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Reviews

The Face

The man who beat off Derek 'ceasefire' Dahlarge on their split 'Evil Knievel' EP triumphs again. The lead track is a dose of 'Gymtonic'-inspired disco dynamite. The remainder sees our man at the movies, playing with breaks, beats and string.

Mixmag

The massive 'King Tito's Gloves' is half New York b-boy breaks and half Parisian disco, while the Superman theme tune kicks off the cut-up party jam of 'Live At The Capri'. On a downbeat tip, 'In Pursuit Of The Pimpmobile' and 'Lopez Part 2' show that Damon Baxter is also shaping up to be a British DJ Shadow. Genius. 5/5

Muzik

White-hot four tracker ably attesting to Damon Baxter's nous for wringing out monstrously powerful breakbeat tracks without resorting to cliche. This boasts a steroidal remix of the previously-released 'Live At The Capri' mutant disco cut, the beefy funk of the lead track and considered, high-art soundtrackery of 'Lopez Pt II'. Stunning. 5/5

NME (Single of the week)

Deadly Avenger hits the floor with an EP headed by such a breathlessly imparted collage of funk, go-go, disco and Latin jazz frivolity that 'King Tito's Gloves' is not so much a single tune as an entire record collection joyously rammed into a crowded space. With the emphasis on letting the rough edges hang out and the lusty party spirit flow, it's backed by missives rich in filmic cool, P-funk brouhaha and super-fly soul, ensuring Deadly Avenger's Damon Baxter emerges as a breakbeat Renaissance man.

Update (Essential Tune)

There's been a lot of hype about Deadly Avenger on the end-of-year issues of the music press, and this track is surely one of the main reasons. Tough driving beats littered with stabs and bells, that breaks into a cheeky little disco loop and then out into some nifty drum work, before the cycle begins again. It samples the same guitar riff that Bob Sinclair used to such effect, but this is the gritty, dark under-side of 'Gym Tonic', and it was allegedly written before the French hit. The other three tracks on the EP are much less housey, with some hip hop touches and some atmospheric flavours that beat the French nu-wave (Air, Cassius, etc.)at their own game. They're all good but the title track is a killer.