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A follow-up to this past April’s Forward to the Past, this latest throwback attack from Steve Bug’s venerable Poker Flat label narrows the focus to acid house, that Roland TB-303–fueled subgenre first committed to vinyl on the 1987 Phuture release “Acid Tracks.” Despite being a quarter century old, the sound’s defining feature—a syncopated, modulated, otherworldly bleep, like the bassline from an intergalactic disco number beamed in from Alpha Centauri—still forms the vital centerpiece of many a dance-music tune. That’s because, though it may be familiar, it’s still a pretty weird little electronic chirp—and it’s still fun as hell, a subliminal message signaling that party time is on.

The songs on Forward to the Past 2 are, as expected, resolutely old-school in nature, but that certainly doesn’t lessen their appeal to the modern dance floor. The prototypical acid-house rhythmic base—thudding kick drum, up-front hi-hats and more hand claps than would be humanly possible—form the backbone of Tin Man’s “Blown,” with a chord sequence straight out of the seminal Trax label’s catalog. Bug’s own “This Is Acid” borrows a bit from the 1988 Maurice tune of the same name—specifically a spoken-work passage about (what else?) acid—but it’s exponentially tougher than that long-ago attempt to bring acid house to a mainstream audience, with a relentless rhythm and a touch of Master C & J–style synthsynths? giving the cut an unsettling edge. That Master C & J motif—forlorn, droning and a little spooky—surfaces again in Snuff Crew’s “I Can’t Remember,” where it’s buried in a barrage of flanged cymbals and eighth-note bass burps. And so it goes, with a slate of eminently clubworthy cuts coming from Motorcitysoul, Glimpse and Will Saul, Sasse and a slew of others. Despite its alien, sometimes ominous air, this music is as funky as house music gets—and that’s why acid will never fade away.

AxeD wrote:Saw a Boys Noize acid set ones, was quite hypin'

wormcode wrote:I love acid house and techno. I have no personal vintage stories, but I used to do live acid music in clubs using hardware setups with a friend of mine starting as a teen, and into the mid 2000s. TB-303 various clones and drum machines/sampler. I've done all kinds of live music, but acid is by far the most fun to make live IMO.
TBs are extremely expensive now, but in the early 90s they could be had for 50 bucks in pawn shops. Now you're very lucky if you can get one under 1,500. It actually played a large part in the evolving of musicians too.

Here is house legend Marshall Jefferson's TB-303 for sale on ebay for 6k, pic and signature included: http://www.ebay.com/itm/ROLAND-TB-303-B ... 548wt_1204

A few years ago someone didn't know what they had, and sold one new in box on ebay for $150US (people were freaking out for days in the acid production circles): Pic/info: http://musicthing.blogspot.com/2005/10/ ... s-got.html

There is currently a like-new in box Roland MC-202 for sale here for $1,460US: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Roland-MC-202-m ... 3f0e9e69c8

MC-202 is also a legendary acid box. Sounds very much like a 303 and SH-101 combined. I kind of would rather have a 202 now personally.

Here's a good little documentary on the TB acid machine, and a thread I made for it a while back in the Production section: http://www.dubstepforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=214397
(sorry for geeking out here, I guess this isn't really what the thread was supposed to be about)

Soiree wrote:To think Juan Atkins invented techno with a Roland MS-10!
I saw a 303 once, 1k$ that I didn't have, but if I did, I would've gladly turned one thousand dollars into ACID!
$150 on the other hand for a 303! FUCK! There is always an excuse to check ebay.

wormcode wrote:

Soiree wrote:To think Juan Atkins invented techno with a Roland MS-10!
I saw a 303 once, 1k$ that I didn't have, but if I did, I would've gladly turned one thousand dollars into ACID!
$150 on the other hand for a 303! FUCK! There is always an excuse to check ebay.

That 202 I linked sold hours after. I got a message that Chris Peat from Altern-8 is selling his for about the same price as well: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Roland-MC202-MC ... 525wt_1265

That's a piece of history.

Soiree wrote:I really enjoyed that 303 doc!

wormcode wrote:Speaking of acid house and legends, I sometimes watch this show and saw this person walk in the shop. Took me a while to recognise him, he's gained a lot of weight. Genesis P-Orridge of Psychic TV, Throbbing Gristle, Pigface, etc.

Still bringing the pleasant creepiness after all these years.