Outfit of the Week

Trentemoller - The Last Resort

Listening to my new cd reminds me of the 1970s and those concept albums that we all thought were 'JUST SO AMAZING'. And of jazz/fusion albums (I could swear he uses actual samples) from the same era - that were, in themselves, sophisticated audio experiences we took the time to sit back and listen to from beginning to end.

Trentemoller's sound - kind of cut-up electro-dub - is chilled and always experimental - even infectiously danceworthy at times. First-listen favourites are 'Evil Dub' and 'Always Something Better' - total killers! There appear to be no duds really, since every track is inventive in some way though, for me, 'Chameleon' dragged on a bit within pretty familiar territory. Overall, there is definitely that minimalist dub vibe and I'm reminded of Pole, Thomas Brinkmann and even a hint of Mouse on Mars and Irresistible Force. But something more is going on here. The music stands out as almost neo-classical - working (for me, anyway) as a kind of referential audio cut-up of contemporary music and bourgeois metroscapes, though it is highly distinctive in its own way as ultra-modern techno. I think it's up there with The Knife's 'Silent Shout' as a modern classic.

Hauntingly beautiful, intelligent, infuriating, cool music.