| Artist |
| Various |
| Title |
| Old School Electrology Vol.1 |
| Format/Cat |
| 4CD EAR001 |
| Label |
| Electro Aggression |
| Style |
| Old School EBM/Dark Electro |
| Date of review |
| 20th December 2011 |
| Reviewer |
| Carl Jenkinson |
| Rating |
| 9/10 |
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American label Electro Aggression Records, under the leadership of Nader Moumneh is dedicated to keeping the old school flame burning & so this elaborately-presented, 4-CD, 74-track box set, 5 years in the making, is a real labour of love. The sleeve notes make it clear that the concept of 'authenticity' is what this label is all about & that, in the label's opinion, it's only in the old school EBM, which covers disc one & dark electro styles, which can be found on disc two while discs three & four have a mixture of both, where this will be found. The first disc, in particular, makes no concessions towards variety of any kind, this is 20 tracks of pure old school EBM from bands, both old & new, who obviously feel that the old school style is THE only way to go. Most of them will probably only be familiar to real old school lovers, apart possibly from Serpents (who I always thought were a goth band!!), Ionic Vision, Lescure 13, who pay homage to fellow old school legends Poupee Fabrikk with their cover of 'Destruktor' &, of course, Orange Sector, who show their experience on 'Noise (head Mix)' with a track that somehow has that extra panache that the others don't quite possess. Having said that EkoBrottsMyndigheten provide another highlight in the form of 'Get Yours Fists Up', a typically raw, robust offering. Other artists include Oldschool Union, Presto Servant, Pact Of Warsaw & Synaptik Defect but, really, a complete run through of this disc is superfluous as, if you like old school EBM then you'll love this with a passion, it really is as simple as that. That the 'authentic dark electro' of disc two has a slightly less defined remit works in its favour somewhat as there is more room for a more personal approach, starting with Terminal State who should appeal to FLA lovers while Second Disease show their worth on 'Ecastatik' which, thanks to a varied rhythmic base, changes tempo & focus throughout its duration. There are a number of other acts present who were doing the rounds years ago but have been largely forgotten about of late (which could well be another reason behind their inclusion, I'm guessing), among them Brain Leisure & Trial while Severe Illusion opt for a more experimental, cold approach on 'My Car Is Burning In Hell'. Proving that this isn't just a retrospective list, the under-rated current acts IC434 & Object both offer enjoyable cuts, the latter's offering boding well for his imminent new album while Amnistia's 'Pretended' should likewise do their profile no harm whatsoever!
The remaining two discs continue in more or less the same vein with a mixture of both styles being present & correct throughout with the old guard very much in the ascendancy, whether it's the dark electro stylings of Splatter Squall, kAlte fArben & Breathe, the mix of dark moods & pacey rhythms employed by yelworC, the expressive minimalism of Haujobb, Sleepwalk's impressive mix of percussive effects & melodic colouring or the pure old school EBM of Armageddon Dildos, Kraft, U,M,M., Stin Scatzor & Digital Factor, all your old school bases are covered while a handful of newer bands such as A.D.A.C & another under-rated band in the shape of Autofadeh keep the flame burning. Anyone who still holds a place in their heart for labels such as Machinery & Celtic Circle, whose importance way back when is underlined by the expertise shown by their old acts Page 12, who make sure the whole thing goes out on a hight note & Amgod, will no doubt find much to take them back in time while any Johnny Come Latelys who want to hear how they used to do electro before these 'future-pop' & 'hellektro' mobs came stomping through the door will no doubt find this an intriguing & educational listen. Indeed, it's a fair bet that, no matter how long you've been listening to electronic music or however much of an expert you consider yourself to be, you'll discover a good number of bands you've never heard of before, such is the compilation's commitment to exposing the obscure alongside the more well-known.
To criticise it for any lack of variety is, of course, to miss the point entirely, this does what it sets out to do in no uncertain terms, in fact the only criticism that could be levelled at it is that the colour scheme makes the titles on the back cover a right sod to read under artificial light!!
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