Bentley Rhythym Ace
Self-Titled
(Astralwerks)
I'd been hearing the work of this artist for the past year without ever knowing it. Not only does MTV have a fondness for using it as background music, but I had caught several tracks on a college radio station without ever hearing the artist who created them. I'd even read a fair amount about them in electronic music articles, but never snagged the disc.
The most explanations I've heard so far of the group include classification in the "Big Beat" category along with Fatboy Slim, Uberzone, and even really big names like the Chemical Brothers. The album is packed full of music (78 minutes) and although it ranges in sounds with smatterings of drum and bass, straight techno, and old school, it still has a definite style. With big builds and crazy cutout beat sections, it makes for an excellent disc to groove the noodle. Almost every song ends up at some point with a dancefloor-suited pumping beat. It even has some humor thrown in for good measure. It's unabashed crazy fun music, but it's a good time.
Rating: 7
