X-Files of Techno

XFiles of Techno
e-LAB se
Format : Audio CD
Review by Clif Marsiglio
Tuesday, November 24, 1998

Take two. The first review was accidently deleted in a recent disk failure as well as several works in progress. If anything was learned from this experience, it is backup and backup often. The X files of Techno by e - LAB AB and distributed by Time + Space is as one would guess a sampling disc based around the genre of Techno. As are most of these discs, one has a lot of loops to deal with and can easily play Sample by Number or try to create a completely new work of art. More on this in just a moment.

This disc is no different than most within its style. One receives a few hundred loops that once comprised the basis of several songs and now can reassemble in whatever way one would like. There are several types of loops offered on this disc with the Demo Loops being of the majority. One will hear several bars of techno followed by a break down of the individual loops, drums, effects and vocals. If you are familiar with techno in even the slighest, you will realize that a techno 'song' can be comprised of only a few bars and then looped indefinately. 10 minutes into the song variations seem to happen such as maybe a filtering of the drums slowly up and down or maybe the 'sexy' female vocals start to ohhhh instead of aaahhhing. Don't get me wrong, I like techno but more on a Utilitarian kind of way. It's music that I can shake my white ass to and not have to feel like I couldn't hold a rythem if I tried. On the dance floor, with the subs pounding at me in a four on the floor sort of way, I can't help but move. I have heard creative techno works, but these are few and far to come by. Most producers will take this disc and create the same track that their sample producing counterpart had intended them to and still think they are doing something creative with their life. Luckily enough, with the break downs offered by this disc, one can modify the tracks anyway they can think of and I'd sugest they do.

The next in line of the types of tracks offered by this disc are the Mixx Lps (sic). These are individual loops without quite all the break downs of the Demos but offers several variations and the drums used. Sometimes these offer far more creativity that the Demos as not all the loops fit together in a nice jigsaw puzzle way. Next in progression are the Acid Lps. These are what I consider the most fun of all this disc. These are not fully programmed loops but pieces of arpeggiated and self resonating synth lines. I like these and they can easily fit into many styles of music as either a lead dancable synth or as texture to liven up an otherwise boring track. The disc rounds itself off with more demos, some drum loops, a few vocal loops, and individual drums samples categorized by type.

Overall, I find this disc to be very useful to me. While not a great techno programer, this gives me several clues on how to create this stuff from scratch if I desired. Every loop on this disc comees with BPM and they are all recorded rather cleanly. The disc ends with a 0 db test tone for easy calibration if one desired, I never have but others are far more anal about their music than I. This disc advertises itself as the sound and energy of the underground, but unless this means the underground is a bunch of yuppie chicks shaking their groove thing in any of the area techno bars, I guess this is the real thing. I paid $65 for this disc while mail order would have charged a bit closer to $100 (remember kiddies to always support your local music stores). Not a bad price for a disc of this caliber and it even comes with a wav/audio disc of X-static's current catelogue. If you are a producer needing a bit of variety in your pallete, or a remixer needing a few tools to enhance your trade this is just the toolbox for ya. If you are a bedroom producer with cakewalk proaudio thinking you and this disc will get you into the clubs, stay away from this and learn how to program your own loops. If ya can't stay away at least you will sound great and maybe even get a few gigs until someone flips though your disc collection.

e-LAB se
http://www.e-lab.se/

TIME + SPACE
http://www.timespace.com