Speedy J
Public Energy Number 1
(Plus 8)
When I first took a gander at this disc, I figured that it would be the same, smooth techno that I had heard from him in the past. After a couple tracks, though, I could tell that he has shifted gears a bit in the past couple years. A young veteran on the electronic scene, this marks a cool new direction for Speedy J. Released on Ritchie Hawtins (Plastikman) Plus 8 label, it's much more experimental and edgy than his previous releases. As a good friend of Mike Paradinas (U-Ziq), it's easy to hear some of the clanging sounds that Paradinas has used before from his arsenal.
If you're looking for a creepy excursion that seems to find its inspiration in paranoia, this is something you might want to listen to. In the course of 11 songs, the disc runs the gamut from abrasive to ambient and back again, all the while enveloping the listener in interesting sounds. This guy knows how to create a huge build and then wallop the listener with sound. With not-so subtle references to extra- terrestrial life on the album art, the music captures the feeling of being watched and wondering. Good creepy electronic stuff that makes you feel like you should be looking over your shoulder a lot more.
Rating: 7.5
