Rating: 7/10

Track Amount: 11

Running Time: 49 minutes and 2 seconds

Genre: Minimal Techno

Personnel: Robert Hood

Producer: Robert Hood

Recording Location: M-Plant Studio, Detroit, USA

Record Label: Tresor/Logic

Art Direction: Constructure

Best Tracks: Home

Quick Verdict: A good but overly repetitive album designed for fans of EDM minimalism

Some might say Minimal Techno is a niche EDM genre that is neither popular nor interesting. On the contrary, there have been some major releases derived from the original Detroit Techno scene in Minimal Techno that have been seen as resounding classics of their time. After the success of Robert Hood’s first album release, Minimal Nation, which was also released in 1994, Robert Hood based his second album strictly on some of the scenes of Detroit that he saw when living there. In any case, this rather unusual album (for most listeners) did receive positive reviews, for the most part, and was seen as Robert Hood’s major and most definitive album to this very day. Let’s jump in and take a listen to it, and hopefully it will be an interesting listening experience.

1. Intro begins with some dark and spacey electronic patterns, which sound decent and good. Some other sounds are thrown into the mix as well. This instantly has a great appeal upon the listener, sounding really cool and like a lot of effort was placed into this piece. A very wonderful and interesting track overall. Some glassy textures enter near the end. A good intro.

2. Master Builder begins with some more interesting electronic patterns and 4/4 kick drum beats, sounding really cool. This is music for those of you who dig intellectually styled Techno Music that sounds neat, sweet and supercharged. This is also definitely interesting for those of you who dig any form of Electronic Music. Nonetheless, this certainly sounds wonderful and interesting, for all its glorious minimalism at hand. This is a fairly short tune that does not disappoint at all. A really fantastic track for those of you who love their EDM to be minimal, intelligent and somewhat different from the average DJ House Music party. Nonetheless, this works on both an intellectual and emotional level. A great track, with some Roland snare drum rolls to conclude this piece with. Definitely an interesting listen.

3. Parade is even more interesting, with some faster 4/4 beats and bleeps to match it all. Some cyber melodies are thrown into the mix, too. This builds up quickly into a descriptively interesting track, without lyrics or singing attached. This is smarter than this sort of album sounds on paper. In fact, this is definitely 2000 Light Years From Home, but minus The Rolling Stones. In fact, this music is a glimpse into the distant future, when humanity has reached its highest level of existence. The beats and percussion throughout are also interesting, just sounding like a whirlwind of sound throughout. A very magical and tuneful listen that is a groundbreaking album journey through the space-time continuum at the speed of sound. Simply, this is brilliant music to hear to this very day. Robert Hood should be proud of this album; it sounds magnificent so far. In the second half are some racing and fast-paced Roland TR-808 and TR-909 percussion styled sounds, continuing the bleeps and other sounds as well. A very excellent track, period. This genuinely sounds great. Excellent tune.

4. Within is a more bell chime styled percussion sounding piece with 4/4 beats from the start. Robert Hood shows his Minimal Techno genius on this particular track. This is again fairly short at around three minutes long. Eventually, the bell percussion is wound back to the 4/4 beats and sounds quirky, yet fun to listen to. An adventurous and interesting listening experience is on both this track and this album in general. The second half is extremely minimal, but nonetheless worth listening to. Hi-hats are layered nicely on this track as well. This isn’t music that those who love Pop Music will enjoy, but those of you looking for something more intelligent and out there will enjoy it. A good effort. It fades out at the end.

5. Minus is one of the most popular pieces from this album. It begins with minor key beeps and bleeps, matched with more 4/4 beats. This sounds like something out of a 1990s B-Grade science fiction film. Nonetheless, it sounds good and works perfectly well in the context of this album, although it is quite repetitive to sit through. Even so, this music is fantastically magical and just sounds really cool for when the mood strikes. This is perfect EDM for playing at home, particularly through headphones or in the background as desired. The repetition of this music, however, is a flaw in it, so if you lack patience, you may need to listen to something else. The changes are very subtle throughout, with some heart monitor-style sounds present in the midsection. A seriously pretty and interesting tune for Minimal Techno at hand. It has its moments. The music is gradually wound back for the heart monitor sounds, which are somewhat irregular and, quite honestly, a little annoying. No matter, this is still a good listen for what it is. It builds back up to a pounding and glorious conclusion at hand for dark and minimal music. The heart monitor sounds are then mixed out, leaving good beats and melodies to finish this one off. Good but lacking.

6. Internal Empire begins with an interesting percussive and bass-styled patch, with some glassy melodies entering in. This is different and has some glistening laser sounds enter as well. 4/4 beats follow, and this tune gets nicely underway. The music and sounds are quite literally out of this world. This is the sort of music that you will never hear anywhere else, which is its core strength. A more concise and interesting tune that no doubt has some serious value for EDM fans to this very day. The percussive nature and sweet melodies sound absolutely cool to hear. This music is a big bang from the future, and even today, it sounds really great. The percussion builds up well, all the way through to the conclusion. Good job, dude.

7. Home is another interesting tune with a variety of percussion loops and sounds that are very original and eclectic. This is a much longer tune, at seven and a half minutes long, so strap yourselves in. A good listen with warm and ambient washes of melodic sound is present as well. Nonetheless, this is another solid listen from this album, and just like this track title suggests, it should be played at home. A really interesting and refreshing listen that is deeply interesting and intelligent, for all its raw and musical minimalism that it has. Some imitations of rushing waves are present as well to listen to. This music is a fresh listen indeed. The rushing sounds are followed by pounding 4/4 beats and textures that sound sweet and ethereal. This still maintains an Ambient edge to it all, mixed in with Techno sounds and less going on than one would expect. Even so, this is one of the definitive and most interesting Minimal Techno albums that you can come across. A very cool and inspired tune that tests the limits of sounds and imagination linked to it. A nice, neat and sweet package of music. In the second half is a surprise melody change, followed by the addition of Roland beats that sound quite nice. All in all, this music should be worthy of consideration for most EDM heads out there. Cool, simple and clever. This demands shades to wear whilst listening to it as well. It slowly winds down as it gradually approaches the end, with some interesting and mellow sounds to grab your attention. A very interesting and solid listen from beginning to end. Sweet, neat and artistic, this is the Minimal Techno album that people need to hear. Very good overall. It ends with simple melodies and the rushing waves sounds.

8. Multiple Silence is more or less a continuation of the previous track. It has attacking 4/4 beats and edited percussion to begin with, which is fairly repetitive. This goes on a little longer than it should, in all realistic reality. The kick beats become more prominent, and this gradually shifts into a creepy digital tune at hand. It has an edited old phone ringing sound, which is quite different. This is followed by some neat hi-hats and sounds really cool in the process. This has basic EDM beats as well. However, if you aren’t into minimalism, do not listen to this album. Having said that, these are great tracks. It is stripped back further as it goes on, with some layered EDM beats and very repetitive sounds to match it. Not the best track on this album, but it does have its good points as well as its flaws. The 4/4 beats and hi-hats drive this one to the finish, along with some subtle bass patches and the repetitive percussion. Very different.

9. Spirit Level has some more similar loops and interesting sounds to match it. This sounds like the sort of music that aliens in outer space would seriously listen to. Handclaps enter, and this more interesting track gets going. 4/4 beats follow, and this reveals itself to be a very uptempo piece of music at hand. This sounds incredibly interesting in a way that today’s R&B based Pop Music does not. Indeed, if you have an intellectual mind and a patience for repetitive sounds, you will love this tune and album. This track moves gradually throughout, and it has some liquid sounds to match the repetitive percussion and melodies throughout. A deeply interesting-sounding track that has some cool and clever sounds in general to match it. The second has sounds incredibly imaginative, and this music continues to leave a good impression along with it, although this is definitely overly repetitive. This slowly wraps up with intermittent beats that stop and start, along with sounds that make sense. It finishes with some neat and fresh sounds to conclude with.

10. The Core is a lot shorter and begins with some harsh-sounding TB-303 sounds that are really great. This is only around four minutes in length. The main melody is pitched shifted and muted to some extent, as 4/4 beats play on. This is a fairly experimental piece of music that sounds rather harsh in its sonic palette to be appreciated. Towards the midsection, the minimal melodic loop is the only thing left, changing and being edited in a big way as it progresses. The 4/4 beats return in the second half, and this continues the Minimal Techno vibes of this album. Nonetheless, a good listen, but this sounds more like a tutorial on Minimal Techno than a piece of amazing musicianship. It’s good to hear, regardless, as we approach the end of this album as such. It sounds a lot like incredibly based Acid House to conclude with.

11. Chase is the last track and is nearly six minutes long. It begins with massively reverberated kick drum sounds, followed by hi-hats. This is simple music for the simple person. It gradually opens up into a spacey and strange-sounding tune with washes of futuristic and alien melodies to boot. This is a cool and mechanical-sounding track that, again, not everyone will appreciate, but has a certain magic of its own. Some heavily distorted Roland TB-303 sounds enter, which sound punchy and aggressive, like the rest of the track. This evolves into a DMT trip of strange sounds and odd loops, with some film string samples thrown in for good measure. It continues on in a fairly predictable fashion musically. Again, yes, this is going to bore a lot of music fans out there, but on the other hand, it is so intelligently executed that one can listen to this album and not be concerned by that. The second half builds up a nice selection of electronics and beats to a colossal impact upon the listener. The string patch returns to an eerie effect as the track goes on. This particular track likely could have and should have been shortened to make it work. Some Roland TB-303 Acid House styled sounds follow, and this track gradually ends by wrapping up before nearly six minutes have passed. Not bad.

This is definitely not the greatest EDM album ever made. On one hand, the dark and imaginative soundscapes are different and something to be admired. However, Minimal Techno is still somewhat of a niche genre, and its appeal is limited, just like the music is. If you can listen to it, you will hear why. Even so, this album is still a good listen, but is more for those of you who have a taste in music that is more about being at home hearing it, rather than blasting it in public or in your car. Should you listen to this album? If you like most forms of EDM, go ahead. If you love postmodern Pop Music, you will hate this, however. Fans of the album will be pleased to know that anniversary versions of this album exist, so if you like this, check out those as well.

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