- These days Neil Landstrumm makes fun and cheeky dance music. His techno side can be more serious, mashing together rave, electro and UK club with wobbly basslines, blips, bloops and vocal hooks. His sound is malleable but distinct, which means he can do an Italo EP on Giallo Disco Records and a very un-Mord release for Bas Mooy's label without raising too many eyebrows. His latest EP, the six-track Bad Life Choice Club, lands on another Rotterdam label, Moustache Records, which is owned by the flamboyant David Vunk, a master of everything feel-good.
The pair share a lot in common, but this is an unusually poppy record from Landstrumm. On "Cactus81" and "Your Life," he collaborates with Tommy Stuart of the post-rock band Remember Remember and the experimental synth group The Magnificents. "Cactus81" is a percolating instrumental with fat noise modulations, while "Your Life" is one of the '80s synth-pop tracks that dominate the rest of the EP. "Protect Me," featuring Landstrumm's vocals, is the catchiest of these singalongs. "Destination Nowhere" is the most signature—and best—Landstrumm production. It's colourful, unpredictable and a little silly, with a filthy bassline towards the end that makes your face wrinkle.
TracklistA1 Schwartze Tür
A2 Cactus 81
A3 Protect Me
B1 Destination Nowhere
B2 Your Life
B3 Black Heart