The Collective

Lenny and Lawrence Burden (sometimes assisted by one or more of their other brothers, Lance, Lorne and Lynell), as Octave One, are among the most prolific and diverse artists in all of Detroit electronic music. Their music covers vocal house, pop, broken beat, hip hop, trip hop, even drum’n’bass — at times extraordinarily innovative and weird, at others requiring a musical sweet tooth to appreciate their syrupy melodies. But when they’re in techno mode, they are incredibly consistent and always brilliant: the liveness shines out of their recordings and though it powers ahead on slick four to the floor grooves, the funk is always front and centre. This 1998 collection of their early work is the perfect introduction to their world, and indeed it’s up there with the very best Detroit Techno albums.