Like many British producers, B12's Mike Golding and Steve Rutter are obsessed with the music and mythology of Detroit. While their music draws primarily from European electronica, their sounds are unabashedly steeped in th... more »e rough textures and urban sci-fi concepts of the Motor City. On Time Tourists, the follow-up to 1993's acclaimed Electro-Soma, B12 show a more evolved and mature side of this aesthetic. Crystalline melodies reminiscent of Vangelis are pushed to the forefront, while a clattering background of percussion keeps time from a respectful distance. In keeping with the album's concept (time travel and retro-futurism), they project electronic music 200 years into the future, where all the gimmicks have worn thin and solid production reigns supreme. --Matthew Corwine« less
Like many British producers, B12's Mike Golding and Steve Rutter are obsessed with the music and mythology of Detroit. While their music draws primarily from European electronica, their sounds are unabashedly steeped in the rough textures and urban sci-fi concepts of the Motor City. On Time Tourists, the follow-up to 1993's acclaimed Electro-Soma, B12 show a more evolved and mature side of this aesthetic. Crystalline melodies reminiscent of Vangelis are pushed to the forefront, while a clattering background of percussion keeps time from a respectful distance. In keeping with the album's concept (time travel and retro-futurism), they project electronic music 200 years into the future, where all the gimmicks have worn thin and solid production reigns supreme. --Matthew Corwine
"This is the kind of music your great grand children will find in the attic 200 years from now and will be jamming to at a nightclub hidden on the back of one of Saturn's moons. This CD is a few millenia ahead of everything with in the electronica genre and everything outside. So do your descendants a favor and get this now. Very well orchestrated sound effects and breaks as well as groovy baseline. Techno heads be warned these tunes, in my opinion, are on the intellectual side. However, one can shake it to some of the tracks.
Enjoy!"
Electronic music to space travel!
Jay M | Dublin, Ireland | 01/18/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The follow up to the majestical 'Electro Soma' could never outdo or match it, but 'Time Tourist' stands on its own as another fine production from the B12 boys.All the elements are here; beautiful synth melodies, smooth beats and spacey basslines. It does actually soundlike a soundtrack for space.If you are at all into electronic music and prefer the more thoughtful and well crafted style of electronica over the dancey trash, then you can do no wrong with this."
Not as great as his debut "Electro-Soma", but it's still a g
C. Cross | 12/29/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Nothing B12 did could really trump "Electro-Soma", but that's not to say "Time Tourist" is bad. In fact, Time Tourist probably has cooler songs then "Electro-Soma" did, but it has too few of them. Whereas most every track on "Electro-Soma" is fantastic, "Time Tourist" suffers from obvious filler. A lot of the tracks also sound pretty similar to the musical style found on "Electro-Soma". Most of the tracks make GREAT background music ("Phettt" especially). Tracks like the first one, "VOID/Comm", however, are so awe-inspiring (it gives me goosebumps every time I listen to it) that it makes this album a worthy purchase if you like this genre. Recommended.
Highlights include:
"VOID/Comm"
"DB5"
"Phettt"
"Epilion"
"Scriptures"
"The Silicon Garden""
Dull only to the dullest of minds
0=0 | Earth | 06/16/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"It's been ten years since I purchased this fantastic second release by B12 and not a minute of it sounds dated or dull in the least. In fact I would go as far as to say this is a gorgeous album--imaginative, vibrant and futuristic without trying too hard to be. The melodies on here sparkle amidst deep ambient textures and sharp, spangly rhythms and beats. It's reflective without being boring--perfect music for daydreams and mental space (or in this case time) travel.
I grew up with groups such as Cabaret Voltaire and this music's much more complex, sophisticated and simply better than any of their early stuff (and I love that stuff) while in many ways very similar to the direction that the Cabs would soon go towards the end of their career in the early ninties, with Richard H. Kirk continuing in a similar fashion, making stellar, atmospheric, beat/rhythm oriented electronic music.
Anyhow, enough on the Cabs here. If you want good, classic "electronic listening music" without the gimmics then pick up this fantastic musical mind movie at once! Plus there's some amazing cover art to boot. Nothing short of a classic."