October 26, 1998

Munich Machine

A self-styled international DJ gigolo he may be, but until now [B]Munich[/B]'s [a]DJ Hell[/a] has done little to justify that lusty moniker....

8 / 10 A SELF-STYLED international DJ gigolo he may be, but until now Munich's DJ Hell has done little to justify that lusty moniker. Freed from the stylistic constraints of the minimal Detroit techno he'd previously championed, though, 'Munich Machine' is the sound of a reinvented and rejuvenated Helmut Geier, and perversely enjoyable it is too.

That's right: enjoyable. From the sleeve graphics (which depict our hero as a suave James Bond type; buxom, bikini-ed women draped over him) to the irresistible gay disco throb of, um, 'Copa' (Manilow's classic well and truly beefed-up), this 37-year-old has made a record that's frisky, yet still boasts that essential Teutonic cool.

A remarkable feat and one owing no small debt to the efforts of pioneering '80s electro icon and fellow Munich man Giorgio Moroder (see 'For Your Love' and 'Berimbau') and Kraftwerk's sly wit. Of course, if you're going to steal ideas, make sure they're the best.

Naturally, the moist, S&M clanking of 'Warm Leatherette' suggests that - sometimes - it's hard work dishing out hot love action all day long. But even so, never before has Hell been this appealing.