( OYSTER20 ) Helium - :The Works EP: Original & Unreleased Mixes - 2X12" - Kalahari Oyster Cult

2lP bundle of Helium - The Works reissue, the original as well as the unreleased mixes.

Long out of press, Helium’s seminal 1993 masterpiece ’The Works’ E.P. eventually sees the light of day again on Kalahari Oyster Cult. A head-turning slab of visionary house and trance music, ’The Works’ hasn’t aged one bit and its dancefloor appeal sure hasn’t lost any of its high-impact melodic beauty. Driven by the subs-towed harmonics of the wistful ‘Out There’ and fun-loving cowbell rides meet gut-churning 909 kicks of ’Try Me’.

An off-kilter ambientoid trip, B-side opener ‘Clouds’ draws closer to The KLF’s chromatic blends, whereas ‘We Are The Future’ expands the scope to further utopian apexes with its soothing assortment of nu-agey panpipes and slo, Sino-flavoured chug. Rounding off that mini-odyssey, breaksy pastoral closer ‘What Is The Human Machine’ takes us on a trip-hop-informed, acid-friendly ride in the wild.

3 unreleased mixes that have nothing to envy to the originals that have been unearthed: If ’Try Me (More Mix)’ does exactly what’s written on the tin, i.e. expanding the scope to further spacious, ambient-informed horizons, ‘Clouds (Captain’s Mix)’ opts for a more abstract, ASMR-like rendition, while ‘Out There (Jody’s Mix)’ reels out as a proper hypnotic, sense-awakening comber that’ll send off dancers straight into a blissed-out daze.