MARK AMBROSE - Smoky Clinic EP

When Mark Ambrose's Smoky Clinic EP first landed in record stores back in 1997, tech-house was still a relatively new phenomenon. Ambrose's productions were in keeping with the freshly minted style's original ethos, fixing the futurism and sci-fi intent of Detroit techno to the rhythmical approach of New York and Chicago house. As this reissue proves, the record has aged well, sounding as deep, melodious, hypnotic and far-sighted in 2018 as it did in '97. While there is one trip into tougher, slightly darker territory – see "Hocus Pocus" – it's the blissful, intergalactic melodiousness of tracks like "Starship" and dreamy opener "X-Rays" that lingers in the memory.