Deep Space Organisms / Outer Moment / Glossy Mistakes

Glossy Mistakes have rescued this sought after 12 from 2002. The A-side, “Inner Moment”, is uptempo tribal, trippy progressive house – once championed by Sasha & Digweed – hence the OG’s price tag, however, I think the B-side, “Outer Moment”, is far more interesting. Its BPMs still race, but the track is mellower, muted, riding reverb rinsed washes and surfing an elegantly echoed sonic expanse. Closer now to very chilled dub techno. 

Gilbert / Origins / Innate

Bristol-based label Innate’s 8th release focuses on the work of its co-founder Tom Gilbert. “Passage Of Time” and “Natural Dimension” are both quality, peak, Detroit-influenced techno. Harking back to the music of Mayday, Stacey Pullen and Transmat’s groundbreaking heyday. “We Are All Made Of Stars” is mellower, more introspective, IDM-edged electro, shot through with emotive strings. A remix from the L.A. tag team of Apiento and Diego Herrera turns the track into a blend of bleep and an old school Chicago B-line. Dub effects adding a little unpredictability to the drums. The 2014 tune “Furthest Planet” also picks up a rework, this time from Nurmad Jusat aka Nuron. A name highly revered in UK techno circles, primarily for his amazing early-90s releases on cult label, Likemind. Jusat’s take begins as a banging piece of acidic electronica, but quickly breaks down to synthetic sighs and squiggles. He then brings the beat back, but as clipped intricate syncopation. Transitioning into more chilled territory and introducing countering, prettily chiming, cooling, calming melodic themes. 

Higher Intelligence Agency / Speedlearn (Frontal Lobe) / Headphone

Higher Intelligence Agency were Birmingham-based duo, Robert Bird and Steve Chandra Savale. The latter, later, joined Asian Dub Foundation. Their 1993 track “Speedlearn” is a recognised UK techno classic, and the “Frontal Lobe” mix is widely considered to be the definitive version. That’s really saying something since it also received a magical Mixmaster Morris remix. All rushing syncopation, ethereal exclamations (somewhere between Opus III and “Papua New Guinea”) and spooky theremin (sampled from an Eric Peters Chappell library music LP), this has been reissued, and made affordable to mere mortals, by HIA’s own label Headphone. 

K_Schreiber / White Gloves and Glowsticks / XS Recordings

London-based artist K. Schreiber launches Form@ Records’ offshoot XS Recordings with 2 tracks that flashback to rave’s early days. Relentless, unrepentant, un-ironic riots of racing breakbeats, Reese “Hoover” bass and frolicking TB-303s. The tunes tempered, just a tad, by ambient, euphoric swells and cut-up soulful vocals. 

TV-99-AD / Accidental Jazz / Form@ Records

Quickly following the recent “Sounds From The Sea Bottom” retrospective, Form@ Records have found further treasure deep in the archives of TV-99-AD. Where the previous collection consisted of techno, electro and IDM, the new 5 track EP is built around broken, boom bap beats. Squelchy bass keys, funky organ, chunky Clavinet and muted, mellow trumpet accompanying the hip hop influenced programming. The highlight is “Dust Sucker Jazz”, where loose snares and a synthesised whooshing combine in a slow, strolling groove, coloured by electric piano and vibes-like tones. The end result recalling The Ballistic Brothers classic downtempo, Detroit-leaning “Tuning Up!” A “Quadraphonic Neon Clusters” remix strips the track back, while raising the bass pressure. Focusing on the whooshing, the rework makes it clear that treated cymbals are the source of this shapeshifting shimmer.