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Mr. Oizo
"Stunt" CDEP
F-Communications
/ Mute
Genres: electro, techno, experimental
electronica
Mute
140 West 22nd Street, Suite 10A
New York, NY 10011
Sep 6 - 12 2004 |
I'm not one of the people who liked "Flat Beat." The
whole fad never really caught my interest; I much preferred the
darker, grimier side of Mr. Oizo. While half the world
bugged out to that shady Flat Eric character, I was busy grooving to
the messy techno-noise of "Analog Worms Attack." Chunky,
static-drenched beats and a completely chaotic melody - what wasn't
there to like? And so, when Mr. Oizo's comeback single, Stunt, came
to me, I was quite intrigued. Which Oizo would it
be?
Well, it's a bit of both. The
funky accessibility of "Flat Beat" is not completely done
away with, but fortunately this is far from "clean
techno." The beats are lumpy and textured, scooping up grime and dirt with each downbeat. The melody isn't
groundbreaking, but its complex beepiness is remarkably
effective. Club play may be limited, but for a comeback track,
it ain't bad.
Interestingly, I really like the record's B side, a dark and
experimental slice of beaty electro cryptically entitled
"1$44." It plunges along from beat to beat, forging a
path for itself, and sounds like it would be right at home at an evil
zombie discotheque. Near its end, it strays from its principal
structure and noisily skips from sample to sample. Its absurd
experimentalism may alienate most club audiences, but it is
nonetheless an intensely awesome track. Many may have forgotten about Mr.
Oizo, but this single proves you can never count him out.
87%
Fun Fact: The Mute version of this
single is a single-sided 12". The original promo copy
allegedly included three extra tracks, with "Stunt" and
"1$44" on the B side, and "Trust," "Lotus
Suite Köln," and "Pig" on side A.
Matt Shimmer [Vitals:
2 tracks, distributed by the
label, released 2004] |
