Warp 10 is a series of compilation albums issued by Warp Records in 1999 to celebrate the label's tenth anniversary. The collection spans three double CD/quadruple vinyl sets, which can be purchased individually. Each volume in the set highlights different phases of electronic music, including influential tracks not originally released by Warp, early releases from the first four years of the label's history, and the last being remixes by contemporary musicians of Warp's catalogue.
Three compilation albums were released to celebrate Warp's tenth anniversary. The album covers were designed by Michael Place who worked at the Designers Republic for almost nine years. [1] Place stated he designed the covers with the idea of playing "up the famous 'Warp purple' colour, and so we came up with the idea of the colour creeping into our everyday lives." [1] Place stated they originally had the idea actually painting objects like cars and buildings purple but found it unpractical. The photos are of locations in Sheffield and Leeds. [1]
The second album Warp 10+2: The Classics pulls music from the first four years of the label's history containing some of their more rare and earliest tracks. The compilation compiles music that would later be referred to as bleep techno. [2] The third album consists of indie rock and electronic musicians doing remakes of the label's back catalog. The artists who remixed the album included newer artists in 1999 such as Isan and Four Tet. [3]
Warp 10+1: The Influences | ||||
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Compilation album by Various Artists | ||||
Released | October 12, 1999 [4] | |||
Genre | Chicago house, techno [4] | |||
Length | 137:28 [4] | |||
Label | Warp | |||
Various Artists chronology | ||||
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Reviewing the compilation for The Independent , Laurence Phelan found Influences as "slices of musical history that every household should have if it doesn't already - Phuture's "Acid Tracks", A Guy Called Gerald's "Voodoo Ray" and the one Warp tried to sign as their first release, Unique 3's "The Theme"." [5] Pat Blashill of Rolling Stone found the compilation "wild and often gorgeous" declaring the highlight to be the "slyly beautiful" "Voodoo Ray." [6] Douglas Wolk of the Village Voice commented on Classics, stating that "Ten years later, a lot of it sounds like pretty average bleepity-bloopity acid house, A Guy Called Gerald's deathless "Voodoo Ray" aside." [7] John Bush of AllMusic alternatively proclaimed that "as compilations of obscure but important techno go, this could be the best ever produced" finding that it balanced the best tracks from early Chicago, Detroit and British scenes. [4] Bush continued that though most tracks have been anthologized several times while more obscure tracks like "Computer Madness" by Steve Poindexter. [4] Bush concluded that the electronic music had progressed in years with groups like Autechre and Aphex Twin, "but the energy and power of mid- to late-'80s techno is undiminished with time." [4]
No. | Title | Credited Performer | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Let's Get Brutal" | Nitro Deluxe | |
2. | "Can U Feel It" | Mr. Fingers | |
3. | "Dub Love" | Master C&J | |
4. | "No Way Back" | Adonis | |
5. | "Morning After (Sunrise mix" | Fallout | |
6. | "The Sound (Smooth Mix)" | Reese & Santonio | |
7. | "Off to Battle" | Model 500 | |
8. | "Computer Madness" | Steve Poindexter | |
9. | "Nude Photo" | Rhythim Is Rhythim | |
10. | ""It's My Life" (Aluh mix)" | Da Posse | |
11. | "Acid Tracks" | Phuture |
No. | Title | Credited Performer | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "The Theme (Original Chill Mix)" | Unique 3 | |
2. | ""Let Yourself Go" (303 Mix)" | 808 State | |
3. | "Voodoo Ray" | A Guy Called Gerald | |
4. | "Koro Koro" | No Smoke | |
5. | "Bang Bang You're Mine" (Rock Me Gently Original Radio)" | Bang the Party | |
6. | "My Medusa" | Kalexi Shelby | |
7. | "The Acid Life" | Farley Jackmaster Funk | |
8. | "Can't Stop (Acid Rain Forest mix)" | Plez | |
9. | "In a Vision" | Virgo Four | |
10. | ""Ital's Anthem" (Trebledown/Bassup mix)" | Ital Rockers | |
11. | ""Soul Thunder"" | Juno |
Warp 10+2: The Classics 1989-1992 | ||||
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Compilation album by Various Artists | ||||
Released | October 12, 1999 [2] | |||
Genre | Bleep techno | |||
Length | 106:29 [2] | |||
Label | Warp | |||
Various Artists chronology | ||||
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Wolk stated similar comments about Classics that outside of LFO and Sweet Exorcist, "the rest of it is pretty flat." [7] Phelan called Classics as "an essential compilation that preserves the roots of the current scene" and that it "engenders a peculiar sensation of nostalgia towards that dated set of simple beeps and bleeps that sounded so revolutionary at the time." [5] Bush found the album compilation "may not work well for those unfamiliar with the label's complete history, it's a fitting tribute to the beginning of electronic dance's move from the club floor to the living room." [2]
In a 2013 article for Fact Magazine , Simon Reynolds noted that Warp 10+2: Classics 89–92 remains one of the only compilations that covers the "bleep techno" of the early 1990s: "[D]espite its time-defying excellence, bleep is poorly served in terms of compilations: basically, there's Warp's Classics double CD, plus out-of-print comps from the original era." [8]
Artist | Title | Warp Catalog Number |
---|---|---|
Forgemasters | "Track With No Name" | WAP1 |
Nightmares on Wax | "Dextrous" | WAP2 |
Sweet Exorcist | "Testone" | WAP3 |
DJ Mink | "Hey Hey! Can U Relate?" | WAP4 |
LFO | "LFO" (Leeds Warehouse mix) | WAP5 |
LFO | "Track 4" | WAP5 |
LFO | "Probe" | WAP5 |
Nightmares on Wax | "Aftermath" (LFO remix) | WAP6 |
Sweet Exorcist | "Testfour" | WAP3R |
Artist | Title | Warp Catalog Number |
---|---|---|
Nightmares on Wax | "I'm For Real" | WAP6 |
Nightmares on Wax | "Aftermath" | WAP6 |
Tricky Disco | "Tricky Disco" | WAP7 |
The Step | "Yeah You" (Robert's mix) | WAP8R |
Sweet Exorcist | "Clonk (Freebase)" | WAP9 |
Tuff Little Unit | "Join the Future" | WAP12 |
Nightmares on Wax | "A Case Of Funk" | WAP15 |
Coco Steel and Lovebomb | "Feel It" | WAP18 |
LFO vs. F.U.S.E. | "Loop" | QUICK1 |
The final track does not appear on the 4xLP edition, although it is listed on the sleeve.
Warp 10+3: The Remixes | ||||
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Compilation album by Various Artists | ||||
Released | October 12, 1999 [3] | |||
Length | 153:42 [3] | |||
Label | Warp | |||
Various Artists chronology | ||||
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Phelan found the third album in the series, Remixes as "the most interesting of these three albums" proclaiming that it "got the same blend of pure brilliance, sometimes successful avant-garde experimentalism and occasional unlistenable-to rubbish that characterises the label's output." [5] Alternatively, Blashill found Remixes to be "proves that tinnitus-inducing artists like Labradford can turn challenging music into truly difficult listening." [6] Bush of AllMusic found that the compilation "might be too sprawling for fans of just one or two of the acts included, Warp10+3: The Remixes is an effective statement of the electronic/dance world circa the end of the millennium." [3]
Artist | Title | Remixer |
---|---|---|
LFO / Aphex Twin | "Simon From Sydney" / "Untitled" (SAW2 CD1 TRK7) | Pram |
DJ Mink | "Hey Hey! Can U Relate?" | Luke Vibert |
Boards Of Canada | "Kid For Today" | Stereolab |
Seefeel | "When Face Was Face" | Isan |
Autechre | "Vletrmx21" | Plaid |
Aphex Twin | "Untitled" (SAW2 CD1 TRK1) | Four Tet |
LFO | "Nurture" | Surgeon |
Sweet Exorcist | "Testone" | Winston and Ross |
Nightmares on Wax | "Sal Batardes" | Autechre |
Nightmares on Wax | "Playtime" | John McEntire |
Broadcast | "Hammer Without A Master" | Underdog |
Autechre | "EP7/Envane" | Bogdan Raczynski |
Link | "Arcadian" | Mogwai |
Artist | Title | Remixer |
---|---|---|
Boards Of Canada | "An Eagle In Your Mind" | Push Button Objects |
The Sabres of Paradise | "Wilmot" | Red Snapper |
Two Lone Swordsmen | "Spine Bubbles" | Ellis Island Sound |
Mike Ink | "Polka Trax 3" | Wechsel Garland |
LFO | "Freeze" | Labradford |
Squarepusher | "Big Loada" | Oval |
Broadcast | "The Book Lovers" | Andy Votel |
Aphex Twin | "Come To Daddy" | Richard Devine |
Seefeel | "Air-Eyes" | Mira Calix |
Sweet Exorcist | "Mad Jack" | Jimi Tenor |
Tricky Disco | "Tricky Disco" | Plone |
Autechre | "Characi" | Jim O'Rourke |
LFO | "Tied Up" | Spiritualized |
The final track was previously released on LFO's 1994 single Tied Up.
Intelligent dance music (IDM) is a style of electronic music originating in the early 1990s, defined by idiosyncratic experimentation rather than specific genre constraints. It emerged from the culture and sound palette of electronic and rave music styles such as ambient techno, acid house, Detroit techno and breakbeat; it has been regarded as better suited to home listening than dancing. Prominent artists associated with it include Aphex Twin, Autechre, Squarepusher, Venetian Snares, Boards of Canada, Telefon Tel Aviv, μ-Ziq, the Black Dog, the Future Sound of London, and Luke Vibert.
Autechre is an English electronic music duo consisting of Rob Brown and Sean Booth, both from Rochdale, Greater Manchester. Formed in 1987, they are among the best known and influential acts signed to UK electronic label Warp Records, through which all of Autechre's full-length albums have been released beginning with their 1993 debut Incunabula. They gained initial recognition when they were featured on Warp's 1992 compilation Artificial Intelligence.
Warp Records is a British independent record label founded in Sheffield in 1989 by record store employees Steve Beckett and Rob Mitchell and record producer Robert Gordon. It is currently based in London.
Luke Vibert is a British electronic musician and producer, also known for his work under several aliases such as Plug and Wagon Christ. Raised in Cornwall, Vibert began releasing projects in the 1990s across varied genres, including techno, drum and bass, and trip hop. He has recorded on labels such as Rephlex, Ninja Tune, Planet Mu, and Warp.
LFO was a British electronic music act formed in 1988 consisting of Mark Bell and Gez Varley. They released their acclaimed debut LP Frequencies in 1991 on Sheffield label Warp. After Varley left the group in 1996, Bell continued solo to release Advance (1996) and Sheath (2003). Bell died in October 2014, effectively ending the project.
4hero are an electronic music group from Dollis Hill, London, comprising producers Mark "Marc Mac" Clair & Denis "Dego" McFarlane. While the band is often cited as 4 Hero or 4-Hero, the name is stylised as 4hero on their albums and website. 4hero are known for being pioneers of breakbeat hardcore, jungle/drum and bass, broken beat and nu jazz music.
Mark Bell was a British DJ, record producer, and member of the pioneering techno group LFO. He recorded on Warp Records, and also collaborated with artists such as Björk and Depeche Mode.
26 Mixes for Cash is a compilation album of remixes produced by Richard D. James, mainly for other artists between 1990 and 2003. It was released on 24 March 2003 by Warp Records.
Seefeel are a British electronic and post-rock band formed in the early 1990s by Mark Clifford, Daren Seymour (bass), Justin Fletcher, and Sarah Peacock. Their work became known for fusing guitar-based shoegaze with the production techniques of ambient techno and electronica.
Gerrard Varley is a British electronic musician and DJ, who was member of LFO during the 1990s and later released his solo works under the moniker G-Man.
Ginger is the debut studio album by Dutch electronic music producer Speedy J. Released via a joint deal between Plus 8 and Warp in September 1993, the album was the sixth release in Warp's Artificial Intelligence series, which focused on "electronic listening music" by different artists. It peaked at number 68 on the UK Albums Chart and remains Speedy J's most successful album there.
Frequencies is the debut studio album by British electronic music duo LFO, released on 22 July 1991 by Warp. It peaked at No. 42 on the UK Albums Chart and was released to universal acclaim.
A Word of Science is the debut studio album by British electronic producers Nightmares on Wax. Released by Warp Records in September 1991, it is the act's only album as a group before it became a solo vehicle for George Evelyn. Evelyn nonetheless recorded and produced the album alone, incorporating samples and elements from demo tapes he made in the late 1980s. Although Nightmares on Wax debuted with two well-received techno singles in 1989-1990, A Word of Science is eclectic and largely moves the act towards a more mellow style influenced by funk, soul and hip hop, while still incorporating techno and house styles.
Richard David James, best known as Aphex Twin, is an Irish-born British musician, composer and DJ. He is known for his idiosyncratic work in electronic styles such as techno, ambient, and jungle. Journalists from publications including Mixmag, The New York Times, NME, Fact,Clash and The Guardian have called James one of the most influential and important artists in contemporary electronic music.
Selected Ambient Works 85–92 is the debut studio album by Aphex Twin, the pseudonym of British electronic musician Richard D. James. It was released on 9 November 1992 through Apollo Records, a subsidiary of Belgian label R&S Records. The album consists of ambient techno tracks recorded onto cassette reputedly dating as far back as 1985, when James was thirteen to fourteen years old. Upon release it received widespread acclaim. It entered the UK Dance Albums Chart at No. 6 on 26 December 1992.
Martin Lee Stephenson is a British experimental sound artist, musician, producer and songwriter from London. He is one half of the experimental act Spooncurve and the composer/producer for the occult/hermetic inspired dark ambient project Apollon (apollon93). He also records under the names of Doppler 20:20 and Vulse. At the end of 2012, he had released more than 150 recordings. The primary labels of these releases were recording companies Sony, BMG, EMI, AVEX and independent labels D.O.R., Copasetic, Better, Reel 2 Reel, Law and Auder, Sub and Bleep, Slammin', Quirky, 3MV, Pro One, Squat, Keda and Offspring Records.
Sweet Exorcist were a British music duo consisting of Richard Barratt and Richard H. Kirk. They were among the flagship bleep techno acts on Warp Records in the late 1980s.
Forgemasters was a British electronic music act composed of Robert Gordon, Winston Hazel and Sean Maher. Their single "Track with No Name" was the first release by Warp Records and would help define the sound of Warp and bleep techno.
Acid: Can You Jack? is a 2005 compilation album released by Soul Jazz Records. The album compiles acid house music from the Chicago era from labels such as Trax and DJ International.
Bleep techno is a regional subgenre of techno which developed in the late 1980s in Northern England, specifically Yorkshire. Named after its minimalistic synthesizer sounds, bleep techno combined influence from American techno and house with electro elements and heavy sub-bass inspired by reggae. The style was commercially successful between 1989 and 1991, and became associated with artists on the Sheffield label Warp Records. It has been characterized as the first uniquely British style of electronic dance music.