Search - B12 :: Electro Soma (Reis)

Mesmerizing journey

theformersnqueen | Pittsburgh, PA | 06/26/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"i own several other discs from the artificial intelligence series and i find myself listening to this one the most. bleepy is perhaps too generic of a word to describe it. every sound on electro soma comes together to create a soothing musical maelstrom. don't try to pick this one apart. b12's use of synth is mind-boggling and their drum programming is masterful. the resulting composition is not random as i find some idm.techno releases; electro soma is machine music with more heart and soul than you could imagine. few albums deserve five stars. i would give this one six if i could."

Absolute musical genius

Jay M | Dublin, Ireland | 01/18/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"One of my all time favourite albums. I won't have a word said against this! Mike Golding and Steve Rutter produced this wonderful album for Warp back in the heyday of electronic music that was 1993.Full of pristine synths, smooth basslines, spacey atmospherics, efficient beats and Detroit-esque strings and melodies, this album stands as one of the greatest ever electronic releases.I'm surprised when I hear criticism of this album, some call it 'unimaginative', which I find baffling. To me, it's a very creative album. Golding and Rutter were often criticised, along with another genius Stasis (Steve Pickton), of ripping off the Detroit Techno scene and re-packaging it as their own sound. I think that criticism is highy unfair, there are differences between Detroit Techno and the music that B12 and Stasis are putting out. Sure, there may be an influence there, but that's it, it's just an influence. Stasis, by the way is a good friend of B12 and has worked with them."

Total classic, more people should have this album.

Jay M | 05/25/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"B12 released this during the early days of Warp's Artificial Intelligence period, which is kind of the heydey of the "bleep" movement...The album features lots of traditional techno drum machines and Detroit-ish strings, plus a rather fresh usage of the rhythm section of the JD800 synth. The programming and execution of these tracks is nothing short of astounding.Nothing really groundbreaking though, but sort of a summation of the British take on clean Detroit style techno with a little Warp flavor thrown in. Warp would continue along different lines than these, with Squarepusher, Aphex Twin and such leading the way into drill and bass territories, but for me this was the best Warp era, and one of the best albums.Put it on and let yourself drift to some excellent sounds."