Various

With the names Kruder and Dorfmeister on the tip of many a music lover's tongue, it's no surprise that there's loads of international interest in the underground dance sounds coming out of Vienna, Austria. Vienna Scientists will raise that interest to the next level; selector and contributing producer Jürgen Drimal serves as an excellent cultural ambassador. Showcasing 14 different artists and production crews, this super-solid compilation bills itself as an exploration into the realms of dub, funk, trip-hop and drum & bass. Fair enough, but the truth is that the dub factor is the not-so-secret ingredient linking these tasty musical treats. Check the loping, funky down tempo of Freedom Satellite's "Trash," the fresh take on electro of Sin's "On Boulevards" or perhaps the Uptight People's short, but super-sweet "Maybe Tomorrow Dub" and you'll soon hear that it's all about loops and the low end. K&D's presence is felt on a number of tracks, most notably Mama Oliver's gorgeously textured ode to peace and unity, "EastWest," which is remixed here by Richard Dorfmeister. In '98, producer Stefan Moerth (aka Stereotyp) created the brilliant Stash It EP for K&D's G-Stone label; here he records with vocalist and cohort Bubu under the project name of Sub System Crew. Their moody, down tempo piece "Conscious" incorporates the richness of jazz to set a stunning example of how lush and organic an electronically created work can be — he's definitely one to watch.