This double-pack of some of The Black Dog’s most seminal work will have veteran techno-heads the world over salivating with anticipation, or in some cases cursing.  Vinyl pressings of most of these recordings have been changing hands for insane sums of money more or less since they first emerged in their absurdly scant quantities.  Hard to believe that this happened over fifteen years ago, so vital do these tracks still sound today.  Actually, Soma might have jumped the gun a bit in this respect but who can blame them?  As, much like Kraftwerk before them, The Black Dog will continue to be referenced by music scholars and music makers alike for years to come.  A combination of rawness, simplicity and a child-like enthusiasm for experimentation sets The Black Dog apart from so much electronic music that has emerged since, whether ingeniously fusing James Brown breaks, Stevie Wonder keys and Mantronix lyrical licks, manufacturing their own alien sounds or just exploring the ambient ether.  But, while the ‘new rave’ misnomer continues to be applied, abused and misunderstood by those who weren’t there at the time and clearly don’t have a clue, it’s heartening to know that esoteric classics such as these will re-emerge to set the, ahem, record straight.  Call me a whistle-blower, but, to be honest, I never did have that much time for the pestilent things.

(Published by The List, March 2007, and reproduced with their permission)