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Reviewed for The Dwarf

Since techno first emerged out of the underground of Detroit there has been a plethora of scenes and sub-genres that have had their moment in the spotlight. Drum n bass, garage, grime, breakbeat and trance have all had a few years of high popularity before the mainstream places them in mobile ads and the hardcore fans retreat back into the underground.

Kevin Saunderson is widely considered the don of techno and has therefore influenced all of the above styles in some form. In Detroit in the early 80s Saunderson along with Derrick May and Juan Atkins merged disco, funk and pop with the technology of the time to create the techno blueprint.

Fast forward 25 years and Saunderson is now looking back at his career with a new double cd History Elevate that collects 11 of his remixes on one disc and a bevy of remixes  of his own tracks by artists such as John Tejada, Carl Craig and Simian Mobile Disco on the other.

Disc 1 unfortunately shows how this form of music has dated. Taken out of context of the club it loses its power and hypnotic elements and you are left with fairly thin and soulless music. Many of the tracks are stripped of their identifying factors (as usually happens with dance mixes) and in the case of Pet Shop Boys’ ‘Go West’ the song is rendered unrecognisable. While the bass rolls and the cymbal splashes are liberally applied it doesn’t hide the fact that this sounds like an average 80s house mix.

Cerrone’s ‘Supernature’ is one of the few exceptions and being a disco track gives it a headstart along with the way in which Saunderson prominently retains the vocal line of the chorus.

Wee Papa Girl Rappers takes us back to that acid house collision of hip hop and house that briefly flourished in the 80s. The squelches and simplicity of the breaks are refreshing and it is bound to get the crowd on the floor even if dropped into the middle of an indie dj set.

The darkest of the remixes is The Preset’s ‘This Boy’s In Love’ which retreats nicely into minimal techno territory and does well to sparingly use Julian Hamilton’s annoying vocals.

Disc 2 gives other name producers a chance to get their hands on Saunderson’s solo work and some of his biggest tracks with Inner City. Again the results are mixes with the highlights being Carl Craig’s pounding take on Til We Meet Again with its Knight Rider-ish  bass synth and wailing gospel vocals. Ben Sims adds a shimmering trance sheen to ‘Rock To The Beat’ while ‘World Of Deep’ is turned into a strangely enjoyable blips and sonic acid tweakin’ experience.

All in all a mixed bag showing how much some of this stuff has aged. Among the duds are a few gems that may be best picked up as individual tracks from an online store. At the very least it is worth a listen for a history lesson in how modern electronic music has evolved over recent decades.