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$32.99 CDx4
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VARIOUS ARTISTS
KMS 25th Anniversary Classics: 2.5 Decades of Techno
(KMS)
 "Good Love" Inner City
"Let's Let's Let's Let's Dance" Keynotes
Dance music label compilations are often a letdown; I mean, how do you possibly cover all the bases? Certainly, it's nigh impossible to do so in 15 tracks, and to these ears, a continuous mix of 25 cuts doesn't satisfy this dilemma either. So, if you want to be sure you're doing it right, one approach is making a four-CD, five-hour compilation and that's what Kevin Saunderson has done here. When it comes to the roots of techno, Saunderson's KMS Records -- like Metroplex, Transmat, R&S, Express and Deep Space -- is one of the defining Detroit labels. And the timing seems appropriate, as house and techno music has once again peaked its head out from the underground via releases on contemporary imprints Rush Hour, L.I.E.S, 100% Silk and the re-emergence of R&S.
Suffice to say, Saunderson is hailed alongside Derrick May and Juan Atkins as one of the three original pioneers of Detroit techno. Responsible for incendiary tracks under his own name as well as E-Dancer and Inner City (his collaboration with Paris Grey), the man has, as both artist and as label impresario, been responsible for an astonishing amount of great material -- the overall sound being moody, rigorous and driven, a sort of machine-funk that was unheralded. Saunderson has done an exemplary job on this epic collection of balancing the deep, almost anti-melodic night music that defined much of the real club scene of this era with the more brightly colored hues of the house/pop and breakbeat/rave crossover. Saunderson's own "The Groove That Won't Stop," for example, is a fantastic meeting of the two styles; though driven by pummeling drum programming, the semi-melodic bass line provides a poppy hook while the squelching 303 is kept in check without ever reverting to dreaded hardcore rave acid stylings. Nexus 21 Feat. Donna Black's "Still Life (Keeps Moving)" borrows from early electro and hip-hop, putting forth that sound which seems fresh again. Symbols and Instruments' "Mood" showcases the kind of the kind of late-night introversion fans of Virgo Four would love.
As the compilation moves forward through time, the music gets more melodic. The piano stabs that would come to define house music make their appearance, which, like other tracks here, epitomizes the sound of late-'80s house and techno. Reese's "Station of the Groove," meanwhile, is a deep, minimal slice; you can imagine a bunch of Berlin techno geeks hearing this and deciding it might be interesting to pitch it down to a syrup-like speed along with emphasizing the delay-drenched synth stabs, thereby inventing the dub-inflected approach that would define labels like Basic Channel. The tempos do occasionally bump up, verging towards the HI-NRG side of things, but whenever you think, "Oh, this is where things went wrong," the tracks return to their deep-house center. Urban Culture (a/k/a Carl Craig)'s "The Wonders of Wishing" follows a few raved-up numbers and brings things back to that after-hours perfection. A vocal sample is sliced and diced -- sounding like so much contemporary hip-hop -- overtop a rolling bass line and hovering synth pads that LTJ Bukem and Hot Chip must've heard and loved. This is the sublime side of soulful bliss. There are also a few updated takes -- like Simian Mobile Disco's mix of the Inner City classic "Big Fun" and Luciano's mix of the same group's "Good Love" -- but they fit in perfectly, not so much as to try to make things fit into a modern context, but rather paying homage to a sound that, at the moment at least, feels classic in its own right.
For those who may have sold off their 12-inch collection or those looking for a primer on techno's golden era (1985-1992), this is essential listening. If you heard this compilation playing anywhere in New York City right now, no one would be batting an eye. Instead, you'd probably find someone asking, "Is this new or old?" That we've reached a moment where that is often the question, when it comes to losing oneself in the music, it doesn't matter. This shit is just classic. [AGe]
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