- Revlux isn't a musical project but a kind of sci-fi "lifestyle brand," with "product lines" covering "home & bath, terraforming, aerospace and deep space networking." There are echoes of PC Music and co. from back when they were marketing fake energy drinks and "Pop Cubes" in an attempt to convince everyone that they were genius satirists rather than just makers of irreverent pop music. The concept behind this new project from the Montréal-based San Franciscan Oren Ratowsky seems intended to make the music cleverer—but the music, at its best, outshines the concept.
The EP's first two tracks are modern breakbeat gems, vivid and gleaming with vaporous melody and white-noise whoosh. "Total Recall" is gorgeous and light. "Fuck Air Canada" has a sly side, its brighter moments cut with weird whimpering synth passages. The bobbing drums resemble jungle more and more as they develop, and the result is like DJ Sports soundtracking The Fifth Element. The project veers towards its concept, though maybe accidentally, on "Hos Gana," which lands too close to '90s lounge chillout. It's surrounded by intriguing miniatures: the rich furtive downtempo of "What Unprecedented," the viscous ambient on "Catloop7" and the pretty "Catloop50," which ends with a jumpcut into what could be a brash radio ad, quickly downpitched into nonsense. The conceptual touch seems unnecessary, but it doesn't get in the way.
TracklistA1 Total Recall
A2 Fuck Air Canada
A3 Catloop7
B1 Hos Gana
B2 What Unprecedented
B3 Catloop50