Modula Green – Shellground

Only listening to this for the first time and already I'd have to place it amongst the finest FAX albums that I've heard- far more my cup of tea than Ambiant Otaku, Shades Of Orion and 2350 Broadway (which I do really enjoy as well). Whereas some FAX albums sound a little dated (and some sound very dated), this one sounds timeless. There are sounds that I can't quite place what they are or how they were made. It is dark, yet never so bleak as, say, Outland. The tone of the album almost reminds me of some of Dead Can Dance's music at times. The beats on this album suit the music perfectly in that they truly accompany the music and avoid the trap that some (typically early) FAX albums fall into of having loud 4/4 beats over calm blissful ambience. I can't recommend Shellground enough.

Agreed with the other two reviews. I didn't care for much of this when I first heard it circa 2000. But it's a real grower, one of the most interesting, unusual, and memorable albums from the classic period of Fax. Aged well and highly recommended.

Ive just recently came across this and i recommend it highly.superb release from fax records and i suggest you track it down-played this again may 2019-still very solid imho

This is a lesser known gem among FAX's mid-90s ouput. Peter Prochir produced various stuff for the label under different pseudonym's, but as far as I know Modula Green is Mark Pfurtscheller's only work for it. Nominally, the album has the trademarks of FAX's early ambient techno records: sweet cosmic synth sweeps, slowly developing long tracks, etc. What makes "Shellground" stand out are the well thought-out arrangements, clever use of samples, and innovative rhythm programming. The latter in particular is something FAX releases from this era aren't particularly known for, as they mostly settle for the basic four-to-the-floor beats, or the equally basic soft new age beats. But if you listen to something like "The Orchid Trap" from this album, you get a mixture of disembodied voices, military-like trumpet samples, and impressionistic drum patterns that bleed together into an unique mood piece. So "Shellground" is recommended even for those who don't particularly care for the stereotypical FAX sound.