System 7 – 777

Worth owning just for the track Ship Of The Desert. Pure downtempo ambient percussive music running down the quiet stream with glissando guitar and synthy swirls. A departure from the debut which IMHO didnt capture the depth of moods the collaboration was capable of.

A big change from the first System 7 album that was like a hybrid between dance pop and "proper" electronic music. This album luckily leaves all dance pop behind. Very much a blueprint for the Planet Dog label, it was released a couple of months before the first Eat Static album.

It’s one of those albums I keep revisiting. Obviously the orb connection is strong as well as the contributions from other respected luminaries. It still sounds fresh and inventive but not entirely great, which I like.
It’s like a sweet treat that you’re just not sure if you like it or not, but it’s “moreish” like those evil marketing people would say.
The artwork’s lovely as are the noises. Even the weird clucking in 7:7 Expansion doesn’t sound too ridiculous.
I keep reading it’s ambient, it’s psychedelic noodles. It’s not, to me it tech-trance, like Goa Trance filtered through a prism of Techno stripped down to the basics.
Obviously there are ambient moments, but practically every electronic producer sneaks an ambient track on an LP, especially as a closer. Putting wings on a bus doesn’t make it a butterfly.
Before this they were pop music gone astray. After this they were still capable of greatness (check out Sirenes especially its Garnier remix or the legendary 20 minute Plastikman version of Alpha Wave) but too much twaddle as well.
Love it.