Art of Noise - State Of The Art box set (China)

Six years ago Art of Noise main-man JJ Jeczalik told me that his eyes popped the first time he heard the techno tribute album The Fon Mixes. But he had to admit that some takes did offer some interesting new perspectives and one - Graham Massey (of 808 State)'s version of 'Legs' - was even true to the band's original experimental direction. A couple of years later I found myself giving Massey a lift to an 808 gig and passed on this vote of confidence. He was plainly thrilled and it occurred to me just how much mutual, unspoken respect the contemporary dance scene has for the Art of Noise. Three studio space cadets who - 15 years ago - unwittingly pioneered much of the music we groove to today.

With this release taking the count of Art of Noise compilations to double that of LPs of original material, China Records could well be accused of overkill. It's a surprise to see State Of The Art appear, with last summer's Drum & Bass Collection still warm-off-the-press. But there is a method in the madness. The three disc State Of The Art combines all three AoN remix collections (all of which will now be deleted) in one tastefully designed package - and for just the price of a single CD! Combining 1990's Youth-mixed The Ambient Collection, the 1991 techno/rave remixes The Fon Mixes and last year's Drum & Bass collection pulls together an overpowering 38 remixes. Comprehensive this box set may be, but it's certainly not complete. The 1995 12"-only Ollie J/Arkana mixes of 'Yebo!' are strangely omitted, especially as they are some of the few AoN re-interpretations to gain sizeable club exposure in recent years.

Seven years on, Youth's Ambient Collection (Disc 1) is almost a museum piece. Released at a time when chill out rooms were a fascinating novelty, it served its purpose of proving that Art of Noise were the original ambient house/art house electronica crew. As if being DJ'd into legendary nights at Shoom and Spectrum hadn't done that already. But Youth added nothing that any bedroom mixer couldn't have done with a pile of original AoN CDs and some samplers. Listening back to Disc 2 - The Fon Mixes six years on is a hilarious and sometimes dreadful task. Alongside ambience, Art of Noise also predated the techno revolution with tracks like 'Close (To The Edit)', 'Beatbox', 'Legs' and 'One Earth'. So in 1991 the rave stars of the day came up with The Fon Mixes, something that was sincerely meant as a true homage to the third most sampled act of all time (just behind Kraftwerk and James Brown!). Hidden away here is probably the best track the Prodigy have ever recorded - certainly my favourite - their interpretation of 'Instruments of Darkness'. If you've never heard this track, you have at least one good reason to buy this box set. The brilliance of the Prodigy track is balanced by probably the crudest, poorest piece of music ever released under the name of Carl Cox - his homage to the single 'Paranoimia', 'Shades of Paranoimia'.

You don't need to look back through many copies of DJ to find a review of the Drum & Bass Collection, which is in State Of The Art as Disc 3. It features remixes by Doc Scott, Dom & Roland and Lemon D. The one thing that State Of The Art and the continual reinterpretations of Art of Noise material throughout this decade proves beyond doubt is just how influential they have been on all forms of dance music. And how much respect many of today's dance artists still have for them. 8/10


This review also published in: DJ magazine