This was among the first Mixed CD's i ever bought 10 years ago . It is not among my all- time faves, but the concept is great. I listened to it yesterday and today again after many years and must say it stands the test of time.
Starts with melodic and sometimes nearly ambient Deep Techno & House, before it kickstarts to excentric stuff like Tyree's - Video Crash, Moby's - GO and the somehow misplaced Planet Rock, before it moves into a series of Break Beats and jazzy Drum 'n Bass. The last chapter is reserved for Classic melodic Acid / House + Detroit Techno. The transitions are always more or less successful, taken the fact that some trax are not mixable at all.
Back in 96 when Techno began to develop more Sub-Genre's like Big Beat, Drum 'n Bass (in many sub categories of it's own) there was a certain vibe that everything might be possible within Electronic Music and this is a good example for that Spirit. The slightly annoying Trax help to keep the listeners attention at high levels throughout the mix and the Track selection is chock full of Goodies, i was proud to own back then : Sven & Remy's - Piano Track, Riot In Lagos, Static Friendly , The Nervous Track, Go + Video Crash to name a few..
The part i like most is the first half. Ken Ishii creates an ambient Vibe that is very nice to listen to in a relaxed mood.
Another Big Plus is the excellent Cover Drawing for this X-MIX Series by an (back then) 84 year old japanes Science Fiction Painter. The drawing of an Utopian City with flying Bikes and Boats fits the spirit of this Future mix perfectly.
The 5 chapters of the series are all in my collection and i am glad to own them all.