Dave Clarke - The Desecration Of Desire

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  • Dave Clarke's nickname, the "Baron Of Techno," is as good an indication as any of his standing among the genre's top tier. Though he made his name as a producer with the '90s Red 12-inch series, more recent EPs, like Spek Hondje, a collaboration with Mr. Jones as Unsubscribe, have continued to show a mastery of the form. In recent years, however, his musical scope has widened. Last year's Charcoal Eyes (A Collection Of Remixes From Amsterdam) remixed bands like Amazing Snakeheads and A Place To Bury Strangers, revealing an affection for angsty rock. More surprising still was this year's "Charcoal Eyes (Glass Tears)." With former Queens Of The Stone Age frontman Mark Lanegan growling about vampires, the song evoked the desolate American landscapes of the Preacher comics. That track sets the tone for The Desecration Of Desire, Clarke's first LP since 2003's Devil's Advocate. Where his previous output consisted of clear, razor-sharp dance cuts, this record begins with "Exquisite," a grimy stew of churning guitars and broken beats. It gets murkier from there, taking cues from the post-punk and industrial of bands like Bauhaus and Cabaret Voltaire. The LP has several guest vocalists, each of whom personifies the album's bleak mood. "I'm Not Afraid" has political lyrics—"men in bowlers... skim the public for all they're worth"—but Anika's delivery sounds detached rather than defiant. Other vocals are more abstract, like Lanegan's on "Monochrome Sun," whose portentous words are almost lost within its inferno-like distortion. On "Cover Up My Eyes," Gazelle Twin's lyrics are initially hard to make out, but, as she half-whispers about "tearing into someone else's flesh," the menace is clear. The exception is "Plasmatic," a pile-driving techno track that streaks like a firework through the album's otherwise slow and shadowy atmosphere. As a producer of pure dance floor techno, it shows Clarke still blows most of the competition away, but including it here is a risk. It's a glimpse of the album Clarke's fanbase probably anticipated, instead of the industrial, EBM and post-punk influences he's given them. The LP might not be to the taste of those expecting the former, but Clarke sounds reinvigorated here. It's clear he feels he has nothing to prove to anyone but himself.
  • Tracklist
      01. Exquisite 02. Is Vic There? feat. Louisahhh 03. Frisson feat. Mt. Sims 04. Plasmatic 05. Dot Forty One (Mute) 06. Charcoal Eyes (Glass Tears) feat. Mark Lanegan 07. Monochrome Sun feat. Mark Lanegan 08. Cover Up My Eyes feat. Gazelle Twin 09. I'm Not Afraid feat. Anika 10. Death Of Pythagoras
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