Various Artists
Electrickery
Tempest Recordings

We see thousands of electro/tech/trance/chill/breaks/electronica compilations released every week. It seems as though friends of her friends and his friends are bedroom bangers, all awash in an ocean of thumps and bleeps on the market. Unless you're closely monitoring what's happening it can all pass you by, but once in a while something stands out and hits you right between the ears. That's where the Electrickery compilation makes a welcome splash.

Festival faves The Omm Squad make an impression early on, "Paralytic" coming on all up tempo and taking several dark turns towards its conclusion. The multi-layered "Elektroimplant" delivers damn heftily with a big psych hit of bloops, static and nature's nocturnal sounds interspersed with ghostly dialogue - Eat Static don't leave you wanting!

The gigantic deliberate bounce of "Slippery Wax" by Harmonic33 is another winner, as is the quickfire drum n' bass and soaring synth on "Transmutation" by Random Designers. Arcane Trickster bring it on home in a bed of deep dark dub and the sinewy sombre vocals of "Forever".

The deft hand of Damiano Verna plays a big part in this compilation, the helm of Tempest Recordings not to mention his involvement in the outstanding Harmonic33 and The Omm Squad among others here. It all makes for a tasty and brooding collection by those folk under the Arcane Trickster banner.

Electrickery showcases the talents of many individuals; producers, composers, engineers, film scorers and all manner of psych/electronic freaks (meant as a term of endearment here folks!!). To be played loud, even if it's just to travel the dark dub of "Urban Forest Odyssey 2" by Psyburbia - serious sounds for the inner (think paranoia a la Massive's "Man Next Door" and you're sorted). You'd be hard pressed to find a richer and more diverse compilation in the racks, despite the quantity pumped way out into the psyburbs.

Copyright © 2003 Brian Stradbrook