Bleep

Originally releases in 1996, there’s something remarkable about how much Soundtrack [313] still scans like a dispatch from a future world.

In 1996, Neil Ollivierra was regionally beloved in Detroit’s scene, but his debut as The Detroit Escalator Co. happened to coincide with a growing international interest in ambient techno. Cutting-edge status aside, Soundtrack has remained a hallmark of the genre in its ability to imbue warmth and serenity into a sound that could just as easily turn cold and mechanical. Opening track ‘Gratiot’ introduces the album by taking us skyward in reverb-soaked dreaminess before returning to earth with street chatter. “Gathering Memory” opens with a minute and change of (presumably) Ollivierra giving directions to passerbys, but slowly drifts into its chiming synths as if he’s composing his own soundtrack with Detroit after dark.

Soundtrack [313] as a whole makes for a stunning late-night headphones listen, made all the more intoxicating by the album’s half-speed remastering that defines more of the album’s higher end. New to this reissue as well are six bonus tracks, four of which make it on the vinyl edition and add new shades to Soundtrack’s legacy. “Orange” is the most club-friendly of the bunch without becoming too much of an outlier thanks to its airy synth work, while closer “Fate (As A Chasm)” reveals a more jittery edge to the album’s largely blissful whole. Still, Ollivierra’s debut as the Detroit Escalator Co. continues to shine because of his warm, emotive sense of production, making sure some human elements sneak in even as he’s heralding a new strain of techno.