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| 2nd February 2006 | ||
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Flexitones: Out Now! Propellerheads + Eat Static = Flexitones Two of our favourite electronic acts from the Nineties were without a doubt Eat Static and Propellerheads. Merv Peppler from Eat Static has now joined up with Will White from Propellerheads to create an exciting fusion of styles! Both were pioneers of their own sound and each received something of a cult status for their normative sonic achievements. Many a music-lover lost consciousness through waiting with bated breath for the second Propellerheads album only to find out that the two members had gone their separate ways! Propellerheads were deep in the limelight when they parted as they had appealed to a wide audience with the remix of ‘On her Majesty’s Secret Service’ that dragged Bond towards the 21st century, a collaboration with Shirley Bassey for ‘History Repeating’ and of course the infamous Mission Impossible theme tune sounding ‘Spybreak’. Its about time we heard some noise from the almost forgotten Propellerheads talent pool. This is where Will White comes back to claim his throne.Eat Static however have been an ongoing force releasing a string of great albums, each one a totally different flavour from the last one. Over the years, Merv’s sound has been evolving from the hardcore days of early Eat Static with their bone-crunching beats, zing-pong percussion and mind-melting melodies of distorted mayhem towards a more refined and particular, jazzier and less violent style. His latest work was the massively underrated ‘Hi-Fi Companions’ (Bbeat005cd also from Twisted Records) written with Steve Joliffe from Tangerine Dream. ‘Flexitones’ feels like Starsky and Hutch meets the
Matrix. Huge Propellerhead breakbeats and basslines, with classic
seventies cop show melodies and samples with Merv’s jazzy
psychedelic influence and production glimmering over the whole album.
Operatic swells engulf the listener submerging them in ‘Technicolor’
moments giving way to smooth scratchtastic interludes, enough time
to grab a box of popcorn before setting off on the next chapter
– ‘Just as the car is about to jump between the carriages
of the moving train, the camera pauses, spins 360 degrees and slams
into the next huge bass line’.This is by no means the only
vibe on the album. There are several more down-tempo tracks, where
Starsky is chilling out on a beach in Havana and Hutch is trying
his luck with a buxom beauty he’s
just pulled over. All the tracks reek of cheek. This is a good-humoured
album, which will inspire, entertain and amuse. Bringing the Propellerhead
vibe from the Nineties to the Noughties via the seventies! |
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