Dance or Die - Phonokol

Politically, this album is a bit sensitive. Alien Project had signed up to two albums with Phonokol, and after last year’s potent Midnight Sun, decided to work with TIP instead, who will be releasing the next Alien Project album at the end of May. Alien Project’s obligation to Phonokol has led to the release of this, a collection of singles, B-Sides and oddities. Luckily though the behind-the-scenes wranglings haven’t affected the quality, and provided you’ve not picked all these up along the way it’s a darn good collection that demonstrates the excitement that Alien Project creates in the scene. The GMS remix of Midnight Sun is perhaps overheard, but still kicking and presented here in a nice unmixed, CDJ-friendly way (this is another recent album that comes with a BPM-insert to go in your CD-wallet.) Dance or Die and Genetic Eyes are competent mashups, Teotihuacan is a sharp 303-driven outdoor monster, and Anti@Alien is a get up and go groover. Largely these are kind of unnecessary, and the lack of cohesive album-ness to it makes it second-fiddle to Midnight Sun. Worthwhile for DJ’s and fans of the Alien Project sound, but with a slice of brand new material around the corner your loyalties to your wallet may suggest you wait for that instead.