SWITCHED ON

STEREOLAB sneakily entered the indie 90s not by releasing an album that shouted its arrival but rather by releasing its material incrementally throughout 1991 with two EPs and a single. While the band would find critical acclaim throughout the decade with its hypno-trance indietronica that mixed Neu! inspired motorik Krautrock grooves with fuzzy psychedelic guitar work, bouncy bass grooves and Laetitia Sadler's French child-like chanson vocal contributions, the band would continue to deliver an onslaught of new material throughout its career with a never-ending series of albums, EPs and singles. Add to that a veritable collection of compilation releases that all started with this first one called SWITCH ON, a play on the "Switched On Bach" albums by Wendy Carlos.

SWITCHED ON would actually become a recurring theme with the band releasing a total of five of them to date and then compilations of multiple editions! How's that for marketing genius? This first edition though simply compiled the band's first two EPs "Super 45" and "Super-Electric" along with its single titled "Stunning Debut Album" which featured the two tracks "Doubt" and "Changer." The material released in 1991 was a tad bit different than what came after even though at its essence STEREOLAB had found its calling early on and hit the ground running with its classic style from the get go. The main differences on this compilation are subtle such as the greater emphasis on acid rock guitar fuzz and a bit more amateurish mixes that don't quite offer as much of the electronic wizardry that the band would become known for.

These are minor quibbles of course and subject to personal taste. For all intents and purposes STEREOLAB's entire canon never deviated from the basic formula laid down on these earliest recordings and only offered slightly off variations. For my liking i actually find these earliest recordings as interesting and endearing as anything that came after whereas the band's most classic and beloved albums like "Emperor Tomato Ketchup" don't quite seem to scratch that itch so to speak. Whatever the case, STEREOLAB proved to be a one of a kind act from its earliest origins and then simply offered slightly different takes on its established stylistic approach. The year 1992 was also prolific with not only this first compilation appearing but the band's first full-length album "Peng" as well as another slew of non-album singles that would end up on future editions of the SWITCHED ON series.

This is probably one reserved for the hardcore fans who can't get enough of STEREOLAB and want to take the deep dive into the band's origins. It will neither disappoint or ecstatically thrill as it's not significantly different from the band's status quo that they would make a career out of. This compilation also provided a means of acquiring the earliest releases that only found a home on vinyl as a way to acquire these release on CD but the comp was also available and vinyl and unlike the releases that appeared separately has been reissued numerous times on various labels including the remastered update on the 2018 rerelease on Duophonic Records. Overall this is a fine debut from one of indie pop's most interesting and distinct groups to hit the London scene in the 1990s and one that still evokes a nice uplifting warmth in stark contrast to some of the more dissonant and darker versions of indie rock that emerged around the same time.