Futuristic UK deep techno obscurity properly reissued! Dawn of a New Age was originally released on Tony Thorpe's short-lived house label BPM Records in 1990. Unfortunately it spent barely a week on record store shelves before the label folded, subjecting N.A.D. to the fate of becoming a mere footnote in house music's history. The album's creator, an English producer called Mustafa Ali, had created an early UK house classic, 1988's "Close Jack Encounter," as LE Bass before producing the N.A.D. album. Seeing potential in Ali, Thorpe asked the producer if he could record an album in a week. Ali agreed to record the album and created a concept album inspired by two of his greatest passions: science fiction and his Islamic faith. The album is full of audible references to both, while sounding utterly of its own time. Ali channels contemporaries like the Burrell Brothers and Larry Heard, tapping into their kinetic drum programming and loose song structures. At other times he sounds like another forgotten house producer, Dream 2 Science. Dawn of a New Age is a unique milestone in the story of British dance music. Double LP repress, includes "Distant Drummer" and the previously unreleased track, "Infititesimal."

• music label: Rush Hour Recordings 2013

reviewed by Joey Coco 04/2014