Enigma includes: Michael "Curly M.C." Cretu, David Fairstein.

Australian pressing features four bonus cuts, "Sadeness," "Mea Culpa," "Principles Of Lust," and "The Rivers of Belief."

"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.

What the critics say...

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."