The Future Sound Of London – Lifeforms – 2LP

The long-awaited vinyl reissue of The Future Sound Of London‘s flagship album “Lifeforms” (arguably one of the most influential albums of the 1990s) finally lands – almost two and a half decades since it first set sail from the dancefloor to the outer-reaching corners of your mind.

While many will know FSOL for the instantly recognisable rave hymn ‘Papua New Guinea’ the group’s true skills lied in crafting long-form (with its gatefold sleeve, dare we even say, prog?) indebted ambient electronica albums. Albums that were as equally inspired by the halcyon days of chewy techno/rave as they were the ambient zonal drone outs of artists such as Robert Fripp (who guests on Lifeforms), Brian Eno and even the more glacial end of the Neu! spectrum.

Not having had the sort of luxury of endless repress vinyl editions that the years have seen bestowed upon its fellow cornerstones of ’90s ambient-tech i.e. Boards Of Canada, Aphex Twin, Leftfield, Massive Attack, Underworld. It’s only really Global Communication’s 76:14 and FSOL‘s “Lifeforms” left within the hiding in plain sight yet criminally hard to find moments of truly classic ’90s “dance” music, these left-untouched classics are now possibly more relevant than ever with the continuous evolution of the hardcore continuum’s move away from more traditional track structures.

In all honesty, though, “Lifeforms”‘ return to vinyl above all else acts as a time portal to show just how experimental and expansive the post-rave boom of ’90s home-listening electronica truly was…

Virgin

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Listen Here: The Future Sound Of London - Lifeforms