Various - Objets D'art III

The fourth release of '96 saw the return of Stasis to the ART stable on production duties for the mysterious Paul W. Teebrooke & his Nova release which did feature a host of other artists. Whilst Blue Light was pure heavenly disco-techno, M42 really shook it up with the wildest scrach 'n' beats since the early 80's B-Boy heyday. The track has now been picked up as the soundtrack to the new multi-platform Tomb-Raiders commercial & remains at the cutting edge of breakbeat manipulation. Nova though is undoubtedly the eps highlight & is featured here in all its melodic glory, the programming is complex without being cluttered & it's funky & soulful as hell. This release also saw the Op-Art cover artwork finally getting it together coinciding with the label's growth in confidence & organization.

Op-Art began '97 with the Dutch masters Sensurreal who delivered three epic tracks that all twisted & turned as they unfolded. The entire side 2 of the EP is reproduced here on CD for the first time highlighting its meticulous production qualities. Lengthy intros seduce the listener, then a quiet before the storm & off into dancefloor orbit!

As a bonus Objets D'art III also features the ART artist Elegy & Kirk's own As One moniker. The two tracks featured originally appeared last year on the underground label Likemind Records. Flights of Fantasy is a superbly funky affair that again defies categorization whilst Light is a two year old a track from As One's Reflections sessions.

New Electronica are proud to collect together & present these tracks exclusively on this CD only compilation. As a testament to the uniqueness of ART the majority of the artists featured have now signed to major labels. We now await the 3rd generation of ART.

- text taken from the right side inside the sleeve cover of this compilation -

Objets D'art III sees the continuation of the New Electronica series which highlights the cream of the material from Kirk Degiorgio's esteemed ART label. This third exclusive cd only compilation marks the progress of a label that is exerting enormous influence on the electronic dance scene, both as a source of quality & inspiration for other genuinely independent labels.

1996 was the most important year so far in the four year history of ART. After bringing forth ground breaking releases in limited quantitles, Kirk made the next step by linking up with RTM distridution & by doing so he aimed to bring a new diversity to ART as well as reflecting the electic nature of today's music scene & bringing the label's unique quality to the mainstream for the first time.

ART became the umbrella title for the entire organization & the record label assumed the title of Op-Art (Operation Applied Rhythmic Technology). This cahnge in structure was a visible sign that a metamorphosis was occuring whthin ART, but it was also a response to the way in which reviewers had continually referred to previous releases by the ART catalogue number rather than by the artist name (i.e. ART 6 RATHER THAN ELEGY WHICH WAS THE ARTIST'S NAME).

The New campaign began with Photek, a rising star within the burgeoning jungle scene. Before the media & majors got wind of this new talent Kirk had quietly collaborated with him & secured an ep which became Op-Art's debut release. T'Raneon became a landmark EP in the evolution of today's dance scene. Drum 'n' bass demos then came flooding through the new Op-Art PO BOX, but true to form Op-Art went downtempo & highly electic for their next release, the Tide of Filth EP by Autocreation. This hard-edged EP had a bit of everything from trip hop to jungle to industrial.

Op-Art had well & truly laid out their stall by the third release, an EP by The 4th Wave (aka Steve Paton) which like Autocreation needed a section of its own in the record stores due to the diversity of the cuts. Funky breakbeat with Detroit-school techno stood along side minimal Chicago-style house disco, OP3 had it all. To ensure better quality through louder pressings Op-Art has favoured three track Eps' at 33rpm, therefore due to the time limits the excellent Lounge music could not be included in the original EP, but it appears here for the very first time alongside Cosmic Dance.

- text taken from the left side inside the sleeve cover of this compilation -