- Waves of synth from the Amsterdam artist and the US analog obsessive.
- In recent years, Interstellar Funk (real name Olf van Elden) has become a key figure in wave-inflected dance music thanks to strong releases on Rush Hour, Berceuse Heroique and L.I.E.S., his raw DJ style, and his exquisitely curated recent compilation, Waves Of Synth. Van Elden's own label, Artificial Dance, is dedicated to lesser-known artists, and for his production debut on the imprint he's collaborated with Robert Valera, a New York-via-Texas analogue synth obsessive.
All four tracks on Devil's Juice are impressive. Burbling oscillations prop up ominous leads on "Serge," while "Northsea" feels like an instrumental EBM hit fine-tuned for today's techno clubs. But in the wake of Waves Of Synth, it's impossible not to compare this material to the music that inspired it. Valera and van Elden are avid students of history, but this record, for all its charms, fails to transcend the classic minimal wave sound. The title track is so thoroughly indebted to Chris & Cosey that it's nearly indistinguishable.
TracklistA1 Serge
A2 Devil's Juice
B1 Northsea
B2 Klangin