Amazon.co.uk Nightmares on Wax's A Word of Science was recorded at the height of happy hardcore fever that gripped the UK in the early 1990s. Alongside groups such as the Prodigy, LFO and A Homeboy, a Hippy and a Funki Dred, Nightmares on Wax introduced a hard electronic sound that tore up house music and overthrew acid. "A Case of Funk" has that typically hysteric, operatic sound that made early-1990s Brit electronic music the rush that it was; the same goes for the squidgy synths and tribal beats of "Coming Down". Both tunes reflect the increasing influence of Ecstasy on the rave scene as mellow euphoria was replaced by a sharper, teeth-grinding groove. However, "MegaDonutz" starts as typical hardcore but warps into a 45 King style hip-hop production while "Back in time" is down-tempo and uses an old Bizmarkie sample--even with the rave scene around them, NOW went back to their original hip-hop roots. As a snapshot of British dance music at the turn of the 1990s, A Word of Science works well, though not as good as the many compilations out there that cover this period more comprehensively such as Pioneers of the Hypnotic Groove. -- Jake Barnes