- When Alexander Ridha, AKA Kid Alex, decided in 2004 to concentrate on his Boys Noize alias and started releasing maximalist bombs on labels such as Gigolo and Datapunk, he was basically at odds with everything that was going on with the Berlin techno scene at the time. He immediately got the much-needed accolades from the likes of Hell, Black Strobe and Tiga of course, but he obviously already had a well-defined musical persona and agenda, which he quickly imposed on others via remixes for Bloc Party (the scene-defining "Banquet") or, more recently, Feist (his take on "My Moon My Man" is now as permanent part of our psyche as is the songstress's album version). It's no wonder, then, that Ridha felt the need to launch his label as a vehicle for his own take on what gritty electro-fueled techno should be like. Ridha's sonic identity looms over everything that has been released on Boysnoize Records in the past four years, and the label's first two-CD compilation is a fitting testament, for better or for worse, to this stubborn vision and dedication.
That is explained in part by the fact Ridha himself shows up on BNR Vol. 1 under a variety of aliases like PUZIQUe (the euphoric Bangalter-worthy "Don't Go"), Einzeller (the discofied "Schwarzfahrer") and, obviously, Boys Noize, either with originals such as the ever-brutal "Volta 82" and "Kill the Kid" or menacing remixes of John Starlight's "Shadow Breaker" (probably the most viscerally engaging thing on here, with a titillating intro lasting more than two minutes). Otherwise, it's the label's various recent recruits that are somewhat struggling to affirm a real sense of an original voice: Siriusmo, Les Petits Pilous, Eastwest and Strip Steve, unfortunately, are all as sub-BN you'll ever get. Taken individually, mind you, tracks such as "Dodo Electro" or "You & I" are effective bangers, but lost amongst a 30-track, 150-minute long compilation, they feel slightly redundant.
Thankfully, in retrospect, the compilation is not as predictable as you might think at first glance. For instance, DJedjotronic's "Dirty & Hard," a collaboration with singer Spoek, goes booty with lyrics about big butt girls set to a pumping square beat, thus proving there is life in the Miami bass sub-genre mostly known for its limited, er, assets. The same could be said about CLP's grime-y "Ready or Not," which wouldn't sound out of place on a DJ Funk ghetto house mixtape. Housemeister offers, with "We Need Cash" and "Sonne, Mond & Sterne," reminders that maximalist underground techno doesn't have to be devoid of humor (although the inclusion of their inessential one-minute "Hello Again" skit could have been avoided). Then, the ferociously hypnotic Brodinski remix of D.I.M.'s "Is You" (also included in its paler, original mix) shows it's still possible to make effective acid house without being overtly reverent to the genre's tenets.
Finally, in surprisingly humble mode, Ridha decides to greet us, in lieu of his maximal-by-numbers version, with the Pandullo vs. Und remix of I-Robots' "Frau," the remake of an Italo classic his label snapped from Italian label Elletrica in 2006. Sure, it's probably telling that the best track Boysnoize Records ever released was licensed from another label, but when musicologists look to write the maximalist genre's history, they'll have to use BNR Vol. 1 as one of its archeological starting points. What more could Ridha ask for?
TracklistCD 1
01. Siriusmo - Mein Neues Fahrrad (Boys Noize Edit)
02. Shadow Dancer - Poke
03. The Faint - The Geeks Were Right (Boys Noize vs D.I.M. Remix)
04. Puzique - Don't Go
05. Boys Noize - Volta82
06. Djedjotronic feat Spoek - Dirty & Hard
07. John Starlight - Shadowbreaker (Boys Noize Mix No.1)
08. Les Petit Pilous - Dodo Electro
09. Strip Steve - Ready Steady
10. D.I.M. - Is You
11. Housemeister - We Need Cash
12. Shadow Dancer - Cowbois (Das Glow Remix)
13. Boys Noize - Kill the Kid
14. Darmstadt - Out of the Blue (D.I.M. Remix)
15. Einzeller - Schwarzfahrer
CD 2
01. Housemeister - Hello Again
02. Siriusmo - Simple
03. Puzique - Thomas
04. Shadow Dancer - What Is Natural
05. Les Petits Pilous - Wake Up
06. CLP - Ready or Not
07. I Robots - Frau (Pandullo vs. Und Mix)
08. Boys Noize - Lava Lava (Feadz Aval Aval Remix)
09. D.I.M. - Is You (Brodinski Remix)
10. Eastwest - Psychedelic Disco
11. Puzique - Chemie
12. Les Petit Pilous - Jolie Fille
13. Strip Steve - You & I
14. Housemeister - Sonne, Mond & Sterne
15. Siriusmo - Last Dear