<p><span>Exalted and held high above all electro artists, the mysterious Drexciya touts a secret history and a most unusual manifesto. The anonymous artists behind Drexciya represent themselves as the "true Detroit" people--African-Americans displaced by Motor City industry who sought refuge under the waves and evolved into an amphibious race of superhuman fish-men. They're deadly serious about this, and Drexciya's infrequent transmissions of soulful, silvery techno-funk and electro have become a beacon to producers far and wide.<br /><br />As the earlier THE QUEST compiles much of Drexciya's treasured vinyl catalog--as near as Detroit has come to a hymnbook--NEPTUNE'S LAIR can be treated as the first proper Drexciya album. As such, it's worthy of future status as holy techno writ. Liquescent electro numbers like "Surface Terrestrial Colonization," "Bottom Feeders," "Devil Ray Cove," and "Habitat 'O' Negative" are tinged with sinister ripples that make them as bittersweet as gospel. The moments of techno revelry--"Lost Vessel," "Universal Element," "Andrean Sand Dunes," "Jazzy Fluids"--reach peaks of heart-stirring spiritual joy. Whether Drexciya's back-story proves to be true or not, the fact remains. Few can touch the purity and resplendence of these electronic hymns.</span></p>
