Originally released in 2000, the first volume of
CTI
's
Electronic Ambient Remixes
series was based on material from
Chris Carter
's first solo release, the 1980
Industrial Records
cassette
The Space Between
. While the original tracks on the tape were filled with glistening arpeggios and primitive, puttering drum machines, occupying a space somewhere in between synthetic horror soundtracks and electro-disco without really functioning as either, these interpretations are much sparser, and sound like the musical equivalent of lying down deep inside a cavern and listening for vibrations coming from the earth. Vast, yet enclosed. Only faint traces of the source material are audible, and only if you A/B them with the originals. It can seem empty and hollowed-out at first, but there's a lot to discover once you pay attention. The icy ambient dub of "Interloop" is especially hypnotic, with speckled melodies gradually emerging from the frigid pulsations. Throughout "Outreach," a Krautrock-ish drum beat flickers in and out of the mix, distant and mirage-like enough so that you question whether it's really there. "Walkabout" takes the familiar upbeat synth sequence from the
20 Jazz Funk Greats
highlight (a longer version also appeared on
), slows it down, and stretches it out, so that it ends up resembling a sheet pinned to a clothes line, floating in the breeze. "Slomo" is more of a cold, wet trickle that continually rings out, gradually adjusting and expanding. "Solidit" focuses on the balmy textures of the original rather than the beats, reversing them into a cool, crystalline shimmer. "Poptone" is a little richer and more active, and bears more of a resemblance to '90s ambient techno at its greenest and most relaxing. With
Electronic Ambient Remixes, Vol. 1
,
Carter
transforms the music of his past into vaporous memories, distancing it as far as possible from its original state until it nearly disintegrates. ~ Paul Simpson