Cyberpolis Label Compilations

"Cyberpolis: A Darker Dance Floor", Various Artists (Album, 2001)

Cyberpolis

This album is a spin off from the industrial Cyberpolis club that has been running in Nottingham since 1993. The Cyberpolis club can be proud to have provided European bands like Covenant, Evil's Toy and Funker Vogt with their UK debuts and they deserve every credit for promoting industrial music in all its variety in the eight years they have been in operation. This then is a compilation of the sort of tracks one might expect to hear if you sauntered into Cyberpolis at any time. As such, it functions well enough, but its appeal will be limited. Not due to the bands included per se (as the selection provides a broad, international overview of the current dark dance scene), rather that the tracks selected are, with just two exceptions, regular versions without either remix treatment or rarity value.

:Wumpscut: are probably the biggest name here, the track listing comprising mostly second division artists. Which is fine by me. This gives relative newcomers like Icon of Coil, Assemblage 23, God Module and others the chance for some wider exposure here in the UK. There are some great dance floor orientated songs like Decoded Feedback's Lifeless, and the compilation remains firmly focused on making you move rather than offer much of the slower, more though-provoking side of the genre. Cyberpolis acts as a window into the club it represents and newcomers to the industrial genre could use this as an introduction to the dancier side of the scene as the UK sees it at present. However, with strong competition from the US, Europe and more recently the very impressive (and UK) Cryonica Tanz double CD compilation - retailing for a similar price - Cyberpolis will find it difficult to carve a niche for itself. 5/10

Rob Dyer

Official Cyberpolis website: http://www.cyberpolis.co.uk