With its Computer Incarnations for World Peace compilation series, Sonar Kollektiv has really developed something nice. With their debut of the series, the concept was to dig through obscure 80s and cosmic disco songs of the late 70s and match their sound to modern work that had clearly been inspired by some of those same obscurities. The result was like one of those delicious variety of wines, or perhaps cognac is a better analogy, where they blend together a few different grapes to get just the right flavor. But why all the past tense? That's because "Computer Incarnations For World Peace II" uses a roster of exclusively fresh talent. Which isn't to say the cosmic roots have been dismissed.

1. Lexx "Mahogany (Instr.)"
2. Todd Terje & Prins Thomas "Reinbagen"
3. Chateau Flight "Grn Aventurine"
4. Crazy Penis "Keep On (Daniel Wang & Brennan Green's Vas Deferens Mix)"
5. Project Sandro "Blazer"
6. Al Usher "Lullaby For Robert"
7. Woolfy "Odyssey"
8. Rollmottle "Take a Break (Maurice Fulton Remix)"
9. Ray Mang "To and Fro"
10. San Serac "Tyrant (Alternative Version)"
11. Mark E "Fighter"
12. Smith & Mudd "Shulme"
13. Frontera "Walking in the Rain"

They describe this collection of songs, selected by Gerd Janson as "Topical Disco and New Age Boogie", but I have to say I'm not sure what that really means. It sounds like the crew at Sonar Kollektiv are having fun with a little genre-making. In truth, these descriptors are as good as any.

The sounds throughout this compilation have an abstract foundation in the synthesized music of the late 70s and early 80s, but don't always make the influence readily apparent. If you can mentally combine the chillout and disco-infected lounge hyrbid sound of the early-to-mid 2000's with the aesthetics of the cosmic disco and 80s new wave sound, you'll form some idea of what these songs are all about. That kind of comparison is too strict though. It's really the essence of all these things that have been distilled into these thirteen songs.

There are more than a few of these tracks that were released several years back, but they aren't the kind you are likely to have heard. Take for instance Todd Terje & Prins Thomas' "Reinbågan", a cover of Cloud One's "Don't Let My Rainbow Pass Me By", that although released in 2004, was, according to Discogs.com, limited to only about 60 copies. Of course if you caught the 2007 DJ mix titled "LateNightTales" by Lindstrøm you would have heard the song there. The mix of "Keep On" by Crazy Penis was released in 2002, and Al Usher's track "Lullaby For Robert" was originally released just a year after that. This edition of Computer Incarnations is very much an anthological presentation of gems many of us missed from the early-to-mid 2ks, and for that, Herr Janson has earned a heartfelt round of applause.

For all underground music's fad-driven, title-hopping, bridge burning predispositions, it's nice to be reminded that good music is and was everywhere. It's good to be reminded that the "next best thing" doesn't mean the last best thing must be forgotten, scorned or burned to the ground. If the debut in this series caught your attention, the sequel will certainly hold on to it, and if you're looking for a new persepective on rare sounds that contain enough familiarity to already be warmed to, Gerd Janson has created something important and fresh here.

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Originally released in Europe on Mar. 4, 2008

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