Emerging amongst the UK’s nascent early nineties techno underground, London-based trio The Black Dog were amongst the first recipients of the ‘intelligent / IDM’ tag, a factor that’s probably as much down to their inclusion on Warp’s seminal ‘Artificial Intelligence’ compilation, as it is due to their insistence on exploring dancefloor-confounding, off-centre time signatures. This long overdue reissue on Soma follows on the heels of the label’s recent ‘Book of Dogma’ collection, which bundled together the trio’s first three EPs alongside the ‘Parallel’ album, and presents a completely digitally remastered version of their ‘proper’ debut album ‘Temple of Transparent Balls’, originally released on GPR way back in 1993. Given that this particular album has been long out of print, yet also hailed as being one of the strongest examples of the trio’s output prior to Ed Handley and Andy Turner’s split in 1995 to form Plaid, there are bound to be more than a few seriously grateful collectors out there – even if for some strange reason, we don’t get the original sleeve art.

Opening track ‘Cost 1’ will certainly have listeners familiar with Plaid’s later creative explorations immediately spotting melodic hallmarks that would later show up in that duo’s sound, as densely polyrhythmic electro rhythms throw the emphasis on heavily percussive textures, while an eerie, marimba-esque synth sequence cycles amidst brooding electronic bass pads. If it serves to activate the listener’s inner cinema (try headphones for the most recommended setting), its second half ‘Cost II’ accelerates proceedings further out towards the dancefloor, placing zapping electronic bursts amidst gliding techno rhythms and female vocal fragments, as warm, Detroit-tinged synth pads caress the edges of the mix, evoking the kind of delicate comedown vibe Orbital were also toying with around the same time on early tracks such as ‘Belfast.’

Elsewhere, ‘The Actor And Audience’ sees TBD introducing the trademark fluttering breakbeats that would later remain a sonic hallmark of the IDM genre, as hyperactive broken rhythms cut a furiously bassy path amidst trailing synth pads and vaguely afrocentric samples that manage to carry a stray hint of jazzy chill, before ‘Jupiler’ takes things out on a spidery electro trajectory that calls to mind ‘Cubik’-era 808 State, as darkly robotic bass tones wander their way through sparkling, Carribean-tinged rhythmic accents and clicking 808 handclaps. The spectacular ‘Sharpshooting On Saturn’ meanwhile manages to easily provide one of this collection’s biggest highlights as its lays down a fat, clattering hip-hop centred rhythmic backbone amidst twinkling melodic synths – and there’s even an atypically jokey gabber kickdrum workout packed in right at the very end for the unwary listener.

With a stellar remastering job resulting in new layers of lustre and detail showing up in every one of its 11 tracks, ‘Temple Of Transparent Balls’ has dated surprisingly well over the ensuing 14 years, and thankfully represents another seminal electronic album rescued from the dustbin of backcatalogue deletion – or I guess, illegal filesharing networks these days… If you love your IDM, this one’s fairly indispensible.

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