Various ‎– The Philosophy Of Sound And Machine

maaan this is a tough 1 to snag/// got some tight stuff on it tho. and its G@Rs production action

Finding this in the dollar (!!!) bins at my local store (in Ohio... how did it end up here?) was wild... There isn't a single dud on this comp, and it has what has to be the FINEST closing track of all time, Blue Calx. Mr. James' other tracks are also definite standouts, with Balil and Red Cell tailing slightly behind. This is one comp that IMHO probably justifies it's going market price, although some dedicated snooping will probably find you one for cheaper :).

Can't imagine how many of this was put out, or how many made it to Australia. Found mine on a dedicated trip searching for rarities in the UK 1997, and Manchester's Vinyl Exchange came up trumps. Spent half an airfare there. Happy times!

I was expecting more from this compilation. Given that it features some of the best Detroit-ish, IDM-y techno artists in the UK at the time, you'd think it'd be solid from start to finish, but it's actually hit-and-miss.

The highlight for me is the Balil (Black Dog Productions) track "Small Energies", a deceptively simple and moody theme with a driving beat and many little details that are easy to miss the first few times around. I also like two of the three Aphex Twin tracks—"Blue Calx", which was on Selected Ambient Works II, and "n.IASP", which is every bit as accessible and enjoyable as the tracks on both SAW collections. Cmetric/Redcell doesn't disappoint, although you know those tracks already if you have the B12 'Electro-Soma' album.

Competent but not especially excellent are Derrick May's remix of Neuropolitique's "Artemis", and "T.R.Y. 2004 Funk" by Future/Past (Kirk Degiorgio), both of which are fairly straightforward Detroit techno.

The remaining 6 tracks are either just a bit sub-par, sounding either unfinished or assuming that anything the least bit unconventional would be intrinsically exciting for the listener. The creative effort is laudable, but the songs aren't good or interesting enough to remain in my playlists. That said, though, just over 50% of the album makes the cut, so I consider it a worthwhile acquisition. Good luck finding it!

Quite simply the holy grail of British IDM. A gorgeous compilation of early works from then still unknown artists who would later shape and define a whole genre. Apart from Abdul Haqq's wonderful artwork and Derrick May's remix, "The Philosophy Of Sound And Machine" was the first "all-British" Techno showcase.

You might already have heard about the two rare tracks by Richard D. James which are only to be found on this release. Kirk DeGiorgio tracks sparkle with straight forward and quite harsh Techno enthusiasm, while the B12 boys and Balil (Ed Handley, better know as part of Plaid) craft dreamy, melancholic sci-fi spheres above some clever and twisted drummachine workouts.

Mike Dred's "Remember The Time" will make you do exactly what the title says when listening to it nowadays. The Derrick May mix of Matt Coggers "Artemis" however is the least interesting work on this compilation and comes across a little undecided - Cogger's original sounds a lot better in my opinion.

Ken Downie, who would later found The Black Dog, delivers a strange track named "Trance" which comes across a bit tacky today, with spooky vocals either boldly stating "Trance!" or citing Aleister Crowley's "Do what thou whil shall be the whole of the law" - all above a wild bunch of layered synth arpeggios, acidic swirls and a hectic fast beat. Still remarkable given the year it was made - and that goes for most offerings on here, which were way ahead of their time back then.

The sound quality is okay for the time when this came out, although a decent remastering would probably brighten up these tracks a lot and add more contour to certain frequencies.

Being a cornerstone of IDM, this seminal album truly deserves a re-release. Still as relevant today as when it came out 17 years ago.

The Philosophy Of Sound And Machine is a compilation cd released in 1992 on the record label Applied Rhythmic Technology in cooperation with Rephlex.(Compiled By - Grant Wilson Claridge & Kirk Degiorgio).
The compilation was made up of six key artists under various aliases:-
Q-Chastic / Soit-P.P / Blue Calx aka Richard James.
Balil / Twelve Days Of Night aka Black Dog.
Cmetric / Red Cell aka B12.
Future/Past / Esoterik aka Kirk Degiogio.
Neuro Politique aka Matt Cogger.
The Kosmik Kommando aka Mike Dred.
The result was the first ALL British "Techno" compilation which still stands out as some of the best material released by many of the contributing artists.Many of the artists at the time were part of the underground scene and now showns how important and innovative these artists were & still are.
Many of the tracks featured on this excellent compilation have been released at latter stages via other releases apart from the two Aphex Twin tracks "CAT 002" & "n.IASP",which still remain exclusive to this compilation.
The Philosophy Of Sound And Machine still remains as an historic focal point for quality soulful electronic music for the dancefloor and mind.This compilation is very rare and fetches very high prices when it`s offered for sale,a repress and remaster is needed to give it the full vinyl & CD release it has always deserved.

I completly agree with the previous reviewer, the n.IASP track is the outstanding track on this compilation, expecially if you like the Aphex Twin's ambient works productions. If fact, this tack could sit nicely on the Selected Ambient Works 85-92 album, maybe replacing Blue Calx which in my opinion would sit better on the second ambients works album, but nevermind that I'm drifting off topic. The n.IASP track is very simple but uses seom very appealing melodies arranged thoughtfully to keep the track interesting. One of my fave Aphex tracks.