Seefeel - Quique (Redux Edition)

Label: Too Pure
Year: 1993 (Redux Edition Released in 2007)
Styles: Ambient Techno, IDM, Dream Pop

Review: (Allmusic.com)

The early days of Seefeel are as bright as they are mysterious. Mark Clifford, Daren Seymour, Justin Fletcher, and Sarah Peacock had unleashed a curious blend of prog rock, ambience, and minimalism — a sort of electronic hybrid that had listeners simultaneously scratching their heads while hitting the repeat button. The song's structures are based on adding and subtracting layers, keeping chord changes at a minimum. Tracks like "Climactic Phase 3" and "Polyfusion" ride glittering collages of keyboard loops, cyclical guitar feedback, and thunking drum machines, occasionally garnished by Peacock's wordless vocal phrasings. "Industrious" is an open sky of majestic ambience and vocals, with clipped drums anchoring the mix on all sides. It makes for a prog rock reminder of early Aphex Twin (a longtime supporter of Clifford), and the mutual influence shows. "Imperial" overlaps several watery layers of sequencing for another (and especially chromatic) soundscape, inducing a sort of trance that has nothing to do with the dancefloor. "Plainsong" grooves along in an up-tempo stratosphere, the album's most likely candidate for any sort of radio play. Here, Peacock's voice is equally plain in delivery — certainly unintelligible — a supporting character that follows the song rather than leads it. "Charlotte's Mouth" is yet another assembly of heavily produced guitar loops, like harmonic droplets of feedback that fall around a dry rhythm track and hums of dubby bass notes. "Through You" trickles down from the rafters with anthemic, ambient chords and a moist cave full of carbonated drum fizz (even a cheap Casio sounds good with Clifford at the mixer), and the aptly titled "Filter Dub" follows the implied style of rhythm, with saturated clouds of ghostly reverb. The album closes with "Signals," a subdued nighttime prayer that glows and shimmers in suspended animation, much like Eno and Lanois' richly explored Apollo: Atmospheres & Soundtracks. The quartet would delve into darker waters later with sparse albums like Succour and CH-VOX, but here they stay closer to their roots as a guitar-driven outfit. In a way, this is Seefeel at their most ornate. They squint by staring into the geometric refractions of light and record the results.
- Glenn Swan (Allmusic Guide)


Link:

Part One: http://rapidshare.com/files/108262325/Seefeel_-_Quique__Redux_Edition_.part1.rar
Part Two: http://rapidshare.com/files/108268813/Seefeel_-_Quique__Redux_Edition_.part2.rar
Part Three: http://rapidshare.com/files/108271150/Seefeel_-_Quique__Redux_Edition_.part3.rar

Ultramarine - Every Man And Woman Is A Star

Label: Chameleon
Year: 1992
Styles: Ambient Techno, Ambient House

Review: (Allmusic.com)

A warmly melodic LP of home-listening electronica produced just before the term was coined, Every Man and Woman Is a Star is a delightful concept album with dub-centric rhythms and a straightahead song structure whose only quibble is what sounds like a need for vocals to accompany the tracks. All in all, the LP deserves to be filed alongside the Orb's U.F.Orb, Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works 85-92 and Biosphere's Microgravity as an early ambient-techno classic.
- John Bush (Allmusic Guide)


Link: http://rapidshare.com/files/107459083/Ultramarine_-_Every_Man_And_Woman_Is_A_Star.rar

Atom Heart - Aerial Service Area

Label: Fax
Year: 1995
Styles: Ambient Techno, Experimental

Review: (Allmusic.com)

"ETI Encoding," the first track from Victor Sol and Niko Heyduck's collaborative Fax debut, consists of little more than a modulating tone paired eventually (about five minutes into it, in fact) with a similarly modulating harmonic. Somehow, this minimal setup manages to be both engaging and provocative, an uncanny effect which sets the tone for the whole of this remarkable album. Though subsequent tracks feature a wider palette of sounds, Aerial Service Area's beauty lies in its calm economy, similar to the best of Pete Namlook's or Vidna Obmana's solo works. The album also features Atom Heart's Uwe Schmidt on three tracks.
- Sean Cooper (Allmusic Guide)


Link:

Part One: http://rapidshare.com/files/109155834/Atom_Heart_-_Aerial_Service_Area.part1.rar
Part Two: http://rapidshare.com/files/109280698/Atom_Heart_-_Aerial_Service_Area.part2.rar

Schlammpeitziger - Spacerokkmountainrutschquartier

Label: A-Musik
Year: 1998
Styles: Ambient Techno, IDM, Electro-Techno

Review: (Allmusic.com)

Schlammpeitziger's second album offers a significant development in the project's typical vein: smooth electronic pop structures and light beepy grooves that have as much in common with early Cluster as they do with Mouse on Mars. Spacerokkmountainruschquartier, however, has its own quite beautiful sound and atmosphere, trailing through entirely pleasant tracks that have enough movement and composition to seem like much more than simply blissed-out electronica — at the album's best points, Schlammpeitziger truly seems to be at the top of this particular electronic subgenre.
- Nitsuh Abebe (Allmusic Guide)


Link:

Part One: http://rapidshare.com/files/120343641/Schlammpeitziger_-_Spacerokkmountainrutschquartier.part1.rar
Part Two: http://rapidshare.com/files/120375992/Schlammpeitziger_-_Spacerokkmountainrutschquartier.part2.rar

Alter Ego - Decoding The Hacker Myth

Label: Harthouse/Eye Q
Year: 1996
Styles: Ambient Techno, IDM

Review: (Allmusic.com)

This German collective works with what could be best described as "listening techno" — electronica designed not for dancing, but for laid-back home listening. This means that each track is organized more like a song, with enough movement to keep things from becoming repetitive; on songs like "Brom," they drop out most of the beats in favor of a sort of organized ambiance. The majority of the album is pleasant in a beepy and bubbly sort of way, and very organic-sounding — a bit like Spring Heel Jack without the breakbeats. Excellent electronica for home use.
- Nitsuh Abebe (Allmusic Guide)


Link:

Part One: http://rapidshare.com/files/105113725/Alter_Ego_-_Decoding_The_Hacker_Myth.part1.rar
Part Two: http://rapidshare.com/files/105117559/Alter_Ego_-_Decoding_The_Hacker_Myth.part2.rar

Burger/Ink - Las Vegas

Label: Matador
Year: 1998
Styles: Ambient Techno

Review: (Allmusic.com)

Quite distanced from the legion of echo-chamber drumkick records in Mike Ink's catalogue, Las Vegas presents a series of languid trance numbers that reprise the deep-sea dub of his Studio 1 recordings but without the straightahead four-four beats. Obviously, Jörg Burger must deserve much of the credit for Las Vegas, from highlight tracks "Flesh & Bleed," "Milk & Honey" and "Elvism" to the entire Roxy Music connections inherent in just about every song title on the record. If you buy just one Mike Ink record (alternately: if you can find just one Mike Ink record...), it had better be this one.
- John Bush (Allmusic Guide)


Link:

Part One: http://rapidshare.com/files/108655580/Burger-Ink_Las_Vegas.part1.rar
Part Two: http://rapidshare.com/files/108657707/Burger-Ink_Las_Vegas.part2.rar

Speedy J - Ginger

Label: Warp
Year: 1993
Styles: Ambient Techno, IDM

Review: (Allmusic.com)

If any one electronic artist merits comparison to the Beatles, it would have to be Jochem Paap. Because while the Fab Four may far outpace the Dutch techno producer when it comes to global popularity, his catalog of releases easily matches the Beatles in terms of diversity, development, and absolute quality. This first album, released on Richie Hawtin and John Acquaviva's Plus 8 record label, finds Paap at roughly the same point on the growth curve that the Beatles were during Rubber Soul. After establishing a fan base with energizing yet simplistic acid 12"s like "Three O'Three" and "Something for Your Mind," Paap reins in some of the manic energy of his early releases, concentrating more closely on the lush and fulfilled sound palette and thoughtful composition that would be his trademark until the rampant experimentalism of his third album, Public Energy No. 1. The chopping intro of "R2 D2" gives way to a light electro beat garnished with tickling synthesizer bleeps and grandiose waves of machine sound that are at once playful and intense. "Basic Design" introduces Paap's signature drum decay, while the bubbling-forward bassline would become a hallmark of early proto-trance recordings. Every sound is magnificently structured, in perfect pitch and timber with every other sound, making Ginger a masterpiece of techno music as audio design.As a vehicle of the times, Ginger singled a furtherance from techno's dancefloor mandate that would be followed by revered groups such as Autechre and the Black Dog. This advancement in techno's sound would advocate the first use of the Intelligent Dance Music (IDM) tag. While every track on Ginger still relies on a 4/4 beat for its composition, none possess a tempo or percussive element hefty enough to meet dancer's needs. Although remixes would turn cuts like "Pepper," with its weightless ambient sweeps, into trancing dancefloor jams, Paap's clear purpose on Ginger was to take his music out of the rave and into the home-listening environment. And not until the decade-later hard techno of Loudboxer would Paap return to his dancefloor roots, similar to the Beatles' return to rock captured in the Let It Be sessions.
- Joshua Glazer (Allmusic Guide)


Link:

Part One: http://rapidshare.com/files/106290234/Speedy_J_-_Ginger.part1.rar
Part Two: http://rapidshare.com/files/106295982/Speedy_J_-_Ginger.part2.rar

As One - Reflections

Label: New Electronica
Year: 1994
Styles: Ambient Techno, IDM

Review: (Allmusic.com)

As on other notable Brit-techno debut LPs from Bytes to Electro-Soma, the first As One album distills the influences of a very Detroit-styled attendance on moody melodies and intricate percussion programming. Tracks like "Mihara" and "Asa Nisi Masa" use an assortment of fragile effects and synth lines to belie the complex, phased rhythm patterns bubbling underneath. The first fruits of Degiorgio's worldbeat bent are visible with song titles including "Dance of the Uighurs" and "Moon Over the Moab."
- John Bush (Allmusic Guide)


Link:

Part One: http://rapidshare.com/files/99922421/As_One_-_Reflections.part1.rar
Part Two: http://rapidshare.com/files/99922916/As_One_-_Reflections.part2.rar

Mouse On Mars - Iaora Tahiti

Label: Too Pure
Year: 1995
Styles: Ambient Techno, IDM, Experimental Techno

Review: (Allmusic.com)

More upbeat and with far greater detail than the debut, Iaora Tahiti proves Jan St. Werner and Andi Toma haven't stood still. The pair's fondness for all things lo-fi follows them here, but just as evident is a depth and punch lacking in their earlier material. Jungle-style programming pops up on the first single, "Bib," as well as elements of dub, funk, industrial, film soundtracks, and musique concrète.
- Sean Cooper (Allmusic Guide)


Link:

Part One: http://rapidshare.com/files/100154608/Mouse_On_Mars_-_Iaora_Tahiti.part1.rar
Part Two: http://rapidshare.com/files/100156746/Mouse_On_Mars_-_Iaora_Tahiti.part2.rar

The Black Dog - Music For Adverts (And Short Films)

Label: Warp
Year: 1996
Styles: Ambient Techno, IDM

Review: (Allmusic.com)

With a cover thumbing its nose at Brian Eno's similarly titled series of albums from the 1970s and song titles ranging in reference from bad Hollywood films to washing powders, it would seem the Black Dog is engaged in a bit of a musical piss-take. Nothing of the sort, actually, as lone Dog Ken Downie's first solo work since the departure of partners Ed Handley and Andy Turner is a serious, often wistful collection of post-rave electronica, incorporating elements of techno, ambient, hip-hop, jungle, and jazz. Although lacking somewhat in complexity, Downie more than makes up for it in focus and emotional content.
- Sean Cooper (Allmusic Guide)


Link:

Part One: http://rapidshare.com/files/105130149/The_Black_Dog_-_Music_For_Adverts__and_short_films_.part1.rar
Part Two: http://rapidshare.com/files/105133014/The_Black_Dog_-_Music_For_Adverts__and_short_films_.part2.rar

Various Artists - Artificial Intelligence

Label: Warp
Year: 1992
Styles: Ambient Techno, IDM

Review: (Allmusic.com)

The premier listening-techno label for the early '90s, Warp (distributed by TVT) released seminal albums by Polygon Window (aka Aphex Twin), Black Dog, B12, and Autechre. Great tracks from all these artists appear on Artificial Intelligence, along with contributions from Richie Hawtin, Speedy J, and the Orb's Dr. Alex Paterson. The B12 track "Telefone 529" (as Musicology), Black Dog's "Clan" (as I.A.O.) and Autechre's "Crystel" are three of the best here. The cover display, of a robotic humanoid relaxing in a futuristic living room with copies of Kraftwerk and Pink Floyd LPs on the floor, is quite appropriate: Warp virtually pioneered the concept of applying the concepts of '70s ambience to '80s techno. The result is a superb collection of electronic listening music, and it's a great place to start for the newly interested.
- John Bush (Allmusic Guide)


Link:

Part One: http://rapidshare.com/files/100808061/Various_Artists_-_Artificial_Intelligence.part1.rar
Part Two: http://rapidshare.com/files/100810212/Various_Artists_-_Artificial_Intelligence.part2.rar

Various Artists - Artificial Intelligence II

Label: Warp
Year: 1994
Styles: Ambient Techno, IDM

Review: (Allmusic.com)

With more artists than the previous Artificial Intelligence compilation, this second installment is a bit more sonically experimental, though it suffers from a lack of enjoyable tracks. Besides contributions from AI regulars (Autechre, Speedy J, B12, Polygon Window, the Black Dog's Balil project), tracks by newer names like Beaumont Hannant, Mark Franklin, and Higher Intelligence Agency water down the quality somewhat. The Global Communication project Link contributes what is quite possibly the highlight, the almost progressive house number "Arcadian." While the British edition includes a limited second disc (including an unreleased Richard D. James track named "My Teapot"), the American version of Artificial Intelligence, Vol. 2 is single-disc only.
- John Bush (Allmusic Guide)


Link:

Part One: http://rapidshare.com/files/100929327/Various_Artists_-_Artificial_Intelligence_II.part1.rar
Part Two: http://rapidshare.com/files/100932438/Various_Artists_-_Artificial_Intelligence_II.part2.rar

D'Arcangelo - Shipwreck

Label: EFA
Year: 1999
Styles: IDM, Techno, Electro

Review: (Allmusic.com)

Three years in the making and showing it, Shipwreck is one of the finest releases from the Rephlex label, and is easily the best D'Arcangelo release to date. Moving from poppy, upbeat electro through dark, splintering midtempo experimental tracks and back again, Shipwreck leaves behind the simple drum patterns characterizing past efforts, and introduces an atmospheric depth lacking in their comparatively more two-dimensional Rephlex and Nature EPs. Bold and consistently excellent.
- Sean Cooper (Allmusic Guide)


Link: http://rapidshare.com/files/100172246/D_Arcangelo_-_Shipwreck.rar

Theorem - Ion

Label: M_nus
Year: 1999
Styles: Ambient Techno, Minimal Techno

Review: (Allmusic.com)

The debut Theorem full-length is a set of seven lengthy techno dub pieces (collected from previous singles), just slightly more upbeat than material by labelmate Plastikman and conceptual compatriots at Berlin's Chain Reaction label. Like those artists, Ion is a very spatial recording; the timbres are predominantly faraway and echoing. Lawrence begins "Shift" by sampling passing cars while several tracks evoke the brittle sound of trains rumbling. Though the basslines are heavy and repetitive like dub, they move just a bit too slow to conjure up visions of Augustus Pablo or Lee "Scratch" Perry. Most often, Ion evokes a photographic negative of house music: all the melodies removed, with only the four-four beat and some 808 percussion left to fill the void.
- John Bush (Allmusic Guide)


Link:

Part One: http://rapidshare.com/files/101411350/Theorem_-_Ion.part1.rar
Part Two: http://rapidshare.com/files/101413917/Theorem_-_Ion.part2.rar

Scanner - Sound For Spaces

Label: Sub Rosa
Year: 1998
Styles: Ambient Techno, Experimental Techno

Review: (Allmusic.com)

Sound for Spaces collects Scanner material from various sources, including radio programs and art installations; also featured is one of his first recordings from the mid-'80s.
- John Bush (Allmusic Guide)


Link:

Part One: http://rapidshare.com/files/100417373/Scanner_-_Sound_For_Spaces.part1.rar
Part Two: http://rapidshare.com/files/100423813/Scanner_-_Sound_For_Spaces.part2.rar

Node - Node

Label: Deviant
Year: 1995
Styles: Ambient Techno

Review: (Allmusic.com)

Like a lost Tangerine Dream album, only better. Dave Bessell, Gary Stout, Ed Buller, and Flood (who's produced U2 and Nine Inch Nails) cling tightly to their vintage keyboards and make them click, howl, sweep, and pulse with nothing less than exploratory genius. Node delivers all the trimmings of a classic electronic album circa mid-'70s, but lets it ripen for ten extra years. This 1995 release embraces the psychedelic style (right down to the rise-and-fall song structure) with youthful energy, and stays loyal to its roots by using only yesteryear's analog equipment. Furthermore (and to their credit), the album was recorded live, direct to stereo with no overdubs or additional studio trickery. It's as if they played by yesterday's rules in order to win the game (and they do). This is pure, uncut electronic music — a welcome addition for the collectors, and a real discovery for those curious about the genre. Brush the dust off your lava lamp, put on your headphones, and go with the flow. For listeners who know this style of music well, Node is a tough act to follow.
- Glenn Swan (Allmusic Guide)


Link:

Removed by request. Look forward to a new release from Node in the coming months.

-N.R.M.

As One - The Art Of Prophecy

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

Review: (Allmusic.com)

The last album of metallic Detroit-style techno before Degiorgio departed for a trip through electro-jazz-funk, The Art of Prophecy hardly lacks for dense percussion on tracks like "Relentless," "Theme from Op-Art" and "The Hideout."
- John Bush (Allmusic Guide)


Link: http://rapidshare.com/files/106307917/As_One_-_The_Art_Of_Prophecy.rar

Freaky Chakra - Blacklight Fantasy

Label: Astralwerks
Year: 1998
Styles: Ambient Techno, IDM, Trance

Review: (Allmusic.com)

The overtly technology-enhanced cover of the album, a cross between Tron and Blade Runner, helps set the tone for Freaky Chakra's follow-up release to Lowdown Motivator. If that album captured a blend between active techno energy and nods to a gentler, calmer approach, Blacklight Fantasy is rougher around the edges, more explicitly mechanical, and fiercer. If it had to be summed up, Lowdown had a more "natural" air due to the inclusion of percussion from other cultures, while Blacklight's edge is often artificial, hinting at an electronic body music/industrial background. It's by no means a thorough or total reinvention, but songs are shorter and the overall atmosphere a touch harsher, making a nice contrast without completely disavowing the past. If anything, the results can be subtly beautiful, as can be heard on the clearly Kraftwerk-inspired (and possibly sampled) melodies of "Hyperspace." No guests are credited or have any noticeable roles and, unlike the somewhat start-stop debut, Blacklight runs like an endless mix session, with rhythms unobtrusively varying but never simply stopping cold at a song's end. One could call it a concept album if ideas were stretched a bit but, aside from a general futurism in the titles ("Year 2000," "Living in the Future," "Vector Head"), it's more a question of artistic trappings than anything else. Perhaps the best title of the bunch is "Fascist Funk" — it's not quite the descendant of Heaven 17's "We Don't Need This Fascist Groove Thing," but its quick, crackling, and static-laden crunch is definitely some space away from funk in its greasy, slow sense. When Bentley ups the spookier atmosphere of things, Blacklight starts to stand out more as its own record, starting with the swirling vocal cries on "What?," followed by the brusque beat and subtle, haunting tones of "Thing."
- Ned Raggett (Allmusic Guide)


Link: http://rapidshare.com/files/100162017/Freaky_Chakra_-_Blacklight_Fantasy.rar

Aril Brihka - Deeparture In Time

Label: Transmat
Year: 1999
Styles: Ambient Techno, Detroit Techno, Tech-House

Review: (Allmusic.com)

Following the worldwide success of his "Groove la Chord"-featuring Art of Vengeance EP on Fragile Records (a Transmat sublabel), Aril Brikha delivered Deeparture in Time, an entire album's worth of similarly synth-heavy techno with a Rhythim Is Rhythim-like cosmic tone. In addition to the wonderful and heavily spun "Groove la Chord" (which reappears here in its original version as well as in remix form) and similarly patterned tracks like "On and On," the album also includes its share of more ambient tracks like "Embrace," "Otill," and the title track. The blend of these sedate tracks with the livelier dancefloor-orientated fare makes for a perfectly well-balanced listening experience, especially because the tone remains consistent throughout. Deeparture in Time overall is a magnificent debut effort for Brikha and an especially welcome release from Derrick May's semidormant Trasmat label.
- Jason Birchmeier (Allmusic Guide)


Link:

Part One: http://rapidshare.com/files/100359279/Aril_Brikha_-_Deeparture_In_Time.part1.rar
Part Two: http://rapidshare.com/files/100360947/Aril_Brikha_-_Deeparture_In_Time.part2.rar

The Black Dog - Temple Of Transparent Balls

Label: GPR
Year: 1993
Styles: Ambient Techno, IDM

Review: (Allmusic.com)

Black Dog's proper debut, this time for the GPR label. Includes probably the group's most well-known single track, "Cost II," released on 12-inch simultaneously with the album.
- Sean Cooper (Allmusic Guide)


Link:

Part One: http://rapidshare.com/files/101127451/The_Black_Dog_-_Temple_Of_Transparent_Balls.part1.rar
Part Two: http://rapidshare.com/files/101129005/The_Black_Dog_-_Temple_Of_Transparent_Balls.part2.rar

The Black Dog - Parallel

Label: GPR
Year: 1995
Styles: Ambient Techno, IDM

Review: (Allmusic.com)

A pre-Bytes collection of odd tracks released after the group had already parted. Some quality material, but without the integrated feel of their other full-length works.
- Sean Cooper (Allmusic Guide)


Link:

Part One: http://rapidshare.com/files/104563622/The_Black_Dog_-_Parallel.part1.rar
Part Two: http://rapidshare.com/files/104568191/The_Black_Dog_-_Parallel.part2.rar

Maurizio - Maurizio

Label: M
Year: 1997
Styles: Minimal Techno, Ambient Techno, Experimental

Review: (Allmusic.com)

Concentrating on volumes four through seven in the M Records series, Maurizio collects edits of seven tracks, adding one original 12" mix and one unreleased mix. Each of the nine tracks layer heavy dub effects and synthwork over midtempo house rhythms with plenty of echo and reverb. Besides its necessity for collectors due to the unreleased track, the disc is also the best place to start for those unable or unwilling to use a turntable. Given the fact that the originals are so long and basically unchanging, the edits occasionally work better than the originals, although they aren't the versions that a vinyl-phile like Maurizio necessarily wanted listeners to hear.
- John Bush (Allmusic Guide)


Link: http://rapidshare.com/files/105728654/Maurizio_-_Maurizio.rar

D'Arcangelo - Eksel

Label: Rephlex
Year: 2007
Styles: Ambient Techno, IDM

Review:

This album should appeal to fans of more contemporary IDM releases, (Christ, Bola, Toytronic Releases, Etc).
D'Arcangelo's sound has shifted into less glitchy, more ambient fair, and that isn't necessarily a bad thing. While past efforts suffered from extremes, being either too complex, or not complex enough, "Eksel" draws a compromise between both worlds, which rewards with repeated listens.


Link:

Part One: http://rapidshare.com/files/103661508/D_Arcangelo_-_Eksel.part1.rar
Part Two: http://rapidshare.com/files/103662617/D_Arcangelo_-_Eksel.part2.rar

System 7 - 777 (UK)

Label: Big Life
Year: 1993
Styles: Ambient Techno, IDM

Review: (Allmusic.com)

The second album released by System 7 (confusingly given the same title as the American issue of their first album) is a seven-track mini-LP that finds Hillage & co. moving closer to straightahead techno and away from the ambient-pop of previous work. Spotlight tracks include the single "7:7 Expansion" and "Sinbad."
- John Bush (Allmusic Guide)


Link:

Part One: http://rapidshare.com/files/106234027/System_7_-_777__UK_.part1.rar
Part Two: http://rapidshare.com/files/106239975/System_7_-_777__UK_.part2.rar

Speedy J - Public Energy No.1

Label: Plus 8/Nova Mute
Year: 1997
Styles: Ambient Techno, Techno, IDM

Review: (Allmusic.com)

Speedy J's 1997 full-length release Public Energy No. 1 takes its name from one of Jochem Paap's lesser-known pseudonyms, under which he's recorded 12-inches for Plus 8 and his own Beam Me Up! label. Although not so dissimilar from the tracks he's produced under that name, Public Energy No. 1 is quite a bit different from Paap's Speedy J material, which until the record's preceding single, "Ni Go Snix," focused mostly on warm, melodic ambient techno with hardly an offending ounce in its lithe, easygoing body. Public Energy, however, is a veritable maelstrom; a mixture of brutalizing machine rhythms, odd, off-putting ambience, and distant, bassy, alien soundscapes. Hailed almost instantly (and, for once, rightfully) as one of the more important records in post-rave techno, Public Energy has all the forceful noncompromise of techno's brief cannon of classics ("Clear," "Strings of Life," "Pneuma," "Scoobs in Columbia," "Four Jazz Funk Classics," etc.), but with an intensified sense of dread and paranoia specific to its time, similar in some respects to the millennium-infused breakbeat experiments of TPower and Tricky (though undeniably techno). The album's daring is also notable given it was Paap's (at least in Europe, which constitutes his largest audience) major-label debut. Essential.
- Sean Cooper (Allmusic Guide)


Link:

Part One: http://rapidshare.com/files/105150482/Speedy_J_-_Public_energy_no._1.part1.rar
Part Two: http://rapidshare.com/files/105155961/Speedy_J_-_Public_energy_no._1.part2.rar

The Irresistible Force - Global Chillage

Label: Astralwerks
Year: 1995
Styles: Ambient Techno, IDM

Review: (Allmusic.com)

Not as groundbreaking and perhaps not as satisfying as Flying High, Morris's follow-up is a nonetheless well-crafted, if occasionally nostalgic second effort. A focus on rhythm and a much more synthetic feel dominate, with a playful, grounded approach taking the place of the debut's more airborne thematics.
- Sean Cooper (Allmusic Guide)


Link: http://rapidshare.com/files/102566456/The_Irresistable_Force_-_Global_Chillage.rar

Speedy J - A Shocking Hobby

Label: Novamute
Year: 2000
Styles: Ambient Techno, IDM, Techno

Review: (Allmusic.com)

Speedy J followed up the most lauded album of his career with yet another work of excellence, an album that ranges slightly farther afield than the insistent Autechre references recalled by Public Energy No. 1. After a short ambient opener, the ungodly "Borax" comes crashing through with a sound that manages to encompass terms like funky, experimental, and beautiful with equal degrees of excellence. It's easily one of the best productions of Jochem Paap's career, not to mention one of the best in contemporary electronic music. True, a few of the later tracks ("Balk Acid," "Drill," "Vopak") are quite close to the brand of super-computing electro-techno that Autechre pioneered a few years before, but even these productions have an immediacy, an enormity of sound, quite lacking in Autechre. A world away from this music-for-eggheads sound lies what just may have been another influence on A Shocking Hobby — namely, the insanely stupid dance style named big-beat techno. These tracks don't exactly have the can't-miss-'em drum breakdowns and old-school samples of yr average big-beat record, but when Paap places a massive explosion of sound on the first beat of every bar, it's difficult to escape the feeling that these songs are akin to Fatboy Slim on brainfood. Creating intelligent, difficult music that also feeds the attention-span deficit inherent in post-rave music isn't just a good idea, it's the recipe for another excellent album.
- John Bush (Allmusic Guide)


Link:

Part One: http://rapidshare.com/files/106943028/Speedy_J_-_A_Shocking_Hobby.part1.rar
Part Two: http://rapidshare.com/files/106943911/Speedy_J_-_A_Shocking_Hobby.part2.rar

System 7 - Phoenix

Label: Echo
Year: 2008
Styles: Ambient Techno, Ambient House

Review:

Inspired by the manga graphic novel series of the same name by Osamu Tezuka, Phoenix is the logical progression from the groups last studio effort, (2006's "Encantado"). Although the general System 7 themes are here (the use of traditional or unusual instruments, and a distinctive world beat vibe), hints of a soundtrack like approach surface at different points in the recording. This is understandable, since Hillage and Giraudy have remarked that the album is based upon certain characters and moments in Tezuka's work.


Link:

Part One: http://rapidshare.com/files/106185406/System_7_-_Phoenix.part1.rar
Part Two: http://rapidshare.com/files/106190765/System_7_-_Phoenix.part2.rar

Ultramarine - A User's Guide

Label: New Electronica
Year: 1998
Styles: Ambient Techno, IDM

Review: (Allmusic.com)

After a few years of silence, Ultramarine returned with a sound more akin to the understated ambient-techno of Every Man and Woman Is a Star rather than the electro-folk of 1995's Bel Air. It's an intriguing sound, just as wildly varied as you'd expect from these musical eclectics, but A User's Guide holds together much better than previous LPs like Bel Air and United Kingdoms.
- John Bush (Allmusic Guide)


Link: http://rapidshare.com/files/105339992/Ultramarine_-_A_User_s_Guide.rar

Carl Craig - More Songs About Food And Revolutionary Art

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

Review: (Allmusic.com)

After conquering the dancefloor during 1995-1996 with his Paperclip People project, Carl Craig turned back to the electronic mood music of Landcruising and created a work of gorgeous, exquisite electronic listening music. It's a difficult record to digest, but more deserving of Jeff Mills' oft-quoted tag concerning techno being something you've never heard before than any techno record of the '90s. Craig largely wrote his own production playbook, seemingly taking the words written on the cover as a challenge: "Revolutionary art is determined...by how much it revolutionises our thinking and imagination; overturning our preconceptions, bias and prejudice and inspiring us to change ourselves and the world." After a short introduction, "Televised Green Smoke" floats in on a haze, working through the classic blueprint of dance music — the gradual addition of layered, complementary elements — until it reaches a soft peak. "Red Lights" works a slow-grind breakbeat, cycling through the Paperclip People oscillator with strings in the background and an atmosphere reminiscent of The Godfather. "Dreamland" and "Butterfly" are closer to "traditional" Detroit productions, sharp and focused but rather melancholy; the former is a reach-out to the British-Detroit axis (As One, Black Dog, B12), while the latter evokes the classic late-'80s productions of Craig's friend Derrick May (who co-produced a later track, "Frustration"). The Maurizio dub "Dominas" is nocturnal and unhurried, even despite the insistent beat and a female vocal sample repeating the title one word after another. Another classic, "At Les," balances a few gently cascading chords with a rhythm program that keeps pushing the track forward and faster. More Songs About Food and Revolutionary Art thumbs its nose at the growing ranks of intelligent techno blowhards, and arguably bests anything the IDM crowd mustered before or after it.
- John Bush (Allmusic Guide)


Link:

Part One: http://rapidshare.com/files/103560935/Carl_Craig_-_More_Songs_About_Food_and_Revolutionary_Art_vbr.part1.rar
Part Two: http://rapidshare.com/files/103564314/Carl_Craig_-_More_Songs_About_Food_and_Revolutionary_Art_vbr.part2.rar

Electronic Eye - The Idea Of Justice

Label: Beyond
Year: 1995
Styles: Ambient Techno, Techno

Review: (Allmusic.com)

Still more funky, sampledelic ethno-techno from Kirk, with Parliament-style guitars sitting next to South American hand drums and electronic beats.
- Sean Cooper (Allmusic Guide)


Link:

Part One: http://rapidshare.com/files/101954638/Electronic_Eye_-_The_Idea_Of_Justice.part1.rar
Part Two: http://rapidshare.com/files/101966026/Electronic_Eye_-_The_Idea_Of_Justice.part2.rar

Deep Space Network - Big Rooms

Label: Instinct
Year: 1993
Styles: Ambient Techno, IDM

Review: (Allmusic.com)

One of the earlier successful combinations of ambient-leaning soundscapes and vinyl-sourced drum breaks, DSN's first full-length is not as chill as the project's name might suggest. Sill, the beats are atypical and never monotonous, and the tracks mesh instruments, electronics, samples, and rhythms with subtle flair. A nice introduction.
- Sean Cooper (Allmusic Guide)


Link:

Part One: http://rapidshare.com/files/103548555/Deep_Space_Network_-_Big_Rooms.part1.rar
Part Two: http://rapidshare.com/files/103550866/Deep_Space_Network_-_Big_Rooms.part2.rar

Omicron - The Generation And Motion Of A Pulse

Label: Instinct
Year: 1995
Styles: Ambient, IDM

While Omicron's first album "Acrocosm" was an ambient techno album, similar to other releases of the time (B12'a Electro-Soma, Global Communications 76:14), "The Generation And Motion Of A Pulse" is strictly ambient, with a few beats scattered here and there, (Think SETI, only more restrained). This is an album best enjoyed in full, with the lights low.


Link:

Part One: http://rapidshare.com/files/102480546/Omicron_-_The_Generation_And_Motion_Of_A_Pulse.part1.rar
Part Two: http://rapidshare.com/files/102483183/Omicron_-_The_Generation_And_Motion_Of_A_Pulse.part2.rar

Amorphous Androgynous - Tales Of Ephidrina

Label: Astralwerks
Year: 1993
Styles: Ambient Techno, IDM

Review: (Allmusic.com)

Named in displaced reference to a form of speed popular with late-night studio hounds, Tales of Ephidrina is probably the nearest Amorphous Androgynous have come to an even compromise between their ambient and dance pretensions, trading equally between lush, contemplative textures and upbeat, simplistic rhythmic structures. Enjoyable but by no means essential.
- Sean Cooper (Allmusic Guide)


Link: http://rapidshare.com/files/100678443/Amorphous_Androgynous_-_Tales_Of_Ephidrina.rar

Baby Mammoth - One... Two... Freak

Label: Pork
Year: 1997
Styles: Ambient Techno, IDM, Trip-Hop

Review: (Allmusic.com)

Baby Mammoth hit their stride with this second album of ambient-groove genius. Although "Skidding on All Fours" adds a bit of skittery drum'n'bass, and two tracks ("Additive," "Warm Air Rising") have some vaguely electro leanings, the great majority of tracks on One...Two...Freak are simply excellent fusion-inspired productions.
- John Bush (Allmusic Guide)


Link:

Part One: http://rapidshare.com/files/100696439/Baby_Mammoth_-_1997_-_One..._Two..._Freak.part1.rar
Part Two: http://rapidshare.com/files/100700874/Baby_Mammoth_-_1997_-_One..._Two..._Freak.part2.rar

Freaky Chakra - Lowdown Motivator

Label: Astralwerks
Year: 1995
Styles: Ambient Techno, IDM, House

Review: (Allmusic.com)

Lowdown Motivator occasionally moves closer to the rich, diverse eco-tapestry of Future Sound of London's Lifeforms than the work of Bentley's compatriots around San Francisco. Despite the ambient leanings, earthy beats are never far behind on the album, and Bentley has good instincts when it comes to constructing and mixing rhythms around his effects.
- John Bush (Allmusic Guide)


Link: http://rapidshare.com/files/102460819/Freaky_Chakra_-_Lowdown_Motivator.rar

Mouse On Mars - Autoditacker

Label: Too Pure
Year: 1997
Styles: Ambient Techno, IDM

Review: (Allmusic.com)

Autoditacker finds Mouse on Mars continuing to grow and improve, adding textures and detail to their dense, electronic soundscapes without compromising their sound. They still are indebted to Krautrock and dub, but they continue to add new sounds and styles to their music, including long ambient stretches and flirtations with drum'n'bass. There are no silent moments on Autoditacker — every inch of the tape is filled with rhythms, keyboards, and electronic squiggles. Each listen reveals new layers of the group's intricate arrangements, and the shifting instrumentation and themes recall the best adventurous jazz in terms of unpredictability. It's another stunning record in a distinguished, inventive catalog.
- Stephen Thomas Erlewine (Allmusic Guide)


Link:

Part One: http://rapidshare.com/files/100663603/Mouse_On_Mars_-_Autoditacker.part1.rar
Part Two: http://rapidshare.com/files/100667691/Mouse_On_Mars_-_Autoditacker.part2.rar

F.U.S.E. - Dimension Intrusion

Label: Warp
Year: 1993
Styles: Ambient Techno, Detroit Techno

Review: (Allmusic.com)

Dimension Intrusion alternates minimalist stompers like "F.U." and "Train-Trac" with more melodic, contemplative material. The latter made Hawtin a perfect match for the other producers in Warp's Artificial Intelligence series (B12, Black Dog, Polygon Window). Despite his direct Detroit inspirations — exemplified on the requisite automobile track "Nitedrive" — Hawtin encounters familiar territory on Dimension Intrusion's more downtempo tracks: "A New Day," the title track, and "Into the Space."
- John Bush (Allmusic Guide)


Link:

Part One: http://rapidshare.com/files/100642157/F.U.S.E_-_Dimension_Intrusion.part1.rar
Part Two: http://rapidshare.com/files/100644359/F.U.S.E_-_Dimension_Intrusion.part2.rar

As One - Planetary Folklore

Label: Mo' Wax
Year: 1997
Styles: Ambient Techno, IDM, Jazz-House

Review: (Allmusic.com)

Planetary Folklore is a sparkling synthesis of Degiorgio's percussion-heavy early Detroit material with the exploratory Afro-grooves of Herbie Hancock's Mwandishi period and contemporary work by Pharoah Sanders. The title track and "The Path of Most Resistance" make deft use of some hair-triggered percussion samples, while "Amalia's Mode" and "Libran Legacy" are solid summations of Degiorgio's inspiration from the early-'70s intersection of free jazz and electronics.
- John Bush (Allmusic Guide)


Link:

Part One: http://rapidshare.com/files/100650582/As_One_-_Planetary_Folklore.part1.rar
Part Two: http://rapidshare.com/files/100655736/As_One_-_Planetary_Folklore.part2.rar

Human Mesh Dance - Mindflower

Label: Instinct
Year: 1995
Styles: Ambient Techno, IDM

Review: (Allmusic.com)

A bit darker than the debut, Mindflower looks midway between sky and space for inspiration on "Satellites (Ring the Sky)," "Birth of a Perfect Planet" and "Deep Phase."
- John Bush (Allmusic Guide)


Link:

Part One: http://rapidshare.com/files/100376250/Human_Mesh_Dance_-_Mindflower.part1.rar
Part Two: http://rapidshare.com/files/100376681/Human_Mesh_Dance_-_Mindflower.part2.rar

Terre Thaemlitz - Soil

Label: Instinct
Year: 1995
Styles: Ambient, Ambient Techno

Review: (Allmusic.com)

A flowing, shifting, almost timeless statement incorporating equal parts confusion and calm across six tracks of entirely beatless ambient. Thaemlitz' ability to infuse elements of immediacy and physicality into a measured, slowly evolving style traditionally bogged down by either disinterested elitism or faux collectivist spirituality figures him as one of America's most important contemporary composers, and a singular voice in new ambient.
- Sean Cooper (Allmusic Guide)


Link:

Part One: http://rapidshare.com/files/108567037/Terre_Thaemlitz_-_Soil.part1.rar
Part Two: http://rapidshare.com/files/108570123/Terre_Thaemlitz_-_Soil.part2.rar

Biosphere - Microgravity

Label: Apollo
Year: 1992
Styles: Ambient Techno, IDM

Review: (Allmusic.com)

Jenssen's fascination with science-fiction in general (specifically, space) powers his debut album for the R&S wing, Apollo. Welding eerie samples to house rhythms, Microgravity has a sinister quality that's refreshing compared to much ambient-house of the early '90s.
-John Bush (Allmusic Guide)

Link:

Part One: http://rapidshare.com/files/98902079/Biosphere-_Microgravity.part1.rar
Part Two: http://rapidshare.com/files/98903225/Biosphere-_Microgravity.part2.rar

Human Mesh Dance - Hyaline

Label: Instinct
Year: 1994
Styles: Ambient, IDM, Ambient Techno

Review: (Allmusic.com)

The Human Mesh Dance debut full-length is a well-crafted piece of organic ambience, heavy on the organics on tracks like "Smooth Sea, Clear Sky," "Sunflower" and "Signs of Life."
- John Bush (Allmusic Guide)


Link: http://rapidshare.com/files/99928125/Human_Mesh_Dance_-_Hyaline.rar

Global Communication - 76 14

Label: Dedicated
Year:1994
Styles: Ambient Techno, Ambient

Review: (Allmusic.com)

Tempering the industrial tilt of their previous Reload material with slower, more graceful rhythms and an ear for melody unmatched by any in the downtempo crowd, Mark Pritchard and Tom Middleton produced the single best work in the ambient house canon. The tick-tock beats and tidal flair of "14:31" are proof of the duo's superb balance of beauty with a haunting quality more in line with Vangelis than Larry Heard (though both producers were heavy influences on the album). On several tracks the darkside appears to take over — the pinging ambience of "9:39" — but for most of 76:14 the melodies and slow-moving rhythms chart a course toward the upbeat and positive.
-John Bush (Allmusic Guide)


Link: http://rapidshare.com/files/98924955/Global_Communication_-_76_14.rar

Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works 85-92

Label: Apollo
Year: 1993
Styles: Ambient Techno, Experimental Techno, IDM

Review: (Allmusic.com)

Selected Ambient Works 85-92 is a desperately sparse album: thin percussion and several haunted-synth lines are the only components on most songs, and Richard D. James added only one vocal sample on the entire album ("We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams"). Also, the sound quality is relatively poor; it was recorded direct to cassette tape and reportedly suffered a mangling job by a cat. All this belies the status of Selected Ambient Works 85-92 as a watershed of ambient music. It reveals no influences and sounds unlike anything that preceded it, due in large part to the effects James managed to wrangle from his supply of home-manufactured contraptions.
-John Bush (Allmusic Guide)


Link:


Part One: http://rapidshare.com/files/99511143/Aphex_Twin_-_Selected_Ambient_Works_85-92.part1.rar
Part Two: http://rapidshare.com/files/99512365/Aphex_Twin_-_Selected_Ambient_Works_85-92.part2.rar

Autechre - Amber

Label: Warp
Year: 1994
Styles: Experimental, Ambient Techno, IDM

Review: (Allmusic.com)

In small but noticeable ways on this, their sophomore release, Autechre begin to break from the clean, if at times obvious, artistic techno from their debut record, and reach instead toward something far more distinct. Sean Booth and Rob Brown weren't quite there yet, but their self-production is even more accomplished than before, and their instincts to steer away from overly polite electronic dance music come ever more to the fore at various points throughout Amber. "Foil" begins the album with a distinctly spooky feel to it, with droning keyboards playing out over a series of spare percussion patterns; the heavy echo and crumbling, lo-fi bass feel of the track reduces its straightforward danceability, creating an ominous introduction to the album. "Silverside" at once strips things down to a more minimal approach. A string synth section plays out over first gently thudding then more pounding beats. Then a more off-kilter section with distorted vocal samples and sounds provides part of the melodic accompaniment and rhythm. "Glitch" has a nice roiling rumble to it; it isn't as fragmented as later releases, but veers a little more closely to the edge in comparison to earlier songs. "Piezo" is also worth noting, with uplifting synths balancing out a very quirky, almost intrusive series of rhythms, while "Yulquen" eschews beats entirely for a slightly disturbing though still beautiful track which rivals prime Aphex Twin. For all this, Amber does suffer a similarity to Incunabula, in that a couple of tracks could be removed with no problem, while tracks like "Montreal" and "Slip" continue the basic Incunabula formula without noticeable change. Even so, things are clearly starting to gel a little more here than on previous releases; the great leap forward becomes all the more logical in retrospect.


Link:

Part One: http://rapidshare.com/files/99123725/Autechre_-_Amber.part1.rar
Part Two: http://rapidshare.com/files/99120479/Autechre_-_Amber.part2.rar