The Minimal Wave label is a longtime favorite of ours, the NYC imprint specializing in beautifully pressed LPs of forgotten Kraftwerkian pop, cold wave and early-'80s synth. Now enter Stones Throw who've assembled this essential Minimal Wave primer. There's a lot of sonic ground covered but the music is always centered around the pulsating machine groove which paved the way for early house music, just throw in a little new romantic and goth flavor.

Many longtime Update readers know that one of our favorite labels is a small operation called Minimal Wave based here in NYC. Specializing in obscure but always interesting synth-based bands from around the world who keep things sleek, stripped down, and heavily stylized, Minimal Wave has over the course of its five-year lifespan unearthed some classic jams which would have otherwise languished forever in obscurity. Nearly all releases on the label have been high-quality vinyl-only products with lavishly designed, hand-numbered sleeves, and many of these LPs have now sold out their small pressings. Stones Throw, seeing the undisputable floor-rocking potential of much of Minimal Wave's output, have seen fit to issue a top-flight compilation of 14 sweaty, ice-cold bangers from many of the best releases of the label's first few years of existence. Considering how precise and laser-focused the imprint's signature sound tends to be, The Minimal Wave Tapes covers a lot of sonic ground, always centered around some kind of pulsating machine groove which paved the way for the revolutionary sounds of the Chicago and Detroit House scenes, but often mixed with 80s new wave and even goth flavors.

Highlights are many, but personal favorites include the acid-squelch new romantic croon of Mark Lane's "Who's Really Listening," the steam-powered barbed-wire bounce of "Flying Turns" by Crash Course in Science (one of my all time favorite bands!), Deux's "Game & Performance," which makes over Kraftwerk's robot models in eyeliner and Liquid Sky day-glo facepaint, and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop noir-pop of Somnambulist's "Things I Was Due to Forget." The liner notes include info and photos on all of the artists, and the package is once again stunningly designed by Minimal Wave label boss Veronica Vasicka. If you've always been curious about the label's product but have been too intimidated to dive in, this is the perfect sampler to whet your appetite. If you're a beathead simply looking for a new groove -- and taking a look at the increasingly robotic, new wave-influenced sound many pop, R&B and beat producers have been moving in, it's not terribly far fetched -- this collection provides plenty of new grooves to lock into. Cheers to Stones Throw for continuing to branch out into new territory, connecting the dots between the increasingly eclectic mindsets of the new school of DJ and producer. Highest recommendation!!

-Mikey IQ Jones (January 27, 2010)