Items & Things レコード& CD

Review: Former M_nus cohorts Marc Houle and Click Box join forces to deliver this four-tracker on Houle's Items & Things label, and the results are naughty, synth rich jams that follow on neatly from Houle's career to date in bringing a little touch of Italo to modern dance music. There is a palpable amount of fun being had within these tracks, from the tongue-in-cheek vocals to the on-the-fly tweaks and wobbles, but the tracks that emerge from the melee are sturdy enough for any floor. "Freaky Baby" holds down a deadly, bass-laden groove, while "Cable Line" calls to mind the work of mid-00's Soma tech-funk.

Review: Magda, Troy Pierce and Marc Houle's occasional label Items & Things makes a welcome return, featuring four more superlative grooves from Marc Houle, Kasper, Thrill Cosby and Alexi Delano. The label was created as an outlet for the weird, experimental and beautiful sounds the trio often come across on their travels and "Spies & Lies" fits the bill perfectly, containing music that will stimulate, overwhelm and confound in equal measures.