Retox the Freak in Me

The Archives: they grow up so fast, don't they?

Thou Shalt Always Kill
Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip
Thou Shalt Always Kill [Vinyl EP]
Lex Records : 2007
[Listen] [Buy]

Atman
Dextro
Consequence Music
Grönland Records : 2007
[Listen] [Buy]

The Good Soldier
Nine Inch Nails
Year Zero
Nothing Records : 2007
[Listen] [Buy]

Under Constructo
DJ Icey
Twisted
Zone Records : 2005
[Listen] [Buy]

Retox
Fatboy Slim
Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars
Astralwerks : 2000
[Listen] [Buy]

Okay, Crayon Shin-Chan is some nutty animation, I've got it on CN with the sound off and the above tunes blasting in my headphones.

Getting some serious popularity on the British airwaves is this collaboration from deck cutter supreme: Dan Le Sac & that interesting spoken-word/poetry British dude: Scroobius Pip. 'Thou Shalt Always Kill' is a progressive and dense electro clash of danceable chiptune-like melodies and Pip's laundry list of mantras - some of which are pretty valid, others are a bit cockesque but it sounds really good none the less. Check out their respective Myspace pages for more tunes from each of these 'blokes.' (I feel dirty using that word).

The third post in a row to feature sombre IDM - Dextro's tunes are multi layered, ambient offbeat electronic solidity. It's a little like the previously posted I Am Robot And Proud and a lot like Boards of Canada. The track starts off pretty light, so if you get bored jump right to 3:40 elapsed, where the track picks up quite a bit.

I was a huge Nine Inch Nails fan from the release of Pretty Hate Machine in 1989 to about 1996 - at that point (and I've said this before) I just got sick of Trent's whining. The music was always pretty decent, but the lyrics were always about the same depressed introverted self reflexive crap - just b/c he broke up with Tori Amos or his dog died. Sure dude, be sad, but maybe try to evolve your tunes a little? So I in turn skipped With Teeth and The Fragile altogether. But, the newest album from Nine Inch Nails appears to have done that (evolved a bit) - it's a bit more up to date with a 'Rock meets really dark electronic' sound, rather than a bunch of gears banging together edited to a beat made up of car doors being slammed. On top of that, Reznor has engineered an incredibly deep viral marketing campaign to promote the album including such antics as leaking tracks by leaving them on USB thumb drives left on the floor of concert location bathrooms, the creation of over 25 hidden websites each containing clues that lead to each other, hiding images within the tracks on the album itself which are revealed when the songs are run through spectral analysis, and the creation of a deep back story detailing a catastrophe set to take place 16 years from the present with highly political undertones (finally he gets down on gov't and not just the church) and true-to-Reznor-form spooky as all hell spiritual elements. He definitely gets an A for effort here, but is it all worth it? Details on all of the previously mentioned debauchery may be found HERE. Year Zero is part one of a two part concept album and it's shockingly easy on the ears. 'The Good Soldier' is by far my favorite track on the album right now. I haven't had a Nine Inch Nails track on repeat like this since I was 14 years old.

DJ Icey, the 'Master of the Funky Breaks' has been one of my favorite breakbeat DJs since I first heard 1998's Generate - which is still my favorite of his material. His style is unmistakable and his technical proficiency at live shows is always bad-ass. If you've never heard 'Icey, you're missing out on a staple in Electronic music. He released a new album Disco Rodeo, earlier this year featuring new original Icey material and remixes of other tracks in a solid mixed package. But today's beat treat is from his 2005 effort, Twisted. 'Under Contstructo' is a great example of Icey's dark breakbeat style that, once you've got a few drinks in you, will surely get you moving.

I'll wrap it up with a Fatboy Slim track from 2000's Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars. 'Retox' sounds just as good now as it did when it was first released [ringing true for the majority of Norman's material]. Originally it was the lead in track to 'Weapon of Choice' - but today it's serving as that heavy handed electronic ass-slap to kick start your weekend.

Party on Wayne, Party on Garth...
...and Stay Tuned -- Silent K