Sector

"Industrial Cosmetics"  (Album, 1994)

atmosphere

Germany's Dark Vinyl Records is well known its roster of industrial artists. Atmosphere is one of a number of Dark Vinyl sub-labels and is described by them as releasing "mind and body music". When I picked up this CD the only other release on the label was the dark ambient project by B. Lustmord called Arecibo. Sector, however, is more along the lines of mellow techno with house, trance and dub elements. The project is led by Dean Dennis former member of Clock DVA.

All nine tracks are instrumental bar a handful of vocal samples. Songs have a tendency to drift in and out of the above mentioned styles, with subtle, jazzy brass samples popping in and out. The 'Special Resource Data' (read "sample sources") mentioned in the sleeve nos include Martin Luther King, Miles Davies, Ennio Maricone (sic) and Kraftwerk. Despite the wide-ranging influences this is certainly high technology music and, bar a bass guitar, everything is is programmed and sampled. Industrial Cosmetics does have stirring moments but they are short lived and the majority is somewhat directionless. Okay in small parts but not much more.  4/10

Rob Dyer