Eternal Basement – Nerv

Absolute genius.

So different from most of what came out of the Harthouse label. This is deep, dark, delicious trance, full of intricate soundtracks to set your imagination in motion. The production alone on this is incredible. In contrast to the straight-up, in-your-face 909/303 sounds that defined so many of EB's contemporaries, here the sounds are heavily processed, layered, textured, distant, and unique. Muffled voices, unrecognizable synths, strange reverbs, and intricate interlocking sequences all combine to create a darkened landscape that completely surrounds you.

While EB's singles were -- as required by the style -- all fairly fast in the BPMs, here the album format is used as an opportunity to explore slower tempos and longer tracks that build slowly. But don't be put off; the results are glorious. The opening track "Woy" is more Bladerunner than the actual Bladerunner OST, and is alone worth the price of the disc(s). The quality is consistent throughout the entire album and there isn't a minute of filler. Why this release (and the singles from the same period) never gathered more attention is something I don't understand to this day.

So I heard their remix of "Skyline" by Resistance D, and I saw their album on amazon for under a buck so I said "Hey, what the hell, might as well get it...1995, they remixed R-D, maybe there will be some good tracks on it." Little did I know that packed in this CD is track after track of quality Acid Trance. I mean this stuff is wicked. Every track is like going on a journey through outer space. Well done Eternal Basement.