X-101 - X-101

No doubt about it, the X-101 album is as ahead of its time as they used to come. Not only does it kick off with the evergreen Sonic Destroyer, which is nothing short of a techno equivalent of a classic Star Trek episode, but from there it only moves towards an unprecedented clash between soul and hardness, best exemplified on Rave New World and my favorite track on the album, Whatever Happen to Peace, both of which are very forceful and intense while being graced with very soothing and warm melodies, thus staying in touch with both, the emotional and the driving aspect of techno music.
G-Force has some amazing spaced out sounds throughout, while The Final Hour just rolls on and on with an amzing bass line. Same goes with the afore mentioned Whatever Happen to Peace; just play it with the bass up and feel the earth below you shake as the machine gun bass line alters your whole perception of techno music. And the album closes with Mindpower, a wicked tune loaded with strange and sinister noises and occasional outbursts of acid stabs.
Simple to some, yet when placed within its historical context, the praise starts. There was nothing this hard floating around the maeket when UR dropped this gem.
If you are a fan of Detroit techno, or are just plain interested in the development of harder, more extreme and daring aspects of the genre - look no furhter. X-101 is THE answer!

This is truly the techno soul in action, one of those few moments when you could feel the future in action. I would add that "Rave New World" got me crying since its release : hypnotic, soulfull and sad, it is the perfect soundtrack for the final scenes of Blade Runner : "I've seen so many things..." as said Roy Batty.

First Tresor release. "Whatever Happened to Peace" is a dark, sophisticated, and suprisingly simple classic. Note that this was re-released by Mute as "Sonic Destroyer" but with this EP's tracklist.

This licenced album from Underground Resistance was the beginning of the axis "Detroit - Berlin". I remember...