William Orbit: Strange Cargo Vols 1, 2 & 3 (I.R.S./EMI)
Pop's producer du jour didn't just emerge fully-formed to produce Madonna's Ray Of Light album. Before that, there was Pieces In A Modern Style, which saw the light of day earlier this year. And before that again, there was Strange Cargo, Orbit's instrumental project, which was released on I.R.S. Records' No Speak imprint between 1987 and 1993. At this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if Orbit's teenage bedroom noodlings get a re-release. These three albums showcase a talented composer, player and arranger, and a producer/remixer who was well ahead of the game; however, in the great scheme of techno history, these early performances are purely incidental.
- Kevin Courtney
Whipping Boy: Whipping Boy (Low Rent)
Recorded back in the Summer of 1998, the third album from the dark Dublin quartet is tardy to say the least. Dropped by Sony after their excellent album, Heartworm, failed to outsell Oasis, the whipped boys retreated to lick their wounds, and adjust to a life without NME covers and appearances on Later With Jools Holland. The anger and bile is still there in songs such as So Much For Love, Pat The Almighty and Mutton, but the passion and yearning is also there too, particularly in the string-drowned opener, So Much For Love, and the sublime closer, No Place To Go. If Whipping Boy really have reached the end of their rope, then this is a grand final crack at glory.
- Kevin Courtney
Various Artists: At Home With The Groovebox (Grand Royal)
The Groovebox is a compact programmable synthesiser which crams the classic sounds of dance into one self-contained unit, providing a handy "band in a box" for anyone making techno on the go. So Grand Royal came up with the idea of sending a Groovebox to 14 different artists, including Air, Jean Jacques Perry, Pavement, Beck, Money Mark, Sonic Youth and Cibo Matto, and see what they come up with. The results are patchy to say the least, reflecting the wide range of talents involved in the project, but also revealing a complete lack of cohesion in the completed work. While the artists certainly fulfilled the brief of using only the Groovebox to generate sounds, they seemed to have ignored the Groove part of the equation and opted to box clever instead.
- Kevin Courtney