Boards Of Canada – Hi Scores (30th Anniversary Edition)

Boards of Canada's Hi Scores first reached listeners in 1996 on Skam, and for many people it effectively served as the Scottish duo's introduction to the wider world. Across six tracks, it sketches out the atmosphere that would soon make their name: hazy analogue textures, restrained breakbeats and melodies that feel both wistful and slightly uncanny. For a release this concise, it says a lot about where Boards of Canada were heading.

What still stands out is how complete the language already sounds. Hi Scores includes enduring early favourites such as “Turquoise Hexagon Sun” and “Everything You Do Is A Balloon,” while “Nlogax” shows a tougher, more rhythmic edge alongside the duo’s dreamlike drift. The balance between downtempo pulse, electro detail and blurred-memory ambience makes this an especially revealing listen if you know the later albums and want to hear those ideas taking shape in real time.

This 30th anniversary edition also matters because the record has been hard to find on vinyl for years. Released by Warp for the first time, it brings back a key early chapter in the catalogue and returns Hi Scores to vinyl for the first time since 2014, with expanded presentation that suits one of Boards of Canada’s most loved short-form releases.

Features

• Black Vinyl, 30th Anniversary Edition
• Gatefold 12-inch sleeve with four 12-inch x 12-inch art prints
• First Warp vinyl edition; first vinyl availability since 2014

Reviews

• it’s basically the spark that would ignite their reputation - Pitchfork