SPEEDY J
A Shocking Hobby
NOMU74CD
NovaMute 2000
11 Tracks. 56mins01secs

Long gone is the Speedy J of the catchy Pull Over. These days, Jochem Paap's landscapes are dark, rough and rather inhospitable. A Shocking Hobby is the follow-up to Public Energy No.1, and is in direct line with its predecessor. Sounds are saturated, tortured, twisted to the extreme. Beats agress, disturb, start, stop. The atmosphere is more threatening than ever. But nothing is never completely black or white, and this nightmare collage is more attractive than it appears. The abstraction is such than when the danger seems to fade away for a moment, on Sabina Seats, you would almost take your guard down. But even during the tempered moments, the violence around is palpable. Manhasset, with its piano and more common melody can't manage to reassure fully. The listeners know they are hunted, trapped in some unfamiliar surroundings, and Jochem Paap plays with them like a game master. Very impressive album.

4/5

Terre Zippy
Borax
Ferber Mudd
Balk Acid
Drill
Caligula
Vopak
Actor Nine
Sabina Seat
Amoco Cadiz
Manhasset

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