forlorn that Speedy J didn't embrace more trance back when, Velocity will certainly be a treat for your ears.

The Bandcamp re-issue throws in a bonus track, P.A., which originally appeared on The Silcon Ghetto EP Vol. 1 from Daniel Bell's short-lived Accelerate label. Yes, even more short-lived than Probe Records. It, too, is also quite boshy, but in a total Detroit minimalist way, making it an effective tool for your DJing needs, but that's about it. You really wouldn't expect any less from sharing vinyl space with DB-X. Kind of clashes with the original single, but eh, isn't the whole point of digital re-issues rescuing wayward tracks on defunct labels?

Speedy J - A Shocking Hobby

NovaMute: 2000/2021

The final Speedy J album I've yet to review, and possibly the most significant one for Mr. Paap in terms of where his career was going. Loudboxer put a permanent stamp on his turn towards techno bangers, but the notion of releasing a singular, uncompromising audio assault for a full LP starts with A Shocking Hobby. Prior albums typically offered a variety of tempo, tunes, and tones, and while the same can be said for most of this one too, there's no denying this record is best enjoyed – and perhaps properly only enjoyed – as a single sit-down experience. From front to back, A Shocking Hobby hardly deviates from its future-shock, broken-beat aggro-techno vibe.

You might sense familiar territory with opener Terre Zippy, starting an album similarly to Public Energy No. 1. Yet whereas Tuning In instilled a bit of uneasy calm before Jochem unleashed Patterns on you, Terre Zippy is all abrasive industrial drone, increasing the tension to fever pitch before unleashing an even nastier piece of big beat business in Borax. I wouldn't go so far as to call this track drill n' bass though, as there's a certain level of measured structure going on here compared to the frenetic pace the IDM camps generally enjoy. As for melody, forget it. Whereas Patterns had those big, rousing orchestral strings at its climax, Borax settles for some layered strings at its peak, finding whatever seams of boshing beats they can squeeze through.

And while you can tell when there's a shift into another track on A Shocking Hobby, everything's so aurally consistent that it almost sounds like a live session getting rinsed out rather than individual tracks. Interstitial piece Ferber Mudd may as well be a brief continuation of ideas already explored in Borax, while Balk Acid carries on with the booming, distorted rhythms just the same, with it's own nice little melody in support that will get all your Aphex Twin comparisons triggering.

Even more than the last album, those links to the IDM wonks of the '90s have been made with A Shocking Hobby, and I can't deny, the drill n' bass vibes of tracks like Vopak, Actor Nine and Drill are clear as any day. I dunno' though, this album still feels more rooted in techno's domain than IDM, using sonic experimentation as a tool for an LP narrative rather than for its own sake track to track. Even the downbeat pieces towards the end serve as a comedown coda to the audio assault that came before in this apocalyptic war of industrial breaks.

Still, though I'd consider A Shocking Hobby a far more successful outing of such sounds compared to the transitional Public Energy No. 1, it's still a noisy session from Speedy J, one I can see only a handful of folks would be down for. Plus, while critically solid, I doubt making such music was all that financially lucrative for Jochem. Now, that warehouse-ready, club friendly 4am techno, there's an untapped market...

Speedy J - Rise

Plus 8 Records: 1991/2021

“The Rise Of Speedy J”? “Speedy J Rises”? “Speedy J ...Arise!”? Hmm? Oh, don't mind me, just mulling over some silly thoughts. Like, you know how “rise” is a total cliche in movie marketing, right? So naturally I can't help but think of this EP in those terms. “Jochem Paap is... The Speedy J, Risen!”, and such nonsense. Look, when one has exhausted nearly all the Very Important talking points regarding an artist's catalogue, the temptation to succumb to the cockamamie grows ever more prominent. It happens to the best of us, and I'm far from the best of us. Maybe the best of us of what's left of us.

Anyhow, after Jochem had made his mark on the Detroit techno scene with International, he followed it up with this EP, four tracks that, for better or worse, showed just how diverse his early career would go. The titular cut kicks things off right where International left off, a near ten-minute rinse out of Detroit future funk with bright synth stabs and soaring strings. As per the title, all the elements in play keeps building upon itself, such that Rise has all the momentum going for it by track's climax, needing a good two minutes worth of cool down. Still, a strong opener, letting folks know the Dutchman is keeping the 'proper techno' spirit alive and well in Europe.

Then second track Something For Your Mind hits. Okay, it's not as inane as Pull Over, but this is still a fairly dumb track, just barely on this side of the 'Good Dumb – Bad Dumb' divide. I guess because this is a live recording (lacking any crowd noise), there's a bit more free-wheelin' flow with the thumping percussion and playful effects on the vocal. I don't have much else to say about Something For Your Mind at this point because, hoo, I'll have a better opportunity down the line.

Tresor's an odd one, in that on its surface, it's a more straight-forward bumpin' techno tune. For some reason though, I can't help but think I'm playing an old arcade racing game while it plays. Or maybe a subway station level in a beat-'em-up. Some of the synths used sound so... arcadey, y'see. There isn't anything as immediately ear-wormy as the first two tracks either, so maybe that's why Tresor has a feeling of a background tune, or a transitional one in a late set towards the end of a night.

And speaking of 'end of night', here's De-Orbit, the track that put Speedy J in the headlights of those 'intelligent' followers of techno. In the context of Rise, it's a wonderful little chill tune, Jochem showing off his downtempo side for the first time (no, I don't subscribe to the theory the speed was a mispress). Really, this whole EP plays out like a condensed night out: the 'get pumped' start, the big anthem, the 'deep' cut, and the afterhours tune. “The Rise And, um, Come-Down, Of Speedy J.”

Sven Väth - Retrospective 1990-97

Club Culture: 2000

Kinda' wild to think there aren't many Sven Väth compilations. Plenty of Harthouse or Eye-Q collections, sure, where he's had his hand in the production chair one way or another. An actual LP dedicated to just his works though? This simple little nine-tracker released in the year 2000 is about it. Okay, also a Mixmag set he did for his 30th anniversary as an artist. This CD doesn't go that far back though, only focusing on his Harthouse era. I assume because Club Culture – and by extension, WEA – only had licensing rights to these tracks, thus it was all they could include. And with Sven's Cocoon print and nightclub gaining plenty of plaudits at the turn of the century, time was about right for those licence holders to cash in.

Nine tracks may not seem like a lot of music covering a seven year span, but considering a few of these cuts breach the double-digit length, I'd say that's reasonable bang for your buck. Not so much, though, if you were already a hardcore Harthouse follower, very little on Retrospective even the most casual consumer of that label's output wouldn't already have. Heck, I already have two-thirds of these tracks in some form, but there are a few remixes that I haven't plucked up yet, plus a few others missing from my own library, so springing a few bones for this compilation was an easy buy for yours truly.

Sven Väth's retrospective collection opens up with the early trance hit of Zyon's No Fate ...which isn't actually a Sven Väth joint. Oh, he and right-hand man Ralf Hildenbeutel are definitely on the Struggle Continuous Mix (the version with d'at piano!), which is what's included here. And this is a perfectly suitable track to open Sven's CD on. Just, y'know, hilarious how Sven technically isn't much involved with it, but rather those other two Eye-Q all-stars: A.C. Boutsen and Stevie B-Zet. Speaking of, Vernon's Wonderland is also on here, but again as remix (called The Future) handled by Sven and Ralf.

Anyhow, of the tunes I already have, Spectrum is here, as is An Accident In Paradise. Heck, I even have that ultra-long Underworld rub of Harlequin – The Beauty And The Beast, which I assume would have been a selling point for this CD for most others. Nice to finally have an original version of the classic, chipper My Name Is Barbarella, though this moody, minimalist Michael Mayer version of L'Esperanza isn't much to get fussed about – darn edits.

That leaves just two tracks I've never talked about. The first is Sven's own Ballet Fusion but it's also an edit, so nuts to that. Electro Acupuncture then, with B-Zet under the guise of Astral Pilot. It's a twelve-minute outing of bouncy techno that's a lot of fun and would probably get huffed out of Very Important techno circles but is so Very Sven Väth – especially of this period – so who gives a hoot?

Blue Hour - Reference 97

Blue Hour: 2014

Hearing honest-to-Gods, true blue trance music from that positivesource compilation naturally had me wondering, was there any more from these guys? The label may be far too new to have cultivated much of a regular roster, but surely all these artists didn't just suddenly sprout up from the ground like so many Tolkien dwarves. You bet, but that's a lot of digging through discographies, some of which may only have a few scant releases to their name. No, best to stick to labels for now, and fortunately for I, it turned out positivesource is a sub-label. Which means there's a parent label I can check out! Oh, goodie!

Sure enough, said parent label is Blue Hour. You might remember that name as one of the artists I mentioned in the positivesource 'Bundle' review (it was only a month ago). I touched on it there, but here's more details. Started by Luke Standing way back in 2013 (yes, that's 'way back' now, deal with it), the eponymous print carved out a tidy little niche in an overcrowded techno market in Germany. Maybe not the most flashy label thereabouts, but successful enough to carry on releasing a few records every year to this day. I don't have the time to sift through the label's entire catalogue to hear just how consistent the trance vibes that lured me in had been lurking throughout, but I figure scoping out some early works might give me an idea. Ah, this Reference 97 looks promising, perhaps referencing techno and trance from the year 1997?

Or maybe not. The titular opener of this single hits you immediately with the thudding, thunderous techno beats you'd associate with Ostgut Ton releases – maybe the snare action is a little vintage Detroit? But what's this? An emergent synth pad, pulsing to the rhythm as it slides along its sine wave? Yeah, that's kinda' trance, even has a little breakdown where it's just the melody doing its thing. Those big ol' beats waste no time coming back though (fuck d'em builds, yo'), keeping Reference 97 firmly in techno's domain.

Second track is called Don't Speak. Ooh, is that a reference to the No Doubt song? Right, the album it came from was released in '95, and technically had a single released in '96, but it did most of its chart damage in '97, so there could be a tie-in! Ha-hah, oh of course not, this Don't Speak a strict exercise in techno minimalism (but not mnml, thank Lord). There is a weird sound that oozes out after every eighth measure, which might be an ultra-dubbed vocal sample, which could be a clip from the No Doubt song? No, I doubt that.

Final track Moments also brings the boom in its beats, but in a broken way, boy. There's also some synth pad work in support, giving this track a real classic Artificial Intelligence vibe. Could almost appear on B12's label, if that bass kick wasn't so beefy.

Spicelab - Quicksand EP

Harthouse/Solieb Digital: 1992/2013

I've held off buying Oliver Lieb Bandcamp remasters for far too long. Always that niggling hope though, that maybe, just maybe, he'd release a hard copy version of his early singles across various aliases, gathering them into a compilation, as done with his L.S.G. works. And I suppose there's still a chance it will happen, but really, if it hasn't happened by now, chances are it never will ...and watch me get proven wrong by this summer.

Anyhow, the early Spicelab singles remained highest on my 'Want' list, so naturally they were the first I sprung for. The Quicksand EP in particular was a unique item in the Spicelab canon, as the titular track is among the first tunes Mr. Lieb released on the downbeat. Perhaps not as notable overall since he'd release the ambient-leaning Constellation on Recycle Or Die the following year, but for a producer who was mostly making blistering, raw acid and techno, Quicksand is a significant step in Oliver's musical evolution.

I already touched on the track as it appeared on the Harthouse Dark Hearts, Vol. 1 compilation, but I may as well re-iterate. Maintaining that experimental sci-fi bent Spicelab often enjoyed, this one opens with lengthy, spaced-out synths gliding and sliding along sine waves, all the while someone hurriedly rushes up a flight of hallway stairs. Man, I can feel my calves getting a work-out just listening to this!

Seriously though, Quicksand has most of the hallmarks of a typical trance tune of the era, just played in a far more chill way, the groove a steady, soft rhythm while all sorts of electronic sounds bubble about. It's an extremely slow build getting to a point where everything's in play, and even then, it doesn't make a big fuss about it, simply cruising along for the track's duration. For those used to the harder side of Spicelab – heck, Harthouse in general – this had to be quite the ear-opener. Small wonder it was tapped for label retrospective consideration.

On the flip, however, is where you'll find the bangers. Amorph is probably the most famous of the lot, an early example of Oliver steering German trance music into the acid techno of the day. It starts out typically of the genre in '92: noisy noises, simple rave riffs, and speedy 150 BPM beats. At the two-minute mark though, those distinct Lieb space synths emerge, flying along with simple pitch bends and squiggly electronics, sending the track into outer orbit. There were examples of these sounds in the debut Spicelab EP, but never used to this effect. The cheeky 'gabber' beats towards the end are just silly fun.

The third track on this EP is called 56387. It's got an annoying hook that sounds like a cyborg strangling a synthesizer. It's mostly just boshy acid techno with some ol' school German trance choir pads. It's not as interesting as the rest of this EP. It was just the style at the time.

The Future Sound Of London - The Pulse EPs

Jumpin' & Pumpin': 2008

This has to be about it. There can't be anymore long-lost FSOL releases from way back that I haven't gotten. Officially released ones, at least. Like, there's still all that From The Archives material that they never seem to run out of, though I'm sure whatever was still in their ancient data banks has been expunged by now. No, wait, I'm seeing a recently released EP called Mental Cube (Original Recordings From 1990). Oof, of course there would be something like this floating about. And I suppose they could still gather up all their wayward single-purpose aliases into a compilation at some point. Aliases like Metropolis, Semi Real, Intelligent Communication, Art Science Technology, and Homeboy (2). Brian and Garry really were quite the busy-bodies back-when.

But no, I'm talking about straight-up, proper Future Sound Of London works, of which The Pulse EPs was where they first emerged. Indo Tribe too, if we're keeping count. And Smart Systems as well. Technically also Yage, as an artist and not a producer. Mental Cube though, that had already been around. Basically Garry and Brian finally just putting themselves and their Earthbeat sessions out there, seeing what stuck and what would be relegated to the dustbin of early rave jams. Four records emerged from this series, with a spiffy consolidation of them released when the duo were re-releasing a bunch of archival material on the 'net.

Things kicks off with, appropriately, Bring In The Pulse (MFK Mix), as Indo Tribe. Though Lord Discogs tells me this is the first instance of me having this track, it sure feels like I've already heard it, a fairly standard breakbeat-bleep track as heard out of the early UK rave scene. Maybe a lot of it was recycled into other tracks? Whatever, the first real item of note on the first Pulse EP is the first official FSOL track, which appeared nowhere else: Hardhead (Frothin' At The Mouth Mix)! It's... um... it's not like any other FSOL track you'll hear, just a rudimentary breakbeat tune with some sample play, a standard hook, and a freakin' rave whistle. Wow, and to think this alias would lead to such wonders as Cascade and My Kingdom. More representative is Pulse State, the groovy acid house number as heard on Accelerator.

Yeah, there isn't much else on The Pulse EPs that I haven't talked elsewhere, only two more tracks unique to this release within my collection. Mental Cube's I'm Not Gonna Let You Do It is a nice, simple, retro-future techno jam, but Smart System's Zip Code is little more than a standard rave bosher. Still, I love hearing Calcium again, even if in slightly edited form. In fact, there's a lot of 'slight edits' on here, a consequence of cramming four EPs onto a single CD. I think this is a better overall compilation of early FSOL material compared to Earthbeat, but it's not the whole story, and with a quarter of it re-appearing on Accelerator, a bit redundant to completists.

Speedy J - Pull Over

Music Man Records: 1991/2021

This has to be the dumbest thing Speedy J has ever made. Yes, even dumber than its spiritual twin sister, Something For Your Mind - at least that one has a slightly redeemable vocal? And I'm not talking about my 'good' kind of dumb, which one could argue a lot of his post-Loudboxer techno is. Y'know, that blunt, no-holds-barred kind of pummelling rhythmic action that doesn't require much in the way of insightful dissection or thought to get into. No, this is just straight up dumb, spelled with a capital 'D', 'U', and 'M'. Just how dumb is this track? When Armin van Buuren was doing his little 'updating tunes that inspired me' series, of all the Speedy J tracks he could have chosen, he chose this one. That's how dumb this track is!

Don't worry about me calling Pull Over the dumbest thing to Speedy J's name, tho'. I'm sure Jochem would agree. Despite its massive success as a cross-over hit and an early Dutch rave 'classic', he never, ever wanted to go down this route again. Heck, I wonder what compelled him to do such a tune in the first place? Peer pressure from his fellow Dutchmen, to unleash the inherited Dutchiness lurking in his lineage?

It's certainly unlike anything he'd been releasing on Plus 8 Records to that point, which admittedly hadn't been much yet. Maybe that Minimal track, if it had only focused on the rhythm. But Pull Over doesn't. Almost immediately, that utterly inane looping 'hook' makes its presence felt, just mindlessly going on its single note, with its single pitch bend. And it never, ever stops, just sucking the whole way through. No matter how many fancy little drum fills Speedy J tries to get you hype around it, the hook carries on, sucking. You might say it helped inspire hard house, but that's like saying Family Guy helped inspire The Cleveland Show.

The First Remix is almost a tad less sucky, in that the beats have a bit more momentum going for them. The Speedy One also gets a little more playful with that hook, occasionally stretching the pitch bend out so the hook almost ends up sounding like a siren, and even adding a little reverb effect. Actually, no, that makes it even worse. I don't want to hear this stupid-ass hook any more than I need to, and no amount of knob twiddling will help it.

Second Remix, then, that's where it's at. Yeah, the noise that makes up Pull Over's hook is still present, but it's reduced to nothing more than a single stab no more prominent than an off-beat bassline. This version is all about d'em beats, man, and here's the Speedy J that would go on to such bangin' classics like Kreck. Well, in a primordial form at least.

The Bandcamp re-issue also includes an Original Cassette Tape version, and it's... just Pull Over again, but slower. Hard... Pass... Over...

Speedy J - Public Energy No. 1

Plus 8 Records: 1997/2021

It's weird to think of a Speedy J album as contentious, but as I scoured about for impressions of Mr. Paap's third album, that does seem to be the case. I get it though, I really do. G Spot was an almost impossible record to meet follow-up expectations with, at least without rehashing a bunch of the same ideas again. Jochem though, he don't play like that, always in a state of change and exploration (until he settled upon 4am bangin' techno as his bread 'n' butter). Still, while Public Energy No. 1 is far from as wild a departure from Speedy J of old as it could have been (just check out the singles prior to its release for an idea), it's certainly more abrasive than much of his previous catalogue.

You know you're in for something harder and challenging when opener-proper Patterns emerges. Things seem on a nicely tranquil, melodic tip for the lead in, then over-driven, distorted broken beats get bit crunched and digitally spewed back out into your face. Oh, we're doing that IDM thing, like Aphex Twin and μ-Ziq, are we? Well, sure. I mean, Mike Paradinas did offer a remix on Ni Go Snix, so it's only natural that some of those influences would start emerging into Jochem's sound. Still, unlike the remix of Patterns' single, there's more of a melodic through-line in the album version, keeping things at least a little accessible for those looking for more Fills.

There's a definite push-pull going on with Public Energy No. 1, Jochem clearly anxious to get more experimental in his techno outings, but still feeling it necessary to give his fans what they're familiar with. In-Formation carries on with the crunchier beatcraft, all the while maintaining an eerie atmosphere with airy pads. Pure Energy is basically Speedy J going big-beat. Drainpipe is basically Speedy J going trip-hop. Haywire hints at more digital abrasion, but still finds the time to work in some quite pleasant pad work, while Hayfever carries on the beats while saying nuts to anything melodic. And just to show these new-form sonic adventures aren't everything Jochem's been influenced by, Melanor's's sinewy ambience, Tesla's dusty ambience and Canola's abstract ambience reaches well into '70s synth weirdness.

And that's pretty much the album fully detailed, over and done in little over a paragraph. For sure the music's fine, but it doesn't have the same talking points as other Speedy J records do. Maybe some discourse about how Jochem continued evolving and all, but when stacked against his larger body of work, Public Energy No. 1 is very much a stepping-stone LP. The sublime melodic moments of records past, or the take-no-prisoners techno workouts of records future, simply aren't present here. I feel like this was a necessary album for him to get out of his system, to show he could continue down roads less ventured. Whenever I reach for a Speedy J album to play, however, this one doesn't sit high on the pile.

Various - Psychotrance 2: Darren Emerson

Moonshine Music: 1994

Why have I put off returning to the Psychotrance series for so long? It certainly isn't because of dashed expectations. I've long known these early editions are almost entirely devoid of trance – I only listened to one to come to that conclusion. Could my techno sensibilities simply refuse the titles out of hand, a quirky artifact of '90s compilation marketing gimmicks? I don't see why not, but something else always twigged me. Lack of DJ familiarity, that's it. Or at least, somewhat. Like, I know who Mr. C is. I know who Slam is. I know who Darren Emerson is. Eric Powell though? Daz Saund? Utter blanks.

No, I must be honest with myself. The only reason I've skimped on early Psychotrance CDs is because I just haven't ever found them around on the cheap. Or rather, I haven't made the effort to find them on the cheap. I'm sure Lord Discogs' marketplace has plenty, but eh... Unless they happen to be in a seller's stash I'm already buying from, they just don't register high on my 'Want' list.

They should be though, if Darren Emerson's set is representative of just how bangin' these CDs can go. Yeah, there's precious little trance here. Even the most liberally minded genre enthusiasts couldn't argue that Josh Wink, The Advent, Dave Angel, or Acid Jesus (aka: early Alter Ego) were ever considered trance. This is a techno set through and through, with ample amounts of acid and Detroit futurism. I suppose the more shocking thing about Psychotrance 2 is that it comes from Darren Emerson, whom a great many only knew as part of Underworld at the time. He had a robust DJ career before that though, and carried on with gigs on the side while maintaining his role of Awesome Beatmaker with Karl and Rick. Psychotrance 2 was his first official mix CD, though I don't think much hullabaloo was made over it. Dude didn't even get his name on the front cover!

Anyhow, supposing someone picked this up because of that Underworld connection, I do wonder what their initial reactions would be. We're dropped in Detroit techno's domain quite early, by only second track Son Of Norma from Norma G (technically Dutch, but the Detroitism is undeniable). Following that is the brisk acid stomper Liquid Summer from Josh Wink, and the pace only quickens from there. Stefan Robbers' Validate (Funkybizmix) gets a little trancey (pst, it's that 'Norma G' fella' again), but then Nüw Idol's Zim brings us right back to some future-shock neo-urban broken-beat business (with a melodic assist from Acid Jesus' Move My Body). This, from the Underworld guy!

Did I mention this is also a live set? Okay, maybe that's not as impressive - a lot of mix CDs (without access to fancy studios) were recorded live back then. It just caught me off guard hearing a bunch of scratches in a supposed 'trance' set. Yeah, yeah, Psychotrance was never about trance. Damn Moonshine marketing.

Devroka - Processor Overlord

Intellitronic Bubble: 2020

Boy, it's been a spell since I talked up this label, eh? I've a whole pile of material from them sitting in my queue, but because of that niggling, OCD, alphabetical sorting of mine, most of them have been languishing in the “#”s. Yeah, there's properly titled albums as well, but as it so often goes, many of them hang out in the “S” group, or the “W” gang. These things take time attending to, especially when, in the meanwhile, one buys up a few full discographies of other artists.

Intellitronic Bubble mostly started out as a typical techno label, releasing EPs, with compilations plucking the highlights along the way. It wasn't long before they dipped into the albums market though, Norken & _Nyquist leading the charge (because of course Lee would). Tradition dictates a slew of other albums from artists of similar ilk would come next, but I.B., they did something a little funky in doing so: releasing paired-albums! As in, each release would, in fact, be two, bundled together. Certainly a different way of doing things, but hey, I'm game, unable to resist getting more bosh for my buck. Ironically, the album I'm reviewing today is from a bundle I didn't spring for, as its paired LP is a re-issue of Skua Atlantic's Atlantic Fusion, a CD I already have. There's a story for this being the case, but eh, you're here to read about music, not my music buying adventures.

So Devroka. I knew nothing about this artist going in, which is always fun for those critical first impression. And said impressions are... holy shit, this is some retro electro! Pure robot body muzik, but, like, second wave, when Anthony Rother and Boris Divider were reviving the genre for the new millennium. The broken beats, the menacing digital atmosphere, the vocoder voice rapping about vector grids and cybernetic wars. I know Intellitronic Bubble dabbles as much with electro as it does Detroit techno and funky IDM, but I never expected something so distilled and pure from them either.

And it gets even wilder, as the man behind Devroka is none other than Devin Underwood. You might remember him from such reviewed projects as Gapfield and Specta Ciera. Yeah, one of those ambient guys! I've heard hints of his muse drifting in sci-fi directions, but never would I have imagined he had a full-blown robot revolution work within him. Then again Anthony Rother also appeared on Fax+, so maybe there's more crossover among electro and ambient guys than I was led to believe.

Anyhow, as cool as it is hearing electro of this sort, Processor Overlord is kinda' one-note as an album experience. There's some variety - Alleyway goes more technobass, Reverse Thruster more laid-back, Blockade less menacing, Vector Skyline way chill – but the electro aesthetic dominates throughout. I guess that makes sense when you have 'overlord' in your album title. You will get down to these sounds, even if you have the grace of a cyber-giraffe.

Various - positivesource 'Bundle'

positivesource: 2022

Two 'label compilations as Bandcamp downloads' in a row now. Do I have any more? Eh, not in the pipeline, but it is funny how this pair lined up, especially as they couldn't be further apart in genre if they tried. Well, okay, maybe if that Green Bay Wax print was actually nosebleed hardcore, and positivesource was lowercase ambient, then yes, that's about as opposite extremes as it gets.

And I suppose there is some similarity, if not in genre, then definitely in manifesto. Whereas Green Bay Wax is all about that ol' skool jungle, positivesource seems to be all about that ol' skool techno-trance. Yes, I'm talkin' early '90s, Harthouse-era, high-BPM spaced-out trance-trance. When I say no genre dies, I ain't tellin' lies.

The label is an off-shoot of Blue Hour, a print helmed by an artist of the same name, though goes by Luke Standing when dealing with the German auto license depot. It started as an outlet for his own techno material, but gradually grew to incorporate other artists, and now a sub-label with positivesource. Three four-track compilation records were released over the course of a year, which provided just enough material for a charmingly retro 'label compilation' consolidating it all. Now if only there was a CD option, the '90s retro feels with this release would be complete.

And right from the jump, we're dropped into the brisk BPM business, Oprofessionell's SXTOOL pushing the pace pretty high, far higher than cavernous dub techno of this sort ever dares to tread. Still, this is more of a minimal outing, and I promised trance. Wh'ar tha' trance, wh'ar? Follow-up Maniac from Newa gets us closer, with a rolling bassline and punchy synth stabs that tease out brighter chords over its seven minute run-time. And... are those choir pads I hear, towards the end? That's about as ol' skool trance as it gets, ain't it? If that's not 'trance' enough for you, then here's Alan Backdrop's Liaq, with floating pads, burbling acid, and flanged-out percussion that's gotta' get your Oliver Lieb triggers flaring. Not to mention the follow-up to that, Rove Ranger's Future Starts Today, is some straight-up vintage Spicelab action.

Other tracks, like Lady Starlight's G 3.1, Mikkel Rev's Entrance, and Less Distress' Crush The Candy, recall the Platipus side of trance, while Blue Hour reaches back even further to ravier roots on Flashback. And what classic trance compilation would be complete without those weirdo techno cuts that defy easy classification, such as LDS' too-fast t.m. (fm mix), or the oppressive minimalist dub-drone of Ryan James Ford's Purity, or the distorted acid stomp of D.Dan's Raw Jam. A little something for everyone!

Does this 'bundle' promise a proper trance revival then? Eh, no more than Green Bay Wax does for darkside jungle. This is still very niche music in today's clubbing culture, but it warms this old raver's heart knowing it is out there, for those who wish to hear it.