X-103 – Atlantis

Another great early release by the UR guys, Jeff Mills and Robert Hood. Hot on the heels of their previous two undeniable classics, X-101's self titled album and X-102's "Discovers the rings of Saturn", X-103's "Atlantis", while recorded without their former partner in crime Mike Banks, furhter explores new possible directions for techno music to head in. The album is conceptually constructed around the myth of the lost city of Atlantis, and the music keeps up with the spacey and science fiction touch fully developed on the X-102 release. Interrupted by short intervals consisting of mainly classical instruments, the tracks themselves vary in intensity and sound; from minimal and monotonous, pulsating and acidic, such as The Gardens, Acropolis and Hagia Triada, through to hard mechanical numbers (the brief yet explosive Eruption, Tephra, 10000 Chariots, Curse Of Gods), and the more melody inclined numbers, Minnia and Thera. Special mention should go to Interludes A & B, Temple Of Poseidon and the closing tune, Magma (Technology), which all have superb spaced out noisy effects and eerie and disturbing sound patterns. Really cool and feels like you're going off to battle with Darth Vader's killer squadron around ten million light years away from planet Earth...
Overall, it may not be as raw and hard as X-101, and not as completely innovative and far reaching as X-102, but as a fierce and competent combination of both, X-103 has it all: from stomping and wild dance floor beats to placating ambience and forward thinking minimal techno that would eventually get further examined and reconnoitered by both artists, especially by Jeff Mills and his seminal work on Axis.
I'd give this output by Hood and Mills 5 glaring, blazing, Milky Way incinerating stars out of a possible five. As every bit of essential as any of their other work on Tresor. Coming to think of it, it's a place dispersed in deep space where "Waveform transmissions vol. 1" meets "Internal empire" for a coffee break.