K-Punk's Rephlex Grime review now at Stylus.

I've heard it too now and....I love it! Mark makes a connection between Slaughter Mob's sounds of paranoia with early Cabaret Voltaire. Good point. In fact, I hear echoes of the Cabs' methodology all over the place. The rhythm track for Plasticman's "Industrial Graft" is a deadringer for that employed on the Cabs' "Trust In The Lord", and the tribal samples on Mark One's "Raindance" follow on from Richard Kirk's ongoing obsession with Africana. Excellent work, and respect to all three artists, though if I was to single-out anyone for special praise, it would have to be Slaughter Mob. I was really gripped by the razor-sharp grooves and slightly darker, dubbier soundworld. "Creeky Door" is a fascinatingly abstract piece that put me in mind of Musique Concrete pioneer Pierre Henry. And those basslines -Jesus!! definitely one to watch...

On a completely different note, I wonder if Mark has heard the latest album by Fennesz yet? I wasn't really switched-on to him until I heard his remix of Junior Boy's "Last Exit", which really blew my head off with it's saturated textures. This new album is called "Venice" and it's fucking gorgeous. Somewhere between Aphex Twin's "SAW II" and MBV's "Loveless", it's a beatless, weightless, indistinct, overloaded, isolationist, melodic slice of pure spellbinding magic. At some point in my life I'm sure I must've said that guitars were a spent force. Well, Mr. Fennesz has proved me totally wrong. If you only buy one 'chill-out' record this year, make it this.