Source Lab 2

(Gyroscope)
by Joshua Brown

Bang Bang sound like a minimalist, vocal-less Portishead, with noir-ish samples. Zend Avesta‘s “Free Jah” flits between jazzy breakbeats and freestyle military marching rhythms, a chilly breeze of house coursing through it. Main Basse‘s “Hunt One Connection” introduces Hawkwind stylings to bread-and-butter trip hop acid fluctuations and exotic vocal samples arranged in hip hop fashion. Daft Punk almost recall breakdancing’s heyday, harnessing the silliness of post-disco and pre-hip hop, yet modernizing it to avoid being silly themselves. The next song, “La Colour,” by Ollano, is a snore, reminiscent of the soundtrack to the TV show Kung Fu. Krell bring the energy back in with a kickin’ jungle tune, “Planete Interdite,” extreme both in frantic snares and orchestral vulnerability. Dimitri From Paris, one of the compilation’s most internationally recognized dance acts, adds a splash of depth to a funky and chic concoction called “Man + Woman = Infinity.” Doctor L fuse hip hop and dub, rappin’ and scratchin’ samples bubbling up to the surface of a psychedelic sea. The next one is a messy bit of experimentation. Le Tone, on “Bomb the Britagne,” work with industrial/avant garde rhythmic machine noises, street funk, and a Santana influence funneled through dub reggae. They seem like musicians torn between genres, rather than bridge-builders.