Astrobotnia - Part 03

Label: Rephlex
Year: 2002
Styles: Ambient Techno, IDM

Review: (Allmusic.com)

When Rephlex Records first hit the scene in the early '90s, the albums had vague labels and little (if any) liner notes, featuring green covers and a coveted "certain sound" -- a low-profile, mid-budget, high-concept, irreverent science fiction "braindance" with a cryptic logo and a commitment to staying fiercely independent. The label has been home to most of England's trendsetters (often the rule breakers), and has increased its wingspan to host a variety of styles whose only common theme is "eclectic-tronic." At a time when computer programmers have infiltrated the music industry, it's particularly satisfying to have the Astrobotnia trilogy arrive on the scene. It reminds listeners that technology alone doesn't make music -- musicians do. Anonymity has been a longstanding tradition for the Aphex Twin label, and a particular strength in terms of creating demand. This time out, the demand is justifiable regardless. The publicity department is being typically tight-lipped about who's manning the consoles, but listeners familiar with Aleksi Perälä (aka Ovuca) may be nodding their heads in recognition. To further fuel the rumors, Perälä has played Astrobotnia material on tour. Tracks like "B," "Acidophilus II," and "Thoarse" are late-night raves for jellyfish -- shimmering ambience floats beneath hiccuping drum kits and rusted rubber basslines, trading off among degrees of acid, satellite telemetry, and haunted laptops. "Portable Motor Home" flutters about with equal parts playfulness and mystery, throwing calliope pipes, water drops, bike spokes, low-frequency wobbles, and Robert Fripp-like washes of electric clouds in a blender full of breakbeats. Throughout Pt. 3, the percussion samples add a rich froth that bubbles in complexity. The polyrhythms within "Drops" and "Bifidus" switch up as often as the most difficult Autechre tracks, but here the warmth of synthesized embryonic fluid holds the pieces together, keeping the listener engaged rather than alienated. "Leftovers" is a gorgeous expansion of space, overlooking rivulets of snare rushes that giggle and snarl in the earbones. "Esther Calling Jennifer" unfurls a flag of static that's glittered with bells and stunning beats, and "C*Nt" is a fascinating jungle daydream, sputtering frantically out of control like the last Squarepusher album, but softened in a loving analog embrace à la Boards of Canada. Consistently rewarding as it disorients in déjà vu, Astrobotnia does everything right, delivering not only a fascinating third installment, but the updated Rephlex sound for the next decade.
- Glenn Swan (Allmusic Guide)


Link: http://rapidshare.com/files/119146465/Astrobotnia_-_Part_03.rar

Astrobotnia - Part 02

Label: Rephlex
Year: 2002
Styles: Ambient Techno, IDM

Review: (Allmusic.com)

The second installment of the Astrobotnia series showcases the darker side of both parties involved. First for the artist, spraying the speakers with six untitled "Braindance" ear-twisters that veer away from the somewhat softer bubble bath of Pts. 1 and 3. Second, for its host, Rephlex Records, who usually pull off projects like this with a sort of grace -- barely identifiable releases that send collectors into a frenzy by limited distribution and undisclosed composer credits. Flying below radar like this would be dangerous, were it not for such good material. From the start, the sound of Pt. 2 has more in common with label mate (and co-founder) AFX, placing heavier responsibility on ground-shaking drum tracks and acid-blotted sequencers. The melodic elements on this treasured slice of wax are much more subdued; the sweet lullabies and lush ambience play a supporting role for the most part. Side one is a nail-biter of rhythms -- too much for most dancefloors, unless you have five legs. Squeals of organic-sounding sci-fi arm wrestle with an entire factory of drum machines, garnished with harmonic afterthoughts. The first track on side two is especially rewarding; those infamous James Brown yelps get pressed through ring modulators, underscoring epic ambient chords and legendary drum loops that have stood the test of time in terms of popularity. The results have a curious effect; nostalgia from a side view. Track five presses together humming bass sweeps with a great deal of sputtering foreign dialogue that's as ear-tickling as the jungle beats that loom overhead. The record ends with a hyperspeed groove -- an overstuffed incubator of robot bugs, bursting at the seams with every snare rush and synthesizer depth charge. Overall, this release is somewhere between Bogdan Raczynski's drill'n'bass and a Lactavent-era Ovuca. Astrobotnia may be more melodic elsewhere, but here the listeners get to the blackened, gnarled roots of IDM on a label that practically invented it. This is Rephlex doing what it does best, which means it might be hard to find a copy.
- Glenn Swan (Allmusic Guide)


Link: http://rapidshare.com/files/119085791/Astrobotnia_-_Part_02.rar

The Ecstasy Of St. Theresa - Free-D (By Request)

It turned out I did have this album Dagda.

Heres the link: http://rapidshare.com/files/118892409/Free-D_-_Original_Soundtrack.rar

Bedouin Ascent - Science, Art and Ritual

Label: Rising High
Year: 1993
Styles: Ambient Techno, IDM

Review: (Allmusic.com)

Long after its release, Kingsuk Biswas' first album-length release remains some of his most interesting and innovative work. Combining deep, enthralling melodies with intricate textural arrangements and some of the more complex rhythms of the post-techno lot (compare to the Black Dog and Atom Heart), Science, Art and Ritual is a classic of ambient techno and remains fresh-sounding years after its release.
- Sean Cooper (Allmusic Guide)


Link:

Part One: http://rapidshare.com/files/118298225/Bedouin_Ascent_-_Science__Art_And_Ritual.part1.rar
Part Two: http://rapidshare.com/files/118365644/Bedouin_Ascent_-_Science__Art_And_Ritual.part2.rar

Astrobotnia - Part 01

Label: Rephlex
Year: 2002
Styles: Ambient Techno, IDM

Review: (Allmusic.com)

A very satisfying first installment in the anonymously credited Astrobotnia trilogy, released on Rephlex Records. The label has found (or cultivated) a good thing here, in much the same way Richard James spearheaded the label's secrecy with early aliases like Martin Trezidder and Q-Chastic. Ten years later, the torch gets passed with a fresh splash of petrol. Astrobotnia, Pt. 1 is a warm hybrid of familiar and disparate elements, like a jellyfish with claws or a blue snowman on wheels. In the same way Boards of Canada sneaks out samples of recognition (even nostalgia), Astrobotnia spoons out disorienting but recognizable textures, set like precious stones within a framework of sputtering percussion tracks -- accomplished tempo-twisters that resemble plastic, aluminum, rubber, glass, and, yes, sometimes even actual drums. "Lightworks" opens the disc with wonder and mystery; an expansive blackberry sky bursting with fireworks and spectator awe. The channel switches to plasma feedback and bass chords yawning through half-speed breakbeats on "Hallo." The drums start shuffling into the upper atmosphere with "Everyone," as a not-so-friendly gentlemen shares his thoughts amidst treacherous chords of ambience. Tracks like "Acidophilus" and "Sweden" are electronic lullabies of crisp Sunday mornings -- the type Ovuca might have -- and groovebox rhythms that range from subdued countertop thumping to lazertag shoot-outs. "Untitled" is a beeping little pingpong of hip-hop and string samples, and "The Wing Thing" keeps a similar (but heavier) groove with whiney clusters of keyboards à la Global Goon. "Miss June" follows next, and its classic Rephlex: simple, gloomy synth melodies negotiating with squelches of acid and a dash of creepy playfulness. The disc closes with "Applause," featuring the obvious group noise, as well as a strange out-of-tune piano and vocals gurgling through a manic ring modulator. This fascinating reward of an album, and really all three albums, is due to a successful marriage of textures: barbed, crunchy beats wrapped in harmonic threads, then dipped in stardust. It's Eno and Lanois' gorgeous Apollo soundtrack remixed by Funkstörung, and an outstretched hand into the future. Essential.
- Glenn Swan (Allmusic Guide)


Link: http://rapidshare.com/files/116708077/Astrobotnia_-_Part_01.rar

Monolake - Gravity

Label: Monolake
Year: 2001
Styles: Ambient Techno, Minimal Techno, IDM

Review: (Allmusic.com)

Again proving themselves the cream of Berlin's experimental underground, Monolake's Robert Henke and Gerhard Behles (the latter taking a slightly diminished role) produced a set of eight stellar tracks, some previously released on vinyl. Most of the songs on Gravity have a steady backbeat, and the second track, "Ice," hits pretty hard for something from the Chain Reaction school, despite the whispered vocals throughout. Still, Monolake focus as much on the atmospheres created by their effects as on the effects themselves, resulting in deep, shadowy productions like "Mobile," with its off-step, processed steel drums, and a return to the classic Chain Reaction sound on "Frost." The crackling electrical storm on "Static" makes it a highlight as well, and Gravity shows Monolake making steady progression beyond the sound they helped trademark without ever deserting it completely.
- John Bush (Allmusic Guide)


Link:

Part One: http://rapidshare.com/files/116195179/Monolake_-_Gravity.part1.rar
Part Two: http://rapidshare.com/files/116195488/Monolake_-_Gravity.part2.rar

Octex - Idei Lahesna

Label: Tehnika
Year: 2002
Styles: Ambient Techno, Minimal Techno

Review: (Allmusic.com)

Following in the shoes of canonized dub-techno purveyor Basic Channel and the subsequent wave of Chain Reaction apostles, producer Jernej Marusic explores the deep, dark, dubby realms of minimal techno as Octex, an appropriately oblique yet affective moniker. Though not from Berlin, the Slovenian producer certainly embodies the essence of his East German predecessors. He eschews dancefloor furor and frenzy here, instead embracing a more sullen and stark style of minimal techno with a strong dub undercurrent. For instance, thunderous basslines propel much of Idei Lahesna, giving much of the album considerable forward drive. These buoying basslines and their reverberating resonance propel wavering layers of looped, crackling static and disorienting reverb. While countless bedroom producers have embraced the school of Basic Channel and tried their hand at a similar style of dub-techno taken to minimal extremes, Marusic succeeds where others fail. He doesn't just emulate the decade-old Basic Channel template; instead, he breathes new life into it, infusing it with his own style and sense of demeanor, much like the wave of artists who characterized the Chain Reaction label in the late '90s. Furthermore, he showcases a surprising degree of versatility despite his consistent template of sounds. Throughout Idei Lahesna, he moves back and forth from dizzying ambience ("Intex," "Intezo," "Agon") to stomping techno ("Deflection," "Emergon," "Liagon"). The latter certainly stand out among the more contemplative melancholia, reaching dancefloor-level intensity and lumbering on for minute after minute of wall-shaking mania. What Marusic has done here on his album debut as Octex is two things: one, put Ljubljana on the techno map as a possible hotspot to watch, assuming the Slovenian capital city breeds music like this; and two, place himself alongside similar-minded East European producers-to-watch like Fluxion over to the west in Greece, assuming Idei Lahesna is just the first sample of what this young, talented producer can offer the post-Basic Channel techno community.
- Jason Birchmeier (Allmusic Guide)


Link: http://rapidshare.com/files/116191735/Octex_-_Idei_Lehesna.rar

John Beltran - Earth & Nightfall

Label: R&S
Year: 1995
Styles: Ambient Techno, Detroit Techno

Review:

The first release from John Beltran is the impressive Earth & Nightfall. Immediately distinctive, Beltran's skills as a producer become apparent from the opening track, the chilled "Blue World", which employs scattered synth work and vocal sampling to great effect. The album, when viewed as a whole, establishes a sound which is more than the sum of it's influences (Detroit Techno and Ambient Techno in the vein of early Warp releases (particularly the Artificial Intelligence series ). While his later work sometimes missfired, this album (along with Ten Days Of Blue and his release The Cry under the Placid Angles moniker) is essential for any Beltran fan.


Link: http://rapidshare.com/files/116199779/John_Beltran_-_Earth___Nightfall.rar

Thomas Fehlmann - Visions Of Blah

Label: Kompakt
Year: 2002
Styles: Ambient Techno, Minimal Techno

Review: (Allmusic.com)

As much as Fehlmann's time-spanning reputation precedes him -- as an original post-punker who has collaborated with several Detroit techno luminaries and the Orb -- Visions of Blah still comes as a dazzling surprise. Compiling Fehlmann's pair of 2002 12" releases for Kompakt and adding an additional five productions, the album flitters to and fro with slight stylistic shifts, dividing time between ambient and dancefloor material. The hypnotic effects of the opening three tracks -- "Streets of Blah," "Superbock," and "Rotenfaden" -- are all but overwhelming with swinging, quasi-skanking rhythm patterns and basslines that seem simultaneously viscous and transient, like dubbed-up recastings of the Modernist's prickly fissures. "Du Fehlst Mir" follows the opening trio with a drastic transfer into blissful ambient techno -- those glistening flourishes! -- and ranks with the best of Kompakt's Pop Ambient series. The gradual descent back into the beat-heavy begins with "Rainbow Over Stadtautobahn," a track that remains atmospheric but resembles a spacy take on frictional shuffle-tech with rocking effects (as in the movement of a chair, not a scorching guitar riff) and percussion that ricochets from left to right and right to left. The truly astonishing point is that the album's best treats don't arrive until after that. "Making It Whistle" utilizes a similar dub-techno template as the opening three, but adds further dimensions with livelier tweaks and reverberations. Then there's the clanking chug of "Seerosengiessen," the metallic eroticism of "Gratis" (this could pass as a skanking remix of Maurizio's "M4"), and the beatless, vaporous blasts of "Decke." This doesn't merely qualify as one of Kompakt's best single-artist albums; it is the label's best single-artist album. Not bad for a producer who has nothing to prove. [The vinyl edition consists only of the five non-12" tracks and the album mix of "Making It Whistle."]
- Andy Kellman (Allmusic Guide)


Link:

Part One: http://rapidshare.com/files/115894551/Thomas_Fehlmann_-_Visions_Of_Blah.part1.rar
Part Two: http://rapidshare.com/files/115897966/Thomas_Fehlmann_-_Visions_Of_Blah.part2.rar

Robert Henke - Floating.Point

Label: Imbalance Computer Music
Year: 1997
Styles: Ambient Techno, Experimental

Review: (Allmusic.com)

Where with his Monolake material Henke is apt to abuse the organic right out of his real-life recordings, his solo work often follows the opposite path, constructing the sounds of such apparently natural phenomena as insects, birds, and crashing waves from the raw material of dimensionless digital noise. This is a subtext of Floating.Point (the title refers to the iterative slippage inherent in digital signal processing), which -- concept or no -- is also some of the current scene's most satisfying digital ambient.
- Sean Cooper (Allmusic Guide)


Link: http://rapidshare.com/files/115699636/Robert_Henke_-_Floating.Point.rar

Plaid - Not For Threes

Label: Warp
Year: 1997
Styles: Ambient Techno, IDM

Review: (Allmusic.com)

Plaid's second full-length release, Not for Threes, is separated from its predecessor by one of the most celebrated side trips in electronic listening music's brief but broad history. As members of the Black Dog, Ed Handley and Andy Turner (together with Ken Downie) helped set the standard for experimental techno, bringing a daring range of influences together in a space consistently characterized by quality and innovation. As such, great things were expected of Threes, and with a couple exceptions, the pair delivers. Although treading far closer than any Black Dog material ever did to the sort of pop electronica of Plaid's interim work with Björk (who appears here on the gorgeous "Lilith"), Threes is ambitious on different terms, moving from the abused and distorted breaks of "Extork" and "Prague Radio" to a balanced radio-friendliness that never sacrifices ingenuity for ease. A handful of tracks feature vocals throughout, and while the results had the predictable effect of irritating BD purists, they actually work remarkably well (partly because the tracks contain absolutely no trace of compositional compromise). A few of the tracks ("Headspin," "Abla Eedio," the too-brief "Seph") sit easily beside the very best Black Dog.
- Sean Cooper (Allmusic Guide)


Link:

Part One: http://rapidshare.com/files/115691994/Plaid_-_Not_For_Threes.part1.rar
Part Two: http://rapidshare.com/files/115695536/Plaid_-_Not_For_Threes.part2.rar

Howie B - Snatch

Label: Palm
Year: 1999
Styles: Ambient Techno, Trip-Hop

Review: (Allmusic.com)

From the languished trip-hop of Music for Babies to the sublime big beat on Turn the Dark Off, Howie B. has excelled at rewiring the latest thing in electronica to display not only his stellar production skills but also his ear for unheard beats and overall knack for creating excellent headphone music. To that extent, Snatch is a similar record. The jumping-off point for this one, however, is the increasingly experimentalist slant of electronic music during the late '90s, displayed by the slipped-disc sample minimalism of artists such as Autechre, Panasonic, and Mouse on Mars. The opener, "Gallway," takes a few minutes of static electricity to launch into its muted beat attack, while the sub-bass depth on "Cook for You" is practically off the charts. "Trust" blends a few phlegmatic effects reminiscent of Mouse on Mars with glazed-eye minimalism of the Philip Glass variety and a melodica sample perhaps gleaned from his trip to Jamaica (the results of which appeared on Sly & Robbie Stripped to the Bone by Howie B., released less than a month before). Of course, a month's working vacation in Kingston is going to result in radically different music than spending time in the new-experimentalist center of Köln, but Snatch successfully fuses the earthier side of dub and trip-hop with abstract electronics. It's by far his best album yet.
- John Bush (Allmusic Guide)


Link:

Part One: http://rapidshare.com/files/115683293/Howie_B_-_Snatch.part1.rar
Part Two: http://rapidshare.com/files/115683575/Howie_B_-_Snatch.part2.rar

Atom Heart - Schnittstelle

Label: Rather Interesting
Year: 1998
Styles: Ambient Techno, Electro-Jazz

Review: (Allmusic.com)

Following a pair of inexplicably ho-hum recordings, Atom Heart's Schnittstelle is something of a return to form. Elements of improvisational electronics remain, but Schmidt is back at the concept block with much of this one, constructing tracks from cracks and creases in the digital recording process (the title is German, loosely, for "the point at which something is cut"). Hard disk crashes, data corruption, tracking error, and digital noise and distortion are just a few of the methods applied, making of Schnittstelle something akin to the output of experimental digital abusers such as Farmers Manual, Mika Vainio, and Christian Fennesz. The album is far more varied than those comparisons suggest, however, and is among the very finest of Atom Heart's lengthy discography.
- Sean Cooper (Allmusic Guide)


Link: http://rapidshare.com/files/115674644/Atom_Heart_-_Schnittstelle.rar

Yagya - The Rhythm Of Snow

Label: Force Inc.
Year: 2002
Styles: Ambient Techno, Minimal Techno

Review: (Allmusic.com)

The reliance upon imagery, track listings, and labels is par for the course with the largely vocal-free fields of electronic dance music. The Rhythm of Snow, the debut of Iceland-based producer Aalsteinn Gumundsson's alias as Yagya, is no exception, but the artwork might throw a few people off with its sharp angles and glassy effects of gray and black snowflakes (however attractive it is). The cold, sterile atmosphere that the physical package projects is unfortunate because there's a comfort in these productions, plainly named "Snowflake 1" through "Snowflake 10," that relate more to the good feelings associated with snow (jumping in a bank with a thick snowsuit) rather than the bad ones (shoveling, frostbite). Come to think of it, the label could be a little misleading as well. The soft synthetic beats, the maximal minimalism of the billowy textures, and the overall delicate touch are probably better suited for the Kompakt label than Force Inc. Akin to Kompakt's self-coined and curated pop ambient movement, Gumundsson's productions are easy on the ear and hold a deceptively catchy nature to them, completely avoiding the feel of some academic exercise. Compared to an obvious influence like Wolfgang Voigt, the granddaddy of this quasi-movement, Gumundsson is relatively liberal with the alterations he makes to the foundation of each track, twisting textures and folding them into each other with bewildering results. Beats are present throughout, ranging from a hollow tap to a racing pulse to a becalmed chug, with the latter being the most utilized. It's indeed a daunting task to take the record on in whole, but like any great ambient techno record, it leaves the impression of having no beginning and no end.
- Andy Kellman (Allmusic Guide)


Link:

Part One: http://rapidshare.com/files/115490469/Yagya_-_The_Rhythm_Of_Snow.part1.rar
Part Two: http://rapidshare.com/files/115494544/Yagya_-_The_Rhythm_Of_Snow.part2.rar

µ-Ziq - Bluff Limbo

Label: Rephlex

Year: 1994

Styles: Ambient Techno, IDM

Review: (Allmusic.com)

Historically interesting from the standpoint of µ-Ziq's later work, shades of Jake Slazenger and Kid Spatula can be heard on Bluff Limbo. The album is nonetheless overly repetitive, relying heavily on the distortion-pedal aesthetic by now a cliché of Rephlex artists (Aphex Twin, Cylob and Kinesthesia). The album was originally issued as a promo-only in 1994 (and then with different track listings across formats!) and finally saw proper release in the middle of 1996.
- Sean Cooper (Allmusic Guide)


Link:

Part One: http://rapidshare.com/files/115468038/Mu-Ziq_-_Bluff_Limbo.part1.rar
Part Two: http://rapidshare.com/files/115470617/Mu-Ziq_-_Bluff_Limbo.part2.rar