High Phonics For A Replicant - Databass (France) / Kagdila

Damien Vergnaud, the man behind Droidlock and one half of Snug As A Bug, comes up with his first album as the latest instalment in a career which has seen, since 1997, releases on labels such as Dragonfly, ZMA, Phonokol and Hadshot. And the flavour of this is firmly scientific, psyborg-techno, probably laid down by men in white coats and plastic chemical goggles on. Starting with a dubby intro (Then I Begin), it segues into the percussive and mechanical Syncussion. From there things get deep down ‘n’ dirty with Origine X, featuring Paps. It’s a low-set, sci-fi friendly tune with a nice groove and plenty of bubbling sub acting as an undertow anchor. Life Form is a more conventional number, gathering and increasing energy with every bar, bringing in soaring twisted melodies and mashing them all together to make an analogue-driven, old skool-flavoured messy and intense climax. Joti Sidhu guests on Black Jack, a moody and stormy tune with evidence of Joti’s tweakery all over and Stomp, recorded with Dino Psaras, is just what its name suggests it is – a stomper, with a tight 4-4 and not a lot else. Serge Souque from Total Eclipse & The Antidote steps in on Channel 21, a quirky casserole of both TE and Antidote sounds put through the Droidlock blender, stifling the melodies and movements in favour of firmly futuristic scifi stabs. Finishing off with the nicely ironic and bubbling Acid Jaoe, a take on old acid house that blends detroit influences with, as you may expect by now, a mechanical and robotic feel, there’s something lacking about this album. Individually, there’s nothing wrong with the tunes, but without any real cohesive structure this sounds a bit directionless, and whether it leaves any lasting impression is open to debate.