Lektrk’s debut album sees the Melbourne trio find their feet, blending elements of French house, disco, funk and deeper sonic textures into a sound all of their own. Opening track Whagastalk is what Daft Punk might have sounded like if they were human and embraced the organic. I Like takes that to another level, bringing funk and South American percussion.
From there the narrative gradually gets deeper and more dystopian. Acid-house bass lines play off deeper sub-bass, waves of white noise signalling the beginnings and ends of peaks and valleys in tension. At points, instrumentation is stripped right back, channeling a little minimal-tech influence. Regardless of where the sound veers though, the emphasis on melody remains.
Production wise, every track is polished and full, maybe sometimes a little too full for a genre that can rely heavily on subtle changes. The included remix of ZANU’s Jasmine isa highlight,as the production dynamic changes dramatically, particularly the percussion – a welcome change after 11 tracks.
Closer Cross The Line with vocalist Rebecca Jans could have been a really excellent emotional house banger but the percussion is too intrusive, the slamming kick and snare really spoil the vibe. The intent with this release is clearly to party. And it does exactly that. A solid effort and culmination of a lot of work by the boys.
By Michael Cusack
