The Future Sound Of London – We Have Explosive 2021

Yet another excellent use of Record Store Day to reissue old material with a bulk of new versions backing it up. Whereas many would have been happy to simply re-press the original 12", FSOL instead choose to re-record the track and follow it up with an album's worth of new b-sides, a CD release making the record available for those not interested in chasing limited editions. If only more bands were so generous.

We Have Explosive 2021 is by far the least ambient record put out under the FSOL name (since Accelerator, at a push). The original's harsh, buzzing big beat sound here is fractured and spread out over a lengthy exploration of breaks, drum & bass, IDM, dub and dark glitchy textures. 'Detonation' - long awaited by fans, having been previewed by the band back in 2008 - chops the original into fragments and splices them over seven minutes of chaos, while 'Exploding' adds a '90s jungle vibe, and 'Exotype' throws in the fastest tempo of any FSOL track to date. The new version of 'Herd Killing' expands on the 2009 live version and adds elements of Brian Dougans's modern Humanoid production, while 'Slide Door' strips things back to a minimally writhing synthetic sound comparable with recent Autechre pieces.

Throughout the album, the nocturnal atmosphere of the band's 1996/1997 ISDN tour and the original five part We Have Explosive EP are retained, adding a surprising amount of visceral texture and even ambience, despite the brutal beats and complexity. The record is a remarkable achievement, not only in its technical prowess, but also its tying together several strands of the band's work into one coherent, if chaotic, work. Very highly recommended.