Various - Future Journey Through The Electronic Underground (compiled by Gillian Anderson)
As ably demonstrated by Gillian Anderson on the opening track of Future: A Journey Through The Electric Underground, spoken word is the perfect companion to electronic music, especially the groovy provocative kind that provides the backing track. More please!
We were also most impressed by Gillian's selections on this CD. No doubt perfect music to listen to while waiting to be called onto some cold misty X Files set in deepest British Colombia
Fluke is next on this comprehensive collection of various artists, showcasing some of the best electronic music on the planet earth at this time (970804;07:43:21PM PST). Actually, I heard Fluke on another compilation and was equally impressed (due to the fact it was exactly the same song!).
Be aware this is not a Virgin Records recording artists compilation, in fact only a small percentage of the collected "various artists" are actually signed to the label, so assume that you're getting a good deal. The collection is as eclectic as it is mandatory listening, and these compilations really are an excellent way for newbies to find out what's going on within the genre.
Photek put on their usual scintillating display of ridiculously complicated drum programming, followed by a dreamy electrojazz offering from FSOL (Future Sound Of London). Incidentally FSOL appear later in the running order of our advance cassette copy and present one of the best tracks on the album. This offering, Snake Hips, takes at least four samples from Tomita's awesome album Snowflakes Are Dancing and magically ties two generations of electronic artists some twenty years distant together.
Final track of CD number one is a Qattara remix of Extremis (the first track) in which a Gillian Anderson saying extremis sample is played throughout. If she did actually say the word extremis over and over again that many times she is truly a master of her own mouth because it sounds exactly the same every time.
Disk Two
Fluke. Great track this, lots of posturing and easy energy. We all love Fluke here at electronicmusic.com. Listen to this baby build. Inflate your water wings to maximum!
After a groundbreaking "classic moog" packed µ-Ziq presentation (this track is actually awesome. Very new sounding stuff), and a next century experimental dance track from Hal we come to a William Orbit. As usual his wares are befittingly brainy sounding but lack the kind of "new" stuff" sound that the preceding selections offered (maybe because it was recorded a few years earlier than everything else -Ed). Same goes for the next track from The Sabres Of Paradise although it's great to hear yet another drum-free work.
Who are The Grid? Did I miss something?? Are they a new Virgin signing and the reason why this compilation exists??? After a quick search on Alta Vista it turns out The Grid are Richard Norris and Dave Ball (thanks toDaniel Pemberton's webpage) and yes they are signed to Virgin!
Brian Eno is signed to ECM Records and he and Jah Wobble have masterfully thrown together a relatively short piece for your listening pleasure, then, thanks to the fantastically great idea of running all the tracks together, we are treated to a virtually seamless transition into a sublimely powerful and hypnotic piece from Paul Schutze (Australian - Extreme Records). Sleep 2 is pure ambience, exhibiting an understanding of sound that is hard to imitate. This track could go on forever.
After more brutally exquisite music from Air comes a track from Eno called Lizard Point which is amazingly tranquil and spacious, giving you the feeling you're inside the workings of a spacecraft the size of a planet. It's actually quite disturbing. Next is David Toop (Virgin) with an excitingly perverse mind trip thing I wish I could have heard more of! After that Eno teams up with Harold Budd who's amazing piano manners work so well with Eno's deep-space music.
Finally we come to your friend and ours, David Sylvian, and for some reason he doesn't get to grace us with his beautiful voice but instead sonically weaves a simple tale that builds naturally before fading away.
Rating - 869,209 (out of a possible 1,000,000)
