Author: Matt Oliver

Album Review: Deekline & Ed Solo / ‘Bounce n Shake’ (Rat)

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Deekline Ed Solo Bounce n Shake

★★★☆☆

Deekline and Solo’s constant of putting the ass into bass is one long car chase up and down San Francisco-style slopes, revving through box-strewn alleyways and doing perfect figure of eight skids right in front of the camera. Get to the heart of the matter and the here and now of the rave first, without going on about it over and over like numerous EDM soothsayers; and, save for “Can’t Hide It,” get in and out at the double.

So, rapid firestarting for a 21-track double-pack with a taste of the familiar – Zhane’s “Hey DJ,” Dawn Penn’s “No No No,” Boris D’Lugosch’s “Hold Your Head up High” to name three sources. Dubstep, breaks, drum ‘n’ bass and the cooperation of all three at once makes the album disappointingly close-knit, going on to make the ragga-house option “Champion Number 1” a lonely cliché. However, driven by ragga rough riders joining up to kick the party up the backside (“Dancehall Tribute” is simple, skankable fun) and girly orchestrators of weekend hatchet jobs around handbags, every possible convention/back catalogue check, emphatically whacks the nail on the head. Despite rushing through, the pair barely leave a soundsystem skidmark in what’s a digitally-brushed typhoon speckled with cheese.

An album that gives itself every chance of spanking festival tents and stages while working the crossover vote (“Weekend Lover”). Unoriginal, yes — clean bassy fun, more so if you’re balanced on someone’s shoulders.

File under: Aquasky, Freefall Collective, Skool of Thought

Album Review: Kris Menace / ‘Features’ (Compuphonic)

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Kris-Menace-Features

★★★☆☆

“A summer spellbinder to warm you until winter” was Menace 2012’s stunner Electric Horizon — now in Jack Frost’s icy grip, Features follows up with 12 vocal collaborations. Whereas his first act showed a subtlety of touch when tenderising basic raw materials and rhythms close to the 80s, here he shows he can play percentages and tow the line rather more.

Early indications are that KM has picked up where he left off with Unai’s “Lone Runner”. The vocal performances are tailor-made rather than out-and-out breathtaking — this is an album featuring Miss Kittin (the Italo-styled “Hide”), Robert Owens and Romanthony, so it’s not short on firepower, but the neat vocal house pairings carry little to startle ears. The synth-pop references take tracks onto the edge of ad executive heaven, verging on EDM responsibility that’s a bit too ‘nice.’ The slo-mo crystallisation of “Golden Ratio” featuring Simon Lord and “Eye Opener” with Xavier Naidoo offer ways out, while still pretty conformist, shimmery yet pre-meditated. If “Love is Everywhere” was left instrumental, it would probably fit into the previous set perfectly. A gothic/psychopathic subtext to “Voodoo Dilate” shows its icicles, and a little bit of grit returns with Owens’ higher power dominance of “Trusting Me.”

Whereas Menace repeatedly let Electric Horizon beguile by itself, the vocals forcing the issue take the mystery out of the situation, and, only by a thin margin, make Features less charming.

File under: Love on Laserdisc, Lifelike, Keenhouse

Album Review: John Talabot / ‘Fin, Deluxe Edition’ (Permanent Vacation)

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John Talabot Fin, Deluxe Edition

★★★★☆

Barcelonan acupuncturist John Talabot and his first Fin edition were both ’80s-synth savvy and made for the Balearics, like the keyboard fashionistas had dropped their first E and found out what dance music was really all about — an excellent bond of past and future. Now it comes with an extra disc of additional, alternative and remixed material, the latter two supplements making you wonder whether Talabot will dare to fight the awe of the sunset’s glow

Those fitting his original route include “I Want Tonite” inviting you to the church of Talabot, a handout of cosmic disco to bless your mind via a Balearic big bang. The LP version of “Matilda’s Dream” eases into position despite its angularity, its chrome polish glistening with a calming embrace, and the meditative, angels landing of “Mai Mes” surveys the scenery from an exalted vantage point. With post-dubstep signifiers on “Journeys,” these unexplored areas are worthy extenders of the context, and the prominent orchestral groundswell to “Last Land” gets a tetchier refix from Kenton Slash Demon, provocatively putting a dent in the dreams without breaking stride.

“Destiny” and “Journeys” are also vocalised more, but the former’s Bullion version reveals too much 80s scenery and turns its nose up at the less is more. The ’80s Tapemix of “Zanzibar” and the Pachanga Boys taking on “When The Past Was Present” go close to disappearing into dry ice — though picturing it by sunset with love in your heart, you’ll give these and the album’s inspirational objectives the benefit of the doubt.

File under: Todd Terje, D.A.R.Y.L., Tomas Barfod

Album Review: Legowelt / ‘The Paranormal Soul’ (Clone)

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★★★★★

The Dutchman with a phonebook’s worth of aliases and release after release (after release) since the millennium (meaning he can probably get away with the slightly cheesy sleeve), has sounds homing in on a kind of crystallised float through hyperspace. Driving forward to dancing lights, Danny Wolfers leaves deep house and techno with a mind-opening mystical vapour as “Elements of Houz Music” and “I Only Move For U” have him cruising on a supernova.

Raving at the smoother end of dream machine ecstasy rather than heralding an attack of hoovers and horns, Legowelt starts liberally dropping darker jewels and little spats of techno malice. After “Clap Your Hands” come the supreme authorities that are “Rave Till Dawn” and”‘Transformation of the Universe,” although the latter has a peculiarly ’90s chart-dance smokesecreen that pops up more than once across the album – maybe it’s just these ears, or Legowelt’s wider vision is checking Usura or The Shamen. Moving into freestyle fractals “On The Tiger Train”, stretching the senses as the lightshow becomes an intricate work of art, the grouchiness of “Voice of Triumph” is the arguing equivalent of ‘fuck art let’s dance.’

What prevents Legowelt striking complete nostalgic gold is that he begins to have the same dream of raving over and over again. Conversely that does make for a coherent whole, and optimists will have a grand time with the freshening up of references to past partying.

File under: Franz Falckenhaus, Orgue Electronique, Drexciya