The third full-length from Icelands' Aðalsteinn Guðmundsson under the Yagya alias sees a partial return to the deeper and dreamier sounds of Rhythm Of Snow. This will be a welcome change of direction for those who criticised his 'Will I Dream...' CD for being a unbalanced collection of tracks; 'Rigning' (translation: Rain) provides a beautiful and soothing soundtrack to a walk in the rain. There is enough diversity in the music to captivate you, yet sufficient depth to allow you to drift within youself. The first time I listened to Rigning I closed my eyes and found myself walking through puddles, warm, dry and carefree, along the old harbour in Reykjavik.

Unsurprisingly all tracks are based around the sound of rain, either fading in/out with a gentle pitter-patter or continuing to rain softly for the length of the track. The vinyl release sadly omits Rigning Einn and Fjórir; a real shame as Rigning Einn is a gem of a track and left me with no choice but to buy the CD as well. To summarise, this release is outstanding in every sense of the word; more mature than 'Rhythm Of Snow' and more accomplished than 'Will I Dream During The Process?', Yagya continues to astound me, keeping his head firmly above water in a sea of increasingly soulless ambient/dub releases. Highly recommended!

Love Capsule Delxue was the first real 'hit' from Fresh & Low in terms of people sitting up and taking notice. This Guidance double pack contains six extra mixes that all improve on the fairly average original. The real standouts come from sides C and D; in particular the 'Deep Space Dub' and the shimmering downtempo 'Phat Swing Mix'. The second vocal mix is also stronger than the first. In comparison the 'Original Mix' is actually the weakest cut on the release, with the vocals arranged in such a fashion as to make it sound like a sub-standard remix of itself.

It's a pity then, that despite the variety here, the best remix of Love Capsule Deluxe actually appears on the 1999 re-release on UK imprint Airtight. The 'Phunk Diggaz Vocal Dub' takes all the deepness of the Space Dub and gives it a heavy workover. It's a shame that out of a total of ten mixes, only four cuts really stand out. If you can pick up the Guidance release at a respectable price it is worth it for side D, but with the 'Deep Space Dub' also featured the Airtight double pack is better value.

A shockingly average mix of either bland or predictable tracks that completely fails to capture the imagination. Derrick demonstrates that tight beatmatching is only a small part of mixing, and that he is unfortunately lacking in ability when it comes to track selection and panache. There are some very good tracks in this mix: 'Mindless Funk', 'Convextion', 'Relish', 'Nite Drive' and of course Kenny Larkins' mix of 'Meditive Fusion'; but that doesn't stop Derrick subjecting us to the same amateur 'chop & stop' mix which manages to ruin a fair few transistions. There are even some truly hideous mixes; 'French Kiss' into 'Lonely Disco Dancer', and 'Relish' into 'Get Down Get Horny', being standouts as laughable clear-the-dancefloor moments.

Rumoured to be a live studio mix with further post-production by Kenny Larkin, it's a shame someone so clearly capable could release a mix like this. If you want an example of raw swift mixing, try Mills' 'Live At The Liquid Room' CD; the mixing is more rugged and rough around the edges but has far more energy. If you want to hear smooth house and techno blended expertly then I'd suggest you check out Richie Hawtins' 'Mixmag Live Vol. 20', or Stacey Pullens' Essential Mix, broadcast on Radio 1 in 1996. Both are superior examples of how this mix could have been done.

Along with the first two Baby Ford EPs "Slow Hand" and "Night D3 Died", Thomas Franzmanns' contribution stands out as one of the best records on PAL SL. Subdued beats and seriously deep music made even better by the dark drugged-out vocals on "Lava" (The mixing's niiiice). Buy this release blind and then work your way through the early Perlon catalogue - starting with the Windowshopping EP, the first in a series of fantastic collaborations between Baby Ford and Zip. Essential.

It seems Sven Schienhammer aka Quantec has been listening very carefully in recent years to the best dub techno releases and has now put together a 12" with obvious nods to his influences. 'T1,0' bears all the hallmarks of a Dean DeCosta production and is very similar to 'Barbequed Eggs' or the tracks on the Alternate Materials EP by Dean on Mosaic, but 'T1,0' has a glitchier edge and heavier atmospherics. The B1 track 'Constant' takes the Deepchord formula and adds a secondary layer of granular textures. The result feels more oppressive than anything Rod Modell has done recently and my only complaint is that it ends abruptly; it certainly would not have suffered for being a few minutes longer.
The instant I heard the reverbed chords of 'ChainData' I thought of the A-side of Lazyfishs' Falling EP on Trapez; a record sadly overlooked by many people into dub techno. The sharp hi-hats and drifting synth in 'ChainData' give it a more polished feel but the mere mention of Lazyfish should be enough for those in the know to check this out.

Ever-so deep and pressed on milky white vinyl, it's good to see releases of this calibre slipping out without the recent unsubstantiated hype surrounding certain Dallas-based producers. Another cracking release from the Styrax Leaves imprint - expect to see those that miss this now scrabbling to pick up a copy in a years time.

The Shifting Gears 12" was originally intended to test the water prior to the release of 'Soundtrack [313]' and was never officially released; making it even rarer than the already scarce album on Ferox. When asked about its limitation, Neil replied with the following:

"Ah, the blue one... The blue one represents the first introduction of The Detroit Escalator Co. I did that one myself, as I'd begun with the interest of starting the moniker as a record label. Very few of those were pressed up, maybe 150, maybe less, and as I recall they were never for sale. I think that I sent a few to some journalist friends and professional associates to gather their thoughts about my endeavor, and the rest I think I gave to Mike, the owner of a Detroit record shop called Record Time. I think that he sold them in the shop and through mail order..."

All three tracks feature on 'Soundtrack [313]' so you'd be forgiven for ignoring this elusive release. For me though, this is a real piece of techno/ambient history and a real collectors item.

Considering Rod Modells' astounding repertoire, it seems impossible to narrow down the "deepchord years" onto only one CD. Having said that; along with the 'Continuous-Flow' mix (also on Silentes), this CD outshines both 'dc01-06' and 'dc15' released on the Deepchord imprint. The earlier material of dc07 and 08 has been omitted in favour of the deeper, dreamier productions but inclusions from dc09, 12 and 13 are sorely lacking here. On the plus side all three tracks from dc10 are featured with clean mastering from the source; it had always been a gripe of mine that the dc10 12" had been pressed so quietly. It's already been four years since deepchord 16; and even though Modell is currently more prolific than ever, it is starting to look like his Deepchord label has been laid to rest. If this is the case what was really needed here was something more special, preferably in the form of a DVD release (on Deepchord), with more unreleased material. Regardless, any collector of the label can't be without this. Utterly essential...

Vladislav Delay has been off the boil for a long time now; nothing has really grabbed me since his releases on Chain Reaction and Max.Ernst. 'Whistleblower' marks a true return to form and is up there with the best of his productions. Exquisitely deep and drifting ambient, with shards of glitchy interference and hints of dub. This album is a definate 'headphones at night' experience; it draws you in right from the beginning and hangs you on the edge of sleep; though your senses are too stripped open to let you drift off. Up there with the likes of Henrik Bs' 'Kryoniks' and The Detroit Escalator Companys' 'Soundtrack [313]'; this should be noted as one of the landmarks in ambient music, and is certainly a contender for (beatless) album of the year. Ambient music rarely sees a vinyl pressing these days and I expect this release to be no exception. Thank fuck technologies like Rane Serato exist to enable us to mix music this beautiful on vinyl. One of the deepest and dreamiest releases I have heard in a long time... Highly recommended.

Another strictly limited release by Rod Modell & Co, this time to 100 copies. Restricting the number of copies has always been part of the deepchord ethos, the elusiveness adding to the demand. This release is no exception and a lot of listeners are going to be left in the cold (literally), the trademark warm, rich chords embrace your ears and echo around your brain. This release is on par with some of the best deepchord material; think dc10 given the 'Radio Fore' treatment. Essential...

As a purist of electronic music and more specifically techno, it's not often I emerge from my bubble to discover other music. It's even rarer for me to remember an era of my life in connection with a rock album. Rediscovering this CD several years since last listening to it, it's hard not to get all dewy-eyed remembering 1997. Achieving the seemingly impossible, this emphatic follow-up to 'The Bends' not only lived up to its predecessor but completely blew it away. In many ways 'OK Computer' is a very mature album; still bearing Thom Yorkes' deathbed vocals, yet musically more mellow than 'The Bends'. Where I found 'The Bends' to simply be a collection of twelve fantastic tracks, 'OK Computer' worked better as an album. Everyone has different views on what defines an album as a masterpiece; in my opinion it needs to transcend mainstream popularity and appeal to everyone. With it's organic feel and a deeply personal touch 'OK Computer' carries this off with ease. Given time alone with your thoughts and a pair of headphones, it's impossible not to lose yourself in these tracks.

Together with 1998s mini-album 'How Am I Driving?', this era paved the way for Radioheads journey into the more experimental material of 'Kid A'. Utterly essential, irrespective of musical taste...everybody should own this album.