REVIEW - VARIOUS: IN ORDER TO EDIT

Format: mix CD
Label: R&S
Released: June 1

Those you out there old enough to remember the early to mid 90s will recall that Belgian label R&S played a key role in the growth and development of techno and electronica. They signed early releases by Brit heroes like Aphex Twin and Mu-Ziq, brought US legends like Joey Beltram and Carl Craig to mass European audiences as well as their unique roster of European artists like CJ Bolland and many others.

'In Order To Edit' is a mix CD which zips effortlessly and efficiently through their back catalogue, concentrating on the techno element for which they're best known. The highlights, like Beltram's pulsing 'Energy Flash', Jaydee's brooding, understated 'Plastic Dreams' and Aphex's 'Digeridoo' - the track which took him from Cornish eccentric to household clubbing name - appear not to have dated at all.

It's a shock to discover they're all over 15 years old - a fact which says as much about the lack of innovation and invention of house/techno today as it does about their brilliance. They're a sheer delight to hear again, along with another all time favourite of mine, Capricorn's '20Hz',

which pits the sound of a marching band against a vicious 4/4 stomp yet somehow merges brutality with subtlety.

There is an element of filler in here too, tracks which are OK but ultimately haven't stood the test of time, but as a testament to this now all but forgotten imprint's glorious salad days, it still works a treat.
3/5