Boombox

Boombox

Various Artists [Kitsune]

12 February, 2008 | 5.08AM

• Section: Music Recommendations
• Written by: Richard Brophy

Mixed by former house DJ turned nu-rave evangelist Jerry Bouthier, this selection highlights the strengths and weaknesses in the electro/dance/rock sound.

The main criticism is that a number of the tracks have a plastic, two-dimensional feeling: the ubiquitous grinding bass and tinny guitars on the contributions from Chromeo and S’Express are indicative of a lazy mindset that assumes any release based on this approach will sell.

Contrasted with Justice, who make a huge wall of guitar noise on ‘Pogo’, these inadequacies become even more glaring.

That’s not to suggest Bouthier is a poor programmer.

Feist’s warbling vocals combined with the arcing acid of the Van She Tech remix of ‘1,2,3,4’ shows that he has an ear for the mainstream and the underground, while his experience with house music means that he’s not afraid to drop a track like Oliver Koletzki’s ‘Music From The Heart’, which combines trance’s bluster with a warped electro house bassline and Young Punx’s acid rhythms and flamenco-style perucssion.

Keeping the noisy guitars to a minimum and taking some risks, Bouthier delivers an acceptable side of nu rave.

Who knows, maybe the techno kids will even catch on to it.

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