Customer Reviews

The Rex The Dog Show

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So now, here finally comes the first Rex The Dog full-length, after several seminal cuts released over the last four or five years ("Prototype", "Circulate" or the recent "Maximize", all present here) and a busy job as a much-requested remixer (two such works are even included here, along original works). While the title suggests this might be some kind of mixed-up compilation showcasing producer Jake Williams' key tracks released under that moniker, it's in fact sequenced as a real album, said tracks just having being edited enough (only the spaced final "I Look Into Mid Air" lasts for more than four minutes) to fulfill an exact 45 minutes running time. Such a relatively radical choice, considering the obvious clubbish nature of his material, reinforces the pop element to his music, which is no bad thing at all: previous singles quoted above stand proudly along newer gems such as the Yazoo-sampling "Bubblicious" (which is mainly built around Alison Moyet's chorus dropped from "Midnight"), the sexy mood to "Gecko" or the more hip-hop oriented "Itchy Scratchy", which features punchy vocals courtesy from The Ping Pong B**ches.

The overall sound of this release evokes a cross between Vince Clarke-era Depeche Mode (for the songwriting and addictive hooks) and early Kurtis Mantronik stuff (for the shake-your-booty to wipe the floor dynamics and colossal basslines), while aiming toward a more cutting-edge dancefloor sound, closer to the likes of Calvin Harris, Tiga or even a few Soulwax stuff. The "Heartbeats" remix for The Knife is rightly included here, as it actually really sounds like an original work. Those of you knowing the song by Jose Gonzalez' stripped-down hit cover version might be in for a bit of a surprise !

As the great George Clinton (of Funkadelic and Parliament fame) would howl like in '83, "A-TO-MIC DO-OU-OW-OW-OWG" !!!

From funky beats, to dark melodies, Rex the Dog is truly the king of techno. I thought that his tracks other then "Bubblilicious" might be a bit dull, but I was presently surprised to find that they're just as much fun, and they maintain musical integrity, while remaining different.