One needn't be a fan of electronica to get into this stuff; a bit of familiarity with Philip Glass is probably all one needs. Or Philip K. Dick ... but even if you don't know Dick, you'll still find things to interest you. Officially billed as being "for use with all your favorite cyberpunk/future/ modern/scifi-roleplaying and miniatures games," this release is more of the same texture-based techno that Stratos has become known for. It's a bit less compelling than Cybernet, but worthwhile for all that, especially for fans of techno/industrial. Much of the music here was inspired by the work of P.K. Dick.

As usual, Stratos works hard getting his patches to sound good. The resulting music can't be called melodic, but it's certainly interesting and sometimes strangely compelling. Check out the disc's second track, "A World Asunder," which is driven by two odd voice patches: a gargling phased female chanting gibberish answered by an eerie choir of synthesized males.

Mystical, metaphysical music

As mentioned above, a number of the tracks here found their genesis in the novels and stories of Philip K. Dick, probably SF's prime exponent of metaphysics in the days before The Matrix. The title of the CD's fourth track, "False Realities," is an overt homage to Dick's preoccupation with the nature of the world in which we live. It begins quietly and gently, but then thunderous tympani herald a mechanistic line embroidered by spooky keyboards. A kicking bass slowly builds under. Like many of the other pieces here, this one builds up like a bolero—but it slowly fades out that way, too, as layers of reality peel back and disintegrate. Great to listen to while compiling code.

Dick was famous for attempting to blend his imaginings into the real world (the plot for Valis was derived from his confrontation with a mystical force called the Vast Active Living Intelligence System during a psychotic breakdown he experienced in 1974). Valis tries to ooze into our world disguised as TV commercials or sci-fi entertainment—or perhaps songs just like this. So caveat, as they say, emptor.

One of the best tracks on the album is number eight, "Social Control." It's got a get-down rock beat, with good down-and-dirty guitar and plated drum work and a nice piano interpolation. Again, there are no stand-out solo instruments here—the emphasis is on texture, even though the mix changes throughout.

The rest of the disc consists of offerings from Stratos and some of his colleagues, all of whom are more than competent. If techno is your bag, you'll find a lot to admire here. The final track, Capt. Futura's "Pattern Recognition," is in homage to the work of William Gibson. The opening riff has a sort of weird James Bond feel to it, but what really keeps the track moving is its growly, fluid bass line.