Album Review: "This is Techno 6: UK"- Various Artists

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Back in the '80's, when the rest of America's high school boys rocked on to Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, and Aerosmith, little ol' me was in the corner with his Walkman on, listening to New Wave acts like Culture Club, Wham!, Duran Duran, and the Pet Shop Boys. Yes, I loved Hall and Oates, but my musical tastes have always gravitated to British and European electronic pop and dance music. I found this wish-fulfilling little CD at a factory outlet store for ninety nine cents decades ago, and I knew I could not go wrong. This is a collection of over an hour of early 1990's dance and electronica from the United Kingdom:

1. Intense- "The Doctor"
Very similar to Aphex Twin, this starts out strong but degenerates into the same grooves you might find on a keyboard sample bit.

2. Eurotech- "Take Me Away"
Pure techno, strong female vocals, and just one line repeated over and over- "You take me away." This kind of song will get you moving.

3. LMNO- "Silcock Express"
This has a funkier feel to it, with a primal telephonic voice screaming "Some world somewhere wake me up!" A good, bizarre track.

4. Ege Bam Yasi (Eby)- "Variation"
Instead of going with the vocal strength, the pulsating music overtakes the woman singing and gets monotonous very quickly.

5. Rising High Collective- "Reach"
An almost great pop song, two minutes too long, with strong vocals and electronic mix that only helps. Simple lyrics about peace and harmony are nice: "Reach for a hand to hold, everybody."

6. Soul Sacrifice- "Soul Sacrifice"
Another simple song, but with everything but the kitchen sink thrown in musically. This could pass for a Beck song easily, except for the centerpiece female vocals.

7. Mosi- "Trance Europe Express"
A long instrumental effort that offers nothing new to the electronic scene. Bland.

8. Incendiary- "Happiest Feet"
An appropriately titled tune that is a goofy, happy, silly instrumental that finally addresses the long-ignored topic of depressed feet. This will get them happy!

9. N-Trance- "Solar Power"
Lousy trance track goes on for so long, I thought my compact disc player was skipping. Easily the worst cut in the collection.

10. Love 4 Sale- "Do You Feel So Right"
Really breezy, peppy cut- think Daft Punk, but with understandable lyrics- does run a little long as well.

11. Harram- "Enna Garrib"
A definite Middle Eastern flair differentiates this from the other songs, plus at just over four minutes, it is a perfect length.

12. The Diceman- "Supervisor Error"
No, not Andrew Dice Clay, but this pleasant enough end song is negated by deep, off male vocals.

Most of the songs here run into the five and six minute range, but that was to keep the dancers on the floor, working up a sweat so they could down a few more pints. The liner consisted of basic song credits, and a few photos of a buxom lass in a bikini squatting on a stereo speaker, or dancing in a pair of high heels. The majority of the cuts here are great, and make me nostalgic for England, where I listened to Lisa Stansfield, Seal, Faithless, and Enigma before they crossed the Atlantic. This collection is definitely for techno music lovers, and Anglophiles who need a shot of the Empire. (* * * *) out of five stars.