To speak about this extensive set of music allegorically, "Space 'n' Bass" is like an aquarium full of beautiful and varied tropical fish, each interesting in it's own way, whether breathtakingly colorful, exotically compelling or curiously fascinating. And by the very nature of the mediums, both the fish in the imaginary aquarium and the music in these CDs achieve relaxing and beautiful movement via endless repetition and effectively enjoyed for limited time periods only. This is not to say that "Space 'n' Bass" is boring; it boasts an impressive array of ambient electronica offering ample doses of acid jazz, jungle, world-beat and beat-box percussive underpinnings, a nice balance of analog, digital and sampled textures, a smattering of other instruments, infectious bass patterns and surprising aural constructions…
While it remains true that atmospheric electronica is usually associated with the dilated pupils of youthful punters in search of a comforting conclusion to a sleep-deprived weekend, proper ambient grooves, such as those comprising Ambient Soho Volume II exist in a slightly more mature realm. This London-based Millennium Records’ concept successfully attempts to showcase a warmer side of electronic orchestration. This is not a chaotic potluck of tiresome bleeps and drones merely aspiring to play tricks on your mind. These selections are instrumental manifestations of a nubile artistic character.
It is impossible to deny the influences of traditional roots dub, proper Detroit minimalism and modern new age composition, however, like all forward moving artists, these acts manage to create something unique out of something borrowed…
The concept of various artists re-mixing each other was pretty smart. There's a lot of good stuff on each disc, pretty eclectic, especially when the different styles of 2 artists overlap. It does remind one of how incestuous the Ambient industry is, however. Ambient Intermix consists of such artists: Omicron, Terre Thaemlitz, SETI, Unreality, Control X, Adham Shaikh and other.