VARIOUS ARTISTS
Machine Soul--An Odyssey
Into Electronic Music (Rhino)
Reviewed by Rusty Pipes


This double CD is an authoritative history of electronic dance music that also happens to be a great party record, especially in you're into all night raves at secret locations.

Starting with Kraftwerk in the late 70's and working its way though Gary Numan, Throbbing Gristle, Orchestral Manoeuvers in the Dark, and Depeche Mode, past Afrika Bambatta and all the way to new favorites like Moby, The Orb, Prodigy and Underground, this is a fine sampling of twenty plus years of Electronica by people who really know it well. It's a great starting point for those wanting to know more and a treasure trove for some rare tracks you heard and loved but never knew the name of. It's almost like a CD version of Modulations, the fiesty little film on electronic club music that Iara Lee released in 1998, but it has it's own special take on things.

As with all Rhino compilations, this comes with a wonderfully detailed set of liner notes. I always love reading Moby's writing on his own CD's, but sadly his written contrbution is very short here. The several page history of electronic dance music by Johan Keugelberg more than makes up for it though. He packs an incredible amount of information into that tiny little book, complete with track-by-track notes. It's not as nice as a box set, but its smaller format keeps the price friendly and should further the reach of techo music, house and all their cousins.

Producers Craig De Graaff and Kugelberg originally wanted a four CD set instead of two but maybe this will whet everyone's appetite and they'll make more Machine Soul releases because we all know this is just the tip of the Electronic Dance iceberg. My only quibble is that the very first all-electronic hit, Dick Hyman's The Minotaur, isn't even mentioned here. But then this is more dance oriented and that was very much a rock song. Maybe it will make the Volume Two release. Bottom line-- this is long overdue and I loved every minute of it. Kudos to De Graaff and Kugelberg, and of course their assistant Moby for a job well done.

Track List:

Disc One: The Robots KRAFTWERK * Warm Leatherette NORMAL * I Feel Love SUMMER*DONNA * The Number One Song In Heaven SPARKS * Electricity ORCHESTRAL MANEUVERS IN THE DARK * Cars NUMAN*GARY * Adrenalin THROBBING GRISTLE * Yashar CABARET VOLTAIRE * Planet Rock AFRIKA BAMBAATAA/SOUL SONIC FORCE * Jam On Revenge NEWCLEUS * Clear CYBOTRON * Blue Monday NEW ORDER * Strings Of Life RHYTHM IS RHYTHM * PUMP UP THE VOLUME (RADIO EDIT) M/A/R/R/S *

Disc Two: Pump Up The Volume (Radio Edit) M/A/R/R/S * Big Fun INNER CITY * Enjoy The Silence (Single Mix) DEPECHE MODE * What Time Is Love? (Live At The Trancentral M KLF * Little Fluffy Clouds (Dance Mix MK I Edit) ORB * Go MOBY * Move Any Mountain (I.R.P. In The Land Of Oz R SHAMEN * James Brown Is Dead (7in Version) L.A. STYLE * Charly (Alley Cat Mix) PRODIGY * Rez UNDERWORLD * Life Is Sweet CHEMICAL BROTHERS * Absurd (Mighty Dub Katz Vox Mix) FLUKE * 2Kool4Skool (Short) UBERZONE * For An Angel (PVD Angel In Heaven Radio Mix) DYK*PAUL VAN * Godspeed (BT Edit Mix) BT

© 2000 - Rusty Pipes