Dave Clarke – Archive One

A while ago I finally found a copy of Dave Clarke’s Archive One on vinyl. This one had been on my wantlist for over a decade.

The first time I heard this album was back in 96 or 97 when I borrowed it from the local library. They had a copy of the cd digipack. I picked it up because I recognized Dave’s name from the remix he had done for the Chemical Brothers’ ‘Chemical Beats’, and the fully red cover triggered to me. I copied it to minidisc and kept it on repeat for days. It has been a standard on every music player I have owned ever since.

Once I found out the album was available on vinyl, I had been searching for it (mind you, this was before the discogs days). I even had my local ‘vinyl dealer’ on the lookout. Unfortunately he could not deliver. Later on I got the CD, but not the digipack, which I would have preferred, but the urge to get the vinyl version came resurfacing every now and then.

I remember the design of the digipack cd, and am pleased to find out that the the vinyl is designed in a similar way. The CD, and in this case the vinyl, is ‘locked’ by a perforated orange tear-away strip giving access to disc(s). You had to break the seal to get to the music. When you open it, it folds out like a ‘folder’, or an ‘archive’ so to say. Typography is in a ‘get your glasses’ size helvetica font listing the usual things like a tracklist and a list of “thank you’s” categorized by country. I used to study this list trying to find clues to what and who’s next in techno for me.

Even though I already have heard the music a million times, and I still listen to it every now and then, it does feel like something special finally having the records in my hands and going over the design.

Silly thing is that a picture of dave and his record boxes is inside the sleeve, you have to peak through the side to get a glimpse of it. Also worth noting that on other pictures from the same session he is wearing his ‘don’t suck corporate cock’ shirt, but on the album artwork the decision was made to remove the text from the shirt. Which sounds to me like something Dave himself would not have decided to, but someone else pulled the trigger on. Also inside is a glimpse of the back of Dave’s head, actually the same photo was used in full on the ‘Southside’ single artwork.