Kaiserdisco - In No One's Shadow

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  • By definition tech house is a fence-sitting wishy-washy genre in which distinction is particularly hard to achieve. While only active since 2008 Kaiserdisco, the prolific "Kings of the Disco," have a strong pedigree in producing clearly functional floor-fillers, with a dozen 12-inch releases, half a dozen Beatport #1s and remixes for Booka Shade and Robyn. Their squirmy, percussive, neon sound may not be wholly original, making the title of their debut LP In No One's Shadow ring somewhat hollow, but as a collection of functional floor-fillers it's surprisingly convincing. My Best Friend have put out five of their singles, two of which—"Carachillo" and "Aquja"—appear here, the former bringing whistles, squeals and the reverbed din of traffic to the percussive clatter, the latter claves, synthetic brass and a Sebbo-like chant. Eight of the remaining ten tracks make subtle variants to this structure, all pretty successfully. Gabriel Ananda's "Bambusbeats" seems to be the greatest influence, the duo laying down a comparable driving bongo-techno base over which they disrupt Ananda's linear simplicity with grand build-release drops and brighter, often kooky tonal variations. The title track shivers like a rattlesnake over emotional synth pads and a kitsch oompah-esque bass bounce. "Legal Weapon" opens with straighter drums before splintering, and collapsing into aqueous puddles. "You and Me" finds them in vocal deep house mode, with wispy congas, chimes and an effective male croon. The album is bookended by "experimental" departures, both doused in treacly progressive synths and broken drum patterns. "Tripping Lure" toys with New Wave swagger over a lumpen hip-hop rhythm, far outstaying its welcome, while closer "Djuma of Love" could be a Swedish Eurovision instrumental, so emotionally manipulative are its rib-tickling pads and mournful Spanish guitar riffs. Ignore these and you've ten prime tech-house bombs. Or, in other words, what Kaiserdisco do best.
  • Tracklist
      01. Tripping Lure 02. In No Ones shadow 03. Dance On The Moon 04. Simplistix 05. Marie 06. Legal Weapon 07. You & Me 08. Carachillo 09. Hickup 10. Aguja 11. Holding Up My Life 12. Djuma Of Love
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