Without doubt a dream that was never thought of to (ever) come true. Let alone in a volume expanding the original catalogue to a 4-record box set and a proper monograph. Earlier in the 2000s when Eve Wood's excellent "Made In Sheffield" documentary was released, a record label called Ninthwave at one point announced a CD revision of Vice Versa's back catalogue. It was an interesting developement that met with enthusiasm and anticipation in some circles, however, after a short while there were no more news and the Yahoo Group that was started at the time, in order to launch this eventual release, quickly became a mess of spam messages and occasional inquiries about the Ninthwave's initiative. At some point, someone finally put a full stop to it, saying the record label was no longer interested and the project was dropped... It turned out the reason why this CD never happened was due to the loss of the original master tapes. It took the next 12 years to fully reconsider and give Vice Versa a new chance for an overview - thanks to Vynil On Demand - who prove to be a label of words and despite a considerable delay in releasing this gorgeous box-set, "Electrogenesis" finally saw the light of day later in the year 2014.Boy George once said you have to distance yourself from a decade in order to revalue it. At long last, Vice-Versa get the recognition they deserve (for starters, "Electrogenesis" met with universal acclaim, winning a "release of the year" title in some of the 2014/15 polls) - which in recent months also brought them back in reunion (Stephen Singleton and Mark White surprised us with their new song "Drum Machine Boy" and announced some new material to come). At the time when they were operating locally along Cabaret Voltaire, Clock DVA and The Human League, Vice Versa weren't necessarily seen as original but a novelty act, often ridiculed for their efforts. Still they were generous and supportive of the scene.Their early official catalogue consists of mere a few 7" singles and a cassette (here finally and properly restored from tape obscurity), each a tiny treasure chest of razor-sharp minimal synth music, sharing a sense of pop-aesthetic that tended to go a little further, a marketing strategy the avant garde way (and the bomb goes Neutron). Sometime during 1980 the trio decided to conclude and give birth to a proper pop band that became ABC, a radical (albeit logical) step away for the top ten spin. Yes, it may still be hard to imagine the same core-trio shouting "Dissident faction, secret stylists, youth movement, rebel gang" with such fury, resurfacing in shiny lamé suits with "If you judge a book by the cover, then you judge the look by the lover"... but that's the way pop goes - and no pun intended; "The Lexicon Of Love" remains a masterpiece in itself, and despite its pop shift in the year 1982, to some extent it can be viewed as a lighter version of Clock DVA's "Advantage").As for "Electrogenesis" there are lots of surprises - as pleasant just as necessary in order to recapture the ideas originating from the best possible preserved (tape) source. Hard effort to restore and reconstruct some of these sounds as close to the original as possible is audible, keeping the authenticity of the material - with a number of recordings, some of which seem rather severely reconstructed (mainly in the synthdrum field) although with the best of intentions, giving many of these lost gems a new meaning ("New Girls Neutrons (Extended Mix)", "Camille (Extended Version)" or even more so the stunning brutal demo versions of "Genetic Warfare" and "Trapped In Celluloid" are only a tip of the iceberg of great examples of the reconstruction), which clearly demonstrates how modern the whole of Vice Versa still sounds and refuses to be captured by the late 70s zeitgeist. The studio version of "Riot Squad" offered here, on the other hand is even more so pleasantly confusing, as it differs in its mix altogether from the one that originally appeared on the group's 1979 debut EP "Music 4", with a more proper upbeat synthdrum and cleaner vocals.One of the box-set's segments that remains the ultimate pleasant shock is the presence of Adi Newton in the line-up of Vice Versa, even if for a one-off session. While not strange development in itself, considering the connection and friendship between the two collectives (Vice Versa were the first ones to release Clock DVA on vinyl, on their Neutron Records label + both groups supported each other live on regular basis, while Martin Fry at one point even wanted to join Clock DVA as their lead vocalist), it is still a bit of a pleasant shock to witness some of the raw Clock DVA-ish energy Newton poured into Vice Versa's creation. In fact, the two groups were probably the closest in sharing ideas inbetween, with Cabaret Voltaire of course serving as the proper, ultimate catalyst. It's a minor but explosive collection of lost and found session recordings with Adi - here altogether documented at Vice Versa's rawest, albeit slightly restored (studio) form.From the groups own live repertoire, it is evident of the energy and élan put into these songs (interesting note - "Idol" from the "Neukunstgruppe" live set does seem quite identical to the bit from "The Now Soc" segment captured in Wood's documentary) - the fourth installment of the box set documents their amazing performances, giving the studio songs way more space to fully explode in the face of the (static) audience. Learning from it, the bigger the frustration knowing "Modern As In Mary Quant" remains forever captured only in the live context. For a long time, there were mere mentions of the song but nowhere near possible to witness the sound of it. "Electrogenesis" is a happy place to dig into it for this particular song alone, an ironic comment on mass-consumerism, before closing down the Vice Versa chapter slightly after (on YouTube there is a complete Futurama performance by the group (also ther last ever gig), with Stephen Singleton and Mark White announcing it as "the end of post-modernism"). Finally, the dream came true providing more than one could ever wish for, and here it is, a truly rewarding step into the realm of one of the most obscure synth-pop groups. An expanded annual report from the yesteryear 1978-1980 with its solid foundations laid in the world of tomorrow.