The Dance Music Thread

Underground Resistance - "World 2 World" E.P. (1992)

Another old Detroit techno record that I owned back in my DJ days & still have in my vinyl collection today. "World 2 World" is extremely highly regarded in techno circles but I've always found it to be a bit up & down personally. Of the four tracks included, I only really enjoy two. I played closer "Greater Than Yourself" live on multiple occasions as it really fit into my sound well while I also dropped "Jupiter Jazz" once as I have some time for it too. "Amazon" & "Cosmic Traveler" don't do a lot for me to be honest so I don't often reach for this E.P. when I have wonderful records like 1991's "The Final Frontier" to take me back to the golden age of techno.

For fans of The Martian, Drexciya & Galaxy 2 Galaxy.

3/5

Orbital - "Orbital 2" (1993)

The second full-length from these highly celebrated Kent brothers would become the first album release to truly break the underground techno phenomenon on both a critical & commercial scale with Paul & Phil Hartnoll creating a record that was full of class & depth. It's not wall-to-wall wins as far as I'm concerned but the highlights are devastating & played a strong role in my electronic music journey. There are a number of tracks included that received air play from me as a DJ throughout the 2000's with the brilliant "Planet of the Shapes" making for an outstanding early set builder & peak time acid techno number "Remind" really tweaking people's cerebellums later in the evening. I played those two on multiple occasions while I believe I also dropped "Walk Now... " once too.  This all still sounds as fresh as it did the first time I heard it & it's impossible to deny the power of classic ambient trance number "Halcyon + On + On" to lift one's spirits & take you into the stratosphere. I could probably have done without the dull intro & outro pieces, as well as the slightly cheesy attempt to emulate Detroit techno classic "Strings of Life" that is "Monday", but "Orbital 2" should be essential listening for all EDM disciples.

For fans of The Orb, Underworld & Chemical Brothers.

4/5

Basic Channel - "Phylyps Trak" E.P. (1993)

Arguably the release that first put the dub techno sound on the map & a highly consistent release it is too with all three tracks having received play time from me during my DJ days back in the 2000's. It's stripped back, repetitive & cerebral stuff at a much higher tempo than you would usually expect from the subgenre & isn't the most accessible dance music you'll find however the more devoted techno fans out there should lap this shit up.

For fans of Maurizio, Rhythm & Sound & Vainqueur.

4/5

Mr. Fingers - "Amnesia" (1989)

This highly regarded compilation of early Chicago house tracks from legendary house icon Larry Heard is a bit too hit & kiss for my taste. I really enjoy most of the deep house material & also the genuine techno inclusions but some of the acid house tracks are pretty messy in my opinion. I think this one will end up being the source of playlist material more than it will a cohesive album experience.

For fans of Frankie Knuckles, Larry Heard & Moodymann.

3/5

Osamu Sato - "Transmigration" (1994)

The second full-length from this Japanese electronic producer features two tracks from the "Eastern Mind: The Lost Souls of Tong-Nou" video game soundtrack. You can expect a combination of downtempo IDM & dancefloor acid techno with the quality levels generally being very high. Closing track "Tong-Nou (Esoteric Mix)" is an absolute belter & caps things off beautifully too. This is well worth seeking out.

For fans of Ken Ishii, PilotRedSun & Soichi Terada.

4/5

Model 500 - "Classics" (1993)

Although I championed a whole slew of Juan Atkins-produced tracks during my DJ days, I can't say that I rate this compilation of some of his early Model 500 works as much as most Detroit techno aficionados seem to. I bashed the shit out of the brilliant "Night Drive (Time, Space, Transmat)" on dancefloors during the 2000's & it never failed to command the desired impact. I got plays out of this version of closer "Sound of Stereo" too although there's another mix that's much better. The funky "The Chase (Smooth Remix)" was one that I often took with me to early sets but I'm not sure I ever got the chance to play it in a club. The rest of the material tends to be a little too electro-driven for my taste although there isn't anything that I'd suggest is truly bad. Atkins produced under a variety of different monikers so there's a lot to explore but I can't understand why he's opted to include mostly remixes here as some of the originals were stronger. When taken as an overall listening experience, "Classics" is worth a listen but I don't feel that it meets the lofty heights referred to in its title.

For fans of Cybotron, Underground Resistance & Jeff Mills.

3.5/5