Their first record in a couple of years, this release is designed to tie-in
with the centenary of the Tour de France. Whether or not they're cycle
enthusiasts is by the by. What is relevant is that if it wasn't for
Kraftwerk, everything that we call dance music (house, techno, hip-hop,
electro, drum 'n' bass etc) possibly wouldn't have existed, and definitely
wouldn't have evolved in the way it has.
However are a group of near-pensionable Germans still relevant to music in
2003 - based on this release, definitely. Times may have changed and the
impression they can make is never going to be as great as it was in the
70's, but this is still a good record. The 12" contains three different
versions of the same track and while they're all relatively similar, the
production is crisp on all of them, although it's the Long Distance version
that works best. The sounds used are similar to those employed by Maurizio
and there's a definite Basic Channel influence in there somewhere, both in
terms of the lead sounds and the drums.
Worth checking out at the very least.
Reviewed by Sean Keltie
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