With a consistent stream of releases dating right back to the early '90s, Orde Meikle and Stuart McMillan are about as close to the living embodiment of Scottish techno as you'll get. As Slam (named in reference to a Phuture B-side from '88) the duo has steadily risen over the past two decades to become one of the biggest underground dance acts on the global circuit. In addition to their own success, they founded the Glaswegian institution Soma back in '91, so it's fair to say that they've helped plenty of their peers along the way.
The last four years of Slam's legacy have proven to be their most prolific, with no shortage of high profile remix commissions along the way. In order to encapsulate this prosperity Soma has rounded up 26 of their productions. Across the two discs, there are 12 of their own rigid workouts, including the thunderous "Metro Noir" and the anthem "Hot Knives," with many inclusions lifted from their four year-old subsidiary channel, Paragraph. Out of the remixes, interpretations of Sasha's "Coma," Secret Cinema's "Timeless Altitude" and Paul Ritch's "The Wolf" are the immediate picks. Elsewhere, reworks of Soma label mates Alex Under's "El Alma del Tiempo" and The Black Dog's "CCTV Nation" mark other notable inclusions.
In part owing to the UK bass movement and the rise of Berghain, most would probably agree that the latter half of the last decade has been an era of creative expansion in techno's illustrious history. With this in mind, there is perhaps a case to state that this lengthy compilation highlights Slam's limited artistic progression during this time. Judged as a listening experience from start to finish, what is less debatable is the impact the unmixed format has on this compilation. Sure, there will be DJs whose preference is for standalone tracks, but others may find that this stunts momentum, meaning the undoubtedly slick yet interminable content can prove hard work.
Tracklist: Slam - Collecting Data
CD1
 01. Sasha - Coma (Slam Remix)
02. Radio Slave - Bell Clap Dance (Slam Paragraph Remix)
03. Spencer Parker - Untitled Head (Slam RTM House Mix)
04. Slam - We Doin' This Again?
05. Prompt - Evolve (Slam Paragraph Mix)
06. Slam - Heart of The Soul (Slam's RTM House Mix)
07. Shlomi Aber & Kenny Larkin - Sketches (Slam Remix)
08. Josh Wink - Everybody To The Sun (Slam Paragraph Mix)
09. Slam - What's On Your Mind
10. Paul Ritch - The Wolf (Slam Remix)
11. Dot Allison - Cry (Slam Vocal Remix)
12. The Black Dog - CCTV Nation (Slam Mix)
13. Christian Smith - Pitanga (Slam Remix)
CD2
01. Slam - Collecting Data
02. Pan-Pot - Face To Face / Confronted (Slam Paragraph Mix)
03. Slam - Variance
04. Slam - Metro Noir
05. Secret Cinema - Timeless Altitude (Slam Paragraph Remix)
06. Slam - Hot Knives
07. Slam - Dead Dog Bounce
08. Slam - Maffaking
09. Alex Under - El Alma Del Tiempo (Slam Paragraph Remix)
10. Slam - Area 51
11. Slam - Chasing Shadows
12. Slam - Crowded Room
13. Slam - City Destroyer (Part 1)
| 
