ElectrO Punk 2

From Cosmophilia’s ashes phoenixes a seemingly unscathed Hadshot, back on their mission to straddle the dirtier side of proghouse and electro with the second in the ElectrO Punk series. Sketchy, mishmash collage artwork gives way to a tight and pounding collection of electroskank. Oliver Koletzki’s Der Muckenschwarm opens things off with a clunky, awkward vibe; which is fine, because let’s bear in mind that electro like this is geared squarely at indie kids.

Next up, Coburn team up with Anne Savage (not someone I expected Quirk and Slide to end up with, but there you go) for We Have The Technology, which you will recognise from myriad telly adverts, shopping centres, and gawd knows where else it may have appeared in the two years since it was made. Black Strobe’s Deceive/Play is inoffensive, until these huge guitars come in and it sounds like a depeche mode cover band playing its first “gig” in its own garage, to an audience consisting of the bassist’s sister, her cat, and the drummers BMX. It progresses to become unlistenable. Kiko’s Good Sluts Factory Stuff is dance music straight outta Berlin’s heroin alleys, and as such is an essential piece of electronica. The lyrics are largely indecipherable but they’re unmistakably filthy; it’s a track that suits writhing around in all conceivable bodily fluids and then some; as I said, it’s essential.

Sikk’s My Washing Machine has been caned and caned and then caned some more, this is the cleaner-sounding one of the remixes and it’s not the one I prefer. Definite bubblegum stuff, as is Hunteman’s Femme Fatal, a messy bit of ketaminelectro with no shortage of nods to Babmaata and the whole breakdance kru mentality. Spektrum’s Kinda New (Dirty South remix) is top, with its mock J-pop-esque refrain “we all live and die.” It’s catchy, it’s trashy, it sounds like it was recorded on an 8-track and it’s instantly loveable. Scene darlings Freeform Five do well with Electromagnetic, there’s plenty of noise manipulation going on which lends it some additional sophistication, setting it apart from the bulk of the rest of the album. It’s dark, it’s imaginative, it’s slinky – everything this genre isn’t supposed to be wholeheartedly embracing.

Antichic & Popped’s Friday Night is pretty nifty, borrowing elements from Beckers – it’s a bit like Switch except with more holes in the sound, and dafter lyrics, and it goes into a nice flurry of acid at the end. Tiefschwarz feat Chikinki’s Wait & See is an eerie one, reminding me a little of something Haltya might have come up with if he was born ten years later. Finally Schatsi’s Dead End is a journey in plinkiness, but at least it’s a journey – the track goes places, progresses and moves, whipping you up nicely before setting you down at the end.

I’m kind of baffled by this album. Admittedly, I’m not immersed right in the electro scene, but if this is a true barometer of what that sector is all about then I’m quite happy where I am, thanks very much. Mostly brain dead, not all that punky and quite, quite, quite disposable.