June 18, 2007

Simian Mobile Disco

The superproducers make soundtrack to the summer

8 / 10 Slowly but surely, the forces of righteousness have wrestled back control of the dancefloor over the past six years. Following the
slow brain death of the mainstream trance’n’funky house scenes, electroclash and new rave have revitalised underground British club culture with their puckish energy, battered iBooks and pop hooks.

‘Attack Decay Sustain Release’ is the pinnacle of that process: in these 10 perfectly weighted pieces of contemporary electronic pop, Simian Mobile Disco rifle through history (hip-house, Italo-disco, 808 State) to produce the definitive sound of now.

Despite having evolved from indie origins with Simian, James Shaw and James Ford exist squarely at the DJ/producer groove-orientated end of new rave, and their artist debut is very much a dance collection.

At first listen it’s the vocal tracks that stick; the goofy, drum machine-pummelling ‘Hotdog’, a sister piece to ‘It’s The Beat’, or cosmic disco anthem ‘I Believe’. But those moodier club bangers soon reveal their own dark analogue drama: ‘Hustler’ and ‘Tits And Acid’ positively reek of basement clubs, of sweat, cigarette smoke and stale perfume, while Vitalic-esque opener ‘Sleep Deprivation’ is sensational.

Raucous enough for the indie-electro set and just slick enough for Ibiza, expect to hear this everywhere. Simian Mobile Disco will own summer 2007.

Tony Naylor