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In the male dominated world of electronic music, it's refreshing to see women get their due on a bustling new platform entitled Femmes Fatales. This compilation takes its moniker from the French phrase "fatal women" and touts itself as a showcase of 12 Leading Ladies of Electronica. From the mesmerizing breaks of Eve Falcon's "Know It All," to the majestic progressive trance of Jan Johnston's "Transparent" to sultry mid-tempo drum n bass of Celeste Lear's "Letter From A Train," to the sexy west coast house vibe of Colette's "Feelin' Hypnotized," Fatales reveals varied styles but ultimately embeds itself in a cohesive pocket that will be embraced by newbies looking to expand their horizons while also appealing to the discerning dance music aficionado looking to be introduced to quality new music.
Produced by Mike Burns, who along with DJ Mark Lewis and vocalist Colleen Kelly are the foundation of the emerging electronic group Interstate, Femmes fatales becomes his calling card as his cohesive touch is felt on over fifty percent of this album including a retooling of the aforementioned Johnston track. His modern trio also crafts a worthy follow-up to their worldwide hit "I Found You" in the form of "Remember Me," a progressive tour-de-force augmented by the yearning of Kelly's breathy emoting as she professes "I'm in too deep. I can't get to sleep. And when I do, I only dream of you." From there Burns hands this proverbial torch of longing to his sibling Andrea, an accomplished Broadway performer who makes her vocal debut on the fatally infectious 1st single "100 Stories," and thematically anchors this collection.
Through lament of loss and unrequited love, the petals of this fatal flower often fall into murkier waters. Dena Carman's sinister "Beautiful Liar" recalls the angst of NIN's Pretty Hate Machine while Angelique's "I Couldn't Believe," and its lilting voyeuristic vocals, sounds like a moody distant cousin of Garbage's Shirley Manson on a sullen rainy night. Elsewhere, the driving rhythm of Layla's "Waiting For You" equates to the bed of pounding anxiety that can exist as one sorts through memories of overwhelming consequence while DJ Keri's "In Your Eyes" lurks in a world that lies just beyond the mortal realm and one in which presents itself throughout these dozen exposes.
Regardless of the hemisphere or the sentiment on the surface, what ultimately permeates Femmes Fatales is an emotional immediacy that results from a polite sense of urgency which invites you to a place that's warm and comforting. Perhaps it's just a coincidence or perhaps it's the very subtle innate intrinsic allure that gestates under the creative influence of a woman.
