LUKE VIBERT: Chicago, Detroit, Redruth (Planet Mu)

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Posted on Sep 4th 2007 12:54 am

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Luke Vibert: Chicago, Detroit, Redruth

LUKE VIBERT
Chicago, Detroit, Redruth
ZIQ157
Planet Mu 2007
12 Tracks. 63mins07secs

A true veteran of the UK electronic scene, Luke Vibert has, in the last few years, finally gained the recognition he deserves. His first dispatches saw him go from the ambient textures of his debut album as Wagon Christ to a much more acute and varied sound, infused with hip hop, soul, electro, techno, acid house and drum’n’bass. Distilled under a variety of pseudonyms (Wagon Christ, Plug, Kerrier District, Amen Andrews, Spac Hand Luke to name but a few) these have progressively become the staple diet for his fans. Yet, it took for the man to focus on one of his until-then somewhat overlooked strengths, acid, with his monumental YosepH (Warp, 2003) for the world, or at least electronic followers, to finally take stock and listen.

This second album for long term friend Mike Paradinas’s Planet Mu imprint branches out more than its predecessor, Lover’s Acid (2005) by incorporating, beside healthy servings of acid house and classic techno, decent helpings of drum’n’bass (Comfycozy), groovy hip-hop and trip-hop (Rotting Flesh Bags, Swet) and classic electronica. And as if to get his point across right from the start, it is with the bip-bop-infused drum’n’bass groove of Comfycozy that Vibert chooses to open the hostilities. All the way through, Vibert jumps from one genre to the next with disarming dexterity, effortlessly clocking mile after mile of dance floor mayhem without ever breaking into a sweat.

From the playful Speak’n’Spell assault of Breakbeat Metal Music and the heavy groove of Clikilik to the hypnotic Argument Fly, the slightly sombre Rotting Flesh Bags or the closing Swet, on which he spills library music all over an incendiary funky rhythm, Vibert gathers beats and grooves, stuff them with acid squelches and warm bass lines and delivers an extremely convincing collection of fresh and imaginative electronic pieces.

The standards rarely drop at all here, and despite the wide range of genres forming the core of this record, Chicago, Detroit, Redruth is surprisingly consistent. Fans of Wagon Christ will be as much as ease as those who prefer Vibert’s more purely dance floor orientated incarnations. It may take a few listens to truly appreciate the breadth and reach of this album, but the reward is well worth the effort.

Vibert was never a front-of-house master, at least in the early years. Often found circling in the background of more flamboyant friends, Paradinas included, his versatility was sometimes mistaken for a lack of particular focus, but he has proved the most reliable of long distance achievers as he continues to deliver slices of beats and grooves with insistent regularity. A truly hedonistic collection, Chicago, Detroit, Redruth is undoubtedly one of his strongest releases to dates, and it is incidentally also one of the most entertaining records released this year.

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One Response to “LUKE VIBERT: Chicago, Detroit, Redruth (Planet Mu)”

  1. samon 11 Jan 2012 at 1:16 pm

    Top stuff. Could not recommend this highly enough. RDJ has real competition IMHO