Salient

Simian Mobile Disco: Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release.

By Sophie Barclay | 1 Oct, 2007

Simian Mobile Disco is made up of the dynamic duo James Ford and James Shaw, well known for their remixes, including tracks by The Rapture, CSS and The Go! Team.

This “new rave” CD would definitely create a dance floor wherever it was played, hence the band name I guess, but the kind of dance floor you’d crave if you like ecstasy, raving at “deep hard ‘n’ funky” and underground German electronica. Attack, Decay, Sustain Release generally conforms to the typical electronica pattern, instrumental (synth/drums/noise), build up, a repeated hook/sample.

‘Tits & Acid’ has a very Benny Bennassi “Satisfaction” feel, with repetitive electronic synth/drum tracks/noise, breaking down and building up, just as all house/dance music does. However, on the downside, this track is boring.

Don’t listen to it unless you are in a zombie-trance dance state and just keen to shake what your momma (or poppa, let’s not be sexist) gave you.

‘Sleep Deprivation’, ‘It’s the Beat’ and ‘Hustler’ are more bearable songs on the album. ‘It’s the Beat’ features samples by Ninja, the female MC off The Go! Team, and has a more old school hip hop feel mixed with 80s aerobic tapes. The track was slightly tarnished by the ‘craaazy’ electronic beeping which gave me a headache third time round.

The final track, ‘Love’, actually has words, which is unusual. It’s like an 80s disco track about someone casting the “deadly spell, S P E L L” of love. Funky bass lines, drum solos, synth. Good track, if you’re into repetitive 80s disco.

‘I Got this Down’ is probably my favourite, if I had to pick one. Rap vocals mixed with robotic voices, a funky hip hop beat and electronic synth. But don’t be fooled, it’s still repetitive and somewhat lacklustre.

This CD would be really appropriate if you wanted upbeat house music to, say, clean your house to, or to have a dance to in your bedroom in front of the mirror, in order to improve your “crumpin” skills you may want to whip out at any social function. Or, for a good old fashioned boogie with your flatmate, in place of, say, the musical genius of Ying Yang twins or Missy Elliot (what? That’s normal, right?). Seriously though, why is house so repetitive? I guess people need to concentrate on cutting shapes on the d floor and chewing the inside of their cheeks off, rather than listening to words or concentrating on new, complicated rhythm structures.

PS I’m starting to think that Salient music editor Stacey Knott really doesn’t like me.