Sandwell District – Feed-Forward

Somebody help me understand this because I feel like I'm missing something. I really want to love this album, but after dozens of listens I just can't get past the idea that this album is probably the weakest in the SD repertoire in my opinion. I've generally been a very big fan of Sandwell District from the beginning, and I think that most of the releases are top notch, as well as the individual releases of Regis, Sumner, and SS, all who I'm a very big fan of.

Don't get me wrong, there are some great tracks here, namely Immolare, Hunting Lodge, Falling the Same Way, and Speed and Sound, but the rest sounds a little bit like filler and lacks the energy and menace that has characterized the earlier releases of the Sandwell imprint. And I don't know if it's a case of there being too many cooks in the kitchen, or that tensions were so high at that time that they were afraid of bulldozing over each other's productions too much, but to me it just feels like there's an overarching focus on texture, with lots of restraint and refinement rather than the grit that we've seen in all of their previous releases.

And it's not just the new material that I'm against, because when I look to the digital release of the album and the reworks of all these tracks, I find nearly everything better there. The Svar Live and Grey Cut-Out Sandwell versions are both improvements, the Immolare reworks are both great and the Speed + Sound Z-arts remix is sublime. Everything is better there, so I don't see why they didn't wait and use these improved versions for the final cut... It feels a little bit to me like maybe these were hurried or unfinished productions that they later expanded upon and improved.

There's a cassette version of this that's still available exclusively through Bleep. Limited to 250 copies.

Oh boy... apparently Sandwell District totally underestimated the demand for a repress of their seminal Sandwell District - Feed-Forward album. Basically, ALL pre-order options for the announced 1000 copies were sold out everywhere within a little more than a week... That really happened much too quickly and is far too little to satisfy the great demand! 😒.

What a disappointment for many collectors who will miss out as this forthcoming re-release will be superior to the original 2010 edition because it will feature the two fantastic 'Untitled' ambient tracks on one large, great sounding 12-inch single instead the small 7-inch disc used at the time.

Anyway, even if it's basically too late, you might still be able to order a copy from one or the other retailer if you search extensively. But you must act NOW... 😉.

reissue incoming. feels go out to those that purchased the og believing this would never be reissued..

Great record for its era, but i dont think its ageing well.

Changed the landscape of techno in a way that I think is still evident right now. I was fortunate enough to buy this when it came out but desperately hope they consider a reissue at some point because the prices on here are ridiculous. The tracks maybe don't sound quite as groundbreaking as they did 10 years ago simply because so many of the concepts, sounds etc. have been copied ad neaseum since but Hunting Lodge is my personal favourite cut here.

One of the only slabs of wax, that actually is worth the triple figures. Considering it wont be getting repressed, now that the label isn't operating anymore. A true masterpiece.

Took digital in car for proper listening (evaluating such an hyped record at home could lead to misunderstanding, I thought ...) and I must say that it is not that milestone. Certainly the style is clear and the 'rite of techno' well preserved, but I can't remember a track in particular. You have many religious tributes to Basic Channel, to Rob Hood's best moments, to Surgeon/Regis BMB and the sole truly seminal track - thinking to 2010 - 'Immolare', seems to me not enough for declaring that "Feed Forward" is a masterpiece. Of course this is not a record that humans can buy, but my comment it's not simply a matter of 'vulpes et uva', according to Aesop's tale. I mean: there are better works out there that people can play and enjoy, so the risk is to forget the music - that remains valuable - making this 2ep a mere battleground for collectors (or -my god ...- investors !!!).

I like this style of techno. Dark, ominous and death simple, yet ultimately immersing. Harsh POW POW POW without gimmicks, just the tribal rhythms, anemic hi hats and right amount of cold ambiance for immersive experience. I am new to the techno, and am surprised how little there seems to be production familiar to this style. Most of the style are either too complex and uplifting (Detroit), has stupid gimmicks like the bleeping lead (typical in minimal techno as well as in big room house), are too experimental and weird (some brutal techno), are too soft (dub techno, 90's ambient techno) or sound too polished.

Is there a name for this type of techno to distinguish from the former? Hypnotic, mantra like techno where ruthless beats meets ambient, still preserving enough impact to blast in the after hours? Raw style, no gimmicks.

The 7" that comes with this album contains two of the finest ambient/electronic music tracks I have ever heard!!
Soaring, light as air synth lines dominate and amaze.
Beautiful, beautiful music!! Bravo SD