With the release of the first RI compilation disc, Atom Heart allows the listener to witness the ever-expanding stages and styles that the label has progressed through. From the chlorophyllic swirls of "Seaweed" and the sterile beatless bonus track "Eigen Value" to the more active processes of "Rather Sleep Than Dance" and "K-Jam," Uwe advances through various genre-rooms, effortlessly raising the standards of each and adding a few more personal touches before exiting.

Real Intelligence reveals a talent for smooth composition injected with a witty, almost awkward dose of humor and sequential spontaneity. Atom Heart seems to have followed the smooth albeit unpredictable progression through the more categorical forms of house, trance, chill-out, funk, and jazz without losing the sonic thread. Here 9 of the first 10 RI albums are presented as different "band" projects which contribute 1 track each for the compilation. Notably missing is an excerpt from the live album b2 (RI030), which really must stand on its own, as truncating either of the two live sets presented would hardly yield a proper exposure to the performances. Furthermore, although the overall scope of each album is simply too diverse to be reflected in a single track, it seems that the choice of tracks reflects the overall sound and approach of each album. This is less true for Flextone and MU. About half of Flextone serves up dank or obtuse house selections, yet most of MU remains beatless. Still, the general feel of each release is somehow conceptually bound up in each song.

Real Intelligence was my first exposure to the increasingly wild Rather Interesting label, and I can hardly overemphasize my enthusiasm as I stumbled upon the full-lengths in turn, eventually discovering that each of them was quite impressive for different reasons. The real meat lies in accomplishing the subtle crossbred fusions of various familiar styles while at the same time splicing in elements of baffling electro-eccentricity. Continuously honing this knack for blending previously incompatible musical styles, Uwe also demonstrates, both musically and visually, how natural organic ingredients work well with the more computational, calculated, and synthetic side of life.

One special point about Real Intelligence is that many of the songs have been spacially reoriented. In some cases, the extreme channel separation of the original versions (VSVN#3, Flowerhead, K-Jam) is simply 'mono-ized' with the instruments hanging around the middle of the soundfield. And what's this about a Video for "Rather Sleep Than Dance" ?! Apparently, a team by the name of Protean Vision Quest at the National Centre for Computer Animation at Bournemouth University has made one entitled "Dream Tribe." It's up to the loyal members of the Mother list to find this thing so we can see it! Also, I noticed at the end of the liner notes on the back cover that there is a PID NO. (project ID number?) "1995103" 1995 obviously being the year the compilation was released, but the "103" happens to be the number recited by the computerized voice at the end. Still no solution (is there one?) to the numeralogical bits appended onto the end of some RI releases, but it's a tidbit. I'm still stumped by what the 103 designates, perhaps the number of projects Uwe has contributed to at that time?

Here are reviews of the 2 unreleased bonus tracks:
10) Eigen Value (5:55) - Nature before science began labelling it, but a scientific tune deserves a scientific name. Described as being the sound of a "Gaussian Surface Algorythm." This track is quietly noisey, beatless, and goes through several stages. The first is a 90-second rounded static segment which then switches over to a more submerged drone which gently glides by like an immense submarine, leaving a trail of bubbles to tickle your ears.
11) Clear File (6:48) - A pulsey, staticy bass drum combines with several other drums to make up the main percussive passage. Snare and bass seem to switch roles. This track also gives a sneak peak into the more slurred echoey drum techniques that one can find on many of the more recent RI discs. The overall tone becomes quite eerie as the song plays out. Each drum sound seems to be independently tweaked so that in spite of the lower bpm rate, there is much to be heard during any given moment. The track's outro draws out an intense creaking ripple sound.