Various – The Philosophy Of Sound And Machine

One of the great compilations in the history of Techno. I wonder why this has never been released on vinyl (has it?), specially for the Mayday Mix of Artemis by Neuropolitique (R.I.P.). Whirling Of Spirits is also a diamond, as well as many others...

I had this but the metal layer in the CD started to degrade with tiny holes appearing in the CD when you looked at it under light, some of the tracks would skip due to it.

Made of unobtainium me thinks! $200 for a cd? This is crazy tho the music looks interesting I cannot imagine a poor soul doling out this sort of money for cds....but .......

A collaboration between Rephlex and Kirk Degiorgio's Applied Rhythmic Technology label, this rare CD is highly sought after by collectors. Rephlex was set up by Aphex Twin and Grant Wilson-Claridge. "A selection of Electronic Music... for Dance and Thought", it contains early rare Aphex Twin tunes and other top UK electronica artists of the time. Abdul Haqq did the cover. Standouts include Redcell (aka B12) - "Bio - Dimension" and Balil (aka Black Dog) - "The Whirling of Spirits".

Rephlex maintained a sense of humour and avoided the 'intelligent dance music' tag, preferring to call the music 'braindance' and weren't afraid to it their unfashionable rave-going and trainspotting past. The heirs to that tradition today are artists like Ceephax Acid Crew, Roy of the Ravers and of course Aphex himself.

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

"Mmm, I get hints of tek 9 going off in a Michigan parking lot sulking under fruity overtones of a coalmine closing to the humming of "Ilkley moor by tat" by the Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch male voice choir..." Pretentious pish! You like moody music you can listen to over and over again...so buy this sucker...it's the best faceless techno bollocks compilation...ever!

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 " 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.