July 14, 2000

Death On Wild Onion Drive

Four tracks in and you already feel like you've been listening for hours. Days, even.

4 / 10 It's a bad sign. Four tracks in and you already feel like you've been listening for hours. Days, even.

/img/muchomacho0700.jpg Basically, this is a record that should never have been made. Mucho Macho are the sound of amazing, buzzing funk clubs; they're the soundtrack to a time when you barely notice what's playing as long as it keeps playing. Captured for scrutiny on record, none of that seems quite as special. It's the dodgy indie/funk/dance crossover, you see. Almost wholly instrumental, each track here has every component that you could possibly desire for the dancefloor: slick disco, shiny electronica that sounds like The Human League in Ibiza and upbeat grooves to make anyone with a heartbeat tap their foot. That's all wrapped up expertly by Mucho Macho blokes Tim Punter and Neil Dunford's neat production - in fact, it's so devoid of rough edges, you'd barely know a human hand had touched this. Only last year's single 'Easy Living', featuring Isaac Hayes vocals from '70s funk star Jon Lucien, stands out. It's a welcome blast of humanity amid a smart, stylish but ultimately soulless record.