It's hard to be objective when you have to review a release by one of your favourite artists who also happens to be a good friend. Let alone a case like this one, ie a split EP by two of the most talented electro producers of our time, frequent collaborators of the signer and really great guys, UK's Mike Ash and France's (or should i write Japan, as he's based in Tokyo) Franck Collin (aka Fleck E.S.C.)! But i'll try to let aside the echoes of Mike's killer EPs on Binalog Productions, Mars Frequency and his own (short-lived) ElectroCat Records, those of Franck's incredible albums on Ghost Technology and BP, as well my relationship with the fellaz, and write like an impartial reviewer... (ok, you are not convinced, but i can't do nothing more to change that-lol). Oh, dare i say too that Devine Disorder is one of the freshest labels around and that i looove their releases?(!)
Anyway, what we have here is a 4-tracker based on the clever idea of "we're both doing a track each and then remixing each other's track". So, Mike delivers "Mindstate Liberate", a strong obsessive dark electro/acid tune, driven by dope beats and focused on distorted vocals that repeat: "Mindstate/liberate/activate/evacuate/concentrate/eliminate/activate/assassinate", while Franck unleashes his genuine electronics to come up with the minimal vocoded electro "Symptoms Shaping", yet another eccentric Fleck track in which what happens in the background is simply... indescribable! On his remix of "Mindstate Liberate", Franck slows down the tempo and builds an imposing track over a Kraftwerk-ish beat, while Mike transforms "Symptoms Shaping" into a dancefloor monster, destined to rock hard every mutant club over the galaxy!
I can't choose... Really! This is a KILLER EP by two electro masters and it's stuck on my ipod since i received the promo! A must-have, it will be available at your favourite digital stores by Wednesday, September 28, so keep an eye on it ;) (previews here: http://soundcloud.com/devinedisorderrecords/ddr030-mike-ash-fleck-esc)