Second Phase – Mentasm

Along with Solar Quest's Acid Air Raid and Crop Circles Lunar Civilization releases, with maybe a handful others, Second Phase's Mentasm was (and still is) a focal point in the musical department of my life. I always like to compare the impact of this release on my taste to one of those lovely situations when you come across something in life you just want to share with everybody around you!
This is fifteen minutes of music which basically moulded the next fifteen years of my taste. Mentasm was maybe the first time I had the chance to experience electronic music outside of the Viva and MTV circles. Both mixes of the title track are classics. The original has that huge hoover effect all over the place when the track breaks down halfway through and then comes back to full effect with an eruption from the sub bass area. The Mundo and Beltram remix starts with a vocal sample literary blasting out "coming out strong with the strenght of a hurricane", and then it's like the original's timeless hoover is spun backwards, as though the tune was getting rewinded and simultaneously played. Awesome!
Mind To Mind is the complete opposite from the sonic crazyness of Mentasm. It takes a more melodic turn, and Mundo's sense of harmony and arrangement really shines here, and it should come as no surprise, as he was involved in the pivotal Revelation project at the time.
Two style wise totally different tracks, but they complement each other so well. A very visionary release courtesy of two minds, which were considered prodigies of the techno scene at the beginning of the nineties. Mentasm inspired and kick started avalanches of imitators and a lot of the early club hits tried to copy its trademark and instantly recgnizible sound. The other, with its subtlety and touching emotion would show the other side of the coin, the more soothing and deep aspect of techno music, proving how as a genre it could and eventually would do so much more than wreck dance floors.
It hasn't been recorded many times that so much territory has been covered with so little music. If it was ever done with style, it is here. Techno music getting a huge push in its back by what were considered its heroes and true innovators. Really, picking an all time favorite R & S release from their extensive catalogue is nearly impossible, but whichever way you look at it, this is in their top three contributions.