On vinyl for the first time, this is one of the great classics of Pete Namlook’s vast discography. Back in 1994 when this first was released in a limited run CD, Namlook’s Fax label was still finding its audience, and the label’s split personality – between uptempo trance on vinyl and increasingly adventurous ambient and experimental sounds on CD – was in full effect. After the success of the first Air in 1993, licensed and reissued several times, Air 2 is even better with a richer sound world of tones, drones, hushed choral voices, tamped percussion. There’s plenty of references to 1970s sci-fi film soundtracks – and a strong sense of narrative in the music, more than most other Namlook releases. There are detours into Middle Eastern, Spanish guitar, samples of thumb pianos and yet the whole album holds together coherently and is tinged with that pre-millennium naivety.
This album was a staple of adventurous chill out rooms of the mid 90s and is one of the classics of the era. Reproduced with its orginal artwork, the very limited vinyl pressing is up for pre-order now on Silent State Recordings.
