Intelligentsia Federation

Musically this CD is a veritable treasure trove of styles and approaches. 'Contact 3.145' opens with vocoder vocals which portray a whimsical motif over a superb backdrop which reminded me of Leftfield's 'Melt' from their 'Leftfism' album (and credentials don't come much higher than that). All very derivative however I am a sucker for vocoder touches and this is a fine opener which I've grown rather fond of. 'Off World' presents boppy JMJ style rhythms and motifs which are again impeccably marshalled into a piece of some stature. A weird bridging section heralds another fine outing with well judged synth lead lines and changes of pace. A darker emphasis takes over for the next piece which features some awesome effects which ricochet around the room. Superb sequencing combined with grandiose symphonics then take over, only to give way to some more mesmeric pulsations which are given a harder edge thanks to some demon electronic percussives. Next we have a section which combines Enigma chant with TD style sequencing ('Thief' era) and the again the result is hugely enjoyable, bringing to a close a fascinating 30 minute journey.

Stephen Hawking makes an inevitable appearance before an industrial section takes over with monotonal commentary. Impeccable Space Drift then gives way to the most ambient/dance oriented section so far, also notable for the annoyingly infectious "hummed" strap line. It's great! Back to more traditional EM with smartly presented sequencing and melodics which bring to mind Synthetik combined with the sampling approach of Asana. Back then to JMJ style sonics (Jarre fans should not miss out on this CD!) followed by more grandiose references which close yet another fantastic half hour or so. The final 9 minutes are no slouch either.