Sterac

In 1995, Dutch DJ Sterac (aka Steve Rachmad) released his debut, Secret Life of Machines, a collection of second-wave Detroit techno. Contrasting sharply with the waves of acid house and drum & bass that were infiltrating the rest of Europe at the time, Sterac's music was deemed important not only for its traditionalist techno sound, but for its near-flawless execution. Seventeen years after its release on Amsterdam label 100% Pure, Sterac's magnum opus gets the remaster treatment with Secret Life of Machines Remastered and Remixed. As expected, the seven-track original comes off as slightly sharper and dynamic, highlighting Sterac's vintage Roland clack-beat and gooey Yamaha sound. However, it's the Remixed portion that's a bit weak. Aside from the three remixes that are included on both the CD and digital versions, the additional five mixes are genearlly throwaways, adding mostly useless "Club Mixs," "Dub Mixes" and "Bonus Beats" to the tail-end of the work. Secret Life of Machines is an album that every technophile should hear, but not in this manner.