V.A. - Space 'n' Bass - The Ultimate Ambient Collection [12CD Box Set] (1998)

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. From the armchair world mini-tours of Loop Guru to Dfuse's astral journeys to Chicane's smooth soundtrack jazz to the icy meditations of Crystal Moon, Optica and Transfinite to Quad's cinematic visions to Carl Cox's inimitable constructions to Astralasia's cavernous soundscapes to the controlled urban/electro chaos of Fluid, every sub-genre of mid-'90's ambient and electronic are represented without pandering to schmaltzy new age-y compositions. The final four CDs do tend to grate on the nerves with relentless early electronica dance affectations but they do have the right to be represented here and will get you moving if you are so inclined.

CD 1 Tracklist:
01. Pentatonik - Catalonia
02. The Orb - Little Fluffy Clouds
03. The Sunkings - Galapagos
04. Optica - Hashidity
05. Deep Space Network - Eleven Bars
06. The Keyprocessor - Dirt
07. Neutron 9000 - Butterfly Holocaust
08. Timeshard - King Canary Galactic Jump Ride
09. As One - What Might Have Been
10. Loop Guru - Olwana
11. UVX - Elevator (13th Floor Mix)

Total time: 01:11:33

CD 2 Tracklist:
01. Astralasia - Strange Celestial Dream
02. Russ Gabriel - Airbourne
03. Max 404 - Lost
04. Porcupine Tree - Music For The Head
05. Future Sound Of London - Central Industrial
06. YO3 - Aberoo
07. Centuras - Tokyo
08. David Caron - A Quiet Passing
09. Jupiterhead - Space
10. SYT - Nu Dawn
11. Alien Mutation vs Indigo Egg - Sea Of Tranquility

Total time: 01:13:38

CD 3 Tracklist:
01. Voodoo Warriors Of Love - Sweat
02. Transfinite - Omega (Luna Mix)
03. Scanner - Arc
04. David Toop - Bodies Of Water
05. Children Of Dub - Waves Of Dub
06. Dfuse - Libra
07. Optic Eye - The Listening (Aural Sculpture Mix)
08. System 7 - Sirenes (Tranquillity Mix)
09. Luke Slaters 7th Plain - Seeing Sense (Reprised Mix)
10. Another Green World - Global Horizon
11. Josh Abrahams - Marakesh

Total time: 01:16:00

CD 4 Tracklist:
01. Surge - 4.27 Ambience (10110111)
02. Drum Club - The Illuminated
03. Sensurreal - Confidential Suite
04. Nev - Simulated Wood
05. Quad - Aquaville
06. Beaumont Hannant - Mind Colours
07. The Dream Unlimited Co - Up In Dub Heaven
08. Symbiotic - Bass Meditation (Ambient Aliens From Infinity Mix)
09. Black Dog - Cost II
10. Magic Mushroom Band - Equasian
11. Woob - On Earth (Edit)

Total time: 01:17:50

CD 5 Tracklist:
01. Chicane - Offshore
02. Green Light - Tsunami
03. Children Of Dub - Colocado (Ambient 2)
04. The Fluid - Dust Dancing
05. R/K - Still Not Smoking
06. Audio Quest - The Mental Screen
07. The Fluid - Spitting Sand
08. Pearl - Searchers
09. Disruptive Influence - Singing Strings
10. The Fluid - Wishful Thinking

Total time: 01:11:54

CD 6 Tracklist:
01. Hawkwind - Space Chase
02. Crystal Moon - Temple
03. Optica - Evolute
04. Alien Mutation Vs. Indigo Egg - Neuroscopic Bubbling Pond
05. Shamanic Tribes On Acid - 303 Spiral
06. Transfinite - Utopia
07. Quad - Tapestry
08. Biotek - Wu Jung
09. Optic Eye - Trance Dance
10. Crystal Moon - Butterfly

Total time: 01:11:33

CD 7 Tracklist:
01. Josh Abrahams - Marakesh
02. Transfinite - Insofinite
03. Alien Mutation - Shimmer
04. Luke Warmwater - Jazz Bass Nine
05. Syzygy - Namaste
06. The Fluid - The Man With Three Heads
07. Greenlight - L7
08. Swarf Sisters - Hebron
09. Carl Cox - Sensual Sophis-Ti-Cat
10. Optica - Space Bong Baby

Total time: 01:10:29

CD 8 Tracklist:
01. Loop Guru - Skin Heaven
02. Green Light - Under Toe
03. Re-Count - Oasi
04. C3PO vs H2O - Positive Reverberation
05. Eclipse - Longitudes (Dholak Drum Mix)
06. Melting Euphoria - Under Virgo's Sun
07. Timescape - Light (Aural Flower Mix)
08. Oscillator - Hypnotized
09. Swarf Sisters - Fatwah For The Fatman
10. Loop Guru - Olwana

Total time: 01:04:10

CD 9 Tracklist:
01. Future Sound Of London - Stolen Documents
02. Carl Cox - Tribal Jedi
03. Art Science Technology - A.S.T.
04. Awareness - Religion
05. Loop Guru - Skin Heaven - Extended Trapezium Mix
06. Canabisis - Topkapi
07. Coyaba Tribe - Mission to Love
08. Josh Abrahams - Love Becomes A Meditation
09. Danse City - Meet Your Maker
10. Melting Euphoria - Into the Liquid Mirror

Total time: 56:26

CD 10 Tracklist:
01. Xpulsion - Ninety Two
02. Villivaru - Bandos
03. Mullos - Argentine Dawn
04. Love Men - Zum Zum
05. Unlimited Dream Company - Up in Dub Heaven
06. Virginity - Got to be Emotion
07. Swarfs In Space - Hebron
08. Carl Cox - Phoebus Apollo
09. Josh Abrahams - Star Song

Total time: 52:20

CD 11 Tracklist:
01. Chicane - Citizens Remix
02. Impedance - Woodstock
03. Indotribe - In the Mind of a Child
04. Optic Eye - Wobbling in Space
05. Pan Pacific - Kollo
06. Nyali - Shadow
07. Intelligent Communication - Open Loop
08. Meallo - Satyagrahi
09. Yage - Coda Coma

Total time: 50:11

CD 12 Tracklist:
01. Delerious Pink Dog - 3 Walls Two Ceilings
02. D.J. Freshtrax - The Proximity
03. Emtorino - Insatiable
04. Sun Bass - Behind The Sun
05. Flag - Paradise
06. G. Double E. - Why Does It Hurt
07. Genaside II - Death Of The Kamikazee
08. Loxodrome - Society Red
09. Humanoid - Stakker Humanoid
10. Life Form - Summer's Child

Total time: 56:40