True to the project’s name, this record is, in fact, an Enigma. Why would someone combine new-age and worldbeat? Are there subliminal satanic messages snuck in? How did a record this weird stay on the US Billboard charts for over 5 years straight? Take the hit single “Sadeness” for example. This song is a smorgasbord of gregorian chants, French people talking, breakbeats, flutes, and yet it still sold millions of copies during the peak of the grunge era. I’m sure Oneohtrix Point Never had the cassette of this playing on repeat when he was a kid. Either way, MCMXC a.D is a world within itself—one that sucks you in instantaneously. The grooves are tight, the melodies are infectious, and Michael Cretu’s production is top-notch. Songs like “Sadeness,” “Mea Culpa,” and “The Rivers of Belief” are just as danceable as they are genre-defying. 7 (or 11?) tracks on 180g black vinyl.

• 1990 debut album from German new age electronic trio
• 180g black vinyl pressing
• printed inner sleeve
• music label: Republic Records 2020

reviewed by SHH! 07/2021