Russ Gabriel ‎– Voltage Control

Personally a very significant record. In my opinion Russ's finest moment or one of them. I recall doing my A levels at the time, and it having a tremendously therapeutic affect. its the perfect album to sling on after a hard day and unwind to. Delicate, beautifully inter woven synth melodies drift around meandering, clicky drum patterns. warm, funky bass lines plod along behind, taking away any stress and replacing with the joy of pure peace and tranquility. at that time my warm summer evenings were spent driving around in the country, or hanging in fields often as the was sun setting and the combination was perfect. it ranked with Ambient works by Aphex twin and a handful of others, as one of my favourite early 90's ambient techno albums. What is so remarkable is how distinct this record is from his early 1990's manic hard techno. its almost like he was coming down after his spell in the world of Magnetic North. His adherence to electronic purity is obvious at this stage, so you wont get any of the trumpets and keyboards that comprise his subsequent adventures in funk tech crossover. this album contrasts just as significantly with what he did before and after. It is a little known gem in the realm of ambient techno, and its technical execution is exceptional even for him. it deserves a reprint.

This album is simply majestic... In my opinion it's a masterpiece of IDM Techno and is one of my favourite electronic music albums of all time.

Essentially it's a dreamy trip through some gorgeously lush electronica and just sucks you in upon listening. The track 'Airbourne' is unquestionably one of the best IDM tracks ever made... Just simply a beautiful piece of music...

Track this down if you can, it's criminally hard to find, but believe me, it's worth it. Russ Gabriel's other albums (although very good) are a different style to this, with a more jazzy and funky style of IDM, but this is the one you really want.

A towering achievement...

This album is without a doubt one of my favourite electronic albums.
This early venture by Russ Gabriel won praise in Music magazines when it was released 8 years ago & still stands today as one of the hallmark albums in Techno(in my opinion),sweeping chords & layers of depth & feeling in tracks like 'Airbourne' & 'Agoraphobia'.This album may seem dated for younger inexperienced Electro heads out there, but this gives the album it's panache & class.
There are tracks of a more upbeat techno sound but still with the classic Gabriel touches always allowing room to breathe & giving the listener a chance to sit back. A hard to find album, but well worth tracking down. Minimal,heartfelt,deep electronica/techno at it's finest!

Russ Gabriel’s debut, Voltage Control, is in the classic IDM style of The Black Dog and B12, with the careful rhythmic sensibility and cool, electronic melodies. While the opener, “Rainforest,” drifts along on more of an ambient tip, “Tokyo Sun” and has a more solid back beat. “Airbourne” is dreamy and celestial in a quiet, subdued way, while “Alpine Air” should be more appropriately titled “Detroit Air.” “Jochim’s Hour” is some more Detroitian flavor, and the closing track, “Pat’s Cat” shimmer and tinkles like a strange music box. It’s an excellent album, but doesn’t quite have that something that would make it an indispensable classic.