Above Board レコード& CD

Review: Continuing the Above Board label's flawless run of historical compilation projects, San Francisco legend DJ Spun has been invited back to paint another picture of a unique chapter in the Bay Area's rave history, from 1988 to 1994. Compared to the more storied East Coast and Midwest dance music movements, the unique brew of cultural backdrops and influences in SF and the surrounding area led to a particular strain of breakbeat rich in psychedelia, responding to the very different Californian climate. Across two slabs, this second volume takes us further into a lesser told story of rave's early days, featuring cult legends long overdue recognition for their distinctive approaches to electronic dance music.

Review: New York maestro and Loose Control Band member DJ Spun has served up a superb compilation for Above Board here. It is his third such collection and one that focusses on the specific subject of West Coast breaks, rave and electro funk from the late eighties to mid-cities. It was a fertile scene by this account and one that still sounds current today, right from the blistering open eats and trance-like synths of Tasti Box's 'San Francisco' to Deep2's old school house jacker 'Sphere' which closes out the double pack. In between are plenty of gems, not least the deep and dreamy sounds of Hawke's '3 Moods In A Purple Garden' (Robbie Hardkiss mix).

Review: Anyone with an ear to the underground will be familiar with the name Kenny Hawkes. The late great house artists had a great influence on the scene and that legacy lives on through close friends such as Classic Music Company boss Luke Solomon, with whom he ran the legendary Wednesday night party Space from 1995-2002. Here Luke has linked up with Space regulars Jonny Rock and Leon Oakey to curate a loveling selected mix of tunes that pay tribute to Hawkes. Space Part 1 is a must for house fans - there is steamy deep stuff from Hawkes himself, post-rave dreamscape material from Cine City, punchy tech house done right and booming, and loopy grooves for dancefloor hypnosis. We hope there will be many more to come after this great first installment.

Review: Ed Cartwright's first compilation, which is landing in two parts (this is the first), celebrates the period between 1992 and '96, when electronic music in Britain was going in a multitude of different directions, and the (ultimately unfulfilled) 'brave new dawn' offered by Blair's New Labour government was still some way off. Cartwright's selections thus flit between gorgeous UK techno (Syzygy's 1992 gem 'Meditation'), sub-heavy post-bleep brilliance (Cabaret Voltaire), classic IDM (the Black Dog's Ken Downie as Xeper), mind-mangling slow acid (Thunderhead's excellent 'True Romance'), anti-Criminal Justice Bill material (Ultramarine's 'Happy Land') and some early Matthew Herbert brilliance ('Housewife'). Throw in extensive liner notes from dance music historian Matt Anniss, and you have a fantastic package.