Cool nirvana

The Eternal Sky (Hypnotic/Cleopatra) is a first release by Anubian Lights, an eight-man group comprising former members of Hawkwind and Pressurehead. Those band names might suggest schlock, heavy-metal overstatement; but this is a very refined and understated group of visionary musicians. The vision that unifies this album is one of Egyptian mysticism: the band take their name from Anubis, the guardian spirit of dead souls. The CD booklet offers an occult/science-fiction story that Anubian Lights expand upon in 11 tunes ranging from percussion jams with a Near East tone ("Soul Herder," "Medulla Mirage") to alluring romps into guitar-driven neo-psychedelic song ("Grid Coordinate -- Vorp One"). Nik Turner shines on flute and sax, Simon House on electric violin; and everyone uses electronics tastefully in the service of making a mystical tale pleasurable as well as credible.

A rewarding sonic journey without galactic overtones can be taken via Adam Shaikh's Journey to the Sun (Instinct). This is essentially Shaikh's sonic scrapbook, the result of traveling months through India with a DAT recorder. The musical high points are all sampled: young girls singing folk tunes in the Himalayas, flute and sitar masters playing in the cities. Wrapped around these moments are dense clouds of static chords from synthesizers, suggesting a state of reverie. Like The Eternal Sky, this album uses electronic colors to move a compelling story along.

A less pop-oriented direction in techno is offered on Gang of Two (Artifact Recordings) by electronic composers Philip Perkins and Scott Fraser, who call themselves "The Bifurcators." This music is as structurally sophisticated as Stockhausen's, relying upon a wide range of acoustic and electronic instrumentation as well as high-tech computers and possessing an immense emotional appeal. "White Eagles," a monumental protest against the Bosnian war, samples Slavic women singing folk tunes in close harmony. Counterpointing their joyous songs are the mournful sounds of Fraser's sparsely picked electric guitar and Perkins's bowed electric bass. This is a story of Bosnia no news service conveys. The three other compositions, all nonpolitical, are equally involving, two being atmospheric pieces playing on the similarities between flowing patterns of sound and natural light.

The storytelling impulse is less explicitly programmatic in Transmissions from the Planet Dog (Mammoth), a four-artist compilation on two discs. Toby Marks, recording as "Banco De Gaia," takes a similar approach to Adam Shaikh's: lots of sampling of Third World musics in the field. He's a less-convincing musical storyteller, though; the ironies of his stylistic juxtapositions seem overdone. Far better are Timeshard, a talented trio of UK musicians who layer sitar and tablas on top of a loopy dance groove. This is primo "ethnotechno," a mix of traditional tribal and modern electronic pop for dancing. Similar to Timeshard are Eat Static and Children of the Gong, both purveyors of crazed dance grooves decorated with ethnic trappings.

Future Primitives, by Intermix (ESP-Sun), takes the "ethnotechno" approach of the Planet Dog artists into a sinister-sounding realm. Bill Leeb and Rhys Fulber, formerly of Front Line Assembly, bring their gothic and industrial sensibilities to an album of neo-tribal rhythms. This could serve as an ideal soundtrack for a B-film about traditional Bushmen fending off attacks from laser-armed soldiers of fortune.

Not all techno relies on a link to narrative or amphetamine-paced tribal/modern rhythm jams. Freezone 2: Variations on a Chill (SSR/Crammed Discs) is a two-disc compilation of coolly executed trip-hop, acid house, and ambient dub. Black Star Liner and Sentinel blend laid-back reggae rhythms with muted electronic colors. The other 22 groups also demonstrate that high-tech tunes can offer balm for the weary soul seeking a cool nirvana.