Various – Bio Rhythm - "Dance Music With Bleeps"

Oh Lord, the audacity to make Paris Grey– Don't Lead Me (2001 Mix) a bonus track.

Neil Rushton ran the Network label which released two great Bio Rhythm compilations in quick succession. These featured some of the same artists as on the Techno 1 and 2 compilations, but expanded the field with UK producers. The hilarious liner notes recount the absurd tales of laundromat raves in the Birmingham area allowed to continue all night due to a legal loophole.

The sound here has evolved into bleep and bass territory with Nexus 21's 'Self Hypnosis'. Later they would change name to Altern 8 and become a hugely influential semi tongue-in-cheek rave act loaded with early breakbeats and catchy samples. Kate B's 'Free' touches on the emerging ambient house scene with italo house piano vibes.

-----
John McCready's liner notes:

the first question is obvious. what are biorhythms? there are no simple answers. biorhythms are anything you want them to be. they are the chemical groove that won't stop, a techno disinfectant that kills all known germs, from don pablo's animals to guru josh.

these are the 1990's and it's time for the poll tax. why should you care about these things? because this is the sound that salvador dali would have made had he bought an 808 drum machine instead of a paintbrush. this sequenced surrealism is a new music for an old age, the kind of sonic art created when human beings fall in love with machines and computers. this is special.

but there is another story. biorhythms is a phrase which came to our attention in late 1989 when plans for the launch of the label were almost finalised and the last key phrases in our oblique promotion strategy were being chosen.

biorhythms is the name of a revolutionary idea which remains unknown outside of the birmingham area. local rave promoter, an italian ex patriate called sueno de niro came up with the idea of turning his midlands chain of coin-op laundrettes shops into small scale legal raves. a loophole in the law means the authorities can't stop people dancing in public places where washing is also being done. de niro's biorhythms chain made the most of this. his shops were fitted with 5k sound systems. most of them were so small that bouncing castles couldn't be inflated inside. the city's ravers would queue up outside the shops with bags full of soiled naf naf sweatshirts. the local constabulary were outraged. they could do nothing to stop the dancers while the washing machines were spinning round.

the soundtrack at the infamous biorhythms raves of '89, an endless techno trance made up of aggresively ambient tracks like nexus 21's 'self hypnosis', was provided by upfront local djs like neil macey and kid persil who would crossfade the dancers into ecstasy - cutting and blending using the sound of machines on their final spin as part of their sets. the biorhythm rave djs originated the term 'spinback' meaning to fade the music to create a background for the sound of the machines revolving.

seminal tracks like mr fingers 'washing machine' were popular but early tape versions of tracks such as rhythmatic's 'take me back' and neal howard's 'indulge' would receive the most enthusiastic reception.

the authorities tried every way they could to stitch de niro up but they knew he was clean. after several months of non stop laundrette parties he was caught at home freebasing a well known washing powder.

biorhythms is the sound of outer london, a collection of mathematic modern dance music with bleeps. it also serves as our tribute to de niro (now serving 6 years) and the biorhythm raves.

'take me back', so obviously inspired by joshie jo armistead's northern classic 'i've got the vibes', ensures you know where we stand. those unable to make sense of this manic percussive symphony may as well leave the building now. 'take me back' is a subsonic network bass record. a warning that its ultra-low frequencies could damage speakers was ignored by many who purchased it and we've received several compensation claims.

symbols and instruments, 'mood', a computerised re-reading of life's 'tell me why' is another biorhythms classic. perhaps it doesn't sound quite the same without the washing machine accompaniment but its power isn't diminished for that. the inclusion of rhythim is rhythim's previously unreleased 'emanon' makes this album an essential purchase for lovers of derrick may's spaced out techno chamber music. this piece shows that derrick, once described as the lee perry of house due to eccentric behaviour matched only by the eccentricity of his music, remains light years ahead, a man alone on another planet. his madness has inspired and informed the network ethic. but it's sueno de niro this compilation is dedicated to - an originator with a plan that sent the dance world spinning.

network totally wired
network forever dance
network destination unknown

john mccready 1990

dam good compilation just ashame most of the early network CD's suffer the PDO bronzing'
i actually reported these discs to Philips as it seemed a lot of dance stuff were on these CD's "we take it on the chin apologies to customers"....mmm...they promised to replace copies that were effected but it they never did for 90% of people shame as the older compilations are master quality too try to get these on compilations today they are either MP3 transcodes ,Vinyl rips or overly mastered or horridly overly bright with distortion and clipping! some tracks on here cannot be found on any other CD compilations today as shame they are plagued by poor manufacturing ;(

Biorhythm...

Excellent compilation, as mentioned many of the hardcore tunes from the mid-nineties used samples from this album.. I driving around the Pennines between Leeds, Manchester and Sheffield with my mates between raves and record shops (There was no internet then) to get the best music. Pure class. Also Altern8 play out a lot but they never play their nexus 21 stuff. Get it together lads. You can only listen too evapourate so many times. SPB.

Had This on tape when it first came out then phoned Network in 93 they found a copy on cd in an old dusty box and sent it direct ,the lovely lovely people , The Kate B - Free track is one of my all time faves, dreamy piano, sounds of the sea and thunderous bass. Pure Class. The whole album just "Takes me back" (added my video for Kate B - Free)

this is absolutely feckin majik!!! get it if you can find it, at all costs! you will recognize all the original tunes on here that were sampled from this to make the mid 90's anthems!