With the band’s Virgin albums and singles distributed Stateside by the label’s US dance-based offshoot Astralwerks, by 1996, the only notable FSOL releases unavailable in America were the Jumpin’ & Pumpin’ album Accelerator and their most famous single, ‘Papua New Guinea‘. And so a deal was struck with US independent label Hypnotic to license both releases from J&P. While the release went largely without hitch and allowed American fans to pick up these records without forking out for huge import costs, Hypnotic did insist on new artwork, the 1991 cover likely seeming a touch out of date by the second half of the decade. To be fair to the label, they came up with the somewhat novel idea of using a lenticular jewel case, ridged to give the impression of moving 3D objects on the cover. Three heads in squares spin as the case is tilted.
Unfortunately, this wasn’t the first time the two releases had been released with artwork not given the band’s approval, with R&S Records doing much the same with the “ethno bollox” sleeves in 1992. The Hypnotic design is somewhat tasteful, and the designed at least attempted to use a similar font to the now typical microgramma, but Garry has since mentioned his general dislike for the design, partially because it simply didn’t come from the band or Buggy and thus has no reflection on the music contained within; indeed, the explosive graphics of the original definitely feel a much better match for the early experimental techno sounds of the album than the serenity of the Hypnotic cover. The EBV logo is at least present. Two variations exist, one with purple coloured disc art, and one with gold.
Other than the artwork and reduced credits page, the major difference here is the inclusion of a US bonus track: the Graham Massey mix of ‘Papua New Guinea’. With vinyl sales on the wane, especially in America, a vinyl edition wasn’t pressed at the time. This version remained in print and the only version available in the market until the 2001 2CD reissue.
Release date: 19th March 1996.
Other issues:
Accelerator
Accelerator (1994)
Accelerator / Papua New Guinea Mix Anthology
Accelerator (25th Anniversary Edition)
Accelerator (30th Anniversary Edition)
Tracklist
CD (CLP 9707-2)
1. Expander
2. Stolen Documents
3. While Others Cry
4. Calcium
5. It’s Not My Problem
6. Papua New Guinea
7. Moscow
8. 1 in 8
9. Pulse State
10. Central Industrial
11. Expander (Remix)
12. Moscow (Remix)
13. Papua New Guinea (Graham Massey Mix)
Credits
Written and produced by The Future Sound of London.
‘Expander’ produced by Mental Cube.
‘Stolen Documents’ produced by Luco.
‘Calcium’ written by Yage, produced by Luco.
All tracks recorded and engineered at EarthBeat Studio London 1991.
Written by Brian Dougans/Garry Cobain.
Executive producer: Tim Jones.
Graphic Design: Eunah Lee.
Published by Skratch Music Publishing.
Fractional Difference 