If Jochem Paap’s two first albums, Ginger and
G Spot, both released on Warp, presented beautiful
warm ambient soundscapes, the follow up records, Public
Energy No.1 and A Shocking Hobby had a far
more post-industrial feel, with enormous bass lines, complex
structures and aggressive sounds. After two years of complete
silence, Paap returns with an album of club orientated
minimalist techno, reminiscent of his early days.
A respected live performer and club DJ, Rotterdam-based
Jochem Paap is without a doubt one of the most highly
esteemed musician of his generation. It is therefore not
a complete surprise to see him leaving behind his intricate
abstract techno to concentrate on straightforward dance
floor music. Intentionally presented as a DJ set, the
fifteen tracks on Loudboxer are mixed together
in a non-stop hour suite, Paap seamlessly going from one
to another without breaking the momentum or slowing down
at any point. Very much baring the imprint of Detroit
techno, this album also establishes a conscious link with
the harder edge of German dance music. With resolutely
industrial soundscapes and dynamic patterns, Paap creates
tensed hypnotic progressive structures on which he applies
similar dark atmospheric elements as he used on Public
Energy #1 or A Shocking
Hobby, but here, distortions and chaotic rhythmic
configurations are replaced with slick and repetitive
slices of electronic sounds and linear beats. Although
Speedy J avoids any unnecessary introduction by almost
immediately setting the pace, the album reaches its peak
with Krekc, the mind-blowing Sevntrak,
an eight minute long burning piece of hardcore, and Bugmod,
which continues along the same line. Krike, recorded
live, and complete with crowd noise, adds another dimension
to the mechanic of this record by emphasising the club
aspect to its full potential and reiterates that Speedy
J is before all a DJ and live performer. This track is
also the point where the album begins to slow down slightly,
anticipating an approaching end. For the last part of
this set, Speedy J introduces some lighter sonic elements
to the points where Pannik Rmx comes to a near
complete stand-still before giving the coup de grace by
pushing his mechanical beats to full steam one last time.
This album is likely to disconcert those who expected
a more abstract record. It is however not anachronic for
Jochem Paap to return to his roots in such an obvious
way. If a very unlikely home listening record, Loudboxer
should prove to be a winner on the most demanding dance
floors.
4/5 |
