Voodoo Child - Baby Monkey

I have always wished someone would make a record that made me feel like, even as I put up my dirty laundry, I was the protagonist in a video game. I just kind of wished they’d made my video game soundtrack a little less… Repetitive. Mute Records of the United Kingdom apparently think that the underground rave scene is still big, so they put this album of pure predictability out, hoping that some pacifier-mouthed kid would pick it up due to the funky album title and immediately reach for their lightsticks with newfound exuberance. It’s SO danceable, if only because we have the exact same beat on every song. All of them. A friend of mine once used to chant “Untz-untz-untz” to all techno songs, underscoring their predictability. As I listened to this, I thought, "Yep, here’s the sample of some obscure track ('Gotta Be Loose in Your Mind'), and ah, yes, we need the atmospheric cloud formation sound (hitting the chord button in 'Take it Home'), the up-down bouncy-ball-heart effect that gradually gets louder and is over-scored by sharply defined Japanese-type keyboarding ('Electronics'). And, lest we forget, some light cymbal-beating accompanied by the climbing beat that eventually with converge into one giant sound wave, accompanied by the thought-provoking drum-less moment ('Harpie'). This album is mostly outdated, unoriginal, unremarkable, and uninventive to any degree. If anything, it’s more of a nod to the mid-90’s UK house than the late 90’s surge of techno, and that alone is commendable in a clinging-to-the-idea way. This album would make a great sonic beer coaster, and it got on my nerves to such a great extent that I don’t feel bad saying that. [www.masterdisk.com]