Various - Nurture

Title: nurture
Label: Nurture / Kog Transmissions
Format: CD
Year: 2001

www.nurturerecordings.com

Finally - a long overdue compilation CD from the chaps at nurture recordings.

If you managed to pick up any of their vinyl-only releases you'll know what to expect: nice synths, warm bass, interesting percussion, minimal techno with personality basically; I love it.

If you don't own any of the records then this is a great place to start, its got most of the best tracks on it: from the incredibly blissed out opener 'upekah' by son.sine to the breakbeat tech-house of 'behavioural contrast' from the debut release.

The latter is brilliant, still sounding as excellent as it did when released back in 1997. Yep, 1997; that's early days when looking at NZ's production scene.

Surely this gives nurture recordings the honour of being the first vinyl based label in NZ releasing electronica by NZ based producers? Or maybe that depends on your own definition of "electronica" and how you twist it to ignore the past (body electric anyone?).

Regardless, 'nurture' is great. The tracks by son.sine, peak:shift, micronism, clone, and newcomer cyrus facciano sit together really well as a long-player, something that not many compilations achieve since most seem to fall into the "collection of varied singles" category.

The only track that differs from the prevailing atmosphere on 'nurture' is 'mist' which sounds a bit hyperactive in comparison, as if it was remastered while on +8 or something. It's a bit of a pity really since I love the other tracks on the clone record to bits and think that either would probably have sounded better in amongst the other tracks on this CD.

But nevermind that, nice one nurture for releasing a compilation that is both chilled out and relaxing as well as deep and funky.

There's no need to place the good old NZ music tag on this one as a sales pitch, its simply the best compilation I've heard in ages.