Label: Phono
Year: 1998
Styles: Detroit Techno, IDM
Review: (Allmusic.com)
A retrospective covering the first three records released on Geist's Environ label, Into a Separate Space includes one track from the first issue (Premise EP) plus all six tracks from the Remnants EP and the Titonton & Morgan EP (recorded with Titonton Duvante). Though the tempos are a bit quicker than Geist's full-length debut, these tracks have a similar emphasis on moody strings and crisp, beatbox percussion, especially compared to his later recordings for Clear and Multiplex. Also included are two exclusive tracks, though both are brief atmospheric pieces.
- John Bush (Allmusic Guide)
Link: https://rapidshare.com/files/1992784669/Morgan_Geist_-_Environ_Into_A_Separate_Space.rar
Label: Instinct
Year: 1995
Styles; Ambient Techno
Label: GPR
Year: 1994
Styles: Ambient Techno, IDM
Review:
Texturology is both drenched in woozy summertime warmth, and full of icy, metallic accents. This yin-yang of warmth and coldness runs throughout the whole album. This was the last hurrah for Hannant, before he released the more commercial, and less pleasing "Sculptured" shortly after.
Link: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=X5D9A24Q
Label: Fax
Year: 1995
Styles: Ambient, Ambient Techno
Review:
Another classic release on the Fax label, "Solitaire" was another triumph for David Moufang (Move D) after the one-two punch delivered by the first two records released by his group Deep Space Network between 1993 and 1994. The albums six lengthy tracks are minimal and slow burning, with sparse synth arrangements which often build into layered towers of percussion and analog blips and bells.
Link: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=ECAS3MXR
Label: Instinct
Year: 1994
Styles: Ambient, Ambient Techno
Review:
Released on the great Instinct imprint, this album from Mysteries Of Science featured an interesting combination of vintage synth sounds, and tribal rhythms. The album is leisurely paced, and slightly psychedelic, making it an ideal vehicle for aspiring psychonauts.
Link: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=JU9RAUYA
Label: Astralwerks
Year: 1994
Styles: Ambient Techno
Review:
Released during the golden age of ambient techno, Sea Biscuit was Spacetime Continuum's first proper album, after a collaborative effort with Terence McKenna on 1993's "Alien Dreamtime". Though the album is meandering, and clearly enamored with pioneering ambient techno artists on other labels, it gives listeners a window into the growth process that Spacetime Continuum went through, between this album, and 1996's "Emit Ecaps".
Link: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=G96DWYHD
Label: Apollo Music
Year: 1995
Styles: Ambient Techno
Review:
Another lesser known gem from the Apollo Music label, this self titled album from Manna is a collection of pureblood ambient techno tracks. There isn't a lot of experimental weirdness or genre hopping to be found here. Only a well constructed and satisfying ambient techno fix.
Link: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=312KU8SP
Year: 1996
Label: Apollo Music
Styles: Ambient Techno
Review:
In an era when the Aphex Twins and Black Dogs of the world had already established themselves as institutions in the realm of ambient leaning techno, Sun Electric never managed to break through. Despite being a great deal better than other albums of the time, "Present" slipped through the cracks at the time of it's release, and never gained a large following in North America. This may be ripe for change, thanks to positive retrospective reviews from prominent critics, and an internet fanbase not shy about trumpeting their favourite artists. The album is a combination of pleasing ambient techno moments like "Stimpak" and "Quaila", and more straightforward techno fair.
Link: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=N2GIB4T5
Label: Rough Trade Germany
Year: 1994
Styles: Ambient, Ambient Techno, IDM
Review:
One of Atom Hearts more straightforward releases, Morphogenetic Fields is well arranged, diverse and cohesive. Some tracks, like the albums opener "(Holon) Slo Motion" are strictly ambient affairs, while others, like the chilled "Milagro" or the spaced out "Spadix" feature percussive techno elements. The ambient geared tracks serve as dreamy bridges between metronomic IDM passages, and the beats, when they appear, aren't enough to jar the listener out of the albums atmospheric world.
Link: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=HQYGYORU
Label: Kompakt
Year: 2001
Styles: Ambient Techno, Experimental Ambient
Review: (Allmusic.com)
Excepting the mostly dancefloor-friendly Total 3 compilation, 2001 witnessed Cologne's Kompakt label blitzing the bins with a number of ambient releases. The ball began to roll with Pop Ambient 2001, a compilation that introduced Markus Guentner and Ulf Lohmann to those who hadn't kept up with the label's spate of 12" releases. Later in the year, full-lengths from both producers hit the racks, maintaining Kompakt's rock-solid reputation and further plugging pigeonholes along the way. Lohmann's Because Before is a CD-only combination of two EPs released earlier in the year, and it shows that if there's any one producer who most exemplifies Kompakt's self-coined pop ambient pseudo-style, it's Lohmann. These 11 untitled tracks average in four minutes of length, often boasting radiant washes of swoon-worthy laptop ambient. After several plays, one realizes that the disc plays out like a pop record; three or four tracks stick out more than the remainder, much like the way radio-friendly singles can be more easily flagged on such a thing. And the disc isn't short of the equivalent of album tracks either. In particular, the closing track could be the best thing here without being among the catchiest. Truly stultifying in its sadness, its sullen synth tones and equally mournful atmospheric swabs convey the type of feeling that only comes with dealing with a crippling loss.
- Andy Kellman (Allmusic Guide)
Link: http://rapidshare.com/files/142497238/Ulf_Lohmann_-_Because_Before.rar
Label: Sublime
Year: 1994
Styles: Ambient Techno
Review:
An overlooked ambient techno classic, this album (Yokotas first venture into modern electronic music) showcases his unique talent for composition and atmosphere.
Link:
http://rapidshare.com/files/136428270/Susumu_Yokota_-_Acid_Mt._Fuji.rar
Label: Kompakt
Year: 2001
Styles: Ambient Techno
Review: (Allmusic.com)
Add Markus Guentner to your growing list of German producers to watch. Following the Regensburg 12" issued in late 2000, two slots on the Pop Ambient 2001 compilation, and some work for Festplatten and Ware, Guentner embarks on the path set by Dettinger and Jonas Bering as the third producer to release a full-length LP on Cologne, Germany's Kompakt label. Throughout the duration of In Moll, Guentner proves his worth as an excellent laptop ambient producer, going toe to toe with the likes of Wolfgang Voigt's finest output as Gas and All (Voigt actually provided the artwork for the record). Guentner also shows that he has several tricks up his sleeve, evading a common ill of many electronic producers by showcasing a few fully developed dimensions, rather than sticking with one gag and running it into the ground. Despite the arid, paranoid feel of the beatless second and fourth tracks (as with the previous single-artist long-players on Kompakt, none of these seven lengthy tracks are titled), there's something remotely oceanic and lilting about them. The third track features a persistent thump amidst puffy atmospherics and subtle layers of shimmering chimes; only the most dedicated fan wouldn't mistake it for a prime Gas production. The influence of Harold Budd creeps in during the sixth track; as a distant piano repeatedly plays a drifting melody, gauzy strings breezily ebb and flow. The Kompakt catalog gets richer and richer.
- Andy Kellman (Allmusic Guide)
Link:
Part One: http://rapidshare.com/files/131705139/Markus_Guentner_-_In_Moll.part1.rar
Part Two: http://rapidshare.com/files/131740819/Markus_Guentner_-_In_Moll.part2.rar
Label: Monolake
Year: 2001
Styles: Minimal Techno, Ambient Techno, IDM
Review: (Allmusic.com)
On Cinemascope, Monolake (aka Robert Henke) blends the stark sounds of the street with beat-conscious elements, creating a reserved late-night brew of intense minimalism. Short bursts of light break through the dark cracks that underscore the majority of Cinemascope, allowing the largely clipped and clicky beats to comprise the framework of the record. Not unlike Richie Hawtin's later work, Henke utilizes subtractive theory to pull apart regular dancefloor structures into roomy, spacious reconstructions that echo endlessly, reminiscent of the introspective period of early-'90s Detroit techno. Perhaps the perfect record for driving around the city at night, Cinemascope takes in the wonder of architecture, construction, and how people tend to relate to those concepts. Certainly, Henke seems somewhat more closely aligned with his German, minimal-tech colleagues, but he no doubt is in safe territory with Detroit's innovators of the genre. His sometimes spooky and skittery layers of rhythm imitate the clunking and perfect cadence of factory machines in their restless stages. Little melody creeps in, but there's still something pleasant about the work. Perhaps this pleasantness is found in the music's general relaxedness. Nothing ever bubbles over with excitement, but ebbs and flows are still quite visible. And even still, Henke keeps the dancefloor in mind, especially on the track "Remoteable," which is dark and nondescript, held up with constrictive beats and subtle layers of rhythm.
- Ken Taylor (Allmusic Guide)
Link:
Part One: http://rapidshare.com/files/129961674/Monolake_-_Cinemascope.part1.rar
Part Two: http://rapidshare.com/files/129966627/Monolake_-_Cinemascope.part2.rar
Label: Warp
Year: 1995
Styles: Ambient Techno, IDM
Review: (Allmusic.com)
The last release under the group name before the trio splintered, Spanners is a great full-packed CD of modern electronic music, the band drawing on everything from dub to avant-garde experimentalism to create a varied, intoxicating collection. Funk samples are twisted and played with rather than lovingly reused, lyrics eschewed for obscure or unintelligible samples at most, generally straightforward dancefloor tracks still sound slightly hesitant or off. Even from the first song, "Raxmus," it's not too surprising that this appeared on Warp Records; the blend of shuffling yet crisp beat, ambient tones, and other sonic touches and tweaks practically could have been tailormade as a calling card for the label. Certainly, there's a healthy sense of playfulness and obscurity that won't surprise fans of labelmate Aphex Twin, neither will song titles like "Psil-Coysin" and "Nommo." The highlights are many, most often achieving a solid combination of dancefloor friendliness and unexpected sonic trickery. "Chase the Manhattan" may have a cringeworthy pun of a title, but the brisk funk/world percussion beat, soothing synth washes, and distorted electronic bass stabs all come together wonderfully. "Further Harm" shifts a number of times during its length, sometimes playing around with rough beats low in the mix and at other points serving up a variety of keyboard melodies interspersed with brief vocal bits. Other numbers of note include "Pot Noodle," with what sounds like a soft acoustic guitar or a keyboard programmed to sound like one playing a lazy, relaxed melody under the main loop, and the echoing, minimal percussion breaks and squelchy electro-inspired tones of "Frisbee Skip." A series of brief bridge tracks entitled "Bolt" (i.e., "Bolt1," "Bolt2," etc.) crop up throughout Spanners, mostly following their own curious logic as they slide from one track to the next.
-Ned Raggett (Allmusic Guide)
Link:
Part One: http://rapidshare.com/files/129305276/The_Black_Dog_-_Spanners.part1.rar
Part Two: http://rapidshare.com/files/129410258/The_Black_Dog_-_Spanners.part2.rar
Label: Warp
Year: 2000
Styles: Ambient Techno, IDM, Detroit Techno
Review: (Allmusic.com)
After negotations broke down between former Black Doggers Ken Downie, Ed Handley, and Andy Turner, what was projected to be a three-disc set with nearly all the existing Black Dog Productions rarities became instead a two-disc set of Handley/Turner productions recorded during the first half of the '90s. Trainer is still a near-essential document of early British techno, including a raft of rarely heard classics like "Scoobs in Columbia," "Norte Route," and "Angry Dolphin," plus the entirety of their ultra-rare Mbuki Mvuki mini-LP. The Handley/Turner production aesthetic balanced sublime, Detroit-inspired synth with hyper-kinetic drum programs and breakbeat madness years before England's love affair with jungle. Grabbing tracks from far-flung but like-minded labels like ART, Planet E, A13, and Clear, Trainer includes over two hours of warped acid house from a B-boy perspective -- it's hardly a coincidence that Black Dog Productions shared initials with South Bronx's finest.
- John Bush (Allmusic Guide)
Link:
Part One: http://rapidshare.com/files/128266674/Plaid_-_Trainer.part1.rar
Part Two: http://rapidshare.com/files/128278544/Plaid_-_Trainer.part2.rar
Part Three: http://rapidshare.com/files/128288703/Plaid_-_Trainer.part3.rar
