Voodeux - The Paranormal [Album]
 

Taster track ‘The End’ introduces Voodeux’s “The Paranormal” with spooky sounds reminiscent of an 80s horror movie: when the ethereal, half naked lady - panting in her white night dress - is about to be stabbed, and we all know she should have run the other way: It’s chilling like a knife being sharpened, but once second track ‘Just a Spoonful’ kicks in you realise it’s something you’ve heard many times before.

With it’s danceable, repetitive beats this may well be great if you were high but if you need to be drugged up to enjoy it, the music is simply not good enough.

‘Just a Spoonful’ is so mind numbing, I actually checked my neglected Twitter account while listening. I zoned out and wandered around, bored in my room, chained to my speakers. Although sound effects are injected to keep the music interesting, even they become predictable. I’ve never felt so close to self harm. Although it is breaking away from the Techno mould the tracks all sound so similar, it’s like they only had one beat and ten samples to pick from.

“The Paranormal” would sound great as the soundtrack of a good film and I can see this appealing to people outside of the Techno music scene as Voodeux have managed to cross genres between Techno and Ambient IDM.

The intriguing track titles and cooky artwork all had such promise; it looked like it was techno made for Donnie Darko but the tracks may as well have been titled randomly as they have no relevance to the music. ‘Enter the Voo’ lacks inventiveness and after watching those six-year-olds in the ‘I’m a PC’ adverts I’m pretty sure they could create better dance music on daddy’s computer.

Although I can see Voodeux collaborating successfully with other artists in the future and I can admire the subdued bass, minimalist layering and easy beats, in reality “The Paranormal” gives the uncomfortable feeling of being completely sober in a strangers house at the very end of the night surrounded by pill popping zombies.

If only starter track ‘The End,’ really was the end. I wouldn’t have wasted 59 minutes of my life listening to what was essentially the same thing on repeat with no intermissions.

Track Listing:

The End
Just a Spoonful
Enter the Voo
Heebie Jeebiez
Bones
The Third Floor
Frank the Janitor
The Paranormal
Skeleten Key
Deadend Motel

Re: Voodeux - The Paranormal [Album]
 

Dear AltSounds, next time you review an electronic record, could you please get someone who likes electronic music to do it? or at least with some understanding of it. This is an appalling review. Its not in any manner objective or informed, and it reads like its written by a snotty kid whos got something to prove and thinks that because hes got every Incubus album hes broadminded.

This is some of the most interesting tech house i've heard all year. Its meticulous and original, it works at home and definately on a dancefloor. Voodeux are Tanner Ross and James Watts (aka Kilowatts), two producers who have both been making a wide range of groovy, glitchy, technical house and breaks on their own for years, and who have now officially combined forces on the DIrtybird (see Claude Von Stroke) sister label Mothership... I think we have some really exciting stuff to look forward to from these guys.

If you are after blarty, uncompromising fidget house or (in the case of our reviewer) something with vocals about missing your girlfreind then you might want to look elsewhere. But if you like your techno mature, spooky and groovy then i recommend you take a look...

Re: Voodeux - The Paranormal [Album]
 

Ooh whilst you're here, I have been wondering for while now - how much does a job in PR pay?

Re: Voodeux - The Paranormal [Album]
 

I really like the artwork to this.