Arguably BT was in some ways late in the game by the time Ima came out because if there was anything like a "golden age" of uplifting/transcendent/progressive house, it happened in the early '90s rather than the latter half. However, sometimes nothing makes an artistic effort stand out more than being defiantly out of sync with the times. While Ima's clean feel, sci-fi/blissed-out song titles like "Nocturnal Transmission" and "Embracing the Sunshine," and a generally happy way around the beat is miles away from the hip-hop/jungle/big beat styles prevailing elsewhere, it still is a fine if, at times, obvious listen. Certainly anybody interested in trance's aesthetics of beat and build will want to leap all over it if they find it; you could slip most of this album on at such raves and nobody would bat an eye. Samples and sonics indicate an interest in West Coast artists like the Hardkiss collective, but generally BT sounds like he's content in his own world. Sometimes things get a bit much -- the semi-whale sounds on "Embracing the Future (Embracing the Sunshine Mix)" were a cliché long before in the first place -- but the vibes and other touches on that same track help it and BT out from simply following others' footsteps. The two strongest tracks are perhaps unsurprisingly the poppiest, with vocals. "Loving You More," included in both a dub version of the original single and a further final instrumental mix, sparkles with energy and the undeniable power of a good if basic vocal hook, chopped up and looped in various ways. More accessible to general listeners would be his Cure-tinged collaboration with Tori Amos, "Blue Skies," included in two versions on a bonus disc shipped with initial copies. Said disc also includes a complete remix of Ima itself by Sasha.
© Ned Raggett /TiVo