Various Artists - Sci-Fi Hi-Fi 5 (Album)
Soma Recordings have been pioneering electronic music since the label began in 1991. Now with the Sci-Fi-Hi-Fi collection they are bringing together visionary producers and DJ's to present a sonic snapshot of their craft. The artists have no parameters to their selection and are free to represent themselves in any style they choose, portraying influences past, present and future.
Slam, aka Stuart McMillan and Orde Meikle, run Scottish techno institution Soma Records, but until now they've shied away from the label's Sci-Fi Hi-Fi mixes, doling out the mixing duties instead to label regulars Ewan Pearson, Alex Smoke and Funk D'Void as well as names less familiar to the label such as Luciano.
Sci-Fi Hi-Fi 5 is a tribute to our Return To Mono night at the Sub Club in Glasgow," says Meikle. "Some of the biggest records from the night feature. For us it was important that all the tracks were carefully selected, so we haven’t shied away from some older tracks that are big in character and in our DJ sets."
From the early highlights of Loco Dice’s remix of Social Material's Class and Plasmik’s Pearls on a String, you get the sense the set was meant for the dancefloor. It’s groove-led music that’s infectious and never too obscure. The mix rises a notch with Prompt's understated Evolve, which induces the feeling of being inside a dark, sweaty nightclub at four in the morning.
Soma newcomer Decimal keeps the dancefloor vibe bubbling over with the playful electro of Eleanor. But just when it seems the mix is about to come to the boil, the duo lower the tempo with Claude Von Stroke’s remix of War Paint. And while Slam’s own What’s on Your Mind quickly resuscitates the pace, it does so only briefly.
With the final three tracks, the mix finally edges closer to the bone-shaking techno that Slam are so revered for. Of particular note is the excellent Flashing by Mauro Picotto, and City Destroyer by Slam themselves closing out on a high with five minutes of energetic techno.
Overall, the mix is a heady blend of forward-thinking, mind-bending organic, groove-based techno, starting with their trademark deep spacey sonic tones & building in intensity throughout, from minimal to Latin beats & even some disco, travelling a road of crisp beats & dark bass.
Slam have put together much more than just a collection of the latest tracks. These are the records that really have been hitting all the right buttons for the pair. As cliche as it is to call it a journey, no word can better describe Slam’s impressive Sci-Fi Hi-Fi 5 mix.
