Death In Vegas : Leather Girls/Natja

Following the batcave atmospherics of their last album (1999's 'Contino Sessions'), 'Leather Girls' and 'Natja' are the sound of Death In Vegas cautiously re-emerging into the sunlight, shades firmly in place. A double A-side teaser for their forthcoming made-in-India epic 'Scorpio Rising', it finds London's two coolest men (aka Richard Fearless and Tim Holmes) brilliantly welding together some of their traditional obsessions (Neu!, Spiritualized, acid house, Death In Vegas, Detroit techno) into spectacular new forms. 'Leather Girls' (good title) is the pick of the two tracks. A propulsive eight minute instrumental, it shudders to a halt halfway through in a squall of space-feedback, before promptly turning into Spiritualized's 'Electric Mainline'. As ever with Death In Vegas, good attitude.

James Oldham