Two A.D. by Various Artists. Waveform Records.

"In many respects, the ambient music movement has become as bloated and stulifying as the worst art-rock of the '70s, moving further away from the dancefloor towards self-indulgent electronic doodling. There are, however, a handful of producers who still seem able to breathe some life back into this moribund genre. A number of those artists are featured on this exemplary compilation, which stands out among the endless streams of ambient compilations that fill record-store racks. To begin with, the highly talented Coldcut's "Autumn Leaves" (mixed by Irresistible Force), a long-out-of-print gem, is featured here, immediately preceding the gorgeous, celestial wanderings of Sounds From the Ground. Ambient stalwarts Higher Intelligence Agency and Biosphere also contribute tracks to this second in a series of ambient collections from the Waveform label. The variation in aural textures here is impressive, from the chanted dub atmospheres of Groove Corporation to the quietly menacing "Late Night" by Insanity Sect. If you only acquire one ambient collection this year, "Two A.D." should be it." --CMJ New Music Monthly (July, 1995).