Soma Quality Recordings celebrate the most illustrious of careers: a 20-year reign at the top of the techno tree, cementing their place in the history of electronic music. With a back catalogue consisting of over 300 single releases and over 90 albums, it would be impossible to condense the sheer weight of the label’s achievements into one singular, palpable wave. The roll call of contributors is phenomenal; not only allowing label founders Stuart Macmillan and Orde Meikle aka Slam to cultivate their own seminal activity, it has provided a platform for a host of pioneers, not least a couple of Frenchmen who go by the name of Daft Punk, whose first tracks came out on the label.
From the initial release, Slam’s Eterna, to the most recent, quality has been the mantra, underpinning the label’s relentless trajectory with each bass throb. Disc One provides the history lesson as best it can: the aforementioned Eterna, Slam’s seminal Positive Education, Silicon Soul’s Right On Right On, Daft Punk’s remix of Scott Grooves’ Mothership Reconnection, and the insurmountable Diabla by Funk D’void all feature.
On Disc Two, Slam show us they’ve no intention of halting the ride with a resolutely modern blend, each track a brand new remix, a burgeoning set of blistering beats. Disc Three, meanwhile, sees label stalwarts Silicon Soul complete the package with a reverent journey through their most beloved Soma floor-shakers. It’s dusted with contemporary trickery and a cappella aplomb, providing an excellent retrospective.
