Review: There's no doubt that 90s UK techno is popular again - just look at Discogs prices for confirmation of the renewed interest in this form. But what do those revered acts sound like now? The exhaustive 2016 compilation, Brainbox, did much to shine a light on those artists' current trajectory and this follow up remix package also does a fine job. The Black Dog deliver an atmospheric ambient take on Scanner's "Eros", while on Future Sound of London's "Monolith", a somewhat bleaker, dystopian take on ambience is audible. That said, classic UK techno also had a place on the dance floor; Kirk Degiorgio's tunneling take of B12's "World's End" - remixed under his Future/Past name - and Mark Broom's skeletal electro version of the same track show that nearly 25 years later, that this remains the case.
Review: Most box-set releases tend to focus on reissues and re-releases, but on Brainbox De:tuned opts for a different approach. The compilation features artists who defined European techno and electronica's golden age during the 90s, but the Belgian label has commissioned new or unreleased material from these acts. Fans of that era will be thrilled by B12's moody electro, the raw, analogue warmth of John Beltran's "Nineteen Eighty Nine" and the resonating bass-y techno of In:Sync's "Crack in the World". While not every track impresses - Move D's contribution sounds tepid - there are enough jaw-dropping piece of music on this compilation, witness the autumnal majesty of as One's "Where Did He Go & Why" to make Brainbox an essential release.
Review: Earlier this year, early '90s intelligent techno pioneers B12 returned to action with a surprise single on Soma. Now a solo project from original member Steve Rutter, the B12 comeback gathers pace with a follow-up for Delsin. Happily, Orbiting Souls is every bit as enchanting as the records Rutter and then partner Michael Golding released on Warp some 20 years ago. Deep, melodious, spacey, musically complex and effortlessly attractive, the five tracks variously touch on electro ("Nautilus Horizon"), spaced-out machine funk ("It's My Blood"), classic Ambient House ("Two Stories"), downtempo IDM-jazz (the brilliant "Nothing"), and Aphex Twin style ambient-meets-techno madness ("Universal Alignment"). In other words, it's ace.
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