The Irresistible Force - It's Tomorrow Already

Irresistible Force, The - It's Tomorrow Already (Ninja Tune, ZENCD38, 1998) (320)

1  Power
2  The Lie-in King
3  Nepalese Bliss
4  12 O'clock
5  Another Tomorrow
6  Fish Dances
7  Playing Around With Sound
8  Its Tomorrrow Already

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The Irresistible Force - Nepalese Bliss

Irresistible Force, The - Nepalese Bliss (Maxi-Single) (Ninja Tune, ZENCDS073, 1998) (320)

1  Nepalese Bliss (Radio Edit)
2  Nepalese Bliss (DJ Food Remix) (Nepalese Slack Person)
3  Nepalese Bliss (Fila Brazillia Mix) (Nepalese Fish Dances)
4  Nepalese Bliss (Amon Tobin Mix)
5  Nepalese Bliss (Album Version)

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The Irresistible Force - Fish Dances

Irresistible Force, The - Fish Dances (Maxi-Single) (Ninja Tune, ZENCDS074, 1999) (320)

1  Power (Remix By Mixmaster Morris)
2  Nepalese Bliss (Remix By Jimpster)
3  Fish Dances (You Dance In Me) (Remix By Frédéric Galliano)
4  Playing Around With Sound (Remix By Voda)
5  Fish Dances (Remix By Plaid)
6  Fish Dances (Instrumental)

Various - The Brave And The Bold

I've been listening to the Tortoise & Bonnie 'Prince' Billy album, "The Brave And The Bold," (which can be found here) a lot in my car lately.  I've had it for several years and just rediscovered it again.  It's a grower of an album.  I also kept thinking how the originals sounded.  Sure, we all probably know Daniel and Thunder Road (but I didn't know them all that well).  So, after the 30th listening,  I decided to track down the originals, which I did tonight.  All songs are the album cuts, except for Melanie's song, which is a live rendition (if anyone has the "Gather Me" album, I couldn't find a good link to save my soul).   I'm going to burn this to cd and throw it in the car to compare.  I'm not really certain this is going to be any good together.  We'll see.

01 Milton Nascimento - Cravo e Canela

02 Bruce Springsteen - Thunder Road

03 Minutemen - It's Expected I'm Gone

04 Elton John - Daniel

05 Lungfish - Love Is Love

06 Don Williams - Pancho

07 Devo - That's Pep!

08 Melanie - Some Say (I Got Devil)

09 Richard & Linda Thompson - Calvary Cross

10 Quix*o*tic - On My Own

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Fyi: For now I didn't bother with any artwork.

The Irresistible Force - Flying High

Irresistible Force, The - Flying High (1992) (Instinct Records, EX-258-2, 1993) (320)

Let's get back to the music.  Mixmaster Morris should be familiar to everyone, but unfortunately he's not.  The people that do know him, really respect his output as a musician, and as a dj/promoter.  This is an early 90's gem that I didn't buy until probably '96.  I just grabbed this cd yesterday from the cd shelf and threw it in the car and it still sounds incredible.  I dunno, you should just check it out now.

Obligatory review or two:

Ambient house was given artistic depth by pioneers such as Irresistible Force, the project of disc-jockey Mixmaster Morris (Morris Gould). Flying High (1992) was inspired by avantgarde composers such as Harry Partch and Karlheinz Stockhausen, and was reminiscent of Brian Eno, Steve Reich and Tangerine Dream, while revealing affinities with Terence McKenna's hallucinogenic metaphysica.  scaruffi.com

Along with the Orb's Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld and the KLF's Chill Out, Irresistible Force's Flying High is one of the first and finest of the new ambient crop. Mixmaster Morris' mix of electronic and organic textures and epic song lengths helped set the standard (and was responsible for more than a few clichés). All but one track, tellingly, features the word "high" in the title; the one that doesn't is called "Symphony in E." Essential. ~ Sean Cooper

Included in CMJ's 5 Essential Downbeat Albums - ...Mixmaster Morris' epic tracks blend electronic and organic textures, which blazed the trail for downbeat music back in the early '90s...  CMJ  (10/23/2000)

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David Holmes - This Films Crap Lets Slash The Seats

David Holmes - This Films Crap Lets Slash The Seats (2CD) (1995) (1500 Records, 1998) (320)

1-01 No Mans Land 12:45
1-02 Slash The Seats 7:18
1-03 Shake Ya Brain 9:14
1-04 Got Fucked Up Along The Way 8:16
1-05 Gone 8:09
1-06 The Atom And You 6:40
1-07 Minus 61 In Detroit 9:21
1-08 Inspired By Leyburn 8:02
1-09 Coming Home To The Sun 7:44
2-01 Gone (First Night Without Charge - Remix by Two Lone Swordsmen) 9:59
2-02 Gone (The Kruder & Dorfmeister Session TM) 7:51
2-03 Mosh It 6:13
2-04 Slash The Seats (Slash The Beats) 6:40
2-05 The Connecting Flight Syndrome) 7:40
2-06 Smoked Oak 7:33
2-07 Gone (Alter Ego Decoding Gone Part 2) 5:42
2-08 Gone (Second Night Without Charge - Remix by Two Lone Swordsmen) 8:37

good discogs review:

David Holmes has gone through a number of incarnations in his musical career, and his debut album, _This Films Crap Lets Slash the Seats_ shows off his post-progressive techno phase: crafter of cinematic soundtracks. “No Mans Land” conjures a dusty Western on the surface of Mars, even after the martial drums kick in. “Slash the Seats” is an outer space acid monster, while “Shake Ya Brain” gets a good groove going. “Got Fucked Up Along the Way” starts off with a twee melody and transposes it into an almost tribal workout. Sarah Cracknell lends her voice to the post-modern torch song of “Gone.” And “Minus 61 in Detroit” offers some tantalizing glimpses of glistening Detroit techno. The mysterious “Inspired by Leyburn” hints at alien invasions and monuments, while the dreamy “Coming Home to the Sun” drifts in the atmosphere like a high cloud. On the United States-only second disc of b-sides and remixes, Two Lone Swordsmen deliver two remixes of “Gone,” going from a long, jazz-inflected jam on “First Night Without Charge” to the house-ready “Second Night Without Charge.” Kruder & Dorfmeister, on the other hand, show an Indian influence on their version of “Gone.” But the quick breaks of “Mosh It” re-energize the surroundings. “The Connection Flight Syndrome” slowly shuffles its way towards a bleeping netherworld, whereas “Smoked Oak” sets the blipping to a finger-snapping tempo. Definitely stay for the double feature.  

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A Positive Life - Synaesthetic

A Positive Life - Synaesthetic (Waveform Records, 1995) (320)

I wish this dude put out more stuff, because this is a killer release. Sure, it has a bit of a trance feel, but it's really well done. And not in a Tiesto type of way. Just check it if you appreciated this.  

Review found on Amazon:

This is one of my all time favorite CDs. Why, you ask? Because I think it is the perfection of a music form. The CD is thematic, taking you on a journey that begins at an earthbound 5 o'clock in the morning and returns you after a midnight trek exploring the wonders of the universe. I noticed that many reviews had trouble describing the music form. It was introduced to me as Ambient Dub, which I think describes it to a tee. It is definitely in the Ambient realm, but the bassline is superb and sublime, hence the Dub. Like all great things, this CD takes a few revisits before it is fully appreciated.

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Various - Frosty

Various - Frosty (Waveform Records, 1996) (320)

01 Egg, The - Fuzz

02 Jaziac Sunflowers - Eyes Of Love

03 Eff Word, The - TBC (Crustation Slow Mix)

04 Mr. Electric Triangle - Falling

05 Howie B - Birth

06 Beach Flea - F For Fake

07 James Bong - Mr. Kiss Kiss Bong Bong (Big Brothers Dubbing You)

08 Thirteenth Sign, The - Take Me To A Distant Bass

09 A Man Called Adam - So You Say (Live)

10 Hunch - Plant Life

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Info

Various - Four A.D.

Various - Four A.D. (Waveform Records, 2003) (320)

This came out much later and it has some good tracks on it. I don't know why the label took a break on the A.D. series after the third one, it was always a mystery to me.

01 Ganja Beats - The Herb Is Good

02 Solaroid - Travelinside

03 Rockers Hi-Fi - Push Push (G-Corp Mix)

04 Razoof - Montego (Trance Vision Steppers Mix)

05 Ziontek - Key To Another World

06 G.O.L. - Angelica In Delerium

07 Asura - XP Continuum

08 Soma Sonic - Crazy Moon

09 Mystical Sun - Blue Magnetic Ocean

10 White Star - Sister Bliss

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Info

Various - Three A.D.

Various - Three A.D. (Waveform Records, 1996) (320)

This is almost as good as Two A.D. Well, it might be as good... it's a close call.

01 Real Life - Shark Infested

02 Higher Intelligence Agency, The - Skank

03 Sounds From The Ground - Drawn To The Woman

04 A Positive Life - Lighten Up!

05 Another Fine Day - In 7

06 Coldcut - Sign

07 Spacetime Continuum - Oracle

08 Insanity Sect - Solar Prophet

09 Starseeds, The - Regina From The Future

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Various - Two A.D.

Various - Two A.D. (Volume Two Ambient Dub) (Waveform Records, 1995) (320)

This is my favorite of all the Waveform comps. There are just so many great tracks. And my first exposure to the killer Biosphere.

01 Starseeds, The - Behind The Sun (Deep Ambient Mix)

02 Coldcut - Autumn Leaves (Irresistable Force Mix Trip 2)

03 Sounds From The Ground - Triangle

04 Groove Corporation - A Voyage On The Marie Celeste

05 A Positive Life - Pleidean Communication

06 Biosphere - Baby Interphase

07 Higher Intelligence Agency, The - Tortoise

08 Human Mesh Dance - Sunken Garden

09 Insanity Sect - Late Night

10 A Positive Life - Aquasonic

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Various - One A.D.

Various - One A.D. (Volume One Ambient Dub) (Waveform Records, 1994) (320)

This is probably one of the first albums that got me into more electronic sounds, and especially ambient. The label Waveform was a pretty big deal to me in 1994 to about 2000. They had a good run. There is some tie between them and Beyond Records, as their comps have similar tracks and style. I'll post those in due time. I sort of lost track of Waveform as some of their stuff had more of a downtempo vibe, which I wasn't into as much.

There was a reissue of this comp that came out in 2000 with a slightly different tracklisting. I'd like to hear that if anyone has it.

I also have this on blue vinyl. Pretty cool.

01 Templeroy - Dubometer

02 Pentatonik - Devotion

03 G.O.L - Soma Holiday

04 Banco de Gaia - Desert Wind (Interstate 101 Mix)

05 Higher Intelligence Agency - Spectral

06 A Positive Life - The Calling

07 Sandoz - Beam

08 Higher Intelligence Agency - Harmony Angel

09 Banco de Gaia - Shanti (Black Mountain Mix)

10 Original Rockers - Mecca Of Space

11 A Positive Life - The Calling (Ambient Mix)

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Info

Various - Trance Pacific Express

Various - Trance Pacific Express (2CD) (Deviant, DVNT20CD, 1997) (320)

1-01 Chris Mann - "I Don't Hate America. I Regret It." S. Freud

1-02 Steve Law & Mai Linh Cleary - Melodrama X

1-03 Aquila - Primeval

1-04 Boxcar - Algorhythm

1-05 Future Sound Of Melbourne - Is It A Dream

1-06 Earthlink - Flight

1-07 Sassi & Loco - Lost Loco

1-08 Lab, The - Mantra

1-09 Mystic Force - Plateau

1-10 Head Affect - Intosect

1-11 Viridian - Avarice

1-12 Shaolin Wooden Men - Ragu

2-01 Colix - Plethora

2-02 Capoierna - Capoierna

2-03 Boo-Boo, Mace & Nutcase - Digital Rubber

2-04 B(if)tek - Intercom

2-05 Atone - Who Am I

2-06 Unitone HiFi - Listen Or Ya Dead

2-07 Nerve Agent - Octuple Wiener Mobile

2-08 Dave Hudson - Didge Odyssey

2-09 Voiteck - Canoe

2-10 Severed Heads - More Fun

2-11 Josh Abrahams - Naked

2-12 Stormboy - Deep

2-13 Hypnoblob - Funky Saviour

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Not really a Volume release, as it came out on Deviant. Thanks again Drew!