Techno was music that had to be experienced directly in a particular environment: warehouses, clubs and rave parties. It was music that hit you in the face when you opened the door. But it exploded in popularity at the same time that vinyl record sales fell through the floor, and the recorded music itself was hard to find. Through a succession of thoughtfully curated compilation CDs the music reached its audience outside the parties, with the ideas behind the music expounded in the sleeve notes.
By 1992, vinyl sales had dropped to less than 3% of their late 1970's peak. CDs reached that level in the same year and went on to double that by 2000. Through the early 90's, what little vinyl sales remained were mostly made up of dance music on 12" EPs. Pitch control CD players were not yet up to the task of beatmixing necessary to keep the dancefloor pumping. (The current 2010's vinyl revival is very different, being nearly all album sales.)
It's hard now in the internet age, to appreciate how difficult it was to find information about underground dance music in the early 90's. The UK music magazines such as The Face, NME, Mixmag and i-D sometimes carried relevant articles with playlists. In Australia they were slapped with an 'import' sticker and priced at around $10. Internet usenet newsgroups got going but were used mainly by the technically adept.
If you liked a tune at a party, you could peek into the DJ booth and try to read the spinning label, or ask the DJ, who would likely be too busy to answer or just shout something unintelligible above the din. Late night community radio shows that played the music would hopefully announce the tracks. Calling in and asking the DJ was an option. Unlocking the codes was hard work.
You might try an import record store, and since the music was usually without lyrics, you were forced to impersonate the sounds: "it had that sucking vacuum sound, beep b-b-beep, then BOOM, you know the one I'm talking about?". Stories like this were common. If you no longer owned a record player, you had to be content with one of a handful of CDs the staff would recommend. The big record stores at the time like HMV and Virgin stopped carrying vinyl but would keep a serviceable selection of dance music CDs.
Although they were somewhat uncool, compilation CDs were a good bet for a punter. They defined the genre, setting the bounds but sometimes trying to push against them. The variety of artists meant there was likely to be at least a few worthwhile tracks. Many new artists only had a few 12"s released without enough material for a complete album and were eager to get exposure through a compilation. The liner notes could be gleaned for clues to other releases worth checking out. Sure, there were plenty of poor quality compilations hastily put together for a quick buck, but in the early period, many were thoughtfully curated. Sometimes the tracks would even be rare classics difficult to get on vinyl. The longer playing time of CDs at up to 80 minutes compared to 50 minutes for a vinyl LP often meant that these compilations had bonus tracks not present on the vinyl versions. The only way that vinyl could keep up would be by release on a more expensive double vinyl pack.
This list is a compilation of compilations, released on CD in the period 1988-93. It's all techno music, not to be precious about the term, but just music that is arguably in that lineage. I've also made a Youtube playlist which has a couple of standout tracks from each compilation:
The limited scope of this criterion was necessary to keep this selection to a manageable size. From 1994 the number of releases and sub-genres explodes. But nevertheless, having gone through this exercise I was surprised that it's possible to tell quite a complete version of the story of techno just through the perspective of these CDs. Enjoy the future sounds of 30 years ago.
Andrew Chuter / DJ Florian, Nov 2018
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Techno! The New Dance Sound Of Detroit
The first techno compilation was Techno! The New Dance Sound Of Detroit. In 1987, UK Northern Soul DJ and journalist Neil Rushton was into the distinctive sound and called the Detroit phone number on a Transmat release and found himself speaking to Derrick May. In December Derrick came to the UK and stayed at Neil's place. Later Neil, and journalists Stuart Cosgrove and John McCready visited Detroit where they met Juan Atkins and Kevin Saunderson. Neil compiled the tracks and sold the concept to Virgin records who released it in May 1988. The tentative title was 'The New House Sound of Detroit' but after the late entry of Juan's track 'Techno Music' it was changed to describe their whole style.
Stuart Cosgrove wrote the extensive liner notes where he described techno as "one of the most experimental forms of music black america has ever produced". He also wrote a piece for the May 1988 issue of The Face promoting the compilation and John McCready did the same for NME shortly after. None of the tracks had been released on CD before. They ranged from Derrick's flamboyant strings on "It is what it is" to the more commercial appeal of Inner City's "Big Fun". It sold over a million copies as a single.
Despite the major label backing, magazine articles and a London launch event featuring Boy George and Soul II Soul's Jazzy B, the compilation itself didn't sell that well. The story and idea of techno however took off from here and provided the blueprint for much that followed.
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Stuart Cosgrove's liner notes:
think of detroit and you automatically think of motown, but be careful not to think too loud because the new grandmasters of detroit techno hate history.
juan atkins, 26 years old, and the self proclaimed captain of the techno sound is an articulate enemy of motown's supreme being. "berry gordy built the motown sound on the same principle as the conveyor belt at the ford plant. today the automobile plants use robots and computers to make their cars and i'm more interested in fords robots than gordy's music."
techno music is unashamedly modern in it's out-look. it is a mesmerising underground of new music which looks to the future, breaks with the past and blends european industrial pop with black american garage funk. according to derrick may, the immensely gifted young producer who works under the pseudonyms rhythim is rhythim and mayday, his music goes "beyond the beat". it is not simply dance music but a series of sound experiments that often defy the logic of more uncomplicated dance sounds like chicago house.
the origins of techno date back to the late 70's to the supressed identity of european synthesiser groups like kraftwerk and yello and to british electronic funk groups like heaven 17, new order and the human league. their music established the synthesiser as the creative core of new music, encouraging a whole generation of young musicians to turn their basements into makeshift studios. unknown to europe the ears of black america were listening with increasing facsination reversing the age-old flow of musical influence.
in west detroit, juan atkins a student at the city's belleville high school and an obsessive fan of kraftwerk, began to compose basic drum patterns on an old roland d115 eventually graduating to more complex synthesiser tracks which borrowed heavily from europe.
juan's first group cybotron released several records at the height of the electro-funk boom in the early 80's, the most succesful being a truly progressive homage to the city of detroit simply entitled 'techno city'. at the time he believed the record was a unique and adventurous piece of synthesiser funk, more in tune with germany than the rest of black america, but on a dispiriting visit to new york, juan heard afrika bambaataa's 'planet rock' and realised that his vision of a spartan electronic dance sound had been upstaged.
he returned to detroit to renew his friendship with 2 younger students from belleville high, kevin saunderson and derrick may, and quietly over the next few years the three of them became the creative backbone of detroit techno.
most of the tracks on this lp are the work of the belleville 3, juan's 'techno music' and the kevin saunderson experience's 'electronic dance' reflect the basic studio beat of techno, whilst derrick may's rhythim is rhtyhim track takes the music into the most unlikely areas turning new age ambience and film-soundtrack instrumentation into complex dance music.
derrick may is undoubtedly the philosopher of techno! he sees the music as post-soul and believes it marks a deliberate break with previous traditions of black american music. "the music is just like detroit" he claims, "a complete mistake, it's like george clinton and kraftwerk are stuck in an elevator with only a sequencer to keep them company."
amidst the experimental strangeness of this album are other more obviously commercial dance records. 'share this house' by members of the house which actually features george clinton as an uncredited visiting producer, takes its main influences from the chicago jack virus.
inevitably the detroit techno sound will be compared to the music of the nearby city of chicago,a problem that neither angers nor concerns the producers of techno! blake baxter, detroit's soft spoken sex symbol, and the whispered mind behind the promiscous 'ride em boys', has already had several hits in the chicago area, and derrick may's best known records to date - 'nude photo' & 'strings' - were instrumental in taking chicago's music into the abstract and lysergic mood now described as 'acid house.'
but derrick believes there's a huge differance between chicago house and detroit techno! "it's a question of respect, house still has it's heart in 70's disco, we don't have any of that respect for the past, it's strictly future music. we have a much greater aptitude for experimentation."
techno is undoubtedly the music of detroit but it has none of the latter day optimism of motown. the city is reflected in the music in an unsettling way. "factories are closing and people are drifting away" says derrick, "the old industrial detroit is falling apart, the structures have collapsed. it's the murder capital of america. six year olds carry guns and thousands of black people have stopped caring if they ever work again. if you make music in that environment it can't be straight music. in britain you have new order, well our music is the new disorder."
techno's sudden shift of tempo and relentless war on familiarity makes it sound like free form jazz for the computer era. it may well be the music of the new disorder but it promises to join george clinton's funkadelia and prince's minneapolis sound as one of the most experimental forms of music black america has ever produced.
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The origins of this compilation are recounted by Neil Rushton here:
http://daily.redbullmusicacademy.com/2017/07/neil-rushton-interview
Stuart Cosgrove also wrote a piece for the May 1988 issue of The Face at the time:
http://testpressing.org/2010/10/the-face-detroit-dance/
John McCready wrote for New Musical Express on 16 July 1988
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/apr/30/techno-detroit-music-of-the-future-classic-feature
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Techno 2: The Next Generation
It took until 1990 for the second techno compilation to be released, Techno 2: The Next Generation. Since the first compilation, techno and acid house had become the soundtrack for the UK summers of love in '88 and '89. Again compiled by Neil Rushton, it features Carl Craig, who would go on to become one of the most prolific and creative artists of the Detroit 2nd wave. Mark Kinchin's "Mirror, Mirror" has a dubby techno house sound. John McCready's liner notes explain how quickly the music had gone from underground to the top of the charts, but still maintained its integrity and experimentation.
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John McCready's liner notes:
The Techno sound now controls. From a chart congested with club-pop where 'Big Fun' is still the blueprint, to an underground still trying to catch up with Derrick May's four year old 'Nude Photo', Detroit's machine-code rhythm assault is the hidden force behind the modern dance with home keyboards now featuring 'techno' presets, how far can we be from a dictionary definition?
Try this: 'TECHNO' - A hyperactive electronic dance music still perceived as an underground phenomenon despite influence now beyond all control'. If Kevin Saunderson ever runs out of sunglasses he could always go spotting 'Good Life' chords with his lawyer. This records underlines the integrity of Detroit Techno when a compilation of half a dozen "Good Lifes", a 'No UFOs' and perhaps a 'Strings Of Life' might have done the job. This is a music of such vibrancy it has no time to stop and spin back though the samples and similarities, Juan Atkins may never be inducted into the Rock 'N' Roll Hall Of Fame, but Techno continues to develop not as some tributary influence on European dance but as a creative force with a life of its own. Here the complexity of those initial circuit burning rhythms are matched by the ambient textures of Carl Craig's 'Elements' and Marty Bonds''Aftermath'. It goes deeper during Tim Brown's subsonic 'Stark'and higher on Octave One's almost spiritual 'I Believe'. As music obviously inspired by the first compilation continues to emerge on a week basis, it's difficult to estimate just how many versions of 'Elements' will exist after this record has been absorbed into the sampler and the psyche of a world in love with the sound of Roland TR 909 hi-hats. This is a rare opportunity to hear into the future. This is the groove that won't stop.
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Bio Rhythm - "Dance Music With Bleeps"
Neil Rushton also ran the Network label which released two great Bio Rhythm compilations in quick succession. These featured some of the same artists as on the Techno 1 and 2 compilations, but expanded the field with UK producers. The hilarious liner notes recount the absurd tales of laundromat raves in the Birmingham area allowed to continue all night due to a legal loophole.
The sound here has evolved into bleep and bass territory with Nexus 21's 'Self Hypnosis'. Later they would change name to Altern 8 and become a hugely influential semi tongue-in-cheek rave act loaded with early breakbeats and catchy samples. Kate B's 'Free' touches on the emerging ambient house scene with italo house piano vibes.
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John McCready's liner notes:
the first question is obvious. what are biorhythms? there are no simple answers. biorhythms are anything you want them to be. they are the chemical groove that won't stop, a techno disinfectant that kills all known germs, from don pablo's animals to guru josh.
these are the 1990's and it's time for the poll tax. why should you care about these things? because this is the sound that salvador dali would have made had he bought an 808 drum machine instead of a paintbrush. this sequenced surrealism is a new music for an old age, the kind of sonic art created when human beings fall in love with machines and computers. this is special.
but there is another story. biorhythms is a phrase which came to our attention in late 1989 when plans for the launch of the label were almost finalised and the last key phrases in our oblique promotion strategy were being chosen.
biorhythms is the name of a revolutionary idea which remains unknown outside of the birmingham area. local rave promoter, an italian ex patriate called sueno de niro came up with the idea of turning his midlands chain of coin-op laundrettes shops into small scale legal raves. a loophole in the law means the authorities can't stop people dancing in public places where washing is also being done. de niro's biorhythms chain made the most of this. his shops were fitted with 5k sound systems. most of them were so small that bouncing castles couldn't be inflated inside. the city's ravers would queue up outside the shops with bags full of soiled naf naf sweatshirts. the local constabulary were outraged. they could do nothing to stop the dancers while the washing machines were spinning round.
the soundtrack at the infamous biorhythms raves of '89, an endless techno trance made up of aggresively ambient tracks like nexus 21's 'self hypnosis', was provided by upfront local djs like neil macey and kid persil who would crossfade the dancers into ecstasy - cutting and blending using the sound of machines on their final spin as part of their sets. the biorhythm rave djs originated the term 'spinback' meaning to fade the music to create a background for the sound of the machines revolving.
seminal tracks like mr fingers 'washing machine' were popular but early tape versions of tracks such as rhythmatic's 'take me back' and neal howard's 'indulge' would receive the most enthusiastic reception.
the authorities tried every way they could to stitch de niro up but they knew he was clean. after several months of non stop laundrette parties he was caught at home freebasing a well known washing powder.
biorhythms is the sound of outer london, a collection of mathematic modern dance music with bleeps. it also serves as our tribute to de niro (now serving 6 years) and the biorhythm raves.
'take me back', so obviously inspired by joshie jo armistead's northern classic 'i've got the vibes', ensures you know where we stand. those unable to make sense of this manic percussive symphony may as well leave the building now. 'take me back' is a subsonic network bass record. a warning that its ultra-low frequencies could damage speakers was ignored by many who purchased it and we've received several compensation claims.
symbols and instruments, 'mood', a computerised re-reading of life's 'tell me why' is another biorhythms classic. perhaps it doesn't sound quite the same without the washing machine accompaniment but its power isn't diminished for that. the inclusion of rhythim is rhythim's previously unreleased 'emanon' makes this album an essential purchase for lovers of derrick may's spaced out techno chamber music. this piece shows that derrick, once described as the lee perry of house due to eccentric behaviour matched only by the eccentricity of his music, remains light years ahead, a man alone on another planet. his madness has inspired and informed the network ethic. but it's sueno de niro this compilation is dedicated to - an originator with a plan that sent the dance world spinning.
network totally wired
network forever dance
network destination unknown
john mccready 1990
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Bio Rhythm 2 - "808 909 1991"
Bio Rhythms 2 continues where part 1 left off, both Model 500's 'Info World' and XON's 'Dissonance' are bleep symphonies. The CD versions use the extra length to put in more material, this one has 4 more tracks than the vinyl version.
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John McCready's liner notes:
we've given you precious little time to recover. the first biorhythm compilation is just a few months old. here we try to impair your hearing once more with a similar disregard for noise abatement, moderation and sensible levels. quincy jones won't make much sense of this. but wait. network exists to create something more than mere sonic excess. you can find that in certain quarters of the rock world. you can get it from the many white label imitators who equate skeletal amateur techno with the sublime complexities of originators like derrick may. check "heychild's theme", a fast forward pulse reading designed to induce hyperactivity in small children. this is how it's done.
biorhythm 2 emerges as a new metal machine music, a music as cold as ice. still it has an emotional quality too. you can't just turn the machines on and walk away. this is always forgotten by the imitators. there has to be emotion and interaction. kraftwerk knew this. they are the only root for this new school of electronic purism. - they existed before the first bleep, before the first speaker gave way, when the acknowledged masters of techno were putting the first batteries in their toy robots. kraftwerk's mathematical precision is the only influence biorhythm 2 acknowledges. ralf and florian knew the score. listen to the spaces in this music. that's where the magic happens. that's when your shoulders twitch. that's when you wish you were somewhere dark.
biorhythm 2 teases the mind but it's still dance music. it's intentions are clear - to induce movement at both ends of the body. those still static after constant ritual's "hard way to come" are beyond hope.
does this intrigue you? i should hope it does. an interest in the kind of rhythmic martial art contained here means you are still alive. biorhythm 2 is music for living bassheads - those electro mutants who have yet to go soft.
network the second coming
network the third wave
network is this the future
john mccready 1990
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In Order To Dance Two
The first techno compilation from continental Europe was on Belgian label, R&S. Renaat Vandepapeliere and his wife Sabine Maes forged links with many of the most innovative musicians of the time, including Aphex Twin. The first In Order To Dance compilation was primarily New Beat and EBM, but this second comp features harder techno tunes from the likes of Joey Beltram. Hailing from Queens, New York, a scene which found its own path to a deep house and techno sound, his "Energy Flash" became a rave hit with its roiling bass line, reverb heavy handclaps, acid spurts and 'ecstacy' sample.
The Order To Dance series continued putting out solid releases into the mid-90s.
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Breaks, Bass & Bleeps
Contains the symphonic bleep anthem "Q" by Mental Cube, an alias of Garry Cobain and Brian Dougans. Their first hit was the 1988 acid house stomper "Stakker Humanoid", evolving later into Future Sound of London, weaving ambient and world textures into classics such as "Papua New Guinea".
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Nu Groove - 25 West 38th - A Compilation
Nu Groove was a New York-based label with influences from R&B, jazz, reggae and house which developed a huge cult following. They put out some of Joey Beltram and Frankie Bones' earliest releases and timeless classics by Bobby Konders. From there a sub-scene emerged with others like Mundo Muzique that developed the Mentasm 'hoover' sound. Another good compilation in this vein is the R&S released 'Brooklyn Beats - Brooklyn's In The House', but which never came out on CD.
A highlight on this comp is Beltram and Mike Munoz's collaboration as Lost Entity, "Annihilate (L.E.S. Mix)", featuring acidic synth arpeggios over a house-inflected rhythmic base.
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John McCready's liner notes:
It began in August 1988. A steady stream of uncompromising music in all manner of mixes. Infatuated with the concept of label identity from Studio One to Philadelphia International, from Salsoul to Trax, dance consumers need around ten releases before they become irrational. Then they start talking about a sound. Tracks which have nothing in common are shoved in the same draw. By the time Dynamic Duo's 'We're Back' was released (ng-008) Nu Groove could do no wrong. Within a short space of time it had become the underground label. Unofficial T Shirts began to surface - a sure sign that things had gone too far. Its output was (and still is) unpredictable, uncompromising and frequently inspired. Its distinctive logo made it seem like the BMW of the New York music factory - the ultimate dancing machine. The Nu Groove production teams seemed to work around the clock. Releases were frequent. Information was minimal. There were no pictures. The attitude was almost oppositional. It seemed like Nu Groove was going out of its way to avoid becoming a readily identifiable idea; a constant that was somehow more important than any particular release. They left us no clues. Just the music . Karen drew the logo, a simple flash that might have looked better on a soap powder box. The rest is some kind of history.
Frank and Karen Mendez had no plans to rule the world. They had no interest giving dance intellectuals something to talk about. Both emerged from the New York underground scene. They started the label to put out some music by the Burrell twins. It was as simple as that. Frank and Karen managed Ronnie and Rheji. From their office on 25 West 38th Street, they still do. Ronnie and Rheji had worked with Ten records on a mainstream R and B career which didn't suit them. Fascinated by the idea of twisting house music every which way, they locked themselves in separate studios. Free from the constraint of addressing the market-place they have since produced some of the label's finest music.
Others followed, filling in the catalogue gaps when the Burrells broke for lunch. Nu Groove became a magnet for those whose positive charge was too strong for conventional labels to deal with. By the time Dynamic Duo's 'In The Pocket' escaped (ng-020) it was clear Nu Groove was an idea that could encompass anything, from Rheji's fluid jazz house and Critical Rhythm's dancehall techno to the desolation of Major Problems' 'City Under Siege' and the downright strangeness of S.T.Williams 'Smooth Talkin' Willie'. All these are Nu Groove records. Few have the cheek or the genius to bring us music as dark, as beautiful or even as funny. By this time the label logo had changed to an instantly recognisable block that suggested a corporation. Completists trying to close the gaps in their collections turned up at 25 West 38th Street perhaps expecting a skyscraper. They found only a doorbell that didn't seem to work.
Before the year is out there will be over 100 Nu Groove releases. None will come within a millimetre of any top forty. But that has never been the point. Because there is no point. There is only music. Music pulled together by the universal thud of the kick drum. Within the boundaries of that rhythmic template, Nu Groove is many things to many people. Some associate it with the energy rush of ice cold house like Joey Beltram's 'Annihilate', an 'Oxygene' after dark. Others fall for the warm flow of Utopia Project's 'File #2' or the near conventional sweetness of Roqui's 'I've just begun to love you'. In this sense Nu Groove is the ultimate example of consumer friendly vinyl capitalism. Something for everyone. Without ever trying it has captured the imagination of the underground. It behaves as if it's the only record label in the world. Nu Groove competes with no-one. And in the most satisfying irony, in an industry bent over backwards to please, Nu Groove succeeds while doing exactly as it pleases. There is no secret, no thread and no masterplan. Just selfishness, good taste and tunnel vision. I asked this question: Is there any kind of music you wouldn't put out? They replied: "Music we didn't like".
John McCready 1991
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Pioneers Of The Hypnotic Groove
The first compilation from Sheffield's Warp label has a strong bleep and bass vibe similar to the Biorhythms comps. The liner notes include a handy label discography useful for trainspotters. Features "LFO" by LFO which became a top 20 hit. Their finely crafted crisp and punchy sounds harked back to the innovations of Kraftwerk.
There were two other Warp label compilations from this period with a similar feel, The Evolution Of The Groove and Tequila Slammers And The Jump Jump Groove Generation but which were somewhat overshadowed by the influential Artificial Intelligence comp released about a year later.
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Retro Techno / Detroit Definitive - Emotions Electric
This lovingly produced compilation from 1991 has more of a retrospective flavour as the name suggests. The earliest tracks here are Cybotron's 1983 Kraftwerk-ian electro classic "Clear" and Model 500's proto-techno "No UFO's (D-Mix)" from 1985. This release was the first appearance on CD for nearly every track.
The thick booklet is loaded with label discographies, artist biographies for Juan, Kevin and Derrick, short quotes on the creative origins behind each track and a re-edit of John McCready's NME piece from 1988. The quality and care obviously put into this collection helped to cultivate a fan-base devoted to Detroit techno as serious sonic art and music for home hi-fi listening as well as in the club.
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Neil Rushton's liner notes:
There was no warning. In the middle of 1987 and Chicago Ja-Ja-Ja- Jack fever a record from Detroit filtered into the UK. The label was called Transmat. The design was futuristic and suggested a 21st century Multi-National. It came from a bedroom in a neglected part of Detroit where taxi cabs would not go. Records from Detroit were the epitome of soul. This record was devoid of soul. It was however steeped in spirit. It was called "Nude Photo". The artist was Rhythim Is Rhythim. Listening to it the first time was weird. The second time made it seem even stranger. A sequenced mutant technology borne of a crazed imagination. A phone number on the label was answered by a man called Derrick May. He sounded... different. He sent a white label of the next 12". It was called "Strings Of Life" and it was a masterpiece. It still is. 20 year olds at Midlands Club where I played "House Music" hated it. The 15 year olds at the kids session went mad. Something was happening. Within two months Derrick arrived in England with four boxes of "Strings Of Life" to help pay for the flight. He had tapes of tracks with strange titles like "Sinister", "Wiggin" and "R-Theme". We didn't know it, but the bandwagon was already halfway down the hill.
Derrick mentioned his old schoolmates, Kevin Saunderson and Juan Atkins. "They make music too", he said. "We call it Techno". A meeting was arranged. It seemed we might be able to sell some records. Mick Clark at 10 Records agreed to take a compilation of this strange music. In Detroit I needed one final track to complete the album. Kevin pulled out a box with "Big Fun" scrawled across it. The next tape he played was "Rock To The Beat". I told Kevin to get ready to quit university. He thought I was joking. Within 12 months Techno had established itself as the most enduring influence on dance music. The nineties began and this remained the case. Suddenly life was all about tracking how many millions of sales Inner City had chalked up, video budgets and remixes. Techno had gone mainstream. Too many conversations were about money. This album is from a time when Techno was a secret society. Not many people knew the codes. A time when staying up all night in Derrick's studio-come-bedroom where the taxi cabs wouldn't go meant hearing "It Is What It Is" for the first time. "Freestyle", "No UFO's" and "Just Want Another Chance" followed. It was wonderful. Retro Techno rewinds to them. It is what it was. Emotions Electric indeed.
Neil Rushton 1991
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Equinox / The Beginning / Nite & Da (A Retroactive Compilation)
Mysterious Belgian label Buzz released this compilation of tracks from Carl Craig's Retroactive label. Carl's unusual "Wrap Me In His Arms" steps away from Roland drum machine sounds for playful broken beats, while "Suspiria" was inspired by the Dario Argento film, introduced to Carl by Mark Moore from S'Express.
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Order To Dance
This R&S Order to Dance collection was licensed for release in the UK. Mental Overdrive's "Theme of St Baafs" is a stand out, its melodic bells alluding to Ghent's gothic cathedral.
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Nu Groove - Secret Codes - A Second Compilation
Techno artists periodically make claims to be 'jazz-influenced', but few pulled it off with as much sophistication as Ronald Burrell under his Aphrodisiac moniker on "Just Before The Dawn". Ronald also plays sunset keyboards on Basil Hardhouse's polished and atmospheric track, "Breezin".
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Neil Rushton's sleeve notes:
There are no air-horns on Nu-Groove records and this is a good thing. This album is not just the follow up to the first Network/Nu-Groove collaboration "25 West 38th". It is also a testimony to the secret codes of an underground dance society.
Do you understand?
Nu-Groove not only understands; it invented the codes. Bless the funk - and the samples, the loops, the jazz, the deep grooves, the occasional "real" vocal and most of all the attitude that is Nu-Groove.
Neil Rushton - Network 1992
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Artificial Intelligence
By 1992, there was the feeling in the UK rave scene that the music had become too fast and too commercialised. An article in the Aug 1992 edition of Mixmag, "Did Charly Kill Rave?" took shots at The Prodigy and there was a call for a return to techno's underground roots. With a whiff of elitism and clever marketing, the term 'intelligent techno' was used to describe the sound of an emerging scene that was well represented in this compilation.
The cover image referenced Warp's two previous compilations with a CG image of a home listener also chilling to Kraftwerk and Pink Floyd on vinyl. CDs somehow still didn't cut it in the digital future. The clean design and artist interviews bear some resemblance to the earlier Network compilations. The musical highlights are Aphex Twin's timeless and eerie "Polygon Window" and Autechre's percussive melodies on "Crystel".
The Artificial Intelligence series continued after this with releases by the individual artists that finished with the Artificial Intelligence II compilation in 1994.
A recent article on the impact of this compilation:
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/jul/03/artificial-intelligence-compilation-album-warp-records-idm-intelligent-dance-music
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From the liner notes:
Artificial Intelligence:
electronic music for the mind created by trans-global electronic innovators who prove music is the one true international language. Real people whose unity lies in a common sound + spirit and whose 'listening music' cannot be described as either soulless or machine driven. The atmosphere and emotion both come from the musicians, their machines are merely the means to a human end.
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Intergalactic Beats
Carl Craig's Planet E label was set up in 1991. This comp has a home made independent feel with Abdul Haqq artwork and tunes from Black Dog, Stefan Robbers, Kirk Degiorgio, Kenny Larkin and Carl himself on a creative high. Highlight tracks are "Ladies & Gentlemen", "My Machines" and "Nitwit" under Carl's aliases 69 and Shop which meld breakbeat samples and jazz-funk influences for forward thinking interplanetary discotheques.
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From the liner notes:
In November 1991, Planet e came out of nowhere. Ambushing those unsuspecting souls and taking them on a voyage to what purists know as the "Underground". Planet e annihilated weak commercialized, copy-cat beats and forced those who rivaled the Underground to experience more creative ways of sampling.
This CD Compilation presents the best of our first releases and a preview of Planet E's future musical endevores
After listening you will soon agree Planet e is the universal language of all beings, here and beyond.
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Panic In Detroit
Another great compilation on Buzz records. Dan Curtin's "The Path" shows his busy percussive yet melodic style. Kenny Larkin's "Serena X" is dreamy and timeless.
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The Philosophy Of Sound And Machine
A collaboration between Rephlex and Kirk Degiorgio's Applied Rhythmic Technology label, this rare CD is highly sought after by collectors. Rephlex was set up by Aphex Twin and Grant Wilson-Claridge. "A selection of Electronic Music... for Dance and Thought", it contains early rare Aphex Twin tunes and other top UK electronica artists of the time. Abdul Haqq did the cover. Standouts include Redcell (aka B12) - "Bio - Dimension" and Balil (aka Black Dog) - "The Whirling of Spirits".
Rephlex maintained a sense of humour and avoided the 'intelligent dance music' tag, preferring to call the music 'braindance' and weren't afraid to admit their unfashionable rave-going and trainspotting past. The heirs to that tradition today are artists like Ceephax Acid Crew, Roy of the Ravers and of course Aphex himself.
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Relics - A Transmat Compilation
A compilation of Derrick May's Transmat label and released on Buzz. Abdul Haqq cover art. "Galaxy" by BFC is a deep Carl Craig tune that samples Liaisons Dangereuses.
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From Our Minds To Yours Vol. 2
Hailing from just across the border to Detroit in Windsor, Canada was Richie Hawtin. His Plus 8 Records pushed faster tempos and hard sounds. "Location" by VFT stands out on this comp as being a bit more melodic.
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Underground Resistance - Revolution For Change
Begun by Detroit second-wave artists Mike Banks, Robert Hood and Jeff Mills, Underground Resistance adapted Detroit techno to the social and political circumstances of the post-Reagan era. Left wing themes of urban decay, anti-commercialism, global solidarity, revolution and peace permeate the music.
Is this a compilation of various artists that fits in with the other releases on this list? Well, at this point UR had changing configurations of Banks, Hood and Mills so it's arguable. This CD came out on Neil Rushton's Network label and so calls back to that pedigree. And who could leave out "Elimination", a hard acid blinder that sounds like Detroit's answer to "Energy Flash"?
Mad Mike of UR set up the Submerge label and distribution company which released other good compilations at around the same time as this one - "Escape into the Void" and "Depth Charge 1".
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From the liner notes:
Underground resistance is a label for a movement. A movement that wants change by sonic revolution. We urge you to join the resistance and help us to combat the mediocre audio and visual programming that is being fed to the inhabitants of earth, this programming is stagnating the minds of the people; building a wall between races and preventing world peace. It is this wall we are going to smash. By using the untapped energy potential of sound we are going to destroy this wall much the same as certain frequencies shatter glass. Techno is a music based in experimentation; it is sacred to no one; it has no definitive sound. It is music for the future of the Human Race. Without this music there will be no peace, no love, no vision. By simply communicating through sound, Techno has brought people of all different nationalities together under one roof to enjoy themselves. Isn't it obvious that music and dance are the keys to the universe? So called primitive animals and tribal humans have known this for thousands of years! We urge all brothers & sisters of the underground to create and transmit their tones and frequencies no matter how so called primitive their equipment may be. Transmit these tones and wreak havoc on the programmers!
Long live the underground...
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313 Detroit
From UK label Infonet which hosted Reload and Bandulu among others. With Piece's stomping "Free Your Mind (Future)" and the sublime strings of 69's "Desire".
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From the liner notes:
It came to us from another planet. A satellite city, eight wonders from America's seventh city. At long last, 313 has arrived, a flash of light for these dark times, music that is out there in a world of its own.
War of the Worlds : Dark Comedy Better known as Kenny Larkin and having recently departed the Plus 8 stable in Windsor, Ontario, Kenny is now setting up his own label and continuing to hone his minimal unsettling techno. He opens 313 with the sound of a skyline filling with dread, darkness and sinister flashes that instantly creates the atmosphere.
Followed by Distance : Reel By Real A track given by Metroplex, Juan Atkins' legendary Detroit label. This features Martin Bonds. Metroplex shaped the original prototype with Juan at the helm, inspiring everybody who came into contact. Here Martin Bonds dismembers sonic umbilical chords and sets adrift a whole choir of aliens.
Carl Craig, long revered for flying a beautiful flag in the Detroit rubble as the techno scene temporarily collapsed in the early 90's. Started and finished the Retroactive label, he now runs Planet E. On Free Your Mind he takes the bass-hump which Detroit's original P-Funk space warriors registered as a lethal weapon 20 years ago and hotwires the sex machine for use on the space shuttle.
Following Carl is his good friend Marc Kinchen, here as K.E.L.S.E.Y and Baby Can - Marc Kinchen cut his techno teeth at KMS studios but lost his hear to another underground - New York, where he now lives, records and loads the firing chamber of his Area 10 label. K.E.L.S.E.Y is named after his best friend in Detroit but still pumps with the deepest apple rumble.
Unconscious World : Subterfuge Devastates dancefloors with its Detroit-Euro Style, mesmerising vocal chants and breaks that are dreaming of dancefloors on other planets. Thomas Barnett wrote "Nude Photo" for Transmat then sought obscurity, he continues to write and record, and his tracks are sure to find favour with the uninitiated.
Santonio : Electricity The former partner of Reese Saunderson (Rock to the Beat) uncoils the fattest bass snake under the dancefloor as the moon crashes through the window, but this clavinet propelled funk keeps pumping along.
Eddie "Flashing" Fowlkes One of the original innovators who has greeted 1992 like the eye of the storm - there have been more records this year than in the previous five put together. Fowlkes' sense of 21st century disco music prevails again with Warwick.
69 launched Planet E with the "4 Jazz Funk Classics" EP and here with Desire - 69, the funky drummer is cast adrift on the rings of Saturn encouraging interplanetary disco dancing. Amen!
A mention must go to Abdul Haqq (Third Earth) who did the sleeve illustration and is responsible for Detroit's extra terrestrial artwork concepts.
This is a universal language
Written by Chris Abbot and Kris Needs, September 1992
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American And European Technological Innovations Vol. 1
New Electronica from the UK had a series of quality compilations. UR's "Final Frontier" with its dark acid sound and 808 beats heralded the electro resurgence to come from the likes of Drexciya and others.
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Welcome To The Future
Dutch label Djax-Up-Beats was founded by Saskia Slegers and had a strong Chicago influence. "Give Your Body" by Random XS is like a re-boot of Phuture's "Acid Tracks" with vast phasing sheets of 303 descending on the listener in trance-inducing waves. The CD booklet has a brilliant 14-page comic by Alan Oldham.
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Global Technological Innovations - Chronological Harmonisations - Vol. 1
Features tracks from Aphex Twin, Reload, As One, and HMC. Includes Carl Craig's mellow "Dreamland"
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Agenda 21 (An Eevo Lute Compilation)
Another Dutch label, Eevo Lute, was started by Stefan Robbers and Wladimir Manshanden. They collaborated on the track "Evil", which features Wladimir's strongly political poetry - "stop violence, stop materialism, stop america" from the time of George Bush Snr and the first Gulf War.
Compilations Agenda 22 and Agenda 23 followed this one.
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From the liner notes:
In a distant world called Dance, the Powerful control demand through supply. The People of this world, being suppressed by the Powerful, look to the Snobs. The Snobs, the upperclass only interested in external values. Mistaking their point of view as the truth. To secure their status quo, the Powerful collaborate with the snobs.
The dark and distant world called Dance is divided into continents. The largest continent is called House. This continent, discovered just a few years ago, has arisen worldwide interest because of it's natural resources.Resources owned by the Powerful, exploited by the Snobs and processed by a small group, forming part of the People, called The Artists. Artists, encouraged to produce quantity, not quality,are generating ugly products, deprived of any content.
Fortunately, in one state of the continent, there is a growing resistance to this policy. Artists, convinced that their products should be unique works of art, are uniting forces. Creating products to their standards as a form of protest and independence, lacking general opinions.
A major force called Eevo Lute creates products showing the Powerful the beauty of quality. Slowly but convincingly their approach gains ground.
On this compilation Eevo Lute states their struggle for quality so far as well as their vision on the future. While enjoying the works of art, try to imagine the feelings that underlie their creation.
Feelings that simply couldn't be suppressed.
DJ White Delight
Dr Roland
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Apollo
R&S set up ambient sub-label Apollo in 1992 with the first release being Aphex Twin's first album Selected Ambient Works 85-92. This comp features Model 500's "The Passage", which is well suited as an alternative soundtrack to 2001: A Space Odyssey.
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Trance Europe Express
Accompanied by a 192-page booklet with extensive artist interviews, scene articles and playlists, this 2-CD compilation quenched the thirst for information about electronic dance music that was in short supply in the early internet era. Chill out originators The Orb feature with a remix of "Majestic" taken from their U.F.Orb album.
There were a succession of Trance Europe Express and Trance Atlantic Express compilations in the years that followed.
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Virtualsex
Buzz records hits the mark again, features Carl Craig's melancholy "At Les" and Kenny Larkin's "Tedra".
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Mothership
Adelaide was the first Australian city to strongly pick up on the Detroit techno vibe largely thanks to the pioneering efforts of DJ HMC. The title of "M7" emphasises the great distance between the cities - the M7 star cluster is the southernmost of the Messier astronomical objects.
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Tresor II - Berlin Detroit - A Techno Alliance
The strong alliance between Berlin and Detroit techno is reflected in this compilation on Tresor records, a label named after the famous subterranean club close to where the Berlin Wall was first breached. Around this time, Tresor released Jeff Mills and UR projects in the X-101 series, Mills lived in Berlin and Juan Atkins collaborated with Moritz von Oswald of Basic Channel fame. UR's "Jupiter Jazz" is a joyful slice of acid techno-house that refuses to date, 25 years on.
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