TALES OF EPHIDRINA

'Tales of Ephidrina' is the first album by AMORPHOUS ANDROGYNOUS, but is by no means the first outing by GARRY COBAIN and BRIAN DOUGANS, the duo behind FUTURE SOUND OF LONDON (famous for their hit 'Papua New Guinea'). In common with the IDM (intelligent Dance Music) scene in the early 1990s, artists recorded under a wide variety of names - these two had at least twenty different aliases.

AMORPHOUS ANDROGYNOUS was formed to allow the duo to experiment a little more freely than their label would allow them to using their FSOL name. They released this one album in 1993, then put AA into hiatus, mainly because this experimental music became the stock-in-trade of FSOL. AMORPHOUS ANDROGYNOUS was resurrected a decade later to allow the duo to record a few psychedelic albums, which is why they appear here in PA.

Confused? Welcome to the world of IDM.

What you get here is a fairly respectable dance album. Not, I must make clear, house or trance, but a collection of techno soundscapes that tend towards the ambient. The tracks segue into each other in trademark FSOL fashion, are sample-heavy and clever, but by no means represent the best of the genre. FSOL's own work 'Lifeforms', 'ISDN' and 'Dead Cities' are better places for the prog-inclined listener to visit, leaning more towards the ambient, coupled with real power and menace. Only one track on this album approaches the best this duo were capable of, the eponymous 'Ephidrina', built around a sinister loop. 'Liquid Insects' is the best of the rest.

AMORPHOUS ANDROGYNOUS (and, indeed, FSOL) are a classic example of a genre that is heavily influenced by the progressive rock movement. Their music is long and complex, the tracks often share motifs with each other, and the songs build to a conclusion. The beats may sound as though they belong on the dance floor, but the best of IDM is comprised of sophisticated rhythms.

This album is not representative of the AMORPHOUS ANDROGYNOUS catalogue, and is best passed by by the average progger.