UR* – The Final Frontier

got it out of curiosity and the "X-mix 2 The Tracks" version of the a1 cut stays in the bag as it sounds way superior.
make no mistake though - this record is not only about the a1 track, not at all.

sonicwise the A side sounds middy, there's NSC signature crisp or sonic character, andI'd say it's lacking a bit of treble too - if you want to try to make it work among other mid90s records you have to work the EQ a bit (fight the mids, dont boost the treble).

the B side sounds closer to an old UR (NSC) record BUT the levels are even lower so the noisefloor @ 45 rpm is 2,5-3 dB lourder (my copy) - so, the sonics are pretty GOOD, but the final S/N is typical of an old VG+ record - surely playable, but you have to be clinical in your treatment and storage to avoid any audible defects and noisefloor boost*.

on a plus side - the plating / pressing is decent and it is a LEGIT reissue so you one of the most important artists / label ever. they did the best they could to make this classic EP available again so we should keep our "audiophile sentiments" at bay. IT IS a playable record - let it LIVE.

got the original. this blew the roof off of many a Florida clubs back in the day. you want old school breaks with a Detroit/electro vibe. this is about at the top of the list.

got the original. this was the bomb track back in the day.

Comparing this new 2024 remaster/repress with the original 1992 record…

Overall tonal (frequency) balance is better on this new repress. 1992 cut is louder and brighter (more 3KHz) but with more distortion.

2024 remaster has more clarity and more controlled/refined midrange and better low end, and the 808 drum transients are clearer without distortion.

The dodgy edits and left-right volume dips present in the 1992 original are still present in this 2024 repress, but sound less intrusive.

Overall a quality 2024 remastered pressing of this Mad Mike classic!

Have wanted this record for a long time, so happy to see a repress and it sounds incredible

If you don't have this classic detroit techno 12", snap it up now. Quality pressing. Do not sleep on this...

Pressing sounds really good.
One of the best acid records from the 90s, stoked to see it repressed.

It was techno, it was electro, it was acid and it was totally epic. A militant sound of, and from, Detroit, that was markedly the next wave of the original. Landmark UR that took the torch from the forefathers and ran even further into the future. Some say, the best track ever.

Being a late adopter on this by at least a couple of years; I must add that it's one of my favourites.

On my Archer pressing with the 70mm ring, the sound drops out a couple of times briefly (less than a second) towards the end of 'Final Frontier'. Is this the same on all copies of this pressing?

My other copy with the 32mm 'muffin type' ring does not do this.