Aphrodite - Aftershock

I don't listen to much jungle. Actually, I don't even know what jungle is per say. When I read, "breakbeat mutated into the chimeric convergence of reggae bass, doubletime breakbeat rhythms and Jamaican soundsystem boom known as jungle," from Aprohdite's bio, I was an enlightened. Then, after listening to Aftershock several times through, I have to say that it's a damn good description. Basically, Aftershock is a party record, for club kids. Aside from occasional late-night headphone session, this album isn't for casual listening. When you listen to Aphrodite, it's expected that you "shake yer booty," or something to that effect. It's not complicated music; it's music that's about good feelings and breakbeats. For instance, the sparse, Jamaican-styled crooning of Barrington Levy over the backing beats of "All Over Me," gives the track an atmosphere that begs for you to get lost in it. Moreover, dancefloor anthems "Heat Haze" and "Chinois" ascend from tame beginnings, drawing the listener in, until they break into a monstrous, consuming concoction. However, while many of the albums track can stand alone, it's better to look at the entire picture. In that sense, Aftershock is kind a journey. A journey through a world that I'm not too accustomed to, but a world that seems to be filled with all night raves and sweat-stained dancefloors. Aphrodite himself has stated he's "got one foot inside the drum 'n bass scene and one out of it." Indeed, the drum 'n bass influence was the first thing I noticed about this album. The other thing I noticed is the use of live vocals, which stands out most on the tracks "See Thru It" and the album's first single, "Hoochie." In a world where 90% of music is created by machines, it's nice to have that human touch on the record as well. Those two aspects help make this album much more accessible to the average listener. [www.v2music.com]