i haven't heard all of the catalogs of either of these labels, but here are some of the records i've found most interesting that aren't all the obvious picks. they may or may not be essential to you.
octaves & tremolos - spike (plus 8) really nice hardish melodic techno with a very eerie vibe, lots of structural variation within the track. i think the flip is a 'born under a rhyming planet' track (aka jaime hodge) but i haven't given it a good listen yet. fuse - dimension intrusion 2x12" (plus 8) hawtin's diverse idm/acid project, includes the dancefloor monster 'f.u.' and several beautiful melodic tracks. fuse - approach and identify (plus 8) classic bleepy techno. one of the first plus 8 releases. u t u - between the mirrors (plus 8) ken ishii produced this 12" for plus 8. it's very much in his style, with warped melodic sounds over 4/4 beats. my pressing of this is all screwed, but i can tell the tracks underneath are quite nice. theorem - nano 2x12" (plus 8) perhaps dale lawrence's first record. nice collection of minimal melodic techno with house influences. not as produced as his current stuff, but still very well worth hearing. theorem - clone (plus 8) dale moves closer to the sound he reaches on his th records. minimal techno-house on the main cuts. silvershower - ice fractions vol 1 (plus 8) rumor has it these hard techno tracks were produced by ian pooley. nice hypnotic synth pattern on the long side. kooky scientist - unpopular science 2x12" (plus 8) fred giannelli brings some really nice smooth tracks (see 'night glide') along with some funkier quirky cuts. great melodies and sounds. speedy j - ginger 2x12" (plus 8) speedy j - g spot 2x12" (plus 8) both excellent melodic techno with some trancey overtones. the downtempo fills on these records are very nice. i think ginger is probably more essential if you had to pick one. both of these predate speedy j's rendezvous with abrasive noisy beats. public energy - velocity/slumber (probe) this is speedy j again, with one dancefloor acid cut (which i can take or leave), and a really eerie pounding tune on the flip that breaks down into these cold melodic washes. very intense track. i know i've missed a lot of classics, but these are some that i've found enjoyable and usable. -dave
