Various ‎– The Techno Sound Of Berlin (Berlin 1992 - Tresor Kompilation)

When I rate something, I always take the release year into account, but even if I didn't, this comp still gets an easy 4 if not a 5. Now, I don't especially love a whole lot of "rock'n'roll" for the most part (as if that's even a very meaningful description in the first place), but if there's anything that makes me "rock out" every damn time I listen, it's this comp. And the most beautiful thing is that it is simultaneously retro *and* way ahead of its time. It's entirely paradoxical. I find that I *think* of it, intellectually speaking, as being very old; but whenever I fire it up and crank it, it *feels* amazingly fresh and energizing, stimulating, rejuvenating.

Chances are, if you are reading this you already own or have heard this comp, but if you haven't and you have an interest in the origins of your favorite modern day tracks, you will not regret getting a hold of this.

In reference to my earlier analogy, when I try to think of a rock equivalent to this, In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida immediately springs to mind; so retro, yet so perpetually fresh. (And if you don't know what In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida is, for God's sake go educate yourself right away.)

Edit: Also, most tracks sound astonishingly good in Dolby Pro Logic II, almost as if they were engineered for it.

This collection deserves a higher rating!

These artists packed this album with ideas that subsequently influenced a lot of artists who were doing the trance-thing in the mid-nineties. In terms of momentum and build-up, you'll find in this collection some of the most impressive four-to-the-floor beat tracks that were available at this time.

The style of this music isn't warm--just to forewarn you. These are ice-cold trance, techno, and acid bangers. And that doesn't mean that they don't bring the funk at times.

To anyone who'd refer to the sound of these songs as "dated" should realize that electronic music doesn't necessarily get "better" with new technology. The goal is maximizing the potential of available tools to create the most physical and invigorating experience possible. That's why chicago acid house still rocks, and that's why these tracks are excellent. Try to appreciate the aesthetic of ice cold techno and what it can do for your body and mind; it will make you a warmer person by virtue of its visceral quality.

It is little known that this album was made up originally from tracks licensed from renowned berlin trance label MFS. Without their help this album would never have happened. MFS gave Tresor different versions than the ones that were earlier featured on the first and now legendary milestone trance compilation from MFS - 'tranceformed from beyond'.
If you like this Tresor compilation, you will adore the MFS compilation, that is if you can get hold of a copy. It is now very very rare. Even the 2 CD re-release from 1995 with the original versions on CD2, is very hard to get hold of and both have becme a real collectors items (especially the coverless vinyl version)

Whoa, where do I start? This was one of the first techno CDs I bought back in the early '90s and I didn't quite realize the pull that this release had. I've come to find out that several of the tracks were early releases (first in some) of the respective labels represented. Being a fan of earlier techno this has the "old formula" - not the later sparse minimalist formula that became popular after 1995. The tracks have excellent composition and play like songs - not like DJ tools. Collectively this is the perhaps one of the best comps ever put together. The tracks are tight and make you wanna MOVE! And it's not all house or all acid, it's got variety like a comp should. I'd give examples of my faves but that defeats the purpose of an overview. Let's just say that this CD thumps and has phenomenal production throughout. I've made it an obsessive mission to get the 12"s individually and think it's a very good tool for the historical documentation of the events leading up to the commercial success of techno. The only problem is that the vinyl release left out some of the tracks that the CD release put in. Definitely check this one out if you like PHAT analog sounds.