Acid Rockers is British electronic music producer Matthew Buggins, with frequent contributions by Steve Walker. There is something quintessentially British about the group’s upbringing in the trance world, as they made their first tentative releases on the obscure label AAA Recordings alongside ManMadeMan and The Light. These early efforts were traditional UK trance, mixing up acid and epic influences to create euphoric hits for the thriving warehouse scene. In 1997, Acid Rockers made a small impact in the psychedelic trance world with two remixes for TIP Records and a vinyl single release on the infamous Blue Room Released. Very little was heard from Acid Rockers in the next few years; a remix for Total Eclipse in 1999 and a compilation appearance in 2000 was the extent of his activities. Mind Set, an album rumored to be in the works for some time, emerged in the final year of Blue Room’s operation, in a time when the label began to engage in wild experimentations, releasing all kinds of electronic music only tentatively connected to trance. Albums from Spectral, Deviant Electronics, Juno Reactor, and Boris Blenn’s downtempo project Galaxy best express the diverse approach the label was taking in the final days. As one of Blue Room’s late experimental albums, Mind Set features trance, breaks, and drum ‘n bass all blended up into a mutable pastiche of electronic music.

The album opens with Weird World, which is sourced from the original Acid Rockers vinyl released on Blue Room in 1997. If you have heard the excellent Acid Rockers remix of The Infinity Project’s Hyperactive, then you should have an idea of what this sounds like. The groove has a tremendous amount of bounce to it, reflecting the producer’s UK origins. Analog sound particles spiral around in the early moments. After slightly more than two minutes have passed, the first hint of the breakbeat leaps into action. A subtle twist in the percussive strata soon unfolds into an intricate rhythmic fusion, uniting the 4×4 beats with the breakbeat loop. Deep into the heart of the track it breaks down into the massive bridge: a dirty set of bassy grooves that adeptly realizes the crossover potential of the song. The rest is a muddy assortment of dirty sounds and atmospheric textures, with no further surprises. Weird World is a song with some nostalgic value, but it isn’t as cleanly produced as it needs to be in order to qualify as an enduring classic.

Traveller is a cheeky piece of electro-breaks merged with funky guitar riffs, bubbling 303, and fat bass strike. It sounds very retro, predating trance entirely. With the short length and irreverent sample usage, I suspect this isn’t to be taken so seriously.

Inside, the surprise gem of the album, was originally released on Blue Room’s Freekstyle compilation. Distinctive sampling lifts a few phrases from the Hollywoord movie Event Horizon, including “the dark inside me, from the other place… I won’t go back there, I won’t!” After this the listener is treated to the deepest rhythms of the album. The bass is fantastic, slipping around in the low frequency range with grim determination. Broken beat structures begin to form as time passes, slowly accumulating added complexity as the story builds. Once the acid lines begin to take form in the third minute, the track is really rolling. Gorgeous psychedelic atmospheres take form, swooping in to provide timely embellishments. The mood takes form, expressing sadness, mystery, and a sense of wonder. The comedown is lovely, taking sweet time to return to Earth. This is, quite simply, the most intelligent track Acid Rockers ever released.

Messages From Jupiter is the flipside from the Weird World vinyl. This was a staple of all breakbeat-laden Goa sets for many years. Despite the distinct 4×4 rhythm, there is no shortage of wildly oscillating drum ‘n bass riffs in the mix. After a heady drive full of smashing percussion, the song drops into an extensive bridge in the very middle. From near-total silence the funky drum rhythm games begin again, accelerating towards the return of the throbbing bass line after the sixth minute. Back in the day, this sounded excellent, and a great deal of use was made of this record by many people I knew. Today, this sounds very dated, but may be of interest to fans of the breakbeat-Goa fusion nonetheless. There’s no denying this song has a place in trance history.

The next piece is the Flashback Mix of Orion, originally released on the Robot Pop EP in 1997. I’m one of the few that own this record, and I can attest to the fact that this sounds nothing like the original. No, this is a heavenly piece of soothing drum ‘n bass wrapped up in thick layers of entrancing atmospheres. It is not designed for the dance floor, so the arrangement tends to drift. This is a very nice piece for background listening but it doesn’t hold a candle to the power of the original.

The title track begins with the best sample work of the album, capturing a conversation between Bruce Lee and his teacher in Enter the Dragon. Beneath a shimmering atmosphere the speech peaks with the famous words: “When the opponent expands, I contract. When he contracts, I expand. And when there is an opportunity, I do not hit. It hits all by itself.” The rest of the track is very much like the last one, dropping muddy clattering beats beneath ethereal pads that swirl around, providing the psychedelic aspect of this drum ‘n bass tune. It’s another decent piece for sublime moments.

Schitzoid is a continuation of this style, with added crunch. There are hints of some of the other tracks in this rather direct sequence of chunky rhythms. Ultimately it gets rather boring, as the track shakes onward without any focus.

Futures End is the chilly finale, mumbling along with a stodgy off-kilter bass beat and a steadily increasing set of smooth pads and atmospheric effects. There is something inelegant about the rhythm in this one, but the trance sounds are nice enough. Nothing special.

Mind Set is a decent release, but it’s probably the weakest of the final Blue Room releases. Anyone with a special interest in the fusion of drum ‘n bass with trance is going to want to hear it, but I wouldn’t recommend it for most other listeners. If you want to hear breaks and trance mesh admirably, direct your attention to Deviant Electronics or Metal Spark. Aside from Inside, which is a wicked tune, the crossover tunes on this album don’t seem that serious. They dabble and drift, and frequently succeed in sounding pleasant, but fail to really energize, excite, or inspire awe. With a pair of re-releases from three years prior to the album release and only 64 minutes of sound, it actually seems as if Blue Room had a difficult time putting a full-length album together. Perhaps Acid Rockers were not yet artistically experienced enough to take on the task of a full-album. At any rate, the group can be appreciated and remembered for a few old songs, even if Mind Set is not an essential album. It could have been much better…

One year after the release of the successful Footprints compilation, Digital Structures returned with this offering of eight techno-flavoured progressive tunes. The tracklist contains a lot of big names, many of which would continue to have a close association with the label. I should make a special note of the excellent cover art, which I consider to be one of the best designs in the history of trance. As for the tunes…

Son Kite opens the compilation with Massive, a lumbering progressive beast that relies on monotonous loops and the strength of production to gain the acceptance of the listener’s ear. Cinematic atmospheres begin to congeal in the final minutes, but the entire trip remains extremely sublime. Fans of the old style of Son Kite heard on Perspectives Of… and Minilogue may like this, but I have trouble enjoying the approach.

Vibrasphere’s second album Lime Structure was released shortly after Digital Emission, so the value of including Newport as a teaser is greatly diminished over time. I will go into greater detail when I review the full album, but for now, it is enough to say that this is a beautiful piece of morning trance full of genuine emotion and spirit. Though it is a highlight from this compilation, the fact that it is available on a better release means it doesn’t really add much to this experience.

Tarek Mansur’s Showtime abides by the aesthetics of Swedish progressive techtrance without expressing a critical understanding of the approach. This is a pale imitation of other artists in the style, sounding close enough to blend in, but vacant of inspiration when examined closely.

Etnoscope’s Drumsession opens with a rather deep sample which I shall quote at length: “so – in these days and times you get to choose yourself – or not – as you wish – as you wish… but if you choose yourself to play in this particular game, you will find that you have caused yourself to set aside all of your prior beliefs, understandings, thoughts, and ideas, about what it is you are doing here – about why you brought yourself to this body – in this time and in this place…” Prepare yourself for a tribal-organic techno work-out! Linear rhythms swamped in psychedelic undertones throb away with impunity, accented by infrequent tribal touches. This was produced a year before the full-length album Drums From the Dawn of Time hit the shelves, but it is still a solid production.

Wizzy Noise is the only non-Swedish act to appear on this compilation. Prototype is similar to the techno-oriented sound heard on their Cyclotron album. Industrial percussion loops, distorted kicks, and a monotonous drive provide the basis for the trip. It gets quite boring after a while, despite the eventual use of a few basic atmospheric hooks. Nicely produced yet dull.

Ticon’s Mr. Leatherman is crafted with the dance floor in mind! The rhythms are strong, overlayed with recurring samples stating: “automatic – high energy.” The song features tribal percussion, slight melodies, and the group’s trademark atmospheres. At the time of the release, this was well-received, but I don’t feel it has successfully weathered time’s cruel ravages. Ticon has released much better songs before and since.

Atmos deliver a conventional piece of Scandotrance with Force Five. His return was met with a strong reception from the worldwide trance community, and although I was not moved by this song at the time of release, I find that it is quite enjoyable to listen to nowadays. This is the deep style of serene Swedish trance popularized by Spiral Trax at the turn of the millenium. The arrangement is precise, delicate, and utterly sublime. It is worth seeking out for fans of the artist.

Shaman close the album with a soothing piece of trance reminiscent of S>Range or Noma. Interchill is a deeply hypnotic tune that relies on the frequent repetition of HAL-9000 stating “everything’s running – smoothly, smoothly.” Quirky tribal drums clatter as rich atmospheres become suspended in the clean space above the rhythm. This is a very repetative track with a basic structure, but Shaman’s distinct style makes it work. The repetative vocals might annoy if the words become the focus of the listener’s attention, but taken as a background feature, this element becomes an anchor. A fine way to complete the compilation.

Digital Structures ended up disappointing me with this release. The cover art is the best thing about it! Everything else sounds like a work in progress. Son Kite, Ticon, Etnoscope, and Shaman would go on to release much better material in the following year. Just about any Wizzy Noise tune is more interesting than the finely-crafted yet plain Prototype. Vibrasphere’s track is excellent, but it can be heard on Lime Structure. It comes down to Atmos and Shaman, who both provide reasonably good tunes. I don’t find that this is enough to carry the release though. With all of the deficiencies I have pointed out, I find this compilation to be nothing more than average. Digital Structures has released much better material. Most trance listeners would disagree with me, however, as this is widely regarded to be a very solid release. I suggest that if you enjoy the artists, check it out for yourself.