My Yellow Wise Rug

by Joshua GlazerIt might be hard to believe, but before he was one of the world's top producers of electro-tinged techno, often clocking in at tempos over 130 bpm, Luke Slater produced several albums of strictly home listening-approved ambient techno. The year was 1995 and acid-fried gurus such as Mix Master Morris and Dr. Alex Patterson were searching beyond the 4/4 rush of the rave to a higher, if sometimes sillier, spiritual side of electronic music. On Slater's second album, recorded under the name 7th Plain, he mines darker territory than the true ambient maestros. Although his tempos, when they are present, are relaxed and congenial, "Think City" broods slowly while "Doup" opens up into a funky break for the middle two of its seven minutes. Only "Hectic Bag" even hints at Slater's forthcoming transition into hard techno maverick, with a cavernous kick that plays out a tribal rhythm from deep below. But this is definitely a mellow and somewhat dated affair from an artist who would rise to stronger work.