Paranoid London レコード& CD

Review: For obvious reasons, Paranoid London tend not to say much about their popular 'Pledits', series, which see them rework, sample, combine and breathe new life into a variety of classic cuts. What we can say is that every single track in the series so far bangs hard and has been caned by DJs with taste. 'Music's Insane', the opening cut from their latest batch of reworks, is another weighty workout - a restless Chicago jack-attack blessed with moody pitched-down vocal snippets, 8-bit electronics and a mind-mangling bassline. On 'From The Back', they add reverb-laden vocal snippets to a hybrid beatbox electro/Chicago house beat, while 'Poignant Dexter' is a breathlessly energetic, drum-machine driven chunk of acid house/ghetto-house fusion that will ignite peak-time dancefloors.

Review: Paranoid London's latest offering, the 'Pledits 5' EP, is a veritable sonic feast for the senses. The tracks feature a diverse array of samples, including very subtle snippets of vintage spoken-word recordings, woven together with a precision that could rival the accuracy of a humanoid electron microscope armed with a pin. Subterranean basslines, acid sloshes and rim-heavy drum rammings make up this three-track monster.

Review: Paranoid London are named as such for a reason: the English megacity really does instill a low-level sense of paranoia and dread. So why the hell not lighten up now and again? That's just what this dubious duo have gone and done with 'Suck A Dick'; replacing their usual EP-cover representation of Big Ben with a giant phallus, Paranoid London have successfully drawn an astute analogy between masculine dominance and the totalitarian dominance of the state. Featuring the unmistakable vocals of regular collaborator Mutado Pintado, it's a guaranteed floor-filler, unusually humorous for the pair's austere, distorted repertoire.