Enigma Mcmxc, A.d. CD

Enigma includes: Michael "Curly M.C." Cretu, David Fairstein.
Michael Crétu's attempt at fusing everything from easy listening sex music and hip-hop rhythms to centuries-old Gregorian chants couldn't have been more designed to tweak the nose of high art, a joyously crass stab straight at a mainstream, do not pass go, do not collect 200 dollars. The result is something that shouldn't exist, but in its own way results in as much of a cultural scramble and explosion as anything Public Enemy were doing around the same time, crossing over the Euro-disco and new age spheres with style. Credit Crétu for an open ear for whatever works, which is precisely why "Sadeness," the first part of a longer track called "Principles of Lust," turned into a fluke worldwide hit. Snippets of monks invoking the Almighty effortlessly glide in and out of a polite but still strong breakbeat, shimmering, atmospheric synth and flute lines and a Frenchwoman whispering in a way that sounds distinctly more carnal than spiritual (as her gasps for breath elsewhere make clear). Guitar and male vocals add to the album version's try-anything-that-works approach, as do attempts at shuffling jazz beats and horns. If nothing quite equals that prime moment elsewhere on the album, MCMXC A.D. still trips out on the possibilities as it can, right from the opening "Voice of Enigma," inviting all listeners to sit back, relax, and take a gentle trip. Crétu certainly isn't trying to hide anything -- "Callas Went Away" goes right ahead and adds a sample of Maria Callas herself to the chirping birds and soft beats, while elsewhere the flutes, beats, monks, and French voices merrily go about their glossy business. About the only thing missing is the kitchen sink, making the entire album the "MacArthur Park" of its day. ~ Ned Raggett
"Good evening. This is the voice of Enigma. In the next hour we will take you with us into another world, into the world of music, spirit and meditation. Turn off the lights, take a deep breath and relax." So begins the experience of MCMXC A.D. The soft female voice with a beckoning European accent amidst an ethereal backdrop of harmonic soundscapes is followed by Gregorian chanting, and, finally, the beat. "Start to move slowly. Very slowly. Let the rhythm be your guiding light."
Perhaps this is what a techno artist would create to incite monks to dance: innocent grooves, sacred texts. Until, there enters another breathy, sensual woman with sultry French talk. By now there's a compelling dance groove, which builds for a few minutes, then finally plateaus into a space filled with dripping sounds where the beat is kept afloat by the rhythmic panting of our seductress. Gradually this grows as more instruments are added, and she continues, this time in English, with "The Principles Of Lust." Finally the panting becomes erratic, the Monks sing backwards, and Enigma has another fan.

30 PC

Musician (4/91) - "...up-to-date and audacious....a high art/high camp concept unlike anything else...a bit of everything; heavy breathing, hip-hop beats, new age keyboards, even Gregorian chants....the album's giddiest moments belong to the adorably operatic `Callas Went Away.'"
New York Times (Publisher) (2/6/91) - "The studio group...expands the texture and mood of European dance music with a blend of elements including Gregorian chants and a range of electronic sounds that are warmer than those usually found in contemporary dance music."