V/A - Various Artists - Virtual Dreams: Ambient Explorations In The House & Techno Age, 1993-1997 [2LP]

The first in a series of various artist compilations, alongside more in-depth artist focused releases, Virtual Dreams will delve into music produced during the 1990’s that redefined the boundaries of ‘Ambient’. This was music that explored the possibilities of Ambient within a new setting, created often by House and Techno producers for a world beyond dance floors but made very much with the pre-clubbing and post-clubbing listener in mind.

When House and Techno exploded out of America in the mid 1980s a whole generation was transformed not only musically but also culturally and chemically speaking. Peaking, quite literally, with a second ‘Summer of Love’ in 1988, millions of young people would experience the life-changing ups of a new world but with it of course came the downs; enter the concept of a ‘Chill-out’ room. Whilst early Chill-out rooms lacked a specific sound and were often sound-tracked by music such as reggae and soul, slowly young Techno and House producers themselves became increasingly interested in developing a futuristic ‘Ambient’ soundtrack to a world beyond the thud of the main room.